The Off Topic Topic

[Iormlund]

Your point being? I thought we were talking unions in general? Most people work in service industries and often don't face as much foreign competition as a manufacturer of durable goods.

I thought you were making the point that since German unions are  industry-wide their actions won't impact competitiveness.

Whereas the German autoworkers union  could theoretically price domestic manufacturers out of the market.

German autoworkers have actually priced themselves out of the market.

The industry has adapted though. They dominate the premium car segment, which is less sensitive to prices and have expanded pretty much all over the world (VAG group has factories all over Europe, in the US, Mexico, BRICs, Argentina ...). I'm guessing a fair bit of the engineering for these is still based in Germany (as well as tier I suppliers). My own employer is a preferred supplier, and though quite a bit of the engineering is done in Spain and some in Mexico it is based in the Fatherland.

[Sheilbh]

Snooker!

I've also received more texts from my dad in the last few hours about this game than I have in probably the past couple of years

[Liep]

It is a great comeback, and quite surprising that Ronnie is so awful.

[Maladict]

The Atlantic is starting a photo series on WW1. It's pretty cool 

[Zanza]

German autoworkers have actually priced themselves out of the market.

Employment in the German automotive industry has actually grown the last few years.

The industry has adapted though. They dominate the premium car segment, which is less sensitive to prices and have expanded pretty much all over the world (VAG group has factories all over Europe, in the US, Mexico, BRICs, Argentina ...). I'm guessing a fair bit of the engineering for these is still based in Germany (as well as tier I suppliers). My own employer is a preferred supplier, and though quite a bit of the engineering is done in Spain and some in Mexico it is based in the Fatherland.

Globalization and gaining global market share allows for more bloated corporate headquarters and bigger engineering teams. Of course there is a trend to build capacity in the emerging markets, but the growth of the last decade allowed the German automotive industry to expand without reducing total employment in Germany. There was a substitution of blue collar with white collar jobs though.

[Iormlund]

That was what I was aiming at, Zanza.

German blue-collar autoworkers are € for € worse than say, Spaniards. But German firms have adapted to this scenario, something which Detroit never did.

[The Brain]

Now he's hating on Detroit.

[Liep]

Selby.

What a last clearance.

[Sheilbh]

Incredible.

Really glad for Selby too

[Valmy]

Who is Selby?

[crazy canuck]

Who is Selby?

My grade 11 Geography teacher.

[Eddie Teach]

I'm sure he meant Richard Shelby, Alabama Senator.

[Josquius]

Today is my first day back to work after 12 days off.
What a world. Work sucks so much but so does being unemployed.

[Ed Anger]

Spicy, this is for you:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1094/1094_01.asp

[Caliga]

Today I have a consultant originally from Cluj coming in to the office.  Should I take him to: a blood bank for lunch.

If Tamas was here, I guess I'd let him beat the dude up too.