TOP 100 RACING SITES
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| With Late Push, Johnson Edges Hamlin at Martinsville In a brazen last-minute nudge, Jimmie Johnson pushed Denny Hamlin out of the way to win the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 on Sunday. nytimes.com |
Johnson Edges Stewart With Two Laps Left at Dover Jimmie Johnson nosed past Tony Stewart with two laps left in a thrilling battle to the finish and won the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway. nytimes.com |
Key Senators Back Off Cash for Clunkers Objections Senators Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Olympia Snow (R-Me) have backed off objections they had over the Cash for Clunkers bill. The two Senators had pushed for a rewrite of the legislation to drive the sale of more fuel efficient vehicles than what the current law called for.But, upon seeing the top ten list of cars bought under the program, the two are willing to support an extension of the law and fund it with an additional $2 billion. The bill had been funded with $1 billion, but that has been exhausted.The top ten vehicles purchased so far under the program:1. Ford Focus (pictured above)2. Honda Civic3. Toyota Corolla4. Toyota Prius5. Ford Escape6. Toyota Camry7. Dodge Caliber8. Hyundai Elantra9. Honda Fit10. Chevy CobaltThe Senate is being asked to pass a bill this week before they recess that would grant the program another $2 billion. The House passed its version last week. The program gives consumers either $3,500 or $4,500 if they surrender an old "clunker" that gets less than 18 mpg and buy a new car that gets better fuel economy. The rules and parameters of the program can be found at www.cars.gov.The Senators had beefed that the law as written was too favorable toward people buying new pickups and SUVs instead of smaller, more gas thrifty cars. The list of new cars purchased, though, shows that consumers were more interested in getting the maximum benefit from the program, as well as bracing for higher has prices. "People seem to be using the program to take out an insurance policy for when gas prices go back up to $4.00 per gallon," said Ford senior sales analyst George Pipas. rss.businessweek.com |
IRL's Franchitti, still learning, revved up for more titles His head still swimming after emerging with the IndyCar Series championship, Dario Franchitti's body got the treatment Sunday ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
UAW workers stiff arm Ford Just when you figured that the United Auto Workers have been hammered into submission, union workers are flexing their muscles. Ford union workers at 11 plants have voted against concessions made by the UAW’s bargaining committee. Workers at four plants have approved the concessions, which include wage freezes for new hires, a moratorium on strikes over pay and benefits and some work rule changes, Bloomberg reported on its web site. If workers don’t ratify the concessions, then union leaders and Ford management have to hammer out a deal that can pass muster with the rank and file. Either that or Ford gets none of the concessions. Where to begin with this one? From a public perception standpoint, this is the worst thing the union can do. Across America, workers are losing jobs even as the economy shows signs of life. Few Americans will have sympathy for UAW laborers who have kept their jobs even amid the worst downturn in auto sales in decades. You can’t blame UAW leaders for this one, since they agreed to the concessions. It’s the members who aren’t seeing the writing on the wall. The new concessions aren’t exactly gut wrenching, either. Ford wants to freeze entry-level workers. That doesn’t affect the voting members and won’t likely hurt anyone new since Ford isn’t hiring. They also want to consolidate some skilled trades classifications, which could weaken job security for the electricians, welders, pipe fitters the like. But the big sticking point looks to be the no-strike clause that would be in place for the 2011 labor contract negotiations. Under the tentative agreement, the union can’t strike over wage and benefits proposals made by the union. But they could if management tries to cut their pay and benefits or over other issues like health and safety concerns. If the UAW and Ford can’t strike a deal, it would go to an arbitrator. Other major unions already do this, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Wait, it gets even more silly. To sweeten the deal, Ford has been willing to give workers a $1,000 bonus upon ratifying the new concessions. The company would also commit to build new products in some UAW plants. So the union could strike over proposed pay cuts in 2011 and they'd get some more cash and job security today. For both sides, that argument seems to be much ado about nothing. Ford hasn’t had a strike this decade. Neither side is interested in doing that since the union would worry about damaging their healthiest Big Three employer, which is already carrying a big debt load. And Ford wouldn’t want to blow cash on a standoff with labor. In other words, they are fighting over how to manage a very unlikely outcome. That said, asking a union not to strike declaws its negotiators. My guess: Ford will give in on that one to get the other concessions, which deal with actual compensation and work rules, done and sealed. But given the nature of the concessions and what the workers stand to gain--and not lose--I can't explain their obstinacy on this one. rss.businessweek.com |