In the (I can’t believe that I’m quoting them) New Republic, they have a very good analysis of the labor costs of the Big 3 (Big 2½), and it confirms what I have been saying, that $70/hour cost of a UAW employee is a lie, and attempts to equate the cost retirees with the current labor costs in order to attack unions.

It turns out that, after the latest round for cuts, the hourly rate and benefits for current workers are probably a bit less than the transplants.

The Big 3’s (Big 2½) labor problem is not the cost of its workforce, it’s the fact that it has been contracting its labor force for 4 decades, and management has systematically underfunded pensions, and now they find themselves in a vice.