"Vic Smith" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 17 Nov 2008 07:29:50 -0700, "Canuck57"
wrote:



Lots of people want a good job. CAW can be replaced.

Saw an article where Toyota is saying Canadian labor is too expensive.
That's not CAW.
Might see them start shifting Canadian work to Alabama.
Or Maylasia - whichever is cheaper.

--Vic

That is a flip of a coin. Both are too expensive for auto workers. It
washes. But Canada might actually have a small advantage. Some
differences.

Health care is a provincial concern, but pay (average 5 year rate) is about
the same. Canadians get ripped in the taxes. In Ontario for example add
15% sales tax and excise fees on a new auto. Higher provincial, federal
income and hidden taxes. So US companies are not on the hook for it,
including retirees.

But Canadian Ontario/Quebec unions are also more despondent, more militant
and often set the pace. Not business friendly because of it. Everything
from property taxes to hydro is more expensive.

If you go west to Alberta it changes dramatically, Alberta is very
republican right, even by American standards. This is a Ontario/Quebec and
east coast curse, very lunch bucket socialistic and often myopic.

But for an American company I worked for 8 years, 4 on the US side and 4 on
the Canadian side, the US employees were more expensive in total cost and
definitively got paid more with better over all benefits. I estimate by
30%.