On August 1st 2017 about 2000 Chicago area auto mechanics locked their tool boxes and headed for the picket line. The union contract ended and the union and NCDC could not reach an agreement on a new contract. As of the time of the video, and date of the blog post 8/21/17 the mechanics are still on the picket line.
A union strike is usually a last resort. As an auto mechanic I have felt under paid and under appreciated for a lot of my career. The automotive industry is a strange world with a lot of “well that is the way it is kid” type thinking. That means there will come a time when a huge reset of that way of thinking comes. I don’t think that time is now, but I do think it’s soon.
In this video I will look at several sides of the debate. You will see that I agree strongly with the mechanics in many ways. You will also see that I understand the side of the dealer groups too. This is not a simple answer solution. And if there was a “simple solution” there would be a lot of pain involved in making it happen. I would also highly recommend heading over to YouTube and reading the comments. There are some good points that people on both sides have.
I personally feel that the industry is ready for a big change. Many of the practices are completely outdated. But I think many of the people involved may not like the result. It is not going to be the happy wonderful change many wish for. It will be painful, all both sides.
Trouble viewing? Watch “Chicago Auto Mechanics on Strike ~ Podcast 202” on YouTube.
As always I love to hear your thoughts. Please post them in the comments section below. Again, if you have a question for a show like this, email me Charles(at)humblemechanic(dot)com with Question for Charles in the subject. Also if you have an idea for a show, contact me via email, or use the contact me form! Don’t forget to follow me at:
