| Mickey Kaus
Why do I completely lack confidence that GM will capitalize successfully on any technological lead it has? Because where GM has had a technological edge in the past it has been unable to translate it into cars customers like me would rather buy than Toyotas. A large part of that inability has to do with GM's dramatically higher labor costs--apparently the total labor cost for a GM hourly worker ( including health, pensions etc.) is about $146,000 per year. They're competing against Toyota and Honda who pay $96,000 per year--on equally American workers in American factories. Much of this disparity is in health care costs, something that would be fixed if the government took over that burden. But, according to CNN (citing Harbour-Felex data) $630 per vehicle is for union-negotiated "issues like work rules, line relief and holiday pay," while "paying UAW members for not working when plants are shut costs another $350 per vehicle." That's about $1,000 per vehicle not related to health care (or "legacy" pensions, for that matter).
The awakening
Such members of SHG and PBT worked round-the-clock for the preparation of the 28th Kisan Mela of SKDRDP in Sirsi. Discipline was the key note of the mela which saw the participation of over 2.5 lakh people. Dr Veerendra Heggade, who participated on all three days of the mela, lauded the participation of women in the lecture sessions which focused on the need for independent development. The many stalls in the mela showcased everything from agricultural instruments to products made out of paddy, arecanut, coconut, bamboo, pineapple and vegetables. The Kisan Mela was an illustration of the fact that hard work can go a long way in the upliftment of rural people. .
Zebra Technologies to Acquire Navis
VERNON HILLS, Ill., Oct. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA) today announced that it has agreed to acquire all of the shares of Navis Holdings, LLC, a global solutions provider for managing logistics, assets, inventories and cargo flows across the supply chain, for approximately $145 million in cash, subject to applicable post-closing adjustments. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2007 and is subject to expiration of the H-S-R waiting period and other customary closing conditions. Headquartered in Oakland, CA, Navis provides solutions for marine terminals and other operations managing cargo in the supply chain. Founded in 1988, it was the first company to provide automated container terminal operating systems, which improve velocity and visibility of cargo movement through port and intermodal facilities.
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