Asian Carmakers Settle Into the South

Where the car industry in America is moving.The Washington Post points out the trend in the car industry is without unions:

Hyundai's non-unionized plant, for example, will pay most of its 2,000 employees a starting wage of $14.46 an hour, far below the $20-plus hourly wages for comparable United Auto Workers members in Michigan. The Hyundai workers also will have to contribute $14.54 every two weeks for health coverage, which is free to employees under UAW contracts.

There is no pension available to the Hyundai workforce; instead, employees have a 401(k) plan.

By contrast, GM, Ford and the Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler AG carry more than 800,000 retirees and family members on their pension rolls at a total cost of $11 billion per year. The companies estimate that about $1,500 of the cost of building each vehicle goes toward health care -- several times what Hyundai pays.

It's only a matter time before the South will have most of the auto jobs.Washington Post