I covered the auto industry for a long time back in the 1990s in Wilmington, Delaware, where there was a Chrysler and GM plant employing thousands of people. One of the things that stayed with me was how hard and tedious their jobs were. It was a tough life but the main factor that kept many individuals punching in everyday was the fact that they were paid a good wage, enough to support themselves, their families, and the promise of a solid retirement income.

Slowly but surely this is changing.

GM is seeking concessions from the United Auto Workers regarding the company’s bankrupt Delphi auto parts business. Word is the workers are close to accepting a slash in pay, about half of their hourly wage. Half!

It blows the mind what has happened to the manufacturing jobs in this country. The workers feel they have no choice but to accept the crummy pay or risk losing their jobs if the unit goes belly up. Already about 20,000 employees took buyouts last year as part of an overall restructuring at Delphi.

It’s hard to imagine why a person would chose to take a job in manufacturing these days.