Chrysler-Daimler Merger:
Good or Bad ??
Recently, the auto world received quite a jolt, when it was announced that Daimler Motors, of Germany, makers of Mercedes - Benz, and Chrysler Corporation, would merge, to form, what is supposed to be an international, world wide company, that will be able to compete on a global scale in the coming millennium.

This has sent people and analysts, scrambling to make all sorts of predictions, either pro or con, about it.

The implications of such a merger, which, is not uncommon, do have far reaching effects.

The economy of this nation, is the primary concern of each one of us. The effects on cities, and states, in which Chrysler does business. The effect on the workers, both salaried, and union, as they begin to wonder if this means lay offs or downsizing.

I am not an auto analyst, and don't want to try to predict any thing. However, one thing I can say about it is this, in this world things always change, and nothing remains the same. That is the nature of our existence.

Over the past ten years or so, we have seen many changes occur in corporate America in the form of mergers, takeovers, buyouts, liquidations, and bankruptcies. Hundreds of thousands, of workers, who thought they had a job for life, at, what was supposed to be a strong company, are now out of a job, or working for quite a bit less than they used to make.

People, have lost homes, cars, and even their families, as a result of the financial damage that followed their job loss. Some, have even taken their lives, because they couldn't deal with their problems.

All of these things, are nothing new. They have happened before, and they will happen again.

Jobs, are not guaranteed to last for life. They never have been, and they never will. Job security, which many workers seek to have, especially union workers, is nothing but a myth. There is no guarantee of job, or anything else, but death, and the word of God.

listen to people, complaining about how the big corporations are growing bigger and bigger, and making big profits, and that they should be sharing the profits with the workers. Well, news flash, corporations, have a right to make as much as they can, and pay as little as they want. you don't like what you are being paid, leave, get a better paying job, if you can't get a raise you are. There are several workers that I that are screaming about being paid a fair for the work they do, yet they have busi nesses, and they pay their workers, minimum wages, or less.

They all realize, that in this world, a job is something that is a privilege, that comes and goes, based on the old formula of 'supply and demand.' The higher the prices, the lower the demand, and vice versa. Therefore, if an employer, has to raise the price of a product because of overhead expenses (i.e. taxes, equipment, utilities, wages, salaries and benefits) they would be stupid not to raise the prices on their products, to recoup some of that money. That is where the profits really are. As all of these things have gone up, the public has begun to conserve their money, and look for cheaper, yet still reliable alternatives. And, in the case of the auto industry, there are lots of cheaper, comparable alternatives, with the same reliability, if not higher, than we have seen in the past decades.

There are many other factors that play in to this deal, that could make this deal better or worse for the workers. One thing for sure. Whatever happens, if you have God on your side, it will come out for your good, no matter what. (Ro 8:28) And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to his purpose.

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AUGUST 1998


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