Interesting automotive industry article....talks about MB
 

I wonder if they're more secure after dumping Chrysler.

He earns $4,682 a month pretax -- after all deductions he has $2,118 left
Lets bring THAT economic system to the USA!!!

To your pretax salary, add the total cost of your employer-provided health care. Also add their share of FICA and Medicaid. Then figure the percentage that you take home.

Our system isn't all that great either.

Even with taxes as high as they are over there, it seems to me, that the average Shmoe over there, has more than the average shmoe over here.

Let's see, when I had a "good" job, my gross pay came to about $3306 a month. After the tax man got his share, I came away with about $2666. My employer's share of social security and medicare (I think) would have been 7.5% for each, or $495. I'm not sure what their share of the health insurance was, but I'll assume it was twice my weekly $15 contribution, or $129 a month. Add that up and the employer was shelling out $3930 a month for me to take home $2666. Not great, but still a lot better than what Daimler-Benz and Herr Haebich have to deal with.

OTOH, I know a guy who works under the table for $10 an hour. Employer shells out ten bucks, the guy takes home ten bucks.

Well this is right out of the book; "The World is Flat". Except in that book he talked about VW and Europes high tech industry. Western Europe should worry more about the near east than the far east. The former Soviet block is working on eating their lunch. Mercedes is never going to build its cars in China, but it may very well move the plants to Poland one day.

35 hour work weeks are BS and the know it, the gravy train is ending.