UAW leader says no more concessions from workers

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

2:17 PM (ET)

By MARK WILLIAMS

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Even as Detroit's Big Three teeter on collapse, United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said Saturday that workers will not make any more concessions and that getting the automakers back on their feet means figuring out a way to turn around the slumping economy.

"The focus has to be on the economy as a whole as opposed to a UAW contract," Gettelfinger told reporters on a conference call, noting the labor costs now make up 8 percent to 10 percent of the cost of a vehicle.

"We have made dramatic, dramatic changes and the UAW was applauded for that," he said.


In this Oct. 7, 2008. file photo, United Auto Workers president Ron Gettelfinger talks to reporters in Detroit. Even as Detroit's Big Three automakers teeter on collapse, Gettelfinger says workers will not make any more concessions and that the getting the automakers back on their feet means figuring out a way to turn around the economy. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)


Instead, Gettelfinger blamed the problems the auto industry is suffering from on things beyond its control - the housing slump, the credit crunch that has made financing a vehicle tough and the 1.2 million jobs that have been lost in the past year.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20081115/D94FI2MG0.htm...

[CatholicEdHead]

1. I hope they do not have to give up work benefits but it may be out of their control

Since the overall economy is so bad there may not be any choice. I hope they can keep and expand what they have but only time will tell.

[Joe Bacon]

21. It's time for the corporate directors to make concessions!

It's time for REAL worker participation. The Big 3 should have boards of directors split 50/50 between the union and stockholders. That would be a good first step!

Step 2 would be to lock in a MAXIMUM wage that corporate management could earn.

[midnight]

2. It sounds like credit has been withheld from the consumers for

for various reasons, and this may be effecting the corportations financially. I suppose we can keep bailing out the fat cats, but by not keeping money in the working peoples hands, it seems to not matter that much.

[stray cat]

3. No jobs may be the outcome but its a gamble the union is ready to take

if the companies can't get their act together sufficiently to warrant a bail out maybe its time to let them run their course like other businesses and for employees to find other jobs - hopefully with new start up companies.

However, I think it will be hard to find jobs with better pay and benefits than the auto industry has enjoyed.

Surely the economy is not going to turn around in the next month or two and save the industry - but if thats the problem no bail out is probably warranted for any one company - just concentrate on the economy.

[Sherman A1]

4. Good!

Time to take a stand.

[stray cat]

5. Should I pay for a mandated pay raise for auto workers with the bail out

when most of us are not getting raises because of financial difficulties where we work. I prefer it to paying corporate severance packages but still don't like to have to pay for other peoples benefits/raises when I don't get them.

[Omaha Steve]

7. You must have missed the part about "concessions" in the title?

You should aim your attitude toward AIG and it's TWICE having spent big $ for upper management retreats AFTER asking for MORE $ from US taxpayers. Over the last few years, the UAW has given back or given up billions to the big three.

Part of the problem was the cost of oil over the summer. How high will car prices go if no US companies make them anymore? It's like the oil "shortage" shell game.

Not to mention all the other jobs that depend on the car companies for part of their business.

[BlueCaliDem]

6. The UAW is right. The right-wing nuts have been trying to kill unions since their inception...

... and as pro-corporate Paulson and CashnCarry assistant Sec. of Treasury lie, cheat, bait and switch while handing huge checks to their undeserving robber-baron friends at the highest level of society's echelons, they use the economy as an excuse to finally choke off the power of the people via union representation.

John Kerry already told us in 2004 that it's the spiraling health costs that's killing most unionized big business and our economy, therefore affecting us. Now the inept elitists crowding the Bush regime's cabinet are using their mistakes like clubs against the people while HMOs are still making off like bandits and exec pay is still ongoing.

Pensions the unions worked so hard to get for their workers have all but been eviscerated by wall street crooks, and now sick-care insurance is putting the nail in our coffins. Blame the worker. Blame the unions. Blame everybody but the fat gazillionaires socializing their losses with OUR tax dollars.

Gas prices soaring the moment Bush invaded Iraq and used "insurgents" as the excuse that evildoers are blowing up pipelines so they can raise gasoline prices. This has undoubtedly hurt the Big 3 in sales, but add to that, the banks getting billions in bailout money while freezing credit when at the same time, are paying out hundreds of thousands even millions to failed executives.

You can see the war ongoing against the American people now in broad daylight. It's nothing more than a large scale attack of our unions and the REAL Joe 6-packs in our country in favor or modern day slavery for the already insanely rich.

Oh how those asswipes wish they could legalize slavery once again. They dream of returning to them good ol' days when they didn't have to pay their slaves a single penny while making record profits for themselves.

Let us be clear: this isn't the fault of Unions. This is the fault of de-regulated, free-market lovin', inept elitists that only know how to fleece the working poor to fatten their already overblown off-shore secret accounts.

Of course they voted for Obama. The dollar is becoming as worthless as the paper it was printed on and they need a smart, savvy Democrat to come in and make things right so all the billions they've stolen from the American people in these miserable 8 years will be worth more than it is today.

Thank you for allowing me to rant.

[Raschel]

10. They're haters. They hate the fact that someone may make more than they do.

They claim that autoworkers are overpaid. I would like to see them use every single second of every hour they are working using power tools that torque their shoulders, repetitive lifting, bending crawling in and out and under fifty or more times per hour.

Units per hour and workloads are increased every year due to outsourcing and trying to compete with below standard wages. They are paid to use their bodies and many are in very poor shape by the time they retire. Alot of autoworkers die shortly after retirement. It's a tough job physically and mentally.

But hey, according to the right wing haters, autoworkers sleep and slack all day and are responsible for the downfall of the big three.

They never stop to think that they are aiding in the lowering of our living standard with their jealousy and envy, and that they will be the next in line to have their wages lowered.

[cpamomfromtexas]

18. You're right, I've often had people comment on how much

my husband makes, as if it were their business, simply because he's in a union. Of course he's working for 1992 wages. And that's not a typo, I've compared the pay charts. I tell all of the union people they have to fight to keep standards up because it all rolls down hill and the other work groups are exploited even more if management gets the upper hand on them.

[Career Prole]

13. You're welcome. It was a fine rant.

And thank you for saving me from all that typing and allowing me to simply type "Ditto!"

[galileoreloaded]

8. However you feel about GM or the UAW, this does NOT play well to the average American.

This issue alone could drive a stake in the heart of pro-union activities in this country. Think 1993 AWB and the resulting 1994 elections.

[angstlessk]

9. and THAT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF BIG BUSINESS MEDIA

the business section of the newspapers are FULL of information regarding business, but no matter how hard I search I have yet to find the LABOR SECTION..there is no one with a megaphone shouting for the working man. Maybe now that business has SCREWED up so badly, the working smuck will understand IT AIN'T THE FAULT OF LABOR!

[Raschel]

11. Maybe they'll understand when we're back to square one and have to die fighting for a liveable wage.

[Omaha Steve]

12. ALL the news papers and services are cutting jobs

Many of those jobs are union jobs. The Omaha World Herald (states largest news gathering agency and part owner of ES&S) just had job cuts in the last 2 weeks.

And almost all the local TV stations have let go personalities they've had for years. We see young kids learning a trade on the air. Dang shame.

[BlueCaliDem]

15. If that happens, the fat cat pro-bizz anti-worker crowd would have finally won the war.

It needs to be made clear to the American people that the soaring costs of sick-care in this country with corporations handling our insurance, Wall Street gambling with our pensions and recalcitrant auto manufacturers in an incestuous love-affair with big oil, are what's driving American car companies to the brink of bankruptcy, NOT unions.

Yet even here, on this Democratic blog, unions are already being singled out and demonized.

If more Americans don't get that; that the reason why Japanese and German car manufacturers are able to cut costs because their governments provide for universal health care and pensions while our system doesn't, and only thanks to hard working unions they have it today, then they'd make the American worker even more vulnerable, giving CEOs and other greedy execs the tools to impoverish the American people that much more while taking the away the only protection workers have in this country: the unions.

Believe you me. The Big 3 would love nothing more than to divide the American people and do away with those pesky worker-loving unions. Why didn't they make fuel-efficient cars when they clearly have that technology? Why else would they ignore what the most ignorant among us saw coming when the Prius came out and sold like hotcakes?

You have to break eggs (the union, worker's rights) to make an omelet (an unfettered corporate Valhalla).

Come to Big Daddy, you silly little wayward sheep. We won't hurtcha! Those Unions are gone, but we'll take careo' ya... Honest.

[sarcasmo]

14. I hate to say it, but I think it's a little to late to play hardball.

[1776Forever]

16. My son works for Whirlpool in Ohio and they have had to repeatedly come down & produced more...

And now it looks like they will be on the block again and have to work harder - Safety factors come into play here.

.............

Whirlpool Corp. says it will cut 5,000 jobs by end of 2009

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/oct/28/whirlpool-... /

From staff and wire reports
Originally published 08:40 a.m., October 28, 2008

Whirlpool Corp. said Tuesday it will cut about 5,000 jobs by the end of 2009 because of the global credit crisis and its expectation for continued reduced demand in North America and Europe.

[electricD]

17. if I've said it once

I've said it a thousand times. In the past 30 to 40 years the politicians that have catered so well to big business and union busting. They've done one helluva job making sure the AMERICAN WORKER has been satisfied with mediocrity. They've made sure the AMERICAN WORKER remembers, "atleast you've got a job", and "watch out for yourself, you could be next" as they steadily outsource OUR jobs to 3rd world countries.

It's really amazing to me that we have child labor laws and anti-slavery laws, ets. enforced in this country but it's quite ok for these businesses to close the plant down here and move it to a 3rd world country and have those factory workers working for merely pennies a day. I mean, the worthless president we have now said that "it was just good business to close a plant here and open one up overseas if they could change their profit margin from $50,000,000 a year to $500,000,000 a year." And THAT my friends was said 6 weeks before he was elected a second term. Why would ANY ONE think that he had the American worker in his best interest?

We've had SO MANY people fight and die for our freedoms to be able to organize, join and be active in unions to make sure that we are paid an honest days pay for an honest days work. Why does it seem that we've forgotten what those people did for us?

I hate to say it folks but, things are going to get uglier before they get pretty again. People are going to have to start fighting for what it rightfully our's again. I've never been a big fan of country music myself but, the one song that always stays in my head is, You've Got To Stand For Something, Or You'll Fall For Anything. Basically, STOP being so naive in thinking that big business will honor the fruits of our labor and pay us decently and START STANDING UP!! for what is our's. NO ONE, ESPECIALLY, big business, cares for the working class. STOP thinking the republican mantra of "I've got mine so, FUCK YOU." STAND UP and band together because the ONLY way we're going to get what is our's is to get it togther. NO MAN STANDS ALONE!!!

I've seen and read so many times of how the UAW and many other unions have given concessions to these big businesses only to have their pensions, insurance and hourly wages cut and cut again. I've seen them give concessions only to have 6 months or less go by and have major lay-offs and the plants that many of them had worked in for so many years shut down, only to have a new one moved to these 3rd world countries. The whole time the execs get millions and millions in bonuses.

This is NOT the fault of the union workers. This is the fault of these execs that are more concerned about their pockets. Did any one actually ever think to ask the question, Why or HOW the hell do these people think they deserve to make $20million to $100million or more a year? These are the same people that have put out the ads and the rumors that union workers are lazy and don't deserve what they get paid. If you take away those execs healthy bonuses they won't have the abilties to slander our workers. Thus, they either have to sink that money back into the company OR they end up giving proper raises and benefits to the workers. either way, it's a win, win situation for labor.

Now, I'm going to admit, SOME union workers ARE lazy. BUT, I will definately say that SOME non-union workers are lazy too. I'm one of few people that can say that I've worked both sides of the union/non-union fence. I've seen the bad and good workers on both sides. I've also seen the good workers on the non-union side exploited as bad, if not worse, than that of the bad workers. The whole time, employers are getting filthy rich off of them.

So, in closing, thank you all for allowing me to rant but also, when you think about unions giving concessions to these companies, think about who it's really going to benefit. Us or them? Oh yeah and I Kick.

[unkachuck]

19. "The focus has to be on the economy as a whole as opposed to a UAW contract,"

....absolutely....we need to stay focused on getting help to the Big-3 with demands that they design fuel efficient, quality, desirable cars that will lead to the industrys' long term solvency....

....the repugs, corporations and management would love nothing better than to run the Big-3 into bankruptcy to bust the Unions....bust them through liquidation or concession....we can't let that happen....we won't let that happen....

....in this jagoff system, billie, warren, wall street and the banks get money, we get opportunity....so, let's take this opportunity to say 'no' to the destruction of millions of good-paying manufacturing jobs our country will never replace....it's time to stand and fight!

[endless october]

20. it's sad that UAW workers might have to take a pay cut when...

AIG executives are taking retreats on the government dime.

UAW fought for me ten years ago. i haven't forgotten.

[doc03]

22. That's a boneheaded position to take when you have absolutely

no bargaining power to back it up. There are millions of Americans that would love to get the wages and benefits the UAW gets and they want taxpayers to bail them out when from the outset they refuse to give any ground. This may sound cruel but if the American taxpayer doesn't bail them out they will file for Chapter 11. What happens in Chapter 11 the company has the upper hand. They can immediately void the labor contract, terminate pension plans, health insurance with the bankruptcy judges approval (most likely a Bush appointee). The employees are the absolute last on the food chain you have your secured creditors, unsecured creditors, management and last comes the employees. I've been through two bankruptcies were I work and believe me the welfare of the employees gets little consideration. We took concessions for years to try and keep the company afloat, the Union had them keep track of each of our individual concessions. At the time the company filed bankruptcy I had given up $87,000 in concessions, those concessions were considered unsecured debt and we received 13 cents on the dollar, I got a little over $11000. They also terminated our Defined Benefit Pension plan and the PBGC reduced those, myself I haven't retired yet and I wonder if the PBGC will be around by then to pay me anything. I'm not agreeing with this nor do I think it is right, but that's what you faced in bankruptcy as an employee.

[Omaha Steve]

23. There are millions of Americans that would love to get UNION WAGES period

"There are millions of Americans that would love to get the wages and benefits the UAW gets"

But being scared of loosing the job, keeps them from organizing. PASS the Employee Free Choice Act.

The UAW has given in several times on concessions including this year. Many at union suppliers like Delphi (GM spun if off a few years ago) got pay and benefits cut in half. I can understand why they reached the no more point.

[doc03]

24. The point is he can't back up his rhetoric. We had a

blowhard Union Official that took us out on strike while we were in Chapter 11 and we ended up coming back to work after 101 days for less than we were offered in the first place and lost our DB pensions. We went out again 10 years later and after 10 1/2 months we were told again we have a tentative contract you have to vote for it or you won't have a job. We came back for the companies original offer and lost the second DB pension. It's easy to talk tough when your membership is out on the street losing everything while you're knocking down a couple hundred grand a year.