UAW workers cheer president but job woes persist

[Omaha Steve]

http://peoplesworld.org/uaw-workers-cheer-president-but-job-woes-persist/

by: Teresa Albano August 6 2010



CHICAGO - "Happy birthday!" shouted ecstatic autoworkers as President Barack Obama took to the podium Aug. 5 at the Ford Chicago Assembly Plant here.

Chicago's favorite son was here to mix birthday celebrations with politics, attending a fundraiser for Democratic Senate hopeful Alexi Giannoulias, and touting the comeback of the U.S. auto industry.

But the thrill and excitement of having the popular president at the factory was tempered by continuing high unemployment figures, and worries that people won't be able to buy the new cars produced.

Earlier Obama visited GM and Chrysler plants in Michigan and said if the federal government hadn't intervened to help save the auto industry, another 1 million jobs would have been lost. He criticized "naysayers" who wanted the auto industry to fail.

The president was alluding to the Republicans, who many say were anxious for the auto industry to go under in order to destroy the United Auto Workers union.

Ford did not take federal bailout money, but the president said if Ford's competitors went down it would have had a detrimental impact on Ford too.

The federal government has helped the company in other ways, the president said. Ford received Department of Energy grants and loans to retool and produce vehicles in accordance with the new national fuel efficiency standards. With that help, Ford invested $400 million in the Chicago plant and said it will create 1,200 new union jobs producing a fuel-efficient SUV - the Ford Explorer - and the Ford Police Interceptor, the next generation of police cars. The plant already produces the Taurus and Lincoln MKS.

FULL story at link.