Autoworkers react to Romney statements

[TonyV]

Hello, I would like to bring your attention on a new post published on the
UAWLAP.org Site.
Details of the post follow.

In Solidarity,
Steven M. Stone

Autoworkers react to Romney statements on auto loans
For immediate release: Feb. 17, 2012
DETROIT ­– UAW members reacted strongly to Mitt Romney’s claim that “we
should have let Detroit go bankrupt,” when the economy and the auto industry
were about to collapse.
“He’s trying to rewrite history and attack President Obama and the UAW for
successfully saving the auto industry,” said UAW President Bob King. “He is
misleading voters about the president’s bold and decisive rescue of the auto
industry and about sacrifices made by workers. But voters deserve the
truth.”
Even prior to the emergency rescue loans, UAW members made deep sacrifices
beginning in 2005 to save the company, giving up pay increases, overtime pay,
holidays, agreeing to a reduced pay and benefit structure for new hires, and
other concessions. President Obama demanded additional concessions and shared
sacrifice from both labor and management in exchange for the loans.
In return, America’s carmakers retooled to create the energy-efficient cars of
the future and repaid their outstanding loans years ahead of schedule.
Rescuing the auto industry saved more than 1.4 million jobs up and down the
supply chain.
“There’s not a person in Michigan who doesn’t have a sister or brother or
cousin or friend who is tied to the auto industry,” said Stacie Steward, a UAW
Local 1700 member and an electrician from Chrysler’s Sterling Heights Assembly
Plant (SHAP) in Sterling Heights, Mich. “Every Michigan citizen should be
appalled by what Mitt Romney said.”
“It’s an attack on American workers,” said Jeff Klayo, also of Local 1700
and from SHAP, which was scheduled to close before Chrysler received the loans.
“We’re out there trying to get the American dream. We’re trying to keep
our jobs, for a good wage for our family, put food on our table, pay our taxes,
continue to work for the company and get the rewards.
“If the company’s successful, we can be successful. If the company takes a
downturn, we take a downturn with it,” he added.
“The president’s rescue loans helped the auto industry survive the darkest
hour of its history and return to thriving operations today,” said King.
“These workers from SHAP are evidence. They, along with hundreds of thousands
other workers who depend on the auto industry for jobs, were facing a very
uncertain future, but today, they are making the Chrysler 200, one of
Detroit’s new, hot-selling models. UAW members completed negotiations with the
domestic automakers this fall with a strategy to make the company successful and
to share in its success. And that strategy paid off.”
“Americans deserve to know the truth,” King added. “The emergency loans
worked. GM is once again the world’s top carmaker. Its 2011 profit was its
largest ever. The auto industry added more than 200,000 jobs in the last
two-and-a-half years, and 2011 was the strongest year of industry job growth
since 1994. Demand for their cars is going up, so GM, Ford and Chrysler are
starting to run three production shifts a day at many plants. Added shifts and
new facilities mean jobs for thousands more workers in Michigan, Ohio and other
places across the country.”
A video statement from UAW members is available for use and can be downloaded
here: youtu.be/w0Agqt7SXYA
For more information, contact UAW Public Relations Director Michele Martin at
313-926-5291 or [e-mail].

Link to the post: uawlap.org/?p=6444

Link to UAWLAP.org: uawlap.org

[cal50]

I don't consider the bail out a win from a Ford employee point of view. If anything it unfairly helped our competitors and gave / gives them an unfair advantage all at our (taxpayers) expense. Its a bold claim that 1.4 million jobs were saved and its just a number that can not be argued either way for accuracy. Similar to Obama saying the recession "would have been worse" its easy to say that but impossible to prove. He also said he would cut the debit in 1/2 but its at 15 trillion so his credibility is a little off when it comes to math.

Chrysler was on the rocks several times. When Lee Iacocca had a management position at Chrysler he turned the company around by borrowing money and actually repaying it. Chrysler hit the rocks again and Damiler bought into them and later bailed. Now the government infuses a lot of cash into Chrysler to keep it afloat but for how long? Is it going to be an endless bailout ? Restructure and if you can run it profitable then great, if not pack it up.

GM is another example of throwing cash at a problem. GM got a LOT of money from the initial stimulus. Later on they re-pay that stimulus debt with TARP money. So what exactly did they repay? Now they are receiving a nice profit sharing check and from what I have seen their UAW contract is better then Fords in some areas. The math makes no sense. If your loosing millions,you need emergency cash then amazingly in a very short time its paid back AND record profits as well. Either you we not as bad off as you originally suggested or some creative accounting is going on.

I am really proud that Ford opted out of touching federal money and being on the hook for it. I wish they (Ford) would hammer that message home in marketing and commercials. For the UAW to make blanket statement that supposedly represent the rank & file I would disagree with Mr.Kings assessment. He is entitled to his opinion but I do not share that same thought.
I did not agree with the bail outs and its an unknown how it would have ultimately resulted if it had not happened. Its similar to the 1.4 million jobs saved, no way to play "what if" .

Mismanagement and poor sales is an attack on the american worker ?. That's another stretch.
As poorly run as the US post office is, Amtrack and our government dabbling into the private sector (Solyndra / green energy) they still spend our money on supporting or bailing out entities that continue to be running at a loss. I think GM would have survived on its own bailout or not as well as Ford. I think Chrysler will be on the rocks again and I wonder where the money will come from next time to save them, again.

Obama did nothing for Ford employees except put us all at a competitive disadvantage to our competition. Its bad enough Obama used my tax dollars for it, having the union use any part of my dues to support this door knob is hard to swallow IMHO.
How any Ford UAW person can praise this guy is simply amazing.

[marcus]

I don't like mitt at all.He is hbo light. They give us bob then McCain now mitt.Come on people.Mitt don't blame me the Uaw for GM falure

[TonyV]

HBO light - I LOVE IT!!!!!