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UAW Launches Ad to Showcase Need for Bridge Loan to Auto Industry |
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Congress and President Bush quickly signed off on a $700 billion, nearly no-strings-attached bailout to Wall Street and the nation’s financial industry. Now, says the UAW in a new TV commercial, it’s time to focus on Main Street. UAW President Ron Gettelfinger puts it this way:
Main Street deserves help just as much as the bankers on Wall Street. It is time for Congress to do its job to save millions of American jobs and prevent our nation from falling deeper in recession.
The ad, which began airing this week in the Washington, D.C., area, features UAW members urging Congress to approve a bridge loan to allow U.S. automakers to keep their assembly lines rolling. They tell viewers:
We don’t work on Wall Street…or for big insurance companies. We build quality cars and trucks. But we’ve been hit by the same financial crisis.
If we go out of business…so will thousands of other businesses….If we lose our jobs…so will millions of others….
Today and yesterday, Gettelfinger and the heads of Chrysler, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. presented the Senate and House committees detailed plans for a transparent use of taxpayer money for a bridge loan. On Wednesday, the UAW agreed to consider additional sacrifices to help the U.S. auto industry, including deferred payments to a health care trust, the suspension of the jobs bank program and convening UAW bargaining committees to consider contract modifications. Says Gettelfinger:
This is about saving jobs and businesses from coast to coast. All auto industry stakeholders are going to have to sacrifice, and our members are willing to do their part.
Now, Congress has to act. Three million jobs would be lost and thousands of small businesses will fail if Congress allows our auto industry to go under. Other auto producing countries, from Germany to Brazil and China, are supporting their auto industry at this critical time.
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An incentive based solution; why does it have to be bailout or bankruptcy? All or nothing at all. Why can’t there be an interim,
incentive based alternative. Why not seed each of the “Big 3″ with a $1 billion loan to be used for R&D to develop a device to be installed on cars that are currently on car lots all across the
country that will immediately increase mileage 10 miles per gallon. If they produce this hi-tech mileage extender in 1 year, the loan would be forgiven. Then pay those same car companies
$500 per car for every car that’s retrofitted with their new device and $1000 for every hybrid or alternative fuel car that rolls off the assembly-line. Then give consumers a $2000 Federal rebate to go out and buy a new car. That’ll get things going towards salvaging the US auto industry. Can’t create such a device? Well then, take the $3 billion, challenge the hi-tech universities around country to produce such a device, my bet is they’d have multiple prototypes ready to go in a month. You could engage the same concept for trucks!
There is an alternative to the “bailout” proposals that promotes the interests of autoworkers and maintaining the millions of jobs involved.
Senate hearing sets the stage for the impoverishment of US autoworkers
By Jerry White
5 December 2008
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/dec2008/auto-d05.shtml
“The hearing held by the Senate Banking Committee Thursday on a possible bailout of the US auto industry made clear that any government assistance will be contingent on autoworkers accepting poverty wages and a return to conditions of exploitation not seen since the 1930s.”
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The concern of the UAW is not the defense of its members’ jobs and living standards, but the continued existence of the union apparatus and the lucrative salaries and perks it provides for the union bureaucracy. Gettelfinger is well aware that the collapse of GM would spell the end of the UAW. That is why the union is willing to do whatever is necessary to keep the companies afloat, including imposing poverty wages and conditions on its members.”
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This entire framework of the so-called “bailout” must be rejected. The only way to defend the interests of autoworkers and the working class as a whole is through the nationalization of the auto industry and its transformation into a public utility democratically controlled by working people. This must be part of a socialist reorganization of the entire economy, including the banking system, to guarantee jobs and decent living standards for all.”
The UAW needs to do more than ask Congress to bailout the auto makers, because Detroit’s restructuring plans call for the elimination of thousands of jobs. It has to demand that the companies stop outsoucing and off-shoring while getting federal funds and to demand that these moneys be used to modernize American auto and auto-parts factories. Don’t let Detroit close factories and chop jobs with tax payer money!
Comment on outsourcing is right on.
I hate to see the the Taxpayer money go directly to Mexico and China. It must go to U.S. Workers who pay U.S. Income tax and spend their paychecks locally.
I read the 4 comments made in response to this blog … I really find myself agreeing with most all of it. What gets me is that so many of American’s jobs are in jeopardy or no longer exsist here in the states, even the phone calls that we receive about our accounts are from people working for American companies while living overseas … outsourced customer services, go figure with most not able to speak english. I was wondering ‘what if’ we brought our jobs back home … started making things again, here in the states, maybe that would help turn things around. And as far as ‘bailouts’ .. if it is being done for one part of our economy then why not for the auto makers too.
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
Why should UAW members make more than comparable auto workers who, uh actually make a profit?
CUT UAW WAGES TO LESS THAN THEIR COMPETITORS. THE UAW IS FULL OF LAZY WHINERS! UAW MEMBERS WHO ARE LAZY SHOULD GET FIRED ON THE SPOT, THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN SPOILED BY WAGES TOO HIGH TO KEEP THEIR JOBS.
SHIT HAPPENS - TAKE YOUR MEDICINE OR LOOK FOR WORK AT A TOYOTA PLANT.
CUT UAW WAGES TO LESS THAN THEIR COMPETITORS. THE UAW IS FULL OF LAZY WHINERS! UAW MEMBERS WHO ARE LAZY SHOULD GET FIRED ON THE SPOT, THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN SPOILED BY WAGES TOO HIGH TO KEEP THEIR JOBS.
SHIT HAPPENS - TAKE YOUR MEDICINE OR LOOK FOR WORK AT A TOYOTA PLANT.
CUT UAW WAGES TO LESS THAN THEIR COMPETITORS. THE UAW IS FULL OF LAZY WHINERS! UAW MEMBERS WHO ARE LAZY SHOULD GET FIRED ON THE SPOT, THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN SPOILED BY WAGES TOO HIGH TO KEEP THEIR JOBS.
SHIT HAPPENS - TAKE YOUR MEDICINE OR LOOK FOR WORK AT A TOYOTA PLANT.
CUT UAW WAGES TO LESS THAN THEIR COMPETITORS. THE UAW IS FULL OF LAZY WHINERS! UAW MEMBERS WHO ARE LAZY SHOULD GET FIRED ON THE SPOT, THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN SPOILED BY WAGES TOO HIGH TO KEEP THEIR JOBS.
SHIT HAPPENS - TAKE YOUR MEDICINE OR LOOK FOR WORK AT A TOYOTA PLANT.
CUT UAW WAGES TO LESS THAN THEIR COMPETITORS. THE UAW IS FULL OF LAZY WHINERS! UAW MEMBERS WHO ARE LAZY SHOULD GET FIRED ON THE SPOT, THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN SPOILED BY WAGES TOO HIGH TO KEEP THEIR JOBS.
SHIT HAPPENS - TAKE YOUR MEDICINE OR LOOK FOR WORK AT A TOYOTA PLANT.
CUT UAW WAGES TO LESS THAN THEIR COMPETITORS. THE UAW IS FULL OF LAZY WHINERS! UAW MEMBERS WHO ARE LAZY SHOULD GET FIRED ON THE SPOT, THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN SPOILED BY WAGES TOO HIGH TO KEEP THEIR JOBS.
SHIT HAPPENS - TAKE YOUR MEDICINE OR LOOK FOR WORK AT A TOYOTA PLANT.
CUT UAW WAGES TO LESS THAN THEIR COMPETITORS. THE UAW IS FULL OF LAZY WHINERS! UAW MEMBERS WHO ARE LAZY SHOULD GET FIRED ON THE SPOT, THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN SPOILED BY WAGES TOO HIGH TO KEEP THEIR JOBS.
SHIT HAPPENS - TAKE YOUR MEDICINE OR LOOK FOR WORK AT A TOYOTA PLANT.
CUT UAW WAGES TO LESS THAN THEIR COMPETITORS. THE UAW IS FULL OF LAZY WHINERS! UAW MEMBERS WHO ARE LAZY SHOULD GET FIRED ON THE SPOT, THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN SPOILED BY WAGES TOO HIGH TO KEEP THEIR JOBS.
SHIT HAPPENS - TAKE YOUR MEDICINE OR LOOK FOR WORK AT A TOYOTA PLANT.
CUT UAW WAGES TO LESS THAN THEIR COMPETITORS. THE UAW IS FULL OF LAZY WHINERS! UAW MEMBERS WHO ARE LAZY SHOULD GET FIRED ON THE SPOT, THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN SPOILED BY WAGES TOO HIGH TO KEEP THEIR JOBS.
SHIT HAPPENS - TAKE YOUR MEDICINE OR LOOK FOR WORK AT A TOYOTA PLANT.
CUT UAW WAGES TO LESS THAN THEIR COMPETITORS. THE UAW IS FULL OF LAZY WHINERS! UAW MEMBERS WHO ARE LAZY SHOULD GET FIRED ON THE SPOT, THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN SPOILED BY WAGES TOO HIGH TO KEEP THEIR JOBS.
SHIT HAPPENS - TAKE YOUR MEDICINE OR LOOK FOR WORK AT A TOYOTA PLANT.
CUT UAW WAGES TO LESS THAN THEIR COMPETITORS. THE UAW IS FULL OF LAZY WHINERS! UAW MEMBERS WHO ARE LAZY SHOULD GET FIRED ON THE SPOT, THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN SPOILED BY WAGES TOO HIGH TO KEEP THEIR JOBS.
SHIT HAPPENS - TAKE YOUR MEDICINE OR LOOK FOR WORK AT A TOYOTA PLANT.
CUT UAW WAGES TO LESS THAN THEIR COMPETITORS. THE UAW IS FULL OF LAZY WHINERS! UAW MEMBERS WHO ARE LAZY SHOULD GET FIRED ON THE SPOT, THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN SPOILED BY WAGES TOO HIGH TO KEEP THEIR JOBS.
SHIT HAPPENS - TAKE YOUR MEDICINE OR LOOK FOR WORK AT A TOYOTA PLANT.