UAW Local 31

Members - Lenny Ford

This letter was printed in the “Detroit News” on Sunday, November 23, 2008 and committee member Jean Norton asked for permission to reprint it.

From Steve Y., Romulus, Michigan, UAW Local 5960
           
I have some questions for all of the letter writers and analysts that are blasting the UAW for the current auto industry problems.  How much time have you spent on the assembly line?  Do you have trouble even making a fist at times because you’ve been putting parts on cars for over 29 years?  How many times have you had to cross your fingers and hope that you’d survive the latest round of lay-offs due to outsourcing?
           
I’ve worked for GM for over 29 years.  In that time I’ve had to cope with these issues and many others that most of you have no clue about.  I’ve had to uproot my family and move out of state to keep working, only to uproot again, nearly 10 years later when the out of state plant was scheduled for closing.  I’m currently on my third plant, and I am one of the lucky ones.  Many of my co-workers are on plant 5 or more.
           
The lazy, overpaid auto worker stereotype is out-dated and tiresome.  Just like any other industry, we have our share of slackers, but the overwhelming majority of our workforce “Bring It” every day.
           
You say the UAW need to accept concessions to help resolve this crisis.  Apparently, you haven’t been paying attention for the last 20 years or so.  The companies have been asking for, and receiving, concessions for the last several contracts.  The most recent contract allows for a nearly 50% lower wage for the next generation of workers, while also removing health care costs from the company’s books.
           
Apparently that’s not enough for you though.  You want to see us all out of work.  The bottom line is that while the UAW and management have played a part in the past mistakes, both have been working to insure a solid future for the industry for years.  Over that same time the government has done nothing to help regarding affordable health care, balanced trade and tax incentives that reward companies for keeping jobs here instead of out-sourcing.  This has been building for years due to our government’s inaction, it was just sped up by the current financial crisis.  The middle class (led by the unions) tried to sound the alarm years ago.  Unfortunately, nobody listened because of their anti-union prejudices.
           
So, while others may want to point the finger of blame at the unions, I’m going to cross my fingers (again) and hope to survive long enough for the next administration to recognize and work on solving the “REAL” problems at the root of this crisis.

UNION LABEL COMMITTEE

Lenny Ford