That frigging UAW!

[Ohio XB]

I have been told by a number of people here what the Aussie media writes about the UAW. It has occured to me that there is at least as much misrepresentation of the UAW there as there is in our own media in the US.

I am going to post links to video that I believe will provide information that does not get promoted by the media much in either country.

Who am I to do such a thing? Aren't I just going to paint a rosey view of the UAW because I am a member?

I started at Ford in 1992 not knowing why a union would be needed in this day and age, so I am not a died in the wool union guy. Since I have been at Ford I have seen why we thank god they are there and, to be honest, I have seen some things that I wished didn't happen. At the end of the day though I see more good than bad.



MANY people all around the world feel that the UAW has put the Big3 into a bind because the inflexible, unreasonable union wants too much.

This IS how it was.

It's NOT how it is.


Many people feel that the UAW wants to blame the companies only and hold the companies responsible for making all the changes while the UAW workers don't sacrifice anything and keep their cushy incomes. I will show videos in this thread that documents, usually in front of either Congress or the Senate, the consessions and sacrifices that the UAW made when the previous contract was re-opened in 2005, mid-term, to make drastic changes, and then the "transformational" contract of 2007, and ongoing changes that continue to be made.



In this video you see a congresswoman acknowledge many sacrifices made by the UAW and the REALIZATION that the $73/hour figure touted around the world was an inaccurate sound-bite that the media ran away with to paint the UAW in a bad light. You also see UAW President Ron Gettelfinger spelling out how the situation is completely understood and reality "..is what it is..." as far as what the UAW must do in order to make the companies successful again. It's about 2 minutes. This was while making the case for the loans to Congress.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igx3e...eature=related


I am posting this video first because it demonstrates that the UAW gets it, and has got it for a while now. It is not "business as usual" as so many feel.




Steve