Seeking aid, automakers have a friend in a union (Should congress bailout the unions?)

iht.com ^ | 111708 | Bill Vlasic and Nick Bunkley

[Fred]

DETROIT: When Ron Gettelfinger, president of the United Automobile Workers union, appears this week at congressional hearings to help make the case for the Detroit automakers getting emergency U.S. government aid, he wants lawmakers to know what he believes is at stake.

"It wouldn't be just one company failing here," Gettelfinger said in an interview. "It would be all three going down."

He might as well add the UAW.

The union's membership at General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler has been nearly halved to 139,000 workers in the past three years, and it continues to shrink with every new plant closing.

When he and the leaders of Detroit's Big Three speak at their scheduled hearing, Gettelfinger is likely to deliver the bleakest warning. A bankruptcy by any of the three companies in Detroit, Gettelfinger fears, would wipe out the rest of them.

"It's not just GM going bankrupt," he said. "It's all the rest of the industry that goes with it. Two of the three companies would go under, and there's a high probability all three would go."

Perhaps it is no surprise that Gettelfinger would be a passionate advocate for saving union jobs and funneling $25 billion in U.S. government loans to the beleaguered automakers.

But Gettelfinger was briefed on GM's dismal financial condition before its earnings were announced on Nov. 7, according to two people familiar with the meeting, part of a presentation to win his support for a potential merger of GM and Chrysler.

He saw first-hand that GM, as well as Chrysler, cannot last long at the rate they are losing sales and revenue in a market that is down 14.6 percent from 2007.

Robert Nardelli, the chairman of Chrysler, and Rick Wagoner, chairman of GM, have said they need U.S. government help.

[Responsibility2nd]

“It would be all three going down.” He might as well add the UAW.

___________________________________

I don’t see a downside here. Win-Win.

[RC2]

Employees need to decide whether they want a job or be members of the union. If the employees wanted to, they could make the auto makers work.....without the unions. At least until they get back on their feet.

[ari-freedom]

if you make poor decisions and don’t work hard and you fail, the govt will always be there to bail you out. That’s the American way.

[FlingWingFlyer]

A smaller number of workers paying “union dues” means fewer DemocRATS getting “elected.”

[EGPWS]

if you make poor decisions and don’t work hard and you fail, the govt will always be there to bail you out. That’s the American way.

Until the money and the U.S. credit rating is gone....

[EGPWS]

A smaller number of workers paying “union dues” means fewer DemocRATS getting “elected.”

Quick! Someone get FWF an award! It is well earned for being the first to post the exact truth.

[Grampa Dave]

Let the unions and their members bailout the big three and buy them.

[Anti-Bubba182]

The head feather merchant talks to the Grifters about how much tax payers money they want. I think they will get the money. The Democrats are beholden to the Unions.

[mombyprofession]

Well, every good Democrat knows that any company making money is sheer evil!
Let’s keep supporting the unions and watch as the big 3 go down. We’ll cling to our unions and handouts. Yep, that’ll work.

[Shamrock-DW]

"It's not just GM going bankrupt," he said. "It's all the rest of the industry that goes with it. Two of the three companies would go under, and there's a high probability all three would go."

Uh....the common dominator here is the UAW.  If you get rid of it the others have a chance.........

[Robwin]

Nothing unless the UAW makes major wage and benefit concessions, and maybe not even then.

[GATOR NAVY]

Uh...the common denominator here is the UAW.

[whipitgood]

O.K. so we bail them out. Anyone care to guess how long it will be until they declare bankruptcy after that? Do I hear one year? Six months?

[Kevmo]

That would be utterly fascinating, to see a democratic congress try to fashion a law that bails out the unions but doesn’t bail out the companies themselves.

[CottonBall]

He saw first-hand that GM, as well as Chrysler, cannot last long at the rate they are losing sales and revenue in a market that is down 14.6 percent from 2007.

And how long will they last after being bailed out? Another 6 months? It'd be a waste of money.

[2ndDivisionVet]

[KeyLargo]

How American is that car?

It’s harder than ever to figure out which cars are the most American. The government requires that automakers disclose what percentage of a new vehicles’ components are U.S. or Canadian and where the vehicle was assembled. Here is the information for most new models. The 2006 data was the latest information disclosed to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by automakers. The 2007 and 2008 statistics were compiled by USA TODAY from automakers and from visits to car dealerships. (Story)
Manufacturer Make and model
Model year Percent content US/ Canada Assembled in:
US/Canada Outside

Go to: http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2007-03-21-car-content-chart_N.htm

[indiana_gop]

Uh....the common dominator here is the UAW. If you get rid of it the others have a chance.........

I have lived in a (used to be) GM town all my life. At one time, my father, as well as most of my extended family on both sides worked for GM, and all were UAW members. They about had a collective stroke when they found out I was working for a non-UAW Honda supplier, which paid about half what GM pay was. Well, 15 years later, GM is gone from this town, but I still have a job(knock on wood). I was smart enough to see the writing on the wall, that there was NO WAY that GM could stay financially viable while paying health benefits and pensions to people that retired in their mid- 50's. The UAW took advantage of GM for years and now they have driven that company into the ground.