Departing President Of United Autoworkers Tells Union to Fight On

[Omaha Steve]

Source: NY Times

By NICK BUNKLEY

DETROIT — Ron Gettelfinger, whose tumultuous eight-year tenure as president of the United Automobile Workers union ends this week, encouraged workers on Monday to keep fighting the “antiunion forces” that want to kill off the U.A.W.

A year after the bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler, Mr. Gettelfinger said the Detroit carmakers were rebounding, but not without a cost.

The union, which once counted 1.5 million members, now has fewer than 400,000, the lowest membership since 1940. It is “leaner, yes,” Mr. Gettelfinger said, “but stronger, wiser and more determined as well.”

He asserted in his comments that Republican lawmakers who opposed aid to the auto industry were motivated by disdain for the 75-year-old union.


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[Kolesar]

1. Bye, Ron!

Take you pissy animus against Sherrod Brown away with you!!

[unkachuck]

2. "...the lowest membership since 1940."

....I pity those working in industry today, or any place else for that matter....the fascist forces in this country have rolled back the clock to a time when dignity, freedom and fairness in the work-place was non-existent and near slavery conditions were common place....

"but stronger, wiser and more determined as well."

....I hope so....but with this golden historical economic moment slipping away from us, with millions unemployed and homeless, with corporate disaster after corporate disaster making the headlines, the Left still has no popular socialist response to this failed capitalist model and state.

Why? Every capitalist corporation is 'centrally planned' by fascist planners who's interests are inimical to the average citizen....can't someone point out the obvious and demonstrate how we may re-tool this economic system to serve us?