UAW head pushes for national health plan

[Algorem]

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20080208/FREE/968103675/1099&Profile=1099

( recorded speech- http://www.cleveland.com/community/webcast/clip.ssf?zzDoNotCount?/community/webcast/cityclub.frame

By JAY MILLER

2:47 pm, February 8, 2008

United Auto Workers president Ron Gettelfinger in a speech today at the City Club of Cleveland stood up for the productivity of union labor and urged the country to adopt a single-payer health care system.

Mr. Gettelfinger, who has led the 640,000-member union since 2002, said the health care crisis, the lack of a national industrial policy and the need for improved trade agreements are at the top of his agenda.

“We believe health care should be a right, not a privilege for those who can afford it,” he said of the union’s push for a national health plan that covers everyone in the country,

He also blamed the problems of American manufacturing on the lack of a cohesive national industrial policy to build up American manufacturing, which, he argued, has led to the movement offshore of entire industries...




UAW president says U.S. policies don't support manufacturing

http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/02/uaw_president_says_us_policies.html

Posted by Robert Schoenberger February 08, 2008 17:37PM

United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger speaks to the City Club of Cleveland at a lunch today. He said the U.S. auto industry will continue to struggle without government policies that favor manufacturing

The head of the United Auto Workers says last year's groundbreaking labor deals are not enough to ensure the survival of America's automotive industry.

Public policy also must change to support manufacturing, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said today during a speech in Cleveland.

"Unless we take action, we're going to see a continued decline in manufacturing industries, and the hard work we did to preserve U.S. jobs during our 2007 auto negotiations will be compromised," Gettelfinger said during a speech at the City Club of Cleveland...










Corporate America honors US auto union president

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/feb2008/gett-f02.shtml

By Shannon Jones
2 February 2008


In recent weeks United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger has been an object of media affection for his role in forcing through historic concessions in 2007 with the Detroit Big Three automakers—General Motors, Ford and Chrysler LLC.

Crain’s Detroit Business made Gettelfinger its “Newsmaker of the Year,” appointing him guest of honor at an upcoming luncheon. Automotive News, calling Gettelfinger “The right man at the right time,” named the UAW president its “Person of the Year for 2007,” citing estimates that last fall’s labor agreements will save the US automakers $1,000 per vehicle.

On January 16 the Wall Street Journal published a commentary titled “Two Heroes of Detroit” honoring both Gettelfinger and R.S. Miller, chairman of auto parts maker Delphi, for their roles in engineering an agreement last year that set the pattern for the concessions the UAW granted to the Big Three.

This is hardly the first time that the corporate media has the praised the “courage” and “statesmanship” of one or another union bureaucrat for bowing to “realities” and imposing deep concessions. However, the extent of the fawning over Gettelfinger by the business press is somewhat extraordinary. It is further evidence of the fundamental character of the betrayal of carried out by the UAW...

[antigop]

1. So did he and the UAW endorse Kucinich? n/t

[Kokonoe]

2. When everyone finds out high paid UAW autoworkers

now make 12 bucks an hour the middle class will be gone.