The Detroit News is running a guest commentary today by UAW President Ron Gettelfinger that's as humble as it is helpful. Which is to say not at all. It turns out Mr. Gettelfinger (along with his union) has been intrigued by the whole "building more fuel-efficient cars" idea for some time now. He wishes Detroit had been as far-sighted and sage as he. Gettelfinger doesn't exactly gloat at the Black Tuesday slashing, since it ain't exactly great news for the UAW, but he does blame "industry, government and concerned citizens" for failing to plan for current conditions. Gettelfinger's implication is that if Detroit and DC had listened to the UAW's "Marshall Plan for the U.S. auto industry"– which was proposed "back when you could buy gas for $1.50 a gallon,"– the current orgy of shutdowns and layoffs wouldn't be happening. So, besides offering economic aid and free-trade measures to form a European bulwark against postwar communism, what did this "Marshall Plan" entail? Predictably, the major parallel is that Gettelfinger's plan involves the Government giving away huge amounts of money, preferably in areas where the UAW can easily sponge it up. Rather than giving consumers a tax credit to buy any fuel-efficient car they want, Gettelfinger would rather see government incentives pay for the production of UAW-made eco-whips. He also trots out the weary canard that increased CAFE standards "unfairly" cost the D3 more than their Japanese competition, and that this should be mitigated by… more government "incentives."
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the part that makes me sad is that long after the UAW is broken and disbanded, Ron Gettelfinger will make more off the interest of his fortune than most UAW members made in a lifetime.
Maybe all these union hacks should move to North Korea or another command economy.
The UAW could have done something about this. They could have gone on strike a long time ago, demanding that the 2.8 build competitive cars, and not just rely on SUV and truck profits that would leave them vulnerable one day should the market shift. Since they didn’t, all Goldfinger is doing is begging for a government handout.
Oil over $137 seems much worse than cafe for auto industry…
I don’t know who is the greediest? Gettlefinger or Wagoner. THey deserve each other. Too bad many innocent americans will be clobbered by the actions of these two idiots. History will be very unkind to both of them. But this doesn’t help out the rest of us.
Why doesn’t Gettelfinger start his own car company? Oh, because he is just a filthy government-gun-backed parasite.
GM and UAW relationship is from decades of corruption, negligence, animosity, hatred, disparage, etc. No wonder why the workers and management are so alienated that they cannot work together.
Gettelmiddlefinger talks hindsight that they would have shown the way (being so smart as the UAW has done thus far) – by Gov’t giving them money so they grow more corrupt. In today’s society with cheap immigrant labor the UAW has lost it’s effectiveness. It is now a major stumbling block as to why the US is no longer competitive globally. $70 workers wher in China or Mexico you can pay $4 for the exact same job and quality.
Luther -
Easy, man. Too much bier ?
Hey, ain’t seen you ’round these parts in a while, and while I share your aversion to armed mobs, Mr. Gettelfinger is human.
Gute Reisen !
Is this UAW “Marshall Plan” on record ?
I know, I know, but I have to ask.
I read that article this morning. I don’t know who has less grip on reality, Gettelfinger or Wagoner.
I’m pretty sure Mr Gettelfinger is referring to one of the Energy Future Coalition Reports. None of them go by the “Marshall Plan” moniker, but this one in PDF format is a likely candidate.
According to its website, the EFC is an “alliance that seeks to bridge the differences among business, labor, and environmental groups and identify energy policy options with broad political support.”
This apparently is shorthand for subsidy coalition-building. I didn’t read all 137 pages of the report, but it’s kind of a a Christmas list for DC gravy train. Brave, bold stuff… certainly worthy of the Marshall plan comparison.
If your not part of the solution…
your part of the problem!
Give him credit for being at least conscious!!
His union is shot..
he will be blamed…
and he will retire rich!
I hope he doesn’t go drinking with the rank and file….
but he will be too old by then for any member to kick his ass!
too little too late…
Unions were great as long as they could ride the gravey train.
Now what are they going to do?
strike?
That would be really funny!!!
I hate to see American jobs lost, but it’s time the corrupt UAW goes away. That will be the best thing that can happen to the Big 2.8.
The Germans call the times of the Marshall plan the economic miracle. If the UAW members worked slightly as hard to fix the industry as the Germans did do rebuild there devasted country the Big 3 would be humming along. Of course Gettlefinger wants the government money without any inconvenience for the coddled UAW membership.
In amongst the rhetoric, Gettlefinger makes one good point. If the government makes a policy decision to offer incentives to promote manufacture of advanced vehicles and components in the U.S., they should go to the producers, not the consumers. If the policy decision is to stimulate the market for advanced vehicles and components (with country of origin be damned), then consumer incentives are the correct choice. They are two different decisions, and RG is rightly supporting the one that supports the union that pays his salary. Of course, you could also argue that government should stay the hell out of it and let the market decide, unfortunately, that decision puts the U.S. industry at a disadvantage against other countries whose governments have made policy decisions to invest in these vehicles and technologies.