Soldiers of Solidarity Reject UAW Health Care VEBA
In spite of UAW president Ron Gettelfinger's publicly stated confidence in his members' support for the new GM contract proposal, some of his union brothers and sisters aren't exactly happy with the health care component of the deal. The Soldiers of Solidarity (SoS) has been– and continues to be– opposed to the creation of a union-controlled VEBA health care superfund. They claim VEBA stands for "Vandalizing Employee Benefits Again." In a statement on the SoS website that would bring tears (of joy) to Walter Reuther's eyes, three former UAW executive board members state "We believe it irresponsible by the parties to this negotiation to shift the burden of risk to the retired workers and their families and release General Motors from its commitment to the full and perpetual coverage of healthcare for the workers who built the wealth of the corporation in the first place." Not surprisingly, they're urging UAW members to vote against the new contract this weekend. If the signing bribes work members ratify the contract, the SoS' next move will most likely be a call for new union leadership.
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unohugh "Maybe these responses should be sent to the UAW and SoS." And this would change things? I didn't need any news story to tell me how SoS would respond. I hope the rank and file are far closer to this planet.
Future of the Union has the same angle on the contract: http://www.futureoftheunion.com/
Maybe we should send the SoS and UAW a copy of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged".
The GM fiasco is just a small example of how this country and our industrial base are going down the toilet. If the Japanese and Koreans can make a quality product in the US and make a profit, why cant they ? Both management and the Unions are fat bloated pigs.