Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Remarks of UAW President Ron Gettelfinger at the Special Convention on Collective Bargaining, Detroit, Mich.

Thank you very much, Secretary-Treasurer Bunn for the kind introduction and thanks to all of you for the warm reception. I am humbled by the respect that you show for this office which I am privileged to hold on your behalf.

The International Executive Board and myself along with our staff want to acknowledge and thank all of you, and the leadership across our great union, for the job that you do everyday representing our membership. You are the ones who are in the trenches, on the front lines, handling the issues and concerns of our members. You do a great job and we appreciate and respect your efforts. Working with the local union membership and our staff you are a critical part of our entire team.

I also want to thank our International Executive Board for all they do to better the lives of UAW members, their families and communities. Each of them has enormous responsibilities and they enthusiastically tackle their assignments with the knowledge that when all of us work together as a team we can make a difference for the better, not just for our membership, but for all working people.

We are pleased that John Grimes, the president of the Staff Council of International Representatives and Tracy Komer, president of our OPEIU workforce are in attendance.

We want to acknowledge our very capable and resourceful administrative staff and staff. They have tough jobs but they are up to the challenge.

I also want to recognize Patty Brady, our number one secretary, and all of our efficient, professional OPEIU members who we are privileged to work with and who make all of us look good.

And, thank you to the International Retired Workers Advisory Council and all of our retirees who are in attendance this week. We appreciate your past contributions and continued involvement.

Unfortunately, President Emeritus Doug Fraser is not able to be with us but we want to send him our best wishes. We know that Doug is here in spirit.

I would request that our retired Board members step forward for special recognition as they are introduced beginning with President Emeritus Owen Bieber; Secretary-Treasurer Ruben Burks; Vice Presidents Gerald Bantom; Ernest Lofton; Stan Marshall; Richard Shoemaker, and, Marc Stepp, and Region 2B Director Jack Sizemore and Region 10 Director Bob Vicars.

Let us once again show our appreciation to Doug, Owen and all of our retired officers and regional directors.

I also want to express our appreciation to the Credentials, Resolutions and Rules committees for the job they did in preparing for our Convention.

Last, but certainly not least, I want to give recognition to our spouses and families and thank them for all of their support. Judy is here and I appreciate her representing this most important part of our union family.

As we begin this collective bargaining cycle I want to remind everyone that April 28th is Worker Memorial Day. More than three decades ago, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act which promised workers the right to a safe job. Unions and our allies have fought hard to make that promise a reality but the number of workplace injuries and deaths remains enormous. In 2005, 5,702 workers were killed by job injuries; 50,000 workers die each year from occupational diseases; coal mine deaths doubled in 2006; and, 8.5 million public employees have no OSHA protection. Let’s make our voice heard on April 28th – Good Jobs, Safe Jobs, -- It’s Time!

Teamwork in the leadership; solidarity in the ranks: To our union, it is not simply a slogan or a banner on the wall. It’s who we are.

And, it is the key to moving our union forward and gaining a more secure and better life for our members and future generations.

So, we come here to discuss the issues and hammer out a collective bargaining resolution that represents the best interest of every sector of our union.

We know that all of our members, in all sectors of the workforce, face unique and difficult challenges. We come from different industries, from different employers, from different cities and towns. We hail from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

Yet, we’ve come together to discuss the common issues that confront all working people, and to establish a collective bargaining program that applies to all members of our union.

Our union stands united, shoulder-to-shoulder: Auto workers with health care workers; ag-imp workers with public employees; child care workers with aerospace workers; auto parts workers with auto mechanics; independent suppliers with graduate teaching assistants, and, the list goes on.

But, we must never forget that what unites us as a union is stronger than any differences we may have.

We are united by our common goals and common dreams – not just for ourselves, but for all working people.

And, not just for now, but for future generations.

That is why the theme for this Special Convention is “Forging our Future.”

It is through our collective action that we can fight for our future on every front available to us: at the bargaining table, on the worksite floor, in the courtroom and in the political arena. And, if need be, on the picket line like members of UAW Local 364 who work at Vincent Bach in Elkhart, Indiana and our members of seven other local unions who are currently on strike.

Since our last Special Convention on Collective Bargaining in June 2002, there have been over 125 UAW local unions who have been forced to take strike action. Not because they wanted to, but, because their employers gave them no choice.

Our union does not want to strike but when employers act as if collective bargaining is a one way street and not a two-way street, then, we will do what we have to do.

Make no mistake about it; collective bargaining is not collective begging and where we have demonstrated cooperation it would be a grave mistake to equate our actions to capitulation.

And, yet, we know all too well that negotiating good contracts and organizing more workers won’t matter if unfair trade agreements mean that our jobs are shipped to low wage countries;

…Or if companies are allowed to destroy labor agreements by hiding behind phony bankruptcies;

…Or if employers refuse to negotiate first contracts by manipulating labor laws.

That’s why our union has always had a three-pronged, interconnected approach: collective bargaining, organizing and political action.

The UAW is proud that we are a servicing organization. Our local union membership is our highest priority. Regardless of the issues or problems that we encounter, we have the perseverance and determination to find a resolve; one way or the other.

It is that commitment to our membership that fuels our organizing because we know that our strength grows as our numbers grow.

And, to protect what we win at the bargaining table and to speak for those who have no voice, we work hard in the political arena to elect those who stand with workers.

As we know, far too often, issues raised at the bargaining table are controlled by forces that are beyond the bargaining process. That is why we must continually stress political involvement throughout our union and continue to be part of a political movement that can turn around the national and international policies that threaten the working class in our country and around the globe.

Certainly, that is true when it comes to health care and trade policies.

In the United States, we spend more on health care than any other industrialized country: sixteen percent of our Gross National Product.

Yet, over 46 million Americans are left behind with no health care coverage and millions more are underinsured.

The fact is: America has the best doctors, nurses and other health care professionals but America doesn’t have a health care system; we have a non-system that is too expensive and too exclusive.

Health care should be a right and not a privilege. It’s time to have a single-payer, universal, comprehensive, national health care program that covers every man, woman, and child in America.

Together, labor, management, small businesses, and government can find the solutions to the health care crisis. There is too much at stake for us to do nothing.

It won’t be easy and we may have to go down several paths to reach the destination.

But, it is timeto stop the rhetoric and begin the journey.

It is time for national health care.

Another issue that cannot be resolved at the bargaining table is unfair trade agreements that are robbing our country of good-paying manufacturing jobs.

We have repeatedly said that we are not against fair trade agreements that ensure a level playing field between countries.

Unfortunately, what we have are “free” trade agreements that basically give a free ride to other countries at American workers’ expense.

The U.S. is the most open market in the world, while other nations still practice pure and simple protectionism to keep our products out.

This is especially true for the cars and trucks we build – as is illustrated by America’s $132 billion plus automotive trade deficit in 2006.

And, to make matters worse on the auto front, the Administration in Washington is attempting to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement with the United States seventh largest trading partner, Korea. There are several outstanding issues such as services, telecommunications, intellectual property and agricultural, among others. But, one of the biggest challenges is Korea’s massive tariff and non-tariff barriers to American industrial products in general and automotive products in particular. The U.S. currently has an $11.6 billion auto trade deficit with Korea. The Administration is clearly attempting to push this agreement through before fast track authority expires at the end of June. We do not need another “free trade” agreement and we do not need an extension of fast track authority. Last year Korea sold 750,000 vehicles in the U.S. and the U.S. sold 4,000 vehicles in Korea. There is something obviously wrong with this picture.

Currently, the U.S. trade deficit in goods and services has climbed to nearly $800 billion and much of that is being fueled by our soaring deficit with China.

We can point to many reasons for the record-breaking $232 billion trade deficit with China including the Chinese government’s currency manipulation and certainly the incredibly low wages paid to China’s workers.

Coupled with that is the Chinese government’s abuse of workers and their violations of basic human rights, including the right of assembly and the right to form an independent union.

It’s time for all U. S. trade pacts to be fair instead of free and to include protections for human rights and workers’ rights. Trade agreements must include environmental protection and protection for intellectual property rights as well as protection from import surges. And, in order to be fair these trade agreements must include strong enforcement provisions.

It’s time to level the playing field.

It’s time to stop the outsourcing of America’s jobs and with that the race to the bottom for the lowest wages.

It’s time to require other nations to open up their markets to U.S. built automotive products, so trade is not a one-way street.

Last November, the American people decided it was time to change course in Washington.

Most of us in this room and many active and retired UAW members and their families and friends, through our Regional Offices, CAP Councils, Retiree Chapters and Local Unions participated in Get Out the Vote activities.

Winning back the U.S. House and Senate were important victories for working families as was winning gubernatorial and other state and local elections.

Just look at the impact. The Democratic-controlled House and Senate moved quickly to pass legislation to raise the minimum wage. And, the House passed the Employee Free Choice Act. These are two great victories for working people.

Now, we will have battles in the Senate over the Employee Free Choice Act, and the president has his veto pen ready. But passage of this legislation in the House by a 241 to 185 vote represented a huge victory for workers. The House heard the facts loud and clear and took the needed action. Now, we need to keep the momentum going and finish the job.

Never has there been legislation which so clearly defines who is willing to side with workers.

If they are on the side of the workers, members of the Senate will vote for the Employee Free Choice Act because they believe:

That joining a union is a fundamental right; That unions bring democracy to the workplace and serve as a check and balance; That workers should not have to endure threats, harassment and firing just to form a union; and, There is a need for real penalties against employers who break the law.

For too long, politicians have sidestepped saying which side they’re on. No more. The Senate vote on the Employee Free Choice Act is one we will watch very closely.

Now, despite the fact that organizing under the current National Labor Relations Board is extremely difficult, we have been successful bringing new members into our union since our Constitutional Convention last June.

Our National Organizing Department, headed up by Vice President Terry Thurman, helped over 700 workers at three PPG plants to join our union after hard fought campaigns. There have also been victories at Ohio Modular Manufacturing, Android Industries, Bridgewater Interiors, Plastech, EMJ and Engine Parts Components.

Our TOP Organizing Department, under the direction of our Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Bunn, in partnership with AFSCME, won bargaining rights for 40,000 home-based child care workers in Michigan. Workers at Lutheran Home of Frankenmuth; the MDS Community Action Agency in Escanaba; Menominee Delta, Schoolcraft Head Start; the Muskegon County Road Commission and the American Red Cross in Manchester, New Hampshire also joined our union. On Saturday, March 18th over 800 gaming employees at Caesars in Atlantic City said “Yes” to the UAW and we are looking for workers to win union representation at Trump Plaza this Saturday.

That’s the good news and we welcome these new members to the UAW.

Unfortunately, this Administration delivered more bad news for workers last fall when the NLRB ruled in the Kentucky River decision that workers with limited authority such as nurses or team leaders are supervisors and are excluded from organizing. Fortunately, our Democratic allies in Congress will be pushing legislation to overturn this terrible decision.

In the meantime, this decision is just one more obstacle to workers right to form a union. It made the uphill battle even steeper for thousands of workers.

It is time that America has an NLRB, and a Secretary of Labor that sides with workers, not against them.

The struggle continues on the bankruptcy front as more and more employers are using bankruptcy as a means of destroying their pension and health care obligations as well as other provisions of their collective bargaining agreements.

Companies such as Delphi and Dana resort to employing high priced legal and financial firms who specialize in bankruptcy. To them bankruptcy is big business. Executives, attorneys, financial advisors and representatives of equity groups and hedge funds gather around the trough and salivate over which one of them can grab the most money.

They have a callous disregard for the real stakeholders; the workers who have devoted their lives to the companies involved. Families, communities, hopes and dreams are devastated. While facilities are closed and jobs are sourced out of the country obscene bonuses continue for the same group that maneuvered the bankruptcy in the first place.

There is no better example of this abuse than Delphi. With a $3 million signing bonus and $750,000 under his belt, and a mere 99 days on the payroll, Steve Miller steered U.S. Delphi operations into a mechanical bankruptcy. This was simple enough because he came armed with this intention before his first day on the job.

The filing took place on October 8, 2005 ahead of the October 18th new bankruptcy law so Miller could insure his $388 million Key Employee Compensation Plan and other perks would not be disturbed. Miller knew nothing about the business and even less about the workers but it did not matter because all he cared about was how much he and his bankruptcy gang could derive financially from dissecting a once proud company. The legal bills continue to mount in excess of $10 million dollars a month and the obscene executive compensation continues. On March 22nd another $37 million was awarded to non-deserving, under-performing, so-called executives who are making out like bandits.

While it may seem unbelievable that our laws allow companies to award bonuses to top executives while gutting the wages and benefits of workers, this underscores that it is time to reform U.S. bankruptcy laws to ensure that workers are not discarded while executives are rewarded.

It is clear that these bottom feeders file bankruptcy to break the union. Our message to the Steve Miller’s of corporate America is you will never do that.

The UAW, and other unions, will always be there to fight one more day, no matter how long it takes.

The struggles continue and Vice President Cal Rapson and Vice President Bob King and their staff and our regional directors along with our Legal, Research, and Social Security Departments are doing an excellent job representing our membership in these difficult situations. Vice President Rapson is also working with the IUE-CWA, the USW, and the other three unions at Delphi and Vice President King is working with the USW in regards to Dana.

When we leave this Special Convention on Wednesday afternoon we will have established a comprehensive collective bargaining resolution. This resolution will serve as a template for local unions, sub-councils, and national councils as employer specific contract proposals for bargaining are developed throughout our union during the next four years or until the next Special Convention. Most of these negotiations will be completed without a lot of media attention because they are not considered high profile. But to our union, regardless of the size of the unit or local union, each and every set of negotiations is high profile and critically important.

We recognize there has been and will continue to be a lot of speculation about auto negotiations from people who like to comment on this process whether they understand it or not. For months pundits, self-proclaimed experts and analysts predict what the UAW might or should do. That is their prerogative; however, we are not going to respond to rumors or speculation.

Since our last Special Convention on Collective Bargaining it seems that we have had to climb one hill after another. The challenges we have encountered have not been isolated to any one particular employer or industry. Additionally, we have equity and hedge funds circling overhead as never before. It’s unfortunate but many of them are out to increase their wealth by “stripping and flipping” companies. This too poses new challenges for us.

The announcement on February 14th by DaimlerChrysler that everything was on the table in regards to the Chrysler Group created a flurry of activity around the world. The outcome is up in the air and apprehension is justifiably high among workers; however, our union is on guard to protect the best interest of our membership.

So it is fair to say that these are challenging times. But we will not be deterred by the events that are occurring. We will not be demoralized nor will we lose the will to address these problems. It’s time like these that reaffirm that a union is the only instrument that provides workers a voice and equity and justice in the workplace.

Just to be clear, we will enter auto negotiations, and all negotiations united and determined to win the best contract possible for our membership.

The problems we encounter are big, but the commitment and determination of our membership and leadership is bigger. By drawing on our courage and Solidarity, we can and will rise to the challenge and forge a better future for generations to come.

Thank you very much.

Solidarity, Solidarity, Solidarity Forever.