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from the readers |
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"If you don't think your vote counts... Letters Because we receive so many letters to Solidarity, we cannot print them all and reserve the right to edit for length. Please keep letters brief and include your name, address and local union number. Send to: Solidarity magazine, International Union, UAW, 8000 E. Jefferson
Ave. or e-mail to uawsolidarity@uaw.net.
Republican utopia?I’m one of the displaced Electrolux workers. I really believe I’m living in Republican utopia. The jobless rate in this part of the state is twice the rest of Michigan. Republicans have been running this country for more than six years and most of this state for the last 16. We now operate on deficit spending. Health care is a mess. The WTO tells us how to trade and what industries to protect. It’s time for all Americans to empower themselves. When you vote in November, displace any and all Republicans who are running for office. Gary J. White (Editor’s note: The Swedish-based appliance manufacturer announced plans in 2004 to close its profitable refrigerator plant in Greenville and relocate operations to Mexico, slamming the door on 2,500 families. It’s not that Electrolux wasn't making money. They just weren’t making enough money. So the company took advantage of NAFTA, which allows free imports from Mexico, and headed south – another example of how one-sided trade deals aid corporate profits at the expense of working families on both sides of the border.) Pre-election wisdomThe upcoming November election brings back many memories I hope are not repeated. During the 1970s and 1980s, I was a committeeman trying to drum up votes for the Democratic ticket. Many UAW workers voted on a single issue: that Democrats would take away their guns. Instead what they got were conservative Republicans wanting to break unions, deny health care reform, not raise the minimum wage and privatize Social Security. I hope every red-blooded patriot in the union ranks votes to throw them out. Don Johns Jobs Americans won’t do?The janitors in our facility used to be UAW members. Since our latest local agreement was approved, the janitors are supplied by an outside contractor. Most of them are nice Hispanic women who don’t speak English. Whether they’re in the United States legally is irrelevant. There were plenty of Americans (many of them unemployed autoworkers) who would have taken those positions when they were UAW. When a good-paying job is farmed out to the lowest bidder who cuts the pay and benefits, it becomes “a job Americans won’t do.” Before we blame illegal immigrants for filling the demand for low-wage jobs, let’s fight to preserve UAW jobs in our own locals. Tim Bigham Only one raceWhether you believe the story of Adam and Eve or science or that we came out of Africa, we are all related – black, white, yellow, brown, Christians, Muslims, Sunnis, Shiites, etc. Some intelligent design. If we’re so intelligent, why are we killing each other? So much for racism. There is only one race: the human race. Russell Lacroix
What solidarity meansI feel betrayed when I see union members from police and fire departments, teachers and government workers driving foreign cars. It’s equally upsetting when I see members of the clergy doing the same thing. These so-called union brothers and sisters need to be educated on what solidarity really is. Buying American is a step in the right direction. John D. Hunt Don’t give up hopeI am a new retiree with more than 32 years of service, and my wife is in the pre-retirement program with 27 years of service at the Delphi plant in Rochester, N.Y. There is no way to express the gratitude we have to the UAW for having the foresight to protect our pensions. I was concerned Delphi CEO Robert “Steve” Miller would have wiped out all those years of service. To our friends that remain in the plants, have faith in the union. Don't give up hope. They will do their very best for all. Carl and Rose Bellavia 70 years of memoriesMy husband, Marcus Dell, was hired at the General Motors’ Assembly Plant in South Gate, Calif., in 1936. He belonged to Local 216 and was pension chairman until he retired in 1972. I’m 91 years old and proud to be a UAW wife. I felt as much a “worker” as he was, supporting him in good times and bad. The GM sit-down strikes of 1937-1938 are still clear in my memory as we struggled to support our men as they supported their buddies back East. After retirement he stayed close to his fellow workers, attending all retirement meetings and continuing to pay his union dues. He always drove a GM car and viewed the foreign imports with a wary eye predicting the situation we have today. He passed away in 1996, and I’m glad he lived long enough to see better relations between employers and employees. Mary A. Dell
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