UAW Exposes GOP Efforts to Punish Organized Labor

By Maureen D. Taylor,
MWRO State Chairperson

Last Friday, Dec. 12th, 2008, two days after the 60th anniversary that the Declaration of Human Rights was signed, the American worker was stabbed by corporate capitalism and their elected official friends. In a stunning betrayal of truth, a small Nazi-fringe of the GOP engineered the collapse of the auto-loan request designed to stop blue-collar workers from being put out on the streets.

This country is alone in its refusal to help shore up manufacturing entities making lack-luster politicians who heretofore stood mute, into outstanding champions for justice. Better late than never! No minor children should read beyond this point, because the language is about to take a low ride.

Today, AIG -- the American Insurance Group -- that was given billions over the last several weeks was caught again giving bonuses to their executive staff. According to our sources, some 78 administrative staff received these dollars ranging from $92K to $4M each! This would be the third such “gift” from our tax dollars provided to executives, while blue-collar workers are being asked to “grovel.”

UAW President Gettelfinger was impressive as he exposed the “secret GOP memo” that suggested methods and rationales for how to punish the UAW for their support of Democratic candidates over the years. Today, we learned the fees taxpayers paid to “right to work” states to bring off-shore auto manufacturers to Tennessee and to Alabama. He revealed the shocking $500M Tennesseans paid to Volkswagen to build a factory there along with years of tax abatements! He revealed the $252M paid to Hundai, the $29M paid to Toyota, the $158M paid to Honda, and the $253M paid to Mercedez by Alabamans so that these competitors could locate manufacturing hubs in America. He revealed the deal penned by our own Peter Karmanos, who purchased 2,500 Benz’s for his executive staff.

American workers should craft new plans for a better future. Suggestions: buy factories and start making our own cars – we know how! File tyranny charges against AIG, Alabama and Tennessee state senators and take them to court for crimes against American workers. Take over the production of all industries and operate them toward the benefit of working people everywhere. Research what elected officials in Indonesia, and China make so that these high and mighty senators can lead by example and start accepting similar salaries as they are demanding American workers to do. Juan Williams from Fox News suggested that blue-collar workers do earn too much, so we need to research what news broadcasters in Indonesia and Mexico make so he too can lead by example and accepts similar wages.

We have reached the end of an era. What will the next set of pages contain about how the world is to be run? You get what you organize to take. These corporations hate you. They hate your children. They would see you die from starvation, from neighborhood violence, from no health care, and we are walking into the crematoriums without so much as a whimper. Fool us once, shame on you…fool us over and over and over again, shame on us! Wake Up!

(Image from China Daily, includes Republican Senators Richard Shelby (AL), center; John Ensign (NV), and Jim DeMint (SC).