The UAW is putting itself back in the political crosshairs after members of the union saw General Motors and Fiat-Chrysler’s move to bus workers to President Trump’s recent speech in Michigan, while covering their pay, as politically motivated.
The Detroit Free Press reports workers were given the opportunity to attend the speech, with each major auto manufacturer providing transportation, lunch and no absence tally for a worker. Ford, however, did not cover the day’s wages.
“I have been at Chrysler for 23 years, and I have never seen this kind of approach. We have never seen them go out of their way to pay people to go to a rally,” said Gabe Solano, president of UAW Local 372. “I find it amusing that Trump’s camp always likes to say Democrats are paying people to attend rallies. It’s kind of ironic now that companies are paying people to attend Trump rallies.”
UAW President, Dennis Williams, has supported President Trump’s agenda to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, which many UAW members say hurt the auto industry, but Williams has been a critic of much of Trump’s overall agenda including health care, immigration and the environment.
Automakers defended the decision to bus employees in, with FCA stating, “This is is an unprecedented event where the whole industry is being acknowledged, and the White House wanted to make sure it had a cross-section of employees — both salaried and hourly — to celebrate the auto industry. Because of the location of the venue, we had to provide transportation.”
However, some employees were thrilled with the opportunity to see the president speak and say upper UAW management no longer represents members.
“The UAW, for too long, has acted like it represents the feelings of all of the autoworkers … and now there is a gap opening up between the union leadership and the union membership, and this is an example of that,” Brian Pannebecker said, a Ford employee and a longtime political activist who also is a spokesman for Michigan Freedom to Work, a grassroots organization that helped fight for right-to-work legislation in Michigan.
Despite this potential clash of ideals inside the UAW, 59 percent of members voted for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, while 33 percent voted for President Donald Trump. Eight percent did not cast a ballot last November.
Comments
UAW leadership would rather see it’s people sitting at home unemployed than see a Republican in the White House.
Exactly what does this mean? Surely it matters not who is in the White House. The union should be pleased to have all of its’ members gainfully employed. What possible good does it do to have their members unemployed?
He means it’s Nationalists vs. Globalists. UAW management is perfectly content to collect dues from their members and favors from Democrats/RINOs while US jobs get negotiated overseas. The second some guy comes in and decides we’re going to bring the manufacturing jobs back – well, never mind if that’s good for UAW rank-and-file, we need to support our Democrat friends. Remember the latest ADP payroll report – 298K jobs added vs. 190K expected. And a whole lot of those were in manufacturing.
Meanwhile, an overseas car factory is becoming almost entirely automated, and making cars faster, cheaper, and better than any human hand could.
Back in the UAW factory, you can’t even get them to wear uniforms on the assembly lines. It’s too big a risk to look professional when you’re assembling a Cadillac, so they’re better off to wear faded jeans and a camo tank top.
I see. Well, thank you for that. I live in Canada, not the U.S. But I suspect it is similar up here.
It does seem a shame that the union brass, whose hands are fed by the dues paying membership, does not look after those members a little better. Just think, if there were no members, then there would be no brass either.
Grawdaddy, but you gotta admit those Union workers in Lordstown, OH build the Cruze….you know the one that Consumer Reports recommended as the top Compact Car.
so not too sure if wearing a uniform is all that important? Because the Union-built Chevy Cruze sure beat out some non-union built compacts!
“Grawdaddy, but you gotta admit those Union workers in Lordstown, OH build the Cruze….you know the one that Consumer Reports recommended as the top Compact Car.”
You better prove that claim. Link?
As for the uniforms, I’d rather factory workers not look like they just stumbled out of bed with hangover.
I better prove that claim lol…I actually don’t have to do anything but here it is:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cars-best-cars-top-picks-2017/
Again, uniforms don’t matter.
The teamster flipped on the Democrates the last election now the UAw is worried they may lose their people.
The trouble is the Democrates have gone so far left they have left their working base behind.
Many of my Democratic family and friends have all said they have felt the party gas left them and they are looking for some one to represent them.
Scott3, to expand a little on your point…ppl seem to generalize the UAW workers like it is the 1970s.
Union workers only vote about 60-65% democrat now. They know that the Dems interest in the Middle class worker, Union workers, and even small business owners lacks.
The Police union in Cleveland, OH actually endorsed a Republican this election.
The Democrats bailed on the middle class worker years ago. they took em for granted.
I am not getting into politics and but I am just stating an honest observation.
Even in Bob Lutz book Bean Counters & Car Guys he states that the union workers and the UAW works pretty well with General Motors in recent years.
Lutz spent some of his early years at BMW where he created the Motorsport division and hired Neerpasch.
There, Lutz learned that German unions aren’t collated into super-unions like the UAW, instead, individual site-unions are represented with board seats.
But, you know, those pinko-euro’s don’ know nothin’, right? Ask a Marine like Lutz….