Snippet: He has to preserve the jobs, wages and benefits his union has fought to achieve over its 71-year history. But he can't be so rigid that he sends the companies off a cliff. And he can't give too much, or he risks losing the backing of his members...
Since he took office in 2002, Gettelfinger has earned a reputation for being both a feisty and principled protector of union workers and a fact-driven pragmatist who will cut a deal when he has to.
But in his next term, he will have to summon a career's worth of experience -- and all the political support he can muster -- to hold together the union at what could be a historic turning point for the labor movement and for the dwindling U.S. auto manufacturing industry.
ateixeira says:
07:46 AM, 06/ 9/06
Good luck, he'll need it. Notice how all the import brands have avoided unions like the plague. They've kept costs down, too, compared to UAW plants.
hondacura4 says:
09:54 AM, 06/10/06
My mother just lost her job after nearly 30 years of service at a major Canadian based printing company. All the other plants that had Unions have shut down and Id say in about 2 years this one will be next.
The funny thing is that the people who wanted and fought for the Union to come in the plant now regret their decision.