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CAW > Autoworkers Did not Cause This Crisis…
Autoworkers Did not Cause This Crisis…
Greedy speculators caused this crisis.
From an open letter to CAW Members:
There have been incredible attacks on autoworkers in recent months, and those attacks are going to get worse – from anti-union politicians, from anti-union auto analysts, from the anti-union media. We reject those attacks. Autoworkers did not cause this crisis. Greedy speculators caused this crisis.
Memo to Ken Lewenza. Unions in this country are the worst group for attacking others, blaming everyone else for their own problems. If you don’t want to be attacked, then don’t attack other groups.
If you really must, however, at least wait until a new paragraph.
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Brian Gardiner CAW anti-union auto analysts, anti-union media, anti-union politicians, Auto Workers, Canadian Auto Workers, Greedy Speculators, Ke Lewenza, Open Letter to CAW Members
Wow funny how people think Unions blame everyone for their problems. I fail to see that. I have been a PROUD CAW Union member for 15 years now. I have been to dozens of Conventions, Councils and Meetings with CAW members and Leadership including Buzz Hargrove and Ken Lewenza. Not once have I heard the Union complain or blame other groups for “our problems”. We of course may have problems as everyone does. But there is one thing certain this Economic Crisis and the problems with the Big 3 are not Union problems and to rectify the problem it definatley should not come off the backs of the workers. The corporations put everyone there and I have not heard of the Government insist of the Heads of the Big 3 to take pay cuts. In my experience (I don’t work for the Big 3) I find most people dont understand whats really going on. IF all the Union Big 3 members worked for free for a year it would only cover the cost of the losses of the Big 3 for 11 days. I also know that the top 10 Execs from Chrysler make more money than the entire Union Membership.
That as well is not blaming or attacking it is simply highlighting the facts.
Robin Dudley
President CAW Local 1917
Well I do work for the big 3, and have been a CAW member for 21 years – hope you enjoyed your holidays on my dues – and I have a good idea what is going on. By the way, in the last week Lewenza has said a) we could work for free and not make a difference b) Chrysler must take the GM deal because he’s not going to give a competitive advantage to any company. Those two are contradictory.
Read the sample paragraph again: “Greedy speculators caused this crisis,” is throwing blame around. And that is right after complaining all the usual boogie-man groups are throwing blame around.
Lewenza is losing the PR war here, and inconsistent statements is part of the reason why.
Autoworker union leaders see the writing on the wall. Fewer members, lower wages = less union income + less power. Getting paid 76.00 an hour to fit pieces of a car together is ridiculous and certainly explains why they want to maintain the status quo. What union leaders and members really have a reality problem. If the company goes belly up, they are out of work, yet through the years they have inflated their salaries and benefits to the point where not only are they too expensive but easily replaced by overseas workers only too willing to work for 10 and hour. Get real caw, either you want to work or you don’t and blaming everyone else for what is happening ignores your large share of the blame. Zuto makers who don’t have these high union costs ( ie legacy, etc) are thriving, auto makers with bloated unuins are failing.
My issue is that during the good-times the CAW feel entitiled to the benefits before the ShareHolders get any money for taking the risks with their pension money when buying Auto Stocks.
BUT…..during the bad times the CAW then wants the Taxpayers to bail them out with more of our money .
You can’t have it both ways,you want to rape the profits once the Company start to make money and then if it goes backing into the Red you turn to taxpayers so you can keep all those gains .
Just once I’d like to hear the CAW head tell us Taxpayers that during the good-times some of the profits should go back to taxpayers because of the last bail-out.
BTW
It take a helluva nerve for Buzz and Ken to ask Canadians to fill our garages with CAW cars when they themselves fill their Houses with imported TV’s and Appliances from Mexico and China,or as we saw during a rally last year the CAW members wore clothes,hats,and sun glasses that were imported.
I also noticed that the CAW has very few handicapped memeber or non-whites along with few females.
Where’s the Employment Equity at the CAW , I still remember the days when Blacks could even join a Union in canada , heck even females weren’t let in to male dominated Unions.