To fight one more day, no matter how long it takes
The following excerpts are from UAW President Ron Gettelfinger’s keynote address to delegates at the Special Convention on Collective Bargaining:
“It is through our collective action that we can fight for our future on every front available to us: at the bargaining table, on the worksite floor, in the courtroom and in the political arena. And, if need be, on the picket line, like members of UAW Local 364 who work at Vincent Bach in Elkhart, Ind., and our members of seven other local unions who are currently on strike. … Our union does not want to strike, but when employers act as if collective bargaining is a one-way street and not a two-way street, then we will do what we have to do. Make no mistake about it; collective bargaining is not collective begging, and where we have demonstrated cooperation it would be a grave mistake to equate our actions to capitulation.”
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“Our union has always had a three-pronged, interconnected approach: collective bargaining, organizing and political action. The UAW is proud that we are a servicing organization. Our local union membership is our highest priority. …
“It is that commitment to our membership that fuels our organizing because we know that our strength grows as our numbers grow.
“And, to protect what we win at the bargaining table and to speak for those who have no voice, we work hard in the political arena to elect those who stand with workers. As we know, far too often, issues raised at the bargaining table are controlled by forces that are beyond the bargaining process. That is why we must continually stress political involvement throughout our union, and continue to be part of a political movement that can turn around the national and international policies that threaten the working class in our country and around the globe.”
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“With a $3 million signing bonus, $750,000 under his belt and a mere 99 days on the payroll, Steve Miller steered U.S. Delphi operations into a mechanical bankruptcy. This was simple enough because he came armed with this intention before his first day on the job.
“The filing took place on Oct. 8, 2005, ahead of the Oct. 18 new bankruptcy law so Miller could ensure his $388 million Key Employee Compensation Plan and other perks would not be disturbed.
Miller knew nothing about the business and even less about the workers, but it did not matter because all he cared about was how much he and his bankruptcy gang could derive financially from dissecting a once proud company. The legal bills continue to mount, in excess of $10 million dollars a month, and the obscene executive compensation continues. On March 22 another $37 million was awarded to nondeserving, underperforming, so-called executives who are making out like bandits.
“While it may seem unbelievable that our laws allow companies to award bonuses to top executives while gutting the wages and benefits of workers, this underscores that it is time to reform U.S. bankruptcy laws to ensure that workers are not discarded while executives are rewarded.
“It is clear that these bottom feeders file bankruptcy to break the union. Our message to the Steve Millers of corporate America is this: You will never do that. The UAW, and other unions, will always be there to fight one more day, no matter how long it takes.”
Ron Gettelfinger
