‘United by our common goals’
In a spirited keynote address to the UAW Special Convention on Collective Bargaining, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said that unity and determination are key to winning justice for union members and working families.
Citing the diversity of the UAW membership — from auto workers and health care workers to auto parts workers to public employees — Gettelfinger stressed that all UAW members “are united by our common goals and common dreams, not just for ourselves, but for all working people.”
Gettelfinger recognized UAW members from eight UAW local unions who are on strike, recognized thousands of workers in newly organized bargaining units, and called forcefully for new approaches to trade, health care and U.S. bankruptcy law.
Stressing the need for continued political action by UAW members and families, Gettelfinger pointed out that factors outside the bargaining process can have a dramatic impact on working people.
“We know all too well that negotiating good contracts and organizing more workers won’t matter if unfair trade agreements mean that our jobs are shipped to low-wage countries, or if companies are allowed to destroy labor agreements by hiding behind phony bankruptcies, or if employers refuse to negotiate first contracts by manipulating labor laws,” he said.
Gettelfinger renewed the union’s call for “single-payer, universal, comprehensive national health care that covers every man, woman and child in America.”
He also called for a new approach to trade agreements, citing America’s $132 billion automotive trade deficit. “It’s time to stop the outsourcing of American jobs and with that the race to the bottom for the lowest wages,” he said.
UAW members at Delphi, Dana Corp. and other firms are facing difficult challenges due to flawed U.S. bankruptcy laws, Gettelfinger said. The UAW is working with other unions to protect wages, health care and pensions, but legislative reform is also needed.
While some UAW negotiating efforts receive more media attention than others, Gettelfinger stressed that to the UAW, “each and every negotiation is high profile and critically important.”
He added that the challenges currently facing working people in organizing, bargaining and politics “reaffirm that a union is the only instrument that provides workers a voice and equity and justice in the workplace.”
“We will enter auto negotiations and all negotiations united and determined to win the best possible contract for our membership,” he said. “The problems we encounter are big, but the commitment and determination of our membership is bigger.”
