Level Field Institute President Jim Doyle:
‘What you drive, drives America’
When Jim Doyle speaks about saving the U.S. auto industry and keep good-paying jobs in America, it’s personal.
“Both my parents lost auto jobs,” the president of the Level Field Institute told UAW delegates on the second day of the union’s Special Convention on Collective Bargaining.
The institute is a Washington-based policy institute which advocates creating and preserving U.S. manufacturing jobs.
Doyle is quick to point out his campaign is not “Japan bashing.”
“At Level Field, we welcome foreign investment. We just give American consumers the facts they need to make informed decisions,” he said.
The facts show America is losing 10 jobs for every one that foreign auto companies bring in. Most parts production as well as research and development that go into foreign autos are not U.S.-based.
The institute publishes auto industry facts in the form of scorecards on domestic content. If you’re thinking about buying a Toyota Camry or a Chevy Malibu, for example, click on www.levelfieldinstitute.org and you can see which car creates more jobs in America.
“For every 1,000 vehicles the Big Three sell in this country, 33 U.S. jobs are created. For every 1,000 Toyotas sold here, only 12 U.S. jobs are created,” Doyle said.
The institute’s ultimate message is this: “What you drive, drives America.”
FROM THE FLOOR
Jim Zent
UAW Local 2209
president
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Who they are: They manufacture GM, Chevrolet and GMC pickups. Last November they launched a new model of the GMT-900.
His issue: “Outsourcing. We retain several hundred jobs with our new Material Sequencing Center. This is the kind of work companies traditionally outsource, but we were able to convince management to keep it in-house. One of the unique things we did was create teams of management and union personnel to organize the center to make it more efficient.”
Sandra Hassis
UAW Local 2488
Bloomington, Ill.
Who they are: These members build vehicles at the Mitsubishi Motors plant.
What’s new: “The good news is that Mitsubishi and Local 2488 are recovering from a period of layoffs. Sales have improved, and we are now in production of our 2008 models.”
Her issue: “Who is in the White House affects our jobs and our negotiations. This present administration has eroded the middle class. President Bush has done what business wanted him to do.”
