member minute
Dick Merren left his native country of Honduras in 1948 to attend engineering school at Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne. He went on to work 28-1/2 years at International Harvester until his plant closed in 1986. The UAW Local 57 retiree has been CAP chair since 1966 and also chairs the Region 3 Retirees Council. He is 78. He talked about the presidential election.
Did your local get involved in the campaign?
Very. In previous elections there were negative attitudes; people didn’t want to get involved. This time it was 100 percent because our members see what is happening to labor. We did everything: phone banks, door to door, letters to retirees and speeches to other organizations – not just the UAW – and in high schools.
What are your expectations for the Obama presidency?
He is going in the direction we need to support union workers and our survival. He will support the Employee Free Choice Act and reopen some bad trade deals we have. I know everything won’t happen in the first 100 days, but I’m pretty sure he’ll get the country back in line within 12 to14 months. Republicans want him to fail, but he won’t take the bait. He’s a very smart man.
How did you feel when he was elected?
I cried. I never thought I’d live to see this day. Some words that stick with me are what (Bill) Clinton said at the convention, about making friends around the world by the power of our example and not the example of our power. That’s what Obama is doing. We are fortunate at this time in our lives to have him lead this country.
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