From the readers

A unified America can survive

Our complacency of allowing those in power to continue dividing the public, thus manipulating us to decay within as a united America is molding us into a feudalistic society.

Politicians do not include themselves with pay cuts, benefit losses or health care issues. What kind of loyalty can we expect from future generations to support this system?

We need leaders to recognize the needs of our society as a whole. Unaccountability of our tax dollars and the foreign takeovers have to stop.

Only a unified America can survive as a real, free democratic society.

John Sanchez
UAW Local 600 retiree
Traverse City, Mich.

(Editor’s note: Brother Sanchez is chair of the Northwest Lower Peninsula UAW Retired Workers Council.)

Why NUMMI’s leaving

It doesn’t take NASA rocket science to know why Toyota is leaving the United States: They want to suck every dollar, every dime and every penny out of this country and kill the American automobile industry.

With the help of the “free trade thinking” Republican Party, Toyota is winning now, just like the other foreign manufacturers. They’re sucking the lifeblood out of America, and the American people who buy their cars and products just don’t give a damn.

I worked at the Ford Motor Co. steering gear plant in Indianapolis. In good times we had more than 4,000 workers making all of the steering gears that went into all of Ford’s cars and small trucks. Now it’s all been sent overseas.

Bob Miller
UAW Local 1111 retiree
Indianapolis

NUMMI: Now hear this

In the January-February issue of Solidarity, President Gettelfinger wrote that Toyota has chosen to close the NUMMI plant in California. Remember: NUMMI was a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota.

After all is said and done, I will make my voice heard with my consumer spending dollars. If GM and Toyota don’t treat the NUMMI team members with the respect they have earned, the only sound that GM and Toyota will hear from me is silence.

Steve Brown
UAW Local 2244
Fremont, Calif.

U.S. has what it takes

Yes, American workers have what it takes to make manufacturing succeed. The missing ingredient is the fact that our government, big business and disloyal Americans have forsaken trust in us. Coupled with Japanese government and business associations, it has led to our economic downfall.

Our country helped to rebuild Japan, and now their economy is kicking our tails.

It should be at the top of the list to demand that our government and big business return all manufacturing jobs that have been outsourced.

Charles L. Hopkins Sr.
UAW Local 1590 retiree
Inwood, W.Va.

Missing the point

Talk about missing the point: Our union’s leadership continues to support the Democratic Party’s agenda, which is probably a reflection of UAW membership.

While citizens decline to demand fair trade policies, our trade deficits with the rest of the world keep increasing, and there go the jobs.

Drug and insurance companies continue to jack up prices to the delight of their shareholders.

Meantime, look at the long lines at Dollar Stores and Walmart.

Until we talk with our votes and pocketbooks, the good ol’ politicians will bleed us dry.

China, Mexico, etc. … here we come.

Betty S. Debose
UAW 599 retiree
Flint, Mich.

What ‘Cadillac’ insurance?

Someone must have forgotten to tell politicians that we gave up the Cadillac insurance plans years ago in concession bargaining. Our coverage today is, at best, a Ford F-250 Crew Cab.

We fought Republicans for years and years to keep our benefits from being taxed as “wages earned.” That area of negotiations was always chiseled in stone as far as organized labor was concerned.

I’m disappointed in President Obama, who told us that things like this major premium concession would never even be considered.

I guess a group life insurance tax will be next.

Don Corn
UAW Local 737 retiree
Nashville, Tenn.

Health reform may bite back

As I read my January-February issue of Solidarity, I couldn’t help but wonder what I’ve been missing.

I understand health care has to be changed to a more uniform system. What I don’t understand is how you can speak for a health care plan that even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doesn’t want us to know anything about.

Hardly any members of Congress will even admit to reading the entire bill or even try to explain what’s in it because they don’t know.

President Obama said the bill would be discussed openly on TV, and everything would be transparent. Pelosi said, “Presidents promise a lot of things.”

Be careful what you help push on us. It’s going to come back and bite someone.

D. L. Huffman
UAW Local 544 retiree
Pittsburgh

Moving to Fort Wayne plant?

Many UAW members will be moving to Local 2209 from all areas of the country from now through May.

There’s a free Web site to help our members look for homes and assist them in relocating:

MoveToFortWayne.com

The site not only has home prices, photos and directions, but also comprehensive information on schools, churches, shopping and points of interest, utilizing the latest aerial view technology.

Tom Aquila
UAW Local 2209 retiree
Fort Wayne, Ind.

Self-checkouts cost jobs

May I suggest that when you go shopping in stores that have those new self-checkouts instead of real cashiers, please don’t use them. Those self-checkouts have cost many jobs.

And remember the person who used to bag your groceries? Where have they all gone? On layoff, that’s where. There are so many jobs lost without our help supporting them.

Olive Kulhanek
UAW Local 140 retiree
Warren, Mich.