Is the UAW president just "white trash"?

He is amusing isn't he ! Bet he hasn't worked in the factory in 30 years. He is only worried about keeping his big income for doing nothing ! Sophi you can't use tolerant and liberal in the same sentence!

Actually the $70 an hour is a combination of hourly pay and benefits. The average UAW hourly wage is $28 and the average non-UAW is $25 an hour but the UAW gets about $45 in benefits per hour while the non-UAW is about half that (using round figures) which is where the $70 comes from, average non-UAW total is about $50. The union leader is well paid and most union leaders now have not worked in the fields but like politicians are largely lawyers and have been brought up in the administrative side of the union. Yes you are correct to warn him that union bosses can make people disappear and this includes those within their union (look at the history of the Teamsters) which is why allowing the unions to know how people at a plant vote is a bad thing but the incoming administration is all for that-no secret ballots for union organization. I wonder if they will make retaliating based on union activity a federal offense both ways now or will it just be illegal (as it is now) for a business to do so?

He's the leader of a Union, not a business. The money is to keep the business open. If the business folds, the workers will get unemployment insurance, and some help from the Union. Very few Union workers make $75 per hour, including car makers. Business may charge $75 per worker hour, but that is for other expenses such as Unemployment insurance and taxes, other operating expenses.

He is no better than the politicians who want to bailout their buddies. This guy wants a seat on the Board of GM/Ford and probable Chrysler. That alone shows he is in it for himself only. He is talking about a "Secrete" E-Mail he and corker discussed. He is not an investigative reporter. Who at toyota would pass on a Toyota E-Mail. He says he is very careful what he says--it is no wonder--he wants to line his pockets at the expense of the line workers. He is a disgrace as a leader of workers.

Well the way i look at it.Why should he wear a suit? He can talk with it or with out it.You rep.are trying to break the unions.And when you do wages are going down.And that is what you want.More money in your pocket.Less for the worker.

Neocon mantra is that the Unions are to blame for everything, while big business has its haloes in place and can do no wrong. It's not so simple - but greed from both sides is destroying America.

The UAW president makes no decisions regarding the cars made and how they are made. They don't make $70 dollars an hour, either.

Mr.Gettlefinger for one speaks the way he does simply because of what part of this Country he's from. His dialect can be heard in upstate NewYork, Massachusetts among other states I'm sure. as far as your 15$ billion dollar comment; when wall street crashed those big banks first of all had no hearing to testify to especially compared to the grilling the auto makers went through. wall street was bailed out with very few questions asked. yet still to this day since they got thier 750$ bailout we still aren't clear as to how our tax paying money is bieng spent. yet they continue to go on thier big trips for thier 35'000$manicures! as far as auto makers making 70$ an hour; that is false and has been proven false through the media. a worker for the new york times came up with this figure by combining everything paid out but including data involving spouses pensions after the death of a loved one also he combined what workers pensions who haven't even retired yet plus many other figures that br4ought him to actually 75$ an hour. the UAW has made sacrifices just to keep thier jobs. a workers hourly wage can begin at 14.50 an hour. these workers have over the years voluntarily retired early when they really didn't want to yet. but, they truly do care about thier auto plants and one main reason why is this; they've already seeen so many of thier plants get shipped over seas closing leaving thier towns as it were a ghost town. they built the cars they didn't design them although they have given thie input for years in reference to designing american cars to suit these times. also,our auot industry is vital to our country in lots of ways; when we were at war for eg. WWII it was our auto industry that provided all the manufacturing we needed that was so vital to our success. we need our auto companies they are so vital in so many ways mainly for our national security (to in time of God forbid war) to manufacture the best American quality. I know this seems long to you and I don't mean any disresprct but, if you just think of these American workers who just watch helplessly as thier jobs get shipped overseas. or in the south sure theres car plants but the two catchtes are those plants make foreign cars toyota for eg. and there are so many more built inthe south and the big advantage goes to who else; but the politicians who represent those states for eg; Korker from tenn.,Shelby from alabama, an d Sessions from alabama they receive tax credits every time they have a plant open that produces foriegn cars.so, I disagree with you. i don't care to even judge as to where you live but, the term white trash is offense. I'm not ashamed to say that I lived as a child in places smaller than a trailer park and my dignity and self respect for myself and more important others has been key to the kind of person i've grown to be. respect for others and yourself surely will help maybe even you at least change your judgement of others.

GETTO middle finger NEVER ONCE SAID STRIKE will the big 3 outsourced jobs and southern foreign autos got tax payer bail outs day late and a dollar short he helped to bankrupt the workers by letting the big 3 usining cheap slave labor

ron gettle finger up his a$$ is one of the reasons detroit is in trouble,don't judge him by his voice,it is his mindless drivel that gets to me. no UAW workers get $70 an hour. don't spread lies,do research before you post

I bet you thought Joe the Plumber was "folksy" but then call a Union leader "white trash". Careful, Union leaders have a way of making people disappear. Oh yeah, they don't make $70/hour. That is a lie being perpetuated as a fact.