Read other letters about this article

• Saturday, December 13, 2008 09:57 AM

  Your "Southern wrecking crew" article has some spinning and omissions

  First, I’m a left-liberal who voted Green the last two presidential elections. I’m not defending Southern senators.

  But... There’s myths about the UAW, Japanese Big Three and right to work that you’re perpetuating.

  Not only, of course, is Kentucky NOT right to work, but, Honda’s FIRST plant is the one in Marysville, Ohio, which is not only NOT r-t-w, but which is strongly pro-labor.

  Second, UAW President Douglas Frazer INVITED the Japanese Big Three to come to America in 1980 so the Big Three would get more competition. He had contacts with the Japanese equivalent of the UAW to ask about unionization issues. Japanese companies here in America made no overt antiunion activity.

  Simply, Fraser et al screwed up on getting Japanese plants unionized.

  http://socraticgadfly.blogspot.com/2008/12/uaw-cut-its-own-throat-20-years-ago.html

  (I haven’t even mentioned the UAW, at corporate level, signing off on the Big Three claim it couldn’t make fuel efficient cars, etc. And, I haven’t even TOUCHED the “Monday car/Friday car” issue, which, as of the mid-1990s, was still very true in Detroit. I taught college classes in Flint and suburban Detroit – adult ed to UAW workers using bennies to work toward a degree. Rank-and-file, and officers from union locals, talked to me after classes.)

  —SocraticGadfly Read SocraticGadfly's other letters
  Permalink
  Flag
  Click "Submit Flag" if you feel this post is inappropriate. Explain why below if you wish.

  Cancel