Nothing like biting the hand that saved their sorry asses. And why UAW/CAW should not be on your shopping list.
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DETROIT -- Under ordinary circumstances, the bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler ought to have killed the United Auto Workers union.
The 75-year-old union is one-fourth the size it was at its peak 30 years ago, and with both companies near collapse in 2009, members voted to give back years of hard-fought benefits. Article Controls
Yet, with its political clout still intact, the UAW has emerged as the big winner of the Great Detroit Meltdown of 2009. It preserved generous pension and health care benefits for retirees, and--along with U.S. taxpayers--its trust fund for retirees now owns big chunks of both GM and Chrysler, whose fortunes are on the upswing. When the companies go public again, perhaps before the end of the year, the UAW trust will undoubtedly look to cash out as quickly as possible.
Now, as members prepare to elect a successor to President Ronald Gettelfinger, the UAW is looking to restore those concessions and rebuild its membership.
The challenge will likely fall to Robert King, 63, the union's chief bargainer at Ford Motor Co. ( F - news - people ), who was nominated by the union's leadership committee to replace Gettelfinger when delegates convene next month in Detroit.
"Ron preserved the core of the union, the core of Detroit, through brilliant negotiating and brilliant politics in Washington," said Sean McAlinden, chief economist at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich. "Despite the hatred of the rest of the country, he pulled it off. He saved the core. Now, he's handing it over to Bob to see if he can grow it again."