OPINION:
All of us should be concerned as the United Auto Workers begin what could be a devastating strike that causes pain for millions and inflicts serious harm on the economy (“About 13K workers on strike at all 3 Detroit automakers for the first time in their union’s history,” web, Sept. 15).
While I support the provision of a living wage for those who work hard — and while I decry the spectacular amounts of compensation that industry executives have been granted — I worry about the approval of a contract that boosts inflation, making it so ingrained that it becomes long-lasting despite the best efforts of the Federal Reserve Board to tame it.
The automakers have offered their assembly-line workers raises of up to 20% over the life of a new contract. But the union, led by a belligerent new executive who regularly expresses his contempt for the entities that employ his members, is demanding 40%, a 32-hour workweek with pay for a 40-hour workweek, and other benefit enhancements.
The automakers say that to bend to the union’s demands would preclude them from remaining competitive, if not drive them out of business entirely.
Let us hope that this strike will be short and that there will soon be a meeting of the minds and a compromise settlement beneficial for all.
OREN SPIEGLER
Peters Township, Pennsylvania
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