New UAW president reflects old-time liberalism

Similar to Bill Clinton in national politics, Ron Gettelfinger, the former United Auto Workers president, attempted to take a middle-of-the-road stance on the political front.

Bob King, Gettelfinger's UAW successor, show signs he won't try to dodge onlookers from describing himself or the UAW as "liberal." That's the story behind the story of King's announcement that the union will join the Rev. Jesse Jackson -- the same activist from whom Clinton maintained a political distance -- in a national push for "jobs, justice and peace."

The campaign is to start with march in Detroit on Saturday, Aug. 28, the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington. The 1963 rally often is remembered as a civil rights' landmark, but a strong labor element existed.

Onlookers are asking whether Bob King's strategy will resonate with the public. Multi-billion dollar federal bridge loans to General Motors and Chrysler were linked to the federal Wall Street bailout, and a Rasmussen Reports public opinion survey in early May showed a scant 18 percent approval for the government rescue.

Conservative commentators such as Rush Limbaugh began asserting that a typical UAW member earns upwards of $70 an hour. Gettelfinger, placed on the defensive, pegged hourly pay at $28 per hour, and noted that the union had negotiated new entry-level wages as low as $12.

"The vast majority of my constituents are not making anywhere near what General Motors, Chrysler and Ford pay their employees," U. S. Rep. Spencer Bachus, an Alabama Republican, asserted.

The UAW's own website declares that the 63-year-old King "is known for his activism and passionate beliefs in social and economic justice."

Public opinion polls indicate leaders who express such views will face much criticism and many challenges these days.

SOURCES

http://www.uaw.org/nod

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1234921/average_uaw_pay_28_not_70.html?cat=3

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/auto_industry/may_2009/only_18_say_uaw_government_will_do_good_job_running_gm_chrysler

http://www.freep.com/article/20100712/NEWS01/100712040/1001/NEWS/UAWs-King-Campaign-set-to-start-with-Detroit-march
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