The Washington Times
  • Subscribe
  • Times News Services
  • RSS
  • Mobile Headlines
  • e-edition
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • REGISTER
  • LOG IN
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • WELCOME
  • Your Profile
  • Log Out
  • Front Page Image
  • Classifieds
  • Autos
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Customer Service
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA/WNBA
    • MLB
    • NHL
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Motorsports
    • Soccer
    • NCAA
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Other
  • Culture
    • Home & Living
    • Family & Kids
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Washington Visitors
    • Books
    • Military History
    • Life
    • Auto
    • TV Listings
    • Movie Listings
    • Death Notices
    • Entertainment
  • Themes
  • Communities
  • Marketplace
    • Autos
    • Jobs
    • Real Estate
    • Classifieds
    • Shopping
    • Dining Out
    • Education
    • TWT Store
  • Videos
    • Two Guys
    • Birnbaum on Washington
    • Liz Glover
    • Amanda Carpenter
    • Morning Briefing
    • Documentaries
    • Joe Giganti
    • Video Game Minute
  • Podcasts
    • About Headlines
    • Audio and Radio
    • America's Morning News
  • Sports

    Offense erupts in Caps' victory

  • National

    KUHNHENN: 10% jobless rate is Obama's troubling world

  • World

    Joint forces probe NATO air strike

  • National

    Fla. shooting suspect 'mentally ill'

  • Business

    Parents buying homes for kids at college

  • Politics

    Looking to 2010, GOP focuses on fiscal restraint

  • National

    Sunshine vitamin stirs new debate

Home » News » Business

Thursday, December 4, 2008

UAW offers concessions to help Big Three

Rate this story

Average 0.00
after 0 votes
Login or register to rate this story

Automaker execs take appeal to Congress

  • Font Size -+
  • Print
  • Email
  • Comment
  • Tweet this!
  • Share
  • Article
  • Comments ()
  • Click-2-Listen
  • Videos
Please stand by, images loading!
  • Amy Vollmar, 43, from Bowling Green, Ohio, a worker for Chrysler for the past 24 years, listens during a Chrysler rally at the Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, on Wednesday. Associated Press
  • ASSOCIATED PRESS
'OLIVE BRANCH': United Auto Workers members listen to union President Ron Gettelfinger outline modifications to its contract in Detroit on Wednesday. Automaker executives return to Congress on Thursday with their bailout plea.

More Business Stories

  • MARSHALL/DERHAM: Making our tax system more fair
  • ELLIS: Making our tax system more fair
  • Bailed-out AIG posts fresh profit
  • China, U.S. threaten trade battle over dumping

By Andrea Billups and David R. Sands

DETROIT

The president of the United Auto Workers said the union is willing to revamp its contract to pressure Congress on a $34 billion federal bailout loan for the crippled industry, as Big Three executives prepared to resume their case in Washington on Thursday.

But the appeal faces massive customer resistance in Congress, where many lawmakers are finding little public support for the bailout of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC.

"The public mood, which I saw when I traveled the state recently, is very much against bailouts," said Sen. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Republican. Nevertheless, he said in an interview on Fox, the notion of a partial failure of such a large industry would be too serious to allow public sentiment to solely decide.

In Washington, Rep. Tom Price, Georgia Republican, said he has not budged from his opposition to an auto industry bailout and his constituents are backing him.

"All they see is the government printing money and obligating their children and grandchildren to a greater debt," Mr. Price said.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Wednesday found that 61 percent of those surveyed opposed federal aid to the car companies. Even in the companies' industrial Midwestern base, 53 percent said they did not support a government aid package.

Hoping to sway public sentiment, UAW leaders from across the country held an emergency meeting Wednesday.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger emerged from the meeting to say the union would rework a retiree health care trust fund, eliminate the union's maligned jobs bank program - which Mr. Gettelfinger dubbed a "lightning rod" for criticism - and cut additional measures that would loosen the union's trademark job-security protections.

"We're going to make modifications; we're not opening the contract, if you will," Mr. Gettelfinger said at a news conference at Detroit's Renaissance Center, the corporate home of GM.

[Get Copyright Permissions] Click here for reprint permissions!
Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC

12Next »

Post a comment

There are comments on this article, submit your opinion!

Please login or register to post a comment

Ask a Question

You Report

Do you have another point of view, photos, audio, video or more information about a story?

Top Stories

Most Read

  1. EXCLUSIVE: Rare virus poses new threat to troops
  2. Sniper's ex-wife speaks out on abuse
  3. PRUDEN: Corpse sits up, gets nice salute
  4. Inside the Beltway
  5. Armored troop carriers called unsafe for duty
More Top Stories »
  1. 13 killed at Texas army base; psychiatrist accused
  2. Aborted fetus cells used in beauty creams
  3. Army: Suspect said 'Allahu Akbar!' before shooting
  4. Can the 10th Amendment save us?
  5. 60 Plus leader: Senior 'tsunami' coming

Most Shared

  1. EXCLUSIVE: Rare virus poses new threat to troops
  2. Making fun of faith
  3. Aborted fetus cells used in beauty creams
  4. EDITORIAL: Too scared to recognize terrorism
  5. Obama's new world order
More Top Stories »
  1. PRUDEN: Corpse sits up, gets nice salute
  2. Martial mythologies
  3. EDITORIAL: The grass roots keep growing
  4. 'Gentle' Army psychiatrist displayed worrisome signs
  5. Wife of envoy raises funds to help women, children

Most Commented

  1. 13 killed at Texas army base; psychiatrist accused
  2. Army: Suspect said 'Allahu Akbar!' before shooting
  3. Muslims stunned by Fort Hood shooting
  4. Furious scramble for health reform support
  5. 'Gentle' Army psychiatrist displayed worrisome signs
More Top Stories »
  1. 60 Plus leader: Senior 'tsunami' coming
  2. PRUDEN: Corpse sits up, gets nice salute
  3. EXCLUSIVE: Rare virus poses new threat to troops
  4. Panel OKs climate-change bill without GOP
  5. EDITORIAL: Greedy autoworkers

Listen to Washington Times Radio

  • America's Morning News

    with John McCaslin and Melanie Morgan

Question of the day

Do you think the health reform bill will pass?

Blogs & Columns

  • POTUS Notes

    New Dem talking point on Obama approval doesn't wash

  • The Back Story

    12 arrested at Pelosi's office

  • Belief Blog

    Washington goes Greek this week

  • Out of Context

    Foods that might kill libido

  • Technology

    Facebook wins round against phishing spammer

  • On the Fly

    United lifts some 'award' blocking

  • Redskins 360

    He Said, She Said Week 9

  • Tara's Two Cents

    On their way to summer vacation..

  • SNOBlog

    Beyond 'Woody'

Videos

Advertising Links
TWT Store
  • e-edition
  • Print Edition
  • Weekly Washington Times
TWT Affiliates
  • Middle East Times
  • Golf
  • UPI
  • Arbor Ballroom
  • Washington Times Global
  • About TWT
  • Press Room
  • F.A.Q.
  • Work for TWT
  • Advertise
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

All site contents © Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC.