UAW leadership has failed the working class of autoworkers

UAW workers on strike in Detroit in protest against what they consider to be unfair contract negotiations with Ford, GM, and FCA, Sept. 16, 2019. Photo by Darla Welton

Every now and then it’s good to hear a new voice communicate something you’ve been preaching for years.

Bankole Thompson is, amongst other things, an op/ed contributor to the Detroit News. In a recent piece, he wrote a scathing condemnation of the current United Auto Workers (UAW) leadership. And he hits the nail squarely on the head:

“The UAW has long castigated corporate America for exploiting workers and accused CEOs of extravagant living at the expense of those who make the products their companies sell. But the federal probe reveals that the union’s own leadership lived the same way as the corporate fat cats they call out during their bullhorn protests.”

The federal probe he’s talking about, for those of you living under a rock, is the FBI going after top UAW officials for stealing millions of dollars earmarked for the rank-and-file they’re supposed to be protecting and negotiating on behalf. It shouldn’t be forgotten that the FBI has also either investigated, indicted, or convicted the brass at Ford, General Motors (GM), and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) for helping facilitate the scams. When the whole thing began with indictments of UAW leaders and FCA officials, I wrote that the FBI and Department of Justice will find as much dirt as they can dig up. Turns out they’ve brought a decent sized shovel and the hole the union is in just keeps getting deeper.

This isn’t a new thing, it’s just finally being brought to light. The end game? I don’t know. But in the meantime, the people who will suffer are the blue-collar middle class – more than they are already. GM and UAW are currently in contract negotiations.

At the same time, a member who currently advises the committee, Vance Pearson, is going to jail. As is the president of the union Gary Jones, who somehow is still holding on to his position. Oh yeah, his predecessor, Dennis Williams, just had his “homes” raided by the FBI. He was tipped off and smoking a cigar on his front lawn when the IRS, FBI, and US Labor Department swooped in with weapons drawn. For real.

Do not forget that it takes two to tango. The Big 3 are dirty in this too. They also have people going to jail for the scandal.

Now GM is circumventing norms and making private negotiations public. What at first seemed to be a plea directly to the workers – who they thought might trust them more than their union – has instead proved to be a cheap ploy to get American masses on their side to put pressure on the rank-and-file to just accept GM’s offer. By making the offer public, the auto giant was also able to spin the narrative by leaving out the bad stuff.

Instead, GM just pissed off its working-class employees. Then it made the unprecedented move of cutting all employee health care – retroactively. Not exactly the best way to win hearts and minds.

Bankole also calls out hypocritical politicians who have kept absolutely quiet throughout the long, drawn-out investigation and court proceedings. Now that the strike has happened, however, the Democrats are all publicly giving their support to the workers in a very hollow gesture. He offers his thoughts as to why.

The Republicans just announced they want a congressional investigation into the entire mess. Of course, they’ve reached out across the aisle. And, of course, it’s just a political game to them. Then there is “our fearless leader” President Trump injecting himself into the fray by saying, "Nobody's been better to the autoworkers than me." It’s an absolutely ridiculous statement. Then conveniently added he’s supported the workers but not the union leadership. He both derided and applauded the automotive bailouts a decade ago, telling one group one thing and the other the opposite.

“He didn’t support us when we went bankrupt. I don’t think that’s something the UAW will ever forget,” said Adriane Hall, a UAW member of 12 years who was picketing on Monday outside the automaker’s truck plant in Flint, Michigan. “He didn’t support us then, why should he say anything now?”

I’m very nervous about how this plays out. The autoworkers have become a political football. How do we take back control before being torn apart and controlled by thieves and hypocrites on all sides?