"We are fighting for our kid's jobs"

By Scott Marshall

This article was reprinted from the July 18, 1998 issue of the People's Weekly World. For subscription information see below. All rights reserved - may be used with PWW credits.

FLINT, Mich. - "We're not striking for money. We're striking for our kids' jobs," said Jim Packabury. Packabury is a third generation General Motors worker. "My grandfather worked here before it was union and before it was GM. Then it was the old wagon wheel works."

I talked with a number of pickets at the west gate of the Flint Metal Stamping Plant on Bristol Road. While we talked, a steady stream of community supporters drove by, honking their horns. As we stood there for about half an hour, people dropped off chickens, fresh baked bread and soft drinks for everyone on the picket line.

Packabury, pointing to the I-75 Expressway, visible from the gate, said, "It just gives me goose bumps when the big trucks blast their horns in support of our strike. It happens all day long."

The 9,200 striking General Motors workers here are still standing picket duty in the sixth week of their walkout despite GM's request that a federal court order the workers to return to work and submit to arbitration. GM resorted to the legal maneuver after talks between GM and the United Auto Workers collapsed last weekend, dashing hopes of a quick settlement.

The UAW agreed July 15 to let an independent arbitrator decide whether its strikes against GM are legal under the union contract. Federal District Judge Paul V. Gadola ordered the UAW and GM to schedule a hearing with an arbitrator soon.

He said he would retain jurisdiction, but it did not appear that he would intervene to stop the strike at this time. He told the court that he saw no indication that the union was engaged in foot-dragging, contrary to a claim by GM's attorney.

Bruce Mothershed, who usually walks the third shift picketline, said the same kind of community solidarity takes place all night.

"They bring us food, coffee, iced tea, and they just stop and talk. It's great."

Deb Harger, who is walking the line with her husband, Dan, said that they are proud to be a UAW family. "This is about jobs and our whole community," she said.

"My daughter's a waitress, trying to raise three little kids. We have to help them out. How can we, if GM won't keep its promises. GM doesn't care about its employees or Flint."

Yeah," Packabury said, "all GM cares about is its profits. If they could sell just one car and make the same amount of money, they'd do it and to hell with the rest of us."

Norm McComb, vice president of United Auto Workers Local 651 which represents 3,400 workers at the Flint Metal Center told the World, "The pickets are going strong and the morale of our people is good. But the negotiations are going nowhere. We have a big rally here set for Monday."

Shortages of parts produced at two plants here have forced the layoff of 166,000 other GM workers at 26 of 29 assembly plants, idling GM's North Amnerican operations.

So far, GM has lost $1 billion in this stoppage triggered by the company's refusal to abide by its contractual promise of investing hundreds of millions of dollars to modernize the plants here.

GM has twisted the screws in a futile attempt to break the strike, terminating dental and health care benefits even for the workers not on strike and challenging the laid-off workers' eligiblity for supplemental unemployment benefits.

McComb debunked GM's claim that the walkout at two GM plants here is illegal and a violation of the union contract. "GM is violating the contract. They have not kept the promise they made to invest in modernizing the plants here. That's why we went out on strike."

Employed 30 years by GM, McComb said the Flint workers are facing hardships after 40 days on strike but have been buoyed by an outpouring of solidarity from across the country.

"We have people coming from all over the country to walk on our picketlines," he said. "We're getting phone calls and letters of support and many people are sending cash donations."

McComb's family is grown but many GM workers, he said, are waging this struggle to insure that there are livable wage jobs left in Flint for the younger generation. That means fighting GM's plans to downsize and shift production to low-wage non-union regions of the world, McComb said.

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Rich ard Trumka said GM has prolonged the strike because it is determined to "increase its production capacity abroad while neglecting its U.S. operations."

Trumka added, "There should be a positive reward ... for increasing productivity. And that positive rewward ought to be some job security. What's [GM's] obligation to the American workers and the communities that built it?"

General Motors, the world's largest industrial corporation, is crying the blues, claiming it suffers a competitive disadvantage with Ford and Chrysler since 70 percent of its components are produced by GM or GM owned subsidiaries.

Ford and Chrysler, by contrast, buy most of their components from non-union suppliers in a practive called "outsourcing."

But GM's pleas can't hide its enormous profitability with accumuated cash reserves of $13.6 billion sweated from 650,000 workers in 51 countries around the world.

GM produced 8.3 million vehicles in 1996. The corporation recently invested $750 million to build a production complex in Thailand with the aim of producing 150,000 vehicles annually - an operation hit hard by the Asian economic collapse.

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