[net-gold] UNITED STATES: GOVERNMENT : INDUSTRIES: AUTOMOBILE : ECONOMICS: RECOVERY: President Obama in Detroit: The Fight for America's Workers
- From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
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- Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:16:07 -0400 (EDT)
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UNITED STATES: GOVERNMENT :
INDUSTRIES: AUTOMOBILE :
ECONOMICS: RECOVERY:
President Obama in Detroit: The Fight for America's Workers
President Obama in Detroit: The Fight for America's Workers
Posted by Jesse Lee on July 30, 2010 at 03:28 PM EDT
The White House Blog
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/07/30/
president-obama-detroit-fight-americas-workers>
A shorter URL for the above link:
<http://tinyurl.com/27k8hd7>
Today the President was in Detroit visiting workers at a Chrysler plant
and a GM plant that have not only survived, but found success after
critics looking to score political points claimed there was no hope for
them. For those critics the President offered a lesson: "Don't bet against
the American worker."
During the two years since the economy took its hard downward turn,
millions of Americans have had to fight with everything they had to stay
afloat, to keep food on the table, to keep their businesses in business
and nowhere has that been more true than in Detroit.
The President has also been fighting alongside Americas workers from the
Recovery Act thats saved or created about 3 million jobs, to the fight
today over small business lending and of course for the workers in
Detroit and across America who contribute to the decades-old craft of
American cars. When political opponents said that helping the American
auto industry survive was a lost cause, and tried to turn public
frustration against the President, he stepped in and made the hard choices
anyway. There couldnt necessarily be a life raft for everybody, but he was
not going to let a million American jobs fall by the wayside simply
because it opened him up for cheap political attacks.
And as the report released yesterday made clear, that investment is paying
off: In the year before GM and Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy, the auto
industry shed 334,000 jobs. In the year since, auto industry employment
has increased by 55,000 jobs. This is the fastest year-over-year growth in
auto employment since 1999. Not only that, but with a boost from the
Recovery Acts investments in the clean energy economy, the industry has
turned toward the future in ways many thought they never could. A quick
look at the interactive map released yesterday gives a glimpse of how
America can move back to the front of the pack in the coming generation of
fuel efficient and electric vehicles.
In his visit to the Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly Plant, speaking to
workers who have had to fight just to keep working, it was clear the
President felt in a bit of a fighting mood himself:
THE PRESIDENT: Investments like those mean jobs for American workers to do
what theyve always done: build great products and sell them around the
world.
So the bottom line is this -- weve got a long way to go, but were
beginning to see some of these tough decisions pay off. We are moving
forward.
I want you to remember, though, if some folks had their way, none of this
would have been happening. I just want to point that out. Right? I mean
this -- this plant -- this plant and your jobs might not exist. There were
leaders of the just say no crowd in Washington -- they were saying -- oh,
standing by the auto industry would guarantee failure. One of them called
it the worst investment you could possibly make.
AUDIENCE: Boo!
THE PRESIDENT: They said -- they said we should just walk way and let
those jobs go.
AUDIENCE: Boo!
THE PRESIDENT: I wish they were standing here today. (Applause.) I wish
they could see what Im seeing in this plant and talk to the workers who
are here taking pride in building a world-class vehicle. I dont think
theyd be willing to look you in the eye and say that you were a bad
investment. They might just come around if they were standing here and
admit that by standing by a great American industry and the good people
who work for it, that we did the right thing. Its hard for them to say
that. You know, they like admitting when I do the right thing. (Laughter.)
But they might have had to admit it. And I want all of you to know, I
will bet on the American worker any day of the week! (Applause.)
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release July 30, 2010 Remarks by the President on the
American Auto Industry and American Economy at Chrysler Auto Plant
Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly Plant
Detroit, Michigan
12:16 P.M. EDT
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/
remarks-president-american-auto-industry-and-
american-economy-chrysler-auto-plant>
A shorter URL for the above link:
<http://tinyurl.com/2w7mmf6>
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Detroit! (Applause.)
Well, it is good to be here. Everybody, if you have a seat, have a seat.
(Laughter.) It is good -- its good to be back.
AUDIENCE: Yeah!
THE PRESIDENT: Its good to be back. First off, give it up -- give it up
to Leah for that wonderful introduction. (Applause.)
Weve got some special guests here that I want to acknowledge. First of
all, your Secretary of Transportation, who has helped to make sure that we
are guiding this process of rebuilding the American auto industry and is
doing an outstanding job, from Peoria, Illinois, Secretary Ray Lahood.
Give him a big round of applause. (Applause.)
Because of a funeral, she couldnt be here, but I want everybody to give a
huge round of applause to one of the best governors in very tough times
that exists anywhere in the country, Jennifer Granholm. Shes doing a
great job. (Applause.)
Your outstanding new mayor and close to my heart, NBA Hall of Famer, Dave
Bing is in the house. (Applause.)
Two of the hardest working senators anywhere. And they are always
thinking about Michigan and Michigan manufacturing, making stuff right
here in the United States of America, Carl Levine and Debbie Stabenow.
(Applause.)
Outstanding member of Congress, Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick.
(Applause.) UAW President Bob King is in the house. (Applause.) And
Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne. (Applause.) Sergio is modest. He doesnt
stand up. (Laughter.) But hes doing a great job.
So I just had a tour of this outstanding plant with Sergio and Pat Walsh,
your plant manager; General Holiefield -- now, that's a name right there
-- (Laughter.) General Holiefield, vice president of the UAW.
(Applause.) Cynthia Holland, your local UAW president. (Applause.)
And it was great to see the work that youre doing and the cars that youre
building. Especially when you consider the fact that just over a year
ago, the future here seemed very much in doubt.
Now, before I make my remarks, Ive got to disclose, Im a little biased
here because the first new car that I ever bought was a Grand Cherokee.
(Applause.) First new car.
Up until that point I had had some old, beat up -- (laughter) -- used cars
-- they were not state of the art. And I still remember walking into that
showroom and driving out with that new car. It had that new car smell,
and everything worked. (Laughter.)
I wasnt used to that. Had all these -- everything was electronic, and I
had -- all my -- Id had to roll up my windows up until that point. So Ive
got some good memories of that car. But Ive got to tell you when I sat in
this car, this is a better car. This is a state-of-the-art car. This is
a world-class car right here. (Applause.)
Now, I want everybody to think about where we were. We were in the midst
when I took office of a deep and painful recession that cost our economy
about 8 million jobs -- 8 million jobs -- and took a terrible toll on
communities like this one.
Our economy was shrinking about 6 percent per quarter. Now, this morning
we learned that our economy grew by 2.4 percent in the second quarter of
the year, so that means its now been growing again for one full year.
(Applause.)
Our economy is growing again instead of shrinking. That's a welcome sign
compared to where we were. But weve got to keep on increasing that rate
of growth and keep adding jobs so we can keep moving forward. And that's
especially important for places like this.
In the 12 months before I took office, the American auto industry lost
hundreds of thousands of jobs. Sales plunged 40 percent. Think about
that. The industry looked like it was going over a cliff. As the
financial crisis and the vicious recession collided with an industry that
for too long had avoided hard choices and hadnt fully adapted to changing
times, we finally reached the point where two of the Big Three -- Chrysler
and GM -- were on the brink of liquidation.
And that left us with very few choices. One choice, one option was to
keep the practice of giving billions of dollars of taxpayer money to the
auto industry but not really forcing any accountability or change - so you
just keep on kicking the tough problems down the road year after year and
hopefully seeing if you can get more and more money out of Washington.
A second option was to do nothing and risk allowing two of the Big Three
to disintegrate. And that could have meant the end of an industry that,
like no other industry, represents so much of what makes up the American
spirit.
This industry has been the source of deep pride for generations of
American workers whose imaginations led to some of the finest cars the
world has ever known -- and whose sweat built a middle class that has held
the dreams of millions of our people.
I just met one of your co-workers on a line. He is third generation
working at Chrysler. His grandfather worked at Chrysler. His father
worked at Chrysler. And now he is on the line at Chrysler. And that
could have all vanished.
Now, the worse thing about it is that if we had done nothing, not only
were your jobs gone, but supplier jobs were gone and dealership jobs were
gone, and the communities that depend on them would have been wiped out.
And, by the way, when you talk to the CEO of Ford, hell tell you that
wouldnt have been good for Ford either, because a lot of those suppliers
that they depend on might have gone out of business.
Independent estimates suggest that more than 1 million jobs could have
been lost if Chrysler and GM had liquidated. And in the middle of a deep
recession, that would have been a brutal, irreversible shock not just to
Detroit, not just to the Midwest, but to our entire economy. So I refused
to let that happen.
And we came up with a third way. What we said was, if youre willing to
take the tough and painful steps necessary to make yourselves more
competitive; if youre willing to pull together workers, management,
suppliers, dealers, everybody to remake yourself for changing times then
well stand by you and well invest in your future. Our strategy was to get
this company and this industry back on its feet, taking a hands-off
approach, saying you guys know the business, we dont. Were going to give
you a chance, but we do know youve got to change.
Now, not surprisingly, a lot of folks were skeptical. You remember last
year. A lot of folks were saying, well, this is stupid, we shouldnt be
helping them. And I understood that. Look, this was a hard decision. I
didnt want government to get into the auto business. Ive got enough to
do. (Laughter.) And the politics of it werent good. Your delegation was
supportive. But Debbie and Carl, and Carolyn and others, theyll tell you
there are a lot of folks in Washington who said it couldnt be done.
But I believed that if each of us were willing to work and sacrifice in
the short term -- workers, management, creditors, shareholders, retirees,
communities -- it could mark a new beginning for a great American
industry. And if we could summon that sense of teamwork and common
purpose, we could once again see the best cars in the world designed,
engineered, forged, and built right here in Detroit, right here in the
Midwest, right here in the United States of America. (Applause.)
So I placed that faith in you and all of Americas autoworkers, and youve
vindicated that belief. The fact that were standing in this magnificent
factory today is a testament to the decisions we made and the sacrifices
that you and countless stakeholders across this industry and this country
were willing to make. So today, this industry is growing stronger. Its
creating new jobs. Its manufacturing the fuel-efficient cars and trucks
that will carry us toward an energy independent future. You are proving
the naysayers wrong, all of you. (Applause.)
They thought it would be impossible for your company to make the kind of
changes necessary to restore fiscal discipline and move towards viability.
Today, for the first time since 2004, all three U.S. automakers are
operating at a profit, the first time in six years. (Applause.)
Last year, sales plummeted and manufacturers and suppliers across the
country were forced to idle plants and furlough workers. Today, Chrysler
is responding to more demand than anticipated by keeping this plant and
others running through the usual summer shutdown. The same goes for GMs
plants. Sales have rebounded. Across the supply chain, plants that
wouldnt exist without the sacrifices made across this industry are running
at nearly full capacity.
Last year, many thought this industry would keep losing jobs, as it had
for the better part of the past decade. Today, U.S. automakers have added
55,000 jobs since last June, the strongest job growth in more than 10
years in the auto industry. This plant just hired a new shift of 1,100
workers last week. (Applause.)
I met one of your co-workers on the line. He said, Thank you, Mr.
President, I needed to get out of the house. (Laughter.)
I said, I know your wife really felt that way. (Laughter.) Im sure you
were driving her crazy.
The Dundee Chrysler plant will begin production of an American-made,
advanced technology, fuel-efficient engine this December. (Applause.)
The Sterling Heights Chrysler plant that was scheduled to close after 2012
will stay open and add a second shift of 900 workers next year.
(Applause.) And when a plant thrives, that doesnt just affect the new
workers, that affects the entire community.
Now, it also helped that we took steps to stimulate demand, steps like
Cash for Clunkers, which said that if you trade in your old car in for a
new, more fuel-efficient model youd get a rebate. That program was good
for automakers. It was good for consumers. But you know what, it was
also good for the environment. It was more successful than we ever
imagined and it saved at least 100,000 jobs, giving dealerships sales
numbers they hadnt had in years and communities an economic boost they
wouldnt have otherwise seen.
So theres no doubt that the auto industry is growing stronger. But, look,
the hard truth is this industry lost a lot of jobs in recent years. Some
of those jobs arent coming back partly because automakers have become so
much more efficient than they used to be. This is a lean, mean operation.
And so there are people who have still lost their jobs, havent been hired
back and it wasnt their fault. Mistakes were made in managing the company
that werent theirs.
So thats why we still also got to make targeted investments to encourage
new private sector manufacturing growth. We got to encourage clean
energy. Thats why were taking steps to help communities revitalize and
redevelop old, shuttered auto facilities, preparing them for new
industries and new jobs and new opportunities.
Ill give you an example, those investments that were making are helping to
create an entire new advanced battery industry take root right here in
Michigan. That industry was producing only 2 percent of the worlds
advanced batteries last year, but by 2015, we expect to produce 40 percent
of the advanced batteries that go into our cars. (Applause.) And were
going to do it right here in Michigan -- all across the Midwest.
Investments like those mean jobs for American workers to do what theyve
always done: build great products and sell them around the world.
So the bottom line is this -- weve got a long way to go, but were
beginning to see some of these tough decisions pay off. We are moving
forward.
I want you to remember, though, if some folks had their way, none of this
would have been happening. I just want to point that out. Right? I mean
this -- this plant -- this plant and your jobs might not exist. There
were leaders of the just say no crowd in Washington -- they were saying --
oh, standing by the auto industry would guarantee failure. One of them
called it the worst investment you could possibly make.
AUDIENCE: Boo!
THE PRESIDENT: They said -- they said we should just walk way and let
those jobs go.
AUDIENCE: Boo!
THE PRESIDENT: I wish they were standing here today. (Applause.) I wish
they could see what Im seeing in this plant and talk to the workers who
are here taking pride in building a world-class vehicle. I dont think
theyd be willing to look you in the eye and say that you were a bad
investment. They might just come around if they were standing here and
admit that by standing by a great American industry and the good people
who work for it, that we did the right thing. Its hard for them to say
that. You know, they like admitting when I do the right thing.
(Laughter.) But they might have had to admit it. And I want all of you
to know, I will bet on the American worker any day of the week!
(Applause.)
You know, when World War II hit Pearl Harbor, we didnt throw up our arms
and said boy, this is tough. I don't know what were going to do. We
rolled up our sleeves. We got to work. And it was workers just like you,
right here in Detroit, who built an arsenal of democracy that propelled
America to victory. It was workers like you that built this country into
the greatest economic power the world has ever known; it workers like you
that manufactured a miracle that was uniquely American.
We faced down impossible odds. We can rise to meet any challenge. As I
was thinking about what to say today, an extraordinary story was brought
to my attention.
I don't know if they're here, but I think some of you just know 14 of your
fellow employees at the plant won the lottery. (Applause.) Where are
they? That's one -- a couple of them right there? (Applause.) You know,
lunch is on them, by the way. (Laughter.)
Now, the first assumption people might make is, you know after you win the
lottery, you just kick back and you retire. Nobodyd fault folks for that.
This is tough work. But most of them, they just want to keep on working.
And I -- (Applause.) Is William Shanteau here? Hes not? Well, he was
one of the guys who bought one of the -- he bought the winning ticket,
right? Turns out he used some of the winnings to buy his wife one of the
Jeep Grand Cherokees that you build right here. (Applause.) He called it
a sweet ride. (Laughter.) And hes going to pay for new American flags
for his hometown because he loves his country. (Applause.)
And hes going to keep coming to work because he loves this plant, and he
loves these workers, so don't bet against the American worker. Don't bet
against the American people. We got more work to do. Its going to take
some time to get back to where we need to be, but I have confidence in the
American worker. I have confidence in you. I have confidence in this
economy. We are coming back! (Applause.)
Thank you, everybody. Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the
United States of America. (Applause.)
END
12:38 P.M. EDT
Video of the Speech
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/
video/fighting-american-auto-workers>
A shorter URL for the above link:
<http://tinyurl.com/34tpfzc>
July 2010: Photo of the Day
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/
photogallery/july-2010-photo-day>
A shorter URL for the above link:
<http://tinyurl.com/38utk4c>
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
jwne@xxxxxxxxxx
<http://daviddillard.businesscard2.com>
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