terry By: Terry Lanciotti

This is what I call interesting… and making a deal with the devil.

WASHINGTON — The United Automobile Workers union said Wednesday that it would make major concessions in its contracts with the three Detroit auto companies to help them lobby Congress for $34 billion in federal aid.

For years the UAW has driven the cost of building a car. Think of it like this… how much would a gallon of gas really cost without all the taxes, government regulations, fees… the same thing happens with the auto industry. For years the UAW has treated the auto industry like a government entity or a host for their parasitical behavior, sucking on the auto industry to the point of extinction… and now they are looking for a blood transfusion from their host.

The surprising move by the U.A.W. could be a critical factor in the automakers’ bid not only to get government assistance, but also to become competitive with the cost structure of nonunion plants operated by foreign automakers in the United States.

Surprising?! What I find surprising is that no one is saying that this is the right time for the auto industry to bust the unions and let market forces dictate wages. This industry is no longer a viable business for the America because of the UAW. America makes a great car, a really great car… just think of what it would be capable of without the enormous overhead that the unions greedily sucks from the auto makers.

At a news conference in Detroit, the U.A.W.’s president, Ron Gettelfinger, said that his members were willing to sacrifice job security provisions and financing for retiree health care to keep the two most troubled car companies of the Big Three, General Motors and Chrysler, out of bankruptcy.

“Concessions, I used to cringe at that word,” Mr. Gettelfinger said. “But now, why hide it? That’s what we did.”

This is interesting… I think of it like this. If concessions make him cringe… side note… Cringe, or the act of, conjurer’s the thoughts of back in the day when Mike Tyson would hit is opponent any time after the first blow. Anyway, I think the word that Mr. Gettelfinger is looking for is unemployed, that would be a good cringe word.

Labor experts said the ground given by the union underscored the precarious condition of the Detroit companies, as the U.A.W.’s own prospects for survival are also in doubt. “It is an historic and awfully difficult moment for the U.A.W.,” said Harley Shaiken, professor of labor studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

The union’s willingness to modify its 2007 contract came a day after G.M., Chrysler and the Ford Motor Company submitted business plans to Congress in support of their loan requests.

Just as unions have priced Americans out of the world steel markets, so it has gone for the auto industry in America. The next thing to watch will be Americas ports. Anything the Unions touch outside of government they ruin. It is to easy to outsource or move businesses outside the US.