I promise I won’t keep writing every day about the UAW–it might seem like favoritism–but, if you’re interested, there is a transcript of an on-line chat that UAW prez Ron Gettelfinger had with members.
   One thing I found interesting was this little snippet:
Ludington, Mich.:
Gentlemen, as a Chrysler retiree and former chief steward at the old Mound Road Engine Plant, you can imagine my concern about the future of retirees’ benefits with the advent of new buyers of the company. I realize it is too early to get to specifics, but there are a lot of anxious retirees besides myself who would like some peace of mind.
Gettelfinge’s response: We will continue to protect our retirees in the future, just as we have in the past. The pension fund for Chrysler workers is, in fact, $2 billion over funded for financial accounting purposes, and pension benefits are secure. Additionally, Cerberus has committed to contributing an additional $200 million to the pension fund and Daimler is providing a conditional guarantee of $1 billion for up to five years.
   So, the pension fund will be bolstered. But, there was a fair amount of anxiety–understandable–among people who worry about what the private equity folks are going to do with the company. Putting aside the assurances given to the union, how long will it take for these pirates to rip apart the lives of a lot of people if Chrysler is returning whatever profits the new owners expect?
