It is impossible to escape the ongoing saga of the beleaguered Big 3 Automakers, or Little 3, as they are now and the adventures or misadventures of the CAW (Canadian Auto Workers). Ken Lewenza, president of the CAW clearly has some serious issues and refuses to listen to the reality of the situation, even when it is spelled out for him.

•    Sergio Marchionne, the head of Italian automaker Fiat, has given Chrysler until the end of this month to substantially cut its labour costs as a condition of forming a partnership.
•    Fiat wants the CAW to agree to match the lower wages at Japanese and German car plants.
•    Industry Minister Tony Clement has made it clear that the CAW must make more concessions to ensure that the deal between Chrysler and Fiat proceeds. If the deal with Fiat falls through Ottawa has the right to call its loans to Chrysler.
•    Chrysler states that it needs savings of $20 an hour to stay in business.

How did Ken Lewenza respond?

•    The CAW has ruled out any special concessions for Chrysler, even though that would end the potential deal with Fiat.
•    The CAW would only offer Chrysler what they negotiated with General Motors.
•    The CAW has offered Chrysler $7.00 an hour in savings instead of the $20.00 that they need to remain in business.

In all of the articles and news reports that I have read of the last few months I have only read rhetoric by Ken Lewenza. Why hasn’t anyone been interviewing the workers who are surely going to be unemployed in the very near future and without any great possibilities of staying in their industry? Why aren’t they jumping up and down demanding that the CAW make the necessary concessions to keep the automakers viable, which is the only way that they are going to continue to be employed? I’m sick of hearing from the union boss; let’s hear from the rank and file.