State of the Union November 29, 2010

Nov. 29, 2010 online at www.uawlocal2250.com


•    Reminder: Adopt-a-Child names are now available for Christmas. You can go to the Benefits office or the cafeteria at breaks and lunch if you want to sponsor a child. We have 65 children this year.
•    From the Detroit Free Press: The Chevrolet Volt will get 60 m.p.g. when using both its batteries and gasoline engine, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but 93 m.p.g. when driven in electric-only mode. The latter number will be compared with the 99 m.p.g. EPA rating of the Nissan Leaf, the battery-only powered carwhich, like the Volt, goes on sale next month. The Volt will have a gasoline-only fuel economy rating of 37 m.p.g. All three mileage figures will be on the Volt's window sticker. Consumers must understand the fundamental difference between a dual-source powertrain, such as the Volt's, and an all-electric car such as the Leaf. The gasoline-powered generator enables a Volt driver to go up to 379 miles between rechargings, according to the EPA. The agency certified the Leaf's range at 73 miles.
•    From the Wall Street Journal: General Motors said the underwriters of its initial public offering have exercised their full overallotment options to purchase an additional 71.7 million shares of common stock, boosting the total offering size to $23.1 billion. On Friday, the company said the additional shares sold totaled $2.37 billion. The auto maker also disclosed an additional 13 million shares of mandatory convertible junior preferred shares were purchased from the company, for a total of $650 million.
•    From the Chatanooga Times Free Press: U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., says he has told Volkswagen officials that he thinks it would be "highly detrimental" to the German manufacturer if the United Auto Workers organizes its Chattanooga assembly plant. "I was asked to give input, and I did," Corker said. He stressed he is not "anti-union" and said he often employed union craftsmen when he ran a construction company. Bob King, president of the 400,000-plus-member labor union, said the UAW is interested in organizing the VW plant. "We want workers there, and not just Chattanooga but all nonunion assembly facilities," King said. "We want workers to have a choice to come into the UAW." King, who became UAW president in June, said Corker is "talking about the past and not the present or the future.” Guenther Scherelis, Volks-wagen Group of America Inc.'s general manager of communication, declined to address Corker's specific comments as well as King's. "At Volkswagen Chattanooga, the employees will decide for themselves about their representation," Scherelis said in an e-mail. Asked if Volkswagen management would take a stance if the UAW seeks to organize a union, Scherelis replied, "Volkswagen Chattanooga has a neutral position."
A message from Motor Trend to Rush Limbaugh regarding his unfounded criticism of the magazine’s choice of the Chevy Volt as car of the year:
You said, “Folks, of all the cars, no offense, General Motors, please, but of all the cars in the world, the Chevrolet Volt is the Car of the Year? Motor Trend magazine, that’s the end of them. How in the world do they have any credibility? Not one has been sold. The Volt is the Car of the Year.” So, Mr. Limbaugh; you didn’t enjoy your drive of our 2011 Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Volt?Assuming you’ve been anywhere near the biggest automotive technological breakthrough since … I don’t know, maybe the self-starter, could you even find your way to the front seat? Or are you happy attacking a car that you’ve never even seen in person? Last time you ranted about the Volt, you got confused about the “range,” and said on the air that the car could be driven no more than 40 miles at a time, period. At least you stayed away from that issue this time, but you continue to attack it as the car only a tree hugging, Obama-supporting Government Motors customer would want.
Back to us for a moment, our credibility, Mr. Limbaugh, comes from actually driving and testing the car, and understanding its advanced technology. It comes from driving and testing virtually every new car sold, and from doing this once a year with all the all-new or significantly improved models all at the same time. We test, make judgments and write about things we understand. Chevrolet has not sold one Volt because it’s not on sale yet. It will not sell 10,000 this first model year (although GE plans to buy truckloads for its fleet), because it takes time to ramp up production. See, Rush, because we’re the World’s Automotive Authority, we get access to many cars before they go on sale.
But, harrumph. In its attempt to force cars that don’t use much gas on us — how un-American/un-ExxonMobil/un-Halliburton is that? — the Obama administration is offering a $7,500 tax credit on the Chevy Volt, grabbing tax breaks and credits right out of the deserving, job-creating pockets of America’s richest individuals. How dare he? This is another of your distortions, Rush, repeated by the otherwise more level-headed George Will in The Washington Post last Sunday. The $7,500 Obama tax credit is an expansion of President Bush’s hybrid credits from the last decade. The Obama tax credit extends to the new Nissan Leaf, too, but if you or Will slammed that car, I’ve not heard or read it. I’d be surprised if you did, though, as Nissan is building the Leaf in a non-union factory in a right-to-work state represented by two Republican senators. A factory located there because Tennessee offered Nissan big tax credits. Maybe you’re worried that if the $7,500 tax credit works, too many people will buy the Volt, and that could reduce the need for oil drilling tax credits?
You’ve made two king’s ransoms by convincing legions of dittoheads to tune into you every day. I wonder, do you ever ride in anything that’s not German or Anglo-Saxon? Do you have any idea how powerful IG Metal is, and of the size of Germany’s social safety net? My esteemed colleague, Jonny Lieberman, got a copy of Will’s hit piece on the Volt, and responded: “A bit of flag waving is in order – but instead, Will chooses to be a partisan clown and gets everything wrong.” You and Will don’t even worry about being un-American, anymore. If you can stop shilling for your favorite political party long enough to go for a drive, you might really enjoy the Chevy Volt. I’m sure GM would be happy to lend you one for the weekend. Just remember: driving and Oxycontin don’t mix.