“State of the UAW: Company Union or Vanguard of Social & Economic Justice?”
WHERE:
UM-Flint University Center KIVA
Parking & Directions: http://maps.umflint.edu/
WHEN:
2:00 p.m. Sunday, October 28th
WHY:
Since 1980, the UAW leadership in Detroit adopted a “common cause ideology” embracing corporate competitiveness draped in the rhetoric of cooperation and teamwork. It was a lesson in creative destruction of one of the most powerful and progressive labor unions in the 20th century.
The UAW membership fell from 1.5 million in 1979 to 380,719 at the end of 2011. GM's hourly workforce fell from 441,000 in 1981 to 50,000 today. The UAW bureaucracy expanded while the membership collapsed.
This is an account of the transformation of the UAW from a membership-driven organization to a capital-driven organization. The UAW’s partnership with management facilitated the industry’s downsizing. The UAW is at a historic crossroads—which path is in its future?
WHO:
Dr. Thomas F. Adams
Retired Autoworker, PhD History, MSU University,
A discussion of the book he is writing based on the PhD dissertation entitled,
“UAW Incorporated: The Triumph of Capital”
and his 30-year experience working at Buick manufacturing in Flint.
Gregg Shotwell
Retired Autoworker, Recently published book: Autoworkers Under the Gun
Mr. Shotwell shares experiences as a worker at GM and Delphi, union activist,
and writer.
Scott Shingledecker
GM autoworker, Team Leader Flint Truck and Bus
Mr. Shingledecker discusses life as a “GM Gypsy” and
what it's like to work in an auto plant today.
This presentation is sponsored by the UM-Flint Department of Political Science and International and Global Studies Program. Light refreshments will be served.
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