Union says buy "Domestic" or else!

[Gutter Ball]

Lost the link, but I'd like your opinions on this. The auto Union in a nearby city has started an advertising campaign "reminding" us to buy Domestic, not Import. They are approaching businesses and if they don't support their campaign, they will boycott the business (it has since been changed to they will tell everybody not to patronize the business, same difference). If your company supplies parts for the Big 3, you're "dead meat" if you drive an "Import", even if your company supplies more parts to Import manufacturers than Big 3. They define domestic as anything with a Big 3 namebadge and ONLY anything with a Big 3 namebadge.

So a Mazda, partially owned by Ford, sold side by side with Ford at some dealerships, built in Michigan by North American labour, with an Ontario made engine and 75%+ North American content = IMPORT. An imported GM vehicle, made in Asia by Asian labour with Asian parts and very low North American content = DOMESTIC Mazda Tribute and Ford Escape, made at same plant, by same labour but Mazda still = Import?

Can't buy a Nissan Quest, even though it's made by Ford for Nissan. Can't buy a Honda even though it's more North American that some Big 3 cars (backtracked, the union "begrudgingly accepts them). But you can buy an Avalanche, PT Cruiser, Focus, Escalade, Rendezvous or F-Series that was made in Mexico.

They still call DCX "Chrysler", even though it's German owned and the profits go back to Stuttgart. So there's only a Big 2 now. Ford and GM have strong presences in Europe, but of course they have no problem with Europeans buying their "Imports" with the profits coming back to the US.

To me, the Union tactics = extortion. Trying to bully everybody into buying what they say to buy. So as the union people keep preaching domestic, they wear clothes made in China, check their watch made in Switzerland, use a cell phone made in Thailand, sit on their couch made in China, watch their pirated American satelite on their TV made in the Phillipines, play their video game systems made in Japan, surf for porn on their Taiwan computer, using software that was not paid for, shop at Wal-Mart and purchase things from Best Buy......yet they expect everybody else to buy "Domestic" cars.

I thought we lived in AMERICA, where we have the freedom to choose. I agree to some extent with the intention, support North America, but the tactics and the message they are sending is all wrong. Your thoughts? Ed_S?

Found the links, the stories are slightly different than what was actually in the printed paper though.

http://www.canada.com/search/story.a...1-81c6a3e82ce7

http://www.canada.com/search/story.a...e-109a9e5f545c

and a good editorial:

http://www.canada.com/search/story.a...2-47c312777933

[Toadman]

Hmm.. the extortion tactic favored by Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow Coalition. I don't think it'll fly down here anymore. Too many workers(happy too) have their bread buttered by import "transplant" factories. Sales and production are up, the UAW is working out well with the factories and suppliers.The Nissan Titan pick-up has the F-series truck square in it's sights and is hiring like mad in Miss.

Toyota and Honda products are grudgingly accepted by the union because those companies have built assembly plants in Canada. But Nissan products are not, Vince said.

Sounds like the CAW is finger pointing and feeling a bit xenophobic.

[M_Six]

I once owned a Honda Accord that was built in Ohio and a Chevy pickup that was built in Canada. I guess I'm even.

[osprey4]

I believe this sort of tactic is prohibited under the RICO act, in addition to being idiotic. But then Unions can be that way.

My Civic is considered domestic, since it was built in Canada.

[Ed_S]

Errr.. having read the articles, I gotta ask - what's the problem?

I've long been on record as stating that one should buy vehicles based on their country of origin AND company ownership - If both of those are NOT the same as where you live, something's drastically wrong. This should be the #1 criteria for selection, followed by things like features, styling, quality, economy, and yes, even safety.

Notice I didn't scream "Buy USA!" - those in other countries should support their own local economies, not ours. I live here in the USA, thus only Ford, GM, and Chrysler exist to me. I have never and WILL never drive or even look at others. I don't give a hoot what they have, it doesn't matter - nor does their price have any bearing. A third-hand Chevy is better than a spanking new foreign job in my book.


--GB, where does it say: "If your company supplies parts for the Big 3, you're "dead meat" if you drive an "Import" ???

It does say:

Autoworkers who own imported vehicles are "dead meat," CAW Local 444 president Ken Lewenza said Thursday during a news conference outlining the union's campaign to promote the sales of domestically built vehicles.

"I think any autoworker that buys a car that takes food off their own table is being ridiculous," Lewenza said later.

...and he's absolutely correct. Oh, and BTW - the companies also use these tactics. I know several people employed at a local GM plant, and their long-time employee parking policy is that those driving non-GM vehicles must park in a distant lot, thus isolating them from their coworkers, all of which know who the "traitors" are...
One buddy of mine, after an accident disabled his GM, refused a Ford as a loaner car on this basis and the insurance co agreed, providing a GM instead.


It also says

The value of vehicles and parts produced in Windsor in 2001 amounted to $23 billion, or $64 million a day, says the CAW's economics department. Employees of the Big Three and their auto parts manufacturers contributed $2 billion, or $4 million a day, to the local economy. Those 26,500 employees also paid $336 million in federal and provincial taxes, which are used for education, health care and social services.

"Not very many people realize that by purchasing a domestic vehicle, it gives back to the community a tax base. Those are some of the things we take for granted," Vince said.

The CAW will be pointing out that local stores, restaurants, dentists, chiropractors - virtually any business that relies on consumer spending - have benefited from the auto industry.

Yet those business shouldn't be expected to support the industry? Of course they should!! Exactly why shouldn't autoworkers refuse to patronize businesses that don't support their product?? It's a two-way street here - people that do not support their local auto industry certainly do not deserve to take part in the spoils, do they? If you live within 50 miles of an auto plant, I'd bet that a high percentage of your (or you boss's) customers are employed there. What happens if they all become unemployed? Think about that for a minute.

As to the non-domestic produced items which we ALL use daily, well... since in many cases there is NO domestic product, we've really no choice, do we? Just think of all those manufacturing jobs we've driven out - if we had stuck with "buy USA" on all those things we'd have 100% employment and the only thing we'd be importing would be people to fill the jobs - and pay taxes!!

[whitebeard21]

Well said Ed, post it again in case anyone misses it the first time.

[RayH]

What's the problem? Are people threatening to commit violence?

People have the right to shop or not to shop where they please for any reason! There used to be a time you couldn't get on a union work site without wearning garments with the union label!

[Aaron_J]

"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups"

<<drives a NISSAN 240sx. When my lazy overpaid countrymen can match it I'll reconsider. Not before.


(edit, this applies to Ford, Chevy, and Chrysler. For some reason the people making "import brands" in this country seem to be able to turn out a quality product)


edit: Previous cars in order, last to first:

Acura Legend
Honda CRX
Nissan Pulsar

[willy_ph]

I'm slightly torn on this issue.

One the one hand I have deep support for autoworkers and the industry in Southern Ontario. My Dad takes dashboards to General Motors in Oshawa for the Monte Carlo's and Impalas, while I build car seats for those same cars, as a part-time job. Additionally, many of my friends parents work for GM in Oshawa or suppliers to that company. Heck, on my street there are 15 people that work for GM alone. So obviously I feel that the promotion of domestic vehicles and their purchase is a good move, for the sake of my friends and family, as well as the economic well-being of Ontario.

However, there is also the issue of internationalized production which introduces several deep, systemic problems. As one of the articles points out, it's hard to determine where the majority of parts now originate from. Heck, in the seats that I build there are components from Canada, the US, Mexico, the Phillipines and other nations. Additionally, this trend in distributed construction has been aided by various levels of government, particularly at the national level. The internationalized production has been aided by the liberalization of trade laws and the elimination of the Auto Pact. Both of these changes have been initiated by our governments. So, while it's nice to promote the purchase of "domestic products," identifying such products has become much more difficult.

It would be nice to return to the era where the majority of vehicles and products were domestically produced. However, this clearly isn't the case. Boycotting local businesses that sell products built in other nations will also have an adverse affect on the local economy, particularly for those individuals who work on commission. (Think Mazda car salesmen) While it's all well and good to promote domestic products, there exists such a blurring between international and domestic products that any boycott will, undoubtedly have an adverse impact upon a large segment of the local economy. Something that I don't think the CAW in Windsor and Essex county recognize, or care about.

[willy_ph]

BTW, Gutterball, where abouts do you live?