1916-2008: Doug Fraser steered UAW through hard times

[BeatleBoot]

Source: The Detroit Free Press

Douglas Fraser, a Detroit sit-down striker in the 1930s, UAW president in the 1970s and ’80s who played a key role in helping Chrysler survive, and a senior statesman of the union movement for the past quarter-century, has died at age 91.

Fraser died late Saturday at Providence Hospital in Southfield, his wife, Winnie, said Sunday; the cause of death wasn’t immediately known.

To the end, he remained upbeat and outgoing, with an ease of manner that led everyone, highborn and low, to call him Doug.

“Everybody thought he was wonderful,” Winnie Fraser said. “He was a good guy, and he really was” wonderful.


Read more: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080224/BUSINESS01/80224037

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[Ken Burch]

1. Doug Fraser was the last half-decent president the UAW had.

The ones who followed were just sellouts and cowards.

The UAW needs a new Fraser. And a couple of new Reuthers, if they can be found.

[amborin]

5. reuther

despite his legacy, he gave away the house to gm in 1950 and before...he gave away management rights to gm....all the troubles that have since followed....

[Ken Burch]

6. Didn't know that. Perhaps the UAW needs the CP to take it over again.

n/t.

[amborin]

7. can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not

but either way, i agree

[Ken Burch]

8. Not sarcastic, more like rueful. More like, well, the UAW needs somebody

to REALLY shake things up, and if that takes subversion then so be it.

[amborin]

9. oh, okay

yes,it was a shame the uaw, under reuther, expelled them from the afl/cio....many bad things ensued....

there is a good book that details the bad results of that move.....it was the beginning of the end of american labor

[unkachuck]

2. I'm really sorry to hear this....

....my condolences to his family....

[no_hypocrisy]

3. May I speculate that Doug Fraser died of a broken heart , predicated by the

news of the GM buy-out of UAW members.

[PassingFair]

4. Sorry to hear this.

His face was a staple of my childhood TV news viewing.

Good guy.