UAW American Axle Strikers Says They're Fighting To Preserve Good-Paying Jobs

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/8042

By Doug Cunningham

The UAW says workers striking American Axle are fighting to preserve good-paying manufacturing jobs. The union says the company continues to make unreasonable and unnecessary demands attacking wages, pensions and health care benefits. UAW workers on the picket lines are fed up with the attacks.

: “They were saying that he has on the table $14 an hour. We make $23.84 plus COLA now. And now corporate America just wants to keep all the money for themselves. When you hear about all the bonuses and stuff that they have, why take a wage cut if they’re still reportin’ so many profits? If they attack the people that make the cars who will buy the cars? If the people that make ‘em can’t afford to buy ‘em, how do they expect the Wal-Marts, the K-Marts, the Super-Mart people to be able to buy the things that we make? …
We’re movin’ more and more towards a Third World way of life, a Third world living standard. And it’s getting worse and worse. The working class right now is in trouble, we in serious trouble.”