Don’t blame UAW for bad cars

Shortly before I moved to Georgia, my pro-union hometown drew national attention when it refused to allow low-wage, anti-union Wal-Mart to build a superstore inside its borders. Because Wal-Mart isn’t used to losing, much less to residents of a mid-sized, largely minority community, it was one of those rare cases where David delivered the largest corporate Goliath an embarrassing beat down. I have to admit I enjoyed seeing Wal-Mart tuck tail and leave town.

That said, I am a bit startled by the hostility and anger AJC readers have directed toward the United Auto Workers union. Does the UAW design cars and trucks? Was it their idea to install leather seats and a cheesy grill on a Chevy Cavalier and call it a Cadillac? These were bad decisions made by senior management, not the UAW.

Did the unions kill the once highly esteemed Pontiac and Oldsmobile brands with boring, cheaply made and unreliable cars? Is the UAW responsible for the appearance of just about the entire line of Chrysler vehicles landing on Consumer Reports “unreliable” list each year and their failure to develop hybrid cars for sale?

Let’s not forget Ford. Drunk on the profits of gas-guzzling SUVs and big trucks, Ford didn’t have any good cars to sell when fuel prices shot through the roof. How about the failure of the Detroit automakers to fully embrace Toyota’s highly efficient lean production process, which involves the assembly line worker in the decision making process?

Yes, Henry Ford created the middle class with his $5 daily wage for assembly line workers. But it was the UAW and other unions that expanded middle class prosperity, which by and large excluded the South. As a result, this region continues to lag behind most of the country in pay and benefits. Maybe the unions weren’t so bad after all.

David Robinson is a Powder Springs marketing adviser.