Coleman to meet with Ford on auto bailout
November 17th, 2008 – 12:02 PM by Kevin DiazSen. Norm Coleman, somewhat on the fence about legislation providing $25 billion for the struggling auto industry, plans to meet a top Ford Motor Co. executive Tuesday in Washington.
Coleman’s office announced Monday that he plans to meet with Joseph Hinrichs, Ford’s vice president for global manufacturing. The two last met in June, when Coleman was trying to win assurances about keeping the Ford plant open in St. Paul, where the company produces Ford Ranger pick-up trucks.
The Ford plant in St. Paul still seems to be foremost in Coleman’s mind. His spokesman, LeRoy Coleman, said the Minnesota Republican wants to “discuss their commitments toward long-term profitability as well as the St. Paul plant’s potential role as the producer of advanced, fuel-efficient vehicles.”
The announcement comes a day after Coleman released a statement saying that while he wants the St. Paul plant to remain viable, he has “strong concerns” than any support for the ailing automakers include strong taxpayer protections. Among those protections, he said, are labor-management agreements that represent “this century’s needs,” as well as caps on executive compensation and a “realistic blueprint for returning to profitability.”
On that last score, Coleman called for a “Detroit Auto Revolution” for investing in new auto technology and updated cars that reflect today’s energy concerns.
A Senate vote on the legislation is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, the same day DFL Senate candidate Al Franken is scheduled to arrive in Washington to confer with Democratic leaders about the Senate race recount in Minnesota.
26 Responses to "Coleman to meet with Ford on auto bailout"
Hmmm, I wonder what Coleman means by labor-management agreements that “represent this century’s needs”?
Non-existent healthcare with no family coverage? Low(er) real wages? Longer hours? No pension benefits? I guess those would “represent” 19th century Robber Baron “needs”, the century which Repubs apparently want the 21st most to resemble, and the century that they most pine for.
It’s always a scream to listen to “conservatives” like (ex-Dem) Coleman impugn labor and stick up for management, especially dismally failed management like that running the Big Three. This from someone who (as far as I can tell) has never been employed in the private (i.e. capitalist) sector in his adult life, having worked for government ever since he decamped in MN in the mid-70s.
Ever had to worry about healthcare coverage, Norm? Nope, thanks to taxpayers. What’s YOUR pension situation after over 30 years in gub’mint? Does it “represent this century’s needs” or yours?
What blatant hypocrisy. Typical Repub.
Parthian,
He’s probably looking for something less than their current average $80.00+ per hour cost vs competitors $45.00+ cost. As a CPA, I would certainly like to earn that $80.00 per hour including fringes.
On the topic generally, seems to as though this would be an EXCELLENT time for a senator to be discussing long term commitments from a major employer regarding a plant in his state. Don’t you?
Maybe you should have joined the UAW instead of the CPA, John.
And Ford will be delighted to “discuss” unenforceable long term commitments about the endlessly shrinking Ford plant, I’m sure. They want their bailout, and will tell Coleman whatever he wants to hear.
Why doesn’t Norm tell THEM what they’ll be doing vis-a-vis the St. Paul plant if the Congress decides to save their *ss?
These bailouts are a bad idea. As long as the powerful unions get their way and prevent these companies from being competitive, they will never make it anyway and we are just prolonging the inevitable with bailouts.
It also seems an excellent time for Norm to part company with the recumbent president, who wants the bailout of automakers to consist of the billions already set aside for their retooling to green technology. (Why not? Gas is cheap once again.) The planet can just wait a couple more months if the rust belt economies and jobs need to be salvaged. Trouble is this lame duck CoOngress is unlilkely to go along with any preemptive spending, so Norm gets a pass on any real action until next year. If he wins the recount I look forward to his cooperation in the dethroning of Big Oil as the deciding influence in shaping life as we know it.
The dems have control of Congress. If they want to bail out their UAW friends, they can do so. If not, it shows what level of loyalty liberals have for their comrades.
Yes CNC and Jon Locano, that $80 / hr plus benefits wage for lineworkers is a problem. What kind of expertise could be worth so much? Maybe now that our domestic heavy industry is in foreclosure the workers should just buy the plants at auction and become part of the ownership society? Or would that be Marxism?
Otherwise, if there’s ever to be another war, who’s going to produce our fighting equipment? Hyundai, Mitsubishi, BMW? We already know who we need to have finance it.
Unions are a thing of the past and we need to get rid of them because they hurt productivity.
dare2sayit.com, Who would your rather have working on your programming? A trade school dropout or a union certified technician moonlighting for the Geek squad?
adlib,
I would prefer to have the best and hardest working people available working for me that will still allow me to be competitive. Unions aren’t like that at all, they seem to value seniority over ambition or quantity/quality of work.
Well, this thread was about a deal with Ford to keep the St Paul Ranger truck factory open. Parthian is sceptical about “unenforceable long term commitments” as am I, considering how home grown Northwest Airlines honored its pledges to the State of MN.
NW’s excuse must be something lame like “change happens and Delta is just the symbol for change,” That’s like River Rouge in a Pigs Eye.
Will the latest meeting scheduled with Hinrichs even have enough delta vee to get airborne or is this just another stanza of “Oh Promise Me.”
I find it so amusing that the party of personal responsibility blames the unions for all the woes of Detroit.
Not sure if you guys realized this, but GM, Ford and Chrysler management all agreed to the union contracts over the years. Rather than trying to pursue a modern (i.e. 1980s) model of labor relations, they chose to keep an adversarial relationship with the unions. Then they failed to invest in quality design and failed to make quality improvements — they just sat back and let the money roll in from the SUV craze. With the exception of Minnesota’s own Ford Ranger and the Lincoln Town Car (made in Canada), their cars suck.
So now, the taxpayer is being forced to pay for their mistakes in order to save all the high-paying manufacturing jobs.
I wonder if the Chinese will refund our $25 billion when they buy GM?
Don’t get me wrong, folks.
I like unions. My dad was on the picket line during the Teamsters strike in the ’30s. I believe there MUST be a counterbalance to the economic power of capital, and collective bargaining is a good way to achieve it — better than government mandates.
But I have also seen in my lifetime that unions, like all good things, have tended to go the way of most human constructions: greed, corruption, no care for the “little guy” they supposedly represent, “one size fits all” seniority systems, and a self-interest that loses all sense of balance or equity in bargaining.
Not all of them, and not all union officials, thank goodness. And I cheer for the good ones when they get decent health care, or reasonable hours, or reasonable job protections.
But contracts that assure union members of $150,000 per year plus when the average factory wage is more like $45,000 including benefits seem simply beyond the pale.
And by the way, Parthian
You don’t “join” the CPA.
But of course you knew that, right?
Thanks John — but again my point is don’t blame the guy who makes $150k…or even the union that represents him. Who wouldn’t love to be able to negotiate that kind of salary? Management of those companies agreed to pay those wages - and they were still profitable.
Do you think it’d preferable for a worker to make $45,000 so the CEO of his company can make $100 million?
I should know better, but here goes…
Partial brain belittles the terminoligy of the Senator who has helped keep the St Paul plant open well past when Ford planned on closing it.. Way to hurt the little guy, there GOP… Meanwhile ignoring Levin’s catchphrase “long-term financial viability plan.” as a condition for the second of 2 25 billion auto bailouts..typical dem duplicity, knock the guy actually trying to saving a few jobs around here while ignoring BS being written into bills… I hope you base your retirement on whatever promises Ford makes to Levin to get the 25 billion. Maybe you could get a few BTU’s out of the paper when you burn it.
Unions… They’ve already made many consessions to the manufacturer’s to help the industry, looks like they may have to make more..At least according to experts,, However, as they have (or will shortly obtain) control over the pension funds, Is Chapter 13 really so bad for one or more of the big 3?? didnt seem to hurt NWA to much, and with reduced brand competition, Toyota and VW could snatch up the UAW types,, albiet in non union shops.
Seems to me the decision here really boils down to who’s pot of gold get’s taped for this bailout, Paulsen’s new slush fund or the 25 Billion the automakers already recieved. Not much of a choice for us taxpayers either way.
Are you saying that Norm kept the Ford plant open? I know people at Ford who would probaby disagree with that assessment Les.
I strongly believe that Norm’s #1 legislative priority is doing things that benefit Norm…but I know he’s done some good things too — BUT I didn’t hear anything about him keeping the plant open.
Ford took a bunch of their laid-off workers who didn’t take retirement and hired them back as contractors — most of the folks on the line right now are temps making ~20/hour.
I am saying he worked to keep it open, and it has stayed opened well past the date Ford inteded to close it.. So long in fact, that some who took the early buy outs are complaining that they would have been better off staying.
I will agree that the second extension of the plants closing date had more to do with the Ranger’s gas milage figures.
You may not like Coleman, but you cant say he didnt work to keep that plant open. If you believe he did it to help himself more than to help the state’s economy, well, you know what they say about opinions.
By the way, what are those names, I’d like to check with them myself.
As a result of “conservatism”, the “little guy” in America today is more powerless in the face of concentrated wealth and capital than ever before. Worker rights and bargaining power are likely more necessary than ever.
The difference now is that the Conservative Noise Machine has brainwashed the ordinary white (mostly male) stooge into thinking he’s a “conservative” and some sort of millionaire-to-be, who needs to help look out for the well-being of the super-rich by supporting the corporate GOoP. It’s hilarious.
So today’s low income “conservative” wage slaves don’t care that they’re being scr*wed by the rich, unlike the days of John’s father, when citizens had a modicum of sense and understanding.
So,, How did you say that “long term financial viability” plan was going?
What’s hillarious is someone who continually, and incessantly belittles someones efforts without offering even a ridiculous optional course of action.
But such is the strength of the average parial brained liberal, all pie in the sky talk, no action.
Partisan,
In America, anyone can succeed if they work hard enough. People living in your communist utopias aren’t given that chance.
Does any credit for the Ford plant’s continued existence belong to the mayor of St Paul? Not Norm but Nick? Or would it be the norm for LeRoy to nick the credit?
sarge - Nobody stated that the big 3 executives don’t share the blame. It does show what happens when unions become too strong. It is tough to say no when you have a gun to your head.
So again, why aren’t the dems supporting their UAW buddies?
Why aren’t dems supporting unions in general? In all the Americas. I believe that will be part of future hemispheric trade agreements. Other American republics we trade with don’t have to give unions everything they demand…just allow them to organizae and stop killing them for trying.
The labor movement in the US got corrupted and bloated by its own power during an era that’s since passed. But workers could be earning that $80 /hr today and still be the best in the world if the owners had any vision and really got serious about design and quality controla
Well Les, my point is that Norm Coleman isn’t the only person working on keeping the Ford plant here. Pawlenty did a lot of work on that, so did a lot of city officials from St Paul.
Do you work at Ford? I’m very close to a Ford family — but I’m not going to out any names 
CNC, no one’s clearly demonstrated to me exactly how the unions are responsible for GM’s failure. Those companies didn’t seem to have any problem making profits in the 1990s. Now suddenly they’re tanking and people are complaining about unions.
But I don’t understand why you think Dems aren’t supporting their UAW buddies?
my point is that Norm Coleman isn’t the only person working…
I agree wholeheartly. I’m not suggesting Normy is superman and did it all by his lonesome. My point is more to the issue of certain cretins critizing the efforts made, regardless of their actual impact.
My point is it seems some would prefer the issue be ignored by the Senator from MN, as they are not from the “correct” political party.
I dont work at ford, but my uncle does, albeit in Detroit, as well as his brother, who is a supplier to ford and GM. I’m not really expecting any names.
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