[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 97 (Monday, July 20, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8549-S8550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AUTO WORKERS' STRIKE

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, last week I had a chance to speak about 
the auto workers' strike in Flint, MI. Today, this strike is about 
local issues, but it is of national importance. Today the presidents 
and the other active members of United Auto Workers locals from around 
the country are in Flint, MI. I wanted to one more time say that we now 
are more than 5 weeks into this strike.
  This has affected, I think, well over 100,000 workers in the country, 
not just the workers of Flint. The issues are clear cut--health and 
safety issues, which still are very important issues at the workplace 
in America, the speeding up of production lines, and the sending of 
work or the contracting out to outside suppliers.
  My own view is that GM has made a mistake with what I characterize as 
hardball tactics, because I think what happens is with hardball 
tactics--the walking away from negotiations, the threat of cutting off 
health care benefits of those who are out on strike, the threat of 
shutting down the two parts plants in Flint, MI--what it does is it 
undercuts the very good labor relations that actually are so critical 
to productivity.
  On the floor of the Senate, I say to GM in particular that I think 
good labor relations begin with a handshake, not a 2 by 4, and I hope 
to see both parties back in negotiations, and the sooner the better.
  What is happening in Flint, MI--again, the issues are local but the 
significance of it is national. What is at stake is American jobs, good 
jobs, living-wage jobs, jobs that pay a good wage with good fringe 
benefits.
  As I stand today on the floor of the U.S. Senate, I want to make it 
clear that as a Senator, that even though I am on the floor of the 
Senate, I also feel like my heart and soul are with the auto workers in 
Flint, MI. I extend my support as a Senator from Minnesota.
  There is a whole tradition to this. When I was a college teacher, I 
used to teach labor history, a labor politics class, and some of the 
most famous sitdowns took place in Flint, MI, in 1937--a very 
courageous, very courageous action by workers. These auto workers come 
out of a very rich tradition, a lot of courage by their parents and 
their grandparents, and I believe they are showing the same courage 
today.
  My hope is that we will see that negotiations will resume, that there 
will be a fair settlement, and that the United Auto Workers will not 
only have done well for themselves, but, more importantly, will do well 
for workers around the country.
  There are key issues here--health and safety issues. People who work 
have a right to say, ``Look, we're going to work, but we're going to 
work under civilized working conditions.'' People have a right to have 
a decent wage.

[[Page S8550]]

 People have a right to focus on pension and health care benefits. 
People have a right to be concerned about the contracting out of jobs. 
They have a right to be concerned about the trade agreements, as a 
matter of fact.
  That is why the workers in Flint, MI, are on the picket line today, 
and that is why, as a U.S. Senator from Minnesota, I strongly support 
these workers who are out on the picket line.

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