[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 15, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S4935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO RON GETTELFINGER

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, leaders demonstrate their talent and 
character not when life is easy but at times of crisis. During the 
greatest crisis in the history of the American auto industry, that 
industry's workers and the communities in which they live have 
benefitted enormously from the leadership of a quiet Kentuckian whose 
devotion to working families cannot be overstated.
  When Ron Gettelfinger took office as president of the United Auto 
Workers in 2002, I do not think anyone, and certainly not Ron, foresaw 
the turbulence ahead. As his 8 years as president of the UAW come to a 
close, it is time to congratulate and thank him for exceptional 
leadership in tough times.
  Ron navigated those rough waters guided by two lights: a clear-eyed 
assessment of what was necessary to preserve America's auto industry, 
and the sure knowledge that millions of families depended on its 
preservation.
  That knowledge came from Ron's days on the assembly line at Ford's 
Louisville assembly plant, from his days as his plant's local 
president, from his service as regional president for UAW members in 
Indiana and Kentucky, and from his time at Solidarity House in Detroit. 
He is a sharp, tough-minded negotiator, but underlying his talents and 
skills is a real emotional bond with the workers who have depended on 
his leadership. That bond with his members meant that when Ron 
Gettelfinger asked them to make sacrifices, they knew it was not 
because he was taking the easy way out, but because it was necessary.
  The sacrifices have been great. Ron knows this better than anybody. 
But he also knows that in making those sacrifices, the workers of the 
UAW have set the stage for a renaissance in the U.S. auto industry, one 
that is already taking shape in the form of increased sales, more 
consumer confidence, and a commitment to the clean energy technologies 
that will shape our transportation future.
  I have been proud to stand with Ron Gettelfinger in many of his 
battles. Members of the United Auto Workers honor the leaders who over 
nearly a century of progress and challenge have guided their union. I 
have no doubt that for generations yet to come, those workers will 
honor Ron's work in guiding their union through one of the most 
difficult periods in its history.

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