[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 20544]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                THE BIG THREE: MODEL CORPORATE CITIZENS

  (Mrs. MILLER of Michigan asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, my friends on the other side of 
the aisle are often quick to criticize corporate America for everything 
from outsourcing jobs to poor health care and retirement benefits for 
their workers. However, we have some very responsible corporate 
citizens that we call the Big Three. And over the last century, the Big 
Three have been the leaders in providing health care benefits and 
retirement benefits as well for their workers. These efforts were 
actually crucial in building up the American middle class. GM, for 
example, spent $3.3 billion last year on health benefits for their 
432,000 retirees. In comparison, non-U.S. auto manufacturers spent 
roughly just $23 million for their 1,200 American workers and American 
retirees.
  And one would think that after decades of commitment the Big Three 
have shown to the American worker that that would earn them the 
admiration and the sympathy of the Democratic leadership. 
Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case. The Democratic 
leadership that should be holding up the domestic auto industry as 
models of corporate responsibility are instead trying to ram through 
increased CAFE standards that will put U.S. auto workers in the 
unemployment line and likely bankrupt U.S auto companies.
  I urge my colleagues to reject these policies which will help our 
foreign competitors, and instead stand up for American jobs.

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