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The Cruel and Shameless Ideology of Corporatism
Last edited Sun Feb 23, 2014, 11:18 AM - Edit history (1)
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/02/22The Cruel and Shameless Ideology of Corporatism
by Ralph Nader
Published on Saturday, February 22, 2014 by Common Dreams
Like ravenous beasts of prey attacking a weakened antelope, the forces of subsidized capital and their mercenaries sunk their fangs into the United Auto Workers (UAW) and its organizing drive at the Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The UAW narrowly lost 712 to 626 and the baying pack of plutocrats exalted, as if they had just saved western civilization in the anti-union, lower-wage South.
The days preceding the vote were a corporatist frenzy with corporatist predators bellowing the sky is falling. VW, which sensibly stayed neutral, but privately supported the UAWs efforts and its collateral works councils (an arrangement that had stabilized and made their unionized, higher-paid workers in Germany more productive), must have wondered on what planet they had landed.
First out of the growling caves were the supine politicians, who always offer those proposing a factory big taxpayer subsidized bucks to bring crony capitalism to their region. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) who, without citing his source, warned Ive had conversations today and based on those am assured that, should the workers vote against the UAW, Volkswagen will announce in the coming weeks that it will manufacture its new mid-size SUV here in Chattanooga. VW immediately denied that cause and effect claim.
No matter, Senator Corker then assailed the UAW and its negotiated wages and work rules for bringing down Detroit, along with the Big Three Auto Companies GM, Ford and Chrysler. Thats strange because for decades the UAW lifted up industrial labor while the auto companies made record profits. Apart from the mistake the UAW made years ago when they sided with the auto bosses in lobbying in Congress against fuel efficiency standards, which would have made domestically produced vehicles more competitive with foreign imports, the responsibility for the auto industrys collapse lies with management. It was all about product, product, product, as the auto writers say, and Detroits products fell behind the Japanese and German vehicles. The J.D. Power ratings, year after year, had U.S. cars bringing up the rear. The foreign car companies rated higher on fit and finish, other quality controls and fuel efficiency, while, as one former Chrysler executive told me about his industry, We were producing junk.
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The Cruel and Shameless Ideology of Corporatism (Original Post)
unhappycamper
Feb 2014
OP
daleanime
(17,796 posts)1. K&R....
chervilant
(8,267 posts)2. k&r
Shameless, indeed...
JimDandy
(7,318 posts)3. Link doesn't match post. n/t
unhappycamper
(60,364 posts)4. Thanks - I fixed the link.