Saving America...
By : Don Jones
Most of my life, I have been an optimist. America was the land of opportunity and wealth, if that was your utmost desire ? I grew up in Detroit Michigan, on the west side ! I went to School there, graduated from Northwestern High School on Grand River and the Blvd. I worked 13 years for the Detroit Board of Education. I worked at Thomas M. Cooley High School on Hubbell and Chalfonte, just off Fenkell(5 mi. Rd.) I got married while working there, my wife and I bought a house in Nankin Township, now called Westland. We had two sons. We decided to move back to Tennessee, my roots ! I went to the University of Tennessee at Martin to try and obtain a job, related to my job in Michigan. There was no budget at that time for that kind of job. I went to Union City Tennessee one day to complete some business, I stopped at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and put in an application for employment, two days later I was called and went to work there the following Monday, November 30, 1970 ! The first few days, I did`nt think, I was going to make it. The work was extremely heavy and I came out of an office. However, I did make it, I was making a whopping $2.05 per hour. The United Rubber Workers Union, was just establishing itself. When asked, I joined. I came out of a Union state, it was the correct thing to do ! Goodyear created one of the best unions in Tennessee. Remember Tennessee is a right to work state. Translated, that is (Right to Work for Less)! open shop, not closed ! I`m proud to say that the entire hourly work force joined, with the exception of approximately 15 people ! that's over 2000 people who became the union, out of necessity ! Goodyear supervisors were relentless in their quest to be plant managers. They drove you with whips and guns, well almost. We worked 6 days a week 8 hours per day, and you could get all the overtime you wanted. You could work Sundays if you wished too. There were many employee`s who did. There were no retirees to support, Health Insurance was dirt cheap for your entire family. It was a family mans place to be, you could make a little money and cover your family with insurance... and if you stayed long enough, you could retire with the same benefits for you and your spouse. Now, they are talking about closing the plant and making these tires in China ! Why ? Because, they can make them in China without union labor for almost nothing in labor cost, they then ship the tires back to the good ole USA for sale. They make a ton of money and have no obligation to their workers ! GREED ! Now for my number#1 question, once all the descent paying union jobs leave and everything is built off-shore, who buy`s the product(tire/cars/ etc.) I believe, that is where we are now. The market(people with jobs) that's purchasing power, can`t buy the products. Our politicians do not seem to care ! General Motors is now contracting out whole automobiles for import to the USA ! Chrysler is merging with a foreign auto company. Ford seems to be doing ok ! At least they have not taken any tax-payer money, yet ? Mr Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, said it best, "When my Ford employees cannot purchase the product we/they build, I`m out of business" ! There is a bill pending congress now, called Employees Freedom of Choice Act ! Such a hullabaloo about it coming from the Republican party, it makes you sick. It gives the employee the right to form/join a union, without interference from union busters/company's and other very greedy CEO`S and top officials of company's. I`m not sure, what they are so afraid of ? I believe they are driven by pure greed ! It really does`nt matter, soon there will be no manufacturing jobs remaining in our once great manufacturing country ! Our politicians have sold us out to the highest foreign bidder and then, we tax-payers give the tax dollars to move! As a friend of mine said recently, Jones, everybody has gone crazy. No, it is not crazy, it is pure unadulterated GREED ! Better think about it folks ! ? We need to take our country back ! I write in relation to Goodyear, it could be any large manufacturer ! "God Bless America" !
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