Gettelfinger at Winans Dinner on Video

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger gave a rousing speech at the Livingston County Democrats' 25th annual Winans Dinner last month.

Now everybody in Michigan can see Gettelfinger for themselves, thanks to the magic of youtube.

Click on our link to youtube on the right of the page. There are several videos of the evening to choose from.

Enjoy!

Gettelfinger on Video

Did you miss UAW President Ron Gettelfinger Saturday night at Livingston County Democrats' 25th annual Winans Dinner?

The Livingston Press and Argus has a few video snippets up from our videotape of the event available here.

Livingston Democrats will have the full video up in a few days.

Gettelfinger: Joining Union Is Not Enough

Anyone would expect UAW President Ron Gettelfinger to talk about the importance of being a union member. But when he spoke to the Livingston County Democrats' Winans Dinner on Saturday (April 19, 2008) he told unions members not to stop there.

He spent the earlier part of his day attending his 11th District Democratic Convention, where he was elected an uncommitted delegate to the Democratic National Convention, even though Michigan's delegates remain barred from being there.

"To me, it's like going to a union meeting," Gettelfinger told the crowd at the Hamburg VFA Hall, adding that's because Democrats and union members both are interesting in "reaching out and taking care of people in need."

"We have a lot of the same philosophies. We value each other," he said.

"I love being a Democrat. I love being a union person," he said. "It's wonderful to see people come out on a Saturday night to functions like this and help the party grow."

Gettelfinger thanked people like Bob Alexander, who is running for the Democratic nomination for the 8th Congressional seat, and Donna Anderson, who is running for the Democratic nomination for the 66th District in the Michigan House, for taking on the grueling task of running for office.

"It's so important that people get involved. I thought I'd come in here and there'd be three of us. But you can see something's happening out here," he said.

But Gettelfinger challenged the audience to do more.

"It's important for all of us, not to stand up here and give a talk and leave. That's not what it's about. It's about being willing to go out (and work). What's more important than registering another voter? What's more important than talking to a voter about the issues?" he said.

Gettelfinger dismissed suggestions that unions tell members how to vote. "We want to let people know what the issues are and then if they want to vote against themselves, they can do it," he said.

While some union members might be concerned about moral issues, Gettelfinger said moral issues should not stop with matters such as sexuality. Homeless veterans, people without jobs, and seniors needing prescription drugs are all moral issues, he pointed out.

And he said people should remember to vote the full ballot, not just the top of the ticket, because races such as the Michigan Supreme Court are critically important for working people, too.

"We're going to win. Yes we are. We're going to win," he said. "There's no greater equalizer than the voting booth. There's power in that voting booth, only if you use it."

(Above, Ron Gettelfinger talks to UAW retiree JoAnn Murphy and others at the 25th annual Winans Dinner.)

Gettelfinger's Message: Everybody Is Just As Important As the Next Person

Ron Gettelfinger, who rose from the assembly line to the head of his union, has never forgotten where he came from.

That was obvious Saturday (April 19, 2008) when Gettelfinger spoke to Livingston County Democrats at the 25th annual Winans Dinner.

"Everybody is just as important as the next person," Gettelfinger told the more than 150 people at the event at the Hamburg VFW Hall, in Michigan's Livingston County.

Based on his behavior, Gettelfinger believes it. The president of the UAW arrived for the 6 p.m. event, stayed the entire evening, and mingled freely with everyone in the crowd, working his way from table to table to shake hands with anyone who wanted to visit with him. Above, he introduces his wife, Judy, to guests at one table.

And after downing his dinner, he sat for a lengthy interview with reporters.

Then in a rousing keynote speech, Gettelfinger laid out his belief in the fundamental equality of all human beings.

When the United Auto Workers lobbies for measures such as an increase in the minimum wage, it's not UAW members who benefit, he said, since its members make more than that. Millions of non-represented workers benefit. And improvements in worker safety laws benefit all people, not just union members, he said.

"We're proud of who we are and what we stand for," the UAW president said.

Recently, he said, a fellow union employee told him of stopping to fill up for gas at a gas pump and noticed the total left on the pump from the previous customer -- $1.79. "That's a world a lot of people don't see," he said.

Gettelfinger also justified the union's support for single payer, universal health care that covers everybody.

"Why shouldn't the person who comes to my home and picks up my garbage have the same health care as a CEO? Their life is just as important," Gettelfinger said.

Concern over UAW retiree benefits is what prompted the UAW to want to take over administering health benefits for Delphi Automotive Systems workers in 2005, he said, noting that employers have figured out how to declare bankruptcy, move operations overseas, rake in millions of profits, and walk away from their obligations to past employees.

In its 2007 contracts with automakers, the union also agreed to administer health care, and Gettelfinger promised, "You don't have to worry about your health care ... There will be health care for every retiree who is retired today and into the next 80years. We're confident of that."

Gettelfinger stressed that the UAW values the auto industry and wants to see it survive because of its importance as an economic engine. As a result, he said the union had made many recent sacrifices in order to preserve jobs.

Yet he said those sacrifices seem to go unnoticed by news reporters who focus on "greedy unions" while ignoring excessive executive compensation.

While Gettelfinger mentioned the head of American Axle, who made $258 million between 1997 and 2007 and now "wants workers to work for nothing," he made it clear that the problem is broader than that. In 1976, the average chief executive officer's salary was 36 times the average worker's salary. In 1993, it was 131 times as great. But by 2005, the average CEO was making 369 times the average worker's pay.

"Why is somebody not talking about that?" he asked. "It does make my blood boil when I see what these executives are rewarding themselves with based on the performance of their workers."

Gettelfinger said he was willing to take criticism in the media for bringing up those issues.

But he got little criticism from Saturday's audience, which interrupted him several times with applause.

Stay tuned for more posts on other themes in Gettelfinger's talk

Oh, What a Night!

Oh, What a Night!

Only the words of the Frankie Vallie classic capture the rush I felt last night at the Livingston County Democratic Party 25th annual Winans' Dinner.

We had a great crowd. No more jokes about Livingston County Democrats meeting in phone booths, please.

And we had a tremendous speaker -- UAW President Ron Gettelfinger, who let everybody know that he, the UAW, and the Democratic Party care about all working people, not just union members.

Several news organizations turned out to cover Gettelfinger, as shown by the news conference captured in the accompanying photo.

We'll have more coverage to come, but in the meantime, you can catch traditional media's coverage.

The Ann Arbor News stressed on-going strike negotiations. Local Michigan television did the same.

And so did The Associated Press coverage, which showed up many places:

International Herald Tribune.
Minnneapolis Star-Tribune.
San Francisco Chronicle.
Lexington Herald Leader.
Boston Herald.
Toledo Blade.
Yahoo News.

Gettelfinger had a lot more to talk about than local strikes. That's why we can't depend on just traditional media to find out about Democratic politics. Check back for more soon!

Tickets for Gettelfinger Going Fast -- Don't Get Left Out!

Only a few tickets remain for the Livingston County Democratic Party's fund-raiser with UAW President Ron Gettelfinger this Saturday (April 19, 2008).

This is an event that you won't want to miss. Not only did Gettelfinger negotiate labor contracts with the Big 3 auto companies, but he also has been in the thick of negotiations over the fate of Michigan's delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Besides Gettelfinger, other honored guests at the 25th annual Winans Dinner include state Sen. Hansen Clarke of Detroit, state Rep. Anna Wheeler Smith of Salem and Bob Alexander, candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House in the 8th Congressional District.

The event begins at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m., at the VFW Hall in Hamburg, 8891 Spicer Road. (See the livcodemocrats.org website for a map.) Tickets are $60 a person, or free for monthly pledgers.

Call 810-229-4212 or email livcodems@sbcuc.net today to reserve your seat. This event may sell out so don't delay!

UAW Leader Gettelfinger to Speak in Livingston

Ron Gettelfinger, an advocate for working men and women and the head of the United Auto Workers, will be the featured speaker at the Livingston Democrats' annual Winans Dinner, set for April 19.

Gettelfinger is a strong backer of universal health care and of a program to re-industrialize the nation with a modern-day domestic "Marshall Plan" to build energy-saving vehicles. He also has been a critic of international trade agreements that fail to protect workers' rights and the environment, and of the corporate drive to scour the globe for the lowest possible wages.

"Ron Gettelfinger is the ideal speaker to address many of the pressing issues that are worrying Livingston County residents -- good-paying jobs, health care, energy-efficiency, and globalization," said Donna Anderson, county vice-chair and chair of the Winans Dinner commuittee.

"Mr. Gettelfinger's appeal extends beyond union members to all of us who work for a living or care about someone who does."

The Winans Dinner, Livingston Democrats' most important annual fund-raising event, will be Saturday, April 19, 2008, at the Hamburg VFW Hall. The event begins at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $60 a person (or free to monthly party pledgers.)

Anderson said that Gettelfinger is known as an excellent speaker and tickets are expected to go quickly. Invitations to the event have been mailed to some 1,100 Livingston Democrats. Anyone wishing to receive tickets may call (810) 229-4212 or email livcodems@sbcuc.net.

Earlier this year, Automotive News named Gettelfinger its Person of the Year for his leadership during delicate contract negotiations with automakers during 2007.

A one-time chassis line repairman at Ford's Louisville Assembly plant, Gettelfinger has been a member of the UAW since 1964. His co-workers elected him to represent them as committeeperson, bargaining chair and president.

Gettelfinger served as the elected director of UAW Region 3, which represents UAW members in Indiana and Kentucky, for six years before being elected a UAW vice president in 1998. He was elected president in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.

Gettelfinger is a graduate of Indiana University. He is married and he and his wife, Judy, have two adult children and four grandchildren.