Members Praise Retiring UAW President’s Leadership

Washington, DC - Tonight on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, several Members joined with Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) to pay tribute to retiring United Auto Workers (UAW) President Ron Gettlefinger. Below are the Congressman’s prepared remarks:

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor my dear friend Ron Gettelfinger on his retirement as UAW President.

“For the last eight years, Ron has led the UAW as their President loyally and ably through some of the most difficult economic times facing our nation. 

“Through his hard work and dedication to his brothers and sisters of the UAW, we have witnessed the auto industry right itself.

“Elected as UAW President in 2002, Ron rose through the ranks beginning is career first as a member of the UAW Local 862 in 1964.  He worked at Ford’s Louisville Assembly plant as a chassis line repairman, attending Indiana University Southeast at night.  It is the workers there who first elected Ron to represent them. 

“He then went on to serve as UAW Region 3 Director and UAW Vice President.  Throughout his time in these roles he has fought tirelessly to ensure workers have a quality of life they deserve.  By making health care accessible and affordable for all, ensuring new jobs in industry through the manufacturing of advanced technology vehicles, and workers’ rights provisions in fair trade agreements.

“And as we have all seen, Ron does not back down from a challenge.

“During the most difficult of times for the auto industry, he has worked together with business to ensure its survival, negotiating through a new round of contracts with the Big Three in 2007, creating a Voluntary Beneficiary Association to provide health care to the retirees in the Big Three, and standing with the Big Three when it was determined government assistance would be needed.

“As he has said himself, “We did what we had to do to save the industry.”  And now, less than a year later the auto industry is once again profitable and expanding production.  In fact, Chrysler is hiring again for the first time in ten years.

"Fortunately, cars from the Big Three continue to be safe and reliable, and this year have earned higher quality ratings in J.D. Power and Associates’ annual Initial Quality Study beating import brands for the first time.

“It is the workers and leaders of the UAW who have helped to ensure that throughout times of turmoil, our domestic auto industry continues to produce the safest vehicles and increase productivity in the workplace.

“And at a time when union membership is at its lowest in many years, he has fought relentlessly to ensure that workers who want to organize can.  Together with his other colleagues in labor, he has advocated for the Employee Free Choice Act or legislation would allow workers to decide if they want to use majority sign-up to form a union, protecting them from employer coercion.

“Like Ron, I believe that this legislation is sorely needed and I am hopeful that this will be passed before November.

“Ron and I also share the belief that the future success of the auto industry is going to be dependent on developing advanced batteries and electric and hybrid cars here at home.  Together we both supported training workers in these technologies not only to help the auto industry, but also to provide workers with continued job opportunities.

“Throughout the ebbs and flows, the one thing you could always count on from Ron was honesty.  Whether he was delivering good news or bad, I always knew that Ron was giving me the facts.

“It is because of his honesty to me, his brothers and sisters, business management and the Members who join me here tonight, Ron was able to earn the trust, admiration and respect of those he worked with.

“Ron once said, “We don’t accept the notion that America is a country where a privileged few live well while the rest of us struggle to meet our daily expenses. We’re going to fight for something better.”

“Ron you led the fight for something better, and I am glad I was able to be your partner in that fight.”

According to C-SPAN, Special Order speeches “allow Members of the House of Representatives to speak on any topic they wish for periods of time reserved in advance, anywhere from 5 up to 60 minutes in length. They occur routinely at the end of a day's legislative work."