Blog

On 10/6, Shawn Fain, President of the UAW, delivered a speech wearing a T-shirt. In and of itself that is no big deal. What is confusing is the message he had printed in big letters on the front of his shirt. The shirt read: EAT THE RICH. I used the word confusing because it seems appropriate in a few contexts.

Mr. Fain didn’t invent that slogan. While the origination of the term is a bit murky, it is generally credited to the 18th century political philosopher and a leading contributor to the French Revolution, Jean-Jacque Rousseau. As near as I can tell, the original quote was: “When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich.” This was at a time when all but the aristocracy in France were reduced to eating moldy bread, and any other scraps they could find.

That brings me to the first confusing part of the EAT THE RICH slogan. Members of the UAW are mostly kind, compassionate, members of our society. Many/most of them are among the highest paid hourly workers in the country. Their fringe benefits package is the envy of most of the nation’s blue-collar workers. It is inconceivable that they would be digging through garbage for scraps of food, or eating moldy bread. To wear such a shirt displays a gross disregard for those who are truly poor.

I am also confused by Mr. Fain’s choice of strategies. If he was serious about protecting the future of UAW jobs he would be demanding that the leaders of the “Big 3” stop bowing to government mandates that will ultimately replace gas powered autos with Electric Vehicles (EVs). It is estimated that it takes 40% fewer workers to produce the same number of EVs as it does gas powered autos. It seems axiomatic that when 100% of the autos produced are EVs, the “Big 3” will employ 40% fewer workers. If Biden and the Progressive Left wing of the Democrat Party get their wish, that will be in the next decade or two.

Our Constitution does not give the federal government permission to mandate what kind of product any private company MUST, or MUST NOT, produce. The government has no authority to essentially remove 40% of UAW employees from the work force and put them on the unemployment line. The government has been bullying auto makers for decades. In 1975, Congress passed the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. CAFE mandated how many miles per gallon all vehicles sold by an auto manufacturer must average. If a manufacturers fleet average falls below those mandated averages it is hit by heavy government fines. This directive effectively put the government in charge of deciding what models, and how many of each model, could be produced. That put the government in charge of auto manufacturing. CAFE mandated averages have continued to increase since then. Numbers set in April of 2022 require new cars and light trucks sold in the USA to average 40 miles per gallon. That is a 40% increase above the previous mandate. Some estimates suggest that to meet these new standards, automakers will need to increase sales of EVs to around 33% of total sales. As we have seen, the government’s plan is to eliminate gas powered autos altogether. It has said as much. What Fain is doing is the equivalent of putting a band-aid on a severed carotid artery. If he really cares about the future of his union workers, he would be insisting that the “Big 3” join together to sue the federal government. He would be fighting to put an end to, or at least reduce, the government’s attempts to put an end to the UAW.

I understand that EVs are going to be a growing part of the transportation of Americans. (Unless something better is invented. It has always been foolhardy to bet against the ingenuity of the American people). But it should happen through the free market. No more threats. No more bribery. Even with government cajoling, and endless government rebates, only about 6% of new car sales in the U.S. were EVs in 2022. We don’t want these cars. Citizens in a “free” country should never be denied the right to have choices. Ronald Reagan once said: “Man is not free unless government is limited.” History proves him correct.

What confuses me the most is the convoluted logic of the T-shirt, when combined with the actions of the UAW leadership. It is the Progressive Left with its idiotic “Green New Deal” that is forcing a reduction in the size of unions, including the UAW. For decades the policies of these rich elites have led to a reduction in good paying union, and non-union, jobs in America. It is the rich, who Fain professes should be eaten, who are eating the UAW and their brethren. Here’s what confuses me. Sometime in the coming months Shawn Fain will stand behind a podium and announce the UAW’s endorsement of Joe Biden and Progressive Left Democrats. He will be endorsing the very people who continually threaten to destroy those who he purports to represent. It appears that the union leadership isn’t capable, or willing, to recognize who their real adversaries are. I hope the rank and file does.

Thank you for taking the time to read this latest posting on my blog. I hope you found it interesting and maybe a bit informative. If so, please consider sharing it with your friends. Thank you, Bob