AAM Group Seeking Moderator

[NYBiker]

After the AAM Workers surprising surrender and loss of the recent
strike I closed the original American Axle Workers Group. As the
postings over the subsequent months has proven, Worker apathy remains
very high with little thought or regard to anything other than total
capitulation.

During the last strike I worked very hard to try and effect a real
change. Unfortunately, I failed. I have come to the conclusion that
it is impossible to help people who refuse to help themselves. For
this reason, I am walking away from whats left of the US Auto Industry
to focus my attention on assisting charities such as, The City
Mission, in which my hard work does seem to make a substantial
difference. I've even run into some old AAM acquaintances there,
seeking food and shelter.

In my mind, when you have the very people that your trying to help
fighting you, its a no win situation. The situation is so dire, that
you can't even get the opposition to agree to an effective strategy to
combat what is occurring. The painful reality is, the strategy used
in the last strike cost over 4,000 AAM workers their good paying jobs.

The recent spat of spam has made it necessary for this group to have
regular moderation to protect it and it's members from being flooded
with garbage. If any member would like to take over Moderation of
this group, please email me.

If a moderator cannot be found by September 1st, this group, much like
the US AAM Operations, will cease to exist.

Thank you!

[wthom...@aol.com]

Tony,

I am willing to take over but I need a back up for when I am out of town and off email like I was for three weeks in July this summer. I don’t know how it works so I will certainly need you to break me in.

The fact is the company was extremely aggressive and the leadership was not up to the task. But the leadership has not been up to the task for many, many years. The rank and file was very militant and I am so proud of them. Being on those picket lines with them was a great experience. To see the membership united like they did and build new relationships with each other, skilled with production, black with white. The support we got from other unionists and the community was spontaneous and heart felt. Even though the strike was a tragic loss, it will be a significant event in labor history. We must learn the right lessons from it.

We needed to defy injunctions and you need the union leadership to support this strategy and be willing to back up mass arrests. We need a new leadership, that is the bottom line. How do we get it? The membership needs to take control of the union? They need to be active and educated in questions of strategy. As Dianne Feeley has said: the UAW never discusses strategy. With an active membership we can force a weak leadership to do things they don’t want to do – like the rally at the Headquarters – until we can get a new leadership. There is a leadership void in the union. The membership must step in and fill that void.

What can one person do? Don’t burn yourself out for one thing. We have to be in this for the long haul. In my opinion, Tony, you spent too much time repeating yourself in cyber space. It hard to see results when you’re not working on the ground. You feel better doing charity work now because you are with people face to face. But charity is going to do nothing to change our situation.

You are angry at other rank and file people for not doing this or that against the leadership. You are angry at me because I didn’t go out there and stand by myself with a picket sign in front of Solidarity House. You are no doubt angry at yourself because you were caught off guard when they voted so quickly at your local. You had written a leaflet, but didn’t make copies to hand out to people as they went and voted. The vote probably still would have been yes but you would have made an important contribution to the process. People must=2 0at least see a vote no initiative before they vote or they are just getting one point of view – a severe problem for the New York locals.

Never-the-less, give yourself and others a break. In order to change the world, we must do it one step at a time. I am glad we are having a face to face meeting in Flint this week-end, it’s the first time since January that those interested in fighting the companies and changing the union are getting together.

I worry like others that even though the internet is an important tool it keeps each person by themselves in their homes and creates an illusion of change which cannot be real without taking to the streets and discussing face to face.

Wendy

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It's time to go back to school! Get the latest trends and gadgets that make the grade on AOL Shopping.

[Overfield]

I’m not sure what you mean by the Internet keeping people home.  I was out on the street many times handing out flyers, talking to people, etc.  The internet is an information medium, nothing more.  When you hear people talking about people secluding themselves they are talking about social networking sites, not news groups.

 

I’m not going to get into what was done, not done, etc.  Your locked into your beliefs and your way of seeing things and its obvious you’re not going to change.  You’re like many in the “opposition”, which has really prevented any real change right along.

 

I may not be right, but I think the losses at AAM as well as those at the little three prove that neither are you.  When someone insists that a strategy that cost 4,000 jobs is the way to go, have to question that persons capability.  The only other entity that I know who touts failure as success is the UAW.  I guess if you are gauging your success on failures, you’ve been doing a great job.  The only thing all your work did was help the UAW rally the people around the flag.  All you did was build up hope so that when the truth was told, the disappointment was that much greater.  It was that disappointment and the realization that you were nothing more than a UAW tool that led many to abandon ship.  It was the failure of the opposition to press the UAW and the Political leaders into doing their jobs guaranteed an AAM victory.  I tried to tell you that many times, before it was too late, but you refused to listen.

 

Pointing your finger at me and saying I didn’t do anything, a tired old UAW, Con-caucus tactic that I never bought into, even when it was effective on others.

 

Also, I’m not angry.  Like you, I was not effected much by the loss.  I feel sorry for those whose lives will forever be changed due the criminal activity of the UAW.  I’ve had the opportunity to help some down at the city mission.

 

Anyway, You are now the proud Owner of the American Axle Workers Group.  Be sure to follow the help link at the top of the page.  You’ll see that you know have the ability to control the site through the Group Settings & Management Tasks Features.  I left myself as manager so that if you have a problem I can help you out.

 

Good luck!

 

Tony