To the editor:
Over the years American automakers have been given loans or money from the government to keep their companies running.
As a result of this indebtedness, the federal government and the Biden's administration, whose No. 1 priority is climate change, has pressured the auto industry in the United States to transition to electric vehicles from gasoline-powered vehicles -- even though the average American does not want or demand them, there is no infrastructure, they are not proven to work in different areas of the country and the cost is double or triple that of a gas-powered vehicle.
Union workers pay dues for the union leadership to be on top of what is going on to protect their union brothers and sisters so they have livelihoods. Their job is to inform members of the situation of the companies they work for, apparently these leaders did not think it was necessary for them to know the companies that they receive a paycheck from are having financial problems and are in a dire situation.
As of Wednesday, Ford's stock was down $12.53 a share, General Motors was down $33.71 a share and Stellantis was down $19.66 a share. Compare this to the independent auto manufacturer of electric vehicles, Tesla Inc., whose stock was $262.59 a share.
The auto workers, under the prompting of United Auto Workers' President Shawn Fain, announced that the workers are striking and will remain on strike until demands are met.
Fain and the union leadership, if they were honest and people of character, would never have called for a strike. In a majority, if not all the cases, the union workers and companies they work for end up with devastating results. Past examples include steel and the United Steelworkers and coal with the United Mine Workers of America.
Because of their leadership, members of the union leadership retains their jobs, but employers and employees no longer have employment.
Merica Petrella
Steubenville