If Those Jobs Aren't Coming Back, Where Is Everybody Going to Work?
Sale of Nexteer to the Chinese is "Industrial Treason," Should be Stopped
July 12, 2010
By: Dave Rogers
While Americans are starving for jobs, GM is giving them away.
The federal government needs to step up and stop the sale of Nexteer to the Chinese.
We have written here before that we consider this move by General Motors as "industrial treason."
To transfer a storied company that started as Saginaw Steering Gear to the folks who are stealing our lifeblood is certainly treachery of the first order.
It is a farce for GM to say that one of the primary reasons for the sale is that Nexteer serves about 60 different automotive companies.
Wouldn't it seem that would be a good reason for GM to hang on to Nexteer?
Listen to the words coming off the forked tongue of a GM executive:
"The sale of Nexteer to PCM supports our objective to focus on our core auto business and is the final step in our efforts to position Nexteer as an independent supplier. The sale better enables Nexteer to take advantage of anticipated growth in the global auto industry with a variety of automakers," said Stephen J. Girsky, GM vice chairman, Corporate Strategy and Business Development. "Ultimately, it's a move we believe will make it a more vibrant and healthier business."
Nexteer is comprised of global steering and halfshaft operations including 22 manufacturing facilities, six engineering facilities and 14 customer support centers located in North and South America, Europe and Asia, according to GM.
While Americans are starving for jobs, GM is giving them to our enemies. I see no upside in this for GM, the UAW, the U.S. government or the state of Michigan. Is it being done just for the filthy lucre? If so, the sale undermines GM's thrust to become a thriving company once again. Personally, I was on the verge of buying a Buick, but I've changed my mind. Ford looks pretty good now.
The Chinese claim the headquarters of Nexteer will remain in Saginaw and they have assured the United Auto Workers union that their contract will be upheld.
But how long will it take the penny-pinching Chinese to betray the UAW and whisk all the jobs from the U.S. to the Far East? We predict a few years at most.
The twisted logic of GM should immediately be questioned by U.S. Rep. Dale F. Kildee and other Michigan members of Congress. Kildee has expressed regret that the company did not find an American buyer. But he and his colleagues have the power, should they choose to exercise it, to stop the sale.
Do the right thing, ladies and gentlemen. Patriotism is not only displayed on the battlefield. It is in exercising wisdom on the home front to protect the interests of American workers and their families.
What the hell would we do if we had to fight another World War II?