September, 2006

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Facing forced buyouts, severance packages and bankruptcy: Autoworkers Refuse to Retreat

By A Flint, Mich. Correspondent

Protester at Delphi World Headquarters PHOTO/DAYMONJHARTLEY.COM

Dozens of autoworkers gathered at Delphi World Headquarters in Troy, Michigan on Friday, August 11. This was the day set to void union contracts in bankruptcy court.

The picket was called by Soldiers of Solidarity (SOS) to serve notice to the company that autoworkers will not give up the fight. Among the marchers were both retirees and active workers from as far away as Canada, a Delphi plant in New York, and Marquette in northern Michigan. Workers from the surrounding areas such as Detroit, Saginaw and Flint were well represented.

Severance packages and buyouts, along with Delphi's persistent attempt to slash future wages, pensions and benefits in Bankruptcy court, are all part of their quest to destroy the middle class as we know it. As one worker put it, "We're not just 'Soldiers of Solidarity', we're actually 'Soldiers of Society." As it turned out, the hearing was postponed again and then again while Delphi, GM, and the UAW try to hammer out some sort of Peace Pact before heading back to Court on September 18th.

In the meantime, Ford announced a 21% cut in production -- the largest reduction in over 20 years. The plan has sent shock waves and panic throughout the assembly plants, especially where SUVs and trucks are made. Workers are experiencing anxiety and frustration much like their Brothers and Sisters at Delphi did when Bankruptcy was announced back in October. Said one union official fielding questions from upset workers: "People are so scared of losing their jobs" … and the struggle continues.

The photos on this page were taken at a rally held by autoworkers who gathered at Delphi World Headquarters in Troy, Michigan on August 11 to serve notice to the company that autoworkers will not give up the fight. PHOTOS/DAYMONJHARTLEY.COM