product change as a union demand

4) There is a need to question what we produce.

The big 'no-no' within auto unions in North America is
questioning what kind of products workers are making.
This was not always the case. In the early 1950s, the
UAW was a national leader in calling for small but
safe, fuel-efficient vehicles. Leaving this decision to
the companies has neither helped auto workers nor
consumers. Time and again, the companies gave up on
this less profitable part of the market to concentrate
on higher-profit big vehicles only to see its
competitors use this as a base for taking market share.
Now, an important part of the problems at GM, Ford, and
Daimler-Chrysler are not only cost but the product.
Where are auto workers on this issue today?

The issue has been avoided in part because of the
belief that the companies know best and in part because
any criticism might hurt sales and therefore the jobs
upon which people depend. The problem is that whether
or not the companies know what they are doing in terms
of their own interest, there is no reason to think that
it coincides with the collective interest of auto
workers or workers in general. Had we been pushing for
vehicles (and an entire transport policy) more
sensitive to environmental concerns-as we were warned
to do by environmentalists pointing to the trajectory
of global warming and the inevitability of rising gas
prices-auto and transport sector jobs might actually be
more secure today.

Consider one example. The Ford engine plant in Windsor
makes large engines. It has been clear for some time
that this could not last. Why is the union not out
front mobilizing publicly for Ford to develop new kinds
of engines, to convert the Windsor facility to produce
them, and to make any money given to Ford by the
Canadian and provincial governments conditional on such
changes? This may not offer immediate answers to those
laid-off, but it would position the union, both in the
community and nationally, as leading on a social issue.
This would be part of developing the capacity to
influence the direction of Ford and positively affect
future jobs.