Emailing for an Auto Bailout
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Posted: 9:17 PM Dec 4, 2008
Emailing for an Auto Bailout
Local Greenup County leaders are urging a few thousand friends to urge their U.S. legislators to bail out the auto industry.
Reporter: Randy Yohe
Email Address: Randy.Yohe@wsaz.com
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GREENUP COUNTY, Ky. (WSAZ) -- Along with the Greenup County Judge-executive, County Attorney Mike Wilson composed not your usual chain e-mail.

The local leaders are urging a few thousand friends to urge their U.S. legislators to bail out the auto industry, and in turn help get 650 laid off auto supplying AK Steelworkers back on the job.

"They throw bailout money at bankers in suits, but the guys in the hard hats and steel toe boots get neglected," Wilson said.

Samantha Salyers is desperate to pass the chain e-mail along, she says her husband Brian's layoff from AK Steel is making the holiday's tough.

"We're just scrimping, being frugal cutting costs where ever we can," Salyers said.

This week AK Steel announced an across the board five percent pay cut for salaried employees beginning January First.

“As to the bailout they did not put any stipulations on bank CEO's, they did on auto workers," said Steelworkers Union President Mike Hewlett.

Hewlett did not want to talk about any possible concessions labor might make to see the auto bailout happen but a laid off steel worker's wife did not hesitate.

“They are underpaid now, so no,” Salyers said.

Salyers hopes the chain-email helps get her husband his job back.

Along with the five percent pay cuts, AK Steel is freezing all salaried employees’ benefits, offering incentives for early retirement.

They have also said they are not ruling out salaried job cuts, if all of the above does not save them enough money.


Latest Comments

Posted by: elmo on Dec 19, 2008 at 09:54 PM

This is great you find everyone wanting to slam unions on this website.....Nice when one part of community falls so will the rest of you! Trickle down baby......glad dumbo gave them the money....least I can say he did one thing right. You may disagree but people that understand know that we let that many jobs go our country would fall around our feet like its trying to do for the past 8 yrs.....hold your guns people they taste good baked over a pallet fire with a side of "good ol' boy stew" .....Dont set on here under fake names and cut Mike Wilson sounds like MR. Wilson knows the importance of major industry and the effects on community. ELMO says.......shut up you jealous people.
Posted by: james on Dec 11, 2008 at 03:45 PM

bailing out the american people is the only way. bail out the car companies all you want, the american people cant afford to buy a new car. so tell me what does it help. btw a car czar that sounds like another country i have heard of.
Posted by: John on Dec 8, 2008 at 01:00 PM

Foreign Auto Companies located in the U.S. receive hundreds of millions in tax breaks. Their workers are paid non-union wages along with no legacy costs. With all the breaks they are receiving, why don't their prices reflect all these benefits. Not just union workers are suffering, but all American consumers and taxpayers are being taken advantage of. The U.S. Auto Industry is not on a level economic field. Not only should the industry receive these loans, maybe they should receive some of the subsidies that our government is so generous with, when it comes to foreign competition.
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