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Letter: Foundation says message misinterpreted by newspaper

August 26, 2007

Dear Editor

This letter is in response to the article in The Advocate-Messenger on Thursday, Aug. 23 relative to a letter sent by community leaders to Dana employees. The headline screamed "Supporting union would 'brand' workers at Dana." It was never the intent of the letter or the signatories to that letter to infer that some mystical "blacklist" exists on those who support a unionization effort.

If the word "may" had been substituted for the word "would," the whole situation may have stayed off the front pages of the newspaper. We regret that The Advocate took the editorial liberty to interpret the purpose of the letter as "branding" employees rather than focusing on the real message, which is the negative impact that unionization can have on our community. Further, we must deal with the realities of the global economy in the 21st century.

Union membership itself has plummeted from nearly 35 percent of the working population in 1945 to 24 percent in 1979, 14 percent in 1998 and 12 percent in 2006. The highest level of unionization is with government employees (46 percent) at the federal, state and local levels. When public sector jobs are removed from the mix, labor unions represent 8 percent of today's working men and women.

When a new industry is looking at Danville-Boyle County - or any other community for that matter - one of the first questions posed is about the labor climate in the workplace. As a foundation, we have a responsibility to the working men and women in this community and those around us to create workplace opportunities - not workplace blockades.

Nationally, the same UAW that has made a political and media stand at Dana in Danville has been blamed for being largely responsible for massive layoffs at Ford, Chrysler and General Motors as a result of labor costs leading to declining sales and jeopardy of the same pension and health benefits for retirees it hopes to salvage for local workers. Those are the very manufacturers for which Dana is a chief supplier.

We are a concerned body in a concerned community that wants to do everything possible to assure that Dana emerges from its Chapter 11 reorganization, in its own words, as "a leaner, more agile facility," at which time, some of the benefits to employees that had been reduced or eliminated can be restored. Until then, we will work with the company's management and its workforce to assure that whatever steps necessary can and will be taken to enhance the company's prospects for success.

To the working men and women at Dana, be assured that we recognize your choice to have union representation; your choice - one of the things that makes this country great.

We will continue our efforts to promote economic growth and development in Danville and Boyle County as best we can - representing every man, woman and child in this community and those around us who look to Danville as a hub for local commerce. We will do so with nothing guiding us other than the best interests of the companies we serve and the workforce they employ, regardless of their position on organized labor.

Board of Directors

Boyle County Industrial Foundation

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