The Pilot (Dec. 14) decided to give a bogey to the United Auto Workers union without properly reviewing the facts and providing a historical overview of the union movement and the UAW.

In the 1970s, unions threatened to strike the employer if their demands were not met. So employers (afraid to lose market shares) decided to grant the union's demands and pass the cost of increased wages and benefits on to the consumers.

In the early 1980s, the employers realized they were no longer cost-competitive with their competition and began to negotiate concessions from the unions. Even today, concessionary bargaining is the norm.

If employers had the guts to stick to their positions and not pass the costs on to the consumers, we wouldn't be in this situation.

Management/salaried employees enjoy a living wage and decent benefits because of the union movement. While some may disagree, I can't believe that employers, out of the goodness of their hearts, would provide fair wages, health care and pension benefits if unions had not blazed the trail.

That doesn't mean there aren't good employers out there. But when an employer treats employees fairly, there is no reason for them to organize.

The truth is that the UAW has agreed to concessions that would be finalized by 2011. Can you imagine having your wages and benefits cut by 35 percent starting with your next paycheck? It is reasonable to allow a transition period so employees can make a smooth adjustment to the negotiated concessions.

I know we live in a right-to-work state and The Pilot is extremely anti-union, but you should place the blame where it belongs. The situation we're facing today is a clear case of mismanagement at the highest levels.

Gene McConville,

President Emeritus

IUSPFP of America