Friday, December 05, 2008

More Auto Industry Cartooning

Here at Antick Musings, we're keeping a beady eye on the shenanigans of the nation's editorial cartoonists -- and, in particular, at how many of them seem to be blaming UAW retirees for the financial woes of the Big Three automakers.

Today sees another shining example of the genre, from Gary Varvel of the Indianapolis Star. Note how the retiree is double labeled, and is not just crotchety -- look at the line of his jaw! -- but actively lambasting the poor l'il CEOs in the front seat with his solid hickory cane. Clearly, if only the suits could jettison their contractual obligations towards the old and feeble, they would be able to build cars that people want to buy and walk smartly into the sunrise of a better tomorrow.

It's so sad that union workers can keep US carmakers from making cars that anyone wants, and puzzling that the rest of the world has no similar issues with their unionized workers.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The carmakers in the rest of the world don't have to pay for retirees' health care. That's why Detroit's Big Three did that deal with the UAW last contract round to get the union to be responsible for it. (But settling those future obligations will still require the companies to pay out $billions to endow the trust that is supposed to pay for them -- money they don't currently have.)

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