“Keep it in America.”
That’s the focus of a bus tour rallying through 34-cities over three days, one of those being Bowling Green.
According to the Alliance for American Manufacturing group, more than 7.2-million paychecks are dependent upon the U.S. auto industry.
And that’s the message the group is taking to anyone who will listen.
Organizers say the purpose of the tour is to educate people willing to hear them out.
Wednesday, around 200 people packed the United Auto Workers Hall to do just that.
Many of those being anxious Corvette plant employees, waiting to hear the fate of their livelihoods.
“We’re all going to face tragedy if General Motors files bankruptcy,” said Eldon Renaud, area UAW president.
That’s a word on the minds of so many workers these days at GM.
“They’re in fear of what’s going to happen to their healthcare,” Renaud said. “If they don’t have healthcare, then they’re going to need healthcare for their children, and for their wives and their husbands. The community will have to provide that in some way.”
Organizers from the “Keep it Made in America” tour rolled into Bowling Green, voicing their concerns over the U.S. auto industry.
“What we need to do is educate our people,” said Lou Delatore, with the Alliance for American Manufacturing. “What the administration and others have said is let the people be heard, and we’re going to let the people be heard.”
Delatore says the priority is to get people back to work, and the message he’s carrying with him, he says is simple.
“We need to reform trade policy,” he said. “We’ve got to give our workers a fair playing field. We’re the best workers in the world, when we’re treated equal.”
And while the tour rolls on, recognizing the millions of jobs tied to the fate of the auto industry, those here at GM are just hoping their company can survive.
“So many things are waiting on this story to develop,” Renaud said. “We hope that it’s not going to be as bad as some of us believe it might.”
Renaud is expected to fly out Wednesday night for a GM Summit in Cleveland, where he may hear any late developments with recent auto talks.
But, he says it’s likely those talks will be under close wraps and until a final agreement is reached, he’ll have very few details on the future of the company.
