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Ms. Kathleen Barclay, Vice
President Dear Ms. Barclay, We now have a new president, John Bond, of our local GM Salaried Retirees Club. In commending John for his articulate message to us I've asked, and he has given me, his permission to enclose the portion of his letter outlining the problem we have with the Corporation. May I invite your attention to the underlined passages. Note: - copy with underlined passages not available for this publication. We are aware that we lost our suit in the Sixth Circuit Court several years ago, and that could well have emboldened the "back of the hand" attitude the Corporation has had towards us since then. Their reaction may be legal in the Court's opinion but that does not necessarily make it ethically or morally right. Most of us surely acknowledge that only a finite sum can be allocated for retiree pension and benefit adjustments. I do not propose a larger "pie" for that purpose. All I ask is that, perhaps, a more forgiving spirit would prevail in the future and that we would again be invited to sit at the table when these adjustments are served. The "dog" treatment of sitting underneath and catching the crumbs that might fall from the master's table is insulting. I accept the taunts of our hourly retiree friends that we should have joined or formed a union years ago and paid our dues. However, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Taft Hartley law certainly have precluded that insofar as a number of us were supervisory and managerial employees. Granted, many of us did choose to be on management's side and be identified with them. And, now, this ingratitude! In a little light tenor, permit this old coal miner to give some spiritual advice to our Corporate "bean counters". When they knock for permission to enter the pearly gates they better have good, sound arguments for St. Peter to justify their outrageous behavior in lifetime. That might save them the heat and embarrassment of having to run all over hell looking for a preacher. Your comments, please? Copy: St. Peter Very truly yours, William Worgul
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