Gordon Graham: Perception is reality to the perceiver

From Gordon Graham:

"Perception is reality to the perceiver.  The years of seeing GM and the US auto manufacturers as inferior to foreign models is a thing of the past, but in many cases the perception still lingers.

The recent financial crisis reflects a view of the Big Three that is far from reality at the plant level.  It's amazing to me how quick we are to fix the blame, but ignore the problem.  General Motors and the U.A.W. build some of the best vehicles on the road despite operating on a playing field that puts them at a tremendous disadvantage, such as legacy costs that guarantee a decent life for retirees, health care, and livable wages.

Both the UAW and GM management have made some mistakes, but both have made great strides in improving how they do business as well.  The US economy can ill afford to lose more of it's industrial base.  I have been involved with the GM/UAW plants for the past 20 plus years, and during that time the improvements in product quality and production costs has been significant.

The men and women working in the GM plants can compete with any auto manufacturer in the world.  The mismanagement and greed of financial institutions has created this crisis.  

Let's keep the focus where it belongs, on Wall Street, not on hard working men and women who are the backbone of our society.  The union and management at GM are working together to keep jobs in our communities; we face some very challenging times, and if the boat goes down we are all in it together."  Gordon Graham