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The UAW has had a weird fetish for decades about banning certain vehicles from their parking lots. It used to be just "foreign" cars...now a bumper sticker is enough. I'm no fan of Bush, but IMO this is a pointless, ill-advised move that can easily backfire on them. From the Detroit News, edited by me for brevity, bolding mine.

DETROIT -- The United Auto Workers says Marine reservists should show a little more semper fi if they want to use the union's parking lot.

The union says some reservists working out of a base on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit have been decidedly unfaithful to their fellow Americans by driving import cars and trucks. So the UAW International will no longer allow members of the Marines to park at Solidarity House if they are driving foreign cars or displaying pro-President Bush bumper stickers.

"While reservists certainly have the right to drive nonunion made vehicles and display bumper stickers touting the most anti-worker, anti-union president since the 1920s, that doesn't mean they have the right to park in a lot owned by the members of the UAW," the union said in a statement released Friday. "We do not think it is unreasonable to expect our guests to practice the simple principle of not insulting their host."

"You either support the Marines or you don't," said Lt. Col. Joe Rutledge, commanding officer of the battalion's active duty instructors. "I'm telling my Marines that they're no longer parking there. At a time when U.S. armed forces are fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan, quibbling over parking privileges is silly."

The UAW has a long history of barring foreign-made cars from its parking lots. The pro-Bush bumper stickers are another sore spot after last year's election.

Rutledge is unmoved. "I don't know what a foreign car is today anyway. BMWs are made in South Carolina now."

What about something made in Canada or Mexico? *Lots* of "domestic" cars are made in those places.

That's not even going into American-made Hondas, Nissans, Toyotas, Mazdas, Mitsubishis, Mercedes, or BMWs. And is DaimlerChrysler even considered "American" these days?

Ryan

Rspaight wrote:What about something made in Canada or Mexico? *Lots* of "domestic" cars are made in those places.

That's right, and we can take that even further by asking whether an American car assembled in the US out of primarily foreign made parts (content) is really a US car. This was enough of a factor when Mexico was the major player, but with all the automakers furiously buying parts from China it's probably even a bigger factor now.

That's not even going into American-made Hondas, Nissans, Toyotas, Mazdas, Mitsubishis, Mercedes, or BMWs. And is DaimlerChrysler even considered "American" these days?

Right again. Some folks have this illusion that the shrinking UAW has more clout, or is more economically important, than the many thousands of Americans that derive their livelihood from foreign automakers. I'll concede that the UAW has the bigger mouth, but if the government tries to accomodate them with some sort of quota or tariffs to restrict "non Big 3/non union" competition, the outcry will be a lot greater than it was back in the 1980's.

DaimlerChrysler is legally a German company (DC stock isn't traded on the NYSE) but the UAW still considers Chryslers as American as baseball, regardless of the content. I'm not sure what the UAW thinks of Mercedes cars. They're probably accepted, as I'm thinking that many UAW executives were chomping at the bit to get a Mercedes once the merger made it "OK." I know that a lot of Chrysler executives felt that way.

DaimlerChrysler is legally a German company (DC stock isn't traded on the NYSE) but the UAW still considers Chryslers as American as baseball, regardless of the content. I'm not sure what the UAW thinks of Mercedes cars. They're probably accepted, as I'm thinking that many UAW executives were chomping at the bit to get a Mercedes once the merger made it "OK." I know that a lot of Chrysler executives felt that way.

Heh.

The Crossfire is basically a previous-generation SLK, and the 300/Magnum/Charger shares a whole lot of parts with the previous-generation E-class.

Plus, the Stratus/Sebring is a previous-generation Mitsubishi Galant/Eclipse.

Let's see, I'm sure DC makes a passenger car that isn't a warmed-over foreign design... the Neon, I guess.

Ryan

From the Detroit News, edited for brevity by me.

DETROIT -- The UAW waved a white flag Monday in its parking skirmish, but the Marines are not accepting surrender.

Facing intense criticism, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger reversed his decision to ban Marine Corps reservists driving foreign cars or displaying pro-President Bush bumper stickers from parking at the union's Solidarity House headquarters in Detroit.

"I made the wrong call on the parking issue, and I have notified the Marine Corps that all reservists are welcome to park at Solidarity House as they have for the past 10 years," Gettelfinger said in a statement.

The Marines rejected the union's olive branch and secured an alternative parking lot. "I talked to Ron; I let him know that I understand he has rescinded his decision, said Lt. Col. Joe Rutledge. "However, I've made my decision."

While both sides say the dispute has been overblown, it revealed the depths of the UAW's antipathy toward the Bush administration and its concern over the rise of foreign automakers in the U.S. market. Gettelfinger and other top UAW International officials say Bush is blatantly anti-labor and has opposed measures that could have benefited working men and women.

The UAW's reversal Monday followed a barrage of criticism from both union members and nonunion members. The dispute became instant fodder for such Web sites as The Drudge Report and various radio programs.

Outside the Marine reservists headquarters, it wasn't hard to find signs of hard feelings. A Toyota pickup truck parked in front of a phalanx of military Humvees sported three bumper stickers. One touted Semper Fi, the Marines' motto, the second was a Bush/Cheney campaign sticker and the third an anti-UAW sign.

The UAW decision to ban Marines struck a nerve with many who say U.S. armed forces deserve more respect, especially during a time of war. And certainly, some said, Marines should be able to support their commander in chief, President Bush, without facing repercussions.

Gettelfinger, himself a former Marine Corps reservist, said his initial decision should not be looked on as a lack of support for the military. "That certainly was not my intention. ... I fully appreciate the sacrifices and contributions made by America's reservists, National Guard members and active duty military personnel and their families," his statement said.

Gettelfinger also acknowledged the decision reflected poorly on the UAW, which has historically supported the U.S. military.