Morgan Johnson, president of the United Auto Workers local representing General Motors workers in Shreveport, said Friday that Sen. David Vitter’s role in blocking an auto bailout indicates “he’s chosen to play Russian roulette” with Louisiana jobs and the national economy.
“I don’t know what Sen. Vitter has against GM or the United Auto Workers or the entire domestic auto industry; whatever it is, whatever he thinks we’ve done, it’s time for him to forgive us, just like Sen. Vitter has asked the citizens of Louisiana to forgive him, ” said Johnson, president of Local 2166. Otherwise, Johnson said of Vitter, it would appear, “He’d rather pay a prostitute than pay auto workers.”
Johnson’s comments are a reference to the revelation last year that Vitter’s name appeared in the phone records of a Washington prostitution ring. At the time, Vitter responded that “several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling.”
“We killed the really bad bailout that passed the House, ” Vitter said after the filibuster prevailed Thursday night. “Negotiations on a real restructuring plan failed for one reason only: The union and the Democratic leadership wouldn’t agree to any wage concessions by a date certain. None. It’s just a shame.”
Vitter said if the industry and the union can avoid making big concessions until President Barack Obama and a more Democratic Congress take office next year, they might figure they won’t have to make concessions at all.
In remarks on the Senate floor, Vitter said: “I’m not trying to block this package in spite of job losses that would occur if these companies went down. I’m trying to block this because . . . this package doesn’t demand the fundamental core restructuring that is absolutely necessary for these companies to survive.”
| 
|