UAW Backs Down AN IMPORTANT VICTORY FOR FAIRNESS AND OPENNESS.(United Auto Workers not to include abortion issue in negotiations)

The United Auto Workers (UAW), in the wake of a powerful, spontaneous grassroots rebellion, has publicly backed off of what was supposed to be a behind-the-scenes campaign to secure coverage of "voluntary" abortions in negotiations for a new national contract with automakers. By "voluntary," union officials meant elective.

According to the September 25 Detroit Free Press, this "potentially explosive request" came up in talks about health care coverage between the UAW and General Motors Corporation and Chrysler Group. (The current four-year contract between the union and the automakers was expiring in September.) At the time the news first leaked out about a month earlier, it was not known whether the same request was made to Ford Motor Company - - the third of the "Big Three" American automakers.

But once the Free Press broke the news, the reaction was swift and furious. The second paragraph in Sarah Webster's story put it this way: "Thursday, as UAW members continue voting on their new contract, the controversial proposal that shocked many union members into action - - health care coverage for abortions - - has been quashed."

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger was described as "furious" that the news had gotten out. Exactly why was not spelled out. Perhaps it was (as the next paragraph intimated) because abortion coverage was a "throwaway demand" never meant to be taken seriously.

But a close reading of all that was involved clearly suggests the UAW was dead serious, both about its request for coverage of elective abortion and for keeping the membership in the dark.

For example, as Webster writes, "The union had quietly asked for the coverage of elective abortions, which aren't medically necessary, in the past." Nothing in what the UAW officials said to the Free Press suggested there was a groundswell of demand for abortion coverage, now or previously.

Moreover, the leadership was given a chance to counter that news reports were inaccurate. According to the Free Press story, a number of protesters called the UAW president. They "hoped the union would deny the proposal was made or pacify them by saying it wasn't sincere. But that didn't happen, they say."