We wrote last week about Ron
Gettlefinger’s political plan
for the UAW , mentioning that the union would like to see tax incentives for those manufacturers who embrace
technology to improve fuel economy. Well, it sounds like the union already wants to take this a step further, with what
it refers to as a “Marshall Plan” that would bring government-subsidized retiree health care relief
to manufacturers in exchange for said economy improvements.
I’ll only speak for myself (and not my fellow
Autoblog colleagues) in stating that I think this is quite the bad idea. While the potential outcome – more
efficient vehicles and retirees that get their promised health care benefits – are obviously good, this program would
take taxpayer money (something already in short supply) and use it to reward companies and
workers that made/demanded promises that couldn’t be kept, while not properly positioning
themselves to react to market forces.
If indeed this was a one-time-only, wipe-the-slate-clean sort of deal,
then I’d say fine, and let’s get on with it – the problems this plan purports to solve are indeed real and
looming. Realistically, though, this strikes me as the sort of thing that’s going to turn into another
Medicare drug boondoggle, especially once every other company with crushing retiree liabilities cries
“foul” and wants to jump in on the act.