Anger absent on picket line

Muted mood seen as sign of wishes for quick settlement

Louis Aguilar, Catherine Jun and Eric Morath / The Detroit News

At the United Auto Workers' national bargaining convention in March, President Ron Gettelfinger called executives from parts supplier Delphi Corp. "a bunch of hogs slopping at a trough that's full of money."

But since union members walked out Monday, the strongest language from the often-fiery union boss has been to say he's "disappointed."

Instead of vitriolic and violent, the words that characterize this strike are "muted" and "mild" -- a signal, labor analysts say, that UAW leaders and workers hope the work stoppage soon will be settled.

The scuffling and angry flare-ups that marked past strikes were missing Tuesday at General Motors Corp.'s Orion Township plant.

Shortly after 3 p.m., Sheriff's deputies arrived as a precaution while white-collar workers left the building. Deputies stood between pickets and cars leaving the grounds. But instead of head-busting, it was handshakes.

Striker Al Dontje said, "The sheriffs were friendly to us. They even shook our hand. There was no problems."

Since the strike was called, Gettelfinger's choice of words has been "serious, sober and sane," said John Revitte, a labor professor at Michigan State University.

Revitte said that when he visited a GM picket line in Lansing on Monday, he was struck by the lack of anger among strikers.

"They talked often about giving many concessions already to GM and wondered why that hasn't been enough," Revitte said. "But underlying a lot of the discussion is that they want to return to GM and don't really want to harm GM."

Dave Butterfield, an 11-year GM veteran walking a picket line Tuesday at the Orion Township plant, was among many workers who said they want a short strike.

"I hope the UAW is viable after this," Butterfield said. "And I hope GM stays a viable company because they are a big part of the Michigan economy."

In a Tuesday interview on Paul W. Smith's radio show, Gettelfinger portrayed the strike as a move to speed negotiations.

"In many ways it will bring an end to this thing quicker, we hope. We are ready to settle the agreement and move on with life. But it takes two sides to do that," Gettelfinger told the WJR-AM host.

That's a far cry from legendary UAW President Walter Reuther decrying GM as a "gold-plated sweatshop" back in the 1960s.

The biggest sign this strike may be different is that the UAW went immediately back to the bargaining table, said Harley Shaiken, a labor historian at the University of California-Berkeley.

"That's very unusual," Shaiken said. "Certainly the rhetoric immediately announcing the walkout was forceful and direct. But since then it is more muted from previous walkouts. It reflects they prefer a settlement sooner rather than later."

Shaiken warned that "strikes can often take a life of their own." But, he added, there should be little surprise that few GM striking workers are hurling angry words at the automaker as they march along the picket line. "This is a high-stakes attempt to have a more secure future with GM," Shaiken said.

Martin Bencsik, 53, of Grosse Ile, acknowledged the mood on the picket lines was relatively subdued. He compared the placid scene of marchers in front of GM Powertrain in Romulus to a raucous UAW walkout over wage and benefit cuts in 1991 at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas.

"This is milder," said the electrician, who has worked for GM for 33 years. Bencsik noted that the health of U.S. auto companies is weaker now than decades ago, and everyone -- including those striking -- knows it.

"With this one, you got to strike a balance," Bencsik said. "You can't kill the company. You still want your job and your retirement. Now it's an open market and that makes a world of a difference."

Nathaniel Johnson, 62, of Southfield was the only worker on the line in Grand Blanc on Tuesday morning who lived through the UAW's last national strike against GM in 1970.

Recalling the nearly 70 days he spent on the picket line then, Johnson added: "I can't afford to stay out that long this time."

Detroit News Staff Writer Bryce G. Hoffman contributed to this report. You can reach Louis Aguilar at (313) 222-2760 or laguilar@detnews.com.