Imports Are Banned Among the Staff of Some Michigan Lawmakers

Associated Press reported that Bob Allison had all the professional credentials to get the job as Rep. David Bonior's press secretary. The issue was with his car. Among the questions about his education and work experience, Allison got a zinger: What kind of car did he drive? He admitted that he owned a 1993 Nissan Sentra, and was told that there was a problem: Bonior demands that his staffers drive American vehicles made by union workers while on the job. Allison sold the Japanese-made Nissan and landed a 1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and the job. In southeast Michigan, union autoworkers dominate the Democratic party. Bonior and some other elected Democrats are reluctant to offend those voters by having an employee representing the office in a foreign car. "For me, it's about values and loyalty," said Bonior, who refuses to set foot in a foreign car. "This cuts to the core of who I am." At least two other Michigan Democrats -- Reps. John Dingell of Dearborn and Dale Kildee of Flint -- require that any staffer driving to work at their offices have a car made by members of the United Auto Workers union.