U.S. Auto Aid Debate Hinges on Yesterday Vs. Tomorrow - Legacy Costs Biggest Difference

Washington DC December 15, 2008; The AIADA newsletter reported that in Smyrna, Tenn., a small town surrounding one of Nissan's busiest U.S. car plants, people have followed the news of the auto bailout with particular interest.

Namely, they wonder, what about us? According to the Washington Post, the Altimas, Maximas, and Pathfinders that roll out of the factory are built by locals who are "Americans too," they like to point out.

For some, the most galling aspect of the bailout is that federal money could go to union workers and retirees — people, mostly in the North, who at least historically have enjoyed higher pay and better benefits than Southern auto workers. "Over here, we're taking days off without pay to keep the company going, but the unions for the Big Three aren't willing to do that," said Kathy Ward, 54, who has worked 27 years at the Nissan plant.

The bailout efforts for Detroit's Big Three are laying bare long-held resentments between union and non-union workers, echoing North-South divisions as old as the Civil War.

Frank Ward, who retired a few years ago from the Nissan plant, says, "It seems like the United Auto Workers would rather have people lose their jobs than give up a few dollars in hourly pay."

For more on the North-South old-young auto divide, CLICK HERE.