The Delphi ripple-effect

The Delphi ripple-effect
EDITOR:
His title is chairman and CEO of Delphi Corp. In reality, Robert S. Miller is an expert in corporate bankruptcy, restructuring and reorganizing of distressed companies. He has been there, done that, and is very good at what he does. That is precisely why he was chosen to succeed J.T. Battenberg as CEO of Delphi.
If Mr. Miller truly believes that the unions or the members that they represent will agree to a 60 percent reduction in wages and benefits he is quite simply, smoking the wrong stuff. His $10 to $12.50 an hour "final" offer is not only a insult, it is a shot over the bow. Any attempt to nullify our collective bargaining agreements should be a declaration of war with our unions. We pray that we will not be forced to go there.
On many occasions over the years, Delphi Packard workers have given back negotiated wages and benefits to enable Delphi to compete. We are actually aware that we will be asked to give up much more, but, don't expect us to commit economic suicide.
For those who feel that our wages and benefits are too high, consider this. I was hired at Packard Electric in 1965 starting at $2.95 an hour. I retired after 37 years with a wage of $25 an hour. My wages increased an average of 68 cents a year over 37 years. I didn't feel overpaid at $25 an hour; I felt underpaid.
Until Delphi was spun off from General Motors in 1999 I had worked for the largest and most prosperous corporation the world had ever known. When I was given a job by Packard in 1965 it was the last thing the company ever gave me. During the next 37 years every penny I got, every benefit improvement I received, everything I got in the workplace was negotiated for me by my union.
If Mr Miller gets his way, Delphi's workforce in the United States would be cut from 34,000 to around 10,000. Wages and benefits would be reduced by 60 percent. Families would lose their homes or be forced into bankruptcy, Communities would be devastated. Every worker in every industry, union and non-union, should be outraged at what is happening in this country. If Delphi is allowed to dump billions in unfunded pensions on the taxpayers and nullify collective bargaining agreements, the repercussions will spread from sea to shining sea as company after company emulates what Delphi has accomplished.
BILL MALONE
Struthers
X The writer is a former vice president of IUE Local 717.
YSU abandoning German
EDITOR:
As a student at Youngstown State University, I have been provided with many great opportunities, but the administration has recently made a very poor decision that will have tremendous effects on the university. Last week, a decision was made not to replace Dr. L. Allen Viehmeyer, the university's only full-time German professor, who is retiring this year. The administration has decided to get rid of the German program, without thinking about the students enrolled in the program, the growth the program has experienced, or the long-term effects of this decision.
For several years, no German major was offered at YSU. This year, the German major was brought back and the program already experienced tremendous growth. Now, one year after the program was brought back, the university has decided to get rid of German. German enrollment far exceeds the enrollment of several other languages currently offered, including Hebrew, Russian, Swahili, Greek and Latin. The only language with far greater enrollment is Spanish, which is expected.
All that the foreign language department was asking for was to replace a retiring professor. This request was denied, even though a new professor would have cost the university much less than the current professor, who has more than 30 years of experience. This decision has led everyone to believe that loss of the German program is the first of many more to come. If the German teacher was not retiring, the German program would still be intact. It is unfair to wipe out a major simply because the professor retires.
The university claims it is trying to prepare the students to develop a global perspective. The university also wants to promote diversity. How is this possible without a German program?
Germany is the leading economic force in Europe and German-Americans have a long and detailed history in this area. There are many local German-American organizations that will not be pleased by this recent decision. Some students are even considering transferring to other universities and any high school students interested in languages will probably choose not to study here.
Most public state universities are not cutting their German programs. In fact, there are only three public universities in Ohio without German programs: Cleveland State, Shawnee State, and Central State. This decision is heading YSU in the wrong direction.
Once a program is completely wiped out, it will probably never be brought back. That is a shame, because German plays an important role in the world today and has been very important in this area historically. It is not too late for the administration to change its decision, but the word has to spread so that the community can respond appropriately.
NICOLE McELROY
Youngstown
Hold the salt; sprinkle ashes
EDITOR:
You can't live without friction in the winter. Our area is now beginning the annual cycle of snow and ice, and once again many of our local road crews will be decreasing friction instead of increasing it, thereby increasing the number of vehicular accidents. Permit me to give a brief introduction to Fundamentals of Physics I.
Friction is a complex interaction between two surfaces. To increase it, you must simply increase the coefficient of friction. Let's see how we can do this to a road covered with snow. First, it is of primary importance to remove the snow by plowing the streets. Second, ashes and gravel should be applied. Notice that I have not mentioned salt, a corrosive and toxic (to plants) agent that usually decreases the amount of friction by turning the snow into slush, whose coefficient of friction is considerably less than dry snow. Simply throwing salt on top of several inches of snow actually increases the probability of accidents. This seems to be a common occurrence in Austintown, Boardman, Youngstown and Mill Creek Park.
When should salt alone be applied? Never. Freezing rain that turns to ice on the street does need salt, but the salt should be mixed with ashes. To decrease the chance of accidents, plow the streets, apply ashes/gravel, and then (and only then) apply some of that salt. To repeat, nothing takes the place of snow removal. Salt should never be used alone.
RONALD G. TABAK
Canfield
X The writer is a professor of Physics and Astronomy at Youngstown State University.