Delphi retirees need support

Delphi retirees need support

EDITOR:

For about 3 1/2 months members of this community have asked Congressman Ryan for his help regarding fair and equitable treatment by General Motors, Delphi, the Auto Task Force, the administration and Congress in the recreation of the domestic auto industry. Congressman Ryan made some tall promises at the April breakfast at Sunrise and asked for the support of the attendees at the May “ENOUGH” rally in Warren. And where do we now stand?

The congressman’s junior office staff has met with representatives of the local DSRA legislative committee on numerous occasions, and, while they have produced a decent support letter signed by Mr. Ryan and several other representatives, we still have nothing but increased potential for economic disaster as additional auto industry retirees see their “legacy” earned benefits stolen by GM as the major culprit, either by direct business decisions or by imposing selective will on Delphi and other suppliers.

We have demonstrated through industry supplied numbers that the local impact on the economy by the final goal of Delphi to dump salaried pensions, alone, in the PBGC and the stripping away of their health care will be about $26 million a year, every year. Yet, Mr. Ryan still seems too unwilling to use his strength within the Democrat caucus to make a phone call that would go a long way to have the legacies rolled into government provided financing for the GM/Delphi business plans.

Mr. Ryan’s own staff has told us that dumping the pensions into the PBGC will cause a serious problem to the immediate capabilities of that agency to meet its existing obligations. That will cause Congress to have to take prompt action to shore up PBGC and those costs will exceed the loans needed to force GM to accept its obligations to the Delphi and GM non-UAW retirees. Yet he refuses to make that call.

In the early spring, Mr. Ryan repeatedly stated that he would secure a local congressional hearing specific to the plight of Delphi retirees. Now, his staff claims the hearing would be an almost insignificant discussion of bankruptcy reform legislation. That is not fair or honest.

Mr. Ryan should use the “bully pulpit” that the voters of this district have leased him. He must contact the speaker of the House, now, on behalf of the retirees getting left in the dust. She holds significant influence with the White House. Then, he should call the president or at least one of his top aids and get this thing done.

This Valley needs and deserves some repayment for the unwavering support it has given the Democrat Party for decades. Why not collect for a justified cause? JOHN VOGEL

Mineral Ridge