UAW leader pledges to fight for Lordstown's survival

YOUNGSTOWN

At the Nov. 19 launch of the grass-roots Drive It Home campaign in support of the General Motors Lords-

town plant, Rich Rankin, the UAW Region 2-B Director made a promise to Lordstown workers: “You guys can count on me, through thick and thin, as long as I’m breathing. ... I’m always going to fight for Lordstown.”

It’s a promise Rankin will have the opportunity to keep in the coming months as the UAW negotiates a new contract with General Motors.

Central in the negotiations will be the allocation of products and the status of plants – including GM Lordstown – that GM announced Nov. 26 would be idled this year.

In a recent interview with The Vindicator, Rankin spelled out how contract negotiations work and reiterated his resolve to fight for GM Lordstown.

A Mahoning Valley native who started his career in Lordstown, the issue is all the more personal for him.

As a regional director for the UAW who directs operations in Ohio and Indiana, Rankin – although not at the bargaining table – expects to have some influence in the process.

Read more about him in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.