…I am inspired to peck out this one because Strikes are in
the news and I’m not talking about Baseball Strikes.
Back when I was still rising to the height of my Mediocre
Automotive Career and I was worked for American Motors (Google it) we were
going through a Labor Strike as is happening at General Motors at this time.
I was told this story about what had happened at the Negotiating
Table by someone who was at the Negotiating Table…
- The Union Negotiators were demanding another paid day off.
- The Company Negotiators were resisting.
- At some point the Union Negotiators modified their demand and said they wanted to have the additional paid day off in honor of Martin Luther King.
- Immediately the Company Negotiators saw the danger.
- The Company Negotiators asked for a break.
- During the break the Company Negotiators discussed the danger that they faced for denying a day to honor the memory of the deceased civil rights leader.
- All of a sudden a minor throw-away negotiating point had turned into a big issue.
- If the company denied the requested day off to honor Martin Luther King, the Union was certain to put out the word that American Motors was dishonoring the memory of Martin Luther King and automobile sales would plummet.
- They decided they had to give in to the additional paid day off.
- Returning from the break, the Company Negotiators said they would grant the additional paid day off and asked which day should be set aside to honor the great man the day he was born or the day he died.
- The Union Negotiator leaned across the table, smiled and said they would like to honor Martin Luther King on Easter Monday (this was at a time when it was not against Federal Law to say the word “Easter”).
That, my dear readers, is how up until American Motors went
out of business their Union Workers obtained their Special Day to celebrate the
Memory of Martin Luther King.
Would I kid u?
Smartfella
Lagniappe: Of
course, I was Non-Union but we also got the same day off to honor Martin Luther
King that the Union obtained. Don’t tell anybody but I did not go to church and
pray all day Easter Monday for Martin Luther King like the Union Members did.
