Boycott Alabama: Joe Babiasz, Big Three Sympathizer Angry At Sen. Shelby, Starts Site

WWJ Newsradio 950 :

Joe Babiasz says he's sick of the 'circus of the Senate hearings'--and he wants 49 states and the District of Columbia to boycott the state of Alabama. Why? The Huntington Woods man says he's tired of the criticism of the Big 3 by Alabama Republican Senator Richard Shelby.

So, he's set up a website to further his cause: www.boycottalabamanow.com

Babiasz, who retired from General Motors after 34 years, told WWJ his boycott is for "any travel into the state, or the purchase of anything that's produced within the state of Alabama."

Read the whole story: WWJ Newsradio 950

Comments

[japan]

Thanks Joe for letting me know how you felt about boycotting . For your information Joe, I purchased a Toyota Prius yesterday (for real). Since you want to boycot us, I did boycot you yesterday with my money. We do not need you to buy anything from us....the whole world is buying from us. Our plants are running 24/7. Too bad that your figures were all bent out of shape. Please go back to your trailer and try and get an education before posting!! Looks as if most of the new factories are trying to locate in the South and let the rust belt and folks like you freeze with no job! Good luck and Merry Christmas Joe.....

[MikeinAL]

Insults and bickering: It's called divide and conquer. Our government has masterfully orchestrated this tactic for years. We ignore important issues and empower our government to make bad decisions. Socialism is here and learn to love it. People who don't work or pay taxes have equal votes just like hard working taxpayers. Illegals pour into this country because we have a class of people who don't want to work, but are pros at financially breaking our social programs in the name of entitlement. Politicians, government workers, and "non productive people" have excellent health care plans. The working class struggles just to make ends meet. We all want to retain our jobs. Therefore, the working class fight amongst themselves (like now) because our first priority is to provide for our families and not live off of others. Our good jobs are shipped abroad because corporate America and government work hand-in-hand through lobbyists. I have been laid-off before, but I got off my butt and found another job. My company wasn't bailed out. I sympathize with people about to lose their jobs because I've been there. Don't focus your anger at one state though because the majority of people in this nation elected the officials that got us in this mess. We should be working together to make a real change and I don't mean the type of change that Washington politicians always speak of.

[sposton]

This whole boycott idea is well meant but silly. A better approach is to threaten them with the potential uncalculated costs involved in this matter. When the next natural disaster hits these states what would prevent the Senators from states on the receiving end of this treatment to ask for all kinds of preconditions for any federal help? Perhaps we should ask that prior to any help those people must first slash their salaries. If they complain we can point out to the rest of the country how unreasonable these people are. They can't even help themselves by giving a little. Ridiculous? No more than some of the arguments put forth for not helping the automakers, auto workers and their families.

[DoesItReallyMatter]

The UAW already agreed to pay cuts in the last contract, 50% in actual wages. The UAW has had a two tiered wage system since 1984. The UAW added additional co-pays, deductibles, and limitations on medical services two contracts ago (8 years). The UAW is now in the business of providing health care insurance to the members, through a trust set up, initially funded by the Auto companies (payment has been deferred indefinitely). The contract can be re-opened and negotiated at any time (called a "living" agreement) and changes made without membership vote, with a few exceptions. You cannot change actual wage rates without a vote by the members. Those "reasonable" Southerns know this (they all have UAW represented plants in their districts). Their ONLY intent is to obstruct the LOAN, and embarrass, divide and ultimately break the Unions. PERIOD. The South shall rise Again! Hope you enjoy it!

[spwessler]

While I sympathize with the plight of the automakers and all their employees, I don't feel responsible for the current condition of the "Big Three". Poor management, huge executive bonuses and corrupt unions have crippled the industry. If the unions are not open to consessions that could possibly save jobs, then I don't feel like my tax dollars should bail out a greedy industry. Stay in Michigan and don't bother visiting our beautiful sugar sand beaches, especially during your bitter cold winters. Have you ever heard of anyone retiring and moving North....I didn't think so.

[sposton]

Nobody is asking you to feel responsible! I feel no more responsible for the automakers' troubles than when a hurricane hits your white sandy beaches but yet I do feel the responsibility to stick together and help one another.

Why is UAW corrupt? Because for you all unions by their very nature must be corrupt? Where are all these anti-union sentiments coming from? And why is this ides so widely spread in the South? Please enlighten us.

[nogimmicks]

Shelby is a shameless hypocrite, it is true. But why singling him out? Most of the Republicans and Democrats with notable exceptions of Ron Paul, Kusinich, and some other, do the same "Blagoevich" thing, namely trade their services to the highest bidder. Shelby did not say anything about secretive two Trillion dollar loans to the banks, about 150B to AIG, but is full of "free market wisdom" in case of organized labor.

His strength resides in voter's stupidity.

[Sweethomealabama]

I liven in Alabama but grew up in Michigan. I love the folks in both states and hope we can fix this problem. I would like for the Michigan folks to know that the people in Alabama buy a hell-of-a-lot of UAW products. I noticed plenty of Surburbans, Tahos, Jimmy's, Expeditons, Explorers, Rams's and even a new Challenger in the church parking lot today. The folks in Alabam feel the UAW is playing dirty with this boycott. You might want to consider the loss of market share you could cause the domestic auto makers with the boycott, red neck talk, and mean spirited attacks. We are your customers!

The good folks in Alabama are praying for Michigan. We hope to God that you will be willing to take a slight temporary pay reduction to demonstrate that you are willing to contribute to the bail out. We in Alabama want you to be successfull. We like your excellent products and share your desire to prosper. South! We are in this together and just can't understand why the UAW will not make any concessions.

[desertf8]

"We are in this together and just can't understand why the UAW will not make any concessions." This doesn't sound like you are sympathizing with the workers from the great state of Michigan to me. UAW workers HAVE been giving concessions. Check out the last contract negotiations. They are saying that they shouldn't be the only ones making the concessions and being the scapegoats in all of this. Attack the American working man and woman for the woes of the auto industry?? Give me a break!

[AZ AF VET]

Why must the UAW make more concessions than hey already have made. In real dollars their workers make maybe two dollars per hour more than the company X's in the Southern States. Take a look at the tax differential between Michigan and Alabama and the average UAW worker is making the same or less. Now ask Selby how many Alabama tax dollars has he doled out to the Foreign companies to get them to build in his state.

I thought that I saw a Stars and Bars flag on his lapel instead of the AMERICAN flag. He and his buddies in Tennessee, Georgia, Lousianna are traitors to the American workers.

The best thing that I saw last time in was in Geogia was the "Welcome to Alabama" sign in my rear view mirror.

[sposton]

Our southern compatriots have been largely swayed by the business interest propaganda that wish to kill the unions once and for all. The unions are not the problem of the Big Three because the cost of labor in a typical new car is about 10%! That leaves 90% that labor has very little to do. It is the management that makes decision in business not labor.

The arguments against unions are specious and are carefully crafted to appeal to the non-unionized labor in this country particularly in the South . There is only one aim and that is to sow a general antipathy towards the unions. That way they can say, "do you really want a union? They are so unreasonable and so rigid that they weren't willing to give a little to save themselves." They never paint the management with the same brush, the same management that is responsible for bringing this trouble to their companies, the same management that flies around in corporate jets.

And if the unions were the real problem for automakers would Germany's automakers, which are more unionized than the Big Three, be as successful as they are. Folks, do not just ape the propagandas that is fed to you. Instead, learn how to use the God given gray matter between your ears to think for yourselves.

[jweider]

I'm also boycotting Tennessee.
Bob Corker is just as responsible for this as Shelby.
The music industry in Nashville contributes about $6.4 billion a year to Tennessee's economy. There won't be any of that Nashville Hillbilly music on my Christmas shopping list this year.

[THE JEDI 69]

It's going to come at that Shelby and COCKER..are both in the pocket of these other car makers..or someone close to them is..and if so......UH OH

[local21]

How about for starters a naval blockade of Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans.

[Lupin77]

Toyota is operating a car company in Alabama and it has no unions. Maybe Shelby is a lobbyist for Toyota and wants to throw more business his way. If the 3 main US car companies go out of business, it means more cash for Toyota. Japan and China are taking over our country.

[IowaKid]

I came to the conclusion that Senator Shelby doesn't want the competition, so how better to handle it than make your competition go bankrupt.

[JoeBlough]

Senator Shelby wants to drag down the rest of America to the mediocre level of Alabama.

[local21]

Does that mean I'll have to give up my dental plan?

[fairplay500]

And you want to bring down America as a socialist which is fast becoming.. Beggars at this stage should be no choosers.Take your medicine and get well.

[Chibikim]

Boycott Alabama? Why don't they censure Shelby?

[markinaz]

What does Alabama have worth boycotting? It's the armpit of the South and that's sayin' sumthin'.

[noUAWinAL]

Must be something here. The U.A.W.'s thugs have been trying to organize our plant for ten years, without any luck. Probably why we're still in business in Vance. The armpit ain't sych a bad place to be.

[AZ AF VET]

Yes one day when the Big 3 are gone your wages, benefits, work hours, holidays, vacations will be taken away by those generous people in the corporate offices. You'll have the same rights that those that were picking cotton had a couple of hundred years ago.

[WorkingClass]

I think most people boycott Alabama anyway. I've been boycotting Alabama all my life and didn't even notice. Now I think about it I do believe Alabama has been boycotting me also.