I Pledge to Buy a Made-in-US Car. If We All Buy American - and Obama and Congress Act - We Can Revive US Manufacturing
I pledge that soon I will buy a new, fuel-efficient car -- built in America by UAW workers.
I'm asking you to take this pledge with me and get others to do so too.
If enough Americans take this pledge -- and pass it on -- we can revive our country's auto and manufacturing industries. And we can give a big boost to the workers and communities -- and to our country -- who depend on those crucial industries.
Click here to take the American auto revival pledge. Here are your choices:
I pledge that my next car will be
__ manufactured in America.
__ will be more fuel-efficient than my last one.
__ and it will be made by UAW workers.
__ I'll only consider foreign cars built in the US if the UAW represents their workers.
__ I am signing the Petition for Auto-Supply Chain Jobs sponsored by the Alliance for American Manufacturing, the Mayors and Municipalities Automotive Coalition, and the United Steel Workers.
In this disastrous economic meltdown, the workers in the auto and supplier plants and dealerships of our country are losing jobs by the hundreds of thousands. And the proud UAW has made painful yet patriotic wage concessions in an effort to save America's most important industry.
I want Barack Obama's plan to save the industry and revive manufacturing to succeed -- so I'm stepping up to do a small thing: I pledge that my next car will be made in the good old USA.
Now, I know that for some of us, buying American may feel like a sacrifice. But a Malibu matches the quality of a Honda these days. And even Americans lusting after a BMW will be amazed at the performance of today's small Cadillac. And the Ford Escape hybrid gets mileage comparable with the Prius. If we all do this together, we can make American cars cool again -- and give American companies the time to invest in a new generation of fuel-efficient competitive automobiles.
This recession is a national emergency--as serious as 9-11. Back then no one was asked to do anything--except our soldiers. This time, it is our economic future that's at stake.
GM, Ford and Chrysler sold 6.3 million domestically-produced cars and light trucks in 2008, two million fewer than in 2007. Auto analysis expect that sales will drop to 4.4 million this year.
A typical assembly plant can build about 250,000 vehicles and will employ about 2,500 workers. If we collectively bought 1 million additional vehicles this year, that would save the equivalent of about four assembly plants and the jobs of 10,000 workers.
In addition, every job in Big Three domestic auto assembly creates an additional nine jobs in supplier industries and communities. So, if 1 million new buyers purchase domestic vehicles, it would create or save an estimated 100,000 jobs, based on data from the UAW and independent research groups.
We all have to step up. If you agree, take the pledge, and then, if enough of us do it, we can revive America.
After a nationwide bus tour, a Capitol Hill Teach In on Auto Jobs on May 19 will feature national economists, labor and business leaders, members of Congress, local elected officials and everyday workers. MSNBC's Ed Schultz will lead off discussion of principles for revitalizing the auto industry by supporting American jobs and communities. To learn more about how the auto manufacturing industry impacts local communities, visit www.americanmanufacturing.org.
A personal note: At 6 a.m. one day last week I was sitting in the DMV auto inspection line, hoping my 1990 Plymouth Laser would make it through one more inspection. Other people in the line complained about how slow it was moving. They're laying people off here too, one guy explained. And those layoffs, as in every city and state in America, are due to lowered tax revenues due to growing unemployment and the deepening recession.
As I sat idling in the DMV line I knew that, even if it passed inspection, my old car (which has no air bags or anti-lock brakes), was putting more carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the air than it did when it was new. I realized that my frugality in nursing along this old car (which has served me well) was not only likely to kill me, it was helping to kill the planet and the economy.
Amazingly, my old Plymouth passed. But I drove to work that morning grateful to have a job to go to--and resolved that it was time to buy a new car. And the car will be made in the U.S.A.
Don't get me wrong. I didn't make the decision out of altruism. Like most Americans, I really enjoy getting a new car. Some of my green friends try to pretend they don't need a car. But they all have at least one, maybe more. And most of us--even the greenest of greens--really enjoy driving a new car, especially when circumstances push them over the edge. Many of my friends with kids who have left the nest, for example, have been thrilled to graduate back from their minivan to anything that doesn't feel like driving a bathtub. Like them, I had just handed myself the excuse to start car shopping.
As many of us who can, let's pledge to buy a new, fuel efficient car made by the UAW.
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I pledge NEVER EVER AGAIN to buy a car manufactured by a US-govmt/UAW owned company (soon to be GM and Chrysler).
Americans should stand up and severely punish these companies that are being propped up by taxpayers and gifted to the UAW and Fiat to the detriment of free market companies like Ford and the US operations of Honda, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes et al that assemble cars in free (i.e. non UAW) US states.
Lets make it clear to the US govmnt that we, AMERICANS, do not reward failed models of damaged brands and unsustainable UAW extortionary wages, benefits, and work rules, that NO OTHER AMERICAN PRIVATE BUSINESS WORKERS ENJOY.
Reward excellence. Reward winning business models. Reward winning productivity (measured by vehicle output * vehicle quality / wages). Reward good and clear brands.
Americans should not reward the failed companies. Even less so now that they are being rewarded by the US govmt for their failed model.
I totally agree. I went out looking for new cars and went to Ford first. Ford did not take the money but have very ugly cars. The wife was not interested in any of them. Since the Chevy dealer was right there we just wanted to see what they offered but would never buy one because they took the money, taxpayers money. The first vehicle we looked at had printed right on the sticker, Engine produced in China, Transmission produced in Japan and assembled in Canada. I believe in helping out America but you would not be doing this buying this Chevrolet product. Now I am trying to find cars that are produced in the United States regardless of thier brand name.
Watch the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car" . GM had it back in the mid 1990's. People loved it and they crushed all the vehicles. Do I feel sorry for GM, hell no! They had it made and still took taxpayer money. Another thing, all the companies had electric cars because of a Califoria mandate that said zero emissions.
The American made car is a fiction. There is no such thing. Just because it is assembled here, the parts and the parts used to make those parts come from all over the world. Wake up!
"buy American" must be accompanied by "hire American." We've been down this road before. Last time it was a one-way street. This time, the effort must go both ways.
Even if it were true that the quality of American cars is catching up with the imports, and I don't really believe that it is, who in their right mind would want to take their car into an American dealership for fleecing, or as they call it, servicing?
The automakers need more pressure, not less, to start making cars that people want to buy. This is the one example where the free market is actually overcoming monopoly lethargy, and forcing inefficient operations into bankruptcy so as to make way for more deserving competitors.
Sorry, my next car will be a Prius. I had hoped that the American auto industry would start to lead the way on hybrids, hydrogen and electric in the years I've been abroad, but they didn't. They have instead pushed a fleet of criminally inefficient vehicles that have participated in egregious pollution, waste and the undermining of the American economy and national security through dependence on foreign oil and the wars fought to secure it. In the process they have done everything in their power to encourage as much pollution and consumption as they possible could, even taking legal action against my home state of California.
And I'm supposed to reward them for this?
No. Charity is one thing. Buying American is one thing. But there is no way I'm giving my money to people who have shown nothing but arrogance and contempt with regard to new technologies, people who have done so much damage to my country, people who in another age might have been expected to perform seppuku to atone or merely been torn apart by an angry mob. If they learn their lesson from this, I hope my next car can be a plug-in electric designed and built in the United States. Until I see some solid forward motion from these people, I will support companies that are taking the future of our species more seriously.
Outstanding post! The egregious behavior of the CEO's of these failing companies astounds me! Since when is a company too big to fail? Wouldn't that be called a monopoly? Aren't there laws against that kind of thing.
1. I have four vehicles. Two Chevys, one Ford, one Porsche (a 1987 944).
2. You make some not-so-true statements in your article. The Malibu may match the quality of SOME Honda model, but GM is still nowhere near Honda overall. "Today's small Cadillac" is, indeed, a decent-performing sport sedan compared to a larger BMW, but the BMW I lust after is the Z. The Ford Escape hybrid gets mileage comparable with the Prius only in the sense that you can compare their mpg and see that the Prius is 50% better.
3. I am happy to support the UAW. The fact that the US auto industry has only grudgingly implemented improvements in design and quality, during my entire lifetime, is NOT the fault of the UAW. It is the fault of the corporate management. However, asking for a pledge to buy only a vehicle made by UAW members is, in effect, suggesting that the UAW supports crappy corporate management.
4. I always look at US cars first, and if there is a US car that meets my needs, we're done. I rarely buy a new car (first-year depreciation is ridiculous), and I tend to drive them until they fail. I will make an exception when there is a MAJOR innovation in pollution control; otherwise, I'm quite sure that the incremental pollution from a slightly older car is far less than that created by the construction of a new one.
Focus on Quality: Let's stretch the car's reliable life-cycle to match the price we pay for the vehicle.
Focus on Affordability: Let's build a car that even our employees can easily afford to buy.
Focus on Appeal: Give it a subtle style upon which one might develop a strong sense of pride in ownership.
Focus on Tranquility: Let's build a car that allows us to focus on the National Security that comes with being regionally self sufficient with our available energy resources without sacrificing our productivity.
Focus on Us: Let's develop hope in our future by providing a wage sufficient to responsibly raise two children.
Nope. Not signing. You're so far off base with this one it's ridiculous. Give me a Toyota (made in Kentucky, West Virginia....) any day over the unreliable American mades any day.
Hmmmm. Buy a piece of poorly designed crap that will fall apart in a few years if not recalled, just to support a group of manufacturers that have lobbied against seatbelts, airbags, speed limits, fuel efficiency and who have repeatedly sold cars like the Ford Pinto (BOOOM!) and pushed oversized SUVs into a market that is overwhelmingly going for smart efficient vehicles? Yeah, I think I'll sign that pledge right after I join the Republican party and start throwing tea bag parties.
Although Honda makes good cars in the US. They haven't had their paws out. Hmmmm. Maybe it's because they sell cars people will buy.
Oh wait. Never mind. I'm unemployed because the economy is cratering and I won't be buying ANYTHING new for a while. Bite me, Detroit. Where's my bailout?
Toyota, Honda, and other foreign car manufacturers come here and build their cars with good American workers and pay a decent salary and benefits, but in the end, THEY DESIGN BETTER CARS. It is not the average workers who work in the plants who have driven the U. S. car manufacturers into the ground, it is the execs who design and decide what they are going to produce.
Heh, you better check that U. S. car and make sure it isn't made in Mexico or Canada. I just rented a Cobalt while our car was being repaired and that car sucked. It was cheap, drove horribly and I would never, ever buy one. The rental company asked me to bring it back and exchange it, as its' maintenance was due and they had a Nissan Versa and the thing rides better, gets better mileage from what I have been able to tell and costs less than that stripped down Cobalt.
If U. S. car makers want Americans to buy the cars, MAKE THEM BETTER. We have always liked Ford's and we are going to try to get a Ford Fusion hybrid but from what we have read it is going to cost nearly $7,000 more than the Prius and Insight. How do they think they are going to be able to compete with those two at that cost?
I absolutely LOVE my Ford Fusion. It is a sporty, luxury car. After driving mostly V8 engines, with one V6 car that was not very fast, (ALL Fords) I was a little hesitant to buy a V4, but it is really zippy and smooth driving, and I adjusted very quickly. I was dismayed to learn that it was mostly made in Mexico, but at least some Americans benefit when you buy an American named car. We have to do better, everything in an American named car should be made in America!! i didn't know that I could buy a hybrid Fusion, but at least I am going in the right direction towards fuel efficiency.
It's an inline 4, not a V4. Do your research before you buy again.
I will be paying a lot more attention to the tags on the products I buy. All this stuff made in china, taiwan, and so on will not be getting my cash!!!
The American Consumer has a whole lot of power and its time to flex our muscle for our own benefit.
Dear Mr Hickey,
Apparently, your readers are all still employed, you may want to wait a few more months, then propose the petition once again.
One would have to be terribly obstinate and selfish to not see the value of buying American as you suggest. I will always buy American first, and Chinese last. I stopped buying Levi's when they closed their last Californian factory, and Maytag when they closed their last Iowan factory. I buy shoes made in Massachusetts and Minnesota, cigars made in Joe Biden's home town, and my beer comes from Milwaukee. And I buy these products so that those workers, or customers of those workers may someday support my line of work. Only when people stop saying "It's all about Me" will the tide change, and unemployment is one thing that changes peoples minds.
Thanks for your contribution and attempts to make our lives better.
Sincerely,
David Paris
Ann Arbor, MI
No thanks. I'm going SMART for my next car.
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