"The Detroit Three"

In Saturday's Wall Street Journal, Terry Kosdrosky coined a new term that sums it up: "The Detroit Three". In the article "Glum Backdrop for UAW", The Wall Street Journal, March 24, 2007, Terry for the first time (that I've seen) redefines Chrysler, GM and Ford in a special automotive industry group. No longer are they the Big Three. Now these declining symbols of what's wrong with Michigan business are now known as "The Detroit Three".

Once again we stare at the problem: the UAW, but don't acknowledge the solution: right-to-work labor laws. For Michigan and its citizens, our problems continue to mount and we wallow in our own self-indignation. The members of the UAW somehow think they are responsible for the American middle class. That's just wrong. The American middle class is alive and well in high-growth states with low union involvement and right-to-work laws. Who's going to provide jobs in the future in Michigan? Not the UAW.

"The Detoit Three" is a terrible label and all three auto makers should make shedding this label their first priority. It's time for a dramatic break. It's time for a radical change. It's time for right-to-work laws to be legislated in Michigan.