I am amazed at how easily Cooper Tire's propaganda can influence the opinions of working-class people in America. I understand everyone is struggling. How do you think change will come about? It will only come when workers refuse to be victimized. This is about the middle class and the working poor of America. We live in a country that is consumed by greedy companies asking American families to assume Third World country status while they issue enormous bonuses to corporate executives. How as working Americans can you support this behavior?
There should be a cost to do business here in America. If a country cannot support basic human rights, maintain a small ecological footprint and pay a sustainable wage, they should conduct their business elsewhere. Don't ask Americans to give up a century of struggle for human rights in the workplace in the name of company profitability when millions of dollars in bonuses are being distributed.
I am constantly hearing that we live in a new market and we need to make these sacrifices to remain competitive. Well, you are right about one thing. Aspects of business have changed since the 1980s and 1990s. In 1989, the ratio of pay between a CEO and an average worker in America was 71:1. In 1999, that figure rose to 299:1. The median family wage has increased 13.2 percent since 1992, while the wage of the average CEO has increased 476 percent. Don't allow yourself to be misled. There is wealth in this country. You just have to look up to find it.
Now, more than ever, we need to support our fellow working Americans when they are being asked to make sacrifices while companies are making record profits. Remember this when you are making your purchases. I am asking local tire retailers to express their displeasure with Cooper Tire's treatment of its employees. Support the members of the USW Local 207L out of Findlay and tell Cooper Tire if you want hometown loyalty, it works both ways.
John W. Smith II, Tiffin
