What Is An "American" Car ?

On Monday, nearly 2700 workers walked out of the General Motors plant in Arlington. They were joining thousands of their union brethren in a strike against General Motors.

For years, these workers have watched as GM shipped American jobs to other countries, where they could abuse lower paid non-union workers. Today, GM has less than 25% of the number of American workers that it employed in 1970. That is an apalling figure, especially considering that many more cars are being made.

So this strike is less about wages, and more about job security. It's a bad sign that the contract expired on September 14th without a new agreement. Does it mean that GM wants to ship even more American jobs overseas?

This dilemma got me to wondering just what is an "American" car? Is it a Chevrolet made by Mexican workers for a company headquartered in the United States? Or is it a Toyota made by American workers for a company headquartered in Japan?

The Mexican-made Chevrolet makes GM's owners richer, but the American-made Toyota probably contributes more to the American economy, because the money made by the workers turns over several times and benefits many more people in this country. To me, a car made by American workers is a lot more American than one made by foreign workers, regardless of where the rich owners live.

American-headquartered car companies like GM and Ford should be careful about asking people to "Buy American". They might just do it.