United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger reassured General Motors Corp. and Delphi Corp. retirees and workers Tuesday about the safety of their pensions and said the union would try to preserve the jobs bank that guarantees pay for laid-off workers. Manufacturers have said that the jobs bank, in which laid-off workers get most of their pay and benefits even when they're not working, puts them at a competitive disadvantage with their Asian counterparts who make cars in the U.S.
See "Gettelfinger says he's committed to preserving employee jobs bank", Tom Krisher, Chicago Tribune, November 20, 2006