A United Auto Workers leader said Monday that he is “extremely concerned” about the future of the Ford casting plant in Brook Park.
Tim Levandusky, the president of UAW Local 1250, which represents hourly workers at Ford’s huge Brook Park complex, made his comments after a meeting with other UAW officials and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who promised to explore ways to protect auto industry jobs in Ohio.
“We know we can’t lose another plant, and we are not going to let that happen,” Kucinich said during the meeting in Brook Park, which also included the city’s mayor, Mark Elliott.
This illustrates two things. First, industry is dead in America. First steel and now auto. I’ve been worried over the last few years that increased globalization would eventually kill off auto manufacturing jobs in this country. One thing that is glaringly apparent is increasing health care costs are going to lead to some sort of universal system or permanently kill off segments of the workforce.
The second illustration paints a picture of just how important it is for Cleveland to take the other diverged path in the proverbial woods. Industry helped build Cleveland, but continued reliance could be the cement shoes. It’s time to forge a new destiny. Good leadership is more important than ever.