5 UAW Figures Hit Victor Reuther for Cozying-Up Attack

DETROIT —  In a rare move, five major figures in the United Auto Workers today publicly blasted a founder of the labor union for his recent charges that UAW leaders have given up hard-won gains and are cozying up to the management of U.S. auto makers.

Former UAW presidents Douglas Fraser and Leonard Woodcock and union vice presidents Ken Bannon, Pat Greathouse and Irving Bluestone, released a document titled, “An Open Response to Victor Reuther.”

Reuther was one of the UAW’s early leading figures. His brother, Walter Reuther, is credited with founding the labor group, which now boasts 1 million members.

In the document, the former officials blasted Reuther for a series of controversial comments, including one in which he said it appeared that current union officers are “completely in bed with corporate America” because of the growing trend toward Japanese-style cooperative programs.