IT’S ON– THE UAW DECIDES TO BURN DOWN WHAT’S LEFT OF DETROIT

For the first time since 1976, the United Auto Workers have called a national strike of a unionized automaker. Unable to agree with General Motors (GM) over job guarantees and off-loading the crushing burden of "Cadillac-style" health benefits into a union-run VEBA trust* while tying future benefits to rational market conditions, the UAW has gone on strike.

[*Update: "UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said that job security was the top unresolved issue, adding that the talks did not stumble over [the Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association trust proposal]"]

Given the tenuous state of the Detroit 3, a strike is akin to the "nuclear option."

Detroit cannot survive by giving up an estimated $25/hour labor advantage to the non-union Japanese/transplant automakers. Yet UAW intractability has seemingly brought the portion of the industry it manhandles to the brink.

Undoubtedly, the Japanese will "make hay while the sun shines" and seize more marketshare from the domestics during the strike. In the long run, this adversarial relationship will destroy more and more jobs at the Detroit 3. And the UAW will likely remain impotent to spread its myopic vision of labor utopia among the transplants.

All of this makes Detroit less competitive.

Something’s got to give. And that "something"should be the UAW.

Sadly, they’ve decided to torch what’s left of Motown instead.

STOP THE CORONATION! ROUSH-FENWAY MAKES IT A RACE FOR THE CUP.

Given the abysmal roll-out of Ford’s version of NASCAR’s "Car of Tomorrow," and the huge numerical advantage for GM in the Made-for-TV "Chase for the Nextel Cup," savvy NASCAR pundits gave Roush-Fenway Ford drivers Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards little chance of stopping a boring Chevy runaway.

Yet at Dover, Roush-Fenway FINALLY showed signs of life in the COT era. Carl Edwards won going way. And Matt Kenseth dominated the event, until his Yates-Roush Ford V8 blew up in the waning stages. Meanwhile, all of GM’s usual suspects (including Hendrick drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson, Gibbs drivers (a/k/a future Toyota traitors) Tony Stewart and Denny Hamblin, DEI’s Martin Truex, Jr. and RCR’s Kevin Harvick) all struggled.

It’s only one race of ten, but Carl Edwards is leading the points (as well as in the Busch Series) and may yet become a "fly in the ointment" for GM’s presumed Nextel Cup triumph.

It’s been a tough couple of days for the GM faithful . . . .

BUT GM'S HAVING A BETTER WEEK THAN FOMOCO'S JOHN FORCE

Force was injured in a wild second-round shunt with Kenny Bernstein at Sunday's NHRA O'REILLY NATIONALS in Ennis, TX.

According to Force's website:

"Doctors updated John Force’s family and team following a thorough evaluation of his multiple injuries and the prognosis for a full recovery is very good. Force sustained a broken left ankle and severe abrasion on his right knee. Force’s left wrist also was dislocated and broken and he sustained some severe abrasions and slight fractures on a number of fingers on his right hand."

With the death of Eric Medlen and now this, 2007 has been an abysmal year for John Force Racing.

Speedzzter's thoughts and prayers are with the Force family.