It was about this time last year that Gov. Rick Snyder signed Michigan's Right-To-Work law. So it's to be expected that UAW members maybe booed him a little bit during an announcement about GM upgrading their Michigan plants.
What was probably less expected was UAW regional director Norwood Jewell hyping up Snyder's probable 2014 opponent, Mark Schauer, while the governor sat a couple feet away on stage.
Michigan Radio: “Mark Schauer was fighting for those auto loans. Mark Schauer was a 7th district congressman when those loans were done. And Mark has always been there for us,” said Jewell, the governor sitting to his left.
Then Jewell added, “Mark Schauer is a candidate for governor of this state of Michigan … and we need to think about that also.”
Jewell’s remarks drew applause from the largely UAW audience. The governor did not applaud.
Now, sure, when you kneecap unions with a Robert Irsay-like legislative process, you can't expect labor to hop aboard the Relentless Positive Action express.
At the same time, Walter Reuther once did battle with Harry Bennett's goon squads to secure a better deal for workers. In the this era of $14/hour line jobs, a little passive-aggressive bitchiness toward the governor doesn't really hack it.
