as we join together to honor ron get ell finger -- gettelfinger. he just retired and through a period of unprecedented difficulty, ron worked tirelessly on behalf of auto workers and helped the industry to be more competitive. it's my privilege to pay tribute to you, ron, today. a proud auto worker, ron joined the u.a.w. in 1964 as a repairman. the workers at the plant elected him to represent them as committee person and bar beganing chair and president of local 852. his leadership and commitment to auto workers elevated him to the ford bargaining committee and head of region and u.a.w. president and in 2002, ron was elected president of the union and re-elected in 2006. his tenure as u.a.w. president saw exceptional challenges to understate it. the critics said neither the union nor the auto makers could overcome. this was a period of painful job loss for tens of thousands of families. and during this difficult time, ron's dedication to working families never waned while he helped to keep the industry afloat. i'm proud to have been among those who