. >> i am of home care worker from united home, uaw -- uhw, and we are facing deep cuts in our benefits, which right now are not very much. it is a huge percentage of our benefits. given the potential state that's coming down, which will be 12% in july. that could be 20%. there is not a lot of money for our home care workers to pay the additional health and dental costs, plus many of our members are falling under the minimum amount. i have great concern about that. health care is one of the most efficient uses of our dollars, because every time we use its, we have five times the cost going as people go from home into institutions and people are first to use general hospital, so, of all the savings we are seeing going on, just on my own, i would like to say i am in league perhaps with the president in considering there are revenues. perhaps there is more of a political vacuum where we can only consider cuts that some areas of our economy are prospering, that there should be revenues available in those areas that we need to perhaps spend together as a city, to join up with other cities an

. >> what about active in the uaw politics? >> my dad was a uaw member -- well, still is.e's a retiree. he built ac spark plugs for almost 35 year, and my uncle was in the sit down strike in flint in the 1930s. >> laverne? >> yes. >> did you know him? >> yes, he was in the sit down strick, which i think this year is going to be the 75 anniversary of that this strike in flint that really created the uaw and really made it and got its first contract with general motors and united a labor movement in the 1930s across the country. >> at what point in your life do you remember your sense of political right and wrong come into play? >> oh, that's a good question. you know, i had a cousin who lived in new york city, and her dad was a state assemblyman, a roosevelt democrat. she would come there one summer to michigan, and then we go to new york city. her name was pat, and she taught my sisters and i a lot about politics at a young age. i remember in first and second grade she having me memorize john f. kennedy's inaugural address. i was able to do it. by second grade -- this is a

and he wasn't willing walk away from the uaw employees and he wasn't going to abandon an industry that meant so much it our economy and so many others. and he said that if they are willing to do the difficult work to make them competitive. we would support them and give them another chance. and because of what we did, the automobile industry is rising again. manufacturing is coming back, and our economy is recovering and gaining traction. but the thing is this, even for a lot of people with jobs, their wages aren't keeping pace with gas and health care and college tuition. that's what the president and i remained focused on, not just recovering from the recession but you can get ahead and put your kids through college and retire with dignity and security. before i sign you have, i want to mention again memorial day and remember what this holiday is about. we still have tens of thousands of troops still in harms way. in days we past we remembered heros from former wars. but it's essential that we remember today, and that thousands of names have been added to those memorials in the wars

c-span: photo of a uaw union group at a general motors plant of--how are the unions doing in 19... >> guest: '37? c-span: well, how are they doing now compared to where they were back then? >> guest: oh. well, you know, in the very short run, union--some unions are having something of a--ha--having something of a comeback. some people in the labor movement are feeling better today than they did last year. again, i think it's--it's awfully tricky to be getting--to make predictions about where the union movement is going. we live in fat economic times at the moment; more people have more wealth today than at any time in the century. in 1937, at the time this picture--one of our witnesses is--is victor ruther, walter's brother, who talks... c-span: another photo in the--in the group to--in the book, too? >> guest: i have to go and s--i have to be--see what page you're on. this is a big book. i have to see what page you're on--196. c-span: yeah, he's the... >> guest: talks a little bit about--there's a wonderful story in here about--about how a woman faints in an auto plant on the west si

president disagreed and, in addition, he wasn't willing to walk away from the thousands of hardworking uawho worked at gm and chrysler and in many cases, not only all their lives, but as second and third generation employees. and he certainly wasn't going to abandon an industry that had meant so much to our economy, and so much to so many for so long. so, he said if gm and chrysler, and their management, and all their shareholders were willing to do the difficult work of making themselves more competitive, we would support giving them another chance. and because of what we did, the auto industry is rising again. manufacturing is coming back. and our economy is recovering and it's gaining traction. but the thing is this: even for a lot of people with jobs, their wages aren't keeping pace with prices of everything from gas to groceries to health care and college tuition. that's why the president and i remain focused on, not just recovering from this recession. we're focused on making sure that if you work hard, play by the rules, you'll be able to get ahead, put your kids through college, re

. >> reporter: uaw.ery often, any president, for security reasons, obviously. i can tell you some of our producers who have been on the ground and here in dublin, there's obviously been intense security in the days ahead leading up to this. the town is in a virtual lockdown, if you will. it's safe for the president. the secret service was all around. you see some of them there. and you don't see him wade into a crowd quite like that very often, as you noted, unless you get closer to the campaign season. as you said, there aren't any votes in ireland, but there are an awful lot of irish american votes back there in the states. >> oh, you got that right. ed henry, thank you. we needed a bit of brightness. we like it. thank you, ed. >>> coming up, we're going to take you back to joplin, missouri. our brian todd is outside of st. john's regional hospital. he talked to a minister whose church was hit by a tornado. car connection calls the xf, yet an instant classic." with sports car styling and power, plus th