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Key NAFTA Vote Over,
Still Talk Of The Town
G
ershon Lipenholtz of
Southfield hasn't worked
in five months.
A member of the In-
ternational Brotherhood of Elec-
trical Workers (IBEW), the
electrician takes union jobs
when they are available When
he is employed, Mr. Lipenholtz
spends much of his time doing
electrical work at automobile
plants — GM, Ford or Chrysler.
Now that the North Ameri-
can Free Trade Agreement has
passed the U.S. House of Rep-
resentatives and the U.S. Sen-
ate, IBEW — which has been
one of NAFTA's most vocal la-
bor opponents — is worried
about the future of its workers.
Mr. Lipenholtz is not terribly
concerned.
"I have parted company with
my leaders because of the glob-
al economy," Mr. Lipenholtz
says. "I heard it (NAFTA) was
terrible, and I continued to read
up on it. I should be against it.
I am not working.
"But you know what they say
about politics and strange bed-
fellows," Mr. Lipenholtz says.
"There are other things besides
my own job. There comes a time
that I have to think about the
future of the country and not
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Bill Davidson: Concerned.
just about myself."
Bill Clinton's victory on NAF-
TA pleased Mr. Lipenholtz. But
the pact that will create the
world's largest free trading zone
leaves as many questions
among the Jewish labor sup-
porters and the business com-
munity as it answers.
For each person who is hope-
ful, another is skeptical. For
each business that expects to
benefit, another fears it may be
hurt.
Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-
Birmingham, is confident the
agreement means a healthier
economy in the country's future.
Yet Rep. Sander Levin, D-
Southfield, and both Michigan
senators believe the agreement
is bad news for the country.
"I continue to believe that
NAFTA math, as I describe it,
does not add up," said Sen. Carl
Levin, a Democrat."The U.S.
Commerce Department contin-
ues to use distorted numbers,
and continues to ignore the job
loss impact of imports from
Mexico to the U.S. NAFTA is
bad for Michigan and it is bad
for America."
Like many auto workers,
Bernie Hamburger is leary of
NAFTA. He drives a forklift at
Ford Motor Company's Michi-
gan Thick Plant in Wayne, and
he wonders why his union —
the United Auto Workers —
supported Mr. Clinton in the
last election. He voted for Ross
Perot.
"This is kind of scary," Mr.
Hamburger says. "I am won-
dering what will happen in the
Can Levin: "Distorted."
future. I hope we will not get
burned for this later.
"It is so hard to tell what will
happen," he says. "It is hard to
imagine that all of a sudden my