Since 1980 this area has had literally thousands of residents wither work for Chrysler or one of the businesses supported by the economic activity of their two plants in Fenton, MO. Many of thee folks have bought GM products that support the jobs here in Wentzville. All of this would not of happened if the politicians of 1980 hadn’t supported the legislation that saved Chrysler. The Detroit Free Press has the story in Chrysler rescue of 80,000 jobs during Carter administration almost didn’t happen…
“We had to convince the Chrysler family of workers and people all over that we could get this done, that they were going to have a future. We couldn’t let the media talk us down. The sales were drying up. It was really bad,” Blanchard said. “It was a public relations exercise as well as a legislative exercise.”
Over in the U.S. Senate, Richard Lugar, of Indiana, and Paul Tsongas, of Massachusetts, co-sponsored the bill to grant Chrysler’s wish. Lugar, a Republican, had Chrysler plants in his state. Tsongas, a Democrat, believed in keeping the national economy strong. Sen. Joe Biden wanted to save Chrysler jobs in Delaware. Michigan Sens. Don Riegle and Carl Levin, both Democrats, urged colleagues to support the effort.
The UAW, led by President Doug Fraser, worked hard to gin up support for Chrysler, and many Democrats felt loyalty to the labor union because of its civil rights record. Walter Reuther helped finance the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, formed after the Montgomery bus boycott that followed the arrest of Rosa Parks in 1955.
