Here & Now; 647

irted Good evening, I'm Frederica Freiber. Tonight on here and now, General Motors delivered a mighty blow to the City of Jainsville this week. In a moment, we'll take you there for a report on the Auto Giants Plan to close the Jainsville Plan, then we'll talk with the president of the Jamesville City Council herself a 22-year GM employee. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has a new chancellor. Yesterday the Board of Regents confirmed Cornell Provost Carolyn Martin. Dr. Martin will join us from Ithaca later in the program. Last week the members of the State Supreme Court ruled on one of their own. Later we'll learn about the meaning of the Court's disciplinary action against Justice Annette Ziegler and our award-winning singing commentator is back tonight. Peter Lighty has a welcome to the Badger State Tune for incoming chancellor Martin. But first auto workers have always had to live with emotional ups and downs. The car industry is notoriously cyclical at the mercy of economic trends and the fickle tastes of people shopping for a new set of wheels.

Oil hit a record high today which probably won't motivate anyone to shop for a hummer. But the 2600 employees at General Motors' Jamesville plant have been through a high and low to beat them all this year. Here and now producer Art Hackett says the workers started the year at the center of national attention. Five months later they were headed down the road to a dead end. One week before Wisconsin's presidential primary democratic hopeful Barack Obama chose the General Motors plant in Jamesville to kick off his campaign in the Badger State. Obama toured the assembly line where some 2600 workers built sport utility vehicles such as the Chevy Suburban and Tahoe. When he was in the plant they rolled out the red carpet for him. It was a good pump for the plant especially just having the opportunity to have Barack there. And especially if he turns out to be president. But following news that came Tuesday morning it became apparent whomever is elected president in November.

Jim Jamesville likely will not last through that person's term. Well Bill Blacks just came out he's our manager and he came out and just said we're going to be closing and there's very little chance of getting anything else here. Well they just told us economic conditions gas prices the plant is going to close. That's all that's a pretty short meeting is about a five minute speech. Then we went down and watched the state of the business from Rick Wagner on a satellite TV. At our meeting yesterday the General Motors Board of Directors approved an all new next generation Chevrolet compact car program. Well he paid it a pretty rosy picture of General Motors and all the new products we have coming out. Unfortunately Jamesville isn't playing a part in that. We need to address the rapid industry shift away from trucks and SUVs. Jamesville Wisconsin where we build the Chevy Tahoe and suburban GMC Yukon and Chevy GMC and Assuzu medium duty trucks. The medium duty truck line will cease operation by the end of 2009 and the SUV lines will will discontinue production in 2010 or sooner if market demand remains weak.

In Rick Wagner's speech this morning he indicated that 18 of the 19 new product launches will be passenger vehicles and crossovers. And as we said Jamesville produces trucks and sport utility vehicles. We produce world class quality award winning SUVs. We do it every day we do it with pride and we do it with dignity. Unfortunately by no fault of our own the market has shifted from smaller, more fuel shifted to smaller more fuel efficient vehicles. Dutchers shared the stage at local 95s Union Hall with Governor Jim Doyle. It was just a kick in the gut to think that people work this hard. You know the way the world is supposed to work that if you work really hard and you produce a great product then good things are supposed to happen. Not this.

Several years ago the Union made a bid to build GM's new line of sport utility vehicles. The state of Wisconsin kicked in a $10 million subsidy to help retool the plant and train workers. At the time last negotiations this was a good product. When we went through it when we had the announcement of the SUV it's a hot seller. Always has been. Till now. A couple years ago you didn't want to be at a car plant because car plants were laying off and it just changed on a dime. We're now now the car plants are working as much overtime as they can. I mean we were on 50 hours a week for 15 years and it's just you know you got to change. At the press conference there was talk of an ending that would make a great plot for a movie. Plant threatened with closing, everyone tries real hard, a miracle happens. The bargaining committee and the membership have jumped through hoops to do everything that General Motors has asked us to do to keep this product here. Our only hope is that we still may have a chance to try to get a different product, a future product but it's probably a slim chance.

But at the plant gate fewer expecting a happy ending to this movie. I hope they come to grips with this because they're not going to change their mind. I've been through two, this is my third plant closing. So they're not going to change their mind. The only thing that's going to change their mind if these trucks that we're building all since start selling. And that is a fat chance that that happened. Just a few months ago I was in this plant with Barack Obama and the pride that GM had in this plant. Just three months ago as they were showing it to who may well be the next president of the United States and the pride of the people that were on the floor that day as we went through. A few hours later in St. Paul, Minnesota, Barack Obama would take the stage to announce that he was going to be the Democratic Party's nominee. I think it's going to be a great thing to have a president of the United States

who has at the top of his priority list how we make sure we have a good strong economy. When Obama's name was mentioned many in the Union hall hole, Obama would be the next president. We continue to deal with politicians in the White House that don't want to do anything to fix the economy. But the fate of Jamesville hinges on more than who is president or who is building the vehicles inside this plant. They're good workers and it's make a good priority. But if you make the best don't incident a world of everybody's not fat for your diet, you'd be out of business. That was Art Hackett reporting. We are joined now in Jamesville by someone who has worked at the GM plant for more than two decades. She is also the president of the Jamesville City Council. Welcome to Amy Leshing. Thanks so much for being here. Oh, you're welcome. Well, now that the news has had time to sink in, what's the mindset among workers and city leaders? Well, I still think that there's a little bit of shock, but there still is hope.

And so I think the workforce is as long as well as the city is thinking that we're just going to move forward with the hopes that they can bring in a new product here in Jamesville. You are just out of an economic summit, I understand, looking at ways to kind of reinvent Jamesville minus GM. What is the plan? Well, the plan will actually be with or without GM. The economic summit will be focused on Jamesville as a community and the community of business leaders as well as citizens will gather to kind of talk about what they want their vision to be. This same type of a summit was done about 20 years ago. And I can tell you that if the Jamesville plant had announced it was closing then and did close the doors, we would be in a lot of trouble here in Jamesville. But we've been able to diversify enough from the past summit that it doesn't have as big an impact as it would have. And we're hoping that this summit will produce even more diversity in the future.

Because I know that suggestions that GM might stay in Jamesville and keep the plant open because of the dedication of the workers and how good they are and how loyal they are. But how realistic is that truly? Well, our local leadership is hopeful, but they do say that it is a slim chance. We do have one of the highest quality workforces throughout the industry and we've won lots of awards and lots of attention from Detroit. So there's always still hope. I told a group of citizens recently that when I was hired in in 1986, they told me that I would work there for six months. And I was considered a temporary worker myself along with almost a thousand others. And the plant was to be closed at that time. And that was 22 years ago and we're still producing vehicles today. Things have obviously really changed over the past 20, 22 years. I did speak with an expert who suggested that because of that workforce, that highly trained excellent workforce in Jamesville, perhaps the time is right to put something else into that plant.

Not necessarily automobiles that run on gasoline, but maybe the next wave of vehicles that run on something different has happened discussed. We would love to get a new wave of vehicles. We'd love to be in the forefront and possibly even have one of the electric vehicles that is coming out. That would be great. Now, date today, as a long time GM Jamesville employee, how are you personally coping? Well, it's still in shock. I'm still reacting from the sadness that it brings not just for the General Motors workers, but for the Lear and LSI and even Gilmans and the trickle-down effect throughout our community that it's going to have. I think personally I still haven't had an opportunity to take my breath and think about it. What will you do if you don't work for GM?

I'm not sure what I would do, but I would probably use the tools that they're going to give us for retraining and I might go into a nursing field. How do you replace the high paying jobs that GM offered over these years? That's going to be a challenge. They're very good paying jobs. A lot of our citizens count on that money to support their quality of life, so I'm not sure that we can replace those jobs. Our hopes are that GM will remain here. What are you expecting in the way of help from the state? The state legislators, as well as federal legislators, have already been in contact with us and I know that they are willing to fight this fight with us. They'll be there every step of the way with city officials, as well as UAW local 95 leadership. So it'll be a battle, but we're ready to fight. Amy Loving, thanks very much. Good luck to you.

Thank you. Bucky, meet Biddy. Carolyn Biddy, Martin, comes to the UW-Madison this fall as its new chancellor. The Board of Regents this week confirmed Martin as the next chief executive of the university's flagship campus. A native of Virginia, Martin received her PhD at UW-Madison in German literature. Her salary as chancellor will be $437,000 a year and she officially takes the reins on September 1st, but she joins us now from Ithaca, New York, where she is provost at Cornell University. And Dr. Thanks very much for joining us. Thank you, Frederick. I'm delighted to be here. We welcome you to our program and to Wisconsin. Now by all accounts, thank you and thank you for the introduction. Sure. Now by all accounts, you are highly respected at Cornell and successful in your leadership. You'll be coming here for less money according to news accounts and jumping into the fire of state budget shortfalls, some political ill will toward the UW-Madison.

And it's not like our weather is any better. So why do you want to take this on? Well, that's very promising sounding. Thank you. I'm delighted by the opportunity. I realize that the weather is warmer, but it's much sunnier in Madison than it is in Ithaca, New York. So I'm looking forward to the sun in the winter months. It's a great opportunity, as I know you know, it's a world-class research university with just extraordinarily talented faculty, students and staff in a beautiful state that I always loved when I lived there. And I'm really looking forward to returning. Despite challenges and what will be priority one for you when you arrive? Well, the priority immediately is to get to know people and start to build relationships with them. I'm going to be in a listening mode, obviously, and I'm looking forward to collaborating with the staff, the faculty, the students, the people of the state of Wisconsin, the legislature, the governor, and the system office to do what we can to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life for everyone.

Now, I know that one of the things that you worked at on that Cornell was boosting faculty salaries, and that has been an issue of contention here at the university system, as well as in Madison, as well as domestic partner benefits. What will you do on these fronts when you arrive? Well, the first thing I'll have to do, as I said earlier, is really listen, study the situation, find out what our options are. It's very important that faculty salaries be competitive. You may be aware of the fact that the competition right now for faculty all over the United States, and indeed all over the world, is becoming more and more fierce.

And that's because the hiring bulge of the 60s is now becoming a retirement bulge. And so the competition has never been greater for talent. And having a faculty salaries be what they need to be in order to compete well is a very high priority. So, Wisconsin's faculty salaries are, as you point out, not yet at the median of the peers, and we need to do whatever we can to change that. That was also the case at Cornell when I became provost. We had a faculty salary problem, and it took us several years and a very concerted effort with lots of cooperation to change things. We've made significant progress. So, the first thing I need to do, however, is learn as much as I can about the situation in Wisconsin and see what our options are. I look forward to working on that. How would you encourage access for students, be that financial access or minority access?

That's probably the most critical issue right now, all over the country and both at private and public institutions. Access and affordability are essential. They're the bedrock of what has made American higher education, the gem that it is overall. So, that will be a very high priority. It's the case that higher education has been financed in the United States for a very long time in the form of what I like to call a three-legged stool with federal and state funding provided by families and students themselves, and then funding provided by the university. As I'm sure you know, the burden has shifted over time to university and private funding as the strains on federal and state budgets and the difficulties for families have increased. Financial aid to ensure that students with need can attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison will be a very high priority for me.

When it comes to diversity of the student body, I'm sorry, go ahead. Please, I wanted simply to emphasize the importance of diversifying the student body as well as staff and faculty. And there are some very interesting and it seems successful programs that have been put in place at the University of Wisconsin under John Wally's chancellorship. And I hope to build on those and see what creative new ideas we can develop in order to diversify the student body even more. So, in closing, really, I guess what message would you like to relay to the students and faculty and citizens of Wisconsin about what to expect from a Chancellor Martin beginning day one? I'd like to have them expect openness, integrity, dedication, hard work, and a contribution to enhancing the university and the state as a whole. I'll also use my sense of humor and just the enormous joy I feel on a university campus as a way of helping us build collaboration and teamwork and face problems that I think together we can solve.

That's a very positive message and we look forward to meeting you in person. Thanks very much. Thank you very much. In addition to confirming Martin as Chancellor on Thursday, the UW Board of Regents also approved a 5.5% tuition hike at four-year campuses across the state. 3% of that hike goes to pay for a state program that gives free tuition to veterans. And we ask some of you what advice you had for the incoming Chancellor. Here's what you said. I think salary is the first thing that she needs to look at and retaining faculty. I spend a lot of time listening to people, get to know not only the university community but the broader community that the university is part of. I would tell her just be aware of the community. No medicine, listen to what the community wants, go with that, listen to the students, do what's best for everybody.

The university is such a big part of the community here. It's really important that she be in touch with that. And our own singing commentator, Peter Lighty, will have some advice of his own for the incoming Chancellor at the end of our program tonight. But first, we go to the state Supreme Court. To say it in the high court's own words, never before in the history of the Wisconsin Supreme Court has a sitting justice received a public disciplinary sanction from the members of the court. But that's exactly what happened to Justice Annette Ziegler last week. The court gave her a public reprimand for misconduct because as a circuit court judge, she presided over cases involving the bank of which her husband was the director. An unprecedented sanction. And yet according to the man who filed the complaint against Justice Ziegler, a mere slap on the wrist, Mike Becaib of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is here. And thanks very much for being here.

My pleasure. Well, so now in giving her this public reprimand, the court said its sanction conveys the gravity with which it views judge Ziegler's violations of a bright line rule of the code of judicial conduct. That sounds pretty stern to me. Yeah, when it came to describing the violations in the misconduct, the court used very strong language. They said it was inexcusable. They said it was serious. They said it was willful conduct. And they ruled no uncertain terms that this was judicial misconduct. And it's the first time the court has ever found a sitting member of the high court guilty of misconduct. And yet you do regard this as a slap on the wrist. What do you think the high court should have done? Now when it came to discipline, that's where the court, in my view, got weak need and said that the behavior was inadvertent. Well, you know, only a judge can understand the difference between doing something willfully and then also being inadvertent. But that's what the court said. And I think she should have been suspended. That would have been consistent with what many lawyers have faced for much less serious offenses. It is simple as not paying their professional dues on time. We've seen lawyers suspended in this state. And yet a judge essentially gets a note in her personal file about something as serious as ruling on cases when she's got serious financial conflicts of interest in those cases.

So what message do you think this sends them to the public and the voting public? Because the court did say that her failure to recuse herself from these 11 cases diminishes public confidence in the legal system. I think it diminishes public confidence in the legal system. I think the court's exactly right. You can't have judges ruling on cases when they have a significant financial stake in one side. Judges aren't supposed to be on anybody's side. But I think the public will see this as a mere slap on the wrist. Our reprimand is not serious punishment. And what that then conveys is a message that judges can take the ethics code with a grain of salt because not a lot's going to happen to them if they ignore the rules. It should be noted that she did not gain financially by any of the rulings that she made that involved her husband's bank. And that's duly noted, but it's also beside the point because what's at stake here is public confidence in the fairness and impartiality of a judge.

And when a judge has a financial stake in one side, that of course is going to undermine the public's confidence in the court system. And you just can't have judges appearing to be on somebody's side. Now, the court also said that it felt it didn't have enough information from the judicial conduct panel to determine whether or not Judge Ziegler denied this misconduct before she admitted it. In other words, denied it all the way through her campaign for the seat on the high court. And then only later admitted it. Just as Butler wrote that he thought that the court should have therefore sent this whole thing back for more fact-finding. What do you think on that matter? This took the court an awfully long time to decide, and they didn't do that basic fact-finding. So that's a shortcoming in not only the court's decision-making process, but then ultimately in the opinion. They should have been able to determine whether she was denying this before the election and then acknowledging a violation of the ethics rules after. Every interview I saw, every newspaper article I saw, she skirted the question about whether this was a violation of the ethics code. And then after the election she said, you know what it is? That should have been taken into consideration by the court. And I think it's one of those factors that should have called for stiffer punishment.

Now, what does this misconduct and the conduct of the most recent campaign for Supreme Court say about the impartial integrity of our high court? The Supreme Court is operating under a huge ethical cloud, and I don't think this ruling is going to make that cloud cover disappear. But I think that cloud cover has an awful lot to do with the very ugly poisonous elections that we've had these last two years. And the combination of that and this very lenient punishment for a member of the high court, I think does nothing to inspire confidence among members of the public in the integrity and the impartiality of our Supreme Court. So the court's got a big problem. All right, Mike McCabe, thanks very much. Incoming UW-Madison Chancellor Carolyn Martin may have earned her PhD at UW-Madison, but that was years ago and a mere stop along the way for the Native Virginian.

Our singing commentator Peter Lighty says half the battle of living in Wisconsin is figuring out how to pronounce things. He's worked out a little cheat sheet for the chancellor. Here's Peter Lighty. Welcome Chancellor Bitty Martin to Wisconsin, your new home. Here's some tips you might find useful when around the state you roll. If you weren't born, always consonant, you'll likely not say certain names right. We've got some tricky words in our state, but help is on the way. Once when I was watching here and now there was a guest named Jackie Johnson.

Missed for an answer is her website for How to Say All Things with Conson. There you'll find O'Connor, Milwaukee, Frank, and Alan LaSay. There's a lake that looks like beauty morts, but it's really beauty more. Kabir Baja Biamilla, where's Packer number 94? He's in Mayor Dave Cheslevich. That's the right way to Pro Nowski. Please don't say it like Obama did. He called in Mayor Dave Cheslevich. Former Chancellor Shalala, I thought at first was Shalala.

He's still working on Lakot, Lakot, Lakot, Ray, Band of Lake Superior, Chihuahua. Say Seano, not Shawano, Winneccony, and Ashwabanan. I wonder if Speaker Mike Hipsch has ever been to Lake Nabagamon. Why are we got Maisel Manie, Lout and Schlager? That's Peter Lattie. He'll be back next month with another song. That's it for us tonight. I'm Frederica Freiber. Have a great weekend.