Rick, Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Chrysler chief Bob Nardelli were throttled by Congress and critics earlier his month for flying corporate jets to Washington for the first round of testimony.
Tom Wilkinson, GM spokesperson, told the Detroit Free Press Nov. 25 the automaker supports the caravan, but he put the kibosh on Wagoner joining the fun. “For security reasons, we don’t normally comment on transportation of our senior executives,” he said. He did assure the Free Press that Wagoner won’t be taking the company plane to Washington. That's a good start.Why is GM stiffing a caravan of supporters? Does the company fret that Rick may be hissed and jeered by more than 1,000 just laid-off workers as the caravan tools down the Ohio turnpike past the Lordstown plant? Does GM fear boos from families that owned or worked at one of the now-closed GM dealerships across the land?
There is hope that GM may rethink snubbing the caravan, which is the brainchild of car PR wiz Jason Vines and Dura Automotive Systems chief Tim Leuliette. Wilkinson held out hope when he said GM may provide more details about Wagoner’s transportation plans as the Congressional hearings draw near.
The smart PR move would be for Rick to lead the caravan as head of the No. 1 American car company. [Another smart move: hiring Vines, a veteran of Ford, Nissan and Chrysler for the top PR post.] Wagoner should be tailed by Mulally and Nardelli. Rick should get behind the wheel of a Chevy Aveo, a sweet little fuel-efficient number (pictured) with a $12,625 price tag, for the ride. That would demonstrate that he is a man of the people. Wagoner should ditch the Caddy Escalade SUV gas-guzzler at $61,935. If Rick demands to ride in style, he can opt for the Cadillac CTS at $36,880.
The GM chief should pull into the lot of the Lordstown plant, which is one of the most productive car factories in North America, to rally workers about a bright future once Congress agrees to supply a temporary lifeline to the auto sector. Lordstown is slated to manufacture GM’s new Cruze small car next year.
Vines, in his Nov. 21 Automotive News piece, recommended that auto workers and their families, suppliers, truckers, rail workers and leaders of communities that depend on Detroit’s Big Three take “trains, planes and automobiles” to the Capitol. “It’s a huge army,” Vines wrote. Wagoner should be the field general.