Alabama: Home to major Detroit critic, but fewer than 50 UAW retirees

As retired members of the United Auto Workers prepare to have their benefits cut due to auto restructuring, it should be noted that tens of thousands reside in states other than Michigan. But fewer than 50 live in Alabama, home state to U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, the ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, has been the leading critic of federal aid to General Motors and Chrysler.

At the bottom of an extensive look at the federal auto task force’s doings, the Wall Street Journal reports where UAW retirees live:

Mr. Gettelfinger and other officials shared specifics about how many retirees GM has in each state, in an effort to paint the problem as a national one, not just a Michigan one. Florida, California, New York and Indiana all have tens of thousands, they said. Alabama, the home state of Sen. Richard Shelby, has less than 50, Mr. Gettelfinger noted. Sen. Shelby has repeatedly pointed to union contracts as a key problem for car makers, and has urged the federal government to lead the Big Three into bankruptcy filings.

After just a month of work, the auto taskforce will announce what they’ve decided GM and Chrysler must do in exchange for billions in loans. The taskforce said it expects sacrifices from management, workers and bondholders.