UAW - United Auto Workers, or United Auto Winners?

Determining a “winner” for our in-class debates is rather difficult, partially because there were several compelling arguments for each side represented, but mostly because my group, the foreign auto manufacturers, clearly was the best but I don’t want to come across as pompous. But in all seriousness, I think the victor would have to be the UAW, in the sense that they best supported their position and offered relevant rebuttals against every single other group. Content-wise, the American auto manufacturers presented a solid case, but weren’t able to discredit the other parties to the extent of the UAW. Generally speaking, the UAW simply rebutted using essentially what boiled down to be nationalist propaganda, as there is little data to support keeping a tariff in place in our simulated situation. To argue that the tariff is ridiculous really, it artificially inflates prices and acts as a barrier to trade. But, the UAW was able to defend its niche of American jobs very well. The most harmful to my group was the case of the one hundred percent tariff on Japanese luxury cars being absorbed fully by the manufacturing company, keeping the cost per car significantly lower than the hundred thousand dollars it would otherwise cost. Stating this left us with a more or less blank look on our faces, this was not something we had prepared for. Though this specific example is rather unique, its delivery showcased the UAW’s strategy: sling some mud to prove them wrong, and if they’re all wrong, we have to be right. Winners by default.