USBritish Partnership is Steadfast, says John Major

USBritish Partnership is Steadfast, says John Major

Americans can be assured that Great Britain will remain a steadfast ally and partner in the U.S. war against terrorism, former prime minister John Major told dealers.

Recalling how the British cabinet was nearly wiped out when Downing Street came under missile attack during his administration, Major said, We British have lived with terrorism for a long time. All terrorist groups have a cause, and that cause comes first and innocent lives second. And no one is immune not London, not Washington, not New York.

The free world faces a long, continuing campaign against terrorism, he added, but you need never doubt Britain will stay with you from the very first step to the end.

Major cautioned that the United States and its allies must cultivate world support to fight terrorism effectively. And we need a grown-up politics that rises above the short-term and the sound bite, that injects common sense, thatês directed at issues and not personalities, that recognizes it no longer controls all the game pieces on the board.

GM Updates Dealers on Olds, Dealer Ad Groups Fifty-eight percent of Olds dealers have signed termination agreements with GM, and the automaker expects 75 percent will have completed agreements by year end, Bill Lovejoy, GM group vice-president, North American Vehicle Sales, Service, and Marketing, told Auto Ex magazine. Iêve said to some dealers, •You may have to relocate.ê You canêt create something where thereês no opportunities.

Dealers in the GM-approved channel of Cadillac-Olds will benefit by Caddyês new products when (See GM News, more Convention Highlights, page 6)

they lose Olds, Lovejoy stressed. He has said that GM will not be flexible in considering out-of-channel combinations.

In other GM news from the convention:

àGM has increased its emphasis on divisional advertising as part of its return to considering the division rather than the vehicle as the brand, said Lovejoy. It has also realigned its market area teams to match its channels, with one for Chevy, one for Buick/Pontiac/GMC, and one for Cadillac.

àGM now has 180 local marketing groups (an updated version of the dealer marketing groups abolished a few years ago) in the top 50 markets, said John Middlebrook, general manager, vehicle brand marketing and corporate advertising; its goal is 200. The automaker does not expect dealers in smaller towns to form the voluntary ad groups. For a group to be formed, 75 percent dealer participation is required, but some dealers have set a goal of 100 percent participation, Lovejoy said.

Pat McCarthy Honored

Patricia O. McCarthy was named an honorary lifelong NADA director during the opening session in appreciation of her unflagging support of the association during the 33-year career of her husband, the late Frank E. McCarthy. He died last February at age 66, less than a year before his planned retirement. Calling her a champion of the industry and our friend, 2001 NADA Chairman Robert Maguire said, Pat, we are forever grateful.

Frank McCarthy and Patricia OêMalley married in 1962. When Frank joined NADA in 1968, he and Pat began a 33-year adventure that yielded scores of lifelong friends and took them around the globe. In addition to raising their five children, Pat often accompanied Frank on association travel, working to help promote the associationês interests.

If there was a new director or directorês wife in the room, she was right over there, introducing herself and making sure they felt at home, says daughter Anne McCarthy, who is art director of NADAês AutoExec magazine. Frank McCarthy often attributed his success at NADA to Patês support.

Since her husbandês death almost a year ago, Pat McCarthy has stayed involved with NADA, maintaining contact with her many association friends and even reading AutoExec cover to cover, says her daughter.

Machinists Union Works to Organize Auto Techs

The International Union of Machinists is working to organize dealership technicians in seven cities, labor lawyer Rob Bekken told the pre-convention meeting of the Automotive Trade Association Executives (ATAEs). The union started with two Las Vegas dealerships last October, then returned for a campaign at all 65 of the cityês dealerships earlier this month, using billboards, mobile billboards, print media, and 100 organizers. Targeted next are Baltimore, Boston, Los Angeles, Orlando, Portland, OR, and Seattle. Bekken, who is working with the Nevada dealers association to counteract the union drive, encourages dealers to do employee attitude surveys. One vulnerable point, he said, is the amount some dealers pay for health insurance. He added that this is the biggest machinists organizing drive he has seen in his 26 years of practice.