From today's Detroit Free Press (selected quotes):
UAW members would rather be coming to work instead of reporting for strike duty, said Albert Creer, a 50-year-old worker at Pontiac Assembly, who took over the early morning strike shift for the overnighters like Davis.
But GM pushed the union too far, he said.
Polovich and Washington had never met before but quickly found they had one thing in common. Both are third-generation GM workers.
When she heard the news of a strike earlier that day, Washington said she drove to her local and asked what shift they needed filled. She wanted to be among the first to strike.
''It's part of my legacy,'' Washington said. In particular, she wanted to protect health care benefits for her mother, she said.
Polovich, who has 39 years with GM, went through a local strike 10 years ago. He was hoping to retire before another strike was called.
''I was so annoyed when this happened,'' Polovich said.
But he also pointed to legacy as a reason for signing up to picket the first night of the strike. He wanted to show his support for the union and UAW President Ron Gettelfinger, he said.
''Gettelfinger is in there fighting tooth and nail,'' Polovich said. ''I have to show him we're backing him. Without us, he's got nothing.''
He supports the strike, but it's no joke, Einheuser said. It's serious business that costs both workers and the company money. ''I'm a wise enough old man to know you don't laugh at your job,'' he said.
Clark and Davis agreed. Clark has 31 years with GM but has never been through a strike. She trusts the words of her UAW president who said Monday that the union had given enough to help GM.
In the past two years, the UAW has approved a health care deal and buyout programs to help save the company money.
''I'd rather be in there working,'' Clark said in the wee hours of the morning. ''But they take take take and what do we get? Nothing.''
Davis headed home Tuesday, somber and sleepy. If the strike carries on two or three weeks, people could start losing their cars and houses, he feared.
The strike is a necessary evil, he and his colleagues said. The UAW has to take a stand, Davis said.
''It's not that I like what's going on, but I'm proud of what I'm doing,'' he said.
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