Court Goes Along With GM’s Broken Promise

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has just sanctioned an unethical act of historic treachery by the biggest corporation in our nation [“Scant Retiree Protection Seen After Ruling,” March 24].

The court admitted, as did the perpetrator of the infamous act, that over several decades General Motors promised 84,000 loyal employees that they would receive full health-care benefits after they retired. Yet, in violation of all tenets of common, civic and commercial laws dating back to the Magna Carta, the court has allowed GM to break these promises based on a secret document known only to GM that reserved GM’s right to unilaterally break these promises!

Can you imagine any citizen, company or government entity in the U.S., or in any other nation in the civilized parts of our planet, getting approval from a court of law for a unilateral breach of contract based on a secret codicil that stated: “We are promising these suckers commitments A, B, C and D, but we don’t really mean it. We will break these promises when it’s in our interest to do so.”

American society looks to the courts as its last effective redress to balance the oft-overwhelming powers we have surrendered to corporations in our capitalist economic system.

SID TURKISH

Beverly Hills