WASHINGTON - May 28 - AP reports that according to government data released today, "the number of people continuing to receive unemployment benefits rose to 6.78 million -- the largest total on records dating back to 1967 and the 17th straight record week."

FRANK HAMMER
Hammer is a retired GM employee of 32 years. He was president of United Auto Workers local 909 and also worked in the GM department of the UAW.

He said today: "We have to look at multiple crises, including the economy and global warming. James Hansen of NASA has warned that we are near irreversible harm on global warming. Now, that's pretty alarming. But we're not acting with the seriousness that would mean.

"We must engage in a conversion so that what we manufacture makes sense environmentally, including public transportation, like trains, and renewable energy, like wind turbines. We need to put people to work creating things that will work to prevent environmental disaster.

"There was a similar civilian-to-military conversion in the auto plants during World War II -- and the companies resisted that too while the UAW pushed for it. And they were able to convert in eight months. We need another conversion for another kind of war now. GM has been a dinosaur and is not able to lead the conversion to produce the things we need."