Automakers working toward bailout vote

DETROIT, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Detroit's automotive giants are working with lawmakers to assemble plans that could win votes on a new $25 billion bailout, sources said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sent automakers a letter outlining points the companies should address in preparation for a Dec. 5 hearing at the Capitol, the Detroit News reported Wednesday.

In Washington, automotive lobbyists met with Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., to discuss strategies that could win votes for the bailout. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., attended the meeting, while Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., participated by phone, the News said.

Automakers are also working on their public image.

Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. said his company's board had discussed compensation with Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally, who rankled some when he answered a question about his $22 million a year salary in a congressional hearing by saying, "I think I'm OK where I am."

Ford said the company was "taking a real look at our whole plane operation," after executives were criticized for flying luxury corporate jets to Washington to claim they were running out of cash. General Motors Co. said CEO Rick Wagoner would not use the company's jets to attend the Dec. 5 hearing.