UAW chief: inaction not an option on U.S. auto bailout

DETROIT Nov 20 (Reuters) - United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said on Thursday that lawmakers need to take immediate action on a $25 billion bridge loan bill to support the U.S. automakers or one or more could fail.

Gettelfinger, who testified on Tuesday and Wednesday to U.S. congressional committees in support of the loans, said he would not comment on a possible compromise bill reached by Democratic and Republican senators until details were known.

When told that one detail might be that the automakers would have to provide a strategic plan to get access to the money, Gettelfinger said he would support that.

During his testimony, Gettelfinger said General Motors Corp (GM.N) had the most pressing need for support, followed by Chrysler LLC, which is owned by Cerberus Capital [CBS.UL] and then Ford Motor Co (F.N).

On Thursday, Gettelfinger said the Bush administration and lawmakers need to take action "now, today," and he was confident that Congress would be able to reach an agreement. (Reporting by Nick Carey and Poornima Gupta, editing by Maureen Bavdek)