More buyouts will not help automakers shed more workers, Gettelfinger saysLouis Aguilar / The Detroit NewsDETROIT -- United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said he didn't think another round of buyouts would help automakers shed more of their hourly work force but he deflected a question on whether the union is considering re-opening the landmark national labor contracts signed last year with the Detroit Big Three automakers. 'I'm not sure the value of a buyout at this point and time,' Gettelfinger told reporters this morning at Detroit's Cobo Center, where the labor union president was honored by the Goodfellows charity organization. Gettelfinger reasoned that UAW-protected autoworkers who were in the position to leave their jobs would have taken one of the previous rounds of buyouts and early retirement offers and he didn't see the 'effectiveness' of another round. Gettelfinger acknowledged that he was in discussions with the Big Three automakers as they grapple with the immense impact of the global financing crisis and the worst auto sales market in 15 years, but he declined to provide details.