Monday April 25, 2005
Labor Quote of the week
"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."
Derek Bok
Third shift department 134 received a dinner on March 31, 2005 for 100% Union shop. Local Lodge 774 provided food from KFC with all the trimmings. Thank you to all the Union members for their loyalty to the IAM.
The IAM filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the National Mediation Board (NMB), charging the federal agency with violating the Railway Labor Act in the IAM’s five-year old negotiations with the National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC). The NCCC represents management for the nation’s freight rail carriers. A copy of the complaint is available at www.goiam.org.
“If any railroad worker in the United States performed their job as poorly as the members of the National Mediation Board, they would have been fired long ago,” declared Robert Reynolds, President of IAM Railroad District 19, representing 8,000 IAM members employed at Class 1 freight rail carriers across the country. more....
Taken from the imail
Posted 7:16 pm
In welcome news for thousands of union shipbuilders in Maine and Mississippi, the Pentagon scuttled for the time being the Navy’s controversial plan to choose a single shipyard to build the next generation of stealth warships.
Calling the Navy’s winner-take-all proposal to build all DD(X) destroyers in one shipyard “premature” the Pentagon concurred with union members who vigorously lobbied lawmakers that a competition between two major shipyards could be lethal for the losing shipyard and cost thousands of high-skill jobs. more........
Taken from the imail
Posted 7:20 pm
IAM leaders at United Airlines are calling for a strike authorization vote to be held in response to repeated threats by United CEO Glenn Tilton to terminate pensions and abrogate labor agreements covering nearly 20,000 IAM members.
“It is time for all of us to take a stand in support of a fair contract,” said the District 141 Negotiating Committee in a letter to members. “We unanimously recommend that you vote yes to authorize strike action. It is vital to send an unequivocal message of solidarity to management that we are prepared to take decisive action. The alternative is a slow death of endless pay cuts, lost pensions and outsourced jobs.” more.......
Taken from the imail
Posted 7:26 pm
"We're looking for our wages and benefits back that have been taken from us, we're looking for affordable health care, seniority rights and we want some respect in the workplace," declared Treasure Coast Local Lodge President Jim Long, who was joined by nearly 200 IAM members for a street rally in front of New Piper Aircraft in Vero Beach, Florida.
Long and 729 employees at New Piper voted for IAM representation in December 2003, and are still fighting for a first contract. "They took away six percent of our pay two years ago and we want it back now," said Hoa Vu, a six-year employee. "I am a single mom and I pay $400 a month in dental and health care. I need help big time."
"These workers are tired of the games," said IAM Aerospace Coordinator Ron Eldridge. "It's time for the management of New Piper to come to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair and equitable contract for their employees." more........
Taken from the imail
Posted 7:30 pm
Wednesday April 13, 2005
Labor Quote of the week
You must either reach down and lift them up, or they will reach up and pull you down.
Joseph Ettor addresing skilled workers in support of unity with unskilled workers
Taken from the Great Labor Quotations Sourcebook
posted 9:22 PM
April 13 th is National CAFTA Call-in Day. You can be part of this Day of Action against unfair trade agreements by calling your member of Congress today. The AFL-CIO has sponsored a toll-free number straight to the Capitol Switchboard: All you have to do is take two minutes to call 1-888-355-3588, and they will patch you right through.
President Bush is pushing for an early vote on CAFTA, and the future of foreign trade agreements rest in the balance. Unless we turn this flawed and failed approach around, agreements like CAFTA will outsource more jobs, offshore more of our businesses, jeopardize family farmers and harm our environment.
Call now. Encourage your Representative to vote against CAFTA, and be sure to leave your address for a reply.
The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is the biggest free trade agreement Congress has considered in over a decade. The Bush Administration is getting ready to test whether they have enough votes in Congress to pass CAFTA.
Your call at this critical time will make a difference.
Just dial 1-888-355-3588 and you will be connected to your Representative.
Taken from the imail
Posted 9:00 pm
A new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service found the Bush administration’s proposal to privatize Social Security would eventually lead to the elimination of Social Security’s traditional guaranteed benefits.
The report, which looks at the combined effects of implementing private investment accounts and shifting to the price-indexing of Social Security benefits, found that a person born next year and average yearly earnings of about $56,000 over their career would not receive any guaranteed benefits upon retirement.
The CRS report stresses that, while the benefit cuts start small, they will lead to those benefits eventually withering away completely. Individuals with higher incomes would see their guaranteed benefits exhausted even earlier.
“Our kids and grandkids born now might not have any guaranteed Social Security benefit,” Rep. Charles Rangel, who requested the study, told the Associated Press.
Taken from the imail
Posted 9:09 pm
The leadership of the IAM’s Transportation Department met with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta in Washington, D.C. on April 8 to discuss the state of the air and rail industries and its effect on IAM members.
“We shared our concerns for the airline industry, including worker pensions, high oil prices, unsustainable fare structures, and the enormous sacrifices our members are making to rescue this industry from poor management,” said Transportation GVP Robert Roach, Jr. “It is clear that the secretary has a good grasp of the problems affecting the industry and appreciation or the work our members do under extreme conditions.”
The IAM representatives also discussed the Amtrak funding crisis and the National Mediation Board’s failure to resolve the stalled five-year old rail negotiations between the IAM and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee. The Secretary indicated support for some type of Amtrak funding to provide much needed updating of the rail system’s infrastructure and address the rail carrier’s annual financial crisis.
“We discussed our suggestion that the Department of Transportation hold an airline summit to facilitate open discussions between airline management, labor and the government to address the countless problems plaguing the industry today,” said Roach. “Secretary Mineta made no commitments, but he is reviewing the IAM’s proposal.”
Taken from the imail
Posted 9:13 pm
Hammered by a reduction in manufacturing and retail jobs, the economy produced only 110,000 new jobs in March, the Labor Department reported on Friday. It was the smallest increase in jobs in eight months and was significantly lower than the 220,000 new jobs Wall Street economists had predicted.
The Labor Department also revised down February and January’s job totals by 27,000 jobs, adding to the already bleak jobs report.
The Labor Department also reported that the proportion of the population that is either employed or looking for a job remained at a 17-year low of 65.8 percent. The manufacturing sector lost 8,000 jobs in March, while the retail sector lost 9,700 jobs.
Taken from the imail
Posted 9:17 pm