Sunday March 27, 2005
Labor Quote of the week
Every dollar that the boss did not work for, one of us worked for a dollar and didn't get it.
William Dudley "Big Bill" Haywood (1869-1928)
Taken from the Great Labor Quotations Sourcebook
posted 9:41 PM
The Thor America plant in Middleburg that makes Citation and Chateau recreational vehicles apparently will close after unionized workers overwhelmingly rejected a contract the company said it needed to keep operating.
The parent company, Thor Industries Inc. of Jackson Center, Ohio, had said if the new contract was not approved, the plant would close by April 15.
Thor employs about 160 union and management personnel at the plant. more......
posted 8:50 PM
History Project Honors Women
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued a Presidential Proclamation asking Americans to remember the contributions of women. Seven years later, Congress and President Ronald Reagan declared March as national Women’s History Month.
This year, the National Women’s History Project celebrates the vital role of American women during Womens’ History Month with “Women Change America”. more......
Posted 8:37 PM
Northwest Air broke stock pact with unions, judge says
By MarketWatch
Last Updated: 3/26/2005 9:11:32 AM
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - A New York judge ruled that Northwest Airlines broke agreements with its unions by failing to redeem preferred shares it issued to them in a 1993 agreement to help avoid a bankruptcy-law filing, The Wall Street Journal reported.In August 2003, the St. Paul, Minn., carrier (NWB) decided it couldn't repurchase the $226 million of stock issued to mechanics, ground workers and flight attendants in 1993 at the agreed $49.96 per share, the paper said. The carrier had said that Delaware law restricted it from buying the shares unless it had met all other obligations first.The International Association of Machinists and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters sued, seeking redemption of the shares plus damages. The judge ruled that damages would be set later, the Journal said.
The unions' victory may be Pyrrhic, however, since Northwest's financial condition has worsened and it is pressing the workers for a new round of concessions, the paper said.
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Posted 8:28 PM
Monday March 21, 2005
IAM members at Tate and Lyle in McIntosh, Alabama ratified their first contract after organizing with the Machinists last year. The company, previously owned by Johnson and Johnson, manufactures sucralose, part of the “Splenda” sweetener.
“It’s a great contract,” said District Lodge 73 Directing Business
Representative Joe Harrington. “They have vastly improved health insurance, good raises, improved pension, signing bonuses which range from $1000-$5000, and seniority, grievance and arbitration rights.” The company also committed to explore bringing in the IAM’s High Performance Work Organization to the facility. more....
Taken from the imail
Posted 7:37 PM
Long-time IAM member Richard Reeves, (right) was among those shot at a church service last week in Brookfield, Wisconsin. The 58-year-old Reeves is survived by his wife, Lena, and has three sons. He worked as a tool crib attendant at the Ladish Co. for over 38 years.
A statement from the Reeves family said, "Richard Reeves was an honorable man with rock solid faith in God. He was faithful, loving and loyal to his wife, his family and his friends. He will be greatly missed. The one thing he wanted more than anything else in this world was for his three sons — David, Joel and James — to know that he loved and missed them deeply with all of his heart."
Taken from the imail
Posted 7:37 PM
Behind China's economic miracle is a stark reality of oppressive working conditions for millions of Chinese women and men. China is exploiting this vast pool of cheap labor in its bid to become the world's leading economic power. more....
Taken from the imail
Posted 8:00 PM