Thursday, February 14, 2008

Escape to the Wild Features Local 1886 Member

Mark your calendars, set your TiVo’s or just reserve your favorite chair for Feb. 28 at 7:30 PM (ET), to watch Local 1886 member Barbara Ries as she takes part in the hunting trip of a lifetime on Versus Network’s Escape to the Wild.
A United Airlines Ramp Service worker with years of outdoor and hunting experience, Ries was selected for a caribou hunt in Canada’s Northwest Territory after her brother secretly nominated her, knowing she would jump at the opportunity if selected.

The trip involved taking a float plane to a remote drop-camp location and then a 25-mile boat ride through rough water in freezing temperatures. Hunting caribou was just one of many memorable aspects of the trip for Ries. “To get up on a hill and look out and see 30 miles of nothing, no human intervention, was amazing.”

Escape to the Wild is a program of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), VERSUS Network and several trade unions and contractor associations that takes hardworking union members on the hunting or fishing trip of a lifetime.

Go to http://www.trcp.org/unionsportsmensalliance.aspx to learn how you could be the next union member featured on Escape to the Wild

Hillary Clinton Weighs in on Possible Airline Mergers

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) today issued a press release addressing her concerns and those of airline workers across America regarding the possibility of airline mergers.

“According to press accounts, merger talks are occurring in the airline industry, as companies face the prospect of a slowing economy and high fuel prices,” said Clinton. “If carriers decide to combine in order to cut costs and increase their market clout, we will have to take a hard look at the potential effects on workers and consumers. It is important that we preserve choice and competitive pricing in the airline industry. It is also vitally important that any proposed merger preserve the jobs and worker protections on which thousands of families rely.”

The Winter Battle at Valley Ford

Go to http://www.goiam.org/content.cfm?cID=12413 to see interviews with IAM leaders and members of Automotive Local 777, who have been on strike at Valley Ford in St. Louis, MO, since November 1, 2007. The 14-week old strike was triggered by a dealership proposal to cut pay from 10 to 25 percent and eliminate the workers’ defined benefit pension plan.

Strong support from the local union community is helping to ensure a steady presence on the picket line. “Even in snow and freezing conditions, these members, their families and the community are keeping the pressure on Valley Ford,” said District 9 ADBR Tony Rippeto.

Go to http://www.district9.org/District%209%20News.htm to see a photo gallery of the picket line at Valley Ford.

Congress Examines Bush’s Misguided Budget

The House and Senate this week continue to hold hearings on President Bush’s record-breaking $3.1 trillion budget, which cuts or eliminates a host of domestic programs designed to assist working families while retaining costly tax breaks for the wealthy.

The Bush Administration is proposing more than $760 million in cuts to job training and employment programs. Roughly $270 million in cuts will be from the dislocated worker program, according to the Center for American Progress, which says the cuts would result in 65,000 fewer workers receiving job training and other services.

The budget also proposes more than $600 billion in cuts over the next ten years to social safety net programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, $570 million in cuts to funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, as well as a freeze in funding for child-care assistance for low-income families. “The President’s misguided budget cuts health care for seniors and working families, freezes lifesaving medical research, raises health care costs for veterans, and slashes energy assistance--all at a time of rising prices and a slowing economy,” says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). “This President has presided over the five largest budget deficits in American history, leaving a legacy of debt to the next generation that will dramatically undermine our nation’s strength.”

Ironwood Communications Agrees to Settlement

Workers seeking a union at Ironwood Communications in Albany, OR, faced all the usual obstacles from a company bent on denying workers their legal bargaining rights. If illegal harassment and firing of union supporters wasn’t enough, the company also threatened to close the facility if workers there pursued union representation.

While the wheels of justice may turn slowly, it appears they do sometimes turn after all.

After the IAM filed multiple Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the board recently ordered Ironwood to pay more than $30,000 to two union supporters who were illegally discharged. This amount includes the value of a television that the company withheld from one of the workers who earned the prize in a sales performance competition.

In addition to the back pay award, the NLRB required the company to post bulletins acknowledging that it would not subject workers to increased inspections, assign them different work, engage in surveillance or threaten them in any way for being union supporters.

“The Machinists Union stood by these workers even though they were not yet members,” said District Lodge W-1 DBR, Chuck Macrae. “Despite the length of time involved and the uncertain outcome of seeking relief with the NLRB, I’m hopeful we can now move forward and help these workers fulfill their desire to be part of the fighting Machinists.”

Senators Balk at Proposed Changes for FMLA

At a hearing on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a host of Democratic senators yesterday criticized the DOL for “chipping away” at the current law.
 
Lawmakers fear workers could be discouraged from using FMLA under the DOL’s proposals, which include an enhanced medical certification process, changes to the definition of a serious medical condition and more employer notice requirements.

“The Family Medical Leave Act has been a huge success for both workers and employers.  It lets workers get treatment for their own or a family member’s serious medical condition, while keeping the job they need to pay for that treatment,” said Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

“In the face of all this progress, however, the Bush Administration last week took a step backward, announcing new regulations that will limit workers’ ability to use such medical leave when they need it,” added Kennedy, who was joined by Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) in his criticism of the changes.

Under FMLA, companies employing 50 or more people must allow workers up to 12 weeks a year of unpaid leave to care for themselves or family members during serious health conditions, or for the birth or adoption of a child.