Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Labor issues you care about in streaming video.

American Manufacturing: Flourishing or Floundering
April 17, 2007 - Many analysts point to manufacturing as a cornerstone of the American middle class. 

Oldest U.S. Manufacturer Threatened By China Trade
April 10, 2007 - More than 200 years ago the legendary Paul Revere created what is now the oldest manufacturing company in the United States, Revere Copper.

Space: The Next Generation April 5, 2007 - The last generation only knows space travel by the shuttle.  That's going to change in 2010 when the shuttle fleet is retired and replaced with a new program.

Families On Shaky Ground
APRIL 5, 2006 - According to the folks at the Center for American Progress, the economy has been great for those at the top but stagnant for those in the middle or lower income classes.

Safety In The Skies April 4, 2007 - Safety in the skies is everyone's issue, especially after 9-11.  Robert Roach Jr. testified on Capitol Hill about what more needs to be done.

Fresh Faces on the Hill: Congressman Keith Ellison
March 26, 2007 - Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota’s 5^th District has had a lot of firsts.  He’s the first muslim ever elected to Congress.  And the first African American elected to the House from Minnesota. 

China's Taste for Trash
March 20, 2007 - According to recent statistics, in 2006 the U.S. exported nearly 60 billion dollars of goods and services to China. But what were those products?  It may surprise you to know that a good portion of it was garbage.

American Workers Want a Union Contract
March 16, 2007 - As the battle over the Employee Free Choice Act heats up – a new report from the Economic Policy Institute shows workers want to join a union NOW, more than any time in the recent past.

Latest Job Numbers Don't Bode Well for Working Families
March 15, 2007 - Employers added only 97,000 jobs last month – marking the slowest month of job growth in two years.

Korea's Turn Now?
March 14, 2007 - For hundreds of years america has been trading.  And most agree that’s a good thing.  But how to do it in today’s global world, without hurting america or its workers, is the next big question to answer.

What Happened to Good Trade?
March 14, 2007 - For decades, Congressman Sandy Levin has been part of a lot of trade issues on the hill.  He’s seen what’s worked and what hasn’t.  And in a global world that’s constantly changing, he knows our future depends on what we do now

EFCA Takes the House
March 9, 2007 - The Employee Free Choice Act has passed the house.  That’s good news for the labor movement.  And even better news for the men and women who want to organize.

HIV Epidemic
March 8, 2007 - HIV/AIDS infection rate is increasing in minority communities, especially in areas of poverty. In the video a man with HIV, chronicles his struggle with the virus and AIDS advocates call for more community awareness.

Fast Track to Nowhere
March 8, 2007 - Is trade important you?  It should be.  In the past, bad trade policies only hurt blue collar laborers by sending jobs overseas.

Fresh Faces on the Hill: Congressman Phil Hare
February 28, 2007 - Phil Hare used to hold a union job as a cutter in a factory.  Today, he’s working to pass legislation to protect his brothers and sisters.

Media Library

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DOE Revives Attack on Pensions

In a stunning proposal that underscores the anti-worker animus of the current administration, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing guidelines that could eliminate defined benefit pension plans and retiree benefits for tens of thousands of DOE contract employees.

“We would be very disturbed to see the resurrection of this policy proposal, first floated a year ago, that would discontinue reimbursement of costs associated with defined benefit pension plans,” said IP Tom Buffenbarger in a letter to DOE Director Ingrid Kolb.

The IAM represents more than 5,500 employees of DOE contractors under seventeen contracts at nine locations nationwide, including nearly 800 employees at Honeywell in Kansas City, MO. Many IAM members at DOE locations are covered by a variety of retirement plans that are locally bargained and tailored to needs and concerns of the local workforces.

Under the DOE proposal, new hires would be deemed ineligible for defined benefit plans and certain retiree medical benefits. The proposal, if implemented, would constitute an unprecedented level of federal intrusion into locally bargained contracts and substantially reduce contractor’s ability to attract and retain the highly skilled workforce needed to fulfill DOE’s mission.

“We believe that the appropriate way to address issues of compensation is not through heavy-handed Federal policy, but rather, at the negotiating table,” said Buffenbarger. “It is only through arms-length bargaining, free from interference that employers and employees can resolve issues of mutual concern in a matter that balances all parties’ consideration.”

IAM Lauds ‘Groundbreaking’ Move by CBS

In a letter to CBS President Leslie Moonves, forty-one civil rights leaders, including IAM Executive Assistant Diane Babineaux, welcomed the decision by the network to terminate their contract with radio shock jock Don Imus in the wake of racist remarks about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.

“We applaud the groundbreaking decision made by MSNBC and CBS to terminate their contracts with Don Imus in the wake of his inexcusable, sexist and racist statement about the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights,” said the letter, which urged the same treatment for Bernard McGuirk, whose exchange with Imus on April 4 triggered the public outcry.

“It’s time for networks to pull the plug on any program that slanders individuals on the basis of their race, creed or color,” said Babineaux. “We need to encourage free speech in this country, not hate speech.”

Workers at Filtrona Join District 751

Persistence paid off for 128 workers at Filtrona Extrusion in Yakima, WA who voted by a wide margin for IAM representation. The Filtrona workers produce extrusion parts for the aerospace and other industries. The organizing campaign began in August 2006 and the winning vote was a re-run of a close election held in February 2007. In the first election, the IAM won by one vote and the company challenged two of the eligible voters. The IAM filed an “objectionable conduct” charge against the company for numerous unfair labor practices, resulting in a new election that the IAM won by a wide margin.

In the lead up to the second election, the Filtrona workers didn’t fall for the company’s scare tactics and wore IAM Fighting Machinists T-shirts and buttons, put stickers on their cars and tool boxes and let the company know that they would not be intimidated.

"More than 50 staff and Local Lodge leaders had a hand in this project. This was a true coordinated effort by the IAM,” said Jesse Cote, District 751 Head Organizer. “The lead came from the Western Territory office, and we received great support from the IAM Organizing Department. The leadership in Districts 24, 160, and 725 sent us talented house callers, and we could not have done this without their support and energy. This is truly a coordinated win for the entire territory. I want to especially thank Organizer Jon Holden for his tenacity with this project; but the real heroes of this win are the workers themselves, they never gave up."

“Everyone involved did a great job,” said Western Territory GVP Pearson. “Congratulations on a great win for the IAM and for the entire Western Territory.”

ITF Backs IAM Day of Action

Just a month before the 2007 Transportation Day of Action, the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) have launched a website to show global support for the IAM’s Transportation Day of Action. “Transport workers around the world are suffering the same indignities as the US workers,” said Ingo Marowsky, ITF Civil Aviation Secretary. “That’s why the ITF is urging civil aviation and other transport affiliates to back this worldwide campaign.” The ITF is asking unions to back the Day of Action in a number of ways. These include sending as many participants as possible to the Washington D.C. rally on May 17th, presenting government ministers with a charter of demands during the same week as the action and urging cabin crew on stopover to join ground staff at destination airports in organized actions. The ITF is an international trade union federation of 681 transport workers' unions representing 4,500,000 transport workers in 148 countries. Check out the IAM’s Day of Action Website, www.17may07.org , for the latest Day of Action information.

Farm Labor Organizer Killed in Mexico

The April 9 murder of union organizer Santiago Rafael Cruz in Monterrey, Mexico, continues to spark outrage among labor and political leaders, who are calling for the U.S. State Department to demand a thorough investigation.

As an organizer for the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO (FLOC), Cruz educated workers seeking employment under an agreement with the Mt. Olive Pickle Company and the North Carolina Growers Association. The agreement was established to bring workers to North Carolina under the H2A worker visa program.

The agreement, with its provisions for safe transit, was fiercely opposed by middlemen who previously charged exorbitant fees to transport workers from Mexico to North Carolina.

“We have put up with constant attacks in both the U.S. and Mexico-including having our staff harassed, our office burglarized and broken into several times and a number of other attempted break-ins,” said FLOC in a statement issued following Cruz’s death. “Now the attacks have come to this.”

AARP to Fund Corporate Health Care Initiatives

The AARP announced they will use revenues from collaborations with insurance giants United Healthcare and Aetna to fund lobbying efforts on behalf of their “Divided We Fail” campaign, an alliance with the SEIU and the Business Roundtable that could threaten genuine health care reform.

Congressional Quarterly reports the AARP will bring in $4.4 billion over the next seven years as a result of the agreements, which will cover AARP-branded Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D and Medicare Supplement plans.

AARP President Bill Novelli told reporters more than $400 million of the $628 million per year will be used to fund a huge lobbying effort aimed at expanding the “Divided We Fail” campaign, which Steve Pearlstein in the Washington Post said is designed to give President Bush political cover by offering repackaged versions of so-called reforms that have been largely supported by corporations and insurance companies.

Machinists News Network @ YouTube



Announcing the IAM Photo Contest
The IAM is repeating its members-only photography contest again this year and you are encouraged to enter. You can download a complete contest entry form by clicking here.

2006 IAM Newsletter & Website Contest Awards
Newsletter Award entries are judged on Layout & Design, Best Feature and General Excellence. Local lodges and Districts are judged separately.

The goal of the USA is to create an outdoor hunting and fishing club exclusively for union members and their families. TRCP Launches Union Sportsmen’s Alliance

IAM members can now purchase union gear online at the IAM Store.

IAM Journal
Spring 2007

FOCUS America’s union members do not need to be told what to do. They do what they believe is right, and let the chips fall where they may.

Get Ready for the Day of Action.
The Transportation Department is preparing for a major Rally on May 17, 2007, in Washington, DC. Thousands of working men and women from every state of the Union will join us on that day to say “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”
For more information, visit 17may07.org

Video: 2007 Day of Action



The 2008 Convention website is online. The site features updates, travel tips, convention news reports, info for the media, and official convention gear. Check it out.



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See who works for you, how the IAM is structured, and what services the IAM offers.
Go to: IAM2007


FlatRateTech is an organization “created for and by Ford and Lincoln Mercury service technicians solely to speak as one loud voice rather than 50,000 smaller voices.” according to their website The fast-growing site offers forums for Ford customers, technicians and dealers to exchange information.

IAM
Executive Council


Tom Buffenbarger
International President

Warren L. Mart
Secretary-Treasurer
 

Lee Pearson
GVP Western Territory
 

Dave Ritchie
GVP Canada
 

Robert Roach,Jr.
GVP Transportation
 

Lynn Tucker
GVP Eastern Territory


Robert Martinez
GVP Southern Territory


Richard Michalski
GVP Headquarters

Philip J. Gruber
GVP Midwest Territory