IAM and Swedish Metalworkers in Historic AllianceLeaders of the IAM and the Swedish Metalworkers Union (IF Metall) today announced a trans-Atlantic union alliance to coordinate communications and collective bargaining at companies that employ members of both labor organizations. “We affirm our resolve to find new and innovative strategies that will have a real and direct impact on ensuring security, dignity and respect for our members,” declared the document establishing the alliance, signed in Stockholm, Sweden, by IAM President Tom Buffenbarger and IF Metall President Stefan Löfven. While the IAM and IF Metall have traditionally worked closely together in matters involving collective bargaining and organizing, this alliance agreement represents a significant step forward in creating a solid framework for even greater cooperation. “A vibrant, aggressive and global labor movement is the only answer to the globalization of industries where we represent workers,” said Buffenbarger. “I fully expect this alliance to generate substantive benefits where we have members in common,” added Löfven. Formed in 2006 from a merger between the Swedish Industrial Union and the Swedish Metalworkers Union, the IF Metall currently represents nearly 450,000 members in mechanical engineering, mining, building components, ironworks, textile and auto repair industries. Additional information about IF Metall can be found at www.ifmetall.se .
IAM Announces Key Staff AssignmentsGeneral Secretary-Treasurer (GST) Warren Mart today announced that Special Assistant Rob Minnich will become Assistant Secretary to the GST when long-time Assistant Secretary and IAM legend Mike Dorsey retires on July 31, 2007. Additionally, GST Mart named veteran Grand Lodge Auditor Steve Dunn to become Special Assistant to the GST when Minnich assumes his new duties on August 1, 2007. “The IAM is extremely fortunate to have such a wealth of experience to draw on when someone of Mike Dorsey’s caliber decides to retire,” said Mart. “Mike has served this union and its members in countless ways since joining the IAM more than 40 years ago. We will miss his skills, his experience and his tenacious loyalty, and we wish him the best in his well-deserved retirement.” Before coming to IAM headquarters as Special Assistant to GST Mart in October 2003, Rob Minnich served in numerous capacities, including local lodge financial officer and Grand Lodge Auditor in the Eastern and Southern Territories from 1995 to 2003. His responsibilities as Assistant Secretary will include managing operations in the GST Department and overseeing the activities of the IAM’s 16 Grand Lodge Auditors. “I have no doubt that Rob will exceed the already high standards set by his predecessors,” said Mart. “He’s proven his value in so many capacities since joining the IAM in 1985 and he understands the structure and politics of locals and districts as well as anyone in this organization. His skills and insights will be invaluable in the months and years ahead.” GLA Steve Dunn joined the IAM in 1986 as a production mechanic for McDonnell Douglas on the F-15 assembly line in St. Louis, MO. He went on to serve as Shop Steward, Recording Secretary, Bylaws Committee Chairman and Plant Chairman before being elected Secretary-Treasurer of District 837 in 1997. Dunn has served as a Grand Lodge Auditor in the Southern and Midwest Territories.
Tennessee Strikers Need Your HelpLast February, Maremont CEO Ken Banks tried to institute a wage freeze and an increase in health care premiums for 300 IAM members who build the world-famous Cherry Bomb muffler in Loudon, Tennessee. The members of Local 2545 voted to strike rather than accept the 70-cent an hour pay cut. Banks soon brought in strikebreakers to replace the plant’s skilled and experienced workers, who have been walking picket lines since Feb. 3rd. “These Machinists are standing strong and proud for what’s right,” said Southern Territory GVP Bob Martinez. “I’d urge everyone to please sit down and take a few minutes to send an email to support our proud Machinists.”
House Committee Votes to Reform NSPSThe House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee vo ted to roll back key provisions of the unfair National Security Personnel System (NSPS) for civilian employees at the Department of Defense (DoD). The subcommittee added language to a fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill that would restore collective bargaining and disciplinary appeal rights for DoD workers and give federal sector unions a greater role in setting up any new pay system. The previous GOP-controlled Congress, the Bush administration and former DoD Secretary Donald Rumsfeld implemen ted NSPS over strong objections by federal employees and their unions. NSPS would have gut ted traditional civil service rights and set up an unfair system that gave almost complete control over raises and disciplinary review to supervisors and DoD managers. A federal judge ruled key NSPS provisions went too far and were illegal for employees working under collective bargaining agreements. “The House Committee responded to the tremendous pressure genera ted by union members and other federal employees against this unfair system,” said IAM Government Employees Director Frank Carelli. “Rolling back NSPS shows that active members can make a difference. We elec ted a friendlier Congress and then made sure they kept their promises. Now we have to make sure the full House and Senate do their part.” Click here http://capwiz.com/iamaw/issues/alert/?alertid=9649451 to send a message to your Representative and Senators to urge them to stop funding for the unfair NSPS system.
The Jones Act Under AttackIn the latest threat to the U.S. shipbuilding industry, the U.S. Coast Guard is collaborating with shipbuilder and defense contractor General Dynamics to allow the importation of so-called “kit ships” in direct violation of long-standing U.S. law. Kit ships are vessels built in South Korea and then transported to the U.S., where they are assembled and sold as U.S.-built ships. For 80 years, the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, better known as the Jones Act, requires ships used to transport cargo between domestic U.S. ports be U.S. built and staffed by U.S. crews. By scuttling the core requirements of the Jones Act, the Coast Guard threatens U.S. shipbuilding jobs in addition to weakening the long-term capacity of the United States to fabricate components critical for defense systems. Click here http://www.goiam.org/content.cfm?cID=10436 to send a message to Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, urging him to support and protect the U.S. shipbuilding industry, rather than facilitate efforts by large corporations to take advantage of low-cost foreign labor sources.
Day of Action Countdown!There is just a week to go before the Machinists Union leads thousands of workers from more than a dozen unions on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. declaring “Enough is Enough” and demanding a president who isn’t deaf to the needs of America’s workers. IAM members will be traveling from as far as Guam to attend the event, and international union representatives from the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Germany will hear presidential candidates Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) address the thousands of union members. Presidential candidates Governor Bill Richardson and John Edwards will appear via video. Check the Day of Action website, www.17may07.org , for updated site maps and the latest information about the event.
Help Letter Carriers ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ on May 12Letter carriers and other postal employees in more than 10,000 cities and towns across America will collect non-perishable food items donated by customers and deliver them to local community food banks, pantries and shelters. “Stamp Out Hunger” is the largest annual one-day food drive in the world. National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) President William H. Young noted that the upcoming summer months “are a particularly critical time for millions of children whose school lunch programs are suspended until fall and their families must find alternate sources of nutrition.” Since its inception in 1993, the nationwide drive has collected and delivered over three-quarters of a billion pounds of food to help hungry families. To participate, simply place canned goods and non-perishable items in a bag and leave it by your mailbox on Saturday, May 12, 2006. To find out more visit the NALC Stamp Out Hunger campaign website at http://www.nalc.org/commun/foodrive/index.html
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