‘Day of Action’ Signals Grassroots RevivalThe thousands of Machinists who came to Washington, DC last week for the 2007 Legislative Conference and the Transportation Department’s “Day of Action” returned home after witnessing firsthand the impact that grassroots political involvement can have. From an impassioned speech by John Edwards at the Legislative Conference, who repeatedly echoed the Machinists theme of “Enough is Enough,” to Hillary Clinton’s vow to restore visibility to union members and working families, it became clear that candidates are already listening closely to what IAM members have to say. “Last week’s events are one part of a comprehensive strategy to ensure our members’ concerns are part of this nation’s political dialog heading into the 2008 presidential election,” said IP Tom Buffenbarger, whose own remarks http://www.goiam.org/content.cfm?cID=10543 at the Day of Action were greeted with cheers of approval. “I want to thank every member who took part in last week’s activities. This union is clearly motivated and it’s inspiring to see such solidarity in action and to hear it reflected in the remarks of candidates seeking the highest office in the land.” Appeals Court Rules Against Defense WorkersIn a 2-to-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled last week that the Department of Defense (DoD) has the right to “curtail” collective bargaining rights for more than 400,000 federal employees for the next two years. The decision dismisses a lower court injunction barring implementation of personnel rules proposed as part of the DoD’s controversial National Security Personnel System (NSPS). The ruling will allow the DoD to circumvent civil service protections for government workers and to abrogate collective bargaining agreements practically at will. At risk will be federal workers’ hours of work, shifts, alternative work schedules, overtime and more. “We are appalled by the hostility the Bush administration continues to display toward federal workers,” said IAM Government Employees Director Frank Carelli. “It was bad enough when the Department of Defense overreached in developing the regulations for the new personnel system. It’s even worse now that the court has taken the liberty to expand it.” The IAM vowed to stand with the United Defense Workers Coalition (UDWC), http://www.uniteddodworkerscoalition.org , a coalition of 36 unions representing 750,000 government workers. “We will not back up, back down or retreat from this administration’s assault on federal workers,” said IP Tom Buffenbarger. “Together with UDWC, we will move for a full court review of the latest decision.” In more encouraging news, the U.S. House of Representatives voted last week 397-27 to support collective bargaining in the DoD and to stop the department's attempts to eliminate due process rights. “We believed all along that we would need a legislative fix for NSPS,” said Carelli. “Now it’s up to the Senate to act.” Please contact your Senator by going to http://capwiz.com/iamaw/issues/alert/?alertid=9649451 and urging them to restore the rights of federal workers.
IAM-GE Negotiations Underway in New YorkPensions, heath care and job security are key issues in the negotiations that began this week between General Electric Co. (GE) and a coalition of 14 unions representing 23,000 workers nationwide. The IAM represents nearly 2,500 employees at 18 GE facilities in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. “We are determined to bargain a contract that acknowledges GE’s enormous financial resources and assures good jobs for current and future employees at GE,” said GVP Rich Michalski. “We are equally determined that these talks will not become an opportunity for GE to renege on long-standing commitments to its employees or to benchmark itself against financially troubled competitors.” The contract talks, now underway in New York City, will conclude with a vote by members on a so-called “last, best and final” offer from the company. The current four-year contract expires on June 17.
Virginia Members Ratify New Accord with Philip MorrisLocal 10 in Richmond, VA, announced a new three-year contract with good wages, job security language and a pension plan for IAM members who manufacture smokeless tobacco products at Philip Morris’ newest facility in Williamsburg, VA. Philip Morris agreed to recognize the IAM as the workers’ representative after 26 of the 27 employees at the new facility signed authorization cards seeking IAM representation. Local 10 Business Representative Jeff Agee then sat down with the company and negotiated a new, cover-to-cover collective bargaining agreement, which was ratified by a 90 percent margin. “It’s a good tobacco contract,” said Agee. “We got raises, performance payouts, pension, and job security language for the workers. Everyone is very pleased,” said Agee. “If the product is successful, this could easily translate into hundreds of new members in Williamsburg.” “It took less than two months from the day the workers walked into a brand-new facility until they were under a strong IAM contract,” said Southern Territory GVP Bob Martinez. “Congratulations to BR Agee and his committee for an outstanding job of ensuring a bright future for our newest members at Philip Morris.”
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