www.goiam.org
Tuesday, June 11, 2002
‘Heroes’
Documentary Available Online
The IAM unveiled a secure section of
their interactive website to make the 9-11 labor documentary,
‘Everyday Heroes’ available directly to union members and the
public.
The 49-minute
documentary, produced by the Machinists, is being used to raise funds
for medical and psychological treatment of workers exposed to hazardous
working conditions during rescue and recovery work at the World Trade
Center site.
“All profits from the sale of
‘Everyday Heroes’ will go to a special treatment fund established by the
IAM and administered by the Mt. Sinai – Irving J. Selikoff Center for
Occupational and Environmental Medicine,” said Machinists President Tom
Buffenbarger, who donated $20,000 to launch the workers treatment fund.
Single and multiple orders for
the compelling oral history documentary can now be processed online at
http://edh.goiam.org/ using a new e-commerce feature of the IAM website.
“We established the fund to
honor the union men and women who rushed into harm’s way on September 11,” said
Buffenbarger. “Their pride and resolve was an inspiration to us all. The fund is
our way to say ‘thank you.’”
Preparations Underway for IAM-NWA
Negotiations
District 143
delegates from locations across the U.S. met in St. Paul this week to
review members’ contract proposals in preparation for an initial
exchange with airline management in August 2002.
District 143, headed by
President and Directing General Chairman Robert DePace represents 16,668
IAM members at Northwest, including Reservations Agents, Customer
Service Agents and Equipment Service Employees (ESE). Their current
agreement expires in February 2003.
Separately, District 143 representatives recently began
negotiations for 3,200 IAM members at Alaska Airlines. IAM negotiators proposed
103 changes to the current agreement, which becomes amendable on October 29,
2002.
US Airways Applies for Loan Guarantees
After losing $2
billion last year, US Airways is turning to U.S. taxpayers for help. The
nation’s sixth largest airline filed this week for $900 million in
federal loan guarantees to stave off bankruptcy and fund a massive
restructuring plan.
US Airways is the largest
airline so far to apply for the loan guarantee since Congress created
the Air Transportation Stabilization Board (ATSB) to oversee a $15
billion airline bailout fund.
ATSB guidelines call for a viable business plan before it
will approve loan guarantees. The plan filed by US Airways with its application
proposes $1.3 billion in annual cost savings, with $950 million coming from
employees and $350 million coming from vendors doing business with the airline.
Negotiations between the IAM and US Airways regarding
restructuring proposals have been underway for weeks. Calls by the airline for
wholesale cuts in wages, benefits and pensions were rejected by union
representatives. “If US Airways is serious about seeking the IAM’s help in
avoiding bankruptcy, we need to see a tangible business plan and understand how
our members fit into that plan,” said District presidents Randy Canale and
Scotty Ford in a message to members at US Airways. “History clearly shows that
employee concessions, alone, do not save airlines.”
GOP Eyes Lobbyists’ Litmus Test
Grover
Norquist is at it again. The GOP activist best known in labor circles as
the “brains” behind California’s notorious Proposition 226, the
“paycheck deception” measure, has set his sights on Democrats who work
for lobbying firms in the nation’s capital.
It’s part of a campaign that
could “deny government access and prime lobbying jobs to Democrats,” the
Washington Post said in a recent article. The hefty dossier will
be given to top White House officials and Republican lawmakers on
Capitol Hill, the report noted. Norquist is closely tied to Karl Rove,
President Bush’s top political adviser. He is a frequent visitor at the
White House and GOP congressional offices.
Norquist hopes to convince lobbying firms and trade
associations to purge Democrats and hire more Republicans, the Post
alleged.
“I am appalled that
anyone would be that brazen,” said Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle,
D-SD.
Labor Dept. Touts New Job Venture
Labor Secretary
Elaine Chao unveiled a “unique” initiative to counter the loss of more
than 1.5 million jobs in the last nine months. Chao announced a plan to
help dislocated workers find new jobs with Home Depot.
“That’s supposed to be good
news?” asked IP Tom Buffenbarger. “We have thousands of members losing
good jobs paying decent wages all across the manufacturing sector.
Minimum wage jobs at retail outlets are not the answer.”
A Home Depot executive told the Daily Labor Report
the firm expects to hire 160,000 workers over the next four years. That same
executive declined to discuss Home Depot’s wage scales, but claimed they are
higher than “local market retail rates.”
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