Thursday, October 09, 2008

IAM-Boeing Contract Talks Set To Resume

Negotiators for 27,000 Machinists on strike at Boeing locations in four states announced this week they would sit down with company representatives for the first time since the strike began on September 6, 2008.

The decision to return to the bargaining table followed discussions with federal mediators and a meeting between union leaders and Scott Carson, Boeing’s lead negotiator. In a message to IAM members, negotiators credited the decision to resume talks to the unbroken resolve of members and a sustained presence on the picket lines.

“We hope this meeting marks a major step forward,” said Aerospace Coordinator Mark Blondin. “The Union will continue to do everything possible to bargain a contract that addresses the concerns our members have identified.”

The IAM is seeking written contract language to ensure that jobs historically performed by Machinist union members in Boeing factories will continue to be performed by IAM members.

FAA Cites Failures of Aircraft Maintenance Oversight

A new report by the FAA’s Office of Inspector General showed serious flaws in the FAA’s oversight of aircraft repair stations that perform heavy maintenance on U.S. aircraft. The study examined nine major airlines, which outsourced 71 percent of their heavy air frame maintenance in 2007, compared with 34 percent in 2003.

Among the key findings were: The FAA needs to improve its system for determining how much and where outsourced maintenance is performed. The current system provides only limited data for FAA to use in targeting inspections. The report also concluded the FAA did not have a specific policy governing when inspectors should visit repair stations, nor did they require inspectors to validate if repair stations have corrected deficiencies identified in air carrier audits. The airlines examined in the report were AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, America West Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.

“This report follows similar Inspector General reports issued in 2003 and 2005,” said IAM Transportation GVP Robert Roach, Jr. “The Inspector General repeatedly documents the FAA’s failures, but the FAA has not taken sufficient action to ensure the safety of our nation’s air transportation system. All repair stations, foreign and domestic, should be held to a single standard of safety and oversight. If overseas governments are unwilling to do the same background and drug screening required of U.S. airline mechanics, or prevent FAA inspectors from making the same surprise inspections they do at U.S. facilities, then the FAA should prohibit airlines from scheduling maintenance in those countries.”

Town Hall Meetings Spotlight Labor Issues

To educate members about the important issues in the upcoming elections, the Labor Coalition for Community Action (LCAA) is sponsoring Town Hall meetings across the country. The LCAA is a coalition of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and Pride at Work.

After a successful event in Harrisburg, PA, the next Town Hall Meeting is scheduled for the important 11th Congressional District in Northern Virginia on Monday, October 13, 2008 from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. For directions and information, go to www.cluw.org.

District 5 Wins at Grand Forks Air Force Base

Midwest Territory District 5 continued their winning ways with an organizing victory at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. The new members work in the Precision Measuring Equipment Laboratory calibrating electronic equipment for the U.S. Air Force.

District 5 Organizer Kevin Murch praised Jim Hogoboom from Local 2525 in Fargo, ND, for his role in the win. “Jim has been a real asset for the IAM picking up leads at several locations for us recently. He helped in arranging the initial meeting with DBR Dennis Walworth.”

According to Murch, our new members at Grand Forks AFB had gone seven years without a wage increase and were excited about the IAM’s track record and experience with organizing under the Service Contract Act.

“DBR Dennis Walworth, Organizer Kevin Murch and Jim Hogoboom have worked very hard and traveled long distances to have a very successful year organizing in the Dakotas,” said  Midwest Territory GVP Philip J. Gruber, who praised the organizing efforts by District 5. “We deeply appreciate their dedication to growing our union.”

TRCP’s Life in the Open Begins New Season

The popular outdoor series “Life in the Open” returns for a fourth season this month. The show airs every Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern and every Thursday at 2 p.m. Eastern on VERSUS Country. Click here for schedule information. Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, TRCP’s Life in the Open explores today’s pressing fish and wildlife issues, while venturing to some of the best hunting and fishing destinations that are also accessible and affordable to hardworking American hunters and anglers. 
Link: http://www.versuscountry.com/showpage.aspx?sid=10

Each week, the show will transport viewers from their living room into the wild to pursue fast-flying birds, stealthy big game and aggressive fish in inspiring destinations across the United States and beyond. Viewers will discover how they could hunt wild, free-ranging bison on public lands in Montana or match muscle with world-class Alaskan fish on the cheap.

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) is a union-supported program to preserve access to hunting and fishing areas and carry on Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy of wildlife conservation. For more information about TRCP and the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, visit http://www.trcp.org/