Tags: congress

IAM Supports Bankruptcy Reform

Thu. February 25, 2010
IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger has sent a letter to Congress requesting support for thousands of IAM members and retirees who have seen their wages, benefits and pensions shredded as airlines and manufacturing companies use bankruptcy to gut union contracts, while at the same time rewarding executives with big bonuses.

Senate Jobs Bill Insults Unemployed Americans

Tue. February 23, 2010
Senate Democrats have already begun congratulating themselves on securing enough votes to move forward with grossly inadequate legislation to address the most urgent issue facing the nation today, unemployment. By a 62-30 vote, the Senate approved a $15 billion package that provides $13 billion for companies who hire unemployed Americans and a payroll tax exemption for those workers through the end of this year.

Dismal Poll is Layoff Notice for Members of Congress

Tue. February 16, 2010
According to a New York Times/CBS poll released late last week, only eight percent of the American people want the members of this Congress re-elected. And 81 percent believe the lawmakers should not be re-elected.

Senate Democrats Get Wake Up Call

Thu. January 21, 2010
The outcome of the special election in Massachusetts is being touted as a victory for Tea Party activists, who grabbed the public’s attention with a non-stop smear campaign against the proposed health care legislation. But an article by Roger Bybee in In These Times magazine, argues that Democrats who buy that reasoning are missing the boat.

Tell Congress: No Taxes on Family Health Care Benefits

Tue. January 12, 2010
As the fight to shape a final health care bill moves through Congress, working families can help stop the effort to tax their health care benefits by joining millions of fellow workers in the AFL-CIO’s National Call-In Blitz to the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, January 13, 2010.

Machinists Union Leaders Vote to Oppose Health Benefits Tax

Mon. January 11, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, D.C., January 11, 2010 – The Executive Council of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) has voted unanimously to oppose any health care reform legislation that is funded by taxing the value of workers’ existing health care benefits.

False Claims Abound in Senate Health Care Debate

Thu. December 03, 2009
A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report released Monday disproves insurance industry claims that the Senate health reform bill would add thousands of dollars to the average family's insurance bill. The CBO found the legislation would lower out-of-pocket expenses for most people buying insurance.

Senate Votes to Move Health Care Debate Forward

Tue. November 24, 2009
Senate lawmakers voted 60-39 over the weekend to invoke cloture and move directly to debate on health care reform. Deliberations on the bill are expected to begin Monday, November 30th.

U.S. Congressman Visits Midwest Territory Office

Thu. November 19, 2009
Illinois Democratic Congressman Daniel Lipinski recently visited with IAM representatives at the union’s Midwest Territory office to discuss issues of importance to Machinists in Illinois and throughout the nine-state territory. Those issues include creating jobs, health care reform, passage of the Employee Free Choice Act and the development of a national manufacturing strategy.

Historic Health Care Legislation Clears the House

Tue. November 10, 2009
In a giant step toward providing all Americans with quality and affordable health care, the House of Representatives passed a comprehensive health insurance reform bill late Saturday night.

Senate Bows to Calls for Public Option

Tue. October 27, 2009
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he will present the Senate with a health reform bill that includes a public option, but one that allows individual states to opt-out.

Act Now for Public Option

Fri. October 23, 2009
This is an urgent call to action to ensure the House passes health reform with the most robust public option possible.

Scardelletti Testifies for High Speed Rail Workers

Thu. October 22, 2009
The merits and challenges of high speed rail service in the United States were debated recently at a House committee hearing in Washington D.C., where visitors frequently filled the hearing room to capacity.

Mass Layoffs Impact 248,000 in September

Thu. October 22, 2009
New jobs numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor show employers took 2,561 mass layoff actions involving 248,006 workers during the month of September ...

Flawed Health Care Legislation Advances in Senate

Thu. October 15, 2009
The IAM, along with 26 other unions, voiced its opposition to the Senate Finance Committee’s health care bill by sponsoring a full-page ad printed in The Washington Post, USA Today and Capitol Hill newspapers Wednesday.

Senate Committee Votes Down Public Option for Health Care

Thu. October 01, 2009
Senate lawmakers voted down two amendments this week to include a public option in a bill that would reform our nation’s health care system.

Taxing Union Health Care Benefits?

Wed. September 23, 2009
On Sept. 16, Senator Baucus (D-MT), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, released a deeply flawed health care reform bill that fails to meet the most basic promise of health care reform, and threatens to shift more costs to employees represented by labor unions.

Congress

Fri. September 04, 2009

When voters gave control of the U.S. House and Senate to the Democrats on November 7, their message was loud and clear: It’s time for a change – NOW!