What Does Labor Want? “Whenever people ask me: ‘What does labor want?’ I give them a four letter answer… JOBS!” said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger in recent address to the National Labor College in Silver Spring, MD. “Unemployed Americans are desperate,” said Buffenbarger, who noted that 28.5 million Americans were unemployed or underemployed. “Their savings
Read moreHarley-Davidson to Review York Operations Waves of economic nausea rolled across southeastern Pennsylvania this week following news that Harley-Davidson would consider cost-cutting measures that include moving its massive manufacturing facility in York, PA to another location. More than 2,600 members of Local 175 currently build Touring and Softail models at the York facility. Employees learned
Read moreIAM Legislative Conference Opens in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of activists from every level of the IAM are gathered in Washington, D.C. this week for the 2009 Legislative Conference; four days of legislative planning and grassroots lobbying on Capitol Hill to build on the successes of the 2008 election. “What a difference a year makes,” declared
Read moreYour Tax Dollars at Work? Question: If a troubled U.S. bank is kept afloat with $25 billion in taxpayer assistance under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), should that bank be allowed to promote the liquidation of a 120-year old U.S. company, eliminating nearly 4,000 U.S. jobs in the process? That’s the question raised by
Read moreRetro Pay Highlights Accord for 5,300 IAM Members Members of District 142 will vote on a tentative agreement reached this week with Southwest Airlines that covers the carrier’s 5,300 customer service and reservation agents and features retroactive pay going back to the contract’s amendable date of October 31, 2008. Negotiations for the new contract began
Read more