Kentucky Local 219 Welcomes Shuler, Grimes
October 9, 2014
Quick links+
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler, left photo, and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Alison Lundergan Grimes (KY), right photo, stand with striking IAM Local 219 members on the picket line at Allsource Global Management (AGM) at the Bluegrass Station Army Depot in Lexington, KY.
IAM Local 219 members on strike at Allsource Global Management (AGM) at the Bluegrass Station Army Depot in Lexington, KY, had some important visitors to the picket lines. Alison Lundergan Grimes, running against Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky, stood strong with the 170 IAM members, and questioned whether Sen. McConnell was ensuring the jobs at Bluegrass Station remained good jobs.
Elizabeth “Liz” Shuler, AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer, also visited the picketers, and joined the call for AGM to end the strike.
“I was proud to stand with the strong members seeking justice in their Unfair Labor Practice Strike against the Lockheed Martin subcontractor AGM,” said Shuler. “The AFL-CIO joins the IAM and calls for AGM to end this unconscionable union-busting attack on this patriotic and skilled workforce that supports our military. We call on our Kentucky elected officials to investigate why AGM is using public funds to illegally attack the workers at Bluegrass Station. We especially call on Sen. Mitch McConnell to show which side he’s on. Does he stand with workers or does he stand with big corporations?”
Shuler, along with the Kentucky AFL-CIO, also helped spread the word by tweeting pictures of the striking IAM members to their followers with messages of solidarity and “courage.” See the tweets below.
Local 219 members voted overwhelmingly to strike on October 1 after AGM, a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin, refused to bargain in good faith over proposed 35 to 50 percent pay cuts.
AGM provides supplies for U.S. Army Special Forces units.
The company claims they were forced by the government to re-classify the civilian contractors, which resulted in the proposed pay cuts. But despite repeated requests, AGM has refused to provide documentation to support these claims.
“They’re flaunting the law,” said IAM Communications Representative for the Southern Territory Robert Wood. “We’re kind of surprised because when you have a company that’s a contractor for the military, you usually have a contractor that negotiates in good faith and follows the law. Our fight is not against the military. We certainly think Lockheed is behind this.”
