www.goiam.org
Friday, April 5, 2002
Bush Seeks Speedy
‘Fast Track’ Vote
Buoyed by inflated poll numbers,
President Bush wants speedy action on Fast Track legislation that
essentially gives him free rein in trade policy. If he wins, Congress
gives up any right to amend, reshape or turn back any trade deal Bush
wants.
Democrats hope to link any trade measure with worker protections against job
losses stemming from such measures. If Bush wins, look for quick action on the
Free Trade Area of the Americas ( FTAA), modeled after NAFTA, a measure which
has cost the U.S. more than 800,000 jobs
The
White House and its congressional allies have refused to support any worker
protections, including re-training or relocation for workers who lose jobs
through such trade provisions.
NAFTA Claims Locomotive Repair Shop
Seventy-five years after it opened for
business, the VMV locomotive repair shop in Paducah, KY is closing it
doors – the latest victim of the recession and the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
As recently as 1999, some
600 skilled workers at the facility were working two shifts, rebuilding 30
locomotives a month. By the fall of 2000, however, the recession cut sales and
the work force in half. The layoffs continued and last week the company put the
remaining 240 employees on the street.
“NAFTA really impacted this
place,” said Bob Reynolds, president and general chairman of IAM District 19.
“The industry started sending work to Mexico where labor is about $2 an hour and
never looked back.”
Reynolds said the union
would help members with unemployment and health insurance while seeking new
owners for the historic repair shop. “We can’t afford for this shop to be
dismantled,” said Reynolds. “If they start removing assets, it will never open
again.”
Meanwhile in Washington,
President Bush wants Congress to expand NAFTA by approving a hemispheric trade
deal known as the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
Blue Ribbon Meetings
Begin
in Albuquerque, Alberta
On April 13, IAM members in Albuquerque, Houston,
Alberta and Pennsylvania can take part in the first 2002 Blue Ribbon Commission
meetings. The town hall-style gatherings will take place in 40 cities over the
next two months and will guide the policies and agenda of the IAM.
“The meetings in 1995 and
1998 helped launch some of this union’s most innovative programs,” said IP
Buffenbarger. “We intend to make sure the IAM remains the organization our
members want it to be.” A full schedule of the Blue Ribbon Commission meetings
is available online at
http://www.iamaw.org/publications/brc/index.htm
Members Can Block Savage Board Choice
Fresh from a stint as a board member at
bankrupt Enron Corp., Frank Savage is running into opposition in his bid
for reelection to the board of Lockheed Martin Corp.
Institutional investors and
pension fund managers are joining IAM shareholders and withholding their votes
for the Savage nomination on the annual proxy ballot.
“Enron’s employees couldn’t
afford this guy, and neither can our members at Lockheed,” said IP Tom
Buffenbarger. “The difference is, at Lockheed we can still do something about
it.”
IAM members at Lockheed
hold approximately 5 percent of the company’s outstanding shares. “We believe
Mr. Savage’s record at Enron disqualifies him from a similar position at
Lockheed,” said Steve Sleigh, director of the IAM Strategic Resources Dept.
“We are urging all
Lockheed shareholders to WITHHOLD their votes on the election of directors,”
said Sleigh. “The pension you save could be your own.”
Mediators Set April 10 For Lockheed Meeting
Twenty-four days after IAM members at
three Lockheed plants struck the aerospace giant, federal mediators are
calling both sides to Atlanta for an April 10 meeting in an effort to
resolve the dispute.
IAM representatives say the
meeting does not signal a return to the bargaining table or an imminent end to
the strike. “It’s not unusual for mediators to probe at this stage of a strike
to see where the parties stand,” said John Crowdis, IAM Aerospace coordinator.
“They will find our members standing firm. We have the support of our families,
our communities and thousands of fellow union members across the country.”
Lockheed Martin is the
country’s richest and most successful defense contractor with billions in
military contracts. IAM members are holding out for an agreement that protects
their jobs from outsourcing and provides adequate health insurance for retirees.
May 8, 2002: Transportation Day of Action
Machinists’ Union members transport more
than 1,000,000 passengers each day. On May 8, IAM members will assemble
at airports and passenger rail stations to remind the public of the
important roles they play in America’s transportation system.
The ‘Day of Action’ was
originally designed to demonstrate the strength and solidarity of the Machinists
Union in the transportation industry. Following the events of September 11,
however, the focus shifted.
“With an airline industry
still in a recovery mode and the future of passenger rail being debated in
Congress, we want the public to see the faces of the people who work every day
to provide them with a safe and dependable transportation system,” said IAM
General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr.
To take part in May 8
activities in your area, visit the IAM’s
Day of Action web site for more information.
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