Thursday,  April 17,  2003

 

Workers Memorial Day Monday April 28
Each year the labor movement observes “Workers Memorial Day” on April 28 to remember workers who have been killed or injured on the job. The IAM’s Safety and Health Department will hold a special sunset ceremony at the IAM Workers Memorial at the William W. Winpisinger Center in Hollywood Maryland as part of the Department’s annual Safety and Health training seminar.

“Too many workers are still being killed or injured on the job,” said Safety and Health Director Mike Flynn. “We want to recognize our fellow members who were killed or injured and remind everyone to work for the day when every worker comes home to his or her family safe and sound.” Contact the Safety and Health Department at 301-967-4704 for more information about the memorial service Monday April 28, 2003.

For locals and districts who are planning Memorial Day activities in their area, the AFL-CIO has a “Workers Memorial Day Kit,” which includes a poster, flier, clip art, stickers and more. Materials are available on the AFL-CIO website at http://www.aflcio.org/yourjobeconomy/safety/memorial/
 

VP Cheney Reaps Rich Dividend
Vice President Dick Cheney left his Undisclosed Location for a brief visit to Capitol Hill last week. It was well worth the trip. Cheney cast the tie-breaking vote on a GOP budget resolution that preserves the President’s huge tax cuts for the nation’s wealthiest taxpayers.

Cheney’s vote earned him an estimated $107,000 tax cut; a tax cut that dwarfs the meager savings working families are slated to receive from the Bush tax plan. Had the President’s original $726 billion tax cut won congressional passage, Cheney’s benefit would have ballooned to $220,000.

With CEO pay soaring, America’s corporate elite salivate over those numbers. The AFL-CIO’s Executive PayWatch shows that the average CEO’s pay package totaled more than $10.8 million last year. That’s 441 times the average pay of regular workers.

Working families don’t fare quite as well. The nation lost more than 2.6 million private sector jobs in the past two years and 75 million Americans had no health insurance at some period during the past two years.

While doling out billions of dollars to the wealthiest Americans, the President’s so-called “Jobs and Growth” budget plan cuts spending for schools, veterans’ benefits and other programs that benefit working Americans.
 

IAM Safety and Health Dept.
Provides Latest SARS Information
The latest information and current workplace guidelines about Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) are available from the IAM Safety and Health Department’s web page at “IAMAW SARS Medical Alert” (http://www.goiam.org/visit.asp?c=4237).

While research into the disease is ongoing and recommended measures for dealing with SARS are still tentative, the IAM recommends that locals and district lodges work with employers and health officials to begin a process of precautionary planning based on current knowledge and the anticipated spread of the disease. For more information, contact the IAM Safety and Health Department at 301-967-4707 and check the Department web page for the latest updates.
 

NAFTA: The Sequel
Here we go again. A new trade plan proposed by the Bush administration holds new threats for American workers. The proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), this new jobs-stealing plan creates the world’s largest free trade zone by eliminating tariffs in every country in the Western Hemisphere except Cuba.

“It’s NAFTA all over again—but 10 times bigger,” warned AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. By spreading NAFTA’s shortcomings to 34 countries, the new trade proposal could affect the lives of more than 800 million people.

At last count, 766,030 actual and potential jobs in the United States have been lost since NAFTA went into effect in 1994 because of skyrocketing trade deficits with Canada and Mexico, according to the Economic Policy Institute. For more information, visit www.aflcio.org/stopftaa.
 

Aerospace Conference Slated for Sept. 6-11
The call letters for the 2003 IAM Aerospace Conference will soon be in the mail, reports GVP Bob Thayer. The conference will be held at the Hilton Hartford Hotel in Hartford, CT. Registration is set for September 6. The conferences opens September 7 and should conclude at noon, September 11

Reservations may be made by calling 1-800-445-8667 or 1-860-728-5151. Indicate that you are attending the IAM conference to receive the convention rate of $119 ( single or double). Cut off date for room reservations is August 1.

The conference theme is: “Jobs Worth Fighting For”
 

Dates Set for Women’s Conference
and CLUW Convention
The Coalition of Labor Union Women and the IAM Women’s Conference will be held in Seattle Washington in early October. The IAM Women's Conference will take place October 8-9, 2003 at the Hilton Seattle Hotel in Seattle, Washington. The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) will hold their 12th Biennial Convention October 10-12, 2003 Westin Hotel, also in Seattle.

“We encourage our locals and districts to send delegates to these important conferences,” said Women’s Department Director Cheryl Eastburn. “We will be sending the official call to the IAM Women’s Conference soon.” For information about either conference, call the IAM Women’s Department at 301-967-4747. 
 

Help Fund Free Mammograms
Each year, 182,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 43,300 die. If detected early, the 5-year survival rate exceeds 95%. Mammograms are among the best early detection methods, yet 13 million women in the U.S. are 40 years old and have never had a mammogram.

“We can stop thousands of needless deaths from breast cancer by educating our members about the importance of regular mammograms,” said Women’s Department Director Cheryl Eastburn. “Those of us who are lucky to have health insurance can help fund free mammograms for underprivileged women and learn more about breast cancer by visiting the Breast Cancer website at www.thebreastcancersite.com.”