Thursday, May 22, 2003
Machinists Rally on Capitol Hill
Hundreds
of IAM members marched from the union’s Washington D.C. Legislative
Conference to the site of the 2003 ‘Day of Action’ rally and heard
speakers demand fairness for the nation’s transportation workers.
“Since 9/11, workers have been laboring to rebuild a transportation
system in turmoil,” said GVP Robert Roach, Jr. “Now these same workers
are under attack by their employers and some lawmakers.”
“Airline CEO’s are using this difficult period to layoff workers,
downsize carriers and send work out of the USA,” said IP Tom
Buffenbarger. “They want employees to bear the burden caused by years of
mismanagement, while promoting legislation that would deny those same
workers the freedom to vote on future labor agreements.”
“The Bush
Administration is spending billions to create an infrastructure in Iraq
while neglecting a crumbling transportation industry right in their own
backyard,” added Roach. “Their failure to properly fund Amtrak and
willingness to stand idle as airlines fail borders on the criminal.”
Legislative
Conference Closes on High Note
A
quartet of Democratic presidential hopefuls and other speakers drew a
warm reception from delegates to the IAM Legislative Conference, but it
was a first-term senator from the Empire State who stole the show.
Hillary Clinton,
D-NY, drew standing ovations and thundering cheers as she flayed
President Bush and the GOP-controlled Congress for their efforts to
“turn back the clock” and erase decades of social justice and economic
progress for working families.
“Fairness for
working families is not ‘class warfare’,” she declared in a
not-so-subtle dig at Bush, who frequently uses the term to blunt
criticism of his massive tax cuts. Clinton said the White House should
focus on education, health care, transportation and the nation’s
infrastructure and not on policies that “make millionaires richer.”
Clinton described
Bush’s budget as “a giant shell game” that does little for working
families and said that the “best welfare program is a good job.” She
told the cheering delegates: “I will stand with you, I will fight with
you to build a brighter future for all Americans.”
For three days, more
than 300 delegates fanned out across Capitol Hill and urged their
senators and representatives to support policies that benefit working
families. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney was among the speakers who
addressed the delegates.
The session closed
out with a radio talk show from the conference floor, hosted by
well-known talk show host Ellen Ratner, whose pro-worker leanings are a
welcomed change from the rants of such as Rush Limbaugh.
Stanley CEO to
Resign, Strike Ends
Striking IAM members at Stanley Works voted three-to-one to ratify a new
agreement and returned to work following news that Stanley CEO John
Trani will resign December 31.
“The announcement
that John Trani is leaving will be welcomed by Stanley’s employees and
shareholders alike,” said IP Tom Buffenbarger. “His tenure was marked by
declining employee morale, sinking share prices and irresponsible
decision-making.”
The company’s share
price dropped 38 percent over the past year as Stanley shifted more and
more work to overseas locations. Trani’s bid to escape paying $30
million in taxes by moving the company’s headquarters to Bermuda drew a
firestorm of criticism for irresponsible, even unpatriotic corporate
behavior.
The new three-year
agreement for IAM members of Local 1249 and 1433 provided raises,
increased pensions, curbed subcontracting for maintenance work and cut
prescription drug costs.
Magic Mountain
Members Ratify First Pact
IAM
members of District 947 who maintain rides and equipment at Magic
Mountain Amusement Park in California voted this week to approve a first
contract with pay raises, seniority protection and language to restrict
outsourcing and subcontracting.
Strong local support
and coordinated action by Central Labor Councils were key to winning the
first accord for the 112 newly-organized Magic Mountain workers. “The
support of the community was overwhelming,” said Western Territory GVP
Lee Pearson, who credited a letter writing campaign by union members and
State Legislators calling for better wages and working conditions for
families in the community. “This shows what we can accomplish when we
stand together,” said Pearson.
Media Monopoly
Threatens to Expand
Sweeping changes being quietly proposed by Bush administration officials
at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) could eliminate
long-standing limits on the number of TV, radio and newspaper outlets a
single corporation can own.
Despite waves of
recent media mergers, the FCC is considering rule changes that could
lead to further consolidation, increasing the threat of monopoly control
over the news, entertainment and other information the public receives.
Public resentment is
growing over the manner in which FCC officials are attempting to ram the
new rules into effect without sufficient opportunity for public comment.
In unofficial forums across the country, hundreds of consumers are
speaking out against the changes.
For employees in the
news and entertainment industry, consolidation means an increase in job
insecurity. Since June 2000, nearly 70,000 media workers have been laid
off.
Workers and
consumers across the country are contacting Sen. John McCain, chairman
of the committee that oversees media corporations, and urging him to
allow public comment before any new rules are adopted. Visit afl-cio.org
to make your voice heard on this important issue.
GE Union Endorses
Strike Action
A
majority of IUE-CWA members working at General Electric facilities
across the nation gave their bargaining committee strike authority if
agreement on a new contract is not reached. The IUE is one of 13 unions,
including the IAM, seeking a new contract with the multinational giant.
“Our talks begin
June 9,” said GVP Bob Thayer, who heads the IAM negotiating team. “We
will be negotiating separately this time,” he said. The IAM-GE talks
will be held in Waukesha, WI. Key issues include job security, pension
benefits and health care. The IAM represents about 3,000 members at GE.
Senate Leans on CEO
Pay, Perks
Since
1964, annual compensation for U.S. CEOs increased from 25 times the pay
of an average worker to more than 500 times a worker’s pay today. The
figures were revealed during a Senate hearing on the ‘disconnect’
between excessive CEO pay and dismal earnings at many U.S. corporations.
Despite trillions in
lost stock values, record unemployment and the highest corporate
bankruptcy rate in years, “we continue to see many examples of enormous
pay packages awarded by boards to top executives,” said Commerce
Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ), who expressed anger that no top
executives accepted the committee’s invitation to testify at the
hearings.
Among the no-show
CEOs were: Leo Mullin of Delta Airlines, Edward Breen of Tyco
International, Larry Ellison of Oracle Corp., Michael Eisner of Walt
Disney Co., and former General Electric CEO Jack Welch.
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