Thursday,
May 29, 2003
Transpo Symposium Has Global Ambitions
IP Tom Buffenbarger
welcomed delegates from Europe, Australia and North America to the
second IAM International Transportation Symposium and said he looked
forward to the day when contract negotiations, organizing drives and
political action and could be effectively coordinated with union
representatives around the world.
“To achieve the
benefits of international solidarity, we need international strategy,
international communication and international education,” said
Buffenbarger. “The global nature of the transportation industry requires
we coordinate our efforts on a global scale – just as corporations so
often coordinate their efforts against us.”
Each of the 19
international delegates gave detailed ‘crisis reports’ on the challenges
facing air transport workers in their country. The effects of mergers,
bankruptcies and government subsidies were debated. The impact of
airline alliances, currency fluctuations, deregulation and mismanagement
were also discussed.
“At the end of the
day, we’re here to learn from one another,” said Transportation GVP
Roach. “We can no longer afford to be separated by distance, language or
customs. The potential benefits of this symposium for transportation
workers around the world are enormous. I am confident we will grasp the
opportunity we have created here.”
June 4 Rally to Support Defense Workers
The IAM slated a
rally and informational picket on June 4 at the main gate of the Puget
Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, WA to protest Pentagon plans to gut
collective bargaining rights for civilian defense workers.
Local 282 in
Bremerton will coordinate the event and is urging the public to join and
show their support for patriotic Americans who serve their country every
working day. More than 700,000 workers are in danger of losing valuable
rights at work if Congress passes the so-called National Security
Personnel System Act.
The bill, proposed
by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and currently in conference
committee, would overhaul the civilian personnel system; remove
collective bargaining rights and virtually eliminate overtime pay. It
would also deny employees the right to appeal discriminatory actions by
supervisors.
The Rumsfeld
proposal is part of a larger effort to outsource much of the work
currently performed by civilian government employees. The bill would
waive the current requirement against hiring relatives and dramatically
increase the prospect for favoritism in hiring, promotions and awarding
of contracts.
For more information
about the Bremerton rally and how to join the fight to protect
government workers’ rights on the job, contact IAM Business
Representative Mike Goddard at 360-377-8868.
Bombardier Commits to Wichita Jet Work
In an announcement
welcomed by Kansas’ aerospace workers, the president and chief executive
of Bombardier Aerospace pledged to keep work on the Learjet 60, 45 and
40 at its current location in Wichita.
The commitment by
Bombardier marks a victory for the ‘Grow Kansas’ campaign, an IAM-led
effort aimed at preventing the offshore outsourcing of high paying
aerospace jobs.
Earlier this year,
the plane maker committed to keep work on the Learjet 60 in Wichita when
IAM members ratified cost-saving contract changes. The city of Wichita
chipped in by cutting rent payment for Bombardier by $36,000 a year and
joined with the county to repave Learjet Way at a cost of $550,000.
Tentative
Accord Reached at Air Canada
IAM
negotiators reached a tentative agreement this week with bankrupt Air
Canada. The six-year accord, with a re-opener after 3 years, will now be
presented to members for ratification and follows intense negotiations
held under the scrutiny of Canadian bankruptcy authorities.
“Hard choices have had to be made to ensure the survival of the airline
and preserve the livelihoods of our members, their families and the
communities in which they live,” said Canadian General Vice President
Dave Ritchie.
Ritchie went on to say that IAM members’ pension plans had been
preserved. “Our union recognized this as the major issue we couldn’t
yield on, and to their credit, so did the other unions at Air Canada. We
worked together to make sure pensions were protected.”
Click
http://www.iamaw.ca/index2.html
for
more information on the tentative agreement with Air Canada.
District 751 Says: ‘We Can Do It!’
Machinists at Boeing
are hitting the streets in a campaign to win community support for
bringing production of the company’s next generation 7E7 to Washington
State. “The Machinists Union firmly believes Washington State is the
ONLY logical choice to build the 7E7 because of the many advantages we
have to offer,” said District 751 President Mark Blondin.
Earlier this month,
the Boeing Company released a list of criteria that it will use in
deciding where it will build the final 7E7 assembly plant. Access to a
deep-water port; a skilled aerospace workforce and available facilities
will be major factors in the decision, which is expected later this
year.
”We can accomplish
everything in Boeing’s criteria,” said Blondin. “The union is launching
an all-out communications plan that will involve not only our members,
but the general public as well. We need to have everyone in this region
pulling together to ensure the 7E7 lands here.”
Local 778 Racks Up Service Contract Victory
Left to right: Eric Corbett, Melisa Aragon, Michael Morrow, Craig Mayeux,
Dan Mayo, Marc Morris, Tony Garrison and Paul Schmitt. Not Pictured,
Wendy Wetzel.
Local 778 in Kansas City scored another Service Contract Act win for
nine employees at Yulista Management Services, Inc, reports Midwest GVP
Alex Bay. The new Yulista members calibrate and repair precision
equipment at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Other recent wins with
Yulista include Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, TX and Minot Air Force
Base in North Dakota.
According to DBR Joe Capra, the main issues in the campaign were
health care, benefits and representation in the workplace. GLR Joe
Cooper and Capra played key roles in the winning campaign. “We
appreciate their hard work and wish them continued success in the
future,” Bay said.
This is the fourth Service Contract Act win for the Midwest Territory
in 2003. The other wins were at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, Minot
Air Force Base in North Dakota, and Ahnetec Incorporated in Camp
Douglas, WI.
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