Thursday, August 11, 2005

Employees Gagged Over NLRB Ruling

The National Labor Relations Board has struck another blow to American workers, ruling that employers can now ban off-duty interaction among co-workers.

In September 2003, workers filed unfair labor practice charges against national security firm Guardsmark, who had implemented a rule saying employees could not “fraternize on duty or off duty, date or become overly friendly with the client’s employees or with co-employees.”

Employees charged the company’s rules inhibited their rights under federal labor law to form, join or assist unions.

The Republican-dominated NLRB defended their decision by arguing workers would likely interpret the rule as simply a ban on dating and not a prohibition of association among co-workers.

Wilma Liebman, a Democratic appointee, said in a dissenting opinion that because the Guardsmark rule already specifies dating, workers logically would assume fraternization to mean something else, such as their freedom to associate and form unions.

In response to an earlier anti-worker NLRB ruling in July, in which Republican appointees on the board declared graduate assistants at universities are students and not employees and are thus not entitled to the protections of federal labor law, New York University (NYU) officials announced Aug. 5 they would no longer recognize UAW Local 2110 as the bargaining representative for about 1,000 graduate assistants when the current contract expires August 31. NYU was the first private university to recognize a union for graduate assistants.

Illinois Workers Win Free Speech Rights

Union members in Illinois now have a guaranteed right to picket and exercise their free speech rights thanks to a new law signed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in front of nearly 2,000 delegates and guests at the AFL-CIO Convention in Chicago.

Blagojevich said the new law was required because some municipalities placed restrictions on picketing and free speech rights. “If hard-working men and women need to march on the street to let the public know about a labor dispute, they should be able to do so without interference,” he said.

Air Force One Fuelers Win First Contract

District Lodge 4 is on a roll at Andrews Air Force Base in Suitland, Maryland, the home of Air Force One. After successful organizing drives, the IAM successfully negotiated two first agreements, one with Dyncorp LLC and one with Trend Western.

Seven more employees at DynCorp International Services at Andrews just joined the IAM and District 4 is in negotiations for a new contract for 300 members at another DynCorp location.

The new contract at Trend Western covers aircraft fueling and servicing employees who keep Air Force One ready to fly. Contract highlights include a $1.93 hourly wage increase and a 10 percent wage increase for lead employees.

The new contract at Dyncorp LLC covers Navy C-12 Aircraft Mechanics. Contract highlights include a $4.10 hourly wage increase, the IAM Pension plan, and a four percent increase in fringe benefits.

“Congratulations and special thanks go out to our determined members at these locations and to District Lodge 4 Directing Business Representative Tony Provost and Business Representative Rick Compher,” said Eastern Territory General Vice President Lynn Tucker.

Congress Passes Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act

The U.S. health care system took a small step in the right direction when the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act became law on July 29. The bill, which the IAM supported, will create a voluntary network for reporting and analyzing medical errors.

The legislation would provide a national framework that allows experts to study why medical mistakes happen and what can be done to prevent them. Although hospitals will not be mandated to report mistakes to the network, the fact that the reports are confidential and cannot be used in malpractice suits should spur widespread participation.

“Improving the quality of our health care system is an essential step. Much work remains on making health care affordable and universally available, but this piece of legislation is an important step in the right direction,” said Steve Sleigh, director of the IAM’s Strategic Resources Department.

Local 126 Ratifies New Contract with City of Chicago

IAM Local 126 Directing Business Representative Tom Faul secured a new labor agreement with the City of Chicago recently.

"We won this new agreement because of the tremendous solidarity between labor unions,” said Faul. “IAM Local 126 is part of a coalition consisting of 43 labor unions that negotiate with the City of Chicago."

IAM members working for the city are construction machinists, parking meter mechanics, water meter mechanics, and automotive machinists.

The pact includes $3.85 in wage increases over the term of the agreement. IAM members will receive lump sum payments of approximately $6,000 in back pay as a result of not receiving previously negotiated wage increases during the lengthy 28-month negotiations.

One of the main issues was Health and Welfare. This was a hard fought issue and the result was that the employee portion for insurance will increase by two percent.

IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President James E. Brown congratulated members on their new labor agreement saying, "Local 126 is rock solid and they gave DBR Faul the backing needed to bring back a contract worthy of ratification. We appreciate Tom's hard work and dedication in fighting for the wages, benefits and working conditions the members deserve."

District 75 DBR Brownell to Retire

B.R. Brownell, Directing Business Representative for District Lodge 75 in Daleville, Alabama is retiring for health reasons. Everyone in the Southern Territory is wishing him well.

Brownell first became a Machinist in 1966 working for Page Aircraft at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. He was a Shop Steward for over 20 years, and became a Business Representative for the District in 1995 and Directing Business Representative in 2002. District 75 has led the Southern Territory in growth for the past several years.

"Brownell has always understood it's all about organizing," said Southern Territory General Vice President Bob Martinez. "The District is a vibrant, growing district, and much of the credit goes to Billy Ray Brownell. He's always worked hard for the membership, and he's a great representative of the people. He always listens, and he cares about those he represents. He always finds a way to get the job done. I wish him well in his retirement."