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Can You Hear Me Now? “This is an outrageous throwback to the old days of labor turmoil before the Wagner Act of 1935 finally outlawed the practice of management infiltration and spying on union activities,” said CWA President Morton Bahr. The lawsuit by CWA seeks punitive damages and a declaration that Verizon officials’ conduct violated the law. The CWA and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) are negotiating a new contract for 80,000 workers from Maine to Virginia. Despite $4.1 billion in profits last year, Verizon is pushing for higher health care costs for employees and “flexibility” to move jobs and work overseas. Executives at the company remain highly compensated. Last year alone, Verizon spent $500 million in special stock deals for its management team. The IAM and the AFL-CIO are calling on local unions in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and the District of Columbia to join the fight against corporate greed at Verizon by pledging to switch their phone service from Verizon to ATT if the company does not agree to a fair contract.
A special website has
been set up at
http://www.cwa-union.org/fairnessatverizon for affiliates and
individuals to make their pledge to switch.
Gephardt Wins Twelth
Union Endorsement “Time and again, he has proven his support for the American worker, whether it was concerning unfair trade agreements or health care for all,” said PACE President Boyd Young.
The latest endorsement
brings Gephardt a step closer to winning the coveted prize of a formal
endorsement by the 13-million member AFL-CIO. Only 2 candidates have won
preprimary support from two-thirds of the AFL-CIO’s affiliates; the level
needed for a formal endorsement. So far, Gephardt is the only candidate to
win endorsements from any international union.
Personal Bankruptcies
at All Time High The level is up 10 percent over the previous 12-month period and reflects the impact of high debt loads, a 6.2 percent unemployment rate and the loss of more than 3 million private sector jobs since President Bush took office.
Analysts say the
booming market in home refinancing is due in part to jobless homeowners
seeking to avoid default by borrowing against accumulated equity.
Ashcroft Tour Targets
Civil Liberties Ashcroft is touring politically sensitive states of Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania to promote an expansion of the ‘USA Patriot Act,’ the controversial anti-terrorism legislation pushed through Congress in the days following the 9-11 attacks. Critics charge the Patriot Act allows the indefinite detention of non-citizens on minor visa violation; expands government discretion to engage in covert telephone and Internet surveillance; permanently expands the government’s authority to conduct searches and grants the FBI broad access to business records about individuals.
Three states and more
than 150 communities around the country have passed resolutions opposing
the law, and librarians have complained that government officials are
using their new powers to snoop into peoples reading habits.
National Labor College
Presents Degrees Ms. Wolski, a Chicago-based United Airlines employee and mother of two, joined the IAM in 1999 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Labor Safety and Health at the national labor college. “The history and contributions of the labor movement in this country are all but ignored in most elementary and secondary schools,” said Ms. Wolski. The National Labor College and the IAM’s Winpisinger Center give students like myself the tools to help keep our movement alive.”
Known as one of the
leading labor education institutions in the world, the National Labor
College has now graduated five classes of nearly 600 students from its
Bachelor of Arts in Labor Studies program.
Manitoba Bus Plant to Idle 1,285
“This is a worst case scenario that will have a huge financial impact on this city,” said Ernie McLean, IAM Directing Business Representative.“If all these layoffs occur, the outlook for MCI is bleak.” According to the company, the layoffs are a temporary reduction due to soft market demand for new coaches in North America.
Local and Provincial
legislators joined union leaders calling on the company to protect MCI
workers. “It is time that the employees stop having their lives batted
around like a ball of wool,” said Don Brown, President of Machinists Local
1953. “It is time for a business philosophy that will protect MCI’s assets
– and their most valuable asset is the workforce that has already given as
much as they can for this company.”
Two Hotels Added to
AFL-CIO Boycott List The Grand Hotel Minneapolis joined the boycott list at the request of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE) after three years of negotiations on behalf of hotel employees produced only one proposal from the company.
The Adams Mark Hotel
was placed on the list at the request of the International Union of
Operating Engineers (IUOE), following an organizing campaign that included
employer intimidation, harassment and interference in workers’ right to
sign authorization cards.
Dates Set for IAM
Retiree’s Conference “This is a crucial time for seniors in North America to unite and continue gaining the political leverage that we need for all our voices to be heard,” said Maria Cordone, Director - IAM Community Services and Retirees Dept. “We look forward to three days of valuable networking and enjoyable social events with delegates from across North America.” A room rate of $79 plus tax per night has been negotiated with the Flamingo Hotel, Las Vegas. For more information and to request a registration form for the conference, please contact Maria Cordone as soon as possible at 301 967-3433. Active and retired members are invited to place a greeting in our Souvenir Book. Your message will be seen by hundreds of our retired and active members across North America. Your donation will help continue building our IAM&AW Retirees Structure. Rates for an ad are: Full Page $125, Half Page $65, One Quarter Page $35. The deadline to submit an ad is September 15, 2003. Please contact Maria Cordone for a Rate Sheet and information on how to submit an ad.
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