Seniors Sock it to Bush

Hundreds of older Americans gathered for the Alliance of Retired Americans “Socked Out Seniors” rally yesterday in Washington, D.C., protesting the Bush administration’s anti-senior, anti-family administration.

A host of speakers, including AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Richard Trumka, Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, attacked the Bush administration on soaring prescription drug prices, the costly Medicare legislation and the administration’s threat to privatize social security.

Schakowsky called on the seniors to get involved in the fight for the White House. “It’s not about the 30-second commercials anymore, it’s about you as the messenger talking to people and making sure they vote. We can win this election, but the burden is not just on John Kerry’s shoulders, it’s not just on the members of Congress and the candidates – it’s on all of our shoulders to win this election,” said Schakowsky.

Seniors, who have been ‘socked’ by Bush, came from as far North as New York and as far South as North Carolina to protest at Lafayette Square outside of the White House. The Alliance held additional rallies all over the country yesterday in Phoenix, AZ, Las Vegas and Reno, NV and Tallahassee, FL.

Congress Tells UAL to Pay Pensions

In a bi-partisan letter to United Airlines CEO Glen Tilton, 138 lawmakers urged the airline to avoid terminating its pension plans and to return the plans to adequate funding levels as soon as possible.

“Our members are grateful for the action these legislators have taken and their understanding of the crisis our members are facing,” said IAM General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. “The avalanche of companies following United’s lead and terminating pensions would quickly overwhelm the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) and force American taxpayers to subsidize corporate greed.”

“It is critical that United Airlines works with its employees and with Congress to emerge from bankruptcy without sacrificing the hard-earned retirement benefits of its employees,” said Representative George Miller (D-CA), the Ranking Democrat on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. “Saving these pension plans should be part and parcel of any restructuring plan.”

“Only a few months ago, Congress passed emergency pension legislation to aid United Airlines, and we expect the company to live up to its obligation to provide its workers with the pensions they have earned,” said Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

“United has a responsibility to its nearly 120,000 workers and retirees who have made extraordinary contributions to build the airline and who have already given up wages and benefits to keep it flying,” added Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL).

The letter calls on United to “work with its employees and retirees to find a long-term solution satisfactory for them and for the company” and expresses members' willingness to work with United to achieve that goal. The letter with all signatories is available here.

Bush Plan Cuts Retirement Income by 20%

U.S. workers would lose 20 percent of their retirement income under President George W. Bush’s plan to privatize social security, while private corporations would reap $940 billion in profits, according to a report by an economics professor at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Bush’s plan would replace Social Security’s guaranteed benefits partially with private accounts. This would allow financial firms, such as banks and insurance companies, to charge unspecified fees to manage the private accounts.

“By any measure, these fees would be immensely lucrative for private financial managers in the U.S.,” Austan Goolsbee, author of the report, said in an AFL-CIO press release.

Wisconsin Workers Move to Stop Outsourcing

Wisconsin workers and activists were called to action in an effort to stop the exporting of American jobs. Several groups including the IAM, Wisconsin AFL-CIO, Americans for Democratic Action and the Wisconsin Fair Trade Campaign attended the forum sponsored by “Stop Outsourcing Wisconsin.”

“We have to level the playing field,” said District 66 DBR Tom O’Heron. “We need to make sure family-supporting jobs are created in the United States.”

Last October, Trane announced plans to downsize the La Crosse operation by about 350 employees through the outsourcing of work to Monterrey, Mexico and Taicang, China. District 66 represents the Machinists at Trane.

IAM Welcomes Bayshore Bus Workers

District Lodge 15 brought eight new members into the Machinists Union recently by organizing the employees at Global Bus and Fleet Services, Inc., in Bayshore, New York. The contract brings the annual number of first contracts in the Eastern Territory to twenty-four.

“On behalf of the Eastern Territory Office and its members, I extend our congratulations and appreciation to District Lodge 15 Directing Business Representative James Conigliaro, and Assistant Directing Business Representative Mike Walsh,” said Eastern Territory GVP Lynn Tucker. “A special thanks to Business Representative Robert Motisi and all of the team for a job well done.”

Organizing Wins in Western Territory

District 160 became the first district lodge in the Western Territory to reach the goal of 250 new members each year with an organizing win at First Transit in Everett, Washington. “Hats off to DBR Don Hursey and the District 160 staff and volunteers,” said Western Territory GVP Lee Pearson. “This a phenomenal accomplishment given the current organizing environment.”

In District 190, Organizer/Business Representative Pedro Mendez led a hard fought organizing drive at BFI in San Carlos, CA that overcame resistance from the company and a frivolous intervention by the Teamsters. Pedro Mendez, Mannie Francis, John Moran and the office staff of Local 1414, all deserve credit for the organizing victory.

Congratulations are also due to Local 933 DBR Robert Martinez and his organizing team of GLR Cooper and IAM Shop Steward Jeremy Finch who achieved a 92 percent yes vote among the 38 workers who voted at Spectrum Sciences & Software in Gila Bend, AZ. Cooper was assisted by GLR Gerry Greer, Local 933 President Corinna Padilla, Shop Steward Gary Bunten and volunteer member Laveta Villegas.

Meanwhile in Albuquerque, New Mexico, John Lamar of Local 794 won bargaining rights for six workers at Applied Mechanical, while Jesse Juarez won a separate organizing campaign for seven workers at Hayward Nissan in Hayward, CA.

Buy Union Goes into Cyberspace

A new website, www.shopunionmade.org, will help shoppers find all sorts of union made gifts from clothing and chocolates to computers, games and greeting cards. “Shoppers can ‘Give the Gift of Good Jobs’ by buying holiday items produced by workers with the good pay, benefits and rights of a union contract,” said Matt Bates, of the AFL-CIO Union Label & Service Trades Department.

The AFL-CIO will target the peak of the holiday shopping season by promoting “Buy Union Week” Nov. 26 through Dec. 5 “The public is ready for this,” said Bates. “People have seen millions of good jobs disappear and they are looking for ways to take a stand. The web site is a convenient way to make a big difference.”

Winpisinger Center Releases 2005 Enrollment Info

The William W. Winpsinger Education and Technology Center has mailed out the Official Announcement Packet for 2005 Leadership Programs to all IAM District Lodge Secretary-Treasurers and Local Lodge Recording Secretaries. These classes fill up fast, so Lodges should get their enrollments in early. If your lodge has not received its package, please contact the Winpisinger Center at (301) 373-3300.