Thursday, October 6, 2005 |
Growing a High-Performance Organizing UnionNearly 1,000 Machinists from all over North America gathered in Chicago yesterday to kick off the IAM Organizing Summit. “We know just as the founders of this Union did, we need something bigger than any one of us. We need a union, and we need one damn big union if we’re going to succeed for our families and the future generations of North Americans,” said Buffenbarger. In order to produce unique and effective strategies for organizing, the participants took part in a historic e-brainstorming session in which over 120 interconnected computers allowed members to simultaneously exchange a free flow of ideas on how to better organize new members. Conference delegates also heard from best-selling author Harry Beckwith and IAM members who have helped lead successful organizing drives. “The IAM has definitely made a difference for not only me, but others who have also had to fight to get proper representation in their workplace,” said Renell Manns, who played a pivotal role in organizing P&B Transport in Florida. Other sessions allowed the participants the chance to take part in educational workshops covering a variety of topics, including bargaining to organize, tools and techniques for organizing, strategic targeting and positive message development. The conference, which wraps up Friday, is a critical step in making the IAM a high performance organizing union. “Today we have the activists, the leadership, the movers and shakers all sitting in one room. Look around because we need help from each and every one of you to organize and help grow this Union again,” said Buffenbarger. Miers Law Firm Is Anti-Union Business AdvisorThe law firm that Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers belonged to before joining the Bush administration in 2001 offers a comprehensive "union avoidance" strategy for businesses. Supremes to Rule on Worker Pay IssuesThe U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week on whether the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) mandates that workers be paid to wait in line and walk between equipment stations in order to retrieve and return the safety and sanitary equipment that they are required to wear. Social Security is Life Insurance For Most ChildrenThis year's debate over Social Security has focused primarily on retiree benefits and has largely neglected the survivors and disability portions of the program. An Economic Policy Institute analysis of the Federal Reserve's 2001 Survey of Consumer Finance shows that 31% of families with children under the age of 18 have not purchased life insurance in the private market. This translates into roughly 24.5 million children without life insurance other than Social Security. |