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Voting Underway on GE Contract Some 2,800 IAM members at 18 GE locations are voting on a new contract with the multinational giant. Final ballots will be cast tomorrow. The IAM negotiating committee unanimously recommended acceptance of the tentative agreement, which makes significant improvements in key areas. The proposed four-year agreement raises wages, improves pension benefits, slows soaring health care costs and adds strong job security provisions, reports GVP Bob Thayer, who headed the negotiating team. “It addresses every area of concern our members asked us to improve,” he said. The wage hikes, projected COLA increases and a skills adjustment increase add up to a $3.82 an hour hike for the average IAM member, Thayer noted. That translates into a 16.2 percent increase. All of those increases could mean as much as $18,500 over the life of the agreement.
Thayer said the solidarity shown by the members at every GE location was
an inspiration to the committee and helped bring the negotiations to a
successful conclusion. “With a solid membership behind us, we knew we
couldn’t lose,” he said.
White House Aims to
Privatize Medicare Legislation moving through both houses of Congress leaves millions of seniors at the mercy of private insurers and does little to bring down the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs. At the same time, it opens the door for employers to drop existing retiree prescription drug coverage and leave seniors vulnerable to being bounced from plan to plan. The Alliance for Retired Americans, a labor-endorsed advocacy group, called on Congress to “put this legislation on the right track and give seniors a prescription drug benefit under Medicare that is affordable, universal, comprehensive and voluntary. Older Americans deserve no less,” declared George Kourpias, Alliance president.
You can make your voice heard on this issue by calling your members of
Congress at this toll-free number 877-331-2000. Tell them to oppose
the Prescription Drug and Medicare Improvement Act (S.1) & the
Prescription Drug and Medicare Modernization Act (H.R. 1).
Pensions Secured in Air
Canada Pact “The process is not over,” said Canadian GVP Dave Ritchie. “Air Canada still has a number of outstanding issues to resolve with its creditors. We said from the beginning we wanted to be part of the solution to Air Canada’s problems. We’ve done our part; we can only hope others will do the same.” The ratification vote was taken following a cross-Canada tour by leaders and staff of District Lodge 140 to explain the details of the agreement negotiated in the face of the potential bankruptcy of the carrier.
The preservation of pensions was critical. “Our union recognized this as a
major issue we couldn’t yield on,” said GVP Ritchie. “On that issue, our
members and our retirees can rest easy tonight.”
Yellow Freight
Mechanics Reach Accord In addition to wage increases, the multi-state IAM agreement includes job security language; improved medical benefits; added vacation flexibility and a boost in company paid tool insurance from $6000 to $15,000 per mechanic.
“Key features of this 4-year, 9-month agreement are job security language
and improved medical benefits,” said Boysen Anderson, IAM Automotive
Coordinator. “In the current economic environment, these terms reflect the
determination of the bargaining committee and the solidarity of the
membership.”
Airlines Drop Support
for No-Strike Law The proposed changes to current law would severely undercut airline workers’ right to strike by imposing winner-take-all “baseball arbitration” in lieu of traditional collective bargaining. The effort to eliminate union members’ right to vote on contracts was spearheaded by Communities for Economic Strength Through Aviation (CESTA), a lobbying group funded by the airline industry. American Airlines and Delta Airlines, key backers of the effort, announced they would no longer be involved with the group.
Welfare for the Wealthy
The House rejected a Democratic alternative that would have exempted the
first $3 million of an individual’s estate and $6 million for a married
couple. The bill now goes to the Senate, which rejected a similar measure
last year.
Online Calculator Details Prescription Costs |
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