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Machinists Slain in Workplace Shooting A gunman described as “mad at the world” opened fire at a Lockheed Martin facility in Meridian, MS, killing five workers and wounding nine others before committing suicide. IAM members of Local Lodge 2386 were among the dead and injured. “This senseless and horrible act is beyond words,” said IP Tom Buffenbarger. “The thoughts and prayers of the entire union go out to the victims and their families.” The IAM will provide
counseling and support services to families affected by the tragedy
through the union’s Community Services Department. “I urge our members to
do everything possible to create a safe and humane workplace, wherever
they may be,” said Buffenbarger. The shooting is the nation’s deadliest
since a software engineer in Wakefield, MA, killed seven people in
December 2000.
“We need to immediately begin organizing 22,000 new members each year to overcome membership losses of the past few years,” said Buffenbarger. “We must be willing to take unprecedented steps to accomplish this goal. Each territory, each district and local lodge will be expected to do their part.” The Cincinnati conference
also provided a forum for individual territorial conferences, diversity
workshops, a detailed financial report by GST Don Wharton and
presentations by representatives of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation
Service
Bush Renews Overtime Pay Threat “What the Bush administration does not say is that those changes will strip away overtime pay benefits for more than 8 million other workers,” IP Tom Buffenbarger charged. Under the new rules, workers earning as little as $22,100 a year could be classified as holding an “executive,” a “professional,” or “administrative” position and thus be exempt from overtime pay. “How many ‘executives’ work for those poverty-level wages,” Buffenbarger asked. “That wouldn’t pay the green fees at the president’s country club.” House Democrats rallied behind working families and mobilized to protect the premium pay for workers putting in more than 40 hours a week. One of those pro-worker Democrats, Rep. David Obey, D-WI, offered an amendment that both protects overtime pay and permits the Labor Dept. to revise its rules to cover more low-income workers. Obey’s amendment became
the target for the president’s veto threat. “You can help us win this
fight,” Buffenbarger said, “and we need your help.” He urged members to
call the toll-free number, 877-331-2000 and urge their
congressional representatives to support the Obey amendment and save
overtime pay protections. “Call today,” Buffenbarger said. “Make your
voice heard.”
Congress Protects Its Drug Plan A leading House Democrat, Rep. Henry Waxman of California, accused GOP leaders of “breathtaking hypocrisy” and said the measure wouldn’t be necessary if the Republican’s Medicare reforms were as good as advertised. Both the House and Senate
passed Medicare reform bills containing the drug benefit. The plans await
action by House-Senate conferees before they come up for floor votes.
Neither of the two versions have drawn more than lukewarm backing from
senior citizens and their advocacy groups. The Alliance for Retired
Americans, a labor-endorsed seniors organization, opposes both versions.
GVP Bay Leads March on Maytag
The march on Maytag’s
stores is the latest step in the IAM campaign to prevent the company from
abandoning profitable U.S. facilities. Additional rallies are planned at
Maytag retail outlets nationwide. |
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“This
is a crucial moment in our union’s history,” said IP Buffenbarger. “If the
decline in membership continues, we risk losing our bargaining power, our
political voice, our critical mass as an organization. As Fighting
Machinists, we are bound to protect this union and its legacy. From this
day forward, there can be no more business as usual.
“Thousands
of U.S. jobs will be lost and entire communities devastated if CEO Ralph
Hake is allowed to abandon the towns, the workers and the consumers that
made Maytag an American institution,” said Midwest Territory GVP Alex Bay.
