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Act Now to Stop Attack
on Defense Dept Employees “We need a strong grassroots effort by all IAM members, their families and friends to make Congress stop this attack on loyal, hardworking employees at the Department of Defense,” said IP Tom Buffenbarger. “Call or email your legislators. Demonstrate in front of their local offices. We need to stop this unfair attack before it becomes the law of the land.”
Call your Representative and Senators at 202-224-3121 and urge them
to remove the Rumsfeld plan (HR 1588 or S1166) from any final legislation.
Visit the ‘Action Alert’ section of
www.goiam.org and click on ‘Stop Defense Dept. Plan to Erode
Collective Bargaining Rights’ to send a pre-written email to your
legislators. Please act soon.
Bush Deficit Fuels
Campaign Fires The deficit could exceed $455 billion this year, the White House said. Even when adjusted for inflation, that puts the current deficit higher than the previous mark. That dubious honor belongs to President Bush the Elder who set that record with $290 billion in 1992. “This president inherited a booming economy, low unemployment and a federal budget surplus,” noted IP Tom Buffenbarger. “Look what he’s done in just two short years. The economy has been in recession, the jobless rate leaped to its highest rate in nearly 10 years, three million jobs disappeared and we’re right back where we were during the last Bush presidency.” American workers face the biggest jobs crisis since the Great Depression. The nation loses about 110,000 jobs each month—the largest job loss since the days of President Herbert Hoover. It’s that slumping economy that turns budget deficits into potent campaign fodder, Democratic strategists believe. One presidential hopeful leaped on the deficit forecast. “We don’t just need a new economic team, we need a new president,” declared Sen. John Kerrey, D-MA.
The White House continues to argue that the President’s tax-cutting
policies will stimulate the economy and reinvigorate the jobs market. So
far, there is little evidence to support that argument.
Kansas Gov Supports IAM
Jobs Campaign The grassroots campaign is an effort to stem the drain of manufacturing and aerospace jobs and to prevent companies such as Boeing and Raytheon from outsourcing work to subcontractors both inside and outside the United States.
The campaign is similar to union-led efforts in Connecticut and Washington
State to persuade lawmakers and community leaders of the destructive
ripple effect each time good jobs are lost. “For every job at Raytheon,
Boeing, Cessna or LearJet that is eliminated, 2 to 3 jobs in the
surrounding communities disappear,” said Southern Territory GVP Bob
Martinez. “The financial value of these jobs goes far beyond their
importance to individual workers. The fate of entire local economies can
hang in the balance.”
Drug Industry Earns
Lobbying Dividends A second report by the consumer group shows that the 10 drug firms listed in the Fortune 500 earned $35.9 billion in profits last year. Those drug company profits were equal to or more than half of total profits reported by the entire Fortune 500 list. Here’s at least a partial reason for those enormous profits. “The prices of the 50 most-prescribed medications used by senior citizens rose, on average, nearly three-and-a-half times the rate of inflation last year,” said George J. Kourpias, president of the Alliance for Retired Americans.
“That’s even more reason senior citizens must have a meaningful
prescription drug plan through Medicare,” he said.
DCCC Ads Target GOP Votes on Medicare Further, the ads said: “While breaking the rules and holding the a vote open four times longer than rules permit, Republicans passed their irresponsible bill at 2:30 am—by just one vote”.
The ad further claims the GOP measure pushes seniors into HMOs, has huge
gaps in coverage and provides no guaranteed coverage, shortchanges rural
seniors and prevents Medicare from negotiating the best prices for
prescription drugs.
IAM Mourns Loss of GLR Kevin Pope Kevin joined IAM Local Lodge 1871 in 1969 while employed at General Dynamics. He was elected Directing Business Representative in 1981 and named Special Representative in 1987 prior to becoming a Grand Lodge Representative in 1990.
“Kevin will be sadly missed by the Eastern Territory and all those who
knew him in the labor movement, said Tucker. “On
behalf of the Eastern Territory Office and its members, I extend our
sincere sympathy to Brother Pope’s wife Donna and the entire family.”
Aerospace Conference
Cutoff Looms Conference sessions will be held at the Hilton Hartford Hotel. For reservations, contact Hilton’s central reservations at 800-445-8667 or the Hartford Hilton at 860-728-5151.
The conference focuses on exploring new approaches for servicing our
members, expanding our membership and securing aerospace industry jobs in
North America, Thayer said. The theme of the conference is “Jobs Worth
Fighting For.” |
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