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Workers Blister Bush Over Pay Ploy White House efforts to change regulations that could eliminate overtime pay for millions of workers sparked scorching criticisms from working Americans outraged at the proposals. The protests stirred such a torrent of e-mails to President Bush that the White House began blocking online letters concerning overtime and other issues, the AFL-CIO reported. If it passes, the Bush plan would strip away overtime protections from as many as 8 million working Americans, including firefighters, police officers, nurses and retail workers who count on the extra pay to meet necessary expenses. Senate Democrats plan to introduce legislation that will block the plan. The Labor Department reports it has received at least 80,000 comments from workers panning the proposed changes, the Washington Post reported. “What they are proposing is downright absurd, extremely unfair and un-American,” wrote Jennifer Igo, a nurse in Hollywood, FL. Forty-eight co-workers signed her letter, the Post noted.
Bush’s plan has strong
corporate backing. To send a message, go to the "Action Alert" section of
www.goiam.org and click on the "Protect
Your Overtime Pay" link.
IAM Wins Wage Snap-Back
at US Airways The action came in response to a July 16 letter from District 141 President Randy Canale and District 141-M President Scotty Ford to US Airways CEO David Siegel, questioning grounds for the pay deferral’s continuation. “As announced by President Bush, the invasion of Iraq has concluded and the U.S. troops are now an occupying force,” said Ford and Canale, who called for termination of the war-related wage deferral.
Following its exit
from bankruptcy, US Airways’ pre-tax profits continue to slowly improve.
In addition to a first quarter net income of $1.63 billion, the carrier
reported a $13 million profit in the second quarter, compared with a $248
million loss a year ago.
IAM Submits Contract
Proposals to Northwest Airlines “It is time that we even the playing field,” said District 143 President Bobby DePace. “The term sheet given to Northwest Airlines will do just that.”
District 143’s proposal calls for immediate 10-20 percent
wage increases, significant pension improvements and elimination of
employee contribution to health insurance plans. Details of the proposal
are posted on the District 143 web site at
www.iam143.org
Showdown Looms Over
Radical Judges Senate Democrats and moderate Republicans, however, are poised to block the nominations of Miguel A. Estrada to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Priscilla R. Owen for the 5th Circuit appeals Court of New Orleans. While the GOP does not expect to muster the 60 votes needed in the Senate to end debate and force final votes on the nominations, Republican strategists hope to paint opponents in the current Congress as “obstructionists” despite their record of approving 140 U.S. District Court and U.S. Appeals Court nominees since President Bush took office. The bid by President Bush to pack the nation’s judiciary with conservative extremists shows no sign of letting up. On July 25, Bush nominated California Justice Janice Rogers Brown and White House lawyer Brett Kavanaugh to the powerful U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Kavanaugh helped
direct the Clinton impeachment as a lawyer on the staff of Independent
Counsel Kenneth Starr. Brown, a former lobbyist and legal secretary to
California Gov. Pete Brown, is known primarily for her highly conservative
views and limited judicial experience.
Contract Ratified at
Waukesha
“The three-year
agreement includes significant improvements over the company’s initial
offer and preserves health care for all current and future retirees,” said
Don Griffin, IAM Bargaining Committee Chairman. The strike at the 97-year
old company was the first since 1979.
Accord Reached at ABF
Freight “Key features of the 5-year tentative agreement are the job security language and the improved medical benefits,” said Boysen Anderson, IAM Automotive Coordinator. “In today’s economic environment, these are substantial accomplishments.” Anderson credited the determination of the bargaining committee and the solidarity of the membership at ABF Freight for making the difference in these negotiations.
White House Hopefuls in
Chicago on Aug. 5 The AFL-CIO sent each candidate a detailed questionnaire about issues critical to working families such as jobs, health care, retirement security, education, corporate accountability, a strong and secure America, civil and human rights and the freedom of workers to form unions. You can read their responses by visiting www.aflcio.org/candidates2004.
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