from the IAM communications department
|
from the IAM communications department |
|
| International
President
R. Thomas Buffenbarger General Secretary-Treasurer
GVP Western
Territory
GVP Canada
GVP Midwest
Territory
GVP IAM Headquarters
GVP
Southern Territory
GVP Eastern
Territory
GVP
Transportation
|
Thursday, March 1, 2001
Bush’s ‘Rosy Scenario’ Ignores Working Families
Buffenbarger added to that list: “the decline of
America’s industrial base, the recession in the manufacturing sector, the
shortage of technical training opportunities, the rising number of workplace-related
injuries.”
Bush’s plan leads to “remedies and reactions that
are just plain wrong,” Buffenbarger said. “We need a tax cut aimed at working
families that puts real dollars in their pockets, not pocket change. We
need to protect Social Security, not toss it to the vultures on Wall Street.
We need to save North American jobs, not speed their transfer to China
or South America.
“North American workers aren’t statistics. They are losing
their jobs and many of those jobs aren’t coming back,” Buffenbarger said.
“We need tax cuts and government programs that help people who need it
most—working families who are struggling to make ends meet.”
Bush Inks Anti-Worker Executive Orders
Also, the new President barred federal agencies from entering
into any agreement with labor organizations on federal construction projects.
Such “project labor agreements” effectively stabilize labor-management
relations enabling all contractors to bid on equal terms on federal construction
projects.
Finally, Bush revived an anti-union ploy that requires
government contractors to post notices informing workers they cannot be
forced to join unions, and that those who do not join may object to paying
that portion of agency fees that are not related to collective bargaining.
The Bush order does not require such employers to inform
workers of their rights to organize and to join unions to represent them.
Tax Cut Too Rich for the Rich? President Bush’s generous tax cut plan proved too rich for at least some of its beneficiaries, and some of its most favored beneficiaries at that. More than a hundred wealthy Americans, including Warren Buffett and the father of Bill Gates, are urging Congress NOT to repeal estate taxes and other plums tossed to the wealthiest taxpayers. “Repealing the estate tax would enrich the heirs of America’s millionaires and billionaires while hurting families who struggle to make ends meet,” warned Warren H. Gates, Sr. To make up for the shortfall in government revenues, taxes will have to be increased on those less able to pay or by cutting Social Security, Medicare, environmental protections and other vital federal programs, he added . The so-called “death tax” kicks in at the $675,000 threshold. That amount rises to $1 million in 2006. Family farms and family businesses already enjoy the $1 million exemption. Repealing the tax will benefit a bare handful of the nation’s wealthiest taxpayers. Farm Workers End Grape Boycott Pointing out that many of its goals have been met, the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) ended its 16-year boycott of non-union California table grapes. “Cesar Chavez’s crusade to eliminate use of five of the most toxic chemicals plaguing farm workers and their families has been largely successful,” notes UFW President Arturo Rodriquez. He said that three of the worst pesticides “are gone”, that a fourth is scheduled to be banned by the year 2005, and that severe restrictions have been placed on the fifth noxious chemical. The trade union movement, citizen and religious
groups joined the boycott and helped bring it to a victorious conclusion.
Boycott Lifted at Crown Corp
|
