Thursday, March 10, 2005
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Labor issues you care about in streaming video
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Lockheed-Martin Machinists Set To Strike
(streaming | download)
Over 2,500 Machinists from Local Lodge 709 in Marietta, GA working for Lockheed-Martin are planning to go out on strike on Tuesday, March 8th.

Improving Workplace Communication Networks
(streaming | download)
The Transportation Department featured it's first Volunteer Transportation Activists Program (TAP) at the William W. Winpisinger Center.

Town Halls Form Fate of Social Security
(streaming | download)
In cities and towns across the United States, republican members of congress are trying to sell the Bush Administration's social security privatization plan.

Federal Employees Face Unfair NSPS System
(streaming | download)
Frank Carelli, Director of the IAM Government Employees Department, talks about the implementation of the National Security Personnel System (NSPS) by the Department of Defense (DoD) that will affect more than 700,000 DoD workers.


Video: Business Lobbyists Push to Change FMLA
(streaming | download | help)
Business lobbyists are pressuring the Bush Administration and the Department of Labor to dismantle key protections of the Family and Medical Leave Act or FMLA.



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GOP Defeats Minimum Wage Increase

Two contrasting minimum wage proposals were defeated in the GOP-controlled Senate last week, killing the latest opportunities to raise the minimum wage for the first time in nine years.

A proposal introduced by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) would have raised the minimum wage by $2.10 over two years. The measure failed by a margin of 49-46. The proposal had the support of every Senate Democrat and four Republican Senators.

On the other side of the aisle was Senator Rick Santorum’s proposal to raise the minimum wage by $1.10 over 18 months. His measure also failed, but by a much larger margin, 61-38.

Senator Santorum’s proposal was business-friendly, certainly not worker-friendly. It would have raised the business exemption for paying minimum wage from the current annual revenue of $500,000 to new annual revenue of $1 million. It also would have undermined the 40-hour workweek by writing in flextime measures that would create an 80-hour two-week pay schedule.

The minimum wage fight wasn’t really waged. All parties involved recognized that it would not pass, as a super-majority (60 votes) would have been required for passage. Ironically, the proposals were amendments to a bill that would make it harder for individuals to file for bankruptcy.

Wal-Mart Proposes ‘Sweatshop on Wheels’

A hailstorm of pressure from transportation unions, lawmakers and highway safety advocates combined to knock down a proposal that would have extended a trucker’s workday to 16 hours, legislation described by one opponent as a “sweatshop on wheels amendment.”

The proposed amendment, offered by Rep. John Boozman (R-AK) and backed by giant retailer Wal-Mart, would allow employers to push truckers to remain on the road for as long as 16 hours provided the driver took an unpaid two-hour break. Current rules limit driver’s workdays to 11 consecutive hours.

“The last thing we need is for tired truckers to become even more fatigued and threaten the safety of those around them on the roads,” said Joan Claybrook, president of the Public Citizen, who explained the bill could create a workday for drivers that began at 8 a.m. and did not end until midnight.

Arkansas Republican Rep. Boozman, whose district includes Wal-Mart headquarters, withdrew his amendment to the highway and transit bill (H.R. 3) in the face of widespread criticism.

U.S. Panel Ok’s IBM Deal With China Firm

Despite concerns by lawmakers over the transfer of sensitive technology with potential military applications, a Bush administration panel cleared the sale of IBM’s personal-computer business to Chinese manufacturer Lenovo Group Ltd.

The $1.75 billion transaction was approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency panel with the authority to block mergers for national security reasons. A Chinese government agency will hold a stake of nearly 30 percent in Lenovo after the deal is completed. The sale of the IBM unit is, so far, the largest single sale of a name brand U.S. firm to a Chinese company.

IAM-NFFE Wins at Red River Munitions Center

The IAM will remain the exclusive representative for workers at the Red River Munitions Center in Texarkana, TX after an election where voters rejected a raid by the National Association of Independent Labor (NAIL). The Center is a division of Red River Army Depot. The bargaining unit at the Munitions Center includes approximately 120 people.

  “We were pleased with yesterday's turnout and results.  The majority have spoken, and they clearly realize IAM-NFFE can offer them better representation, training and service than our competition," said IAM-NFFE Federal District 1 President and DBR Richard N. Brown.

Thanks go out to President Brown, Business Representative John Griffin and all the local IAM-NFFE members at Red River who worked on the campaign. Their hard work helped ensure that the workers at the Red River Munitions Center will continue to receive the high levels of service and dedication they deserve.

IAM Inks HPWO Pact with NewTec

IP Buffenbarger took part in a Feb 17 signing ceremony to mark the establishment of a High Performance Work Organization (HPWO) between the IAM and NewTec, a contractor at the White Sands Missile Range in south central New Mexico. The agreement outlines the intent of the Union and the Company to implement HPWO methods for the benefit of the employer and members of IAM Local 2515, who operate and maintain testing facilities and equipment at the base.

In addition to IP Buffenbarger, Western Territory GVP Lee Pearson, HPWO Director Don Kennedy, and NewTec Chairman Dave Dunkley were also present at the event and toured work areas covered by the agreement.

$35,690: The Value of an IAM Contract

A solid grievance procedure and independent arbitration are two of the most valuable components of an IAM collective bargaining agreement. Just ask Local 162 member Jason Hathaway, who was terminated in January 2004 by the Kroger Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. Thanks to his grievance procedure and help from District 34 Business Representative Steve Graham, who processed the grievance through arbitration, Hathaway was reinstated with $35,690 in back pay and full benefits.

“On behalf of the Eastern Territory office and its members I extend our congratulations to District Lodge 34 Business Representative Steve Graham, Committee Chairman Dennis Stascak, Secretary-Treasurer William Wahlert and Brother Jason Hathaway,” said Eastern Territory GVP Lynn D. Tucker, Jr.

Oil Prices Near Record

The soaring cost of oil is responsible for a 9-cent jump in gas prices over the past month, bringing the average price to $1.99 a gallon, 26 cents higher than a year ago, according to American Automobile Association. The Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration is predicting the average price of self-serve regular gas will likely hit $2.15 a gallon by spring or early summer.

“The bottom line is that the prices at the pump are out of control. They’re going to get higher than they are now unless something is done to rein them in,” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. U.S. crude oil prices surged this week to within 2 cents of October’s all-time record before settling at just below $55 a barrel.

Spurred by increased demand, the weak U.S. dollar and cold weather in the Northeast, analysts expect oil prices to remain high throughout the year. While the federal Energy Information Administration has predicted the price of oil will hover in the mid-to-high $40 a barrel range, some analysts are predicting oil prices to hit $60 a barrel in the near future.


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China Dolls
Behind China's economic miracle is a stark reality of oppressive working conditions for millions of Chinese women and men.


IAM Election Report IAM members in the United States and Canada have reelected national leaders to four-year terms commencing July 1, 2005.


Break out the camera and take it to work. It's time for the IAM Photography Contest.

We want to take www.goiam.org to the next level as a tool for the membership. You can help by completing this short survey. We'll use your feedback to guide our planning for the new site.


See who works for you, how the IAM is structured, and what services the IAM offers. Go to: IAM2005


With proposals based on labor’s strengths rather than weaknesses, the IAM has unveiled a seven-point strategy to help guide the debate over reform at the AFL-CIO. Take a look.


The 2005 IAM Calendar is now available. Send $7 to: IAM Calendar, 9000 Machinists Place,
Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20772


Who cares about us? Check out the online edition of the 2004 IAM Journal.



The winners of the 2004 Newsletter & Website Contest.



Check out NewsBriefs, a regular online news service for IAM editors, webstewards & communicators. En Francais.


FlatRateTech is an organization “created for and by Ford and Lincoln Mercury service technicians solely to speak as one loud voice rather than 50,000 smaller voices.” according to their website The fast-growing site offers forums for Ford customers, technicians and dealers to exchange information.

IAM
Executive Council


Tom Buffenbarger
International President


Warren L. Mart
Secretary-Treasurer


Lee Pearson
GVP Western Territory


Dave Ritchie
GVP Canada


Robert Thayer
GVP Headquarters


Robert Roach,Jr.
GVP Transportation


Lynn Tucker
GVP Eastern Territory


Robert Martinez
GVP Southern Territory


James Brown
GVP Midwest Territory