Minneapolis, Minnesota
April 6-8, Minneapolis Convention Center. More
information.
Worker's Memorial Day
April 28, 2002 Read all about how it helps to
remember the
injured and honor the fallen.
Unemployment soared and
manufacturing jobs in North America were wiped out in record
numbers, yet Congress did nothing to help workers in danger of
losing everything they have. In the
2002 Spring IAM Journal, IAM members from across North America
tell how it feels to be losing it all. |
Get Your Convention Gear
Check out gear for the
2004
IAM Convention
The IAM
Executive Council
International President
R.
Thomas Buffenbarger
Secretary Treasurer
Donald
E. Wharton
GVP Western
Territory
Lee
Pearson
GVP
Canada
GVP Canada
Dave
Ritchie
GVP Midwest
Territory
Alex
M. Bay
GVP Headquarters
Robert
V. Thayer
GVP
Southern
GVP Southern
Territory
George
Hooper
GVP Eastern
Territory
Warren
L. Mart
GVP Transportation
Robert
Roach, Jr.
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Friday,
April 5, 2002
Bush Seeks Speedy ‘Fast Track’ Vote
Buoyed by inflated poll numbers,
President Bush wants speedy action on Fast Track legislation that
essentially gives him free rein in trade policy. If he wins, Congress
gives up any right to amend, reshape or turn back any trade deal Bush
wants.
Democrats hope to link any trade measure with worker protections against
job losses stemming from such measures. If Bush wins, look for quick
action on the Free Trade Area of the Americas ( FTAA), modeled after
NAFTA, a measure which has cost the U.S. more than 800,000 jobs
The White House and its congressional allies have refused to support any
worker protections, including re-training or relocation for workers who
lose jobs through such trade provisions.
NAFTA Claims Locomotive Repair Shop
Seventy-five years after it opened for
business, the VMV locomotive repair shop in Paducah, KY is closing it
doors – the latest victim of the recession and the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
As recently as
1999, some 600 skilled workers at the facility were working two shifts,
rebuilding 30 locomotives a month. By the fall of 2000, however, the
recession cut sales and the work force in half. The layoffs continued
and last week the company put the remaining 240 employees on the street.
“NAFTA really
impacted this place,” said Bob Reynolds, president and general chairman
of IAM District 19. “The industry started sending work to Mexico where
labor is about $2 an hour and never looked back.”
Reynolds said the
union would help members with unemployment and health insurance while
seeking new owners for the historic repair shop. “We can’t afford for
this shop to be dismantled,” said Reynolds. “If they start removing
assets, it will never open again.”
Meanwhile in
Washington, President Bush wants Congress to expand NAFTA by approving a
hemispheric trade deal known as the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
Blue Ribbon Meetings
Begin
in Albuquerque, Alberta
On April 13, IAM members in Albuquerque,
Houston, Alberta and Pennsylvania can take part in the first 2002 Blue
Ribbon Commission meetings. The town hall-style gatherings will take
place in 40 cities over the next two months and will guide the policies
and agenda of the IAM.
“The meetings in
1995 and 1998 helped launch some of this union’s most innovative
programs,” said IP Buffenbarger. “We intend to make sure the IAM remains
the organization our members want it to be.” A full schedule of the Blue
Ribbon Commission meetings is available online at
http://www.iamaw.org/publications/brc/index.htm
Members Can Block
Savage Board Choice
Fresh from a stint as a board member at
bankrupt Enron Corp., Frank Savage is running into opposition in his bid
for reelection to the board of Lockheed Martin Corp.
Institutional
investors and pension fund managers are joining IAM shareholders and
withholding their votes for the Savage nomination on the annual proxy
ballot.
“Enron’s employees
couldn’t afford this guy, and neither can our members at Lockheed,” said
IP Tom Buffenbarger. “The difference is, at Lockheed we can still do
something about it.”
IAM members at
Lockheed hold approximately 5 percent of the company’s outstanding
shares. “We believe Mr. Savage’s record at Enron disqualifies him from a
similar position at Lockheed,” said Steve Sleigh, director of the IAM
Strategic Resources Dept.
“We are urging all
Lockheed shareholders to WITHHOLD their votes on the election of
directors,” said Sleigh. “The pension you save could be your own.”
Mediators Set April 10 For Lockheed Meeting
Twenty-four days after IAM members at
three Lockheed plants struck the aerospace giant, federal mediators are
calling both sides to Atlanta for an April 10 meeting in an effort to
resolve the dispute.
IAM representatives
say the meeting does not signal a return to the bargaining table or an
imminent end to the strike. “It’s not unusual for mediators to probe at
this stage of a strike to see where the parties stand,” said John
Crowdis, IAM Aerospace coordinator. “They will find our members standing
firm. We have the support of our families, our communities and thousands
of fellow union members across the country.”
Lockheed Martin is
the country’s richest and most successful defense contractor with
billions in military contracts. IAM members are holding out for an
agreement that protects their jobs from outsourcing and provides
adequate health insurance for retirees.
May 8, 2002: Transportation Day of Action
Machinists’ Union members transport more
than 1,000,000 passengers each day. On May 8, IAM members will assemble
at airports and passenger rail stations to remind the public of the
important roles they play in America’s transportation system.
The ‘Day of Action’
was originally designed to demonstrate the strength and solidarity of
the Machinists Union in the transportation industry. Following the
events of September 11, however, the focus shifted.
“With an airline
industry still in a recovery mode and the future of passenger rail being
debated in Congress, we want the public to see the faces of the people
who work every day to provide them with a safe and dependable
transportation system,” said IAM General Vice President Robert Roach,
Jr.
To take part in May
8 activities in your area, visit the IAM’s
Day of Action web site for more information.
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