Strike Over at Bombardier 70%
vote to accept contract.
Details.
Three West Coast governors
–
John A. Kitzhaber,
Gary Locke and
Gray Davis -- were interviewed recently on the IAM’s Third Shift program. Jobs, healthcare and college costs were some
of the issues affecting working families that the governors addressed.
Find out about health care in your state:
The Kaiser Family
Foundation's State Health Facts Online
resource contains the latest state-level data on demographics,
health, and health policy, including health coverage, access,
financing, and state legislation. |
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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Tuesday, May 7, 2002
Jobs Top Agenda at
IAM Aerospace Conference
Delegates to the 2002 IAM Aerospace Conference arrived in Seattle with
dozens of issues and a single goal in mind: to stop the export of
aerospace jobs and technology before this vital industry is reduced to a
shell by global traders and corporate mercenaries.
“This could be the
most crucial conference held in the IAM this year,” said GVP Lee Pearson
on the opening day of the five-day, workshop filled event. “We face a
multiplicity of problems, from difficult negotiations to mergers and
acquisitions.”
Speaker after
speaker focused on Boeing, where negotiations begin June 25th
for a new contract covering tens of thousands of IAM members in Wichita,
Portland and Washington State. “The industry’s goal is to eliminate
jobs,” warned GVP Bob Thayer. “Less for you means more for them – that’s
the corporate strategy of greed we’re facing.”
But great challenges
hold the potential for great success, IP Tom Buffenbarger reminded the
delegates. Recently ratified contracts at Lockheed and Bombardier
followed tough hard negotiations and strikes at both companies. “They
took a stand and fought for the right reasons: job security, pensions
and health care,” said Buffenbarger, “We have a large and healthy strike
fund and it’s there to be used if we have to.”
Highlighting the
importance of job security, Dick Schneider, the IAM’s Boeing Aerospace
Coordinator said, “If we’re not vigilant, we could soon see signs at our
borders that say, ‘Will the last aerospace worker leaving North America,
please turn out the lights?’”
“It’s that
serious,” said Schneider.
IAM Slates ‘Day of
Action’
On May 8, 2002, IAM airline and railroad members in more than
three-dozen cities will be demonstrating in a show of solidarity at the
Transportation Department's national Day of Action. Planned activities
include press conferences, marches, rallies and hand billing the
traveling public.
"Our members are an
essential piece of the nation's transportation infrastructure," said GVP
Robert Roach, Jr. "The purpose of the Day of Action is to show the
public that our members labor every day to provide safe, dependable
transportation."
International President
Tom Buffenbarger will be the keynote speaker at a rally in Seattle,
while Roach will lead activities in the Washington, DC area. Several
state governors, mayors of major cities and other elected officials will
be taking part in activities.
Representatives
from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation
Safety Board will also participate in the Day of Action. You can find
more information about the Day of Action at
http://www.iamaw.org/publications/day/index3.htm
Members OK New Pact at DynCorp
Members of IAM District 75 overwhelmingly
ratified a new contract that brings significant wage hikes and
improvements in pension benefits and other major advances in working
conditions. The agreement covers more that 2,750 members who maintain
and service the U.S. Army’s helicopter fleet at Ft. Rucker, Daleville,
AL.
“It’s the best
contract we’ve ever negotiated here,” said DBR B.R. Brownell. “We’ve
been here nearly 50 years and gone through a bunch of contractors.” He
credited the solidarity of the membership for helping bring negotiations
to a successful conclusion and singled out John Crowdis, Aerospace
coordinator, for valuable assistance during the talks. “He played a key
role,” Brownell said.
The three-year
agreement includes wage increases of more than 12.5 percent for the
members, who range from custodians to helicopter pilots. Brownell said
the agreement means workers at the lower end of the pay scale will
receive hourly pay hikes of about $3 an hour. At the same time, the
contract includes bonuses for skilled workers, in addition to the
percentage increases.
Also, the contract
eliminates a two-tier vacation system that had been a problem for years.
“Abolishing the two-tier system was a victory for simple justice,”
Crowdis said. “We’re glad DynCorp understood how serious our members
were about this issue.”
For more information
about the settlement, go to the Local 2003 website at
www.iam2003.org .
NMB Issues Single
Carrier Ruling
In response to applications filed by
unions representing employees at American Airlines, the National
Mediation Board (NMB) issued a ruling on April 29 that ended 56 years of
IAM representation for employees at Trans World Airlines (TWA). The NMB
determined that American Airlines and TWA, LLC constitute a single
carrier and therefore transferred the representation rights to the
unions representing American Airlines' employees.
The loss of the former
TWA membership will force the closing of six local IAM lodges: Locals
1056 and 2000 in New York, Local 1650 in Kansas City, Local 1997 in St.
Louis, Local 1058 in San Francisco and Local 1111 in Los Angeles.
A separate ruling
by arbitrators this week established a process for integrating TWA's
Mechanic and Related employees into the American Airlines workforce. The
ruling allows former TWA employees at its two major locations, St. Louis
and Kansas City, to retain their full TWA classification seniority.
Seniority for employees in other cities will be based on a comparison of
the size of the TWA and American Airlines operations at those locations
at the time of TWA's acquisition in April, 2001. Details can be found on
the District 142 web site at
www.iamdl142.org
Southwest Stewards Assemble in St. Louis
Nearly 150 Southwest Airlines shop
stewards and grievance committee members met in St. Louis on May 1 to
discuss activities at the carrier. More than half the representatives
were attending the annual Stewards Conference for the first time.
General Vice President
Robert Roach, Jr. prepared the representatives for their upcoming
negotiations with the carrier by reminding them of President Bush's
promise to prevent airline strikes.
"The President declared
war on us," said Roach. "We stared him down at United Airlines, and we
will do the same at Southwest. The upcoming negotiations will be the
most difficult ever at Southwest Airlines. It is important for you to
prepare the membership. Our success at the negotiating table begins with
the solidarity of our members."
District 142
President and Directing General Chairman William O'Driscoll reported on
major grievances at the airlines and noted that Southwest in the only
airline that did not furlough workers in the wake of September 11. The
IAM represents 8,400 customer service and reservation agents at the
carrier.
GOP Reneges On
Civility in Politics Vow
Brushing aside presidential bromides
about “changing the tone of politics,” top Republican strategists are
calling for “aggressive” tactics during this year’s federal election.
“Don’t kid yourself,” said presidential pollster, Bill McInturff. “There
is no new tone in politics.”
In
a memo to incumbent Republicans, McInturff said “taxes and terrorism
will carry the day with the Republican base.” He also suggested GOP
incumbents ignore federal law by using postage-free, franked mail to aid
politicking among constituents. Franked mail is intended to be used by
lawmakers to inform constituents about Congressional development; not as
campaign material.
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