Thursday, June 30, 2005

Senate Poised to Act on CAFTA

The Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) moved closer to a vote on the Senate floor today after heavy arm twisting by White House officials who promised to address concerns that the trade deal could worsen working conditions in Central America and destroy what’s left of the U.S. sugar industry.

The legislative wrangling coincides with news of a study by the International Labor Rights Fund that reveals the extent of poor working conditions and labor rights’ violations in Central America. The study was released in early 2004 but was quickly shielded from public view by the U.S. Department of Labor, which funded the study.

“You would think if any agency in our government would care about this, it would be the Labor Department,” said North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan.

Contact your Senators today at 202-224-3121, and urge them to vote no on CAFTA.

Continental Walks Out on Flight Attendants

Management at Continental Airlines broke off negotiations and called for federal mediation as part of its drive to win $72 million in concessions from more than 9,000 IAM-represented Flight Attendants at the Houston-based airline.

The National Mediation Board (NMB), which oversees airline negotiations, traditionally assigns a mediator upon request to assist both sides resolve difficult issues during negotiations. Continental recently presented proposals that were even worse than the terms rejected by IAM Flight Attendants in May 2005.

The carrier continues to jeopardize Flight Attendant pensions by refusing to fully fund their current retirement plan or consider the IAM National Pension Plan, a fully funded multi-employer defined benefit pension plan that was recently used to secure pension benefits for 20,000 IAM members at United Airlines.

Public Relations Puffery Clouds AFL-CIO Debate

In a letter to AFL-CIO International Presidents, IP Tom Buffenbarger calls for more debate over the challenges facing the American Labor Movement and less of the one-sided rhetoric that has characterized the discussion thus far.

“Much of the debate so far, particularly the public debate, has been terribly one-sided. And I believe that to be both unhealthy and undemocratic,” said Buffenbarger.

The IP described the governance proposals currently being circulated by a group of five unions threatening to leave the AFL-CIO, as “public relation puffery” and urged his fellow International Presidents at the AFL-CIO to weigh any change to the AFL-CIO’s policies and procedures against the federation’s democratic tradition of preserving autonomy for individual member unions.

NLRB Rules for IAM at AutoNation

The IAM scored another victory in its long-running legal battle against AutoNation Inc., the nation’s largest auto dealership chain. In the latest ruling, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ordered Power Ford of Torrance, California to post a notice of settlement in 13 separate cases where the IAM filed charges against the dealer for violating federal labor laws. 

The violations occurred during the initial organizing drive where workers voted to join the IAM, as well as during the subsequent negotiations between the IAM and the AutoNation dealership.

The NLRB also ordered Power Ford to pay back wages to five employees harmed by the illegal actions of the Auto Nation dealership. Power Ford also has to remove any records of discipline taken against ten employees where the discipline was found to be retaliation for employee support of the IAM.

Another AutoNation dealership, Desert Toyota in Las Vegas, was recently found guilty of twenty-five separate labor law violations. The NLRB ruled that the violations at Desert were so egregious that a fair election was impossible.  Desert Toyota was ordered to recognize the IAM, and the Federal District Court of Nevada ordered the dealership to begin bargaining immediately.

July 1 is Day 1 for New IAM Website

The July 1 relaunch of www.goiam.org is only hours away. Visitors to the site can expect to encounter a completely different look and philosophy.

“We planned the new version of Goiam to focus more on members taking action than just providing them with information,” said Communications Director Richard Sloan.

“This new incarnation will adopt a far more militant and aggressive tone. We want our members to force policy makers to focus on what's important: jobs, healthcare, contracts, right to assemble, speak freely and strike if necessary.”

The new site will use cutting edge technology -- RSS feeds, automatic updates, pod casting, and will feature “meet-ups” to connect members and a Members Only area to make online contributions to MNPL. The new Goiam will build on the breaking news, iMail and video capabilities of the old site.

IAM Members Among National Labor College Grads

Demonstrating their commitment to furthering their education and developing their leadership skills, sixteen IAM members earned Bachelor’s degrees from the AFL-CIO’s National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland. The IAM members were among 107 Bachelor's degree and 16 Masters degree students at a graduation ceremony honoring their achievements.

“We’re especially proud of this group of graduates. They worked extremely hard, balancing work, family and union responsibilities to finish this program,” said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger, who attended the ceremony.

This year, the NLC program coordinated their program with the Winpisinger Education and Technology Center, allowing thirteen of the IAM students to complete a week of study at the Winpisinger Center. Now that many of the Center’s courses are accredited, students were able to apply their class work and some past courses to the degree program.

“This is the first group of students who graduated from the National Labor College program in coordination with the Winpisinger Center,” said Director Jim Leslie. “It shows what a great job our staff does and what a tremendous resource this Center is for IAM members.”

For information about earning a college degree through the program with the National Labor College, contact Winpisinger Center Assistant Director Charlie Micallef at 301-373-3300.

The following IAM members were among 107 graduates who earned a Bachelor's degree at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland: Luther Williams, GLR Midwest Territory; Vincent Addeo, District 15 Organizer; Lou Brogna, GLR Southern Territory; Morna MacDonald-Rector, Local 2339 (Guam); Elaine Poland, Material Development Manager, Winpisinger Center; Thomas Reina, Local 1842; Edward Delaporte, GL Auditor; Patrick Murphy, GLR, Canada; Thomas Verdi, BR, District 54; Robert Wilson, BR, Woodworkers District W1; Larry Brown, BR, District 751; Darrin Nedrow, GLR, Midwest Territory; Steve Brown, BR, Local 709. (Not pictured: Kevin Cummings, Western Territory Communications Rep.; Michael Burleigh, BR, District 70 and Sam Cicinelli, BR, Local 701).

House Rejects Cuts in Amtrak Funding

The U.S. House of Representatives this week rejected proposed cuts to current Amtrak funding levels that would have eliminated 18 Amtrak routes, including all long-distance trains outside the Northeast corridor.

The routes slated for elimination included the City of New Orleans route between New Orleans and Chicago, the Empire Builder across the Northern Plains and the Sunset Limited from Florida to Los Angeles.

Overriding a vote by the Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee to eliminate the funding, the House voted 269-152 to restore subsidies for the 18 routes.

The amendment, introduced by Representatives Steven LaTourette (R-OH) and James Oberstar (D-MN), adds $626 million for Amtrak. This brings Amtrak’s Fiscal Year 2006 funding level to $1.2 billion, still short of the $1.8 billion necessary to properly operate and upgrade Amtrak.