www.goiam.org
Raytheon Members Reject
Contract, Authorize Strike
Setting the stage for
a possible strike at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, AZ, members of
IAM Local 933 voted by a wide margin to reject the company’s so-called
“last, best and final” contract offer. In a subsequent vote, the members
voted to authorize a strike at Raytheon if company officials fail to
improve their contract offer.
The local’s IAM negotiators
recommended a vote against the proposal that included a lump sum signing bonus
in lieu of annual wage increases and up to $560 in monthly medical premium costs
for retirees.
GOP Unveils New
Corporate Tax Cuts
Setting a new standard
in lobbyist-drafted legislation, the Republican-controlled House Ways and
Means Committee unveiled a proposal this week to cut corporate taxes by
yet another $142 billion over the next ten years.
The legislation includes an $8.2 billion break for tax dodging U.S. firms that move to offshore locations and reduces the corporate income tax rate from 35 to 32 percent. The treasury-draining proposal comes despite a projected federal budget deficit of more than $500 billion.
“What should have been a legislative relief package for manufacturers and workers hammered by the Bush-Greenspan recession is just another example of this administration’s radical agenda for America,” said IP Tom Buffenbarger. “There is no excuse for ignoring the needs of millions of U.S. workers while reducing corporate tax revenues that are at the lowest levels since 1983.”
Additional lobbying by
architectural and engineering firms won their inclusion under the GOP giveaway,
making Vice President Dick Cheney’s old firm, Halliburton, eligible for yet
another tax break.
U-Haul Campaign Goes
Nationwide
Workers at U-Haul
facilities in Nevada and California face some of the worst working
conditions in the United States. Racial, ethnic and religious
discrimination by supervisors is commonplace. The response by local
management to complaints from workers has been to fire employees without
cause or notice.
A nationwide campaign to
bring U-Haul into the 21st century is underway. In addition to union
organizing efforts and a concerted legal strategy in California and Nevada, IAM
members across North America are encouraged to participate in an e-mail campaign
to hold U-Haul President Edward “Joe” Shoen accountable for the abysmal working
conditions at his company. Click here
to send your e-mail and join the fight for justice at U-Haul.
Take the Airline
Workplace Survey
The Machinists Union
and Public Agenda, a non-profit research organization, are teaming up to
give airline workers an opportunity to sound off on one of the most
important issues in the transportation industry today.
Rudeness, disrespect and even physical assault should not be part of anyone’s job description, but airport workers and flight crews routinely face abuse from passengers that would not be tolerated anywhere else.
In an effort to measure the extent of this behavior, Public Agenda and the IAM are conducting an online survey where employees themselves can provide the data to accurately determine the scope of the problem.
The survey questionnaire takes only a few minutes to complete and can be taken online at www.publicagenda.org/specials/iamaw, or downloaded and printed from www.iamaw.org/publications/pdfs/Public_Agenda_Survey.pdf.
Participation in the survey is completely anonymous.
Results will be used to
generate a national discussion on the issue of respect and civility toward
transportation employees.
GOP Puts Medicare in
Cross Hairs
The Bush
administration and its congressional allies added Medicare to its prime
targets list, a list that includes overtime provisions and good jobs.
Behind closed doors, GOP leaders and their drug industry henchmen are
crafting a bogus prescription drug benefit to Medicare.
It is a flawed proposal that radically changes Medicare and harms far more than it helps America’s current and future retirees. The proposal attempts to privatize Medicare and put seniors at the mercy of insurance companies. At the same time, it leaves millions of seniors with huge drug costs despite a 50 percent Medicare premium increase.
Also, the measure threatens employer-provided drug coverage for as many as 4 million retirees who could lose such coverage if the proposal passes.
House Republicans sought to insert huge tax breaks for anyone subscribing to “medical savings accounts” that have been included in every GOP House measure for some time. Since the measure primarily benefits the well to do, opponents see that as just another back-door attempt to fundamentally restructure Medicare.
A bipartisan group of 41 senators wrote President Bush and warned him that “a partisan conference report that jeopardizes Medicare and does not provide meaningful assistance to the elderly and disabled should not and will not pass.”
To send a message to your lawmakers on this issue, visit www.aflcio.org.