www.goiam.org
Tuesday, December 4, 2001
IAM Strikes P&W Aircraft
Angered by managements'
failure to address pensions and job security, 5,200 members of Connecticut's
IAM District 91 members rejected a final contract offer and struck Pratt
& Whitney Aircraft's jet engine plants on Monday.
"This is a strike to protect
America's defense industrial base. This is a strike to keep good paying
jobs and decent retirements available for the people of Connecticut," said
IP Buffenbarger.
"Pratt & Whitney, owned
by UTC, has eliminated 25 percent of its union jobs in the past three years
alone," explained IAM Aerospace Coordinator Gary Allen. "The company wants
to continue eliminating much of the remaining work by sending it overseas
or to non-union U.S. shops. Our members have drawn the line and made their
stand."
The IAM has filed charges
with the National Labor Relations Board over Pratt & Whitney's refusal
to provide union negotiators with basic information on subcontracting and
outsourcing, according to District 91 DBR James Parent.
"The average Pratt worker
is 49 years old and has 23 years' seniority. We need to seriously address
the issues of job security and improved pensions," Parent added.
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Call Now: We Can Sidetrack
Fast Track
That jobs-stealing Fast
Track trade ploy may steam onto the House floor sometime this week. We
can derail the obnoxious measure by making our voices heard. Call your
House members, toll free, at 800-393-1082 and urge them to vote
NO on this cynical attempt to pander even more to Corporate America.
The AFL-CIO unveiled new
television ad campaign urging the House to reject the anti-worker Fast
Track legislation. "We've already lost more than 2 million jobs to this
recession and the economic setbacks of Sept. 11," said IP Tom Buffenbarger.
"It makes absolutely no sense to export even more American jobs."
Let's stop Fast Track dead
in its tracks, make those calls now. Make your voices heard. We can make
a difference. Toll free, 800-393-1082. Call Now.
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Let's Put 'Economic Stimulus'
on the Right Track
More than 700,000 American
workers lost their jobs or joined the layoff rolls just since Sept. 11,
yet Congress has yet to provide any relief or any measures to get the nation's
economy rolling and create jobs.
Instead, major elements
of Congress callously focus their largesse on special interests, including
the corporate sector and wealthy taxpayers. America's workers need an economic
stimulus bill that provides real relief.
Workers need enhanced jobless
benefits, federal subsidies to pay COBRA premiums and federal aid to states
so they can continue to provide vital services.
You can contact your senators
at www.goiam.org/politics.asp and urge them to vote for an economic
stimulus measure that helps American workers.
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Rail Retirement Bill
Gains Senate Yardage
Sidestepping legislative
roadblocks like a determined receiver shedding tacklers, the bill to improve
retirement benefits for rail workers came closer to the goal line this
week after Republican attempts to load the bill with unrelated amendments
failed.
The bill, which passed the
House earlier this year by a wide margin, enjoys broad support from rail
companies, workers and transportation unions. By allowing partial investment
of the federally administered railroad pension fund, the proposal would
cut payroll taxes for railroads while boosting retiree's benefits.
The attempt by conservative
Senate Republicans to hold the popular legislation hostage was thwarted
when legislators voted overwhelmingly against amendments ranging from human
cloning to oil drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.
"This bill is not out of
the woods yet," said Transportation GVP Robert Roach, Jr. "Every phone
call, every fax and every e-mail is needed to get this bill to a floor
vote without additional unrelated amendments." Members are encouraged to
contact Senators immediately at www.goiam/politics.asp and urge support
of a 'clean' railroad retirement bill.
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United Mechanics Schedule
Strike Vote
After two years of negotiations,
fifteen thousand aircraft mechanic and related employees at United Airlines
will get a chance to throw a wrench in the company's plans for additional
delay when union officials take a system-wide strike vote on December 13.
The strike authorization
vote will take place midway in the 30-day cooling off period that began
when National Mediation Board officials released both sides from further
negotiations on November 21. The board recommended a Presidential Emergency
Board and White House officials indicated President Bush was prepared to
take steps that would extend a strike deadline by an additional 60 days.
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AeroMexico Negotiations
Begin
After two elections, carrier
interference and lengthy legal battles, negotiations began this week on
a first agreement between reservation agents represented by IAM District
142 and AeroMexico.
The IAM initially lost a
representation bid in 2000, but in response to an IAM complaint, the National
Mediation Board ruled that AeroMexico was guilty of carrier interference.
The Board ordered a second election, which AeroMexico promptly tried to
have reversed in federal court. After a ruling that permitted the election
to go forward, the IAM won the election and was certified in April 2001.
In a further effort to suppress
the voices of its employees, AeroMexico sued the National Mediation Board,
hoping the IAM certification would be revoked. Instead, a federal judge
ruled that AeroMexico had to negotiate with the IAM as the collective bargaining
agent for its 91 reservation employees based in the United States.
"The IAM spent two years
helping AeroMexico workers attain justice," said GVP Robert Roach, Jr.
"It makes no difference whether we represent 45,000 people at a carrier,
or less than a hundred. Every IAM member is backed by local, district,
and Grand Lodge staff that will use every resource available to protect
them."
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The World's Leading Company?
Enron, a Texas based conglomerate,
is expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week. The firm is said
to owe as much as $17 billion to creditors.
According to company accounts,
it has $62 billion of assets on its books, making this the largest bankruptcy
in history. About 25 companies have stated they are owed more than
$6 billion in secured and unsecured loans, which include $3 billion of
secured loans to an organization that was financing an Enron power project.
Worker layoffs have begun
but the actual number is yet unknown.
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Comments, suggestions,
or story items?
Contact IAMAW
dgeorgallas@iamaw.org
301-967-4520
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