August 27, 2010

One Nation Working Together | 10.02.10

The Machinists Union is now an organizational sponsor of ONE NATION WORKING TOGETHER. A host of major civil rights, religious, labor and environmental organizations are working together to pull off the largest jobs rally in Washington, DC in decades. And there will be local events held in communities all across the country. It all happens on Saturday, October 2, 2010.

And ONE NATION needs YOUR help! Continue...

August 26, 2010

NMB Issues Single Carrier Ruling for Delta Fleet Service

The National Mediation Board (NMB) this week issued a single carrier ruling for the Fleet Service (Ramp) classification at Delta Air Lines. This important ruling sets in motion a 14-day countdown that will determine if the workers in the combined Delta/Northwest Fleet Service classification at Delta will have a secret ballot election. Continue...

The Best Decision He Ever Made

In ' It's Worth It,' a brand new IAM video, US Airways Maintenance Specialist Bill Bennett talks about his decision to join the IAM after his group twice voted "no" in elections held more than a decade ago. Continue...

UCubed Rejects Rep. Boehner's Call for Mass Resignations

Ur Union of Unemployed (UCubed) today rejected House Minority Leader John Boehner's (R-OH) call for the mass resignation of the president's economic team as too extreme, but urged Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to "do the honorable thing." Continue...

Texas Machinists Protest Mexico Outsourcing Group

In Dallas, TX, this week, District 776 organized a group of union members to protest an outsourcing symposium held by MexicoNow, a company seeking to persuade U.S. manufacturers to move work and jobs to Mexico. Continue...

Winpisinger Center Worker Recognized

Keeping the grounds and facilities at the IAM's William W. Winpisinger Education & Technology Center in Hollywood, MD maintained, up-to-date and attractive is a non-stop job, and is totally attributed to the hard work and dedication of the Center's staff and skilled craftspersons. Continue...

Act Now to Secure FAA Reauthorization

Every three to five years the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is funded through legislation in the House and Senate. This is one of the few opportunities for Congress to provide direction and oversight to this agency which is so critical to airline workers.Continue...

TAKE ACTION: To help secure passage of the FAA Reauthorization, use this link to send an e-mail message to your U.S. Senators urging them to "Pass the FAA Bill."

August 24, 2010

High-Stakes Talks Begin at Hawker, Cessna

All eyes in the aviation community were on Wichita, KS last week, where IAM leaders gathered to open a pair of negotiations that could determine if that city continues to be known as the Air Capital of the World. Continued...

IAM Meets with DOJ over United-Continental Merger

While airline officials and industry analysts are cheerleading the proposed United-Continental merger, IAM leaders sat down with Department of Justice (DOJ) officials to relay the real-world concerns of front-line employees at both carriers. Continued...

Pratt & Whitney Plans Cheshire Layoff

Pratt & Whitney has informed IAM District 26 in Kensington, CT that the company plans to cut 129 hourly jobs at their Overhaul & Repair center in Cheshire, CT. Continued...

IAM Files for Continental Ground Instructor Election

The Machinists Union has filed an application with the National Mediation Board (NMB) to represent Ground Instructors at Continental Airlines. Ground Instructors provide classroom training for Continental's pilots. Continued...

August 28, 2010

Trumka Takes It to Palin in Her Back Yard

Last night, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said what many Americans believe but won’t say: Sarah Palin’s rhetoric is poisonous, dangerous and strikes of McCarthyism.

In a much publicized speech to the Alaska State AFL-CIO, Trumka said: 

In this charged political environment, her kind of talk gets dangerous. “Don’t retreat…reload” may seem clever, the kind of bull you hear all the time, but put it in context. She’s using crosshairs to illustrate targeted legislators. She’s on the wrong side of the line there. She’s getting close to calling for violence. And some of her fans take that stuff seriously. We’ve got legislators in America who have been living with death threats since the health care votes.

As usual, Palin tried to dodge the issues by writing on Facebook and Twitter—far easier than facing reporters—and calling on her “union brothers and sisters” to join “our commonsense movement.” Continue... 

August 24, 2010

Growing Inequality Threatens Middle Class and Democracy

Here’s why the One Nation movement is so important. The growing inequality between the super-rich and the rest of us is not only shrinking our middle class, it’s threatening our democracy.

One Nation is a multi-racial, civil and human rights movement whose mission is to reorder our nation’s priorities to invest in our nation’s most valuable resource—our people. One Nation is holding an Oct. 2 rally at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., with tens of thousands of activists, including thousands of union members, taking part.

Speaking at Harvard University this past April, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka warned that massive unemployment and growing inequality are fueling the forces that are spreading hate and misinformation. Saying “the stakes couldn’t be any higher,” Trumka told the audience: Continued...

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