UAW Members at Ford Reach Agreement on Retiree Health, and More Bargaining News

by May Silverstein, Feb 23, 2009

UAW members at Ford reach agreement on retiree health care and more updates here from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 900 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work. 

SETTLEMENTS 

UAW, Ford: The UAW reached an agreement with Ford on modifications to its Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA), which is a retiree health care trust fund. The union and Ford previously announced a tentative agreement to modify other aspects of its 2007 labor contract, but Ford had said all agreements were contingent on reaching an agreement to the VEBA. 

AFSCME, Ohio: Some 35,000 Ohio state workers, who are represented by the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association (OCSEA-AFSCME), reached a tentative agreement in which workers will maintain their salaries but take 10 days of unpaid leave annually.

AFSCME, Iowa: Some 20,000 Iowa state workers, represented by AFSCME, agreed to freeze pay for a year in a new settlement. 

WORK STOPPAGES AND ACTIONS

WGA, American Idol: Writers Guild (WGA) members and their supporters rallied to protest allegedly unfair treatment of “American Idol” writers and other workers. The event was organized to coincide with the first live broadcast of “American Idol” this season and targeted producer FremantleMedia. 

NEGOTIATIONS 

CWA, New Jersey: New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine proposed a two-day furlough for about 42,000 state workers represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) to help close a budget gap. “The governor’s sudden and unilateral decision to impose furloughs on state workers violates our contract and represents an assault on our collective bargaining relationship with the state,” said Hetty Rosenstein, New Jersey state director of CWA. 

UAN/USW, ARH: In December 2007, with your help, more than 950 members of the United American Nurses (UAN) won a three-month strike at Appalachian Regional Health Care (ARH) facilities in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia over job security.  Now the UAN nurses and USW members, a total of 3,000 ARH workers, are under attack again from CEO Jerry Haynes, who is going after their jobs and their contract protections.  Haynes met with the unions to insist they reopen their agreements, which are due to expire in 2010.  “Management appears to be focused on figuring out new ways to accomplish what they failed,” said union officials.

Disclaimer: This information is being provided for your information only. As it is compiled from published news reports, not from individual unions, we cannot vouch for either its completeness or accuracy; readers who desire further information should directly contact the union involved.

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