Act Now to Stop Chrysler Jobs from Going to Mexico
The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO has issued an urgent appeal for workers across the country to write President Obama urging him to stop Chrysler from shutting down an engine plant in Kenosha, Wis., and shipping the 800 jobs to Mexico.
Workers and supporters from the Kenosha community rallied yesterday at the local UAW hall to protest the closing. Adding insult to injury, these 800 jobs are being exported as part of a taxpayer funded bailout, according to the state federation.
AT&T Shareholders Face Crowd of CWA Members, and More Bargaining News
CWA members turned AT&T’s shareholder meeting into a forum on contract negotiations—and more updates 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.
WORK STOPPAGES AND JOB ACTIONS
CWA, AT&T: The San Antonio Express reports that members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) swarmed the AT&T shareholders’ meeting, focusing the meeting on the ongoing contract negotiations. ”We do have a very difficult process we’re going through right now,” AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said. “I don’t think we’re going to resolve this easily. We’re going to have to sit down and work nose to nose.” Get the facts on bargaining at CWA’s AT&T bargaining website.
UAW Members Ratify Chrysler Settlement Pact
This just in from the UAW:
UAW members at Chrysler have ratified a settlement agreement with Chrysler, Fiat and the U.S. Treasury.
Eighty-two percent of production workers and 80 percent of skilled-trades workers voted for the agreement in balloting that took place at UAW Chrysler locations throughout the United States. Ninety percent of office and clerical workers voted in favor of the agreement, and 94 percent of UAW-represented Chrysler engineering workers voted for approval.
UAW Reaches Settlement Agreement with Chrysler, Fiat
Just days before a federally imposed deadline, the UAW announced last night it had reached a settlement agreement with Chrysler, Fiat and the U.S. Treasury Department.
After rejecting Chrysler’s viability plan in February, President Obama gave Chrysler workers and the company a second chance, union officials said. This concessionary agreement, while painful, takes advantage of this opportunity, the union said.
Tell the President: Stand up for Autoworkers
The UAW is calling on all working people to stand up for active and retired U.S. autoworkers. The Obama administration has established tight deadlines for the restructuring of Chrysler and General Motors (GM). For the federal government to provide additional assistance to the automakers, the restructuring of Chrysler must be completed by the end of April, and the General Motors restructuring must be completed by the end of May.
The Chrysler and GM workers need President Obama and his auto task force to stand up for the interests of workers and retirees in these restructuring negotiations.
You can call President Obama at 202-456-1414, or send him an e-mail at: www.whitehouse.gov/contact. The UAW urges allies to tell him that workers and retirees must be treated in a fair and equitable manner in any restructuring plans.
Contracts Can’t Be Broken—Unless They Involve Union Workers
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Contracts can’t be broken. We learned that lesson well over the past few days when AIG honchos swore that despite being bailed out by $173 billion in taxpayer funds, they couldn’t break the sacrosanct contractual bond that guaranteed billions in bonuses to the same top executives who brought the insurance giant to its knees.
But we also were taught another lesson in these months of financial chaos: Contacts can’t be changed—unless they involve unionized autoworkers.
Tim Rutten at the Los Angeles Times really hits the mark today when he writes:
What we’re essentially being asked to believe is that employment contracts involving hardworking men and women on Detroit’s assembly lines are somehow less legally binding—less “sacred” in the current rhetorical argot—than those protecting a bunch of cowboy securities traders living in Connecticut. [snip]
For years, the smart guys on Wall Street have convinced a growing number of Americans that organized labor is an impediment to economic progress, an unacceptable “cost” in a globalized system of production, a quaint social fossil from the era of mills and smokestacks. If there’s a lesson to be gleaned from the current crisis, however, it’s that when the chips are down, organized labor is a far more responsible social actor than the snatch-and-run characters who fancy themselves financiers.
UAW Members at Ford Reach Agreement on Retiree Health, and More Bargaining News
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.
UAW Reaches Agreement with Big Three
The UAW has reached a tentative agreement with Chrysler, Ford and General Motors (GM) on changes to its 2007 contracts with the automakers. The agreement came hours before Chrysler and GM had to file restructuring plans as part of last year’s federal loan agreement. Discussions continue over the retiree health care plans at all three automakers.
Says UAW President Ron Gettelfinger:
The changes will help these companies face the extraordinarily difficult economic climate in which they operate. Discussions are continuing regarding the Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Associations (VEBAs) at all three companies.
Chrysler Shutdown Shows Need for Immediate Help for Automakers
After Chrysler announced it is shutting down all of its North American plants starting tomorrow, elected officials, union leaders and other industry supporters urged the Bush administration to immediately provide assistance to the auto industry or risk an economic tsunami in the nation’s manufacturing sector.
Citing a 47 percent drop in sales last month, Chrysler said late yesterday it will shut down all 30 of its North American plants at least until Jan. 19, putting 46,000 employees out of work. The plants are typically shut down from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day. The workers will receive holiday pay from Dec. 22 through Jan. 2. After that, the workers will be considered laid off for the additional weeks their plants are shuttered. Some of the plants could be shut down into February, according to published reports.
UAW Launches Ad to Showcase Need for Bridge Loan to Auto Industry
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Congress and President Bush quickly signed off on a $700 billion, nearly no-strings-attached bailout to Wall Street and the nation’s financial industry. Now, says the UAW in a new TV commercial, it’s time to focus on Main Street. UAW President Ron Gettelfinger puts it this way:
Main Street deserves help just as much as the bankers on Wall Street. It is time for Congress to do its job to save millions of American jobs and prevent our nation from falling deeper in recession.
The ad, which began airing this week in the Washington, D.C., area, features UAW members urging Congress to approve a bridge loan to allow U.S. automakers to keep their assembly lines rolling. They tell viewers:
We don’t work on Wall Street…or for big insurance companies. We build quality cars and trucks. But we’ve been hit by the same financial crisis.
If we go out of business…so will thousands of other businesses….If we lose our jobs…so will millions of others….
