Painters Give Women’s Safe Haven Building Needed Makeover
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AFL-CIO Community Services Director Will Fischer sends us this report.
Members from the Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 2, friends and family came together in South St. Louis in recent days to give the “Women in Transition” organization a much needed makeover.
Union painters, tapers, glaziers, friends and family of District Council 2 put the two apartment buildings in their sights to be re-painted. After being graciously supplied with donations by PaintSmith Companies, CR Painting and More and Sherwin-Williams of Crestwood, they decorated the eight apartments in just one day! Read the rest of this entry »
‘Wheel of Cuts’ Spins in Missouri for Anti-Worker Senate Candidate
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AFL-CIO Field Communications staffer Cathy Sherwin sends us this report.
When Emerson Electric Co. CEO David Farr sent a letter to his employees urging them to donate their hard-earned money for the Missouri Senate campaign of Rep. Todd Akin (R), he dangled a pretty big carrot for those ponying up $5,000 or more: an intimate dinner with their boss and his wife. He probably didn’t expect the attention his offer would generate. But on the night of the big fundraiser in the tony St. Louis suburb of Ladue, a group of activists sent a tongue-in-cheek invitation to Farr, offering to lend a helping hand to the arm-twisting:
With 2010 earnings such as yours, it is understandable why you’re so committed to putting Todd Akin in the U.S. Senate. His positions have reliably favored CEOs over the interests of middle class workers and the poor. CEOs and Wall Street bankers can sleep a little easier knowing that Todd Akin is in their corner, even if it means the vast majority of his constituents get left behind.
Many of your employees are probably busy this week getting their kids ready for back to school and may have run short of time before tonight’s Ladue fundraiser. So to help ensure that as many Emerson workers as possible are able to chip in to Todd Akin’s election war-chest, a group of volunteers will come by at lunch time to help personally collect funds for the Senate race.
Working Families in Indiana, Across Nation Rally for Workers’ Rights
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On Day 24 of rallies and marches at the Indiana Statehouse yesterday, many of the protesters were dressed in camouflage to symbolize that they were under siege.
As Indiana State AFL-CIO President Nancy Guyott told the crowd:
We are wearing our camouflage to symbolize that working families and their communities are under siege. Unprovoked and without warning or reason, these politicians have launched an all-out attack on the middle class. Brothers and sisters, we did not choose this war. We would rather be focusing on rebuilding this economy, creating good-paying jobs and putting more Hoosiers back to work.
Stimulus Funds Creating Jobs
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Critics of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus package, often lump it in with the bailout of the banks. But the Recovery Act has nothing to do with Wall Street. It is putting people back to work on Main Street, by creating or saving millions of jobs.
A recent “ABC Evening News” report showed the legislation was behind 3,100 jobs in Philadelphia. The city’s Housing Authority is using its $127 million grant to rehab public housing, putting 3,000 people to work. A local window manufacturer hired 100 new employees to meet the demand for new windows for the public housing.
As Carl Greene, executive director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, told ABC:
Without the stimulus money, 3,000 less people would have the opportunity to work.
1,000 Machinists Approve Contract at GKN Aerospace, and More Bargaining News
Nearly 1,000 Machinists members at GKN Aerospace in St. Louis approved a new three-year contract—and more news 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
IAM, GKN Aerospace: GKN workers in the St. Louis area of Missouri, represented by the Machinists (IAM) District 837, approved a new three-year contract with the aerospace company, which provides annual 3 percent wage increases, a $1,000 bonus, higher pension benefits and increased recall rights. IAM members had previously rejected the company’s final offer and voted to strike. The main issues included the company’s proposal for a change in overtime compensation, lack of health care benefits for members hired in after GKN purchased the facilities from Boeing in 2001 and inadequate pension increases.
Machinists in St. Louis Authorize Strike, and More Bargaining News
Members of the Machinists (IAM) in St. Louis authorized a strike after rejecting a contract over the weekend—and more news 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.
WORK STOPPAGES AND ACTIONS
IAM, GKN Aerospace: Workers at GKN Aerospace in the suburban St. Louis area, represented by Machinists (IAM) District 837, authorized a strike, which allows union officials to give the company a seven-day notice for a strike. The authorization vote received 99 percent approval after workers rejected the company’s contract terms. Members want a sweetener for workers who could retire immediately but have seen their pension take a hit in the economy. Also at issue is the company’s proposal for nontraditional workweeks.
