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Public D
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http://www.SoldiersOfSolidarity.com
Who deserves to profit from labor?
By Gregg Shotwell
In their last contract members agreed to cost-saving measures worth millions of dollars in the hope of keeping the plant open. “I think ‘being competitive’ is an excuse to destroy the union,” said McIntosh. [“An Excuse to Destroy Unions?” by Christine Moroski, Solidarity, the official publication of the International UAW, March-April 2008]
The UAW councils at GM, Ford, and Chrysler went down like foam dominoes, but 3,600 workers at American Axle are digging in for the core conflict: ownership.
Who owns the jobs? Who created the wealth that American Axle invested around the globe? Whose community developed and maintained the infrastructure that made America the most powerful industrial stronghold in the world? Whose local governments served the corporate welfare with lucrative tax breaks? Who deserves to profit from labor?
The UAW Concession Caucus has “agreed to cost saving measures” at the expense of workers and their communities time after time. With each new concession the corpos used the savings to invest outside the US. Vulture capitalists like Dick Dauch, Steve Miller, and Wilbur Ross call it “restructuring”. But all the new structures are relocated across the border, overseas, or in non union shops.
The latest round of concessions at Delphi, Visteon, and the Big Three signals endgame. Gettelfinger, the corpos celebrated valentine, isn’t negotiating collective bargaining agreements, he’s negotiating closing costs. They’re turning the lights out in the industrial heartland with severance and VEBA and two tier and temporaries.
While vulture capitalists trash our communities and amputate incomes from working people, prime time puff adders like Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck rant against immigrants as if the poor and dispossessed were stealing our jobs. We know who is stealing our jobs—rich blowhards with multiple stock options and off shore accounts. All working Americans are beginning to look poor and dispossessed.
UAW members at American Axle know there isn’t a concession that will save them or a severance that will ease the pain when they’re deprived of earning power. UAW members at assembly plants should prepare to reject scab products because GM, Ford, Chrysler, AAM, and Dana are out to destroy the union, emasculate American workers, and blame it on the competition. No one deserves to profit from labor more than the men and women who labor.
Last edited by Public D on Mon Mar 10, 2008 3:22 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Mon Mar 10, 2008 1:08 pm |
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http://www.labornotes.org/
Auto Workers Plan To Attend The Labor Notes April 11-13 2008 Conference
Special day rates announced (see below).
Auto workers from multiple countries will use the Labor Notes Conference to compare notes and strategies about how their industries, unions, and changing working conditions.
Meet International Auto Workers
Since the early 1980s, Labor Notes conferences have hosted meetings of workers from similar industries and unions across the world. Now, in an era of globalization, the bosses have a pretty big weapon against us – competition. Labor Notes conferences give you an opportunity to fight back by building solidarity, sharing strategies, and comparing notes on the world’s largest auto makers.
Auto workers from the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Canada have been confirmed to attend the April 2008 conference.
Vivaldo Moreira Araujo – Treasurer of the GM local in José dos Campos, Brazil will be joining us along with Terry Turner, rep at Ford Dagenham in Great Britain. Terry is involved in National Shop Stewards Network in UK.
Auto workers from Korea and Russia have also been invited to attend.
Hear from the “Freightliner Five”
Members of the “Freightliner Five”, former officers of UAW 3520 in Cleveland, North Carolina representing a Freightliner plant have been making a big splash in the labor movement after they lost their jobs for leading workers out on what was called an “unauthorized strike” in face of a concessionary contract. They recently won an internal UAW trial clearning them of charges, but now fight to remain members of the local. Proud union members, several members of the Five will attend and speak at the Labor Notes conference.
Attend an all auto workers meeting
Auto workers from all the major companies, auto workers from the south, members of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), and international auto workers will all meet together to share ideas. Got something you want on the agenda? Contact Tiffany at tiffany@labornotes.org or call 313-842-6262.
Special Workshop on Trends in Auto and Two-tier
Hear from U.S. and Canadian auto workers looking back at the last round of Big 3 negotiations and looking forward at the trend of two-tiering wages in auto.
Workshops That Matter:
Fixing the Broken Healthcare system – Hear from unionists that have coupled the fight for health care in our contracts with the fight for a health care system that works.
Continuous Bargaining -Learn how unions can build a strategy that goes beyond the bargaining table.
Contract Campaigns – Unionists will analyze how to build the best campaign and mobilize members for your next contract.
Democracy is Power – Why having democractic unions can build a stronger movement.
Chinese Labor Movement – Hear from labor activists about China’s burgeoning labor movement.
Getting Ahead of Globalization – In an era of international commerce, what’s our response?
Labor and Environmental Coalitions – Learn from coalitions that work, hopefully with an auto worker speaker.
Internal Organizing—Key to a Strong Union – Getting members excited isn’t just a good idea -it’s practical.
Shop Floor Tactics – Learn strategies to engage your co-workers in actions on the shopfloor.
International/Cross Border Organizing -Developing solidarity and organizing strategies across borders.
Passing the Leadership Torch – How do we get young members involved (especially in an time of two-tier contracts?)
Pros and Cons of Top-Down Organizing Deals – From Canadian Auto Worker’s deal with Magna to Teamsters’ deal with UPS, union bosses are striking deals for labor – but is it a good thing?
Pension Crisis 101 – What’s the ongoing problem with pensions, and what can we do?
Attend the whole conference, or just a day – Special day rates announced.
Go to www.labornotes.org/conference or call 313-842-6262 to register for the 3 day event for $115.
Scholarships are also available.
To attend just Saturday, April 12, when workshops and meetings of interest to auto workers may be clustered, special day rates are now being advertised: $45 without banquet or $75 with banquet. To register with a special day rate, call 313-842-6262.
For more information, feel free to contact Tiffany Ten Eyck at tiffany@labornotes.org, or call 313-842-6262.
For more information about the Labor Notes conference, including a full list of workshops, see below:
Register Now for the Labor Notes April 2008 Conference!
“Rebuilding Labor’s Power”
April 11-13 2008 in Dearborn, Michigan
Register now! Join a thousand other activists from unions, worker centers, and grassroots movements for the conference that’s putting the movement back in the labor movement! It’s energy like this that keeps labor activists coming back to the Labor Notes Conference, year after year. This is our chance to celebrate our victories, take stock of our setbacks, and prepare for the future.
CONFERENCE THEMES INCLUDE
Workplace: Winning power on the job, shop floor organizing and resisting workplace restructuring.
Fighting Concessions: While many companies cry broke we will explore what we can do to fight back rather than give back.
Organizing: Organizing strategies that work to increase our numbers.
Health Care Now: How can labor respond to the problem of the U.S.’ broken health care system?
Labor and Politics: What will it take to rebuild labor’s political muscle?
Rebuilding the Labor Movement from the Bottom Up: Organizing for revival from below, connecting with worker centers and non-majority unions and building practical cross-federation solidarity.
Immigrant Rights: How can the labor movement deepen our alliances with workers fighting for a right to live and work free of government harassment and employer intimidation?
International Solidarity vs. Competition: Overcoming the race to the bottom by building solidarity across borders.
CONFIRMED MAIN SESSION SPEAKERS (list in progress)
Rose Ann DeMoro, Executive Director of the California Nurses Association. Rose Ann says, “Labor must be in the forefront of the broad social movement we need to win single-payer health care reform. For unions, it is the only solution to the escalating employer demands for health care takeaways and cost shifting, and the best way to fight outsourcing of jobs to other countries. The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee is a longtime critic of corporate, insurance-based medical care and incremental reforms. We look forward to working with other labor activists at the Labor Notes Conference on this fundamental campaign.”
Baldemar Velásquez, President, Farm Labor Organizing Committee. Baldemar guided FLOC to high-profile victories against food giants like Campbell Soup and Mount Olive Pickles, building a social-movement union for farmworkers in Ohio and North Carolina. He has led the union’s campaign to organize workers on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, speaking out for the rights of immigrants. And he sings and plays guitar in Aguila Negra!
Anita Chan, Contemporary China Center, Australian National University. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Anita is a globally recognized expert on Chinese labor. She works to aid workers’ grassroots struggles and has written extensively on working conditions, labor rights and worker organization in China, including China’s Workers Under Assault.
Sal Rosselli, President, SEIU United HealthcareWorkers-West, a 150,000-member union of hospital, nursing home and homecare workers in California. Sal has recently emerged as a leading voice for union democracy inside SEIU, challenging a move to centralize control of organizing and bargaining at the national level. He has been a long-time activist in the struggle for gay and lesbian rights and the fight for healthcare reform.
CONFIRMED WORKSHOPS (list in progress and subject to revision)
Assertive Grievance Handling; Bargaining for Social Justice; Black Labor History; Building Alliances between Unions and Worker Centers; Building Power in the Public Sector; Chinese Labor Movement; Continuous Bargaining; Contract Campaigns; Contract Campaigns 2: At the Bargaining Table; Creative Tactics; Dealing with the Media; Democracy is Power; Fighting “Blame the worker; Health and Safety Programs; Fighting Privatization; Fighting for Worker and Patient Rights; Fighting Racism; Fighting Raids and No-Match Letters; Fixing the Broken Health Care System; Flyers and Newsletters; Getting Ahead of Globalization; Home-Based Workers; Immigrant Workers and the Building Trades; Internal Organizing—Key to a Strong Union; International Solidarity; Labor against the War; Labor and Environmental Coalitions; Labor and Politics; Labor History; Labor in Asia; Labor in Latin America; Member-driven Organizing; Non-Majority Unions; Organizing Immigrant Workers; Organizing in a Multiracial Workplace; Organizing in Right-to-Work States; Organizing Online; Passing the Leadership Torch; Pension Crisis 101; Pros and Cons of Top-Down Organizing Deals; Roots of Immigration; Running for Local Office; Shopfloor Tactics; Strategic Approaches to Contract Expiration; Strategic Planning: Building a Strong Local; Student Labor Solidarity; Trends in Auto; Women at Work; Worker Centers: Building Power for Low-Wage Workers; Workplace Rights for Immigrant Workers.
CONFIRMED UNION & OTHER MEETINGS (list in progress and subject to revision)
Airline; Higher Education Instructors; Auto; Building Solidarity and Democracy in the Building Trades; Health Care; Nurses; Longshore; Postal; State, County, Municipal, Federal Workers; Rail; Teachers; Teamsters; Telecom; Campus workers; UNITE HERE; UFCW; SEIU; Workers Centers; Canadian Labour; Bus Drivers; Immigrant Solidarity/May 1st Planning; US Labor Against the War; Post-Katrina Labor Solidarity; Youth; Labor Media, New Technology & A Strategy For The Labor Movement; United Electrical Workers International Worker Justice Campaign; Staff Unions; Global Unionism: Prospects for International Grassroots Solidarity; Techies; Standing for Justice in Palestine: The Role of Labor Solidarity; IWW; National Health Care Reform; China; Labor and the Environment; Retirees; Labor Educators/UALE; Transnationals Information Exchange Health & Safety Project Meeting (VIDAVIVA); Continental Living Wage Campaign; Black Workers Caucus; Black-Brown Unity Meeting; Labor & Independent Politics; On the Campaign Trail—Labor and the 2008 Election.
WORKSHOP TRACKS
Health Care Workers and Health Care Reform Track
Along with the keynote address by Rose Ann DeMoro of CNA this track will include:
Workshops: Fixing the Broken Health Care System, Fighting for Workers and Patients Rights.
Meetings: Health Care Workers and National Health Care Reform.
Immigrant Workers Track
Workshops: Organizing Immigrant Workers, Fighting Raids & No-Match, Workplace Rights for Immigrant Workers, Building Trades and Immigrant Workers, Labor and Latin America, Roots of Immigration.
Meetings: Immigrant Solidarity and May 1 Planning.
Black Workers Track
More details to be announced.
Labor and China
This track will include:
Anita Chan: author of “Chinese Workers Under Assault” and prominent Chinese labor rights scholar and advocate as a main session speaker;
Pre-Conference China Discussion: Friday April 11 for invited guests to compare recent experiences and observations;
The Chinese Labor Movement: Saturday April 12 workshop on the Chinese labor movement designed to enlighten both experienced activists and those new to the topic;
Special Interest Meeting: Sunday April 13 meeting for those actively working on Chinese labor movement issues… or those wishing to start;
Experienced and knowledgeable China labor activists, academics and allies on Chinese labor issues will be coming from China, Hong Kong, Australia, Germany, UK, Canada and the U.S. to lend great depth and breadth to this track.
For full participation in the Labor and China Track, please arrange to arrive by the morning of Friday, April 11 and stay through late afternoon of Sunday, April 13. If you have any questions, suggestions or proposals about this track, please feel free to contact Ellen David Friedman at ellendavidfriedman@hotmail.com or 802-522-6227.
SPECIAL MEETINGS OR CAUCUSES
The Labor Notes Conference is a great place for like-minded activists to meet and organize among themselves. We have extra meeting rooms and will make every effort to provide space for participants who would like to schedule meetings or caucuses in addition to those listed in the agenda.
Contact conference@labornotes.org if you are interested in seeing us host your meeting at the conference.
PROGRAM (subject to change)
FRIDAY April 11
12:00 pm: Registration opens
1:00 – 5:00 pm: Workshops A & B
7:30 – 9:00 pm: 1st main session
9:00 – 11:00 pm: International guest reception
SATURDAY April 12
7:30 am: Registration opens
9:00 – 10:00 am: 2nd main session
10:15 am – 12:00 pm: Workshops C
12:00 – 1:45 pm: Lunch & Special Meetings & Art in Action Training
2:00 – 3:45 pm: Union Meetings
4:00 – 5:45 pm: Workshops D
6:00 – 7:30 pm: Free time / Special Meetings & Events
7:45 – 10:00 pm: Banquet & Keynote Address
10:00 pm: Open Mike Talent Show
SUNDAY April 13
9:00 – 10:30 am: Interest Meetings
10:45 am – 12:30 pm: Workshops E
12:30 – 1:00 pm: Get a sandwich and bring to main session break
1:00 – 2:00 pm: 3rd main session
INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS (list in progress)
International Dockworkers Council
Argentina—Daniel Ximenez, TEL—Labor Studies Workshop
Brazil—Mara Lira, Food Workers Union, VidaViva Platform
China (via Australia)—Anita Chan, Contemporary China Centre, Australian National University & Asia Monitoring Resource Center, Hong Kong
Colombia—Dora Acero, Dole Fragancia plantation—USLEAP flower worker speaking tour
Germany—Wolfgang Muller, IGM—Metalworkers Union
Iraq (via Canada)—Amjad Al-Jawhary, FWCUI, UUI—Iraqi Labor North America Representative
Ireland—Patricia Campbell, Independent Workers Union
Mexico—Benedicto Martinez, FAT—Authentic Labor Front, STHIMACS, UNT & CILAS—Center for Labor Studies and Union Consulting
Palestine—Abdel Rahim S. Khatib, Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions
Sri Lanka—Anton Marcus, Free Trade Zone and General Services Employees Union
Vietnam—Chao Nhat Binh, Vietnamese General Confederation of Labor
In Addition:
Struggle against CAFTA in El Salvador—CISPES speaking tour
Organizing WalMart: pineapple workers (Del Monte) in Costa Rica, garment workers (school uniforms) in Bangladesh—International Labor Rights Fund speaking tour
DETAILS
REGISTRATION
Registration is $115 and includes three days of workshops and meetings, as well as a Saturday banquet dinner. To register go to: http://labornotes.org/conference/register or call Anna at 313-842-6262 or email conference@labornotes.org. Limited scholarships are available; click here for more information: http://labornotes.org/conference/scholarshipform.
ACCOMMODATION
The conference is at the unionized Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dearborn, adjacent to Detroit, Michigan. Room details: Single/double $111, triple $131, quad $151. To book your room, or for other hotel information, go to: http://dearborn.hyatt.com/groupbooking/d005 or call 313-593-1234. You must mention “Labor Notes Conference” to get these rates.
TRAVEL
Air Travel: Fly Northwest Airlines and get 7% off if you book your ticket by March 8 (5% discount after March  . To book online go to http://www.nwa.com and select the “NWA Discount Travel E-Cert Redemption” link on the flight search page. When prompted for “E-Cert Fare, electronic voucher or meeting agreement” select “Meeting Agreement/WorldFile Number” and enter the promotion code NMDCZ. Northwest provides reservation assistance at 1-800-328-1111. Labor Notes will periodically send information on other discounted flights from major U.S. cities over our email list. Go to www.labornotes.org/eblast to sign up.
HELP BUILD THE CONFERENCE!
Help us build the conference by contacting a local organizing committee member in your area. Offer to help with phone banking, organizing an event, etc.
Albany, NY: Jon Flanders, 518-272-1318
Boston, MA: Steve Early, 617-930-7327
Chicago, IL: Jose Oliva, 773-612-2559
Cincinnati, OH: Dan La Botz, 513-861-8722
New York, NY: Steve Kindred, 917-679-0275
Pittsburgh, PA: Patrick Young, 412-298-6361
Portland, OR: Johanna Brenner, 503-234-2306
Seattle, WA: Paul Bigman, 206-214-61694-6169
Vermont: James Haslam, 802-272-0882
Western Massachusetts: David Cohen, 413-773-3548
Toronto, ON: Sarah Declerk, 416-830-9537
Windsor, ON: Ryan Couture, 519-256-8100
WANT TO BRING A CO-WORKER?
Email anna@labornotes.org or call 313-842-6262 and we will send you our conference brochure.
SHARE A RIDE
Call a Regional Contact near you to set up a ride-share to the conference.
Ohio: Dan La Botz, 513-861-8722
New York: Steve Kindred, 917-679-0275
Pittsburgh: Patrick Young, 412-298-6361
Chicago: Jose Oliva, 773-612-2559
Toronto: Sarah Declerk, 416-830-9537
Madison: Ron Kaminkow, ronkaminkow@yahoo.com
Michigan: Anna Saini, anna@labornotes.org, 313-842-6262
CONFERENCE BLOG
For the first time ever Labor Notes is posting all the latest info and buzz about the conference on the Rebuilding Labor’s Power blog. Check out what we’re posting and let us know what you think by commenting! You can read the Labor Notes conference blog at http://www.labornotes.org/conference/blog.
MORE INFORMATION
Sign up to Labor Notes email list, “Update at Labor Notes” to get updates on the workshops, featured speakers, and other conference information. You can sign up for the list at http://labornotes.org/eblast. |
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Mon Mar 10, 2008 1:48 pm |
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Public D
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http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080311/BUSINESS01/803110336/1014
GM workers root for strikers
American Axle protest in 3rd week
BY KATIE MERX and JEWEL GOPWANI • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITERS • March 11, 2008
Fight on, brothers and sisters.
That's the sentiment from many GM workers as the strike at supplier American Axle & Manufacturing Inc. begins its third week today.
Despite the fact that the strike forced General Motors Corp. to shut down or cut production at 29 plants nationwide, several GM workers and their family members said they are glad American Axle workers are standing up for themselves and the working class.
"I was surprised -- but pleasantly surprised -- that" American Axle workers "actually decided to resist the proposed contract," said Stacey Kemp, 49, a retired GM worker whose husband is temporarily laid off from GM by the American Axle strike. "I was hoping GM" workers "would do the same thing."
Perhaps if the UAW had stood up against GM's proposals in the fall, Kemp said, American Axle workers wouldn't need to be on strike.
Some see similarities
She and others said that the labor contracts that the UAW negotiated with the Detroit automakers last summer have led to the wage and benefits cuts that Axle is seeking, while also serving as a cautionary tale for workers at Detroit's auto suppliers about what can follow such a contract.
The support comes as negotiations appeared to stumble Monday. A company spokeswoman, however, said the two sides are still in touch and expect to hold meetings later this week.
American Axle workers walked onto picket lines early Feb. 26, protesting the company's proposals to cut wages, raise health care costs and freeze pension benefits.
The company's proposed wage, $11.50 and $14.50 an hour, is close to what Delphi Corp. now pays and to the second-tier wage agreed upon at the Detroit automakers last fall.
After a two-day strike in September, GM and the UAW reached a labor agreement that allows GM to compensate a second tier of newly hired workers with a lesser benefits plan and wages of $14 to $16.23 per hour, or about half the hourly rate of current assembly workers.
In that contract negotiation, the UAW won some U.S. job commitments from GM and promised to hire some temporary workers and in-source some jobs that have been done by suppliers.
But shortly after ratification, layoffs were announced and temporary workers were let go, leading some workers to feel that they'd been duped. GM workers said they believe workers at suppliers have learned from those events to get stronger commitments before agreeing to a contract that contains concessions.
"I commend the American Axle workers for walking the picket line," said Kathy Ray, a GM worker at Powertrain Toledo, where the strike has resulted in layoffs. "We should have been out on the line like that. ... Once the suppliers saw the UAW buckle at GM, Ford and Chrysler, these little companies said: 'Well, we've got to cut, too.' "
Sam Williams, 45, who works at GM's Lansing Delta Township plant, which is still producing crossovers, said he hopes American Axle workers can protect their wages and win job guarantees that will carry over to how other auto suppliers operate.
"The middle class cannot take any more beating," he said. "People cannot live on these wages."
Where things stand
Several people familiar with the talks said that negotiations appeared to break down Monday. The company, these people said, wouldn't budge on its proposal to cut wages by half.
But American Axle spokeswoman Renee Rogers said talks did not break down. And UAW spokesman Roger Kerson said, "We're still working to get a good agreement."
GM, American Axle's former parent and largest customer, reported no additional production cuts or shutdowns Monday beyond the 29 plants, which employ more than 37,000 hourly workers and 4,600 salaried workers.
Chrysler LLC, American Axle's second-largest customer, said it can continue to operate SUV and pickup plants in Newark, Del., and Saltillo, Mexico, for about another week. The plants have continued running, in part because American Axle has moved work to a plant in Mexico, said Chrysler spokeswoman Michele Tinson.
Meanwhile, the National Labor Relations Board is investigating the UAW's complaint that the company has withheld information during negotiations, said Stephen Glasser, director of the NLRB's regional office in Detroit. The company has said it gave the union all required information.
Contact KATIE MERX at 313-222-8762 or kmerx@freepress.com. |
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Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:48 pm |
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