updated
05/02/2008 12:23 PM
 Upcoming Legislative Hearings
Commerce and Labor Committee: Continued examination of NWA-DAL merger and its impact on MN commerce -- testimony from DAL President Ed Bastian
Monday May 5, 2008 -- 9:00 a.m.
MN State Office Building, Room 5
Committee on Business, Industry and Jobs -- MAC and Bastian to testify
Monday, May 5, 2008 -- 10:00 a.m.
MN State Capitol, Room 112
State of the Airline Industry/Potential Impact of NWA-DAL Merger
Wednesday May 7, 2008 -- 2:30 p.m.
Washington DC, Senate Russell Building, Room 253
Imact of Consolidation on Aviation Industry/Focus on NWA-DAL Merger
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 -- 2:00 p.m.
2167 Rayburn House Office Building
IAM Leaders Testify with CEOs on Proposed Merger
Yesterday, April 24, IAM members attended The House Judiciary Committee ’s Anti Trust and Competition Taskforce chaired by Rep. John Conyers –D-MI.
We had members from United Airlines, Continental Airlines and a small army from Northwest Airlines in attendance from several locations. On behalf of District 143 I would like to extend a BIG thank you to everyone who attended the hearing. The executives saw it, the members of the Committee saw it and the press saw it.
Unfortunately, this committee had labor on a different panel than Northwest and Delta, so they ran away before they had to respond to our remarks. We are trying to prevent that from happening again, but that is up to each individual committee. Chairman Conyers was clearly frustrated that they left because he had additional questions following our testimony.
We will need to do this again, the next scheduled hearing’s are
Minnesota Legislature
Tuesday April 29 -- 1:00 p.m.
Committee: Commerce and Labor
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep Joe Atkins
Minnesota Legislature
Wednesday April 30 -- 10:00 a.m.
Committee: Business, Industry and Jobs
Chair: Jim Metzen
Washington D.C.
Wednesday May 7
Time: TBA
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation
Washington D.C.
Wednesday May 14
Time: TBA
Committee: House Transportation
I will let you know more when I get the details. Please check the Legislative page on the District 143 website often as information changes and more hearings are scheduled.
On April 24, your district lodge sent dozens of members to help reinforce the strong showing from the Grand Lodge in the Rayburn building of the Capitol. They sat in on the first of many congressional hearings on the proposed merger of Northwest Airlines and Delta Airlines. Like we did in New York bankruptcy court and again at the Capitol for the Pension Reform Act, the leadership of the IAM is using all of its political know-how to combat this merger and the trend it will promote.
 The House Judiciary Committee's Anti Trust & Competition Taskforce is headed by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) who opened the proceedings with "We're here today considering airline competition and the proposed merger between Delta and Northwest Airlines." The first panelists questioned were Northwest CEO Doug Steenland and Delta CEO Richard Anderson. Their opening statements were taken right out of their Wall Street Journal Op-Ed piece that ran after the two companies announced their intentions. In a nutshell, they cannot go it alone as stand-alone carriers; that this merger is good for employees, shareholders and the flying public; and that the price of oil has forced them to rethink their business plan again.
Mr. Steenland, when questioned on the merger said, "No hubs will be closed, our routes are complimentary;" while Mr. Anderson said, "The world is changing rapidly; we need a true global airline to combat foreign-flag carriers. The merger provides security for our employees; we have set aside significant stock to be paid to employees at the end of this process. We have committed ourselves in protecting pensions, with no layoffs for 'frontline' employees. This merger will open three thousand new, domestic markets and six thousand new, international market commitments."
The questions asked by the taskforce were mostly soft with one exception: Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH) asked the CEOs, "Are management jobs the only jobs in danger of layoffs in the event of this merger?"
Doug Steenland answered, "Yes." It was then asked how many people stand to lose their jobs. This question set off a nervous twitch on Richard Anderson's face; he blinked his eyes over and over while Doug looked to him as if to say, "What number should we go with?" They both said 1,000 employees after much chiding from the taskforce.
 A second group of panelists including our own IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger followed. He gave an uplifting yet somber statement reiterating the IAM's stance to oppose various mergers between the six major U.S. airlines. He asked for some form of limited re-regulation of the airlines and said, "The wholesale reshaping of the industry will harm the country and the industry." IP Buffenbarger made the taskforce aware of the $19 million Mr. Steenland will get in the event of a merger, and the untold amount that Mr. Anderson will receive as a part of a new compensation package with the new, larger airline. Mr. Conyers (D-MI) was unaware of any CEO or other management compensation and asked what the unions stood to gain financially. A collective laugh was heard throughout the room. Obviously, the answer is nothing. It is disturbing that many on the taskforce are not familiar with the complexity of past mergers or the deeds of the airlines' management over the past decade where 150,000 jobs and $30 billion have been lost.
Just Say No! To Airline Mergers
The Machinists Union strongly opposes mergers among the major airlines: airline hubs will be eliminated, service frequency will be reduced, competition will be diminished, jobs will be lost, customer service will deteriorate and pension obligations will be jeopardized and fuel prices will remain unaffected by a merger. The IAM is part of a coalition of consumer advocates, political leaders and passenger rights groups who oppose the mega-mergers, but we need your help. All IAM members are asked to contact their elected representatives and urge their opposition for airline mergers that will only benefit airline executives and bankers.
Please contact your US Senators and Representatives as soon as possible to voice your opposition to this merger.
With the U.S. economy in near free fall, President Bush has said he will send the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to Capitol Hill and demand a vote before he leaves office next January. Bush has made passing this agreement, which will do next to nothing for the failing U.S. economy, a priority...
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) kicked off his campaign for re-election yesterday—and he was met by union members who are trying to tell the truth about Coleman’s poor record when it comes to issues that matter to working families...
Across the country, the collapse of the housing market has created a crisis of foreclosures that is dragging down the economy. Finding a fair solution for this mess should be a top priority of the next president.
So presidential candidate Sen. John McCain must have a plan to address the crisis, right? Not so. In fact, the Republican from Arizona blames the millions of America’s working families who have lost their homes. They, says McCain, caused the economic downturn...
The Robert James Act
S2570 had its start due to our coworker and friend Robert James in Anchorage, AK. In late November 2007 Robert was diagnosed with stage four Adenocarcinoma and given a limited life expectancy of four months or less. While applying for Social Security Disabiliy he found out that there is a minimum of five months before any payments can be made. Upon contacting our State Senator, Lisa Murkowski, her office was very helpful in trying to help us cut the red tape and get Roberts benefits started. Unfortunately, under the current Federal Law and the Social Security Act, the commissioner has no authority to issue any waivers to waive the five month waiting period. This was found by all to be unacceptable under circumstances such as a limited life expectancy. On January 29,2008, Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced bill S2570, The Robert James Act, on the Senate floor. The bill now sits with the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by the Honorable Max Baucus, awaiting further review. We need your help in contacting your State Senators and Representatives, and also keeping the calls and letters going to the Senate Finance Committee asking them to support this bill and to bring it for a vote as quickly as possible!!!! To contact Senate Finance Committee and the Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy call 202-224-4515 or you may fax a letter of support to 202-228-0554 Attention Honorable Max Baucus, Committee Chairman. With your help, we can move this bill forward and see it made into law. This change would be very beneficial to many people and provide comfort at a time when monetary issues should not have to be a concern or burden.
Key Senators who sit on the Finance Committee are:
Democrats:
Max Baucus, MT
John D. Rockefeller IV, WV
Kent Conrad, ND
Jeff Bingaman, NM
John F. Kerry, MA
Blanche L. Lincoln, AR
Ron Wyden, OR
Charles E. Schumer, NY
Debbie Stabenow, MI
Maria Cantwell, WA
Ken Salazar, CO
Republicans:
Chuck Grassley, IA
Orrin G Hatch, UT
OlympiaJ. Snowe, ME
Jon Kyl, AZ
Gordon Smith, OR
Jim Bunning, KY
Mike Crapo, ID
Pat Roberts, KS
John Ensign, NV
John E. Sununu, NH
If you reside in one of the mentioned states above, your calls and emails asking for support of this bill are extremely important. These are the Senators directly on the Committee where our bill sits and can move it forward faster.
 In America, No One Should Go Without Health Care
Working men and women of every age, race and income know the importance of health care to our families. This survey is our chance to make our voices heard and ensure that leaders and candidates at every level understand what working families are experiencing.
Survey responses will be given to the presidential candidates, every U.S. senator and representative, every candidate for Congress and state and local officials in every state in our country.
The 2008 Health Care for America Survey is sponsored by the AFL-CIO, the largest organization of working people in America, and Working America, the 2-million-member community affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Those who complete the survey will receive the compiled, nationwide results.
McCaskill-Bond Bill
U.S Senators Claire McCaskill and Kit Bond secured a provision to the Senate’s omnibus spending bill to provide air carrier employees with a BASE level of protection during mergers. The provision would ensure a merger process by which airline employee seniority lists can be integrated in a FAIR manner to be determined by the controlling carrier. If a dispute occurs, the parties can engage in binding arbitration.
While the language of this bill may be a step in the right direction, District 143 feels that stronger seniority provision language could be obtained through collective bargaining.
BILL TEXT
HR 2764
VERSION: ENROLLED (FINALLY PASSED BOTH HOUSES)
DIVISION K—TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008
SEC. 117. LABOR INTEGRATION. (a) LABOR INTEGRATION.—With respect to any covered transaction involving two or more covered air carriers that results in the combination of crafts or classes that are subject to the Railway Labor Act (45 U.S.C. 151 et seq.), sections 3 and 13 of the labor protective provisions imposed by the Civil Aeronautics Board in the Allegheny-Mohawk merger (as published at 59 C.A.B. 45) shall apply to the integration of covered employees of the covered air carriers; except that—
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(1) if the same collective bargaining agent represents the combining crafts or classes at each of the covered air carriers, that collective bargaining agent’s internal policies regarding integration, if any, will not be affected by and will supersede the requirements of this section; and |
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(2) the requirements of any collective bargaining agreement that may be applicable to the terms of integration involving covered employees of a covered air carrier shall not be affected by the requirements of this section as to the employees covered by that agreement, so long as those provisions allow for the protections afforded by sections 3 and 13 of the Allegheny-Mohawk provisions. |
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following definitions apply:
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(1) AIR CARRIER.—The term “air carrier” means an air carrier that holds a certificate issued under chapter 411 of title 49, United States Code. |
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(2) COVERED AIR CARRIER.—The term “covered air carrier” means an air carrier that is involved in a covered transaction. |
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(3) COVERED EMPLOYEE.—The term “covered employee” means an employee who— |
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(A) is not a temporary employee; and |
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(B) is a member of a craft or class that is subject to the Railway Labor Act (45 U.S.C. 151 et seq.). |
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(4) COVERED TRANSACTION.—The term “covered transaction” means— |
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(A) a transaction for the combination of multiple air carriers into a single air carrier; and which |
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(B) involves the transfer of ownership or control of— |
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(i) 50 percent or more of the equity securities (as defined in section 101 of title 11, United States Code) of an air carrier; or |
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(ii) 50 percent or more (by value) of the assets of the air carrier. |
(c) APPLICATION.—This section shall not apply to any covered transaction involving a covered air carrier that took place before the date of enactment of this Act.
(d) EFFECTIVENESS OF PROVISION.—This section shall become effective on the date of enactment of this Act and shall continue in effect in fiscal years after fiscal year 2008.
Australia may be a land of koalas and crocs, not to mention vegemite, but we in the United States still share a lot in common with our fellow workers down under: Employers...
We all know it: The economy is not working for working families.
Fact: Workers in America
- Are the most productive in the world.
- Work longer hours than in any other developed country.
- Live in a country with more than $13 trillion a year in income.
YET we face:
- Stagnant wages and family incomes.
- Increasing income insecurity.
- Eroding health care benefits.
- Disappearing pensions.
BUT we don’t have to sit and wait for it to change.
WE ARE THE CHANGE OUR ECONOMY NEEDS.
Get the facts and find out how you can DISMANTLE the corporate agenda and BUILD a working family agenda.
Here's our working family agenda:
- Anyone who wants to work should have a job with a living wage.
- Workers are proud of their work and should have the chance to do it right.
- All workers and our families should be able to live in dignity with health care and retirement security.
- Every worker should enjoy the freedom to form a union and bargain collectively.
- Workers want to contribute to, and share in, building a world-class economy.
Get the facts:
 The recently launched United Steelworkers’ Protect Our Kids – Stop Toxic Imports campaign will combat the massive influx of toxic imports endangering North American families. We’ve been flooded with everything from toxic toys to lead-laced baby bibs, poisoned pet food and tainted tooth paste. It’s time to tell politicians and corporations that a cheaper price tag is not worth endangering our families’ health!
Many homeowners have adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs)—but nearly half who have them admit they do not know how their ARMs adjust or reset, and nearly three-quarters do not know how much their monthly mortgage payments will increase when they do, a new national survey reveals...
Union members and all working families now have a unique online center where they can get involved in selecting the next president. With so much at stake in the 2008 elections, union members are working to make sure working family issues are in the forefront of the political debate.. |
New Interactive Website Engages Union Members in Presidential Process
Union Members Highlight Senator Norm Coleman's Anti-Worker Votes