Hey fellow UAW members, did you hear our fearless leader on the Rachel Maddow show tonight. What the hell!!! He spent most of the interview defending the criminal management of the big three! And than he goes on to describe the current products of the U.S. auto industry as if they represented the green technology of the future! WHAT!!! My god, no wonder our union is in such trouble. Compare Mr. Gettelfinger’s lame defense of the bosses with Michael Moore’s righteous indignation which I discussed in my last post. Come on man! Don’t you see by now that sucking up to management is not going to save the U.S. auto worker. You should be demanding that the Congress pass a bailout that includes those guys complete removal. Hell, you should be asking for the plants to be turned over to the workers, but I am not holding my breath on that one. Come on, get a freaking backbone for once. First you lay-down and let management walk all over the union in the last round on contract negotiations, than y...

Ten days ago, 27,000 workers for the aircraft manufacture Boeing, who are members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) went out strike in three states – Washington, Oregon, and Kansas. Boeing, one of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers, a company that has been tremendously profitable in recent years, has pushed concessions on its workforce in the past few contracts. In 2005, Boeing workers halted some of these concessions with a month long strike. But the workers have gone without a pay raise for 4 years, and entry level wages for new hires haven’t been raised since 1992. Outsourcing has reduced the amount of union jobs at Boeing, as the company has continued to shift more and more of its production to non-union sub-contractors, some locally, some around the globe. Preventing further outsourcing and protecting job security is a key issue for the union. In contract negotiations this Summer, the company once again asked for further concession...

As I stated on last night’s Labor Express Radio program, I hoped to have an announcement about an action at Boeing HQ in Chicago this week, in supporting of the 27,000 Boeing workers, members of the IAM (The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) who are out on strike now. From conversations I had today with labor activist in Chicago, it appears there will be an action Friday, but noe details have been released as of yet. As soon as they are I will post them here. In about an hour there should be another post with more info on the Boeing strike and a link to an audio interview with IAM spokesperson Connie Kelliher.

The Chicago Trade With Justice Working Group (CTWJWG), formed just last December, has struck again. Following up on their visit to Obama campaign HQ in Downtown Chicago On December 15th (and a very popular video of the visit produced by Larry Duncan of Labor Beat), CTWJWG visited Obama & Durbin’s senate offices in the Federal Building in downtown Chicago to demand that they oppose the Colombia /U.S. Free Trade Agreement. Both Obama and Durbin supported the Peru/U.S. Free Trade Agreement, which passed in the congress in early December, betraying their promises to end trade policy that devastates the lives of workers in this country and aboard. This time around members of CTWJWG filmed some of the dozens of individuals who signed on to our letter to Obama and Durbin, on behalf of 30 different organizations. View the video here… http://youtube.com/watch?v=HgTzdJ2Rkqs Here is a video taken the day the letter was delivered (Monday, Jan. 28th)… http://youtube.com/watch?v=NsF5AZWMHmo View...

Some of the most innovative and essential work being accomplished by both the labor movement and the movement for immigrant rights is, once again, happening right here in Chicago. The Chicago Committee Against No-Match Letters and the Rapid Response Network, lead by the UE (United Electrical Workers Union), Chicago Workers Collaborative, UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers) Local 881, Interfaith Worker Justice and other Chicago area workers centers, has organized a fight back against Social Security “no-match” letters and ICE workplace raids in an effort to make Chicago a no-match and ICE raid free zone. The goal is to make the economic, political and social costs of terrorzing immigrant workers through no-match letters and workplace raids so high for employers and their friends at DHS (Department of Homeland Security) that they will be forced to back off. This is an extremely important effort, as no-match letters and ICE raids are a key strategy of the anti-immigrant forces who a...

Where are our Senate and Congressional leaders when it is time to oppose unfair trade? Press conference to be held outside Obama for America HQ. Labor activists, fair trade advocates, Latin American solidarity activists, environmentalists, immigrant rights organizers, people of faith, and others are concerned with the recent lack of interest of our U.S. Congressional and Senate leaders when it comes to stopping un-fair trade deals - as evidenced by the recent House and Senate votes on the US-Peru “Free Trade” Agreement. We find it very troubling that one of our Illinois Senators, Barack Obama, a current candidate for President of the United States, skipped the vote on the Peru trade pact, missing an important opportunity to stand up for working people and the environment both here and in Peru. We are even more concerned that Obama, along with Sen Hillary Clinton, made public statements supporting the Peru Trade deal and that our other Senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin voted in favor o...

After massive public pressure both here in the U.S. and around the hemisphere derailed the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA), the Bush administration and its corporate masters shifted gears, focusing on bilateral (or one country) trade agreements. Proposed agreements are pending with Colombia & South Korea that have received some attention by the press and opposition by organized labor and human rights groups. However, the proposed U.S./Peru Free Trade Agreement passed the U.S. house on Nov. 8th. Despite all the mea culpas from the Democrats this election year about their support of trade agreements in the past, and new promises that they will fight for fair trade over free trade, 109 Democrats voted in favor of the Peru trade pact. The rather anemic opposition to this trade agreement now shifts to the Senate. You can read more here… http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_3370 Professors Helena Worthen and Joe Berry with the Chicago Labor Education Program, will...

36% of GM workers voted “No” 45% of Chrysler workers voted “No” Ford workers can vote it down! The “No” vote at Chrysler was the biggest ever “No” vote against any contract that was ratified at the Big 3. And since then, many Chrysler workers who voted “Yes” have been quoted as saying that they would have voted “No” if they knew about the layoffs that were kept secret until after the contract was ratified. They want to sell us a contract based on false promises of “job security”. They want us to forget that this contract has concessions that will lead to a devastating drop in the standard of living for current autoworkers, future autoworkers, retirees, and workers across the country... TO READ MORE CLICK HERE... http://www.xpdnc.com/files/relatednewsandreports07/zpfile000zpfile001.pdf Ford 2007 Contract Info... http://www.xpdnc.com/files/relatednewsandreports07/SOS-FordContractInfo.htm Chrysler 2007 Contract Info... http://www.xpdnc.com/files/relatednewsandreports07/SOS-ChryslerContrac...

As goes GM, so goes the U.S. auto industry – On the heels of a 66% in favor contract ratification vote of UAW members at GM, it looks like the UAW is pushing another concessionary contract at Chrysler, with Ford negotiations next on the agenda…. Chrysler Workers Wary of New Contract By DEE-ANN DURBIN and TOM KRISHER – DETROIT (AP) — As they assembled cars Thursday, workers at Chrysler's Sterling Heights assembly plant were talking about their new labor contract, wondering if Wednesday's six-hour strike was enough to get a good deal from the company. Even as they waited to hear the details, industry analysts were predicting crosstown rival Ford will try to get more concessions than Chrysler. Some workers were skeptical about job security promises, one worker said. "A lot of people are sort of surprised that we only stayed out that long," said Brett Ward, a forklift operator at the Sterling Heights plant and a member of a group that's often critical of the union. ...

Join Ballco Workers as they call on FMC Technologies to support justice and fairness! When: Tuesday, October 9th at 12 noon Where: FMC Offices at 200 E. Randolph in Chicago (Aon Center) Join us as we call on FMC Technologies to cease doing business with Ballco Manufacturing. Ballco employees have suffered for years under abusive and discriminatory conditions. When eight of their coworkers were unfairly targeted and fired on September 19, workers said “enough is enough” and walked out on a one-day protest strike. Ballco responded by firing 25 more employees. Employees have filed charges for unlawful discrimination and retaliation, and have remained on the picket line for the past two weeks. FMC Technologies is a major Ballco customer. We are calling on FMC to cease doing business with Ballco until this dispute is resolved. For more information call Mark Meinster at (312) 829-8300, United Electrical Workers (UE) (from Oct. 5th Chicago Jobs with Justice E-Update)

Perhaps I am spending too much time on this story, but it is likely that the outcome of this contract fight will have an impact on the working class movement, far beyond the 73,000 workers at GM or the 640,000 members of the UAW. Just as the UAW plant occupations of the 30's were a key element of the working class fight back that gained so much for the class in those years - so too the concessions of the past couple decades have played a significant role in the declining power and living standards of the industrial working class in the United States. And perhaps as a member of UAW Local 1981 (the National Writers Union), I feel a special obligation to covering this story. In any case, here is an excellent summary of the tentative contract from Labor Notes. It is actually worse than what I said in my R.I.P UAW entry. Only 3,000 temporary workers will be made full time employees (I know I read 6-7,000 somewhere earlier, but I can't remember where at this point). And rather than s...

Here is a really good article from journalist David Moberg about GM, the UAW, and the health care crisis in the United States. I think his comments on the VEBA, prove once again, that it is a big mistake. But of course the bigger mistake is that we still don't have a mass movement mobilized behind single payer national health care. It is the number one domestic issue in this election cycle, but all the "top tier" democratic candidates are offering mickey mouse proposals that seek to save the asses of the HMOs rather than establish real universal coverage, where the profit motive is removed. Even the labor movement is partly to blame for this, as over the years they have avioded supporting specific single payer legislation. That is changing. The NNOC (National Nurses Organizing Committee) has launched a serious campaign behind HR 676, the Conyers Bill, in conjunction with Michael Moore's film Sicko... http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_labor_lessons_gm_nev...

OK, I realize those are harsh words, but I can’t help feeling real sadness today as I read reports of what the UAW agreed to in its settlement with GM. As I am sure you have all heard already, the strike was ended today (after just two days), with the announcement by Gettelfinger that a tentative agreement had been reached. The exact details of the agreement won’t be known till at least late this week, when the members vote to ratify (or not) the contract. You can listen to audio of Gettelfinger’s announcement here… http://www.uaw.org/ Now I am not saying we should relish the idea of a long strike. Strikes are always much harder on the individual worker than they are on their corporate bosses. No one wants a long drawn out strike that leads to workers losing their homes, pulling kids out of college, sinking deeper into debt, etc., etc., etc. Let me say right of the bat, even though I have been a labor activist for 15 years, I have never myself had to endure the pain of a strike. But I ...

After years of concessions and job cuts, GM, despite it’s enormous profits (and don’t be fooled – they are enormous) still wants to extract more wealth from the sweat and tears of its workers. IT IS TIME TO SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! No more concessions to multi-billon dollar multi-national corporations. Stop this race to the bottom. Defend the hard won gains of manufacturing workers in the United States and around the world. Its corporate mis-management that is the ultimate source of U.S. automakers woes, so why do the workers always pay the price, while the bosses are offered golden parachutes. Its time the bosses got a lead boot in the ass instead! As a proud member myself of UAW Local 1980 – the National Writers Union, I call on all working people to aid and assist in whatever ways possible our brothers and sisters at GM. Here is audio of UAW president Ron Gettelfinger, explaining the reasons for the strike at a Press conference on Monday (the original audio and a transcript can be foun...

The following is an article I wrote on domestic worker organizing for Labor Notes, based on my interviews over the Summer with organizers in this emerging social movement. An edited version of this piece will appear in next months Labor Notes... http://labornotes.org/magazine Domestic Worker Organizing: New Front in the emerging “Non-Traditional” Labor Movement by Jerry Mead-Lucero For over two years, Marian, a Colombian immigrant and a housekeeper in Roslyn, New York, worked 18 hours a day, six days a week for about two dollars an hour. The family that employed her fired her without notice, kicking her out of the home and leaving her with nowhere to turn for support. After enduring months of verbal and physical abuse by her employer, “Vivian”, an Indian immigrant and nanny in Manhattan, refused the orders of her boss. Her boss’s response was to strike her with a sandal and kick her out the house without her pay or her passport. “Judy” a Malaysian immigrant and housekeeper on one occa...

The struggle of the Teacher's Union and APPO (Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca) to oust the corrupt governor of Oaxaca State, and to construct a new, more justice social order, continues, despite serious repression. In the summer of 2006, members of Section 22 of the Teacher's Union, other members of the working class, students, indigenous people, peasants and others, took control of much of Ciudad Oaxaca, and other parts of Oaxaca State, in an effort to oust the corrupt and brutal governor - Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. What had started as a teacher’s strike for better wages and improved funding for schools turned into a community wide rebellion and lead to the formation of APPO. As the working class of Oaxaca, in the face of government neglect and incompetence, took power into their own hands, a new future for the people of this long improvised part of Mexico seemed a real possibility. But by the fall of 2006, backed a federal government under the control of a illegitimate pr...

UPDATE: VIEW THE LABOR BEAT VIDEO ON THE CYGNUS STRIKE VICTORY AT... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8bW-6kIIts After a two week strike, the immigrant workers at the Cygnus soap factory in the Chicago suburb of Riverdale, have convinced the management not to fire workers because of Social Security “no match” letters. Cygnus management had threatened workers who had asked for a wage increase, with dismissal, using Social Security “no match” letters as an excuse. As a result, the vast majority of the factory’s over 120 workers walked off the job on July 30th, demanding that all employees keep their jobs. The Cygnus workers were not union, but strong organizing by worker leaders in the plant ensured few crossed the picket line. They have since joined the IAM (International Association of Machinists). Today it was announced that management had conceded to the workers demands and the workers agreed to return to work next Monday. Proving what immigrant workers can accomplish when the fight ...

Stewart Acuff, Organizing Director for the AFL-CIO, speaks at the Workers’ Rights in the Global Economy Plenary at the USSF. Always a powerful speaker, Acuff talks about a re-invigorated labor movement in terms rarely heard from officials of such high rank in the AFL-CIO. Acuff continues to be one of the best leaders in the organization. In particular, Acuff calls for the AFL to develop closer relationships with “non-traditional” forms of organizing workers. A really exciting speech... http://www.archive.org/details/AcuffUSSF