DETROIT, April 1, 2008: The following statement is from UAW Vice
President James Settles, Jr., who is director of the union’s American
Axle Department:
“Our union is committed to doing everything possible to reach a fair
and equitable settlement at American Axle. But it takes two parties to
negotiate an agreement.
“Last December 7, the UAW negotiating team requested detailed
information from American Axle so that we could evaluate the company’s
contract proposals and prepare for bargaining.
“As part of that request – as is our standard practice when
requesting sensitive financial data – our union offered, in writing,
Economic Report:
Does your doctor support universal healthcare? It’s likely according to the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. 59 percent of US doctors favor a national healthcare plan and 32 percent say they oppose switching to such a system. The last time the survey was taken in 2002 only 49 percent were for universal healthcare and 40 percent were in opposition.
Tuesday marked the start of the application period for the controversial H-1B worker visas. Only 65,000 of the temporary worker visas are available. Last year Citizen and Immigration Services received enough applications on the first day to cover all 65,000 available visas. The recipients are chosen by computer lottery.
One state is stepping up to hold executives accountable. Jesse Russell reports:
A measure set to go before Colorado voters in November would hold executives accountable if their companies break the law. Residents would be able to sue and if the suit is won the proceeds of the suit would go to the state. If it passes the voter test ti would be the strictest corporate accountability law in the country. The proposal manifested after Denver-based Qwest was involved in an insider trading scandal. Qwest’s former CEO Joseph Nacchio escaped mostly unscathed due to a lack of laws in place that could hold him accountable.
By Doug Cunningham
The UAW and American Axle will soon be talking again in an effort to end the strike that started February 26th. The company has given the union some of the financial information the UAW says it needs to adequately bargain with the company. The strike was called over unfair labor practices for the company’s refusal to provide such information. American Axle is trying to force down wages and eliminate pensions and healthcare for future retirees. The strike is now threatening GM production of cars because eighty percent of American Axle’s business is supplying GM and the strike has cut off the supply of parts.
By Doug Cunningham
As Republican presidential candidate John McCain tours the country working people want him to include them on his stops. AFL-CIO workers are inviting McCain to roundtables on the economy in Annapolis, Maryland, Jacksonville, Florida and Prescott, Arizona – three cities McCain will visit on his “Service To America” tour. At these economic roundtables, working people want to talk with McCain about healthcare, jobs, the home foreclosure crisis, Social Security and Medicare.
College students from California to New York to Florida this week are raising their voices demanding justice for workers on campuses and in their communities. Yesterday, students at more than 20 universities rallied at Burger King restaurants where they delivered a strong message to the "exploitation king" that slavery in our nation’s tomato fields will not go unnoticed nor unchallenged.
The rallies kicked off the ninth annual week of action, sponsored by the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) and co-sponsored by the AFL-CIO and several unions. The actions take place March 28–April 4 between the anniversaries of César Chávez’s birth and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Assured of the Republican nomination, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is touring the country this week to “introduce himself” and raise millions of dollars for the fall. The challenge will be to cut through the myths, the spin and the glowing press coverage and get to the real issue: Is McCain the right candidate to turn around America?
The International Labor Communications Association (ILCA) has released a McCain Communications Toolkit so union members and their families can educate their friends and neighbors about the threat McCain poses to workers and their families.
The comprehensive toolkit includes websites, articles and videos examining McCain’s voting record and his campaign promises and includes a link to the AFL-CIO’s McCain Revealed. The ILCA is trying to get out the answer to an important question: What kind of president would John McCain be for working families?
Mike Cerbo, executive director of the Colorado AFL-CIO, reports on the elections for Colorado AFL-CIO leadership and the state federation's Labor 2008 Kick Off event. Cerbo will continue to serve as the executive director for the Colorado AFL-CIO.
More than 200 delegates taking part in last week's Colorado AFL-CIO Convention unanimously elected Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA) member Dwayne Stephens as president and Dave Atkinson as secretary-treasurer. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka participated in the swearing-in of the new officers.
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