Labor Union Blog

Current and former workers at plants in two states that produced uranium during the Cold War have received more than $1.5 billion in compensation and medical benefits from the U.S. Labor Department. Jesse Russell has more.

Nine thousand one hundred thirty four workers at facilities in Tennessee will share more than $1 billion for their work and exposure at a Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and a K-25 uranium enrichment plant. An additional $500 million will be shared by 4,798 workers at a diffusion plant in Kentucky. The payments will be provided to workers that have been diagnosed with cancer and other illnesses that can be caused by exposure to radiation.

By Doug Cunningham

Senior Obama administration officials said Sunday night that GM will file for bankruptcy Monday. For workers GM’s bankruptcy filing will throw decades of building a blue-collar middle class into reverse. The real issue for workers is not whether a much smaller, restructured GM can emerge from bankruptcy to be a “viable” new company. The real question is where will workers stand in this restructured auto world? Obama administration officials say the qualified pension plans for both hourly and salaried workers will carried over to the new GM and remain intact and benefits will paid as normal. UAW President Ron Gettlefinger says 20-25 percent of UAW workers’ benefits were given back in the latest round of concessions – a $1.3 billion per year loss for autoworkers. The right to strike is gone for six years, but Gettelfinger insists the UAW still has power and is ready for whatever GM does.

Father’s Day is just three weeks away and if your dad loves the outdoors, get him a special gift: a membership in the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA). As a USA member, he will enjoy top-notch reading material with a subscription to In-Fisherman, Petersen’s Hunting or Guns & Ammo, as well as the USA newsletter. 

He also can create, customize and print maps for every need with an online mapping subscription. And he can take advantage of the USA member deals and discounts or a Beretta gift certificate on the gear he needs. 

Your gift of a USA membership also might earn your father a brand-new gun in the USA Gun-a-Month giveaway or other great prizes. For more information on how to join USA, click here or call 1-877-872-2211.

Launched in 2007, the Nashville, Tenn.-based USA is a joint venture of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) and 22 unions. The nonpolitical hunting and fishing club is open to union members, retirees and their families. Last month the group welcomed its 10,000th member.

One of the newest USA members is Tom Skladany, a retired NFL Players Association member and former punter for the Detroit Lions. An avid bass fisherman, he is the first retired professional athlete to join the USA.

For many years, Skladany helped plan and organize an annual Florida monster bass fishing trip for 50 people, bringing his buddies from Columbus, Ohio, and across the country together to compete for the biggest bass.

Playing pro-football was high-pressure, and Skladany says fishing provides a way to kick back and simply enjoy the outdoors. 

It’s the most relaxing, fun-filled day you can have, even if you don’t catch anything. It’s about being in nature with birds, snakes, frogs, alligators, blue sky and a cold beer.

In other USA news:

• More than 200 union outdoor enthusiasts helped make USA’s inaugural Sportsmen’s Dinner last month in Minneapolis a huge success. The dinner included a special presentation by Ron Schara, outdoor writer and TV host of “Backroads with Ron and Raven.” The event also featured a silent auction and raffles for prizes, including a two-day South Dakota pheasant hunt, a Lincoln Electric stick welder and a special edition 12-gauge Beretta 3901 shotgun featuring the USA logo.
• The TRCP is raffling off a chance at a dream big game hunt in Wyoming for the fall. The prize is a Wyoming Game and Fish Commissioner’s Tag, good for an elk, mule deer or pronghorn antelope license in any unit in Wyoming. The winner will be randomly selected June 15. In honor of TRCP’s namesake, the 26th president, every 26th person who purchases a chance will receive a bonus gift. Click here to buy your chance to win.
• Share your favorite stories and pictures with other USA members and you could win great gifts. Submit a story about your latest hunting or fishing trip online at USAmembers@trcp.org and you will automatically be entered in a drawing for a U.S.-made Beretta 3901 American Citizen shotgun featuring the USA logo. The story must be at least 300 words and be submitted by Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2009. Or you can submit your best photo of a recent hunting or fishing trip and you could earn a #110 Buck knife engraved with the USA logo in the USA Best Shot monthly photo contest. Click here to learn more.