King County Labor Council

Labor's Voice
July 2002

Executive Secretary’s Report: IAM prepares for Boeing negotiations
On July 9th, I had the honor of representing the labor community in King County at the Machinists Strike Sanction Vote Rally at Memorial Stadium in the Seattle Center. In lieu of my column, I am reprinting the excerpted remarks of Machinists District 751 President (and KCLC Executive Board member) Mark Blondin.

In a private meeting last week, Mark made clear to me the tenacity and commitment of the Machinists’ membership when he talked of Boeing's scheme to trade jobs for share price and management bonuses: "They haven't got the right, after we built this company. And we won't let them."

Amen to that. We will stand with our sister and brother Machinists. Here are Mark’s remarks:

Welcome, brothers and sisters. I am proud and inspired to see so many of you here today. Your individual presence and our collective vote today will send a clear and emphatic message to those folks in Chicago who hate it when we get this way. It makes that old divide and conquer strategy so much more complicated.

Let’s talk a moment about Boeing. This isn’t the Boeing of old. They returned our loyalty, counted on our work ethic, and valued our input. Generations of local families produced generations of Boeing jets. We knew the industry was cyclical, but we also knew we would be recalled when new orders were secured. Well, those days of loyalty to the worker seem lost forever. The corporate leaders seem to have lost their way. They expect to be carried home on the strong shoulders of their employees. Well, it won’t happen. Yes, loyalty is a two-way street, and it must be earned by both sides. We have delivered record numbers of jets. Our productivity and workplace efficiencies rank second to none. Our families have suffered while we worked the longer hours. Countless members have done their part.

The last several years have been challenging, to say the least. The merger with McDonnell Douglas brought with it an agenda to isolate the workforce. The Boeing family separated. The new Boeing traded people for profits. Workers became a commodity. Jobs were exchanged for airplane sales. We cannot allow Boeing and Airbus to engage in a race to the bottom. We will not allow Boeing to sacrifice our jobs and our futures to pay for bonuses at the top. They have reaped record profits on the backs of workers. We should be rewarded for all we have done to make this company profitable. Sadly, our rewards have been pink slips. We will not allow Boeing to forget our laid off brothers and sisters. All members, active and laid off, have earned the right to participate in the future growth of the Boeing Company.

In conclusion, I want to take a moment right now to thank each of you. I have been a member of our great union for 23 years. During those years, we have enjoyed great times and survived tough times. Throughout it all, I have been proud to be a member of the Machinists union and to stand beside the greatest workforce in the world. Send Boeing a message with your strike sanction vote today. Not just for the workers at Boeing, but for all working men and women. Thank you.

Note: After the votes were counted, it was announced that 98% of the members voted for strike sanction. - Steve Williamson

Federal panel favors American Guild of Musical Artists, NLRB
The U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the NLRB’s finding that the Seattle Opera was guilty of unfair labor practices and illegally refusing to bargain with the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA). AGMA, a new affiliate of KCLC, represents choristers, dancers, and stage managers for the Opera. The court ruling refers to a request for representation from alternate and auxiliary choristers. The victory will allow AGMA to continue to expand its aggressive organizing campaign among part-time singers and dancers at other companies. The Seattle Opera is expected to appeal the decision further, while AGMA will now try to compel them to come to the bargaining table.

Worker Center mentioned in Seattle P-I
In the July 8th issue of the Seattle P-I, Charlie Best of the King County Re-employment Support Center - Worker Center, was quoted when commenting on the tough labor market and worker dislocation problem in our area. He said, "I don't see great signs of relief, but I certainly don't see it getting worse." 

Online resources
To help meet the needs of laid-off workers, the AFL-CIO has launched www.laidoffworkers.org, a new website that provides resources for surviving unemployment, meeting working family challenges, learning what went wrong and protecting retirement security.

Materials available for Recovery Month in September
The 2002 National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month will highlight the contributions of treatment providers and will promote the benefits of substance abuse treatment. A Recovery Month toolkit to help your organization observe this occasion is available from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services at www.samhsa.gov or by calling (301) 443-5052.

Ideas needed for project to make labor education available to teachers online
The New York State AFL-CIO is working on developing an online resource for secondary and primary school teachers interested in teaching about labor issues. They want to tie this information in to already existing generally recognized teaching standards, such as those provided by the National Council of Social Studies. If you have ideas about this effort, contact Paul Cole at pcole@nysaflcio.org or (518) 436-8470.

Upcoming Events
Thursday, August 1^st, 7:30 p.m.   Labor night at the Intiman Theatre, featuring the play Nickel and Dimed by Joan Holden, based on Barbara Ehrenreich’s critically acclaimed book. The play chronicles Ms. Ehrenreich’s travels across America to learn how people live on minimum wages, including stints as a waitress, house cleaner and WalMart clerk. Tickets are $21.50, available by contacting Marti Schmidt at marti@local76-493.org or (206) 441-7600.