Well, it only took four years for Machinists’ union boss Tom Buffenbarger to warm up to Barack Obama, whom the union boss once compared to Janus, the two-faced Roman god. On Friday, as it reluctantly dutifully did four years ago, the International Association of Machinists endorsed Barack Obama and his bid for a second term. In so doing, the Machinists’ union again joins the ranks | Read More »
It is axiomatic—a given, if you will—that unions do not like workers to work overtime. Sure, they’ll do it, but if unions had their druthers, the work week would be limited to 40 hours—in some cases unions prefer 35 hours. The reasoning is simple, the fewer hours worked, the more employees an employer must employ and, in a workplace where unions can require dues, the | Read More »
On Monday, the International Association of Machinists won an election to represent 2,900 employees at AirTran. The union (the same union calling for airline re-regulation) won despite the fact that 1,906 (nearly 66%) of AirTran’s employees did not vote for unionization. In fact, 36% of the employees did not vote at all. The union’s victory is a good example of how President Obama’s union appointments | Read More »
Talk about a rocky relationship ending badly… First, the union boss scolded his members for sharing information with their co-workers about what was going on behind closed doors at the bargaining table. Then, a couple of weeks ago, some individual(s) beat up the union boss. Now, things are going to get a lot more tense in East Alton, Illinois. On Wednesday, after workers represented by the | Read More »
Last year, we reported on the Machinists vs. Boeing jobs saga that ended with Boeing deciding to produce part of the new 787 in Charleston, South Carolina. At the heart of Boeing’s decision to manufacture in the South was the International Association of Machinists (IAM). In sum, Boeing wanted a no-strike pledge from the union, which the union would only agree to if Boeing would | Read More »
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