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 »
Having posted extensively on the Machinists’ union smokescreen at Boeing, there is some sense of satisfaction in knowing that Boeing’s union-free employees in South Carolina are not letting the union get away with retaliating against them for choosing to be union-free. Indeed, were it not for the fact that the once-unionized Boeing employees in South Carolina kicked the Machinists union out of their workplace, the | Read More »
Sometimes it is difficult to see the forest through the trees. Such seems to be the case of the media’s reporting on the matter of the union appointees at President Obama’s National Labor Relations Board and their prosecution of Boeing. This latest example of the media being blinded is the alleged ‘smoking gun‘ that was reported on Friday. However, if the media were to actually | Read More »
There’s big money at stake for unions at Delta Air Lines, Inc—over $22 million in annual union dues. As the only (primarily) union-free major airline (Delta’s pilots are unionized), unions have long targeted the Atlanta-based carrier. However, now, with the National Mediation Board members being controlled by unions*, as well as Delta’s recent merger with unionized Northwest Airlines, the unions have declared it open hunting | Read More »
In February 1995, having the occasion to visit a picket line in Virginia where union members had been on strike for 11 months, was an enlightening experience. Having only left the union movement a few years earlier, it was that strike in Virginia where my belief that today’s unions are but a facade—union in name only—was confirmed. In that small Virginia town, union members had gone | 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 »
Among all the union bosses cutting backroom deals with the White House in 2009, one has been noticably absent and that is Tom Buffenbarger, the president of the International Association of Machinists. Buffenbarger, most-famously known for his 2008 tirade (see below) against then-candidate Obama is apparently on the White House’s growing list of enemies and, therefore, is apparently not welcome in all of the back | Read More »
It is Saturday night and, as our schedule has been tight and will be for the foreseeable future, the news necessitates skipping the dubious trick and occasional sweet treat (not that we mind). So, with door bells ringing and children screaming, we offer you the most ghoulish labor news and views offered to you on this All Hallows Eve…We bring you Labor Shorts #5: Have | Read More »
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