Video: Barack Obama on unions

Link to YouTube Video

Video: Painter's union members in Ohio show support for Obama

In late July, some Obama supporters, and members of The International Union Of Painters and Allied Trades(IUPAT) in rural Ohio found a new way to show their enthusiasm for Obama, by painting their family barn.


Big thanks to the Ohio state AFL-CIO for the link

Ohio: Locked-out Kongsberg workers, solidarity rally

Original story at Union Review: Ohio: Kongsberg Automotive Holding locks out USWA workers, hires temp. workers and the fear of global environment (4/5/08):

Yesterday, I asked my readers over at Union Review to get me some of the information about the rally in Van Wert for the locked out Steelworkers at Kongsberg Automotive. Michelle obliged, from the Van Wert Independent (6/16/08) :

Kongsberg workers who are members of USW Local 1-524 march on Central Avenue this past Saturday following a rally in Fountain Park. Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent

t was a day for union solidarity and community support,
but also one of bitterness and frustration,
as members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1-524 held a rally in Fountain Park Saturday to thank supporters.

Hundreds of people, some of them union officials – including other USW locals and district officials, United Auto Workers officials and even representatives of the Van Wert Federation of Teachers – turned out to provide support, both emotional and financial, for the locked-out workers of Kongsberg Automotive’s Van Wert plant.

Donations from union representatives totaled between $10,000 and $15,000 on Saturday.

Several speakers angrily denounced Kongsberg management officials for what is perceived as a failure to bargain in good faith with local union officials. Kongsberg President Peter Spencer was depicted by a person in a rat’s costume as those at the rally clapped and cheered.

Van Wert Mayor Louis Ehmer, who had taken some heat earlier for not doing enough to support Kongsberg workers during a City Council meeting, spoke at the rally and said the community was behind the workers, while also commending the local union for its demeanor on the picket line.

“You people have demonstrated that you are out there in a dignified way trying to protect and secure your jobs,” the mayor said to applause, adding that he was a bit surprised at union workers’ good behavior since he was originally from Detroit, Mich., where union disputes often turned violent.

Aaron Collins, the 37-year-old president of Local 1-524, bitterly denounced both company officials – most specifically former human resources manager Tom Herman – and government officials who have allowed workers to be exploited by domestic and foreign companies.

Collins talked about how, as a child, he thought it was neat that astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, was from nearby Wapakoneta. “It seemed like, as a child, anything was possible” in America, Collins said, adding, though, that “the American Dream is slipping away from us right now as we speak.”

He angrily criticized both major political parties for their lack of support for U.S. workers, noting: “Both sides are out to get us, both are out for themselves,” and adding that a third party dedicated to middle class Americans may be the answer to make changes at the federal level.

However, he did have praise for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, who has phoned and written letters to Kongsberg company officials in support of local workers.

John Ryan, Senator Brown’s state director, attended the rally and had words of support for the locked-out workers. Ryan outlined the senator’s actions in support of the local workers, commended non-company employees attending the rally for their support of the locked-out workers and also used the USW’s fighting slogan, “One Day Longer,” in saying the senator would back the workers “one day longer than you need” until Kongsberg returns to the table to bargain in good faith.

USW District 1 Director Dave McCall also spoke during the rally, and later to media representatives, about Local 1-524’s struggle to get back to the bargaining table. McCall said the union was working on a couple of fronts to put pressure on Kongsberg to resume negotiations. Those include a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that accuses Kongsberg of bad faith bargaining, illegal surveillance and failure to provide necessary financial documentation to union negotiators.

McCall said the NLRB had investigators in Van Wert last week to take depositions related to the complaint.

The USW district president also said the USW was working with international unions doing business with Kongsberg to put pressure on the company to resume negotiations from outside the United States. A return to the bargaining table is all union officials want, he said.

“We stand ready and prepared to go back to the table and bargain for a fair and just contract,” McCall added.

He added that the situation in America today, with companies “outsourcing” operations to Mexico, China and other countries, needs to stop.

“Workers have had enough,” McCall said. “Companies cannot continue to exploit workers like this.”

Following the rally, local union members and supporters staged a peaceful march through downtown Van Wert.

My apologies to The Independent for clipping the entire article, it just seems that this is so totally ignored, I wanted all the information I could get.

These American workers are getting screwed for corporate quarterly profits at any cost.

Kongsberg to Steelworkers: Kiss Half Your Paycheck Goodbye

By Bendygirl
crossposted on Uniongal

That's what United Steelworkers were told in Van Wert Ohio nearly 5 weeks ago. Give it up or the company would lock them out.

So, guess what happened?

Yep, they locked them out.

A local Van Wert blogger summed it up last week:

A lot of why American companies can’t compete on a global market is because of lazy incompetent company managers from CEO on down. It’s pretty brainless to simply market your product via production by sweat shop laborers. From a market standpoint people will always prefer quality to quantity. I am using China as an example but there are many more foreign companies buying up top of the line U.S. companies that run them into the ground. Look at the stuff we buy in stores today and compare it to stuff we bought 20-30 years ago. From a quality standpoint its probably 50% less then it was back when we bought from our neighbors. Remember the day? I sure do!

It's a pretty good summary, but try this one on for size :

Peter Spencer, the Group Executive and President of the Kongsberg Driveline Systems, sat inside the offices and calmly discussed the labor situation between United Steel Worker employees and Kongsberg Automotive. In a nutshell, he explained the current situation is a confluence of the global economy and the woes of the automotive industry. United States manufacturers are no longer bidding against other United States manufacturers. They are in competition with suppliers from all over the world.

"We're in a situation here with our driveline section, my intention is to make this business profitable and sustainable," Spencer said. "From the business point of view, we're going to stay on the right side of the ethical line and the legal line. That's our commitment to all of our employees and I think that we take that very seriously.

"However, we are where we are and, as of today, we've got a very large opportunity on the table from a global customer, $30 million as it happens, but I need to quote them and the bottom line is the customer has told me very simply that if you quote this at fifteen bucks an hour, you haven't got it. If you quote this at $9 an hour, you've got a good chance."

Hey, but don't worry, Spencer has all the answers:

"So there is only one outcome to this and that's closure (without the wage concessions)," he said. "You have to ask if you want a factory here for the next 12 months or the next ten years."

Yum, did you catch that? Oh,wait, I hadn't told you yet, this is Kongsberg's history , closing plants. And wait, closing profitable plants, like the Amotfors seat heating system plant in Sweden.

The reorganisation reflects persistent margin pressure in the European automotive industry, Kongsberg Automotive said.

"We are one of the world's leading suppliers of seat heating systems for cars. To maintain this position we must adapt our production costs to a level which yield acceptable earnings also in future," said Olav Volldal, CEO of Kongsberg Automotive.

"The potential closure is not because our employees have not performed. It is due to the significant cost gap between high cost and low cost countries," Volldal added.

Sweet, huh?

So, that had me thinking. They were willing to close a profitable plant on the hopes that they'll be even more profitable when they pay lower wages and move out of high environmental standard Sweden and into low environmental standard Polland. But best of all is probably the line form their Fourth Quarter 2005 annual report where they noted:

The Group is reporting a tax cost percentage of 26 % in 2005. The tax cost is around 28 % for all the countries where Kongsberg Automotive operates, except for Poland where the tax rate is 19 % and the USA where the tax rate is around 33 %. There are no taxes payable for the Norwegian operations due to significant tax loss carryforward related to the Raufoss acquisition.

Do you see the tax base numbers? 33% for the US and 19% when they do business in Poland. So, how long will it be before they move the Van Wert Teleflex operations to Poland?

Sure seems as if this is their kind of business model...acquire patent technologies and then burn the communities where these items are made as they move to less taxing, less environmental standard countries. I really doubt this lock out has anything to do with the workers and everything to do with the way Kongsberg sees the US, as 33% tax. Looks as if they just want to lower the tax rate, costs for doing business and of course labor costs to that of Poland. Come on Poland, what happened to Solidarity?

Nothing more has changed in the lock out since I wrote on it just last week. Well, one thing has changed,

Locked out Kongsberg Automotive workers wait in a hallway at Trinity Friends Church for the opportunity to shop at the church's food pantry. Carolyn Garwood of Trinity Friends reported that the pantry was opened to the workers for three hours Friday morning and that 90 families were helped through the effort.

The thing that's changed is these families are now finding that their community supports them. No one outside of Van Wert Ohio seems to be talking about this Norwegian company and their desire to close plants to "pass the savings on to their customers". I wonder how much Spencer and Volldal are spending on groceries right now. Somehow, I think it's more than what their employees are. Seems like the Van Wert local blogger called it...this is what's wrong with our country and after 8 years of this, it's time we say to hell with this bullshit.

From the picket lines: American Axle and Kongsberg Automotive workers speak out on the internet

With the "Free Trade" threat over their heads and information getting even harder to find, as media outlets continue to narrow their pool of journalistic talent, having those affected by these labor disputes speaking their minds on the internet is one of the only ways to reach into the lives and get an understanding of the human side of these events.

Kongsberg Automotive Of Norway Lock Out of Steelworkers in Van Wert, Ohio

Not much of the goings on at Kongsberg Automotive Of Norway is known, aside from the fact that the company, formerly known as Teleflex was acquired in the first quarter of 2008. After the local USWA Steelworkers rejected a new contract on April 2nd., the company locked them out, then proceeded with temporary worker replacement and threats of moving outside the country, while the community leaders of Van Wert, Ohio have been trying to convince the company to stay put at any costs, oddly enough, the new owner Kongsberg , "has not paid their property tax for the first half of the year, which was due Feb. 13", according to Van Wert County Treasurer Bev Fuerst.

After cross-posting the original Kongsberg story at Union Review on (4/5/08), I got a response from one of the locked out workers, Mr. Tom Potter:

(4/8/08):The Union came to the bargaining table expcecting to bargain in good faith. The Company only wanted to take back. Take back in wages, pension and health insurance. Maybe one or two but all three concessions at one time could not be acceptable. Especially not in light of any facts to back up any claim the Company made in reference to competitives.

This Company bought a plant that was making money the day it became their property. The Company negotiator even clarified that the company was not pleading poor mouth. One of the main issues of contention is that the company wants to implement a two tier wage system that would drop the current worker down to a lower rate of pay simply if a part number would change. This would have the negative effect of a wage reduction ranging from $2.54 up to $7.38 hour. The company is a billion dollar co. every worker at this location has the potential of being placed in this two tier before the new contract would run out, put that with a freeze in the current defined benefit pension, higher insurance premiums and out of pocket, and deductible on the insurance with no raise in wages over the three year agreement - without any real explination - the members did not think so - so the turned the offer down.

This meeting took place in the christain life center church - may "god bless" those for standing up to tough obsticiles

I asked on 4/9, "Thank you Tom for adding that info, I take it you are one of the locked out workers?" and on 4/11 Tom responded:

I am on the front lines of this battle.

I will inform you of what happens when a Foreign National Company, buys a U.S. Company. How that Company comes in and tries to destroy the will of the u.s. workers, to break their Spirit And Determination. How it reeks havoc upon those u.s. workers by the Company Locking Them Out of the plant so they cannot perform their work.

The picket line in Van Wert, Ohio tonight is wet and windy but brave men and women walk those lines. Standing up against all obstacles, having the Courage to know what is right. These workers are members of the community of Van Wert and the surrounding area. They are honest and respectful people. They are U.S. Veterans, leaders in the community, neighbors, friends and patrons, the list could go on forever, they are community.

Kongsberg Automotive Of Norway is intent on breaking the will of these Made In The U.S.A. Workers - Kongsberg Automotive Of Norway will "Preach a Company Code Of Ethics but they do not practice it in The United States.

Before I could respond, Mr. Potter added...

This Company now has stooped as low as contacting former workers of the Company, that the Company claimed to "Terminate For Just Cause," asking them if they would come back to work. What a "Code Of Co. Ethics." Even their own salary group that they just let go are being asked to come back to work.[All have said "No"] All in their attempt to run this plant with temporary workers and put not only themselves in jeopardy but that of the customers and the general public. If certain components for Ford, Chrysler or General Motors are not made to specifications then they are prone to failure and potential recall after the components have been installed on the car makers vehicles.

Kongsberg Automotive Of Norway is wanting to impose upon these U.S. Workers their philosophy on competitiveness in a global economy by bringing them down to Chinas' living standards rather then bringing China's up to the United States. In other words lets pay our U.S. Workers less. I do know that Kongsberg Automotive V.P Of Operations N A Operations Driveline Systems Kevin McMahon was present one day at these negotiations and pretty much was raising the flag of China all across the table.

It's Cold on the picket line today, the wind in much stronger and the temperature is dropping. It will be a cold night.

Tomorrow will be Sunday and the Community will be in prayer, Kongsberg will keep busing in temporary workers and the guards will meet them at the gate. These proud U.S. Workers Of Van Wert will man their post. May all the prayers be heard to bring this Company to their senses, for this senseless act. Amen .

Tom Potter brings the news into our living rooms, from a community that is behind the workers and built around this plant, he lets you view the real story from that front line, where the media doesn't bother, they would rather you didn't care about your fellow American workers.

This is one of the many reasons I have started the series of Free Trade's working victims, highlighting the conditions which American workers must try to compete against in parts of the world where our industrial base is being vacuumed into, the current focus is that these places the common workers cannot even afford to buy food. If the workers in America are going to drop to that level, we are all in trouble and any politician who is voting for more Free Trade agreements is the opponent of the American worker, union or otherwise. Which brings us to the other company that is being threatened by "Free Trade"...

American Axle UAW Workers Strike in Michigan and Buffalo, New York

American Axle, has been demanding overwhelming concessions from their employees, threatening to run itself out of the country if these demands are not met. Around 35,000 GM workers have been put out of work, laid off or have had hours dropped due to this struggle. While the owner and CEO of AAM, Dick Dauch, has finally came back to the bargaining table in the sixth week of the strike, he still has been sticking to his guns, in fact some of the companies points are very factual, the total labor costs of manufacturing auto parts has been declining because of Free Trade, concessions have been given in many other UAW affiliated shops and in a larger scale, the BIG 3 have recently received tremendous concessions, it is a different world, it's the world of "Free Trade" where eventually it would seem if we keep bowing down to the effects of the actions of our Representatives, none of us will be able to afford rice.

Jolyna - A wife of AAM employee, has responded to the original story from 3/2/08, which I turned into a story here at the site, on 3/16, "An open letter to the AAM cofounder and CEO, Dick Dauch", has made another comment, and it sums up what must be going on in the hearts and minds of those striking employees:

(4/11/08) Dick Dauch and the shareholders of American Axle, enough is enough!!!

I am sick and tired of the CRAP that Dick Dauch and American Axle is trying to dish to its employees and their families.
I can’t believe that this man has the nerve to sit there and offer insulting wages with insulting “buy downs” and “buy outs”. He should be ashamed of what he is putting our 3600+ families through. Let’s not forget the other hundreds of thousands families that are being affected by this strike too. Not only in our country; but world wide.

He seems to think that his “buy downs” and “buy outs” will be “cushy and comfy” for his employees. These figures must be enough to replace the 14 years my husband has in at your company, the fact that we have to completely start over somewhere else – without the same pay – and allow our families to keep our houses. In my opinion, this man will never offer enough for the damage that has already been done and the wrath we are about to endure.

He smugly accepts a huge salary and bonuses while he threatens to close our plants because we aren’t making a profit large enough. However, he fails to announce to the world that these 5 plants fund the off shore plants and the off shore plants rake in the profits. How do you expect my husband and his co-workers to produce enough to finance all of these operations? Meanwhile, he is taking machines out of my husband’s plant and sending them to non-union plants. It’s a disgrace! AMERICAN Axle …yeah, real American.

I resent the fact that he is turning our lives upside down. I resent the fact we have to start over. I resent the fact we may have to TRY and sell our home and my kids may have to leave their school and the friends they know. Above all, I resent the fact that this is all because of 1 company’s greed!

I hope the whole Dauch family and members of the board can sleep well at night with their million dollar salaries; knowing their jobs and salaries are safe. While we are worrying and wondering how we are going to repair this financial and emotional mess that he has thrown us into. We can only hope that he acquires a conscience before it’s not too late!

Thank you, Tom and Jolyna,

I continue to hope for the best and will continue to help spread the message of your families struggle, in solidarity,
Joe

Parma Ohio GM Plant Readies For Potential Strike

By Bendygirl (aka Uniongal)

crossposted on Women, Unions and Our Stories

In Parma, Ohio, there's strike talk, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Our bargaining committees and shop chairmen have been actively seeking a new local agreement," said Tito Boneta, president of UAW Local 1005. "I don't really want to go through any of this . . . but you have to do what you have to do."

This is actually a local issue and the PD provides more detail than I've seen in ages in print on what's at stake between local and national contracts:

In November, the Parma local asked for strike permission from the UAW International in Detroit. At the time, the international was still working out details with GM on the implementation of the national contract reached last summer after a two-day strike.

National contracts handle big issues such as wages, job classifications and health-care coverage. Local contracts set work rules, staffing levels and shift issues.

The national contract spelled out a two-tier wage structure that will let GM pay new hires about half of what it pays current workers to perform "non-core" jobs. In November, Boneta said defining what was core and non-core was part of the problem in settling the local contract.

Those discussions ended this year with new guidelines for union locals, but Boneta said the guidelines haven't settled all of the issues.

Due to the local contracts that discuss the specifics of jobs and skills, we now have the potential of bigger issues to resolve. The new GM contract from the summer seems to have created greater issues for the locals in that they must now bargain on their own with GM in relation to what is considered "skilled" More from the Plain Dealer:

The bigger issue in November was skilled trades. At the time, Boneta said the company wanted to consolidate several job titles, eliminating positions for some of the plant's highest-paid workers.

Instead of having machine repair, millwright, tinsmith, pipe fitter and maintenance welder positions, GM asked for one position called maintenance, Boneta said in November.

Today, he declined to say what issues remained between the union and the company.

The loss of multiple skilled trades categories could mean demoting skilled tradesmen to the production line or cutting jobs.

I hope negotiations go well and that we aren't looking at another American Axle type strike. again, from the Plain Dealer:

Boneta said the UAW is sending John Mahon to Parma to help settle contract negotiations. Mahon is a regional UAW representative and a former union chairman of GM's Lordstown complex. If the union and the company can't reach an agreement within five days, the union will be able to issue a five-day strike warning.

If there is still no contract at the end of five more days, the union local will go on strike, Boneta said.

GM's Parma plant is a 1,400-job stamping and metal fabrication facility. A handful of those workers have already been idled in recent weeks because of a strike by GM supplier American Axle.

My fingers are crossed that American Axle and the UAW can hammer out an acceptable agreement this week and that GM and its Parma operations can find common ground to avert a strike. Strikes are a last resort. They are always a last resort. I'm hoping, it doesn't come to that.

Ohio: Kongsberg Automotive Holding locks out USWA workers, hires temp. workers and the fear of global environment

Workers at the Kongsberg Automotive Holding facility, formerly known as Teleflex, have been locked out by the company after failing to approve a contract which asked for deep pay cuts and increased health care costs, not much more information is known aside from the fact that the company has been bringing in replacement workers.

From TimesBulletin.com (4/01/08) :

Contract negotiations between Kongsberg Automotive Holding, formerly known as Teleflex, and the 328 United Steel Workers employed at the Van Wert facility took on a more ominous tone on Tuesday.

A labor contract offer, which was given to union representatives last Friday afternoon, will be voted on by the employees tonight at 8 p.m. The president of the United Steel Workers local, Aaron Collins, was informed on Tuesday by Kongsberg officials that if the union does not ratify the contract as offered, union employees will be locked out of the facility starting at 10 p.m. tonight.

"Knowing what they're going to do doesn't help the vote, and it doesn't hurt the vote's chances," said Collins. "I just want everyone to know what is going on before we decide."

The issues remaining between the two sides involve deep pay cuts, pension plan changes, and health insurance costs.

Apparently the members did not ratify the contract, heres more info from From TimesBulletin.com (4/04/08) :

VAN WERT - The first full day of the lockout at Kongsberg Automotive saw no changes in either labor or management positions. Workers who voted down the auto parts manufacturer's contract offer stood just off company property with picket signs. Meanwhile private security remained on site at the facility to make sure the locked out workers stayed out.

Early in the morning hours, windows at the facility were boarded up and private buses began bringing in replacement workers to make parts for considerably less wages than the locked-out employees.

Meanwhile city officials expressed their hope for an early end to the lockout. "I just hope the union and company management can get this worked out," stated Nancy Bowen, Van Wert County economic development director. "I think everybody feels the same. We'll do anything we can do to help, and I've let the company know that."
Read More

Which leaves us with the latest news from TimesBulletin.com (4/05/08)

Picketers from the local United Steel Workers union watch as replacement laborers leave the Kongsberg Automotive facility in Van Wert. State and local officials met with Kongsberg management on Friday in an effort to bring an end to the lock out.

Meeting Held with Kongsberg Automotive Lock out continues despite effort

State and local officials met with Kongsberg Automotive representatives today to convey the importance of the plant to the local, regional and state economy and to express the desire to work with the company to retain and expand the plant in Van Wert County. Officials also expressed the desire to maintain open lines of communication with the company while they work to resolve labor issues and maintain their customer base.
(continued)
Company representatives assured state and local officials that they are committed to the Van Wert facility and want to increase the productivity of the plant to attract new work and stay competitive in a global environment.

Wheres the story about the workers? How many are involved? It seems evident that this company is trying to break the union.

The line "stay competitive in a global environment" about sums it up as far as what Free Trade has done to the workers in the United States, while the Clinton administration sold us the first of which, NAFTA, under the promise of it bringing up the workers in Mexico, and with the continuance of such "Free Trade" agreements in the Bush Administration creating this "Global economy", has done exactly the opposite, they have pitted the 3rd. world workforce against us as a bargaining chip.

Over 470 textile mills have relocated to places where workers make about $60 a month. While the corporate media urged consumerism amongst the citizens, and banks with the encouragement of the Fed gave out mortgages to those who couldn't afford it and Big Boxes such as Wal-Mart through Lobbyists and anti-union campaigns sold you the idea of lower prices. We are now entering this brave new third world.

This is not a recession, this is an adjustment into the global economy, and when you need to place the blame, you should only get as far as the mirror, for your allowance to be mislead and letting big business know matter of factly by your purchasing foreign products, that you didn't give one shit about American jobs. So now lie in your beds, you helped to make them.

Now the administration is jamming the Colombian Free Trade Agreement, which Hillary's campaign chief strategist Mark Penn has an involvement through his law firm and has been in meetings with ambassadors of that country, is being jammed down our throats.

It's not too late to sway this, you have to get involved. Say no to the Colombian Free trade Agreement

Act Now! Click Below!!

Thanks to Omaha Steve at Democratic Undergrounds' Labor section for the initial story

and to Jason Lefkowitz at the Change to Win WebBlog for the Hillary campaign info