Hot News for May 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2009
CONTACT: Jenifer McCormick
202-628-9262
jeniferm@ttd.org
House-Passed FAA Bill Modernizes Aviation System, Advances Safety and Worker Rights
WASHINGTON, DC – Edward Wytkind, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, issued the following statement after House passage of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill (H.R. 915):
“The FAA bill passed by the House of Representatives today will bring Americans closer to the first-class aviation system they want and deserve.
“This legislation will invest in technology and our airports, create good jobs and strengthen worker rights. It will also make air travel safer for workers and the flying public and ensure that globalization of this industry doesn’t erode safety standards or harm American jobs.
“We look forward to a Senate bill that tackles these issues with the same level of commitment.
“H.R. 915 is the result of an enormous amount of work and thoughtful leadership by Chairman James Oberstar and Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello. We applaud them for standing firmly with aviation employees and producing legislation that will help deliver a 21st century aviation system that Americans can be proud of.”
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The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, represents 32 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, trucking, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit www.ttd.org.
888 16th Street NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC, 20006
House Stands Up for Injured Workers
From Ed Sills, Texas AFL-CIO
By the narrowest of margins, the Texas House today gave final approval to HB 1657, the bill restoring Texas law that allows injured workers to go to court following injuries caused by the owner of a dangerous work site.
The vote was 73-71, a tighter squeeze than last night’s 75-69 margin. A dramatic member-by-member verification of the votes occurred after an initial tally of 73-72. All the “aye” votes were present, and the opponents lost one, but in either case, the switch of even one more vote would have doomed the legislation.
As happened last night, the vote was mainly partisan, but with notable exceptions. Rep. Beverly Woolley, R-Houston, reverted to pro-“tort reform” form and voted against the measure on final passage after having been recorded as an “aye” last night. Rep. Aaron Pena, D-Edinburg, voted “aye” last night but was absent for today’s vote, but Rep. Will Hartnett, R-Dallas, who voted “no” last night was also absent today. Rep. Charles Geren, R-River Oaks, who was presiding last night and did not vote, today voted “no” on the measure, as did freshman Rep. Marisa Marquez, D-El Paso, who was absent last night.
In the final vote, with the following exceptions all Democrats voted “aye” and all Republicans voted “no”. Republicans voting “aye”: Reps. Joe Crabb, R-Kingwood; Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown; Tuffy Hamilton, R-Mauriceville; Bryan Hughes, R-Marshall; Todd Smith, R-Bedford; John Smithee, R-Amarillo; and Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton. Democrats voting “no”: Reps. Chuck Hopson, D-Jacksonville; Eddie Lucio III, D-San Benito; Marisa Marquez, D-El Paso; Tara Rios Ybarra, D-South Padre Island; Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs; and Mark Strama, D-Austin. House Speaker Joe Straus was present not voting, as is the norm. Those absent besides Hartnett and Pena were Reps. Ryan Guillen, D-Rio Grande City , Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie (who is tied up in state budget negotiations) and Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin (who, we hear, was progressing today through the process of coming out of an induced coma after his heart attack).
In arguing for final passage, Rep. David Leibowitz, D-San Antonio, said the vote would be one of the most important that the representatives would cast in their careers. “Worker safety and what’s good for business should not be mutually exclusive in this state,” Leibowitz declared.
After several opponents argued that the bill would discourage enrollment in the workers’ compensation system – glossing over the key detail that the system was set up for employers and employees – Rep. Helen Giddings, D-Dallas, the bill’s author, again alluded to Texas ’s status as the only state that does not require companies to carry workers’ compensation insurance. “If we want everybody covered, we can make that happen,” Giddings said. In fact, none of the bill’s opponents, to my knowledge, has ever championed mandatory workers’ compensation in Texas .
The bill now goes to the Texas Senate, where the climb is steep. A parallel bill has failed to make it out of committee this session, though the bill’s author, Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, has tried mightily to drive that vehicle. We expect he will try again, but whatever happens, this was a signal victory in the Texas House. I can’t recall the last time the House approved a bill over the objections of a coalition of the “tort reform” movement, the Texas Association of Business and the gamut of mignon groups that both entities work with. It’s possible the House never has done anything quite like this since I started watching them in 1984. So even if the win is eventually symbolic, this is a great omen for the future.
The Texas AFL-CIO issued this news release on the legislation:
May 14, 2009
News Release
Contacts: Becky Moeller,
Rick Levy or Ed Sills,
(512)477-6195
House Stands Up for Injured Workers
The Texas House’s hard-fought passage of HB 1657 sends a message that the courthouse should remain open to injured workers when certain businesses make a considered decision to allow dangerous conditions at a work site, Texas AFL-CIO President Becky Moeller said today.
HB 1657 would reverse the Texas Supreme Court decision in Entergy v. Summers, which requires injured workers to settle for limited benefits available under the workers’ compensation system instead of recovering full legal damages caused by a negligent work site owner. The final House vote on the measure was 73-71.
“The House’s approval of HB 1657 is a vote for justice in Texas ,” Moeller said. “The vote holds corporate wrongdoers accountable for their actions and tells an activist Texas Supreme Court that the Legislature makes the laws in this state, not judges who are beholden to one side of the conversation about safety.”
Moeller thanked Rep. Helen Giddings, D-Dallas, the lead author of the bill, and a bipartisan group of legislators who assisted throughout the process. Moeller was particularly encouraged that the House stood up to the arm-twisting and misrepresentations of the “tort reform” lobby.
“Their scorched-earth campaign against HB 1657,” Moeller said, “was clearly out of step with a majority that listened thoughtfully and made a reasoned decision to protect workers.”
“The Texas AFL-CIO urges the Texas Senate to move this legislation to the governor’s desk and to send a signal to employers that this state will not allow corporate bean-counters to consider job safety an expendable cost of doing business,” Moeller said.
From the Teamsters web site
HORIZON AIR MECHANICS VOTE OVERWHELMINGLY TO BECOME TEAMSTERS
April 20, 2009
Mechanics, Related Class and Craft Workers Seek Power at Work
Press Contact: David White
202-624-8730
Mechanics and related class and craft workers at Horizon Air have overwhelming voted to join the Teamsters Union by a 245 to 187 vote. The National Mediation Board certified the results today.
Looking for a real union with real power, the 485 mechanics and related employees in the bargaining unit opted to join the Teamsters after their former association, AMFA, failed to provide representation. At the forefront of the campaign was the issue of outsourcing, a large threat to air safety, homeland security and good jobs in the U.S. The workers are based in Portland, Oregon.
The Teamsters have the experience and resources it takes to fight outsourcing and have been doing so in court and on Capitol Hill. Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa told the Horizon workers that they will have full Teamster strength behind them as they continue to fight for job security.
“We will stand shoulder to shoulder with Horizon mechanics in their effort to get excellent representation and protect their jobs,” Hoffa said.
The Teamsters are the largest union of aviation mechanics in North America and intend to work closely with the Horizon mechanics to make sure they become a vital part of our aviation mechanic network.
“The mechanics and employees who assist mechanics such as sheet metal workers, cleaners, accessory shop workers and inspectors at Horizon worked hard to form a union with the Teamsters and we are committed to backing them 100 percent to bring them great representation and job security,” said Capt. David Bourne, Teamsters Airline Division Director. “We welcome them into our Teamster aviation family.”
The victory at Horizon Air was made possible by the hard work and determination of organizing committee members, who said they wanted a positive change at Horizon.
“There are a lot of people who weren’t happy with our previous association. We had issues with representation, weak contract language and pay. By having a strong union, we will have strong contract language that protects our jobs from outsourcing,” said Rich Chase, heavy check mechanic and Horizon organizing committee member. “We worked hard together to make changes and now that the Teamsters are here, we must continue to work as one. I think mechanics and related at Horizon will be really impressed by the Teamsters. We will now get to see how a union is supposed to work.”
The Horizon victory is the latest in a series of organizing triumphs for the Teamsters Airline Division, which, in the past year, has organized nearly 8,000 active and furloughed mechanics at United Airlines.
The Horizon workers joined Local 986 in South El Monte, California. Local 986 represents members throughout the western United States, Hawaii, Guam and Saipan. There are more than 40,000 Teamster airline employees, including more than 18,000 mechanics and related class and craft at 10 airlines.
“We’re excited to welcome Horizon mechanics and related into Local 986,” said Chris Griswold, Local 986 Secretary-Treasurer. “We look forward to working with Horizon mechanics to negotiate a Teamster contract with strong anti-outsourcing language. We want to secure job protections for all mechanics and related at Horizon and we will provide them with excellent representation.”
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
See more at: http://www.teamster.org/content/horizon-air-mechanics-vote-overwhelmingly-become-teamsters
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