On June 30, 1999, Arbitrator Dana E. Eischen sustained the BMWE's position that a 30 cents per hour CDL differential, subject to applicable COLA adjustments, should be afforded to maintenance of way employees who are required to obtain CDLs on the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. While the award is restricted to Grand Trunk employees, it may have broader implications because it is based on classic wage determinants that should apply on all carriers.

New BLE President

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers announced on July 31 that Clarence V. Monin has been recalled as its International President. Of the 13,837 valid ballots cast by BLE members, a total of 6,937 or 50.03% favored removal of Monin as president. In a separate ballot, First Vice President Edward Dubroski became the first BLE International President elected by popular vote (instead of delegates), receiving 7,793 votes of the 9,672 valid ballots. In July Monin had succeeded Robert A. Scardelletti, president of the Transportation Communications Union, as chairman of the Rail Labor Division of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department. Unions comprising the Rail Labor Division besides the BLE and TCU are the BMWE, Boilermakers (IBB), Dispatchers (division of the BLE), Electrical Workers (IBEW), Firemen & Oilers (F&O/SEIU), Hotel and Restaurant Employees (HERE), Machinists (IAM), Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA), Signalmen (BRS), Transport Workers (TWU), and the United Transportation Union (UTU). The RLD members are in the process of determining who the new chairman will be.

Fat Cat Tax Cut

A $792 Billion 10-year tax cut package with most of its benefits intended for the wealthy-- such as capital gains tax cut and estate tax repeal -- passed the U.S. House of Representatives July 22 by a 223-208 vote. The Senate took up a similar tax-cut-for-the-rich bill and passed it last week. A joint House-Senate committee reached general agreement on a compromise bill late Tuesday night and hope to gain Congressional approval by the end of the week. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said the House vote to "squander the nation's budget surplus on a $792 billion tax cut for the rich was shortsighted and incredibly irresponsible." New estimates show the cost of the bill could balloon to $3 trillion for the 10 years following 2010. "This is a back-loaded, budget-busting, billionaire bonanza," charged Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA). President Clinton, who said he would support a more modest cut in taxes aimed at working families and at preserving the federal budget surplus to strengthen Social Security and Medicare, vowed to veto the package. In the House, four Republicans voted against the bill: Greg Ganske (IA), Constance Morella (MD), Jack Quinn (NY) and Mike Castle (DE). The six Democrats who voted for the GOP bill were Sanford Bishop, Jr. (GA), Virgil Goode, Jr. (VA), Ralph Hall (TX), Gary Condit (CA), Pat Danner (MO) and Ken Lucas (KY). Members should contact their Congressmen and tell them to vote NO on this big present to the rich and Big Business and urge them to support Social Security, Medicare and education.

Social Security First, Young Adults Say

By large majorities, young people support Social Security and think it is more important to strengthen it than to cut taxes, according to a new poll. The survey, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. for the 2030 Center, found that 81 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds support the program. Fifty-nine percent of young people would rather use the federal budget surplus to strengthen Social Security than to provide a tax cut (32 percent). There's support for Medicare: 67 percent would use the surplus for the universal health insurance program for the elderly instead of a tax cut (27 percent). "Young people are just like everybody else," says Hans Riemer, director of the 2030 Center, a public policy institute dedicated to improving young adults' economic circumstances. "They think Social Security workers, they want their benefits to remain intact and they don't want politicians playing games with their future." The BMWE bargaining survey response reflected similar opinions from its younger members relative to the early retirement question, joining with the 46 percent of the total who said they would be willing to get less in wage and/or benefit increases in order to be able to retire early and another 25% who were willing to pay higher taxes to do so.

66,000 Puerto Rico Public Employees Win Union Election

Puerto Rico Department of Education workers won the right to union representation in the first wave of voting (in June) in one of the most massive unionization efforts in North American history. Teachers, cafeteria workers, maintenance workers, clericals and others voted by an 85 percent margin for collective bargaining rights. They will go to the polls again in the fall to choose which union they want to have represent them in each unit. The vote counts among the four groups eligible to vote were: teachers -- 29,058 yes to 3,538 no; cafeteria workers -- 5,144 yes to 547 no; maintenance workers -- 3,150 yes to 312 no; and office/administrative -- 2,500 yes to 445 no. In a record turnout, 80 percent of all those eligible to go to the polls did so. "The overwhelmingly positive vote spotlights these workers' ardent desire to have a greater voice on the job," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "These employees know that a union will mean better jobs, enhanced schools, and stronger communities throughout Puerto Rico." There are approximately 1600 schools in the Puerto Rico system. The employees are forming unions with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Service Employees' International Union (SEIU) and the United Auto Workers (UAW).

ANA and AMA to Form Unions

Just days apart, leadership groups of the American Nurses Association and the American Medical Association have taken big steps to form unions to deal with the growing uncertainties in their industry -- the ANA's House of Delegates voting on June 19 to form a new labor organization for nurses, the AMA's annual meeting delegates voting on June 23 to form a new union for doctors. "Neither nurses nor doctors organizing unions is new; both have been represented by AFL-CIO unions for many years and organizing has accelerated within the past year. But these high-profile endorsements give a boost not only to millions of frontline health care employees, but to American workers in dozens of industries who are forming and joining unions," said AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney.

Fourth Anniversary of Detroit newspapers strike

A week of activities marking the fourth anniversary of the Detroit newspapers workers' strike turned lockout was capped by a rally on July 15. Organized by the Workers Justice Committee and the Metropolitan Council of Newspaper Unions, the event drew some 400 newspaper workers and supporters. Teamsters President James Hoffa predicted an end to the lockout soon. "This is not Mexico City, this is Motown. And we're going to keep fighting," he said. "It ain't going to be another four years. I see victory coming." The BMWE has been a consistent supporter of the newspaper workers since the beginning of the strike.

Steelworkers Need Your Support

The United Steelworkers of America at the Kaiser Aluminum plant in Spokane, Washington, have been on strike/lockout for nearly a year. The strike and now lockout came after at least two years of record production, safety and profits. Now MAXXAM, the corporation that owns Kaiser, has started liquidating their assets to fund their fight against the very people who helped build their company, by taking concessions when times were bad. Kaiser wants to cut 800 jobs at five plants -- but the jobs would still be there, just held by contractors. Kaiser also wants to cut wages, benefits and pensions -- even though they have increased salaries for top management by as much as 200 percent over a three-year period. This labor dispute started September 30, 1998, with an unfair labor practices strike. Kaiser had hired scabs and housed them in trailers before they started bargaining; unlawfully withheld bargaining information; and threatened retaliation among other things. When the Steelworkers offered to go back under the old contract on January 14, 1999, Kaiser locked them out. You can help by posting "We Support Kaiser Steelworkers" signs, joining them on the picket lines, buying American, and/or sending contributions to USWA Outreach Committee, P.O. Box 6312, Spokane, WA 99217-6312. The Steelworkers say they are "fighting a Billionaire with a handful of pennies, but we have vowed to last one day longer than it takes."