+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2005
Fighting Machinists' victory is an "inspiration,"
Bender says
The following statement by Rick Bender, President of
the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, was
released this morning:
The tentative agreement between the International
Association of Machinists and The Boeing Co. is a
tremendous victory not just for the striking Boeing
employees, but for all American workers. This reminder
of the power of solidarity is an inspiration to the
rest of organized labor, and it couldn't come at a
better time.
This is a time when American workers seem resigned
to stagnant wages and cuts in health care and
retirement benefits. It's a time when job security has
never been more tenuous for all Americans, many of
whom never imagined that jobs at their company or in
their industry could disappear so quickly. And it's
also a time when the media and pundits have questioned
the power and solidarity of the labor movement.
The Fighting Machinists have reminded the entire
nation what a group of workers can accomplish when
they join together to insist on fair treatment. They
have offered a road map to all Americans -- unionized
or not -- on how to stand together and demand a fair
reward for their hard work, a wage that can support
their family, and a retirement with dignity.
Now, Washington's labor movement looks forward to
supporting the Boeing engineers and technical workers
represented by the Society of Professional Engineering
Employees in Aerospace, IFPTE 2001 as they seek a fair
and reasonable contract of their own. Together, we
will make sure that Boeing "Does the Right Thing"...
again.
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David Groves
Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
dgroves@wslc.org -- (206) 281-8901
DAILY labor news at
http://www.wslc.org
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