Big Victory for Avondale Workers (12 to 15,000 total jobs in New Orleans)

[Omaha Steve]

No link.

Workers at the Avondale shipyards in New Orleans--and the NO community--had a huge victory today. Northrop Grumman wanted to layoff 5,000 workers because it wants to get out of the ship-building biz. The first layoffs were set to begin Oct. 4. The Navy announced today it would continue two contracts at Avondale, guaranteeing the workers jobs through 2013.

We estimated that in addition to the 5,000 jobs lost, their loss would cause an additional 7,000-10,000 jobs lost in NO--a community already devastated many times over. The Navy's move today shows that elections matter--this wouldn't have happened under a Rethug leadership.

It took a campaign of course--but one that had a chance of working under a friendly administration. The AFL-CIO Metal Trades Department, along with 10 of its affiliated unions and the AFL-CIO, launched a public campaign in support of the workers, joining with religious leaders and the New Orleans business community to save the shipyard. Members of the Super-Bowl champion New Orleans Saints also have joined in the ongoing effort, which includes a billboard campaign running across New Orleans.Union leaders held discussions with the Navy. Union leaders also had high-level discussions with govt officials.

Some of us remember the huge effort in the late 1990s to organize Avondale workers and remember the working conditions they suffered through at that time--this victory is all the more sweet.

Navy Saves Avondale Jobs Until 2013
http://bit.ly/9rg8Dp

[Bluzmann57]

1. That's good news

And it shows that elections do indeed matter.