Bargaining Digest Weekly by Gordon Pavy, Jan 27, 2007

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/01/27/bargaining-digest-weekly-43/

Bargaining Digest Weekly

by Gordon Pavy, Jan 27, 2007

The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 800 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.

The Goodyear fight seems to have set the bar for 2007 negotiations. General Motors Corp. (GM) has taken notice. GM’s CEO Richard Wagoner says they have more than a passing interest in the Goodyear VEBA trust health care fund example. Meanwhile, the UAW local leaders at GM and Delphi plants are meeting this week in Detroit to gear up for negotiations that begin in July. The UAW has a near record high $874 million strike fund. The fund includes $60 million set aside for organizing, but none of this money will be spent until the auto contracts are settled.

American Airlines and 27,000 ground workers, members of the Transport Workers (TWU), are getting ready to open talks this fall. American has been among the healthiest airlines and TWU President James Little says its time to share and share alike.

Talks for a new contract between Delphi and the UAW may go beyond the Jan. 31 deadline set by the new investor group led by Appaloosa and Cerberus as a necessary condition for their infusion of as much as $3.4 billion into the auto parts maker.

Here’s a roundup of the status of many of the state universal health care plans and their status.

Manufacturing: In Tucson, 1,900 Raytheon strikers returned to work on Monday after reaching agreement last week that ended their walkout that began in November.

Ohio’s new Democrat attorney general is reviewing anti-trust issues in the Hoover sale to a rival company in Hong Kong.

On Friday, it was announced that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC) is taking over the Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical pension plans, which cover nearly 900 workers and retirees. It was estimated the four pension plans have combined assets of $20.1 million to cover promised benefits totaling $29.6 million.

Airlines: Yesterday the Senate Commerce Committee held airline consolidation hearings. Senators expressed concern about the potential loss of service to smaller markets.

The Machinists stressed the importance of protecting members’ pensions when airlines merge.

Consumer groups also testified, saying mergers like the hostile US Airways bid for Delta will result in higher prices and less service.

The US Airways CEO took the opposite position, citing the aggressive cost-cutting approach taken by the company in the America West merger as leading to the company’s current success. This seems to concede the consumer and union criticisms.

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