ABC's Amanpour Refuses to Ask Honeywell CEO about Locked Out Workers as He Tours Asia with Obama

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-elk/abcs-amanpour-refuses-to_b_784264.html

Mike Elk

Labor Journalist
Posted: November 16, 2010 12:58 PM


Noted labor historian Joe Burns has called the lockout of 230 workers at the Honeywell uranium processing facility in Metropolis, IL - the highest profile ongoing labor dispute in the country right now. Despite this, not a single major news outlet outside of the Huffington Post has covered the story. Indeed trusted journalists like ABC's Christine Amanpour refuse to ask Honeywell CEO David Cote questions about his role in the lockout when interviewing him. By letting Honeywell go unchallanged, the White House has been able to reward Honeywell CEO David Cote with a front seat in the Obama White House.

Just last week, President chose to have Honeywell CEO David Cote accompany him on a tour of India designed primarily to ease barriers to outsourcing in India. Obama invited Cote to accompany him touring India despite Cote's status as one of the country's most infamous union busters.

Determined to break unions throughout Honeywell, Cote locked them out union workers at Honeywell's uranium enrichment facility in Metropolis, Illinois facility. Honeywell has since hired poorly trained scabs to operate the facility, which has already resulted in an explosion at the plant. While the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) initially prevented the plant from using the scabs, it has now under political pressure taken the unprecedented step of waving its 60 year precedent of not allowing scabs to work in this extremely dangerous uranium facility.

With the lockout in its fifth month, Honeywell has spent more money keeping workers locked out at the Metropolis facility than it would be spending if it were providing the workers what they want. According to union officials, Honeywell has already spent or lost at least $48.8 million to keep the workers locked out over a four month period. By contrast, agreeing to workers' demands that Honeywell maintain their current health and retirement benefits would cost the company only $20 million over the life of a three-year contract. Honeywell is spending more than twice the amount it would take to maintain current workers' benefits, because it has its eye on a much larger goal: busting the thousands of unionized workers in Honeywell plants throughout the country.

President Obama's decision to help Cote further his business ties in India was greeted with outrage by local union officials. USW Local 7-669 President Darrell Lillie, who represents the 230 locked out workers at Honeywell Corp.'s uranium processing facility in Metropolis, IL, said, "We've been forced out of our jobs for the past 20 weeks and watched unskilled scabs brought in by this company steal our jobs, cheating our families out of income that puts food on the dinner table and pays the mortgage. It strikes me as a poor choice for Honeywell's CEO David Cote to be accompanying President Obama on a mission to India for promoting American jobs and exports."

FULL story at link.

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Omaha Steve.

[polichick]

2. Wow, shame on the prez - and on Christiane Amanpour too. nt

[GodlessBiker]

3. k&r

[Hannah Bell]

4. k+r

[girl gone mad]

5. k & r

[me b zola]

6. K&R

[Blue_Tires]

7. ttt

[gratuitous]

8. Why would the president or a major media outlet care about people who don't want to work?

Gee whiz, these folks should be down on their knees every day that they have a job. What they do while they're on their knees is up to them, but if they have time, could they please buff Mr. Cote's shoes? What have working people ever done for this country? It's the supermen, the entrepreneurs like David Cote who create jobs and keep America strong! If we don't cater to his every whim, he might just withdraw from society altogether, and then we'd be in a fine mess, wouldn't we?

I hope Mr. Cote got a comfy seat on Air Force One.

[SocialistLez]

9. What do you expect from a corporatist president and a journalist for corporate media?

We can't really be surprised.

[EFerrari]

12. Amanpour got into real trouble for being a good journalist

around the Bush wars. Looks like she decided she needs her job. It's a shame. She used to be excellent.

[Omaha Steve]

10. Kick

[Ninga]

11. I watched for 5 years while the Detroit News locked out the union and finally

settled too late and too small, while big names such as Roselyn Carter sat on the parent board, silent. 2 of my family members lost their jobs and homes.

Why is the Honeywell lockout not front page news? Why no hard questions from Amanpour?

why is our President not up to speed on this?

[leftstreet]

13. K&R