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ATU Action Weekly Update - 4/23/07
ATU Outraged at Overtime Restrictions for DC Transit Workers Last Wednesday, the House Government Reform Committee approved a bill that would provide $1.5 billion over ten years to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington, D.C. While the ATU is strongly supportive of the funding provided in the bill, the union is outraged over two amendments that the Committee included at the last minute. One amendment would cap the amount of overtime compensation that WMATA may pay its employees, who are members of ATU Local 689. The second amendment would exclude overtime pay in calculating annual salary used for determining the amount of retirement annuity. Both amendments were offered by Representative Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA). In a letter to Committee Chair Henry Waxman (D-CA), ATU International President Warren George expressed the union's strong opposition to the two amendments and urged the Congressman to "remove these unnecessary, mean spirited provisions" from the bill. "The issues addressed in the .. amendments are matters that should only be addressed in a collective bargaining environment," urged International President George. The ATU is working with Local 689, the AFL-CIO and Members of Congress from the DC area to ensure that these provisions are not included in the final bill.
April 28th is Workers Memorial Day Decades of struggle by workers and their unions have resulted in significant improvements in working conditions. But the toll of workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths remains enormous. Each year, thousands of workers are killed and millions more are injured or diseased because of their jobs. The ATU, along with the AFL-CIO and its affiliates remember these workers on April 28, Workers Memorial Day. The first Workers Memorial Day was observed in 1989. April 28 was chosen because it is the anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the day of a similar remembrance in Canada. Every year, people in hundreds of communities and at worksites recognize workers who have been killed or injured on the job. Trade unionists around the world now mark April 28 as an International Day of Mourning. For more information about Workers Memorial Day and how you can participate, go to: http://www.aflcio.org/issues/safety/memorial/
ATU Int'l Employees are Moving for the Cure Employees of the ATU International, along with friends and family, have formed the ATU Moving for the Cure team for the National Race for the Cure on June 2nd in Washington, D.C. The ATU team will participate in a 5K Run/Walk on the National Mall as part of a larger effort to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cure for breast cancer. As part of this effort, the ATU Team is raising money for Komen for the Cure - a nonprofit dedicated to fighting breast cancer. You can help! Simply go the ATU Moving for the Cure team webpage and make a donation. Any amount will help! When you make a donation, you can honor someone you know who was affected by breast cancer. All submissions to the "Honor Roll" will be published in the July/August 2007 edition of In Transit. To make a contribution, click here or click on the ATU/pink ribbon logo on the ATU website. |
