by James Parks, Jun 20, 2011
Research and teaching assistants at New York University (NYU) last week moved one step closer to regaining their rights under federal law to form a union and bargain for improvements at work.
Graduate assistants won a major victory in 2010, when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ordered a new hearing on a ruling, which had prevented some 1,800 graduate assistants at NYU from voting for union representation. The board based its ruling on a 2004 NLRB decision that graduate teaching and research assistants were not employees and could not form a union.
Last week, in the NLRB-ordered hearing, acting NLRB Regional Director Elbert Tellem accepted the key claim presented by the assistants, members of Graduate Student Organizing Committee/UAW (GSOC/UAW Local 2110), that they are university employees.
“This decision clearly recognizes that we are employees, who work for and receive compensation from NYU,” said Jan Padios, a teaching assistant in NYU’s Department of Social and Cultural Analysis.
We’re glad we got a timely ruling. Now we’re going to take this case to the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C., and claim our rights as workers.
UAW President Bob King praised the NYU employees’ resolve.
Our members at NYU have been an amazing example for all of us in the UAW. A very narrow, very partisan decision by the labor board in 2004 tried to strip them of their rights, but these workers know better. They’re standing firm, and we’re proud to stand with them.
Because of precedent of the 2004 decision, the case now goes to the full NLRB.
The NYU teaching and research assistants have repeatedly demonstrated majority support for their union, most recently verified in April 2010 by the American Arbitration Association. The student employees held a mass rally in April 2010 where a large majority of the students signed the petition to the NLRB (see video above).
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Unions Use Paris Air Show Video to Spotlight High-Skilled Washington Aerospace Workforce
by Mike Hall, Jun 21, 2011
The Paris Air Show—the largest and most prestigious in the world—draws thousands of aviation and aerospace companies looking for new products and technology and, in many cases, new manufacturing locations.
This year, representatives from Machinists (IAM) District 751 and SPEEA/International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 2001—their high-skilled members work at the Boeing Co.—are joining with Washington State officials to showcase the state’s aerospace industry and workforce.
The video above—produced by Kathy Cummings, Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) communications director—will be showing at the Washington State Pavilion at the Le Bourget Airport in Paris. In it union workers talk about the pride they take in producing the world’s best airliners, the skill and education level of the workers not just at Boeing, but throughout the states’ aerospace workforce that numbers about 84,000 people at 650 companies.
SPEEA member Michael Hochberg says that if he was “an aerospace company and wanted to find,”
a large pool of talented people to help me make airplanes or make other aerospace products, I would think the Puget Sound is a great place because we have literally generations of people who have worked in airplanes, kids who have grown up with aerospace…it’s just an amazing place to do business for an aerospace company.
The workers also talk about the positive role unions play making a quality product. Says SPEEA member Jennifer McKay:
I think a union is really an airline customer’s best friend and it’s a shareholder’s best friend. It’s a place that can work with the company’s leaders to make sure the right things happen, so that our products can be efficient and in the most cost-effective manner that we can get them out of here.
The Paris Air Show—the largest and most prestigious in the world—draws thousands of aviation and aerospace companies looking for new products and technology and, in many cases, new manufacturing locations.
This year, representatives from Machinists (IAM) District 751 and SPEEA/International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 2001—their high-skilled members work at the Boeing Co.—are joining with Washington State officials to showcase the state’s aerospace industry and workforce.
The video above—produced by Kathy Cummings, Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) communications director—will be showing at the Washington State Pavilion at the Le Bourget Airport in Paris. In it union workers talk about the pride they take in producing the world’s best airliners, the skill and education level of the workers not just at Boeing, but throughout the states’ aerospace workforce that numbers about 84,000 people at 650 companies.
SPEEA member Michael Hochberg says that if he was “an aerospace company and wanted to find,”
a large pool of talented people to help me make airplanes or make other aerospace products, I would think the Puget Sound is a great place because we have literally generations of people who have worked in airplanes, kids who have grown up with aerospace…it’s just an amazing place to do business for an aerospace company.
The workers also talk about the positive role unions play making a quality product. Says SPEEA member Jennifer McKay:
I think a union is really an airline customer’s best friend and it’s a shareholder’s best friend. It’s a place that can work with the company’s leaders to make sure the right things happen, so that our products can be efficient and in the most cost-effective manner that we can get them out of here.
New NLRB Rules ‘Modest Step to Election Fairness’
by Mike Hall, Jun 21, 2011
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) this morning released proposed changes in the way union representation elections are conducted that the NLRB says will “reduce unnecessary barriers to the fair and expeditious resolution of questions concerning representation.”
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says the proposed changes are a “modest step to remove roadblocks and reduce unnecessary and costly litigation—and that’s good news for employers as well as employees. But he adds:
The proposed rule does not address many of the fundamental problems with our labor laws, but it will help bring critically needed fairness and balance to this part of the process.
Trumka says the rules “appear to be a common sense approach to clean up an outdated system and help ensure that working women and men can make their own choice about whether to form a union.”
When workers want to vote on a union, they should get a fair chance to vote. That’s a basic right. But our current system has become a broken, bureaucratic maze that stalls and stymies workers’ choices. And that diminishes the voice of working people, creates imbalance in our economy and shrinks the middle class.
Because the changes will clean up a system plagued by delays, bureaucracy and litigation, the rule is good for employers, employees and taxpayers who foot the bill.
The proposed changes would:
•Allow for electronic filing of election petitions and other documents.
•Ensure that employees, employers and unions receive and exchange timely information they need to understand and participate in the representation case process.
•Standardize timeframes for parties to resolve or litigate issues before and after elections.
•Require parties to identify issues and describe evidence soon after an election petition is filed to facilitate resolution and eliminate unnecessary litigation.
•Defer litigation of most voter eligibility issues until after the election.
•Require employers to provide a final voter list in electronic form soon after the scheduling of an election, including voters’ telephone numbers and email addresses when available.
•Consolidate all election-related appeals to the Board into a single post-election appeals process and thereby eliminate delay in holding elections currently attributable to the possibility of pre-election appeals.
Make Board review of post-election decisions discretionary rather than mandatory.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, says that a key part to rebuilding the middle class “is ensuring that every American worker has the same right that powerful CEOs take for granted—the right to sign a contract ensuring fair treatment on the job.”
The [NLRB’s] modernized election rules take an important step forward in making this right a reality. By giving workers the right to a fair, up-or-down vote, the rules don’t encourage unionization or discourage it —workers get to make the decision that is best for them. But preserving this right brings some balance to the system, so that the deck isn’t always stacked against ordinary working people and in favor of the wealthy and the powerful.
Trumka warns that while the proposed changes are modest, he expects that in “poisonous political environment” there will be a torrent of attacks from politicians and ideologues opposed to any protection of workers’ rights.” Such opposition is pure politics, part of unprecedented attacks on workers’ rights. Whether you’re a teacher, firefighter or nurse’s aide – right-wing legislators and their corporate funders have made it clear that their ultimate aim is to take away workers’ rights on the job
We call on leaders from both sides of the aisle to defend the independence of the NLRB. Political interference with any independent agency sets a dangerous precedent that should not be tolerated.
Click here for a fact sheet and summary of the proposed changes from the NLRB.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) this morning released proposed changes in the way union representation elections are conducted that the NLRB says will “reduce unnecessary barriers to the fair and expeditious resolution of questions concerning representation.”
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says the proposed changes are a “modest step to remove roadblocks and reduce unnecessary and costly litigation—and that’s good news for employers as well as employees. But he adds:
The proposed rule does not address many of the fundamental problems with our labor laws, but it will help bring critically needed fairness and balance to this part of the process.
Trumka says the rules “appear to be a common sense approach to clean up an outdated system and help ensure that working women and men can make their own choice about whether to form a union.”
When workers want to vote on a union, they should get a fair chance to vote. That’s a basic right. But our current system has become a broken, bureaucratic maze that stalls and stymies workers’ choices. And that diminishes the voice of working people, creates imbalance in our economy and shrinks the middle class.
Because the changes will clean up a system plagued by delays, bureaucracy and litigation, the rule is good for employers, employees and taxpayers who foot the bill.
The proposed changes would:
•Allow for electronic filing of election petitions and other documents.
•Ensure that employees, employers and unions receive and exchange timely information they need to understand and participate in the representation case process.
•Standardize timeframes for parties to resolve or litigate issues before and after elections.
•Require parties to identify issues and describe evidence soon after an election petition is filed to facilitate resolution and eliminate unnecessary litigation.
•Defer litigation of most voter eligibility issues until after the election.
•Require employers to provide a final voter list in electronic form soon after the scheduling of an election, including voters’ telephone numbers and email addresses when available.
•Consolidate all election-related appeals to the Board into a single post-election appeals process and thereby eliminate delay in holding elections currently attributable to the possibility of pre-election appeals.
Make Board review of post-election decisions discretionary rather than mandatory.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, says that a key part to rebuilding the middle class “is ensuring that every American worker has the same right that powerful CEOs take for granted—the right to sign a contract ensuring fair treatment on the job.”
The [NLRB’s] modernized election rules take an important step forward in making this right a reality. By giving workers the right to a fair, up-or-down vote, the rules don’t encourage unionization or discourage it —workers get to make the decision that is best for them. But preserving this right brings some balance to the system, so that the deck isn’t always stacked against ordinary working people and in favor of the wealthy and the powerful.
Trumka warns that while the proposed changes are modest, he expects that in “poisonous political environment” there will be a torrent of attacks from politicians and ideologues opposed to any protection of workers’ rights.” Such opposition is pure politics, part of unprecedented attacks on workers’ rights. Whether you’re a teacher, firefighter or nurse’s aide – right-wing legislators and their corporate funders have made it clear that their ultimate aim is to take away workers’ rights on the job
We call on leaders from both sides of the aisle to defend the independence of the NLRB. Political interference with any independent agency sets a dangerous precedent that should not be tolerated.
Click here for a fact sheet and summary of the proposed changes from the NLRB.
IAM Charges GOP Senator with Ethics Violations in Boeing Case
Tue. June 21, 2011
Lindsey Graham, U.S. Senator, R-SC
The IAM released a letter sent to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics calling for an investigation into South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham’s conduct and statements regarding the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) pending complaint against the Boeing Company.
The IAM letter cites potentially unethical efforts by Sen. Graham and others to pressure NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon to drop the law enforcement proceeding against Boeing.
“I believe that prior to the issuance of the Boeing complaint on April 20 th, Senator Lindsey Graham communicated with NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon in one or more attempts to pressure him not to do so,” said IAM General Counsel Chris Corson. “I also believe that these communications included threats that the Senator would seek to defund or otherwise adversely affect the funding of the NLRB if the Boeing complaint were pursued.”
The IAM letter also cites a letter from Sen. Graham to President Obama, in which Graham declares he will pursue sanctions against Solomon and the NLRB even if it turns out that the NLRB’s law enforcement action against Boeing is upheld.
“I don’t believe that a Senator or any other politician should be trying to interfere with and prevent a law enforcement trial,” said Corson, who cited possible violation of Senate Rule 43. “Americans expect law enforcement to be there for them when they are victimized by discrimination or other unlawful behavior. When politicians intervene on behalf of a rich businessman or corporation in order to stop law enforcement from doing its job, our Constitution and rule of law are put in jeopardy.”
To view full text of the IAM letter, click here.
The IAM released a letter sent to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics calling for an investigation into South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham’s conduct and statements regarding the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) pending complaint against the Boeing Company.
The IAM letter cites potentially unethical efforts by Sen. Graham and others to pressure NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon to drop the law enforcement proceeding against Boeing.
“I believe that prior to the issuance of the Boeing complaint on April 20 th, Senator Lindsey Graham communicated with NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon in one or more attempts to pressure him not to do so,” said IAM General Counsel Chris Corson. “I also believe that these communications included threats that the Senator would seek to defund or otherwise adversely affect the funding of the NLRB if the Boeing complaint were pursued.”
The IAM letter also cites a letter from Sen. Graham to President Obama, in which Graham declares he will pursue sanctions against Solomon and the NLRB even if it turns out that the NLRB’s law enforcement action against Boeing is upheld.
“I don’t believe that a Senator or any other politician should be trying to interfere with and prevent a law enforcement trial,” said Corson, who cited possible violation of Senate Rule 43. “Americans expect law enforcement to be there for them when they are victimized by discrimination or other unlawful behavior. When politicians intervene on behalf of a rich businessman or corporation in order to stop law enforcement from doing its job, our Constitution and rule of law are put in jeopardy.”
To view full text of the IAM letter, click here.
Wisconsin Conservative Justices Uphold Walker Budget Bill
Tue. June 21, 2011
A narrow conservative majority on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court upheld GOP Governor Scott Walker’s union-busting budget bill and cleared the way for its implementation. The court’s decision to vacate an injunction against the bill by lower court judge Maryann Sumi is highly suspect.
The court ignored relevant facts and decided the case the same day it agreed to hear it. “This court gives this important case short shrift. Today the majority announces for the first time that it is accepting this case. And today the majority decides the case,” noted Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson in a stinging dissent.
Abrahamson said the conservative majority on the court “make their own findings of fact, mischaracterize the parties’ arguments, misinterpret statutes, minimize (if not eliminate) Wisconsin constitutional guarantees, and misstate case law, appearing to silently overrule case law dating back to at least 1891.”
A key vote in the conservative majority decision came from David Prosser, who initially lost a re-election bid to progressive candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg in April. More than 24 hours after the polls closed with Kloppenburg in the lead, Republican Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus “found” thousands of votes and the race went to Prosser.
Walker’s union-busting budget bill still faces challenges in federal court as several groups, including a coalition of unions, have filed suits against the bill.
A narrow conservative majority on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court upheld GOP Governor Scott Walker’s union-busting budget bill and cleared the way for its implementation. The court’s decision to vacate an injunction against the bill by lower court judge Maryann Sumi is highly suspect.
The court ignored relevant facts and decided the case the same day it agreed to hear it. “This court gives this important case short shrift. Today the majority announces for the first time that it is accepting this case. And today the majority decides the case,” noted Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson in a stinging dissent.
Abrahamson said the conservative majority on the court “make their own findings of fact, mischaracterize the parties’ arguments, misinterpret statutes, minimize (if not eliminate) Wisconsin constitutional guarantees, and misstate case law, appearing to silently overrule case law dating back to at least 1891.”
A key vote in the conservative majority decision came from David Prosser, who initially lost a re-election bid to progressive candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg in April. More than 24 hours after the polls closed with Kloppenburg in the lead, Republican Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus “found” thousands of votes and the race went to Prosser.
Walker’s union-busting budget bill still faces challenges in federal court as several groups, including a coalition of unions, have filed suits against the bill.
UCubed Attends 6th Annual Netroots Nation Convention
Tue. June 21, 2011
The Union of Unemployed (UCubed) joined thousands of labor activists and progressive bloggers at the 2011 Netroots Nation Convention in Minneapolis, MN.
Dozens visited the UCubed booth for brochures, a chance to see UCubed’s newest online political ad The Game, to ask questions about UCubed’s 21–point Hire US, America plan and to receive free JOBS Now! t-shirts.
The sixth annual gathering included speeches, workshops and panels led by national and international experts, including a keynote address by Minnesota Sen. Al Franken. “Our movement is about putting the concerns of working families at the forefront of our national agenda,” said Sen. Franken. “I urge you all to stand up for the America our movement helped to build. Stand up for the principle that we should grow together, instead of growing apart. Stand up for the principle that we all do better when we all do better. We have a tough fight ahead, but it’s one that we have to win.”
Other speakers included AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler who called out the conservative agenda for its attack on workers and showed how the decline in union membership is correlated to a decline in the middle class. “No individual worker. No single union. No one progressive activist or one single blogger alone can counter the entrenched, money-drenched power of corporations and the wealthy,” said Shuler. “But together, we have a chance. That’s the one thing I hope I leave you with. Together, we actually have a chance.”
Former Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, Rep. Debra Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) and White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer also spoke to convention attendees. For a complete recap of the week’s events, click here.
The Union of Unemployed (UCubed) joined thousands of labor activists and progressive bloggers at the 2011 Netroots Nation Convention in Minneapolis, MN.
Dozens visited the UCubed booth for brochures, a chance to see UCubed’s newest online political ad The Game, to ask questions about UCubed’s 21–point Hire US, America plan and to receive free JOBS Now! t-shirts.
The sixth annual gathering included speeches, workshops and panels led by national and international experts, including a keynote address by Minnesota Sen. Al Franken. “Our movement is about putting the concerns of working families at the forefront of our national agenda,” said Sen. Franken. “I urge you all to stand up for the America our movement helped to build. Stand up for the principle that we should grow together, instead of growing apart. Stand up for the principle that we all do better when we all do better. We have a tough fight ahead, but it’s one that we have to win.”
Other speakers included AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler who called out the conservative agenda for its attack on workers and showed how the decline in union membership is correlated to a decline in the middle class. “No individual worker. No single union. No one progressive activist or one single blogger alone can counter the entrenched, money-drenched power of corporations and the wealthy,” said Shuler. “But together, we have a chance. That’s the one thing I hope I leave you with. Together, we actually have a chance.”
Former Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, Rep. Debra Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) and White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer also spoke to convention attendees. For a complete recap of the week’s events, click here.
Photo Contest Deadline Extended to July 8
Tue. June 21, 2011
Don’t miss your chance to have your photo featured in the 2012 IAM Calendar! The deadline for the IAM Photo Contest has been extended to July 8, 2011. The annual IAM Photo Contest showcases IAM members and the many jobs they do. Photos should be of IAM or TCU members in good standing and taken by an IAM or TCU member in good standing. Winning photos will be featured in the 2012 IAM Calendar. Click here for the official call, contest rules and entry forms. Click here to see the winners of the 2010 photo contest.
Don’t miss your chance to have your photo featured in the 2012 IAM Calendar! The deadline for the IAM Photo Contest has been extended to July 8, 2011. The annual IAM Photo Contest showcases IAM members and the many jobs they do. Photos should be of IAM or TCU members in good standing and taken by an IAM or TCU member in good standing. Winning photos will be featured in the 2012 IAM Calendar. Click here for the official call, contest rules and entry forms. Click here to see the winners of the 2010 photo contest.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Supreme Court sides with Wal-Mart in major sex-discrimination case
Breaking News Alert: Supreme Court sides with Wal-Mart in major sex-discrimination case
June 20, 2011 10:31:32 AM
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The Supreme Court has ruled for Wal-Mart in its fight to block a massive sex discrimination lawsuit on behalf of women who work there.
The court ruled unanimously Monday that the lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. cannot proceed as a class action, reversing a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The lawsuit could have involved up to 1.6 million women, with Wal-Mart facing potentially billions of dollars in damages.
http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/X109GB/ZBVIEP/72UKLG/63W1PV/RXHBG/FW/h
June 20, 2011 10:31:32 AM
----------------------------------------
The Supreme Court has ruled for Wal-Mart in its fight to block a massive sex discrimination lawsuit on behalf of women who work there.
The court ruled unanimously Monday that the lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. cannot proceed as a class action, reversing a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The lawsuit could have involved up to 1.6 million women, with Wal-Mart facing potentially billions of dollars in damages.
http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/X109GB/ZBVIEP/72UKLG/63W1PV/RXHBG/FW/h
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Check Out Our New Collective Bargaining Site
by Mike Hall, Jun 17, 2011
This morning, we launched a new website—Collective Bargaining: Real people. Real Impact—that serves up facts, fun and real-world stories about what the power to bargain means to working people. The site features a trio of videos we produced with Laughing Liberally to convey the importance of collective bargaining with humor, showing just how bad things can get if workers don’t have a voice at the bargaining table. Pay cuts, benefit attacks and “Paid Child Fun Time” are just some of the schemes hatched by bosses who have the table to themselves—and not even a pizza party makes those any easier to swallow.
Until Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Republican politicians in a dozen other states set out to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees, the public didn’t hear much about that bedrock of unionism. Now there is a growing movement to defend this fundamental right, and Collective Bargaining: Real People. Real Impact helps spread the message.
Collective bargaining enables working people who are union members to negotiate with their employers to determine their terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, health and safety policies, ways to balance work and family and more. Bottom line: It gives working people a voice at the table.
On the website, working men and women tell what collective bargaining means to them in another series of videos. AFGE member Michael Gravinese says collective bargaining is important because:
It provides a vehicle in the workplace for fairness and equity for all. What I’ve gained from collective bargaining is the ability to have a voice in the workplace, a structured voice. Without that, a collective bargaining agreement, in essence management dictates.
There’s an old saying that says a rising tide lifts all boats and that’s what happens when you have a collective bargaining agreement. All workers, members, nonmembers, they benefit from that collective bargaining agreement, it lifts all of them.
Virgilio Aran and Linda Oalican talk about how collective action can improve the lives of domestic workers and Racine, Wis., firefighter Mike DeGarmo discusses the fight against Walker’s assault on collective bargaining.
The attack on workers and collective bargaining has been so outlandish this year, sometimes it’s hard to figure out if what you are hearing is real or not. Find out with our “Real or Not” quiz.
Click here to explore the new site at CollectiveBargainingFacts.com and be sure to share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
Until Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Republican politicians in a dozen other states set out to eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees, the public didn’t hear much about that bedrock of unionism. Now there is a growing movement to defend this fundamental right, and Collective Bargaining: Real People. Real Impact helps spread the message.
Collective bargaining enables working people who are union members to negotiate with their employers to determine their terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, health and safety policies, ways to balance work and family and more. Bottom line: It gives working people a voice at the table.
On the website, working men and women tell what collective bargaining means to them in another series of videos. AFGE member Michael Gravinese says collective bargaining is important because:
It provides a vehicle in the workplace for fairness and equity for all. What I’ve gained from collective bargaining is the ability to have a voice in the workplace, a structured voice. Without that, a collective bargaining agreement, in essence management dictates.
There’s an old saying that says a rising tide lifts all boats and that’s what happens when you have a collective bargaining agreement. All workers, members, nonmembers, they benefit from that collective bargaining agreement, it lifts all of them.
Virgilio Aran and Linda Oalican talk about how collective action can improve the lives of domestic workers and Racine, Wis., firefighter Mike DeGarmo discusses the fight against Walker’s assault on collective bargaining.
The attack on workers and collective bargaining has been so outlandish this year, sometimes it’s hard to figure out if what you are hearing is real or not. Find out with our “Real or Not” quiz.
Click here to explore the new site at CollectiveBargainingFacts.com and be sure to share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
IAM Charges GOP Senator with Ethics Violations in Boeing Case
Fri. June 17, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, D.C., June 17, 2011 – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) today released a letter sent to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics calling for an investigation into South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham’s conduct and statements regarding the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) pending complaint against the Boeing Company.
The IAM letter cites potentially unethical efforts by Sen. Graham and others to pressure NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon to drop the law enforcement proceeding against Boeing.
“I believe that prior to the issuance of the Boeing complaint on April 20th, Senator Lindsey Graham communicated with NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon in one or more attempts to pressure him not to do so,” said IAM General Counsel Chris Corson. “I also believe that these communications included threats that the Senator would seek to defund or otherwise adversely affect the funding of the NLRB if the Boeing complaint were pursued.”
The IAM letter also cites a letter from Sen. Graham to President Obama, in which Graham declares he will pursue sanctions against Solomon and the NLRB even if it turns out that the NLRB’s law enforcement action against Boeing is upheld.
“I don’t believe that a Senator or any other politician should be trying to interfere with and prevent a law enforcement trial,” said Corson, who cited possible violation of Senate Rule 43. “Americans expect law enforcement to be there for them when they are victimized by discrimination or other unlawful behavior. When politicians intervene on behalf of a rich businessman or corporation in order to stop law enforcement from doing its job, our Constitution and rule of law are put in jeopardy.”
To view full text of the IAM letter, click here.
The IAM represents more than 25,000 Boeing workers and is among the largest industrial trade unions in North America, with nearly 700,000 active and retired members in dozens of industries. For more information about the IAM, visit www.goiam.org.
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