Teamsters, Machinists at Columbia Ford Strike for Affordable Health Care

[Omaha Steve]

Source: The Auto Channel



Company Refuses to Bargain in Good Faith, Share Rising Costs with Workers

LONGVIEW, Wash., June 18, 2007 -- Members of the Teamsters and Machinists Unions walked off the job today in protest of Columbia Ford's refusal to help allay the rising costs of health care, passing on costs to their employees while not offering enough of a wage increase to offset the burden.

The 31 union members consist of workers from parts and lube departments and mechanics at the car dealership. The unions, who have been in negotiations with the company since April 25, have been met with nothing but resistance by Columbia Ford to even the idea of considering a different approach to the health care plan.

"We are not asking for the world here," said Brian King, Teamsters Local 58 business agent. Local 58 represents the 10 striking workers who work in parts and lube departments. "Our proposals have been reasonable but the company's offer amounts to less take-home pay for the workers who will be forced to nearly triple their monthly payments for health care."

Left with little recourse, the Teamsters Union voted for strike authorization after rejecting the company's final offer on May 30. The current contract expired on May 31. With increases in the health care already scheduled to take effect on July 1, the workers knew that if they didn't take a stand now the company would never listen.



Read more: http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2007/06/18/052328.html

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[pinto]

1. A growing trend, no? Health care is the proverbial straw in a lot of agreements.

Here in CA it was a major factor in the 2003 grocery workers' strike and subsequent lock out.

[Virginia Dare]

2. That contract is up again this summer I believe...

could be another tough fight.

[Toots]

3. Hoffa endorsed Bush* and campaigned for him and now they bitch at what they get.

Fuck the Teamsters.. They used Scab Labor to build their Teamster Hall in Houston because Union Labor "was too expensive". Fuck the Teamsters. I will never honor a Teamster strike.

[unkachuck]

5. I basicly agree....

....and it's unbelieveable they'd use scab labor to build a Teamster Hall in Houston....I wouldn't even consider printing up a Local campaign leaflet without a bug on it....

....nonetheless, this sounds like a small car dealership Local and I wouldn't want to hold them too accountable for the sins of the International....

[Vinca]

4. There was a Republican shill on MSNBC this morning commenting

on Senator Clinton's presentation at the union conference. The shill said union members would be nuts to go along with universal health care because the coverage they already have is far superior to anything the government might provide. Right. Except for that part about companies going out of business because they can't pay for it any longer. Is every Republican in the country well insured or something? Why don't they get it??

[ryanmuegge]

6. MSNGE appears to be a more vigorously pro-business and anti-worker network

than FOX even.

I remember watching once when they were talking about the government setting fuel-efficiency standards (vs. the auto makers) and they had a Republican strategist and a (supposedly) Democratic strategist both on there talking about it like it was similar to eating babies...just bashing the hell out of it.

[Doremus]

7. Let me tell you about union-sponsored health care

DH's Ironworkers local couldn't keep absorbing the astronomical insurance increases and had no choice but to pass them on to the members (it was either that or go bust).

We pay over $1000/mo. for our family of 3. I don't know how much the union covers on top of that, but we aren't carrying the whole load; the local is kicking in. Granted, this is a smaller group plan (probably in the hundreds) as compared to a large Teamsters local, but trust me, the day is coming for locals everywhere when their health & welfare plans are going to run dry.

That's when we're going to hear a cacaphony of bellowing like you've never heard before. How many people today can afford this kind of outlay for very long? Frankly, I'm shocked we've been able to crack this nut as long as we have, about 2 years now. It hasn't been easy, but what choice do we have? Pay now or pay later ... there's no winning against a stacked system.

Universal health care can't come soon enough for us, but the ignoramuses in the UAW, say, or other unions who are still cranking along for the moment, can only see that THEY'RE set ... so to hell with everybody else. Just wait. Their tunes are gonna change, and how. I just hope it isn't AFTER we've lost everything we've worked for all our lives. :(