H PostHoneywell Becomes #1 Political Donor As They Union Bust & Receive $13 Billion in Federal Money

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-elk/honeywell-becomes-1-polit_b_763137.html


Mike Elk Labor Journalist
Posted: October 14, 2010 03:25 PM

The Honeywell Corporation, having given $3 million in PAC contributions , is the number one political donor in the country according to a report released yesterday by the Center for Responsive Politics. Honeywell had refused to get involved in political giving under former CEO Lawrence Bossidy, who left in 2002, . However, under new Honeywell CEO David Cote, political giving by Honeywell has increased by almost 400% since Obama came to power in 2008.

Honeywell has used their increased fund raising clout to build a close relationship with the White House. Obama cites Honeywell CEO David Cote as one of the President's closest advisors in the business community. Cote ensured an early political victory for the President when he persuaded the US Chamber of Commerce to stay on the sidelines during the stimulus fight. Cote was rewarded for his support with a slot on the President's deficit commission.

Honeywell has also used its political clout to win $13 billion worth of federal contracts over the last ten years, leading to record profits. Honeywell is on the verge of expanding massively, in large part because they have received several contracts under the stimulus to make hybrid batteries. But David Cote is not satisfied with increasing profits by just receiving more federal contracts; he wants to increase his profit by driving down wages by busting the the unions that represent thousands of Honeywell workers. So far, President Obama has seemed willing to allow him to do that.

The effort to bust the unions at Honeywell's factories has started by locking out uranium workers at Honeywell's facility Metropolis, Illinois. Union workers have been locked out at the uranium enrichment facility in Metropolis, Illinois for four months now after contract negotiations broke down over Honeywell's demand that workers give up their retiree health care coverage and pension plans.

"For a company that is expanding and making record profits this is an outrageous thing for the company to demand," says union spokesman Stephen Lech. "The true intention of the company is to create a two-tier employee structure in an effort to break the union in an effort to bust unions throughout Honeywell".

So far, despite the lack of help from the President, the workers have put up a courageous fight. Many families have faced financial hardships over the course of the lockout, but as the challenges they face have mounted, their desire to fight to keep their union has only grown stronger.

FULL story at link.