Free Republic

The IT group IBM apparently is planning massive job cuts in Germany. According to the trade union Verdi, the Group has informed on Wednesday about the planned reduction of nearly 1,000 jobs by March 2017th This was announced by Verdi in a newsletter. Primarily affects service segments. The group had invited the workers' representatives to negotiations for a social plan and balance of interests. In Hannover, a region should be shut down with about 200 employees, said a Verdi representatives. The Hanover stay but generally preserved. "IBM has informed the participation and invited to negotiations," confirmed an IBM spokesman. A...

Press Release: International Trade Union Confederation Iran says Osanloo to be freed – good but not good enough, say ITF and ITUC The ITF and ITUC today welcomed an Iranian government promise that Mansour Osanloo is to be freed – but stated that there are still 52 other innocent trade unionists who should also be released. The two organisations were speaking out after discovering that Iran has told the International Labour Organization (ILO) that Osanloo is due for release. The assurance is contained in the ILO’s report* on the complaints made against the country by the ITF and ITUC, and...

Unions in worldwide protests over detention of Iranian labour leaders 6 March 2008 Trade unionists and human rights activists in towns and cities across the world are today voicing their opposition to the continued imprisonment of Mansour Osanloo and Mahmoud Salehi. The two Iranian trade union leaders, respectively representing Tehran bus workers and bakery workers, have been in prison for several months. Protesters are participating in an ITF campaign day, backed by the trade union movement and Amnesty International. Actions included: protests outside the Iranian embassy and the Houses of Parliament in London, UK, and the delivery of letters of...

Iran's Union Heroes March 06, 2008 The Guardian Today is Free Osanloo Action Day, which will be marked by protests worldwide to demand the release of the imprisoned Iranian trade union leaders, Mansour Osanloo and Mahmoud Salehi. Independent trade unions are banned in Iran. Only state-sponsored labour councils are permitted and, to ensure their loyalty to the state, there are restrictions on who can stand for election to these councils. They are, in effect, instruments of the state for the purpose of controlling and pacifying worker discontent. This corporatist, anti-union character of the Iranian state bears many of the hallmarks...

Having made tremendous headway in the US market with its small, energy efficient petrol-electric hybrid cars, Toyota is getting ready to take on its US rivals on their home turf with an American model of its own. Toyota's Tundra pick-up truck is the Japanese company's first all-American vehicle, completely designed and manufactured in the good 'ol US of A. Toyota's Tundra: designed, built and marketed in the USA "The Asian automakers have cornered the market on vanilla," says Global Insight automotive analyst Rebecca Lindland. "Now they're adding the hot fudge chocolate with cherries on top, which is what they...

Latin America: Donald Rumsfeld once observed that Venezuelans had a way of fixing political problems on their own, with no need of U.S. intervention. The dramatic prison break of a union boss may be the first sign. Carlos Ortega's escape Sunday from a Venezuelan maximum security military prison must have sent a shiver through the tyrannical leftist regime of President Hugo Chavez. The tough union boss had crossed Chavez before and was serving a 16-year sentence for leading a vast oil-worker strike in 2002-03. Like Lech Walesa of Poland, Ortega called for independent union leadership at Venezuela's state oil company...

$10 million spent annually by district for classroom subs... Driven by parental concerns about teacher absenteeism, the Chicago Public Schools for the first time will start scrutinizing schools with high numbers of teachers taking sick days. On any given school day in Chicago, an average of 1,500 teachers, about 6 percent of the teaching staff, call in sick or take a personal day, according to a Tribune analysis of teacher payroll records. The absentee rate is highest on Fridays, when an average of 1,800 teachers don't show... For each of the last six school years, Chicago teachers missed an average...

The New York City teachers union has decided not to stage a demonstration at ABC's offices on Feb. 14 to protest John Stossel's recent 20/20 feature criticizing the public education system, Stossel said in an email to viewers of the show on Thursday. "They are apparently planning something else," he wrote. "Stay tuned." Earlier in the week, Stossel said that he had been scheduled to receive an award from the union's Social Studies Conference "for the oustanding work which you have done for social causes." However, he said, after the broadcast the union wrote a letter withdrawing the invitation and...

In recognition of his courage, sacrifice and leadership, we honor Brother Mikhail Volynets, President of the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (CFTUU), with the 2004 George Meany & Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award. In the face of extreme political repression, employer interference and government corruption, Brother Volynets and the CFTUU are vigorous advocates for workers’ rights, democracy and social and economic justice.

The second largest Dutch trades union is calling on the Netherlands to suspend all trade links with Cuba to press for the release of dozens of dissidents. The CNV union says it is time that Dutch business used its influence to see that Cuba respects human rights. It claims other protests at the arrests have proved ineffective and even diplomatic pressure from European countries has failed to influence the regime. The Netherlands is the fourth most important of Cuba's trading partners.

United Airlines Mechanics Reject Pay Cuts 1 hour, 42 minutes ago Add Business - Reuters to My Yahoo! By Kathy Fieweger CHICAGO (Reuters) - Mechanics at United Airlines said on Thursday they rejected their portion of $1.5 billion in proposed pay cuts over 5-1/2 years, potentially leading to an imminent bankruptcy filing unless the No. 2 U.S. airline can hammer out a new deal with the union workers quickly. Related Quotes UALDJIANASDAQ^SPC 3.638931.681487.94938.87 +0.12+255.26+43.51+25.56 delayed 20 mins - disclaimerQuote Data provided by Reuters The International Association of Machinists, District 141M, said its 13,000 members rejected the deal by a 57 percent...