Wed, Jul 13, 2011
Labor, Management Both Critical Of Obama Administration
It's likely that at some point the negotiations between the
International Association of Machinists (IAM) and Hawker Beechcraft
will become contentious. But at the outset of the negotiations late
last week, both sides seemed to agree on at least one thing ...
President Barack Obama is no friend to the aviation manufacturing
industry.
Tom Buffenbarger (L), Bill Boisture
During opening remarks by IAM International President Tom
Buffenbarger and Hawker Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture set the tone
and established the priorities for the negotiations that will lead
to a new contract for 2,600 IAM members at Hawker
Beechcraft.
Buffenbarger spoke forcefully on behalf of the workers at Hawker
and the general aviation industry itself. “We’re not
afraid to speak out when we’re attacked,” said
Buffenbarger, who noted the IAM’s aggressive defense of the
industry in the face of disparaging comments by President Obama and
others about the use of business aircraft.
Hawker Beechcraft CEO Boisture also noted President
Obama’s critical remarks about business jets, calling the
Obama Administration “no friend to our industry or our
working people.”
The IAM President made an equally impassioned defense for
workers’ defined benefit pensions, which join health care and
job security as the top three bargaining priorities identified by
members at Hawker Beechcraft. “One thing that still continues
to work, even though it gets derided by Wall Street and investment
bankers, is the concept of a good defined benefit pension plan. The
pension plan that we have, that our members depend on, is of
extreme importance,” declared Buffenbarger, who warned
against the trap of benchmarking against other companies where
pensions are being eliminated for new hires.
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