Raytheon Wants Health Care Cuts
UAW Chairman David Dennis told the May membership
meeting about the situation at Raytheon. He began, "We don't have much
manufacturing, mostly just maintenance left any more. Our retirees have waited
patiently for the international to make a decision from the UAW International
as to whether or not they are going to take action to save our insurance. The
company basically gutted our insurance for a new policy. We say they can't do
that, and the UAW says they can't, but they haven't decided whether to go to
court or not... It's sad because there are people out there on very reduced and
fixed incomes, and their incomes have been really affected by this. The more I
study on this I see it is a trend that corporations are doing... jacking around
with insurance, reducing coverage and things of that matter. I'm praying that
the International will take them to court and maybe we can stop some of this
hemorrhaging."
The attack against employee rights and benefits,
Dennis pointed out, is coming from companies with backing from the White House.
He said that some Local 848 members had put "Vote for Kerry" stickers
on carts within the plant. "Labor relations said that they
were offended by the stickers, so management took them off. Members put them
back on, so they took them off again."
Dennis said that one member faced charges from
management for refusing to allow him his American right to political
expression. He said, "It's fine if you put up Bush/Cheney, but if you put
up John Kerry, they object. So if you have carts in your shops, stick John
Kerry on them!" The members applauded.
David & Adrianna Dennis were at the May membership meeting