New Updates Will Appear Below This Video

This video was submitted by Tony Bellamy and is very interesting and informative. It puts our position as working people in perspective as viewed by upper level management. The only hope for the working people of this country is to organize and stand united. So much has been taken already and what little we have left is just a footnote on the balance sheet of corporate accounting. In their endless search for more and more profits, corporate America has forsaken the human element.

03-22-2013

We voiced our concern when management decided to work employee’s through break, manning each machine with only one operator. Even our safety committee voiced strong opposition to this move and said they were putting production before safety. Some even quit the committee.  Bobby met with Marcus and myself on this and insisted we would continue working through break until the issue could be discussed in more detail with Chris Harding. Chris, to his credit, was the one who initially voiced his opposition to this practice many months ago to our management team.  Thankfully, I suppose, after speaking with Chris, management announced to all that we would have two operators per machine going forward when working through Breaks.

 What you may not have known, is the fact that working employees beyond five hours from the start of a shift without a lunch break is a violation of state labor laws. Now…You would, and should, expect a company as large as ours to fully comply with all Federal and State Labor laws. You as an hourly workforce should expect no less from the largest paper company in the world, right? I know I do.

 Unfortunately this isn’t the first time that the Lexington management team has been guilty of unfair labor practice. The last time it was a violation of Federal labor law.

   What’s also a fact, is that the poster outlining our State labor laws, was posted on the wall next to the human resource manager’s office. Yes, in black and white. They also had another copy inside the maintenance cage by the shipping office for the employees. The cage is locked of course. No employee access without a key. It has since been moved to a location across from the shipping department where access is much easier, once we made this point to management.

  Keep in mind though; it is only a violation of Labor law if the employee is made to work more than five hours. If you volunteer to work over and take a late lunch there is no violation. That’s why your lunch has been pushed back twenty minutes. They don’t want to have to ask. They didn’t to begin with though, did they?

  Hence the beauty of a union free workforce! They do as they want, when they want. They don’t want or need your input. No union to police their activity or stand in their way! They make and change rules at will! Even avoiding the few rights you have without a contract. The state and federal labor laws……

 If this weren’t enough..I am called at home by our second shift employee’s . Kyle had a meeting with them to announce, that according to the handbook ,we were to only receive one break during a four hour overtime period. Those in attendance quickly became furious and things went south quickly. Thankfully Kyle said the handbook was mistaken and that he wanted two breaks during this period and that a change would be made to the handbook to reflect this.

 My question is why have the meeting at all? We always have taken two breaks when working overtime. Why not just make the change to the handbook without a meeting? The people I spoke with insist that the tone of the meeting on second shift was totally different from that of first and third shifts. They believe it was to implement only one break during a four hour shift. Kyle insists that wasn’t the case.  We should be thankful. Such an act would be more than insulting.

  I have said before that management will be our deciding factor as to whether we work under a contract or continue allowing them the luxury of making all the decisions concerning our wages and working conditions.  We expect them to be fair and abide by the laws that are in place to protect us. So far, do you like what you see? Always remember there is another option.

03-15-2013

Hello again my friends and coworkers. Shall we re-hash my numerous postings of the past where I proclaimed Safety to be anything but first? Is there any need? When operators are forced to run by themselves on two man operations on a daily basis I think it's clear where safety stands in relation to production. Management's standpoint on this is we are not overbooked, we are under performing and they see it as necessary, in my opinion, to risk serious injury to meet production demands by running through lunch and breaks. And as always, SAFETY FIRST!  Oh, and here is the latest on this subject. Our Plant Manager informed Tony and I that Chris Harding's statement on not running operations with one operator was more of a "suggestion" than an order... A "suggestion?" Really?  I thought a man in Chris Harding's position did more than just "suggest" changes...I guess I am wrong in that assumption. As a matter of fact, on a recent visit to the office, Tony was told that Chris Harding was fine with one operator running through lunch and breaks. It was also stated that attempts were being made to confirm this with Mr. Harding. If local management is so sure of their understanding of this rule...so sure in fact that they violate what we all assumed was a standing order and corporate policy...why bother Mr. Harding? Another Union committee member who is also on the safety committee brought this safety issue up and was told by The new first shift supervisor not to worry about it that it was not his place to interfere with machine operations and if he had a problem to take it up with Kyle. That's respect for the Lexington Safety Committee isn't it? Maybe it's time to try a membership in the people's only real committee...Just saying...   On a different subject,  The discussion in the safety meeting on 3-14-2013 was one for the books as well. I am not even going to comment on this mess. Like my old granny used to say, "Leave the lid on long enough, and it will cook over all on it's own."

Friends, we as your in-plant Union Organizing Committee, take a dim view on any situation that puts our co-workers in a dangerous situation either direct or perceived. The United Steelworkers are ready to bring their full power forward to assist us in becoming a organized bargaining unit and protecting not only ourselves but our futures and the future well being of our families. Allowing ourselves to be placed in clearly unsafe situations for the betterment of management's bottom line is not in our best interest. As a matter of fact, running production on machines scheduled for down time due to lunch and breaks gives management a double bonus. They not only get the production they get it for free as that time does not apply to their Man Hours per MSF. Wow! what a bargain for them! That fact was confirmed to Tony Bellamy by our new first shift supervisor on 3-14-2013.  Seems like that places safety behind Man Hours per MSF as well doesn't it?

I would like to take a moment and thank all the new card signers and assure you that as soon as we reach the overwhelming majority  we are looking for, we will petition the NLRB and deliver you an election where you will have the true final word.

03-04-2013

We were made aware of a almost funny situation that happened in the office just the other day. I say "almost funny" because its kind of sad. It was reported to us by an "inside source in HR" that all members of management were instructed by our new Plant General Manager to wear ID stickers during a recent visit by Chris Harding and his boss.

Don Noort was offered this sticker by our HR person and according to her, he adamantly refused to wear it. When told that The PGM had ordered this to be done he took the sticker, peeled off the backing handing the backing to Rebecca, and defiantly wadded up the decal placing it in his pocket. It was later reported that Don had a proper sticker on later that afternoon. It is our guess that Bobby had to directly impose his authority on Mr. Noort in order to achieve compliance with his subordinate to wear a simple name tag. I was initially reluctant to report on this incident (considering the source of this information) but I feel it to be important to let the people know of any possible insurrection in the chain of management command as this kind of infighting endangers our ability to properly service our customers and, in the end, our ability to support our families. Due to nonsense like this "Sticker Incident" It is my firmly held opinion we need to organize ourselves into a collective bargaining unit and protect our future with a fairly negotiated, legally binding, Union Contract.

MB

02-03-2013

Posted here so you Know Your Rights!

You have the right to distribute Union flyers and brochures in non-work areas during breaks and lunch.

You have the right to wear Union buttons, stickers, T-shirts and hats to show your colors.

You have the right to sign a USW membership card and demand company recognition of the Union.

You have the right to petition and join together with co-workers to protest unfair treatment or demand improvements in wages, hours or working conditions.

You have the right to organize fellow employees, support the Union, and distribute literature and membership cards to be signed.

You have the right to file complaints against your company.

You have the right to participate in meetings to discuss joining a Union.

United States National Labor Relations Act Section 7   "Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representation of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining …"

NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT Also cited NLRA or the Act; 29 U.S.C. Sec. Sec. 151-169[Title 29, Chapter 7, Subchapter II, United States Code] findings and policies Section 1. [Sec. 151.] The denial by some employers of the right of employees to organize and the refusal by some employers to accept the procedure of collective bargaining lead to strikes and other forms of industrial strife or unrest, which have the intent or the necessary effect of burdening or obstructing commerce by (a) impairing the  efficiency, safety, or operation of the instrumentalities of commerce; (b) occurring in the current of commerce; (c) materially affecting, restraining, or controlling the flow of raw materials or manufactured or processed goods from or into the channels of commerce, or the prices of such materials or goods in commerce; or (d) causing diminution of employment and wages in such volume as substantially to impair or disrupt the market for goods flowing from or into the channels of commerce. The inequality of bargaining power between employees who do not possess full freedom of association or actual liberty of contract and employers who are organized in the corporate or other forms of ownership association substantially burdens and affects the flow of commerce, and tends to aggravate recurrent business depressions, by depressing wage rates and the purchasing power of wage earners in industry and by preventing the stabilization of competitive wage rates and working conditions within and between industries. Experience has proved that protection by law of the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively safeguards commerce from injury, impairment, or interruption, and promotes the flow of commerce by removing certain recognized sources of industrial strife and unrest, by encouraging practices fundamental to the friendly adjustment of industrial disputes arising out of differences as to wages, hours, or other working conditions, and by restoring equality of bargaining power between employers and employees. Experience has further demonstrated that certain practices by some labor organizations, their officers, and members have the intent or the necessary effect of burdening or obstructing commerce by preventing the free flow of goods in such commerce through strikes and other forms of industrial unrest or through concerted activities which impair the interest of the public in the free flow of such commerce. The elimination of such practices is a necessary condition to the assurance of the rights herein guaranteed. It is declared to be the policy of the United States to eliminate the causes of certain substantial obstructions to the free flow of commerce and to mitigate and eliminate these obstructions when they have occurred by encouraging the practice and procedure of collective bargaining and by protecting the exercise by workers of full freedom of association, self-organization, and designation of representatives of their own choosing, for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their employment or other mutual aid or protection.

Never forget why we are here. It has nothing to do with "getting even," punishing the company, or in any way harming our ability to produce a quality product for our customers. We are here in the name of justice and fairness for ourselves and our coworkers. We are here to establish a better way of working... a way of working with the company instead of for the company. We are here to move both parties toward a mutually beneficial outcome. 2013 has just started and there are big things on our horizon. We can be a part of these exciting developments or merely tools the company uses to accomplish their goals.  MB.

12-03-2012

I wanted to wait a while before posting this update to allow the anger to subside and not allow it to cloud my judgment. Unfortunately it didn’t work as planned. Even though I personally didn’t have to work, due to the fact a co worker on an off shift worked it for me.

 Many people had plans with family. Several planned trips months in advance. Management once again put their greed and will before the hopes and wishes of the hourly work force. At least here in Lexington and Bowling green. Louisville, the union sister plant in our region had their four day weekend of course, due to the fact it was negotiated in their contract. I was informed Bowling Green only had the day of Thanksgiving off.

 To the credit of Kyle, he wanted us to have the four days off as planned. Don was told to have sales service contact customers and have the orders pushed out and see that the holiday goes forth as planned. It didn’t happen. Don, who now is in charge of sales service made a half hearted effort, not contacting all customers due to the fact he wanted us to work. Chris of course backs Don whole heartedly and once again allowed this man to throw us to the wolves. Keep in mind that Don and Chris receive bonuses for the volume you run. They make good money for your sacrifice.

 Do you think the new GM will make a difference? Don’t count on it. Anytime our past GM tried to run this facility, Don would call Chris like a small child who just had his candy taken from him, and Chris would bow to Dons will. Time and time again.

 I have worked for IP 29 years and can’t remember them pulling such a stunt on a thanksgiving weekend. If you ever want respect in this facility as an hourly worker you need to have something to balance the greed verse compassion and respect factor. The answer will not be with a new GM that Don handles like a puppet on a string, much the same way he handles Chris Harding. It will be with a contract and the USW. Several more came to realize this last weekend by signing union authorization cards and pledging their support for our cause. We thank you!

 We realize we have had a great turnover rate since the last election. Many of our newer hourly workers still have to see for themselves that a contract is the only hope for a secure future in Lexington with Don and Chris at the helm. We patiently wait for this day as we continue forward. We are very pleased in our showing of interest thus far in the campaign for Union representation. We will not petition for election until we have the vast majority sign. We have much information to share with you going forward. Don and Chris will help us determine when to ramp up and proceed with the next step. Management, or a lack of, has always been our best campaigning tool, as you witnessed firsthand by their decision Thanksgiving  weekend.

10-18-20120

  Chris I was told, had a meeting today to announce millions of dollars in new investments in our plant. He followed up with Praising Don for helping keep and generate new business as well. Then he emphasized the importance of house cleaning.

 He could have summed this up in a paragraph or two , and not cost us well over four hours of down time, in my opinion. Down time I’m sure we will have to make up by working Saturday.

 It would have been great to hear how you, the employee, are the reason we are able to keep and generate new business, and know he meant what he said.  That your sacrifice would be rewarded with incentive pay or the gain sharing promise that was made in the last election but never materialized.

 We are in the process of gathering information on contracts and some of the incentives offered in other locations which are Union.  Chris and I agree on one thing for sure. Don’t be distracted and keep your eye on the ball.  The ball being what is in the best interest for you and your family. His idea of the ball is working six days a week and for some of us, sixty to seventy hour work weeks.

 Take a look at the employee bulletin board out in the plant. Notice the hire dates under each picture. Look at the turnover rate! Odds have it many of you won’t be here in ten years.

Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy:

Mandatory overtime limits, incentive pay or gain sharing, better pension, employment longevity, safety guidelines that are fair, and a contract that the company must adhere to the terms and conditions outlined?

 During our anti union meeting last week I asked AL a question. I said, During the last election we were told that we were close to receiving  gain sharing, and that we shouldn’t  jeopardize it by voting in the union. That promise wasn’t kept, so I asked,” Are you misleading us again?”  I ask you the same question…would they mislead you again?

 It’s great that the company has millions to spend on equipment for our plant, don’t get me wrong. It’s also wonderful that we retain our customers and bring in more business. At some point the company needs to show respect and gratitude to the employee’s that make the quality product and meet the demands of our customer. Our sales department is a portion of a much greater picture. That picture is the health and welfare of the labor force our company refuses to recognize.

10-01-2012

Farewell Roland. You were fair and just and well respected at this facility. We wish you well in your future and hope that with every storm cloud you find a silver lining.

 Without our input, decisions are being made about our future and our our ability to make a living that will impact the working people of this plant for years to come. What appeared to be an upturn in managements philosophy of dealing with the hourly workers quickly evaporated with the dismissal of our Plant General Manager. I think the attitude management took in this matter was best summarized by the way our sales manager and the office manager gleefully giggled and smiled throughout the first and second shift announcement meeting where we were told of our PGM's dismissal. There are a lot more questions than answers right now. Was Roland set up to fail? Who would have the kind of power to juggle customer orders to drop production numbers? Who seemed most pleased with Roland's departure? Oh well... enough of "As The Stomach Turns" or whatever soap opera management is playing this week. What we need to look at now is taking care of ourselves. We have once more called on our brothers and sisters at the United Steelworkers for help in this situation. The USW is now gathering requested information on our behalf and we will provide that information to you shortly. We, as your in-plant Union Organizing Committee, believe that the protection provided by a fairly negotiated and legally binding Union Contract is the best and only protection from the whims and soap opera games management seems to enjoy.

On another subject, our new safety slogan is now...  LIFE Letting Injuries Financially Eliminate you... Be safe or be fired... Get hurt and go broke. In every meeting we hear "Safety First!" In reality and practical application, Safety isn't even a close second behind Production. If you disagree with this allegation, let a safe practice affect your production numbers and see how quickly the hammer falls on you. The only time Safety comes to the forefront is after someone is hurt or management can use it to their advantage.

Beware the impending cover-up.  With the safety record now now in such disarray at the Lexington Plant, management is looking to "hang somebody" to show how serious they are about safety. The dismissal of Roland was just a first strike. What our management team needs to remember is when fingers are pointed at the hourly workforce to assign blame there are four fingers on every hand pointing right back at the real problem. Management in one breath condemns an employees actions that resulted in a devastating injury and in the next breath condones it as a improperly applied rule on their behalf, thusly, this employee was spared the new Letting Injuries Financially Eliminate you safety policy. Another employee incurred a no less devastating injury and the LIFE policy was fully applied. What's the difference in these two injuries? Management assumed their favorite shield from the storm of accountability,  the Teflon cover of deniability. Rather than taking care of all employees in their charge, they pick and choose on the deniability scale who will and will not fall into the realm of the LIFE policy. Fellow employees, this is not fair nor is it just in any stretch of the imagination. Allowing management, a group singularly focused on profitability, to decide your fate is neither smart nor prudent on our part.

We have one option, afforded us under Federal Law, of protection from this judge, jury and executioner role our management team has assumed... Organize ourselves for the purpose of collective bargaining and or mutual protection under Section 7 of the National Labor Relation Act and negotiate a contract with clearly spelled out rules that cannot be changed, mis-applied, or used as a weapon on the whim of management.

With a Contract, maybe we can change our safety slogan to LIFE  Let Injustice Finally End at the Lexington Plant.

07-16-2012

How Heat Kills & How It Almost Killed an

International Paper Employee

Experts on the combination of factors that can make high temperatures fatal

Recently another employee succumbed to heat exhaustion and this one was actually a heat stroke. We noticed that the temperatures in the plant were 2 to 3 degrees warmer than the temperatures outside. Staying hydrated is very important, but other factors come into play that management needs to consider. Safety is preached but at times isn’t followed up by common sense practices that they should implement without hesitation. Please read on for some better insight from experts on the subject.

Last month, more than 3,200 temperature records were broken or tied around the United States, with mercury readings including a scorching 114 degrees Fahrenheit in Yuma, Ariz., 94 in Lincoln, Neb., and 98 in Queens, NY

In Kentucky, six of the first seven days in July have seen record high temperatures, including Saturday’s 105 ­degrees. That topped the record of 101 degrees on July 7, 1936. [1]

The temperatures in the past 10 days in Kentucky (* denotes a record): [1]

In the last two weeks, a third of Americans have endured a heat advisory or excessive heat warning. And temperatures from the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast are running a good 10 to 15 degrees above average.

As the mercury has soared, so too have heat-related deaths. The current count is 23, according to news reports. And with forecasts projecting continued steaminess -- along with continued power outages -- in many places, chances are that more people will succumb.

So, why can heat be so deadly?  Hot weather alone is not dangerous, said Chris Minson, an environmental physiologist at the University of Oregon, Eugene. Instead, it's a combination of hot temperatures, high humidity, and often preexisting health conditions that can push a person's core body temperature to reach the danger zone of 104 F. At that point, the nervous system goes haywire, the heart experiences excessive stress, and organ systems begin to fail.

"If we can't compensate in some way for external temperatures to protect our internal

temperatures, that's when things go wrong," Minson said. "If you can't release heat, you've got problems."

The human body can actually tolerate high temperatures quite well, Minson said. In experiments, people have withstood temperatures as high as 215 F for as long as 30 minutes. And with training, athletes often compete in long-distance running and biking races in desert conditions without dangerously overheating.

To cope with rising environmental temperatures, the heart begins to work harder to pump blood to the skin, where blood vessels dilate to allow more heat to dissipate. At the same time, we produce more sweat, which is the body's best strategy for cooling down.

In order for sweat to cool us off, though, it has to evaporate. As the salty liquid turns to a gas, the skin gets cooler. That, in turn, cools the blood near the surface of the skin, which then can return to the body's core and protect it from overheating.

But with high ambient temperatures and especially high levels of humidity, evaporating beads of perspiration are replaced by pouring rivulets of sweat. The result is a loss of liquid from the blood and the cells, but rivers of sweat do nothing to lower core temperatures.

"We have this ability to sweat that's a fantastic cooling system," Minson said. "Once there's high humidity, now the problem is that sweating is no longer effective."

The brain and central nervous system are particularly sensitive to high internal temperatures, which can cause confusion, strange behaviors, loss of memory and an inability to think clearly. That makes it extremely difficult for a heat-stressed person to realize that he's in trouble.

People with pre-existing health conditions face extra challenges. The heart has to work harder in the heat, increasing the risk for heart attacks in people with cardiovascular problems. For people with diabetes, kidney diseases and other conditions, regulating temperature and fluid levels can be particularly difficult, leading to dehydration, kidney failure, liver problems and worse.

Warm nights that never dip below 75 or 80 degrees, make it hard for the body to find time to recover, especially for people who don't have air conditioners or who have lost power.

From 1979 to 2003, more than 8,000 people died from exposure to excessive heat in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More people died from heat during that period than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined.

People who are in good shape deal better with the heat, because they sweat sooner and more and they have better blood flow to the skin. But even if you're healthy and fit, exercising in the heat can push you over the edge.

Experts recommend drinking plenty of fluids and exercising indoors on the hottest days. If you have to get out, drink one to two liters of water per hour. Hit the trails or pound the pavement at the coolest time of day, usually in the early morning. And watch for your area's heat index, which combines temperatures with humidity levels to give a more accurate idea of how your body will respond to the day's conditions.[2]

[1] Kentucky.com; July 7, 2012

[2] Weather.aol.com July 7, 2012

*NOTE* Thank you Tony for that excellent piece of insight and commentary. You are spot on as always.  We understand that Tommy is doing better now. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tommy and the entire Wells family. Tommy, We wish you a speedy recovery and know that you are missed by all.

It is our hope that this company owns its responsibility in this matter and does the right thing for an employee that has given so much of his life to this job. Any of us could have been in his same situation. The fact is, we all risk our lives by working in hot conditions to make a living for our families. We work in the heat as well as the cold. We travel in bad weather conditions to get to work so our customers get their product. We take pride in doing our jobs to best of our ability and look to our management team to protect our safety and value us as the human beings we are. We are not disposable and easily replaced. When workplace injuries such as this occur it is not the time to play the blame game and start pointing fingers. Its not time to nit pick and look for excuses and it is certainly never the time to try and bully a injured employee and those who support him into backing off.  It is time for management to step up and take a proper stand on the side of right. Its easy to say "safety first" but in practical application that has not always proven to be the case.  We ask that you, as employees of this facility, watch how this company deals with Tommy closely. Keep a close eye on the way our management team and their corporate counterparts manage this situation. When it's all done, know one simple fact... It could have been you.

MB 7-16-2012

05-23-2012

Playing the Justice Lottery.

Here in Lexington we have a policy called Peer Review where you are allowed to draw names and form a panel to hear your complaints and problems when you feel like you have been treated unfairly. When an employee has a problem with the system and it becomes necessary to do a Peer Review this panel is "supposed to be" assembled in a quick and professional manner. Recent events have proven this to not be the case in all circumstances. What I fail to understand is why anyone would want to allow justice to be handled by a blind draw conducted by the very people that you are filing a complaint about. A Union grievance procedure gives you due process under the law and allows you real legal representation and does not depend on a lottery pick. The company bills this as the way to do things within their system. They say it is fair for two members of the salaried staff to sit on this panel to judge whether an hourly employee was treated fairly by rules they are paid to enforce. It is also a sad situation when it comes to light that management does not even understand the practical application, guidelines, scope of authority, or general rules of this policy.  As Tony put it in his last posting, Making the rules as you go. A management right that is wrong for you. Whether we are right or wrong in the things we do, we all deserve a fair hearing to air out or side of the story and be represented by proper council in these matters. A legally binding Union contract will guarantee this for you. You can bet the sure thing or keep playing the Justice Lottery... that choice is yours.

*NOTE* You have a better chance of getting struck by lightning twice than hitting the lottery.

4-22-2012

MAKING THE RULES AS YOU GO. A MANAGEMENT RIGHT THAT IS WRONG FOR YOU!

 One problem we have in Lexington is the fact we really don’t know what to expect from day to day. Without a contract which is legal and binding, management can make rules as they go, without your input or hearing your concerns. They don’t have to follow their own rule book, which they write and choose the terms and conditions at will. They can discipline on the fly, without having rules in place to address their expectations and concerns.

 We had a situation at the recent golf outing that landed an employee in hot water. This employee made a statement to a female member of management that he shouldn’t have made referring to her breasts we were told. He received a suspension without pay and told he could no longer attend any company events in the future.

 We had a similar, almost exact situation happen when Don Noort was our GM. Yes, Don stood right there beside the woman who was then shall we say, the victim of the employee. The employee responsible for these actions said it not once to her, but twice! We were informed by many, that Don told the employee that he was out of his league. There was no suspension, and the employee, as well as Don was later promoted to higher positions. Go figure….. Don’s response was seen by many and still talked about today.

 The employee in question fell off a bar stool and had to be helped back to his seat just prior to making these inappropriate statements.

We have also been told that Chris Harding is a big fan of Don. So much in fact that Don is the acting GM of Bowling Green, as well as the Regional Sales Manager.

We have had many inappropriate incidents at these golf outings in the past. Our company has been banned from several courses we were told due to inappropriate behavior. The company even offers free alcohol at these outings.

  They have set a precedent of allowing this type of behavior obviously. Never have they outlined the rules of engagement at these functions in a flyer or the handbook. Never have they outlined disciplinary actions that would follow if you were to fall outside the rules. Keep in mind these functions are not on company time, you are not on the clock. The main fault is that management has never addressed this as a problem in the past!

We as the organizing committee in no way endorse inappropriate comments or actions, whether sexual, racial or otherwise deemed inappropriate. We hope that this will no longer be an issue in any event and that management will address guidelines, before dishing out punishment. This is a case of putting the cart ahead of the horse, so to speak.

Ford, union share labor-management award

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 20, 2012) – Ford Motor Co.’s Louisville Assembly Plant and United Auto Workers Local 682 have claimed the 19th annual Labor-Management award from the University of Louisville Labor-Management Center.

The award, which honors an area workplace in which labor and management have demonstrated cooperative relations, was presented last night at The Olmsted.

Ford’s managers and employees teamed up to cut costs and develop production efficiencies despite an extended downturn in auto sales, prompting the company to spend more than $600 million to retool the plant to make the 2013 Ford Escape, their award nomination said.

Production of the redesigned Escape is expected to add more than 3,700 new jobs at the plant over the next two years.

Other labor-management actions contributing to the company’s success include:

• A cross-functional team of managers and workers have made continuous improvements in performance and quality aimed at helping Ford stay competitive in the market.

• Management and labor reached an agreement in November to add a new shift at the assembly plan this year to meet customer demand.

• Company and UAW local leaders collaborated to create new hourly positions dedicated to analyzing job safety and ergonomics

Ford opened its Louisville Assembly Plant off Fern Valley Road south of Louisville International Airport in 1955

  4-18-2012

The National Labor Relations Act guarantees us the right to not only organize for the purpose of collective bargaining but the right to organize for the purpose of mutual protection. The latter is what we need to focus on at this point in time. At the Lexington Plant we have an employee who now has a broken foot. He says he broke this foot on working time so it should be covered under Workman's Comp and management should make all efforts to take care of this injured employee. Sadly, thus far, that hasn't exactly been the case. This employee, who is on crutches, has been instructed to "hang around" the break room and wait while the company tries to get the Comp claim approved so he can see the needed specialist to take care of this injury. This employee injured himself last week and has waited with a broken foot until 4-17-2011 at which time he was informed that Worker's Comp may not cover his foot and that his health insurance and his own wallet may have to carry the burden of the medical attention he should have had last week. This is just unquestionably ridiculous. This worker needs proper representation by a union steward and the protection of a union contract. We will continue to monitor this situation extremely close because this injured employee is also a member of this in-plant organizing committee and we can't help but wonder if the lack of proper attention to his condition may be related to his affiliation to a Federally protected and concerted effort to bring democracy to this workplace.

2-10-2012

Welcome Bowling Green!

09-09-2011

Well, here we are again. There is no good reason for the outright punishment of hourly employees by this management team. I think Tony has summed it up well with his latest commentary.

 Just as we all thought management, at the direction of Chris Harding had changed its ways by changing the guard, we now see the light. A new GM and production manager should do the trick we thought.

 Roland is quite personable as well as Kyle. They seem knowledgeable and far more compassionate and respectful when dealing with people than their predecessors.

 One huge problem remains. He is the same problem we’ve dealt with for years. In our sessions with HR we have mentioned his name time and time again. Don Noort.

 He failed miserably as GM of our facility. No question.  The only reason we were narrowly defeated in the last election was the promise that he would no longer reside in our facility. Yet another promise has been broken.  Oh, and the gain sharing promise! They said we were so close to gain sharing, why jeopardize it!

 Don has been over booking our plant with orders. Several days this week we look at 6 million feet booked per day when our capacity is no more than 4.5 million at best. This means Don can’t add or doesn’t care to shaft us or our customers. When we have to call a customer to move orders out this sends a disturbing message. The message being that they can’t count on us to deliver as promised.

 He has been told not to schedule more than our capacity, but he is his own boss.  Obviously nobody in Memphis has the backbone to put him in his place. Why is he even still Here? What plant in our corporation allows a sales manager to over ride a general manager? My fear is that in the end he will cost us business or serious health problems. Scroll down this page to see my commentary about the health costs associated with over time! Business is our survival. Our word to our customers should be as good as gold.

 He’s supposedly a regional sale manager. Why is he not in a regional office somewhere? Actually, why is he employed here at all after his history of reckless behavior?

 We feel defeated the minute we come to work and learn of this arrogance. We know we can’t possibly fill the orders he has committed to for the week. More overtime and still can’t possibly catch up. Once again having to call customers and push orders out.

 Then we learn he was upset that we got Labor Day weekend off. He made us work it when he was GM, remember? So he decides to book us through the roof the Friday before.

 Then we learned that sales had to work last Saturday because of the Witron system we have implemented. He and his buddy Donna show up at 8 am and leave at 9:20 am. What if the sales staff had a question or needed help in some manner? Don and Donna’s lack of leadership at work again!

Look in our archive to see some of Don and Donna’s past antics here: www.iplexingtonplant.org/don_archive.htm

 Here is the bottom line. Nothing is going to get better with Don in this role…Smoke and mirrors. A Union contract is the only solution to dealing with our situation. The company has deceived us in the past and this will not change due to their mercy... They have none.

Tony Bellamy

09-09-11

According to the National Labor Relations Act we have the right to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining and or MUTUAL PROTECTION. I think guarding our customer base and the integrity of this facility is in all our best interests. When a facility looses the trust and confidence of those who buy our products we risk cut backs and possible job loss. Don is playing a dangerous "shell game" with all our futures when he continues to write checks that we cant cash. I do not pretend to understand the intricacies of running an operation of this caliber but I do understand that broken promises to customers will lead to a failure on the part of management which, in turn, will lead to the downfall of a successful facility. I do understand we want to demonstrate the need for additional equipment or replacement of lost equipment but at what risk? Do the ends really justify the means?  It is the shared opinion of this committee that a Union contract with a more clearly spelled out set of rules and goals would be in all our best interests and serve to Mutually Protect us as a workforce and providers for our families.

Marcus Bryant

4-21-2011

We would like to take this moment to express our support and dedication to the organized labor movement in this company and the United States as a whole. We oppose any bill of legislation or law that weakens or interferes with our legal right to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining and or mutual protection. Under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act we are guaranteed that right and it is our chosen path to support and fight for that right.

11-16-2010

The punishment continues. Beware the retaliation of management if you have the nerve to speak out in favor of a union or disagree with one of their policies you will be branded as a troublemaker. They will cease to like you and take you off their Christmas good kid list. You know that was just a little touch of humor but it strikes a blow at the very real problem of vindictive management and their habit of trying to get even with employees that don't play their games and just want a fair days pay for a fair days work.  One thing that is getting way out of hand is managements policy of promoting due to the "buddy" policy. Giving someone a job that they are not qualified to do just because that person is in the clique. You know it kind of brings to mind the fact I can go sit in a space shuttle and call myself a pilot but I cant fly it but NASA likes me so what the hell, why not let me fake it. When the thing crashes to the ground, we can always blame it on the ground crew. The same principle applies to the box plant except we can just blame the operators when the captain fails. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing in the wrong hands. We need to get ourselves organized and become a United Steelworkers Local and start taking control of our futures before the blame game starts and this "buddy" policy robs us of our jobs

11-15-2010 

Has anyone felt any more disrespect in this workplace  than now? Management is pulling out all the stops and going full on with the punish to drive production philosophy.  This team was so ashamed of their last survey results that they reverted to a generic Q&A approach with no room for comments. In effect they said we don't care what you think, want, or need.  Has anyone bothered to ask the question if management is so concerned about morale or workplace involvement on the part of the hourly employee, why didn't they act on the results of last years survey when many people voiced their concerns over some members of management taking the role of a school yard bullies? It is our opinion that management does not care about your morale and only talks about that when it is in their interest and they want to look good in front of their bosses.  When will enough be enough? It is high time to look at the reality of things. This management team is driven by their need to achieve higher numbers to get bigger bonuses and brownie points with their superiors. We need to treat this relationship we have with management as a business just like they do and get ourselves a contract that will allow us to maintain a more civil and balanced existence with this management team. With no Union Contract we have no guaranteed rights and we get treated like we are being treated now and I believe that to be very poorly. Many of you will readily agree with me. We need a Union here in Lexington now more than ever in the history of this plant . The poor treatment of the employees here must stop and it is becoming apparent that no one in management is willing to do anything to stop it. Why would they? Bigger whips equal bigger profits... When the time comes sign your Union card and get ready to vote to protect your future.

8-29-10

5-17-10 

Management often asks more of the hourly employee’s than they themselves are willing to give. Sixty hour work weeks would definitely be one such sacrifice they never adhere to. Is this common demand on blue collar workers just a sacrifice of time with your family, or could it be more? I ran across the article below which suggests it may very well put your health at great risk. 

Working overtime doesn't just make you cranky and cut into your social schedule. A new, long-running study suggests it may also be bad for your heart.

Researchers in London tracked more than 10,000 civil servants there for the Whitehall II study, published in the May 12 edition of the "European Heart Journal."

People who toiled away three or more hours beyond a typical seven-hour workday had a 60 percent higher risk of heart-related problems than those who didn't, according to the findings.

"The association between long hours and coronary heart disease was independent of a range of risk factors that we measured at the start of the study, such as smoking, being overweight or having high cholesterol," said epidemiologist and lead author, Dr. Marianna Virtanen in a statement.

Virtanen, of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki, Finland, and University College London, wrote that she and her colleagues found the overtime workers were more at risk for death from heart disease, nonfatal heart attacks and angina. 

But she added that further studies need to be done to definitively conclude that the stress from overtime work increases the risk of heart conditions.

"Our findings suggest a link between working long hours and increased coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, but more research is needed before we can be confident that overtime work would cause CHD," she said.

Virtanen also wants her team to examine whether working long hours has an impact on other ailments like diabetes and depression.

The broad-based Whitehall II study began in 1985 and recruited 10,308 office workers between the ages of 35 and 55 from 20 different civil service departments in London. 

Among the data asked for during the survey was a question about working hours first posed between 1991 and 1994. To measure overtime effects, researchers looked at information on 6,014 people -- 4,262 men and 1,752 women -- aged 39-61, tracking them until 2002-2004.

During the tracking period of about 11.2 years, Virtanen and colleagues in Finland, the U.K. and France pinpointed 369 cases of fatal CHD, nonfatal heart attacks (also called myocardial infarctions) or angina. 

The researchers adjusted for various factors including age, sex, marital status and occupational status and found that working three to four hours of overtime, but not one to two hours, was linked to a 60 percent higher rate of heart problems compared with no overtime work. More adjustments of about 21 different risk factors made little difference in the results, the authors said.

Researchers said there could be several explanations for why working long hours might lead to more heart disease. One is that overtime is often related to type A behaviors and personalities -- associated with competitiveness, tension, time consciousness and aggression -- as well as a lack of sleep and an increase in depression and anxiety. Undiagnosed high blood pressure might also have been a factor.

Virtanen said the authors' findings are independent of the above factors, so they aren't able to give a complete account of why overtime work seems to be associated with a spike in heart disease risk until further studies are done.

In conclusion, we have long stated that a mandatory overtime limit of 8 hours per week should be in a negotiated contract with management. This would not limit anyone who wishes to volunteer for more than 8 hours .  This is another prime example as to why this is necessary.

 Tony Bellamy

2-24-10   I'm willing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt but are we dealing with more of the same with a new wrapper?  One thing is for sure... things have changed but is it for the better? Do you really think so? Does management still have their favorites that get away with anything they please while the rest of us answer for even small infractions of their unwritten code? Are you continually prodded for more production with no more pay? Why can't management follow their own rules? 2010 is a good year to seek some answers to these kind of questions and some relief for the ongoing issues that local management has chosen to turn a blind eye to. It is my opinion and the shared opinion of this union committee that the only true resolution to issues like these is through the process of collective bargaining and the only way to secure that those resolutions remain in tact is to lock them in with a legally binding union contract. We are assured that Federal Legislation to assist us in this pursuit is on the way. More to come.

MB.

 

• Execs' pay held steady despite stock tumult
• Getting serious on CEO pay
 

Shares of the Memphis, Tenn-based paper company sank 63% last year, compared with a 38% drop in the S&P 500 index, according to the report. Despite such a drubbing, the company's CEO got total compensation of $38.2 million. According to the Corporate Library, John Faraci's compensation included $21 million in pension payments he received while still working at the company. Faraci, 59, has been CEO for six years. International Paper said in a statement that Faraci's total compensation was $13 million and that the Corporate Library "mistakenly included" the pension payments.

Ok so let this poor ignorant farm boy understand this for a minute. These CEOS make multimillion dollar paychecks. Cool wish I was one of them. Now the board who approves this kind of extreme money gets how much? The assistant CEO gets how much? The 10 assistants to the assistant gets how much? Then the middle management gets a few million between all 100 of them I could only guess? Ok so maybe a conservative guess here is that 50% of a company's profit goes to the top 2% of its employees. Then you have the share holders who get what, 2% on their money. Now this all has to go back to Wall street and the chasing of the best returns. The exorbitant pay going out to the top2% causes the company to increase its charges for goods and services so that the profits can show a consistent increase. Now the rest of us have to pay higher prices because of the increase and we have to pay our government more money so that they can protect us from this kind of gouging.

9-14-09  This letter was secured from the internet and contributed to us by a member of this committee.

Hello to you all, fellow employees of IP,
 
We send you this mail because we sincerely think that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH in the IP system.
 
We are a mill specialized since 35 years now in 100% waste based papers for corrugating (fluting and liners). We have been bought by IP in the beginning of the 1990s and now IP has suddenly decided to shut us down.
 
EBIT of the year 2007 is + 7 M Euros !! (11 M$). After this good year we started to suffer from the crisis and the low market prices. To help the mill results, the employees have given more than their best and have accepted every effort asked by IP :  
 
- extend the working days like working until Christmas eve late in the afternoon
- work on New years eve and day
- block all holidays and keep them for “conjunctural” stops decided by IP
- always do more and better and cheaper (best eficiency achieved in may 2009) meanwhile accepting to take always more risks at work because less and less capital was injected into the site to preserve the industrial tool and infrastructures
 
We gave willingly without counting our sweat to keep our mill floating, sometimes gave our blood without asking why machine guardings were missing or why holes in the floor weren’t filled up in time or never.
 
Now we understand that the strategy was to press our mill until the last drop and consider that what’s left is pure garbage, just good enough to dismantle.
 
We are dying, you can’t do much for us but we hope that other sites won’t accept to be treated has we have been.
 
STOP ACCEPTING TO DO ALWAYS MORE WITHOUT SOLID AND WRITTEN ENGAGEMENTS because IP isn’t the ethic Group they pretend they are.
 
Be aware that many systems deployed by IP (Roadmap for personal competencies development, CSA, KES, Gallup, Safety/Enviro surveys …) are at the best useless because of the lack of will to spend capital on these subjects and at the worse are often diversions or tools to measure, compare and decide who to kill. Check if the official strategy isn’t bringing you to a point of no return like us…
 
IP isn’t committed to safety, environment, employee development, best practices and other bullsh*ts. These are just smokescreens build by an ever bigger pyramid of internal leeches autoproclaimed as “Supports services” in which more and more d*cks*ckers make they way up.
 
The small factories making the real economy are sucked to death by the stock market wishes and by theses internal *ssh*les.
 
IP made our mill weaker and weaker and now their terminators are surrounding us and the lethal injection is for soon. No future for us possible on the site. So all that’s left to us is a last battle to obtain the best compensation possible after such a traitorous attack. WE WILL FIGHT TILL OUR LAST BREATH. As a great man said in a similar case, struggling for a matter of life or death :
 
We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France,
we shall fight in front of the corrugators and IP customers,
we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength around our papermachines, we shall defend our mill, whatever the cost may be,
we shall fight on the riverside,
we shall fight on the storage grounds,
we shall fight in the warehouses and in the streets
we shall fight in the meeting-rooms;
we shall never surrender,
 
Please have a thought for the 109 families of the ETIENNE MILL IN FRANCE on the 30th of November when they will have to change life with a great feeling of having been totally f*cked to the bone.
 
Sorry for the rude words but our feelings are even worse
 
If you feel that you can safely reply to us, we will be pleased of receiving some support from you like kind words.
 
Thank you for reading this,
 
THE ETIENNE MILL STAFF
AND ALL THE OTHER PERSONS DIRECTLY CONCERNED BY THE CLOSURE OF THIS INTERNATIONAL PAPER MILL
 

TO THE ETIENNE MILL STAFF, We are very sorry that this has happened to you and we admire your strength to stand up for what few rights you have left. 

We do not endorse the use of foul language in writing to express ones self but I understand their frustration. We also do not endorse the validity of the claims made in this letter. It is posted here to aid this in-plant union committee in it's effort to organize the workforce of International Paper Lexington, Kentucky as a collective bargaining unit with the USW.  MBryant

09-08-09    

How about a survey on exactly how much of what we have heard in these latest meetings do we believe?  How many times have we all heard the same old story? "Things are going to change." "Things will get better."  "Give me a chance." Been there, Done that, bought the t-shirt and don't want to go back!  The only way anything will change is for us to organize a union and start bargaining instead of begging. Anytime a manager starts a meeting with announcing he has closed several plants is a scare tactic to get your attention focused on whatever message he wants to instill in your mind. OK here is a really good one... Mike Delaney's position was eliminated but they are going to hire another person to fill it? How does that equal an eliminated position? Sounds to me like they wanted to set up a scapegoat to take the fall for the problems in Lexington and, while I'm sure this eliminated position story is a ruse and Mike Delaney is probably getting a promotion, I guess they figured why not use this for a cover similar to the way they used Don in the last Union campaign. I mean why not? It worked back then.  Has anybody questioned the fact that these meetings are always scheduled for the last few minutes of the day? It seems to me they are trying to have their say and shove us out the door. Nobody really wants to ask questions if it means we are going to have to stay after our shift is over to get the answers. In my personal opinion, that's cowardice on the part of management to hide from their employees.  Management wants the truth on their survey? Since when? I don't think so...They want whatever makes life easy on them and keeps the "right people" in control. I mean, how do you face the truth if you are in denial? You speak the truth and it is instantly denied and whitewashed over like a rotten fence post.  I am going to be honest in saying I have taken it easy in these past campaigns. Protected some people to my own derision. That will be the case no more.  This factory needs a union badly. The workers need their rights protected from a management team that has gone far astray of the respect and dignity doctrine that was policy at one time. As an In-plant Union Committee Member, It is my chosen duty to attempt to bring that union to the people of the Lexington Facility and I shall not allow personal likes and dislikes to interfere with that duty any longer. Managers who insist on threatening and bullying employees shall be held accountable to the people for those actions in this campaign and all things said shall become public record for all to see as is my right under section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.  In future writings I will be discussing the various safety violations that have been ignored and swept under the rug by this management team as well as several other bad practices. 

That's all for now.  Marcus Bryant

On this hot day in August, (08-10-09)  our management team decides to close several doors to our facility. Doors that have been traditionally left open to assist with the poor ventilation of this building.  Why you may ask?  There is no logical answer that I am aware of. In over 24 years of service at this facility I have never heard of this issue coming up until now.

 Keep in mind our management team just gave themselves a state of the art air conditioning system. You give them your hard work and sweat everyday as the production numbers show. Is this how they show you the respect and appreciation you deserve? By putting your health at risk through possible heat stroke?

 Reflect for a moment the track record of the new management’s safety program. No longer are we recognized as a VPP plant. They scrapped the program after spending a small fortune on it. Cost was the reason I am told. They replaced a well educated safety coordinator with an hourly worker who has nowhere near the enthusiasm or expertise as the man formerly in charge.

 I was told Denny gave him this  position to keep Memphis out of Lexington’s business. He doesn’t want them involved in our safety issues.

  I bet he doesn’t want them to know how they manipulate KIWI either. How orders are manipulated to take advantage of footage so they can get those big numbers. That’s another issue though. We will address that one soon in full detail!

 Several people in the past have had to seek medical attention due to heat issues. This is with the doors open.  Now they have shut the doors realizing the dangers involved.  Nothing of any value has been established by our management to deal with the increased risk to your safety by closing the doors. In legal terms, this is a case of negligence.

Should you become dizzy, or feel nauseas or faint, you should seek a cool place and get help. Even if you have to shut down the machine to do so.  Remember to pace yourself on the job. The harder you exert yourself in extreme heat, the greater the danger. If you need medical attention, request it immediately. Heat stroke is a very serious issue.

 If anyone is denied help or reprimanded for these things let us know. We can help you in following up with OSHA or the NLRB.

 The real danger is working for a management team who has no concern or respect for you, without a contract to protect you from this kind of arrogance. Or should I say ignorance. Very soon you will have a chance to change this. Reflect on this new policy when it comes time for you to make that decision.

05-04-09  All I can say about this is wow!

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Greenwashing? I have to admit that was a new one on me but after it was explained, It makes perfect sense.

“Green is green as in the color of money”
- Brand director of General Electric, Brandweek, July 26, 2006

“Greenwashing” is the act of misleading the public regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product, service, or business line.  Due to the public’s increased awareness of environmental issues, including global warming, deforestation, and the loss of endangered species, greenwashing has become a staple of corporations marketing efforts.  All of the companies in this article have made some effort to address these concerns.  Some of them appear to be trying harder than others, and even a few of them have made legitimate efforts to become responsible corporate stewards of the environment.  Evidenced by the support of environmental groups and corporate responsibility professionals, many of these companies’ green initiatives have made a positive impact.

The “Green” Hypocrisy: America’s Corporate Environment Champions Pollute The World

The irony of the "green" movement of U.S. companies is that many of the firms that spend the most money and public relations effort trying to show that they are trying to improve the environment are also among the most prolific polluters in the country. 24/7 Wall St. profiles 10 of the biggest offenders

 A majority of America's largest companies have become part of the "green" movement. Some have fleets of hybrid trucks. Others install solar panels on their large buildings to consume energy more cost effectively with less of an impact on the environment. Many give generously to environmental non-profit organizations.

 The irony is some of them are among the most prolific polluters in the country. Pollution does not mean that the companies are doing anything illegal.  Instead, it simply refers to natural consequence of the companies' industrial efforts which result in contamination to the air, soil or water by the discharge of substances that are toxic to the environment. 24/7 Wall St. has put together a list of the top 10 "greenwashers" in America. Continue through our gallery to see who made the list. 

1) General Electric (GE)

2) American Electric Power (AEP)

3) ExxonMobil (XOM)

4) DuPont (DFT)

5) Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)

6) Waste Management, Inc. (WMI)

7) International Paper (IP)

8) BP (BP)

9) Dow Chemical (DOW)

10) General Motors (GM)

In the early 1990s, following a series of reports issued by the United Nations on sustainable development and rainforest conservation, the forest products industry began to receive increased attention over its land-use strategies regarding logging.  Specifically, these companies, including International Paper, received negative publicity regarding their use of chemicals, clear-cutting, and inadequate conservation protection.  Informed by increased awareness of sustainable practices, third-party certification has become a critical tool for promoting ecologically responsible forestry practices.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international non-profit founded in 1993 by environmental groups, the forestry profession, and community groups.  Its stated purpose “is to improve forest management worldwide” by providing “a model for environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable forest stewardship.”

In 1994, International Paper, in collaboration with the American Forest & Paper Association (AFPA) – the national trade association for the forest, pulp, paper, paperboard, and wood products industry – founded the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).  According to AFPA website, the association’s members “agreed to adhere to a set of forestry principles that would meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

According to an independent study commissioned by both FSC and SFI, although SFI was initially developed as an industry led self-improvement program, “it has evolved into a program that promotes third-party certification of forestry practices of member companies and licensees.”  However, contrary to this assessment, environmental groups, including The Sierra Club, The Nation Environmental Defense Fund and the Rainforest Action Network have published reports critical of what they characterize as weak standards for certification.  According to these groups, because SFI standards were developed by the same industry that requires certification, SFI certification provides a measurement for sustainability that is weak on oversight and contrary to its stated purpose.

The US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a rating tool of the nonprofit for green building design and construction that seeks to provide measurable results for building owners and occupants.  The LEED green building certification program for new construction requirements are intended to “encourage environmentally responsible forest management.”  The most recent version of LEED, with a scheduled launch of April 27, requires that new construction seeking the LEED designation must “Use a minimum of 50% (based on cost) of wood-based materials and products that are certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council’s principles and criteria, for wood building components.”

FSC is not without its critics. It may be that some groups find both acceptable.  However, despite this criticism, 24/7 Wall St is unaware of any environmental groups that have suggested that SFI is better than FSC.

According to International Paper’s 2008 “Sustainability Update,” FSC certification in the U.S. reflects a fraction of the certification used by the company’s businesses.  Of the company’s 16 domestic paper mills only one uses FSC certification.  Similarly, domestic container plants and wood procurement systems both use SFI certification in lieu of FSC.

According to TRI, for the paper industry, International Paper was the largest producer of chemicals with fifteen facilities in the top 100 generating 42,554,027 pounds in waste.  The company also had the second highest producing facility of TRI production-related waste with 43,320,612 pounds.  According to PERI, International Paper is the thirty-first most toxic company with a toxic score of 49,385.

In 2008, the Rainforest Action Network condemned a proposal by International Paper to build a pulp mill and establish 1.2 million acres of plantation forest in Indonesia’s rainforest.  This came as a surprise to RAN because the company had established an internal policy that it would not expand into Indonesia because it is a global warming and biodiversity hot spot.

Following the release, Thomas E. Gestrich, president of International Paper Asia, explained the company’s plans in Indonesia.  Mr.Gestrich said that he would prefer land that had already been cleared, but failed to explain how the company would secure hundreds of thousands of meters of forest without disturbing the natural habitat, waters or indigenous peoples.

Out of the LCV’s Dirty Dozen, International Paper’s PAC has donated thousands of dollars to 5 of the Dirty Dozen, including the leading denier of global warming, Senator Jim Inhofe.

MBryant

02-07-09

“We like driving the car and we're not going to give the steering wheel to anybody but us.”

—Lee Scott, Wal-Mart CEO, cited by Thomas Frank in the Wall Street Journal

Hello fellow Union supporters and welcome to the first update of the new year. Yes that's right...we haven't given up, not yet and not by a long shot. We, like many of our fellow Union activists, are anxiously waiting to see where the Employee Free Choice Act takes us. As this act draws closer to becoming law, you will be bombarded by a well oiled corporate propaganda machine with a reported 200 million dollar campaign budget.  200 million dollars? Really? That tells me one thing, they are scared! Anytime you see big corporations striking a match to money like that it is in fear of loosing control.  A level of control described by the reported quote at the top of this article from Lee Scott the CEO of Wal-Mart. They are driving the car and we are just riding along. My question is...how has that worked out so far? The economy is in the toilet, the rich ruling class is investing all it's money in China and the American worker is taking a beating like never before and now the profiteering scoundrels that caused this mess in the first place with their million dollar bonuses and astronomical expense accounts are asking you to steer clear of a proposed act that will give you the right to negotiate a better future for you and you family?  And I hear if we go along with that, they have some lovely Arizona beach front property for sale too! Now, before someone misquotes me, I am not advocating that we kick corporate America while its down but I damn sure don't think we need to hand over the proverbial keys to the candy store. Facts are facts, the American hourly workforce had little to do with this recession. Quite to the contrary, we would love to buy new cars and houses but thanks to continued poor corporate decisions (like a 200 million dollar anti-union ad campaign) we are forced to live with what we have. Even when CEO's are caught with their hands in the cookie jar they still try to blame the demands of the workforce or claim entitlement to the millions of dollars they sucked out of the companies they head. In a Washington interview, President Obama referred to the Wall Street CEO's actions as "Shameful." Vice President Biden said they should be "Thrown in the Brig."

The American hourly workforce must take actions to protect its self and the future of labor in this country. We are being systematically sold out to the highest bidder by corporate CEO's that just don't care one way or the other. Why should they give two shakes about you,  your family or this country...with the pile of greed money they hauled out of so called "Public Held Corporations" They got theirs covered and they can always move to China.  And here is the really funny part...with this proposed government bailout they are asking the same people that the corporations have sold out and betrayed to fork over more money so they can keep doing business as usual. Some are even trying to use the money to pay promised bonuses to their CEO's Talk about adding insult to injury!  A BONUS? the dude was a grand failure in his job and ran his company into a ditch so bad that he has to beg for government assisted corporate welfare and he wants his bonus? The only bonus he deserves is a door knob in the ass as he leaves. One thing to remember...these are the same people that begrudge hourly employees the right to organize a union. 

In the coming months we will see what the Employee Free Choice Act brings us and Tony and I along with the rest of this committee will do our best to bring the most current information we have to you. Remember to work safe.

*NOTE* With the downturn in the economy some bosses may use this recession as an excuse to bypass safety. Don't risk your health and well being for anyone. If you feel you are being forced to work unsafely contact Kentucky OSHA and report the situation. 

Telephone

In closing I would like to leave you with these final remarks about Fair Trade.

It is not a Fair Trade situation when cut rate products manufactured by slave labor are introduced into the American Market. The workers in these countries are nothing more than slaves to the company they work for and may work their entire short lives for nothing more than food to stay alive. Some of those that are lucky enough to be paid will receive less than 5% of an American workers wages with no benefits. That is 5 cents on the dollar per hour that these people make. It is small wonder that they can sell this junk so cheaply. Our government must halt the influx of this type of product and deem it an unfair trade advantage. We, as American workers, can not and will not live on third world pay in order for corporations to report record profits and hand out million dollar bonus checks to the privileged few.  Organized labor has worked for years to stop this and to raise the standards of employment not only for this country but for nations abroad. Trade is only fair when it is done on a level playing field.

Marcus B

9-17-08

Click on this Link for information about the Employee Free Choice Act and those sickening anti union TV ads. More Updates on the way soon