Re: Caterpillar union ends strike but row unsettled (fwd)

["Bryan A. Alexander" <bnalexan@xxxxxxxxx>]

This is of course awful - and should be truly depressing to our local
newspaper strikers!



Bryan Alexander
Department of English
University of Michigan
**********************

On Tue, 5 Dec 1995, Chegitz Guevara wrote:

>
>
> Marc, "the Chegitz," Luzietti
> personal homepage: http://shrike.depaul.edu/~mluziett
> political homepage: http://shrike.depaul.edu/~mluziett/chegitz.html
>
> "Gas! GAS! Quick boys!--an ecstasy of fumbling,
> Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
> But someone was still yelling out and stumbling,
> And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
> Dim, through the misty panes and the thick green light,
> As under a green sea, I saw him drowning."
>
> >From "Dulce Et Decorum Est," written sometime between Oct. 1917 & March
> 1918, by Wilfred Owen, killed in the last week of WWI.
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Mon, 4 Dec 95 19:57:12 -0800
> Subject: Caterpillar union ends strike but row unsettled
>
> Caterpillar union ends strike but row unsettled
> a1334LBY516reulb
> r a BC-CATERPILLAR   12-03 0317
> ^BC-CATERPILLAR@
>  ^Caterpillar union ends strike but row unsettled@
>     CHICAGO, Dec 3 (Reuter) - Union leaders at heavy equipment
> maker Caterpillar Inc. voted on Sunday to end a 17-month strike
> despite a solid vote from the rank and file to reject the
> firms's latest proposals to settle the bitter dispute.
>     The United Auto Workers-Caterpillar Central Bargaining
> Committee said it voted by an ``overwhelming majority'' to call
> off the strike, making 8,700 UAW members available immediately
> for a return to work.
>     But the Detroit-based UAW said a large majority of members
> at seven UAW-Caterpillar local unions voted at meetings this
> weekend to reject the company's formula for a return to work.
>     Nearly 14,000 UAW members walked out in June 1994 alleging
> unfair labour practices. Since then about a third crossed picket
> lines but some 8,700 UAW members remained on strike at eight
> plants.
>     The Peoria, Ill.-based company said striking employees
> should not return to work until contacted by management.
>     Until then, it said, they will be considered unreinstated
> strikers and their compensation and benefits will remain the
> union's responsibility.
>     ``Because of all the operations changes we've made ... an
> immediate return to pre-strike staffing of more than a year ago
> is simply not practical,'' Caterpillar vice-president Wayne
> Zimmerman said in a statement.
>     Caterpillar has also hired replacement workers and
> reassigned some white collar staff to assembly lines to keep up
> production.
>     Caterpillar's latest proposal -- similar to that rejected by
> the union when the last contract expired on Nov. 3, 1991 --
> includes a provision to increase standard hourly wages using a
> modified cost-of-living formula. The company estimates this
> would yield $1.44 over the life of the six-year contract.
>     The proposal also provided full medical coverage within a
> certain medical network, and put a cap on future retiree medical
> costs after the year 2000.
>  ^REUTER@
> Reut23:16 12-03-95
>
> Reuter N:Copyright 1995, Reuters News Service
>
>


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