United In
Sorrow And Grief - The heartbreaking sound of
gunfire this week at Virginia Tech echoed closer to home
when it was learned that an IAM member’s stepson was among
the 32 students and teachers killed in the nation’s worst
school shooting ever. Ryan Clark, 22, a fourth-year
Biology, English and Psychology major and stepson of IAM
member Mae Clark, was the second student to be slain on
April 16 when he came to the aide of fellow student Emily
Hilscher. Mae Clark is a member of IAM Local 641 in
Cleveland, NC, and employed at Auto Truck Transport in Mt.
Holly, NC. Among his talents and passions, Ryan “Stack”
Clark played in Virginia Tech’s marching band and worked
summers as music director at a camp for physically and
mentally disabled adults and children. “He was just one of
the greatest people you could possibly know,” said friend
Gregory Walton in the Detroit Free Press. Police have
identified a senior at Virginia Tech, Cho Seung Hui, as the
gunman who moved from building to building, methodically
executing students and teachers despite heroic efforts to
stop him. One professor, Liviu Librescu, 76, a holocaust
survivor, died trying to block a door while students escaped
by jumping from windows. “It is difficult to fully express
the sadness and sorrow we feel for the victims and their
families,” said IP Tom Buffenbarger. “On behalf of our
officers, staff and members, I want to extend our deepest
sympathies to the families, friends, colleagues and
classmates of those who perished at Virginia Tech.”
ITF Backs
IAM Day Of Action - Just a month before the 2007
Transportation Day of Action, the International Transport
Workers Federation (ITF) have launched a
website to show global support for the IAM’s
Transportation Day of Action. “Transport workers around the
world are suffering the same indignities as the US workers,”
said Ingo Marowsky, ITF Civil Aviation Secretary. “That’s
why the ITF is urging civil aviation and other transport
affiliates to back this worldwide campaign.” The ITF is
asking unions to back the Day of Action in a number of
ways. These include sending as many participants as
possible to the Washington D.C. rally on May 17th,
presenting government ministers with a charter of demands
during the same week as the action and urging cabin crew on
stopover to join ground staff at destination airports in
organized actions. The ITF is an international trade union
federation of 681 transport workers' unions representing
4,500,000 transport workers in 148 countries. Check out the
IAM’s Day of Action Website,
www.17may07.org , for the latest Day of Action
information.
Continental
Reports 1st Quarter Profits of $22 Million
- Continental Airlines reported Thursday, a first-quarter
2007 net income, including special items, of $22 million.
First-quarter net income includes a $7 million gain on the
sale of substantially all of the company’s remaining
investment in ExpressJet Holdings and a net charge from
other special items of $11 million. Excluding special
items, Continental recorded net income of $26 million, an
improvement of $72 million compared to the same period last
year. Strong revenue growth, continued cost discipline and
a slight decrease in fuel prices contributed to the
quarterly profit, the first time since 2001 that the company
has posted a first-quarter profit in what is a seasonally
weak period. “We are pleased with the first-quarter revenue
results, as we continued to grow our revenue at almost twice
the rate that we grew our capacity,” Continental President,
Jeff Smisek said. “While the domestic system suffers from
yield pressure, the international system is performing
superbly, and rewards us for our decade-long focus on
international expansion,” he added.
Board Orders
Northwest, Flight Attendants To Resume Talks - The
union representing Northwest Airlines flight attendants met
with company officials Thursday after a break of nearly two
months. The National Mediation Board ordered the two sides
to talk. "We hope to reach an agreement with the AFA/CWA as
soon as possible," a Northwest spokesman said.
Creditors
Overwhelmingly Approve Delta Reorganization - Delta
Air Lines' reorganization plan received overwhelming support
from creditors, according to official results. Delta will
ask a court to approve the plan on April 25, and it plans to
leave bankruptcy protection at the end of this month.
Airlines
Added Workers in February - Commercial airlines in
the U.S. added 900 employees to their workforces in
February. The increase marks the first annual increase in
employment for the industry since December 2004, according
to the DOT. "The vast majority of the fat's been cut out of
this business," says Jon Ash, an industry consultant.
"There's not a lot left."
Get Ready
for the Day of Action - The IAM Transportation
Department is preparing for a major March and Rally on May
17, 2007, in Washington, DC. Thousands of working men and
women from every state of the Union will join us on that day
to say “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!” For more information, visit
17may07.org
