News From USW: Labor Targets ING Group for Supporting Gamma Holding's Union Busting in Arkansas.PITTSBURGH -- The AFL-CIO AFL-CIO: see American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. AFL-CIO in full American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations U.S. and the United Steelworkers (USW USW Und So Weiter (German: and so on) USW Undersea Warfare USW United Steel Workers USW US Wheat Associates USW Ultrasonic Welding USW Ultra Short Wave USW US West Telecommunications (stock symbol) ) have urged ING Group (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : ING), a Dutch banking conglomerate, to assist in resolving a labor dispute between the USW and National Wire Fabric (NWF), a subsidiary of Gamma Holding NV. The USW is also working with FNV Bondgenoten, the largest industrial union in the Netherlands, on the campaign to end the year-long dispute. To date, ING has not responded to the unions. ING Group is the single largest shareholder (26.19%) of Gamma Holding. Aris Waterler of ING Parcom is a member of Gamma's Supervisory Board. ING manages over $75 billion in pension funds, including public and Taft-Hartley funds where union members serve as trustees. "ING, which has a controlling interest in Gamma, wants to manage retirement accounts for union members, but does not want to act to ensure that even the most basic union rights are respected," said USW president Leo W. Gerard. Since its acquisition by Gamma Holding in 2001, NWF has adopted a confrontational labor strategy. As a result, members of USW Local 1671 have been on strike at NWF's Star City, Arkansas Star City is a city in and the location of the county seat of Lincoln CountyGR6, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city's population was 2,471. facility since July 23, 2005. It is the longest strike in the history of Arkansas
Arkansas was the 25th state admitted to the United States. Exploration and early inhabitation The first European to reach Arkansas was the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto at the end of the 16th century. . NWF has hired permanent replacement workers to destroy the union in direct violation of the International Labor Organization's convention on "freedom of association," and in contradiction to Gamma's own published policies. The USW has filed a formal complaint against Gamma with the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development and the U.S. National Labor Relations Board National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), independent agency of the U.S. government created under the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (Wagner Act), and amended by the acts of 1947 (Taft-Hartley Labor Act) and 1959 (Landrum-Griffin Act), which affirmed labor's right . AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka wrote Michel Tilmant, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of ING Group, that NWF's conduct was "designed to deny the employees the benefit of union representation" and "that ING Group should encourage Gamma Holding to apply responsible labor practices at its subsidiary, National Wire Fabric." The USW plans to continue alerting other labor unions in the U.S. and worldwide about the ongoing anti-worker conduct of NWF and Gamma, which are being supported by ING. |
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