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Strike Over
By Max Fraser
The UAW's national strike against General Motors came to a quick end at 4 a.m. today, with the announcement that a tentative agreement had been reached. Though most details of the agreement are not yet available, it does include a provision for the creation of a VEBA health care trust. UAW President Ron Gettelfinger has assured his membership and the New York Times that the deal "will absolutely protect their jobs and keep jobs from being reduced." But he has not provided specific information on the job security guarantees the union was seeking when it walked out Monday morning.
According to a report in the Detroit Free Press, the deal also includes an attrition program to clear out current workers whose positions will be re-classified as "non-core" and their wages reduced, while implementing a two-tier wage scale and benefits packages for new hires.
If this is the case, and pending any further details that emerge on the agreement, the UAW leadership would appear to have acquiesced on GM's two most significant demands--the VEBA trust and the two-tier wage plan--and will now have to see if it can sell its membership on a disappointing contract that is sure to enflame dissidents within the union who have already been critical of the way Gettelfinger has handled negotiations.
(16) CommentsSeptember 26, 2007
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Signing Off From Live Earth
By Max Fraser
So the daylong, globe-spanning Live Earth spectacular is in its final moments; the last chords of the almost implausibly star-studded roster of musical acts soon to be played by Sting and the recently reunited Police. It's been an exhausting ten hours, as the thinning ranks of our press cohorts attests. The crowd in the stadium, though, soldiers on, and when the moment came for a beaming Al Gore to introduce homegrown favorites Bon Jovi, the Meadowlands shook louder than it had for any of the series of multi-platinum artists who played the second half of the show.
But the true stars of the day -- no offense to Kanye, Kelly, and Jon -- were the likes of Robert Kennedy, Jr., whose rousing call for Live Earthers to take their eco-consciousness to the voting booth was one of the day's more exciting moments; and, of course, Gore himself, who was greeted with wild cheers every time he took the stage. Kennedy wasted no time before laying into "the oil industry and the coal industry and their indentured servants" on Capitol Hill, and reminded the crowd that while the little things done around the house can help, "the most important thing you can do is get involved in the political process and get rid of these corporate toadies." "This is treason," he said with a growl, "and we need to start to treating them like traitors."
In keeping with the evening's trend -- more substance, less bullet points -- Sting opted to forego his moment at the press tent lectern, handing over his allotted time (announced as the only opportunity to interview him) to his wife, who talked about her participation in an ongoing class-action lawsuit to prevent a massive oil company from spoiling the rainforests of Ecuador, and with them, the habitat of some 30,000 indigenous people. The suit claims the oil to be gained will only amount to twelve-days-wroth of daily-global usage, while the loss of habitat will be immeasurable. To learn more, head to www.chevrontoxico.com
(34) CommentsJuly 7, 2007
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Eco-Narcissicism
By Max Fraser
Well, Thaddeus and I have arrived at Giants Stadium, the main event is rapidly approaching, and, from the looks of the parking lot, not too many of our fellow concertgoers followed our lead and the suggestion of the concert organizers and took the bus. But that's ok -- Live Earth, its participants and promoters keep reminding us, is not going to solve this whole global warming problem over night. It's just a "launch event," said a publicist in a recent issue of Rolling Stone. A "launch event" reiterated Live Earth creator Kevin Wall to Variety, "not a silver bullet"; better yet, "a tipping point of behavioral change." Despite the out-of-this world promises in the press kit for the concert extravaganza -- "more than 100 music artists"; "2 billion people"; "unprecedented global media architecture" -- you get the sense that Wall and Live Earth guru Al Gore are trying to keep any hopes for immediate climatological salvation, well, down-to-earth. A call to arms -- not a victory cry.
Ok, fair enough. As any right-headed viewer of Gore's Oscar-winning documentary should know by now, there's not much room left for equivocation on global warming -- we're talking systemic change, and fast. You have to start somewhere. As one reporter put it, Live Earth can be a "message to people to change their lifestyles."
And lifestyles are changing. As the New York Times reported last week, sales for Toyota's "built from the ground up" hybrid, the Prius, are up a whopping 93.7% from last year, well outperforming the hybrid versions of popular models offered by other car companies. Why? According to a market research poll, a sizable majority (57%) of Prius owners bought their eco-friendly ride because "it makes a statement about me," almost double the number that offered the same explanation three years ago. By contrast, 36% cited the car's higher fuel economy, and only one in four was attracted by its lower emissions. As the article concluded, "The Prius has become, in a sense, the four-wheel equivalent of those popular rubber ‘issue bracelets'...it shows the world that its owner cares." Another recent Times article, aptly titled "Buying Into the Green Movement", found "that vision of an eco-sensitive life as a series of choices about what to buy appeals to millions of consumers and arguably defines the current environmental movement as equal parts concern for the earth and for making a stylish statement." Even Time Out New York, which normally busies itself with ferreting out hip downtown night spots, implores readers to "be earth-friendly on your terms" on this week's cover.
(15) CommentsJuly 7, 2007
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