Rick Reinhard
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House Passes Flawed Election Reform Bill On Dec. 12 the
House leaders approved a $2.6 billion election overhaul bill that
will send millions to states to improve voting systems. The bill
essentially establishes minimum standards but gives states leeway to
craft their own improvements. Civil rights groups and the UAW felt
that this flawed bill did not go far enough. To prevent the serious
problems that occurred in the 2000 election, the UAW urged Congress
to require all states to meet certain minimum standards for
conducting federal elections.
GOP’s Armey Set to Retire; DeLay Seeks Job In a
surprising move, House Majority Leader Dick Armey announced plans to
retire from the No. 2 position in the House leadership. House
Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas--known by friends and foes as “the
Hammer”--moved swiftly to claim Armey’s post. The departure of
Armey, also a Texas Republican, could give moderates an opportunity
to challenge conservatives within the party leadership. Armey played
a key role, along with Newt Gingrich, in the GOP’s 1994 takeover of
the House.
Expansion of Andean Trade Act Won’t Help Region’s
Workers The Senate Finance Committee on Nov. 29 extended the
Andean Trade Preference Expansion Act to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and
Bolivia. The UAW opposed extension of benefits to these countries
because they routinely subject workers to exploitation, abusive
working conditions and repression. More than 90 trade unionists have
been murdered in Colombia since January 2001.
Reforming CAFE Standards Could Affect UAW Members'
Jobs The UAW presented its views on reforming the Corporate
Average Fuel Economy standards to the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science and Transportation. In his Dec. 6 testimony, UAW Legislative
Director Alan Reuther stressed that the union supports CAFE and
reasonable improvements, as long as they are technologically and
economically feasible and don't jeopardize jobs.
For Late-Breaking News:
UAW Website: DC
Link UAW hotline:
1-800-482-3334 |