STRIKE ALERT! IUE CWA 81359 Members Fighting for Good Jobs at Momentive Performance Materials!

These workers made the difficult decision to strike because they are committed to preserving good solid jobs here in our communities. They are fighting for a fair and equitable contract with Momentive Performance Materials and THEY NEED YOUR HELP! *UPDATE* Donations can be mailed to: CWA District One 80 Pine Street, 37th Floor New York, NY 10005 PAYABLE to: CWA District One Hospitality Committee (In the memo section please write Momentive Strikers donation). Solidarity Rally This Saturday Nov 19 at 12pm Momentive has so far refused to bargain in good faith, instead making proposals that would gut health care and eliminate benefits for retirees. Their callous actions to force the workers on strike puts the plant, the products produced at the plant, and the safety of the community at risk. Take action athttps://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-mpm-to-get-back-to-the-bargaining-table Read one workers story below: I'm angry! I'm fed up! And I have a lot to say! The men and women who work at Momentive Performance Materials ( GE Silicones, Hexion whatever it actually is these days) are really getting bullied by corporate greed! These employees have sacrificed so much over the years most importantly their health, well being, and time with family! I am so sick and tired of 24 years worth of writing in a full years schedule into a daily planner every January to figure out which shift my husband is on and which days he has off.... 1 weekend a month off...a Friday off after 7 days on first....a SaturdaySunday and Monday off after second, and a wed and Thursday after 3rd! It's most pleasant when they go in early and stay late and I can't even remember what shift he was on to begin with! Love 12 and 16 hour shifts! One year when our kids were little I went into panic mode when I saw on the news there was a fire ( glad to say it was tires at nearby business and not plant exploding-another legitimate horrible fear) and I called work to see if everyone and my husband were all safe....forgetting my husband was not on that shift but sleeping for his a.m. shift! Loved it too when I made a beautiful Sunday morning breakfast for him and didn't realize he'd already left for work early! Or when he had to miss all of the special events in our extended families lives to make sure he could use his vacation days for the special events in our children's lives if he was lucky enough! Love too that he was a walking zombie but never missed a soccer game or anything important even if he had to work an extra shift that night! (By the way how safe is it to have all these depleted employees running a chemical plant with all of these extra hours expected of them!!!!!) So now as we are entering our late midlife and look forward to our plans for retirement ( time to recoup all the time lost with family over the years ) we get cheated out of that too! We made an offer on a little camp to spend our later years in the Adks with our kids and maybe grandkids but had to let go of that dream because every three years we end up battling to save vacation time, medical benefits, earned pensions and pay more than deserved! ( truthfully this is likely a pipe dream because honestly most people who work here end up with cancer and die within 2 years of retiring if they even make it to retirement! (Yes I just went there! These people are not average factory workers but specially trained, hard working individuals who work around toxic chemicals all day and night too! They deserve better pay than the assembly line factory workers -the drones the common core (government) is trying to turn us all into! If Momentive and all of these companies are hurting so badly start from the top down! Trim the multi million dollar bonuses of the greedy CEO's, owners, and higher ups! Start there! Leave these hard working people alone and leave what they've worked so hard for in place! The 3 year olds I teach every day play nicer than Corporate America! Let's try and play fair and share! Debra Mahar

Join our sisters and brothers on the picket line! Click to RSVP!