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General Electric Elected as 2002 Grinch of the Year
Washington, D.C. - In nationwide balloting, General Electric was elected as the 2002 "Grinch of the Year" for causing the most harm to working families through substantial shifting of health care costs onto workers and retirees.
GE earned 37 percent of the vote as reported by Jobs with Justice, a community-based coalition of groups seeking social justice, which conducts the annual contest over the Internet.
GE was nominated because of plans to increase health care co-pays for workers and retirees January 1, 2003. The company also said it will pursue substantial cost shifting during national contract negotiations starting in May 2003.
IUE-CWA, which represents 50,000 active and retired members at GE, will conduct the first nationwide strike against GE in three decades if GE persists in provoking a strike by arbitrarily implementing the co-pay increases.
General Electric is forcing the increases despite record profits approaching $16 billion. At the same time it is taking money out of the pockets of workers and retirees, the company is lavishing perks on current and retired executives, most excessively to former CEO Jack Welch.
IUE-CWA local unions will present an award certificate to plant management after the holidays.
"By publicly awarding the Grinch of the Year Award, our hope is that the GE managers' hearts will grow 3 sizes bigger, as Dr. Seuss envisioned," said Jobs with Justice.
GE earned 37 percent of the vote as reported by Jobs with Justice, a community-based coalition of groups seeking social justice, which conducts the annual contest over the Internet.
GE was nominated because of plans to increase health care co-pays for workers and retirees January 1, 2003. The company also said it will pursue substantial cost shifting during national contract negotiations starting in May 2003.
IUE-CWA, which represents 50,000 active and retired members at GE, will conduct the first nationwide strike against GE in three decades if GE persists in provoking a strike by arbitrarily implementing the co-pay increases.
General Electric is forcing the increases despite record profits approaching $16 billion. At the same time it is taking money out of the pockets of workers and retirees, the company is lavishing perks on current and retired executives, most excessively to former CEO Jack Welch.
IUE-CWA local unions will present an award certificate to plant management after the holidays.
"By publicly awarding the Grinch of the Year Award, our hope is that the GE managers' hearts will grow 3 sizes bigger, as Dr. Seuss envisioned," said Jobs with Justice.