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PACE International Union ● 3340 Perimeter Hill Dr. ● Nashville, TN 37202 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PACE DuPont Union Council Issues European Delegation Report Contacts:
Joe Drexler – Director, PACE Special Projects;
615-594-2074 (cell) August 12, 2004 - Nashville, Tenn.—In April 2004, the DuPont Union Council, part of the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) invited a delegation of European union officials to come to the U.S. for a tour of PACE-represented DuPont (NYSE: DD) sites. The tour was also sponsored by the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM). It was designed to allow the delegates the opportunity to visit facilities, attend negotiations and see firsthand what union members are experiencing. The DuPont Union Council report is adapted from independent testimony from each of the delegates based on their impressions and contact with U.S. DuPont workers. In the midst of the trip, DuPont enacted its December 2003 announcement of "moving the center of gravity of this company" to lower cost regions of the world when it announced 3,500 job cuts. The DuPont Union Council has made countless efforts to engage the company in constructive dialogue, but has always been denied. DuPont claims to have progressive employee values, and cites its inclusion in the United Nation’s Global Compact as proof of how it treats its work force. However, DuPont has not incorporated all of the Global Compact principles in its mission statement and business conduct guide. Notably absent is Principle 3: that business should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining. DuPont’s disregard for the U.N.’s principles was illustrated when only one out of six plants granted a facility tour to the delegates. One delegate was an official with the ICEM; the other delegate was a DuPont employee. When the tour visited the Deepwater, N.J., facility, the European employee stated, "We were not allowed to pay a visit inside the plant. The furthest we managed to go was a guard room by the entrance. I was very surprised by not being allowed to enter the plant. I never expected this situation and wonder if we will even get in a DuPont plant on the whole trip!" "Frankly, I am embarrassed for our local plant management," said Gary Guralny, president of the DuPont Union Council and Local 1-6992 in Buffalo, N.Y. "They had an opportunity to show the delegates that, even though we may have some differences, deep down both the union and company are mainly concerned with safety and doing the job right. Instead of witnessing workers and management cooperate, we were stopped at the gate and forced to stay in the parking lot." After attending negotiations in Louisville, KY., a delegate commented, "When DuPont has made up their mind, they will not budge during negotiations. As a result, there have been several court cases. PACE has tried absolutely everything." The other delegate observed, "It’s obvious that management’s aim is not to sign a contract as long as possible. It’s a violation of the principle of the Global Compact." "The delegation’s testimony is a true indication of how DuPont treats its workers in the United States, and it should be shared with all union members at all DuPont facilities worldwide," said DuPont Union Council Chairman and PACE Region Three Director and Vice President Ken Test. "The delegates felt the respect of workers in the U.S. was much worse than what they are accustomed to in Europe." The DuPont Union Council wishes to extend this study of worker rights at DuPont and examine how the company treats its workers worldwide. It is crucial to these efforts to further engage workers in other areas of the world where labor rights may be endangered. The report will be distributed worldwide to international labor unions involved in the chemical industry and members of the European DuPont Works Council. Copies of the delegation’s report can be accessed at www.dupontcouncil.org and www.icem.org. There are also French and German translations available. PACE International Union represents approximately 2,000 workers at DuPont and over 270,000 workers in the paper, oil, chemical, atomic energy, auto parts, grain milling, cement, and industrial minerals industries. ###
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For more information please e-mail Gary Guralny & Shawn Gilchrist |