Division Members Testify Before DNC Panel

One IUE-CWA member whose job at a General Electric plant is being moved to Hungary and a second member working for a company that is saving American jobs with green technology will testify Saturday at a Democratic Party platform hearing in Cleveland.

Shawn Grimes, a 10-year employee at Cobasys, near Dayton, Ohio, will talk about the 240 IUE-CWA jobs at the plant that were saved when the company retooled itself to produce the hybrid battery for the Saturn VUE.

Rita Bugzavich, who has worked at the GE plant in Austintown, Ohio, for 39 years, is among 450 GE workers who are losing their jobs. The company decided to only produce its energy efficient light bulbs in China and is closing four IUE-CWA units that make traditional bulbs.

The two members will join other workers who will share personal stories relating to the economy and health care concerns. The hearing, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Cleveland City Center, is open to the public and will be broadcast live on CSPAN.