Demonstrators carry a replica of a pipeline during a march against the Keystone XL pipeline in Washington, February 17, 2013.

WASHINGTON | Sun Feb 17, 2013 6:37pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters gathered on the Washington's National Mall on Sunday calling on President Barack Obama to reject the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline proposal and honor his inaugural pledge to act on climate change.

Organizers of the "Forward on Climate" event estimated that 35,000 people from 30 states turned out in cold, blustery conditions for what they said was the biggest climate rally in U.S. history. Police did not verify the crowd size.

Protesters also marched around the nearby White House, chanting "Keystone pipeline? Shut it down." Among the celebrities on hand were actresses Rosario Dawson and Evangeline Lilly, and hedge fund manager and environmentalist Tom Steyer.

The event came days after a bipartisan group of U.S. senators made the latest call for Obama to approve the $5.3 billion pipeline, seen by many as an engine for job growth and another step toward energy independence.

A new poll by Harris Interactive showed 69 percent of respondents said they support construction of the pipeline, with only 17 percent saying they oppose it.

One of Sunday's main organizers, climate activist Bill McKibben, said that approving the pipeline, which would transport crude oil from the oil sands of northern Alberta to refineries and ports in Texas, would be akin to lighting a "carbon bomb" that could cause irreparable harm to the climate.

"For 25 years our government has basically ignored the climate crisis: now people in large numbers are finally demanding they get to work," said McKibben, founder of the environmental group 350.org.

Other major organizing groups on Sunday included the Sierra Club and the Hip-Hop Caucus.

The proposed TransCanada Corp project has been pending for 4-1/2 years. A revised route through Nebraska, which would avoid crossing sensitive ecological zones and aquifers, was approved by that state's governor last month.

Backers of Keystone, which would transport 830,000 barrels of oil per day, say it would provide thousands of jobs in the United States and increase North American energy security.

Environmentalists oppose the pipeline because the oil sands extraction process is carbon intensive, and say the oil extracted is dirtier than traditional crude oil.

Van Jones, Obama's former green jobs adviser, said if the president approved the pipeline just weeks after pledging to act on climate change, it would overshadow other actions Obama takes to reduce pollution.

"There is nothing else you can do if you let that pipeline go through. It doesn't matter what you do on smog rules and automobile rules - you've already given the whole game way," said Jones, who is president of Rebuild the Dream, a non-government organization.

Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the lone member of Congress to speak at the rally, told Reuters Obama risked creating a "credibility gap" if he approved the pipeline.

"He would have to roll out a very complete and very strong package to offset something that on its own is described by government scientist as ‘game-over' on climate," he said.

Still, some of Obama's core constituents favor the pipeline, including the labor union AFL-CIO's building and construction unit, which sees the potential for job creation for its members, and certain Democratic lawmakers.

In January, nine Democratic senators joined 44 Republicans in urging the president to approve Keystone XL.

(Reporting By Valerie Volcovici; editing by Ros Krasny and Mohammad Zargham)

View the original article here

Wed Aug 8, 2012 8:01pm EDT

n">(Reuters) - Pilots at AMR Corp's American Airlines rejected a tentative contract from the carrier by a wide margin on Wednesday, leaving a major issue unresolved with the bankrupt airline's most powerful employee group.

Failure to reach a consensual labor deal is a blow to American's efforts to develop a standalone reorganization plan, which relies on slashing debt and labor costs to return to profitability.

The development comes as the third-largest U.S. carrier has begun to review potential mergers, including a deal with US Airways Group, to determine whether merging with a rival will generate more recoveries for American's creditors than going it alone.

American's pilots and two other key labor groups have already declared their support for US Airways' proposal to merge with the larger rival. The groups each have a seat on American's nine-member unsecured creditors committee and have a say in how American restructures in bankruptcy.

Pilots could face stricter terms should the judge overseeing American's bankruptcy case now allow the carrier to end its current contract with the pilots union.

"We are disappointed with the outcome of today's voting results, as ratification of the pilot tentative agreement would have been an important step forward in our restructuring," American Airlines spokesman Bruce Hicks said in a statement.

He added the company must now await a ruling that will let it "implement the changes necessary to move forward with our restructuring." Bankruptcy rules give companies the right to abandon collective bargaining agreements and impose their own terms unilaterally.

The Allied Pilots Association said 61 percent of pilots that voted, or 4,600, rejected the tentative contract while 2,935 pilots voted in favor. The agreement, which included pay increases and the offer of a 13.5 percent equity stake in the New American, represented the carrier's best and last offer to pilots after years of unsuccessful talks.

Gregg Overman, a spokesman for the pilots union, said the decisive rejection of American's offer reflected "serious frustration" among pilots who want a better deal.

"Our pilots made significant concessions in 2003, they looked at those concessions as an investment and at this point, they believe their investment was squandered," he said.

Overman said the union expects to return to the bargaining table at some point, but does not know when that might happen.

Resolving labor issues would allow American Airlines to shift focus to its planned emergence from bankruptcy and whether it will do so alone or as part of a merger. Last month, the carrier began sending non-disclosure agreements to potential merger partners.

Also on Wednesday, the Transport Workers Union said two of its factions that represent mechanics and store clerks at American approved contract agreements that reduce concessions AMR had asked for.

Workers in mechanics and related classifications approved their agreement by a vote of 50.25 percent to 49.75 percent, the TWU said. The stores employees, who work closely with mechanics handling inventory and materials for plane maintenance, voted 79 percent to 21 percent in favor.

"Nobody is happy with a concessionary agreement, and our members are still waiting to see a business plan that instills confidence," TWU International President James Little said in a statement.

But Little added the current result was "a lot better than what our members would have faced with a court-imposed solution."

American Airlines is seeking just over $1 billion in cost cuts from its unions annually, a key factor in its decision to seek Chapter 11 protection from creditors last November.

US Airways President Scott Kirby said in April that his company's plan would cut from labor only the amount necessary to bring the company in line with industry standards -- about $800 million.

From the unionized pilots, US Airways is seeking $240 million in cuts, while AMR would cut $315 million from that group.

(Reporting by Karen Jacobs, Soyoung Kim and Nick Brown; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Gary Hill)

View the original article here