Conference tallis::celt

    Uh-oh.  Kivin's gonna git ya now...
    

    What does the Mac Bride Bill do?
    
    
    bre
    

    
    
    
    Sorry I was so long in answering your note. I just got back from
    a week's vacation.
    
        There are a number of Mac Bride Bills across the U.S.A. now
    and there are different versions but in the main they are the same
    in that the intent is to keep pension funds of former government
    employees from being invested in companies that have
    operations/subsiiaries in Northern Ireland and yet do nothing to
    counteract religious discrimination.
    
          Quite simply, the intent is to prevent American money from
    bolstering discrimination.  In the main Mac Bride bills do not advocate
    withdrawal of investments from Northern Ireland but rather an
    accounting of how the money is invested.
    
         On the question of "What good does it do?"  It is simply too
    soon to tell.  It is my hope and the hope of many that the passage
    of these bills will serve as an incentive for corporations doing
    business in Northern Ireland to clean up their act and guarantee
    equality of opportunity to all potential employees regardless of
    their religious or political leanings.
    
         Please keep in mind we are talking big buck here.  Government
    pension funds are tallied in the billions of dollars.  Granted not
    all of that affects Northern Ireland but enough of it does to make
    a difference.
    

    The very fact that this bill is floating about means that either
    there's a lot of pseudo-Irish-Americans trying to blow a lot of
    hot air OR that there is in fact some American money invested in
    N.I. 
    
    So how much of this pension money is at present invested in 
    N.I. ??? Our good Senator/Congressman (or whatever he is !!) should
    know this...........
    
    To be quite honest if I had money to invest (purely from a capitalistic
    point of view) I don't think I'd be looking at N.I.
    
    	- Robin.........

    re.3
    
    What level of American investment is in the six counties? and can
    these companies have any real clout in the discrimination that is
    there?
    
    
    

    re:  .4
    
           It has been established that between three and four BILLION
    dollars of US retirement funds are, at present invested in US companies
    having plants in North Ireland.
    
    re:  .5
    
            There are 22 US companies that have plants in North Ireland
    and those plants employ 11% of the workforce in Northerh Ireland.
    
            The Principles in the US have been credited as being the
    main the reason for the major efforts by Britian to come up with 
    legislation to force fair and equal employment.  
    
            There seems to be very little or no forward movement at
    present to improve the employment, promotional, education policies at 
    most of these companies. But then all major change takes time.
    
            Once the stockholders resolutions demand a different investment
    stratagy, these companies will start to change, or risk losing major
    investment dollars. 
    
            My Bill/Law, unlike any other in the country DEMANDS additional
    investment in Northern Ireland to the companies that are showing
    forward progress.  
    
            I still beleive that one of the ingredients for easing and 
    eventually an ending to the 'troubles' is major economic investment in
    the North, the goal should be to reduce unemployment.
            
            
    paddy

    Paddy,
    
    	Could you tell us which states have passed bills based on the 
    MacBride Principles? Which ones have bills in their legislatures?
    
    As an aside, if you have a copy of the bill you worked to pass in
    N.H. could you send it to me?
    
    				Thanks,
    					Mike
    					MPO::GILBERT
    

    To give you an idea of the scope of citywide investments, the City
    of Boston Pension Fund has $10 million dollars invested in American
    companies that do business in N.I.  Half of that, incidentally, is
    with Digital Equipment Corp. (who by the way is a fair employer in N.I.)
    
    -george

    re:  .7
    
    Mike,
    
       I'd be more than happy to answer both requests.
    
         States that have enacted MacBride Principles.
    
       MN, MI, IL, FL, NJ, CT, RI, MA, NY, VT, NH, ME.
    
         States that have passed one House.
    
       PA, OH, CA.
    
         States with Legislation pending.
    
       UT, WY, NE, CO, TX, OK, MO, IN, MD, DE, DC.
    
         States where Irish American groups are promoting legislation-bills
    not yet submitted.
    
       AZ, NM, KA, OR, WA, HI, MT, IW, WI, AL, GA, VA.
    
         States with no activity.
    
       NE, ID, ND, SD, AR, LA, MS, TN, SC, NC, KY, WV, AK  
                                                     
    Some of the abbreviation may not be official ones but what the heck
    it is a best gues.  At least I got all 50 plus DC. catagorized
                                                      
    paddy