July 11, 2007
No issue can be negotiated unless you first have the clout to compel negotiation.
Saul Alinsky
Quote sources:
Great Labor Quotations: Sourcebook and Reader, by Peter Bollen
The 2007 IAM Day of Action is the centerpiece in the latest issue of the IAM Journal, the award-winning quarterly publication of Machinists union. The May 17 event brought together over 5,000 union members and supporters from more than a dozen international unions for the largest labor rally in the nation’s capital in more than 15 years.
Union members at the day-long event cheered as a trio of presidential candidates pledged to restore the nation’s transportation infrastructure and more importantly, to reverse the assault on labor’s right to organize and bargain collectively for its members.
Ten IAM members are profiled in the latest issue of the magazine, giving poignant and personal views of life at the nation’s airlines, railroads and factories. “I feel angry and frustrated about the inequity and injustice of corporations using bankruptcy to take our wages and pension while CEO’s line their pockets,” said Local 1833 member and Northwest Airline’s Customer Service Agent Vicki Beebe, who sold her home to cut expenses after the airline used the bankruptcy process to reduce workers’ pay and benefits.
In a preface to the main article, IP Tom Buffenbarger urged IAM members across the country to add mass and momentum to the energy generated at the rally. “If we truly want to end the devastating attacks on working families by government agencies and corporate elites, we must do more than rail against our foes,” said Buffenbarger. We must act with boldness, decisiveness and forcefulness.”
Also included in the latest issue of the IAM Journal is a tribute to USMC Cpl. Jason Dunham, an IAM member’s grandson who received the Congressional Medal of Honor and the harrowing tale of IAM members in Enterprise, AL, who survived a direct hit from a Category 4 tornado. “Nothing short of an explosion describes the sound of your house being torn apart,” says Local 2003 member Jonathan Williams, who was among dozens of IAM members left homeless by the twister.
IAM members of Local 1005 in Portland, OR, who are employed at Freightliner’s largest truck assembly plant voted 461-153 to ratify an improved contract offer after being on strike since July 3. “This contract will provide increased compensation to the employees while helping to put the plant on sound footing for a viable future in Portland,” said District 24 Business Rep. Joe Kear. “The addition of job security language in the Company’s final offer will provide a sense of security for the employees and their futures.”
Highlights of the three-year agreement include increased wages and pension, a lump sum bonus of $1,000 payable to all active employees on the payroll as of 7/16/07; new gainsharing program and an average 38 percent decrease in employee premium contributions on health and welfare. Full details of the agreement can be found on Local Lodge 1005’s website.
Members of Local 2545 on strike at Maremont Exhaust Products since Feb. 5 were cheered by neighbors during the July 4 parade in Louden, TN.
Since February 5, 2007, IAM members of Local 2545 in east Tennessee have been walking picket lines outside Maremont Exhaust Products in Louden, TN. The members struck after rejecting a takeaway contract from Texas millionaire Ken Banks, who bought Maremont in 2006. Rather than negotiate a new agreement, Banks in recent weeks launched a smear campaign against union members, including allegations of violence and “acts of terrorism.”
In a letter to the Louden County Daily Times, Local 2545 President Dale Smallen sets the record straight: “Last week the Daily Times ran a story containing wild allegations about union members made by Maremont owner Ken Banks. Without a shred of evidence, Banks called hard-working Tennesseans ‘terrorists’ and repeated his offer of a $10,000 ‘reward’ for information leading to the ‘terrorist’s’ capture.” Smallen invited readers to stop by the picket lines to see the people Banks calls terrrorists: parents, grandparents and even veterans walking a legal picket line.
The Local 2545 President pointed out that the only crime connected with the strike was committed by a security guard hired by Banks who was arrested after hitting a picketer with his vehicle. The security guard fled the state after being arraigned and released.
“I sincerely hope this newspaper would not print cries of terrorism when there is no substance to those charges,” wrote Smallen. “The life-long citizens of central Tennessee deserve better than that.”
More than 15,000 invited guests witnessed the traditional rollout of the non-traditional Boeing 787 at the company’s Everett, WA, facility. Photo courtesy Boeing Media
In an outdoor ceremony that combined hype, heat and no small amount of heartache, the Boeing Company unveiled the 787 Dreamliner, the company’s first new jetliner since 1994 and the first Boeing aircraft to be manufactured largely by overseas vendors.
Unlike past Boeing aircraft that were manufactured in the U.S., the 787 is a composite of composite parts, including wings from Japan, fuselage sections from Italy, doors from France, landing gear and engines from England and a tail cone from South Korea. Final assembly of the aircraft takes three days and is completed by IAM members of District 751 at the company’s Everett, WA facility.
“It is our members who stepped up to ensure the success of this plane, as well as every model before it,” said District 751 President Tom Wroblewski, who reminded Boeing that it was IAM members who ensured a successful debut when vendors fell behind schedule. “It is my greatest hope that the Boeing Company could recognize the full value of this highly-skilled Machinists union workforce and bring more work back into the company.”
A coalition of unions, representing Department of Defense (DoD) workers, including the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) are seeking a rehearing in the U.S. Court of Appeals of the May 18th ruling that upheld DoD’s new personnel and labor relations rules.
The May 18 decision creates a conflict with an earlier decision and the union’s petition seeks to have the entire court review the discrepancies between the DoD decision and an earlier decision involving personnel rules at the Department of Homeland Security.
“The NSPS Appeals Court decision runs completely contrary to existing case law,” said Richard N. Brown, NFFE-IAM Federal District 1 President. “This decision allows the Secretary of Defense to define collective bargaining however he wants to, when collective bargaining is a very well-defined term of art.”
The court will now decide whether or not to rehear the case. It could take just a couple of weeks up to several months for the court to make their decision on rehearing.
“It is our sincere hope that the full DC Appeals Court will rehear this case,” said Brown. “Basic rights for over 800,000 Defense workers are on the line. This case deserves consideration by the entire court.”
May 16, 2007
Check out the youtube.com web site and search for Machinist union news to find very interesting stories about our union and the union movement, stay informed!
2007 Day of Action!
March 17, 2007
Everything is possible at the barganing table.
Tom O'Connor communications director, AFSCME 1993
Quote sources:
Great Labor Quotations: Sourcebook and Reader, by Peter Bollen
The Great Quotations, by George Seldes
Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations
March 13, 2007
March 6, 2007
After weeks of intense bargaining and exactly one year after the lockout at AK Steel began, the IAM announced a tentative agreement on behalf of members of newly chartered Local 1943 in Middletown, Ohio.
Voting on the agreement will take place via mail-in ballot to provide ample time for members to make a decision to accept or reject the offer. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) will oversee the counting of the ballots.
“This agreement is the result of sacrifice, hard work, and support of the community,” said Eastern Territory GVP Lynn D. Tucker, Jr., who was instrumental in bringing the parties together and fully endorsed the agreement. “The Mayor of Middletown, David Schiavone, his Council, Sheriff Jones and Commissioner Fox were all committed to help bring a fair and just settlement. Ohio Governor Strickland and Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) were in touch with the parties during the sessions and we have extended our thanks to them for their input.”
The American labor movement built Middle-Class America, allowing millions of families to enjoy good wages, healthcare benefits and a secure retirement. But that contribution is being ignored, according to “FOCUS,” the feature article in the Spring 2007 IAM Journal.
“Improving the lives of its members is the first imperative of any union and we do that at the bargaining table every single day,” said Tom Buffenbarger, IAM International President. “And yet, organized labor’s role in creating, maintaining and defending North America’s broad middle class goes unrecognized. That must change.”
“FOCUS” chronicles the successes of collective bargaining and the solid return on investment that union membership brings. From high–profile battles with airline and aerospace giants to small shops with a handful of workers, union members have carried the fight for workplace rights and economic fairness to a new level.
“Now is the time to focus on our members,” said Buffenbarger. “Their courage, their sacrifices, their willingness to fight for their families makes these men and women the indispensables of the American Labor movement. They deserve a new spotlight that is focused on them and their accomplishments on behalf of all workers.”
Tennessee National Guardsman Willie Burris is among hundreds of guardsmen and reservists currently assigned to patrol the U.S.-Mexican border in Arizona, California and New Mexico. Back home in Loudon, TN, Burris is a member of Local 2545 and employed by Maremont Exhaust Products, where members are on strike over a proposed two-tier wage system and sharply higher health insurance costs.
Earlier in February, Maremont sent Burris a letter threatening to permanently replace him if he didn’t report back to work immediately. Although the company quickly moved to say that it was a “mistake” to send the letter, Burris’s response left no doubt about where he stood on the matter.
“There’s just no way I would go back in with my co-workers standing out there. It’s the principle of the thing,” declared Burris, who said he’ll join the union’s fight if the strike is still going on when he returns in June.
“Our members are holding together very well,” said District 711 Business Representative George Mays. “We have a strong local, and we’re determined to get a fair contract.” Talks between IAM negotiators and Maremont are expected to resume today.
“Guardsman Burris deserved better than the threatening letter he received from Maremont,” said Southern Territory GVP Bob Martinez. “He deserves our respect and thanks for the risks he’s taking and a good job to come home to when his assignment ends.” A local news story about Guardsman Burris is currently available at www.wbir.com.
Southern Territory GVP Bob Martinez will serve as National Vice President for the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), the official Latino constituency group of the AFL-CIO and the first national organization to represent the views of Latino trade unionists seeking justice at the workplace. GVP Martinez was nominated and elected following the retirement of Western Territory GLR Jose Rodriguez, who previously held the position on the LCLAA Executive Board.
GVP Martinez will serve alongside Transportation Department GLR Dora Cervantes, who was nominated and elected to the LCLAA Executive Board position previously held by GVP Martinez.
“GLR Rodriguez served our membership very well in his capacity at LCLAA,” said Martinez. “We wish him well. I’m proud to be a representative of the IAM with LCLAA, and I look forward to working with LCLAA to provide social justice to all our members.”
Transportation GVP Robert Roach, Jr. speaks with Southwest Airlines Shop Stewards during their 2-day conference at the WWW Center.
Sixty-eight IAM Shop Stewards participated in Air Transport District 142’s 2007 Southwest Airlines Shop Stewards Conference, held this week at the IAM’s William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center. More than half the participants are attending their first conference.
The Stewards developed goals and strategies in advance of the 2008 contract negotiations for more than 6,000 IAM-represented Customer Service and Reservation agents.
“This will be the most difficult negotiations we have ever seen at Southwest Airlines,” said GVP Robert Roach, Jr. “The Grand Lodge, District Lodge and Local Lodges must display solidarity and unity at all times. We must work as a team to ensure that Southwest Airlines understands that they must deal with our members’ issues at the bargaining table.”
Members of two IAM local lodges in Ontario, Canada, have signed new collective bargaining agreements that increase wages, benefits and pensions while providing a rock solid case for workers considering IAM membership.
The 69 members of Local Lodge 2243 in Mississauga, ON, ratified a new three-year collective agreement with Filamat Composites Inc., that provides wage increases of 2.5 percent in the first and second year respectively and 3 percent in the third year. Other contract highlights include an IAM Pension Plan increase of five cents in each year of the contract, increased shift premiums, improved eye care benefits, improved short-term disability benefits and an additional floating holiday.
The 14 members of Local Lodge 235 in Toronto, ON, also signed a new two-year agreement with Revco Worldwide Inc. that boosts wages by 4 percent over the life of the accord and raises IAM Pension Plan contributions by 5 cents per hour in each year of the agreement. Members there also won eye care and pension language improvements.
The 14 members of Local 235 are employed as set-up operators and machinists for the sprocket manufacturer located in the east end of Toronto.