Machinists Hail NLRB Complaint Over Boeing South Carolina Move

Washington, D.C., April 20, 2011 – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) today welcomed the decision by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to issue a complaint charging the Boeing Company with illegal retaliation against Boeing employees in the Puget Sound area. According to the NLRB, Boeing’s conduct was “inherently destructive” of rights guaranteed to workers.

Report Warns of Growing China Aerospace Sector

The U.S.-China Economic Security Review Commission issued a report this week that documents the significance of U.S. aerospace companies’ assistance in the development of China’s growing aerospace industry.

Jobs Battle at Pratt Moves to the Bargaining Table

IAM members at Pratt & Whitney are preparing for the next round in their battle to keep the jet engine maker from moving more than 1,000 jobs from Connecticut to low-cost locations in Georgia, Japan and Singapore.

Cessna Contract: a Knife in Wichita's Heart

“When negotiations started with Cessna, the IAM committed to partner with the company to survive the current recession, and to save and create jobs for the future,” said Southern Territory GVP Bob Martinez. “It soon became obvious that the parent company Textron had a radically different agenda.”

High-Stakes Talks Begin at Hawker, Cessna

All eyes in the aviation community were on Wichita, KS last week, where IAM leaders gathered to open a pair of negotiations that could determine if that city continues to be known as the Air Capital of the World.

Pratt & Whitney Plans Cheshire Layoff

Pratt & Whitney has informed IAM District 26 in Kensington, CT that the company plans to cut 129 hourly jobs at their Overhaul & Repair center in Cheshire, CT.

Independent Report Slams Space Privatization

The final draft of an independent report on the future of the U.S. space program finds significant shortcomings in the plan to restructure NASA as proposed by President Obama. Take Action: Click here to send a message to Congress to support America’s manned space program.

NMB Decision to Trigger Election Countdown

The National Mediation Board (NMB) is currently weighing a request from the IAM to declare that Delta and Northwest are operating as a single carrier in the Fleet Service and Passenger Service classifications. A single carrier ruling by the NMB will initiate the final steps in the government's formal process leading to secret ballot elections for employees in each classification.

Members Ratify SCA Agreements

Members of IAM Local 392 in El Paso, TX, and District Lodge 160 at McChord AFB, WA, have ratified new three-year service contract agreements.

Boeing, EADS Submit Tanker Bids

Despite the lack of a U.S. partner and still reeling from a recent rebuke over illegal subsidies by the World Trade Organization (WTO), the European aerospace consortium EADS submitted a bid to replace the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of air refueling tankers.

Workers Celebrate Legal Win at Pratt & Whitney

Several hundred members and families of Local 1746-A in Southington, CT, used their annual union picnic to celebrate the court victory that barred Pratt & Whitney (P&W) from closing the Cheshire Engine Center and another plant in East Hartford.

Appeals Court Upholds Decision Against Pratt & Whitney

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lawsuit brought by IAM District 26 against United Technologies Corporation (UTC), parent company of Pratt & Whitney. The court upheld a U.S. District Court’s injunction that barred Pratt from closing plants in Cheshire and East Hartford, CT.

WTO Rules Airbus Got Billions in Illegal Subsidies

In an historic decision that underscores what Machinists have known for years, the World Trade Organization (WTO) declared that every Airbus program for the last 40 years has benefited from billions in illegal subsidies from European governments, causing serious financial harm to the U.S. commercial aircraft industry.

St. Louis & Wichita Vote Results

Members of District 837 in St. Louis, MO voted 1,237 to 838 to ratify a revised agreement with the Boeing Company that provides for a $5000 lump sum and three percent annual wage hikes starting in the second year. The four and a half year contract also calls for workers hired after January 2012 to get a 401(k) savings plan rather than a defined benefit pension plan.

Machinists at Spirit to Vote on Historic Accord

Members of Local 839 in Wichita, KS, will vote June 25 on a tentative agreement that has the potential to reshape labor relations throughout the aerospace industry. The proposed 10-year agreement for 6,000 members employed at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, provides unprecedented levels of job security in an industry that is still reeling from a severe and ongoing recession.

Countdown Continues for Boeing in St. Louis

Members of District 837 in St. Louis, MO, will vote June 27 on a revised offer from the Boeing Company that includes minor changes to the original offer while retaining language that eliminates defined benefit pension benefits for employees hired after January 2012.

Wichita Machinists Rally for Aerospace Jobs

Gathered in the heat outside the hotel where negotiations are taking place between District 70 and Spirit AeroSystems, workers and their families carried ‘Jobs Worth Fighting For’ signs and cheered as union leaders praised Spirit as the only aerospace company in Wichita, KS, that has refused to outsource work to Mexico.

A New Business Model

March 29, 2010 - The future of the Aerospace industry is being redefined in Wichita, Kansas as the Machinists and Spirit AeroSystems embark on a new way of doing business.

LCLAA Support Boosts IAM Campaign at Delta

The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) is joining the fight to ensure Delta and Northwest Airlines employees are able to cast ballots for union representation in an atmosphere free from intimidation, threats, harassment or pressure from Delta management representatives.

AFSS Specialists Win First Contract

August 25, 2009 - After voting to join the IAM in April 2009, more than 800 Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) Specialists employed by Lockheed Martin recently won their first contract. Eligible voters at thirteen sites across the U.S. approved the accord by a 68 percent margin.

Machinists Seek Merger Status Meeting with Delta

July, 2009 - The IAM this week sent a letter to Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson calling for a meeting to discuss issues stemming from Delta’s merger with Northwest Airlines.

IAM Vows to Continue Fight for F-22 Funding

July 21, 2009 - The IAM today pledged to continue fighting for additional funding for F-22 Raptor aircraft, despite a vote in the U.S. Senate to end production at the 187 jets currently on order.

Aerospace Members Focus on JOBS Now!

July, 16, 2009 - Amid one of the most turbulent times in the aerospace industry’s history, delegates from across North America gathered in San Diego, CA, for the 2009 IAM Aerospace Conference to focus on keeping and creating good-paying jobs, increasing organizing efforts and preparing for the future in the aerospace industry.

Winpisinger Center Hosts NWA/Delta Strategy Meeting

More than 50 District 143 representatives and local activists recently attended a Northwest Airlines/Delta Air Lines organizing campaign strategy meeting at the IAM’s William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center in Maryland.  

Machinists at Vought Focused on Pensions

Federal mediators in Nashville, TN, met separately for several hours on Wednesday with representatives of Vought Aircraft Industries and IAM Local 735 before determining that Vought was not prepared to address pensions, the key issue in the seven week-old strike.