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Southern
The Southern Territory has nearly 100,000 IAM members in 21 District Lodges and more than 200 Local Lodges. Fourteen states make up the territory; Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
The South is the birthplace of the IAM. It was formed in a railroad pit in Atlanta, Georgia in 1888. The Southern Territory carries on the proud tradition of our founders, joining together to make life better for working families everywhere.
Check out the Southern Territory Dislocated Worker Information Page
Political activist and retired 41-year IAM member Pat Lehman of Wichita, KS is the recipient of the National Federation of Democratic Women’s 2013 Humanitarian Award. Lehman, a former Grand Lodge Representative who retired in 2006, was recognized at the organization’s annual conference on Saturday, June 14 in Charleston, WV.
Political activist and retired 41-year IAM member Pat Lehman of Wichita, KS is the recipient of the National Federation of Democratic Women’s 2013 Humanitarian Award. Lehman, a former Grand Lodge Representative who retired in 2006, was recognized at the organization’s annual conference on Saturday, June 14 in Charleston, WV.
The IAM Southern Territory is continuing its organizing success in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In two separate elections in a 32-day period, Local Lodge 340 has added all the bargaining unit employees at Waste Management on the islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. Johns.
On May 20th, Oklahomans knew the danger was high for large tornados that could be on the ground for a long time. Their worst fears were realized, as an F5 monster formed west of Moore and started moving into heavily-populated areas. The National Weather Service issued a rare “Tornado Emergency” which meant a large tornado was on the ground and endangering a large area.
During the hour the tornado was on the ground, 13,000 homes were destroyed or heavily damaged, and 22,000 people were suddenly homeless. Local Lodge 850 of the Machinists Union calls the OKC metroplex home, representing over 500 members under several contracts. IAM members are among the families affected.
The IAM presence on the U.S. Virgin Islands continues to grow, as Local Lodge 340 overwhelmingly won an election for 95 workers at Waste Management Authority on the three islands, St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. Johns.
Members of the IAM joined with the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) in a 125-person march on Reynolds American’s shareholder meeting in Winston-Salem, NC, to demand justice for tobacco farm workers.
Texas Machinists and the Tarrant County Chapter of LCLAA (Labor Council for Latin American Advancement) once again joined the annual Cesar Chavez March for Education, honoring the life and work of Chavez. About 200 marchers marched through downtown Fort Worth, TX, to the Trinity River Campus of Tarrant County College
More than 150 members of Local 1441 in Springfield, TN, returned to work at Unarco Material Handling with an improved contract after a five-day strike.
Members of the Machinists Union joined with members of the American Federation of State, City and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union and over 1,000 marchers in Memphis, TN, to mark the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. The march passed by the Loraine Motel, where the assassination occurred and traveled down historic Beale Street in downtown Memphis.
In the wake of a contract offer described as “low and outside,” over 150 members of Local 1441 in Springfield, TN set up picket lines and commenced a strike to restore lost pay and benefits at Unarco Material Handling.
Machinists Union members joined other unions and the AFL-CIO in San Antonio, TX in supporting the embattled National Association of Letter Carriers to protest the planned switch to five-day delivery service for first class mail in August. The unions are concerned about the effect of lack of delivery for seniors.
The IAM is urging the U.S. Secretary of Defense to call “time out” on the U.S. Air Force for its one-sided treatment of a Brazil-based company in the award of a $465 million contract to provide 20 Light Air Support (LAS) aircraft for the Afghan Air Force.
Washington, D.C., March 18, 2013 – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is eager to work with President Obama’s nominee for Labor Secretary, Thomas E. Perez, and urges the Senate to confirm Perez as quickly as possible.
Twenty-six workers at Spirit AeroSystems in Chanute, KS who manufacture small parts and assemblies used in Boeing aircraft voted for IAM Representation recently. The vote follows last month’s signing of a first contract by workers at the Spirit facility in Kinston, NC.
Freshly-chartered Local 350 in Kinston, NC is kicking into high gear with a ground-breaking contract between the IAM and Spirit AeroSystems that includes language allowing for changes as the accord moves forward. This “living agreement” model has already proved its worth, with the addition of a Blue Cross/Blue Shield health care plan with the same premiums and cost-sharing as the previous plan, but with more than triple the number of providers in the network.
Trane company workers of Local Lodge 1296 in Clarksville, TN are on the job after ratifying a contract Saturday after standing strong in negotiations. When Trane negotiators demanded a 12-month “probation” for newly-hired employees before they would get union contract protections and health insurance, the local went to the press and community to garner support for the Trane workers.
In a statement released on the eve of the State of the Union address, IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger praised President Obama’s support for a robust U.S. aviation industry, but warned that proposals to increase taxes on U.S.-made business jets could cripple a home grown industry that employs 1.2 million Americans.
Whether it was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or Jesse Jackson, history has highlighted the contributions of men during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. But as new video from the Machinists News Network shows us, women played a prominent role as well, including members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC. Four of them shared their historical experiences with labor leaders at the 2013 AFL-CIO Martin Luther King Observance in Philadelphia.
In the January issue, President Obama embarks on a second term, the debt battle continues to threaten the American economy, union members honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Delta Flight Attendants meet at the Winpisinger Center, IAM protects pensions at Hawker Beechcraft and Amtrak stands to win better funding.
States are wasting billions of dollars by using taxpayer subsidies to lure existing jobs from each other, rather than creating new jobs from scratch. The study, by the progressive advocacy group, ‘Good Jobs First,’ outlines how companies solicit economic development subsidies, by threatening to relocate existing jobs from one state to another. The practice also includes soliciting massive subsidies for promises to not relocate as well.
Born on February 4, 1913, this week marks the 100th birthday of civil rights activist Rosa Parks.
Far exceeding the customary expectations of workers at a bankrupt company, a federal bankruptcy judge in New York today approved a settlement that preserves pension benefits for more than 3,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) at Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (HBC) in Wichita, KS.
In a wide-ranging conversation with radio host Bill Press that included the economy, jobs, sequestration, labor law enforcement and right-to-work (for less) efforts, IAM President Tom Buffenbarger called for an aggressive strategy to overcome the right-wing’s war on unions and the middle-class.
The 2013 Basic Web Development Course for April 28-May 3 has been rescheduled to July 14-19, 2013.
A five-member negotiating committee, representing 163 IAM members in five separate states, recently participated in the William W. Winpisinger Center Bargaining Prep Program to train, plan and build negotiating strategies for upcoming talks with their employer.
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