June 15, 2006
Top Organizing Award Given to District 160
On Wednesday, June 14th, at the National Staff Conference held in Denver Colorado, District Lodge 160 was awarded the IAM Organizing Award of Excellence. This is the highest award for organizing that is given out by the Union. The award was presented by International President R. Thomas Buffenbarger in front of the general assembly of full-time representatives from all across the U.S. and Canada.
Upon accepting the award, DL 160 Directing Business Representative Don Hursey said, "I can't accept this award without pointing to the finest staff in the IAM. My Business Reps do a phenominal job. I ask a lot of them, they each have to service a tremendous number of different contracts, they work long hours, weekends and then they organize. They won this award, and they have mobilized our members and energized them to the point that whenever we ask their help, they respond. This award was a team effort; I'm proud of all of them."
District Lodge 160 is one of only three districts in our International Union that has averaged organizing at least 250 new members in each of the past three years. In fact, not only have they averaged that many, they have exceeded that number in each of the years, and are on the cusp of exceeding it for the fourth straight year - with another election scheduled for next week. The 250 goal was extablished by the IAM executive council in 2003, to combat outsourcing, movement to right to work states by employers, and the right wing attacks on the labor movement that have resulted in declining numbers.
Since 2004, under the direction of DBR Don Hursey, they have organized new members in more than three dozen different companies and many different industries and service sectors. General Vice President Lee Pearson stated, "What this group has done is to set the bar extremely high for everyone else in our organization. They are excellent at servicing their membership, they negotiate quality contracts, and on top of all that they are out in their communities delivering the message that the IAM delivers a higher standard of living. I'm extremely proud of how they have answered the call from this executive council."
