Say yes! I support sharpening America's Edge in the global economy.  America's Edge relies on our skills and our kids' abilities to learn and adapt to the ever-changing demands of tomorrow's workplaces. And it is time public investment flowed in their direction.  Go to www.americasedge.tv and sign the petition.

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Each decade, 30 million American children enter high school but only 6 million of them ever receive a college degree. The remaining 24 million either drop out; complete high school and enter the workforce; or attend a community college or university for a couple of years.

Mergers among the major airlines would have devastating consequences - airline hubs will be eliminated, service frequency will be reduced, competition will be diminished, jobs will be lost, customer service will deteriorate even further. Meanwhile, pension obligations will be jeopardized and fuel prices will remain as high as ever.

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Air Transport District Lodge Merger Pages
District 141	District 142	District 143

Machinists Union Blasts Tanker Decision -
Machinists across the country are calling for congressional action following the decision by Air Force officials to award a $40 billion aerial refueling tanker contract to a team led by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS), parent company of Airbus.

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Join the IAM and Bring a Union to AFSS

AFSS Flight Service Specialists are on a glide path to IAM representation.  In a few short weeks you will be voting on your future; a future of unrepresented uncertainty tainted with personal liability, no guaranteed wage increases, no pensions and dysfunctional tools for the job – or – a future within the IAM family where problems can be addressed, justice served and improvements put in writing.

No Child Left Behind

While the Bush administration would like the public to think No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has been a rousing success, the truth is the law has serious shortcomings that allow many students to fall through the cracks. 

About The UTA Flyers, Bulletins & Newsletters Video Library

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The UNITED TOBACCO ALLIANCE for a Voice and Freedom

The UNITED TOBACCO ALLIANCE for a Voice and Freedom (UTA) is a partnership between the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).

Read more about the UTA by clicking here.

State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

When President Bush vetoed funding for the successful State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), he denied millions of children health care they desperately need.

National Healthcare - Does the debate outweigh the crisis?

Health care costs in America are astronomical, the question is how to fix a broken system and ensure all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care.  In 2006 health care costs skyrocketed to $2 trillion dollars, roughly amounting to $6,700 per person.  In all, total health care cost in this country was an astounding 16 percent of the gross domestic product.

Do your part to improve the lives of working Americans!

When voters gave control of the U.S. House and Senate to the Democrats on November 7, their message was loud and clear: It’s time for a change – NOW!

Democratic lawmakers have thus promised to fight for radical reform as the majority in the House and Senate. They have started by moving a step closer to increasing the federal minimum wage, reducing the price of prescription drugs, altering flawed trade deals and the passing the employee free choice act. The fight is just beginning – do your part by keeping the pressure on Congress to pass legislation that will improve the lives of working Americans.

One of the most important bills for working families in years - the Employee Free Choice Act would enable workers to bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions by restoring their rights to form unions. For too long, workers have had to deal with employers who routinely fire, threaten and coerce employees in efforts to keep workers unorganized.

Get involved and join the fight to improve the lives of middle class families through the Employee Free Choice Act.

CLICK HERE TO TELL CONGRESS TO PASS THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

Working families continue to be battered by faulty trade deals. NAFTA, CAFTA – the result remains the same: Families devastated as solid, good-paying jobs are sent overseas.

As part of their “100 Hour War”, Congressional Democrats are aiming to insert labor protections into pending trade treaties and demand the Bush administration adopt similar measures in future pacts it negotiates.

Join the fight to ensure labor protections are at the forefront of future trade agreements.

When the Republican-led Congress passed the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan the result was mass confusion, higher prices for seniors and a windfall of profits for drug companies and lobbyists.

Congressional Democrats are pushing for giving the government the power to negotiate with drug companies to lower prices in the Medicare prescription drug program. Join the “100 Hour War” and lower prescription drug prices for America’s seniors.  

Organizing

Defending our Freedoms Defending our Jobs -The importance of organizing should not be lost on any member in the Machinists Union. Our future contracts depend on more of our members in each industry gaining power at work.

As each bargaining unit works towards an industry leading contract, each contract improvement leads to an increase in the contract at the next company, creating a constant cycle of improvement for working families.

 

Prescription For Federal Express Workers

FedEx contractor-drivers have filed 40 lawsuits in 27 states (List of states)  all seeking class action status, covering as many as 7,000 current and former drivers or half the estimated 14,000 FedEx Ground contractor-drivers in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. 

The litigation came after a Superior Court judge in California issued a ruling last year that FedEx should reclassify these contractors as employees. State Labor Authorities in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Montana have made similar findings.

Thousands Join ‘Day of Action’ Rally in Washington, D.C.

May 18, 2007 - The IAM today led transportation workers from more than a dozen unions in a massive rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to declare “Enough is Enough” over Bush administration policies that have plagued air and rail workers since 2001.

“This nation’s air and rail workers suffered one grievous assault after another under the present administration,” said IP President Tom Buffenbarger. “Hundreds of thousands of workers lost jobs, pensions and health care while CEO’s and senior executives gorged themselves with outrageous compensation packages. It’s time for a president who isn’t deaf and blind to this kind of rampant injustice.”

Read the full report here.

Day Of Action In The News

Media Center

 

 

Where Have All the Jobs Gone?

The need for jobs, good jobs and the benefits that should accompany them - quality health care and retirement security have reached crisis levels in the United States. Jobs are disappearing from the American economy at an alarming rate. Since 2001, America has lost 3.1 million private-sector jobs. Long-term unemployment is at its highest level in a decade.

America Is Dismantling Its Ability To Support The Military Here, At Home.

SURGE

America won World War II with its ovewrwhelming industrial capacity. Will America have the ability to ramp up its manufacturing base to meet new challenges in the 21st Century?

China Trade
Unfair trade practices by the People’s Republic of China continue to plague American workers. The trade deficit hit a record $232 billion last year and manufacturing jobs continue to diminish as companies such as Wal-Mart look to China for cheap labor.

Learn more about China’s trade practices and its impact on American workers.