Thursday, April 12, 2007

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Labor issues you care about in streaming video
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Oldest U.S. Manufacturer Threatened By China Trade
April 10, 2007 - More than 200 years ago the legendary Paul Revere created what is now the oldest manufacturing company in the United States, Revere Copper.

Space: The Next Generation April 5, 2007 - The last generation only knows space travel by the shuttle.  That's going to change in 2010 when the shuttle fleet is retired and replaced with a new program.

Families On Shaky Ground
APRIL 5, 2006 - According to the folks at the Center for American Progress, the economy has been great for those at the top but stagnant for those in the middle or lower income classes.

Safety In The Skies April 4, 2007 - Safety in the skies is everyone's issue, especially after 9-11.  Robert Roach Jr. testified on Capitol Hill about what more needs to be done.

Fresh Faces on the Hill: Congressman Keith Ellison
March 26, 2007 - Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota’s 5th District has had a lot of firsts.  He’s the first muslim ever elected to Congress.  And the first African American elected to the House from Minnesota. 

China's Taste for Trash
March 20, 2007 - According to recent statistics, in 2006 the U.S. exported nearly 60 billion dollars of goods and services to China. But what were those products?  It may surprise you to know that a good portion of it was garbage.

American Workers Want a Union Contract
March 16, 2007 - As the battle over the Employee Free Choice Act heats up – a new report from the Economic Policy Institute shows workers want to join a union NOW, more than any time in the recent past.

Latest Job Numbers Don't Bode Well for Working Families
March 15, 2007 - Employers added only 97,000 jobs last month – marking the slowest month of job growth in two years.

Korea's Turn Now?
March 14, 2007 - For hundreds of years america has been trading.  And most agree that’s a good thing.  But how to do it in today’s global world, without hurting america or its workers, is the next big question to answer.

What Happened to Good Trade?
March 14, 2007 - For decades, Congressman Sandy Levin has been part of a lot of trade issues on the hill.  He’s seen what’s worked and what hasn’t.  And in a global world that’s constantly changing, he knows our future depends on what we do now

EFCA Takes the House
March 9, 2007 - The Employee Free Choice Act has passed the house.  That’s good news for the labor movement.  And even better news for the men and women who want to organize.

HIV Epidemic
March 8, 2007 - HIV/AIDS infection rate is increasing in minority communities, especially in areas of poverty. In the video a man with HIV, chronicles his struggle with the virus and AIDS advocates call for more community awareness.

Fast Track to Nowhere
March 8, 2007 - Is trade important you?  It should be.  In the past, bad trade policies only hurt blue collar laborers by sending jobs overseas.

Fresh Faces on the Hill: Congressman Phil Hare
February 28, 2007 - Phil Hare used to hold a union job as a cutter in a factory.  Today, he’s working to pass legislation to protect his brothers and sisters.


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Flight Attendants Land at Winpisinger Center


IAM Flight Attendants from across the country gathered at the WWW Center for District 142’s second annual Flight Attendant Conference.

Nearly 100 IAM-represented Flight Attendants are attending District 142’s second annual Flight Attendant Conference this week at the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center in Southern Maryland. Participants ranged from new hires with less than six months seniority to veterans with more than 30 years experience.

Flight Attendants discussed the IAM’s role in politics and organizing in addition to parliamentary procedure and activist recruitment. Customized presentations were given by IAM economists and attorneys regarding pensions and retirement, the Family Medical Leave Act and airline mergers. The participants were tasked with developing action plans to improve Flight Attendant communications, education and mobilization.

“Flight Attendants have a challenging work environment that presents unique issues,” said GVP Robert Roach, Jr. “Listening to and educating rank and file Flight Attendants is necessary to develop creative solutions to their concerns. I am encouraged to see such a broad range of participants. Many of these Flight Attendants will become the next generation of union leaders.”

 

Local Paper Profiles IAM ‘Man of Steel’


GLR James Smith leads a picket line at AK Steel HQ last summer.

The Western Star, a local paper serving Lebanon, OH, recently published a profile of Eastern Territory GLR James Smith, giving the veteran IAM representative and 5-term Mayor of South Lebanon, OH, well-deserved praise for his work in both positions.

The article, ‘South Lebanon’s Mild Mannered Man of Steel,’ details Smith’s role in negotiating the contract that ended the year-long lockout at AK Steel in Middletown, OH.

Smith has a long history of public service and is a graduate of the Lebanon Police Academy and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He joined the Eastern Territory as a Special Representative in 1999 after holding various leadership positions. Smith was elected Mayor of South Lebanon in 1982 and is currently in his 5th term.

 

IAM Wins Wage Parity for Simulator Techs

Nearly three dozen Flight Simulator Technicians at six Air Force Bases in Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama are sharing the benefits of a new IAM contract that includes raises as high as 22 percent and achieves wage parity for Sim Tech’s at all six bases.

“This is an important agreement,” said District 171 DBR Jerry McCune, who represents technicians in Enid, OK and helped negotiate the new accord. “With help from the federal mediator Bobby Thompson, we reached an agreement that provides real collective bargaining power for the technicians at all six bases.” Also involved in brokering the pact were District 75 Business Representative Pappy Perrigin and District 776 Business Representative Jody Bennett.

The four-year agreement, which was overwhelmingly ratified, covers Simulator Technicians at six Air Force bases — Randolph, Laughlin and Sheppard AFB in Texas, Moody AFB in Alabama, Columbus AFB in Mississippi and Vance AFB in Oklahoma — and Flight Safety International, which provides T-38 simulator maintenance at the bases.

 

Canada District 78 Scores Organizing Hat Trick

Heeding the call at the 2005 organizing summit to grow the IAM, organizers from District 78 in Toronto, ON produced an organizing hat trick that brought 50 new members to the IAM during the last week of March 2007.

Three part-time employees of the Oshawa Community Credit Union have become the newest members of Local 901 following a bitter four-month organizing drive after management withdrew their objection to IAM representation of the employees. Local 901 has represented full-time employees at the Oshawa Community Credit Union for more than 12 years.

Twenty five full-time employees at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Brampton are the newest members of Local 2243. “These people turned to the Machinists for better wages and benefits,” said District Lodge 78 Organizer Scott Jackson. The new members include cooks, bartenders, house keeping and maintenance staff.

At the Kingsway Arms Retirement Home in Clarington, east of Toronto, twenty two full-time employees also joined the ranks of Local 901. The new members consist of nurses, cooks, cafeteria and housekeeping staff and receptionists.

 

FedEx to Pay $55 Million to Settle Bias Charges

FedEx Corp. agreed to pay $55 million to settle charges of racial bias following a 2003 lawsuit by employees claiming the company’s Basic Skills Test had a discriminatory impact on minority employees.

The tentative settlement calls for $38.5 million to pay current or former employees who worked in affected jobs from October 1999 to the present. The decree also calls for $30,000 to be paid to each of the nine employees who filed the initial suit and $5,000 to 18 employees who submitted sworn declarations.

FedEx has a long history of opposing union representation for
its employees and denied any wrongdoing in the bias case, claiming instead the settlement “demonstrated its strong commitment to diversity and equal employment opportunity.”

To read more about the FedEx issue visit the special website at www.goiam.org.

 

May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month

With a labor heritage in the United States that spans more than 160 years and includes farming, mining and helping build the Transcontinental Railroad, the 13 million Asian Pacific Americans who live and work in the U.S. today have much to celebrate. The month of May was chosen by Congress to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in 1843 and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 constructed, in large part, by more than 40,000 Chinese laborers.

“From organizing sugar plantations in Hawaii to striking the railroads for better working conditions in 1867, Asian Americans have earned a proud and permanent place in U.S. labor history,” said IP Tom Buffenbarger. “Their achievements are no less visible today, thanks in large part to the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), the only national organization of Asian Pacific American trade union members.”

Asian Pacific Heritage Month is celebrated nationwide, with community festivals, governmental gatherings and educational activities. For more in information, visit http://apalanet.org. An online photo exhibit of labor history in the Pacific Northwest is available here.

 

Maryland First State with ‘Living Wage’ Bill

Maryland became the first state to pass a living wage bill this week, providing many workers in the state a much needed raise. The measure, which the Maryland Senate passed by a vote of 31-16, will require service contractors doing business with the state to pay employees $11.30 an hour in urban areas and $8.50 an hour in rural areas.

The Maryland House passed the bill last week and Governor Martin O’Malley (D) has promised to sign the bill.

Cities and counties across the country have voted to pay workers a living wage, but Maryland is the first state to adopt the measure.

 

 


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Announcing the IAM Photo Contest

The IAM is repeating its members-only photography contest again this year and you are encouraged to enter. You can download a complete contest entry form by clicking here.

2006 IAM Newsletter & Website Contest Awards
Newsletter Award entries are judged on Layout & Design, Best Feature and General Excellence. Local lodges and Districts are judged separately.



The goal of the USA is to create an outdoor hunting and fishing club exclusively for union members and their families. TRCP Launches Union Sportsmen’s Alliance



IAM members can now purchase union gear online at the IAM Store.

IAM Journal
Spring 2007


FOCUS America’s union members do not need to be told what to do. They do what they believe is right, and let the chips fall where they may.


Get Ready for the Day of Action.
The Transportation Department is preparing for a major Rally on May 17, 2007, in Washington, DC. Thousands of working men and women from every state of the Union will join us on that day to say “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”
For more information, visit 17may07.org

Video: 2007 Day of Action



The 2008 Convention website is online.
The site features updates, travel tips, convention news reports, info for the media, and official convention gear. Check it out.


Union Plus
IAM Member Benefits
mean money-saving discounts for IAM members and their families.


Your union source for Sharp® and Océ® copiers, high-speed duplicating and archiving equipment, fax machines and Hasler® postage equipment, along with over 35,000 items you can order online.





Enter member ID: PS16626766 when ordering online or call 1-877-289-9437. When ordering, you must reference code: PS16626766 to receive your union discount.



See who works for you, how the IAM is structured, and what services the IAM offers.
Go to: IAM2007


FlatRateTech is an organization “created for and by Ford and Lincoln Mercury service technicians solely to speak as one loud voice rather than 50,000 smaller voices.” according to their website The fast-growing site offers forums for Ford customers, technicians and dealers to exchange information.

IAM
Executive Council


Tom Buffenbarger
International President


Warren L. Mart
Secretary-Treasurer

 

Lee Pearson
GVP Western Territory

 

Dave Ritchie
GVP Canada

 

Robert Roach,Jr.
GVP Transportation

 

Lynn Tucker
GVP Eastern Territory



Robert Martinez
GVP Southern Territory



Richard Michalski
GVP Headquarters


Philip J. Gruber
GVP Midwest Territory