Labor issues you care about in streaming video.

Spirit Aerosystems: A Conversation With IP Tom Buffenbarger
July 2, 2008 - IP Tom Buffenbarger discusses unique wage negotiations at Spirit Aerosystems.

Hawker Beechcraft: A Conversation With IP Tom Buffenbarger
July 2, 2008 - IP Tom Buffenbarger discusses the latest developments at Hawker Beechcraft.

IAM College Graduating Class of '08
July 2, 2008 - Last weekend 11 Machinists graduated from the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The GAO Says No!!!
June 26, 2008 -
A few months ago, the United States Air Force awarded a U.S. Military Contract to a foreign owned company. Machinists jumped on the issue and the government heard us loud and clear.

Around The Globe June 25, 2008 -
A historic event took place recently at the Winpisinger Center when 37 women from 25 different countries gathered to change the future.

An Agenda For Education
June 18, 2008 - According to recent polls, Americans want to see more training for middle class jobs but the government doesn't seem to be getting the message. The IAM is hoping to help change that.

To All Who Would Listen
June 4, 2008 - It's one thing to talk something and a whole other to take action. That's exactly why Machinists at this year's Legislative Conference took their issues to Capitol Hill, talking to all who would listen.

Mergers, Tankers and Fairness
June 2, 2008 - IAM Members from around the country gathered in Washington D.C. to let the politicians know they aren't going to be silent on the issues that matter most.

The Recession Question
May 28, 2008 - All around the country economists are trying to answer whether or not the United States is in a recession.

Off-Setting the Economy
May 8, 2008 - Owen Herrnstadt, Director of the IAM'S Trade and Globilization Department talks about the topic of offsets.

You Are Not Forgotten
April 29, 2008 - For twenty years the IAM has been observing Worker Memorial Day, honoring those men and women who gave the ultimate sacrafice to the job.

Equal Pay for Equal Work
April 29, 2008 - In a union, workers share the same contract and therefore, the same pay and benefits.

More Broken Merger Promises
April 29, 2008 - Last week the IAM's International President Tom Buffenbarger headed to Capitol Hill to tell Congress that the proposed merger between Northwest and Delta Airlines is going to do much more harm than good.

Delta and Northwest Merger
April 21, 2008 - Last week Northwest and Delta Airlines announced a merger. GVP, Robert Roach Jr. comments on the situation.

A New, New Deal
April 18, 2008 - Just blocks away from the Capitol, a group from the Roosevelt Institution gathered to talk about a new, new deal for the future.

The Sky Is The Limit
April 15, 2008 - For the past six years the IAM has shared a very unique relationship with the students at Aviation High School. Last week these students visited the Winpisinger Center.

Tankers Today, Fighters Tomorrow?
April 4, 2008 - Americans around the country are angry as they watch their jobs and livelihoods go overseas. Most recently, it was the award of a US Military contract to a foreign country. GVP Rich Michalski traveled to Pennsylvania to speak about this issue.

A 'Not So Mock' Negotiations
April 3, 2008 - Many in the labor movement say there's nothing more difficult than negotiating contracts. That's why the Winpisinger Center is arming Machinists with the tools needed to succeed at the bargaining table.

Violence In Colombia
March 20, 2008 - The words "Colombia" and "Labor" have almost become synonymous with the word "Violence". In fact, some labor leaders argue there's not a moment in the history of unions in Colombia untarnished by violence.

Linking Catholics With Organized Labor
March 20, 2008 - An independent group of labor activists share their religious perspectives on worker rights.

Homeless Vets Need Housing and Healthcare
March 14, 2008 - Some of our U.S. Veterans who once served this great country are homeless and Congress is taking action.

Defending America
March 14, 2008 - About a week ago, the United States Air Force awarded a $35 billion dollar defense contract to a European aircraft manufacturer called Airbus. The Machinists and their allies didn't take this news lightly.

Going Green
March 12, 2008 - Many in the labor movement say if you want to keep the USA strong, you need to bring back American manufacturing. Some say the way to do that is to go green.

The Skills Needed
March 10, 2008 - The IAM's America's Edge Campaign doesn't start and stop with the Machinists. The word is out and people are listening.

A 'No Win' Situation
February 29, 2008 - For years the Machinists Union has fought against airline mergers and with good reason. A merger doesn't just hurt employees but also the American public.

Looking At Transportation's Future
February 29, 2008 - The Winpisinger Center was the meeting place this month for the IAM's Transportation Principal Officers Conference.

Lockheed Martin Negotiations Begin
February 20, 2008 - Negotiations between the IAM and Lockheed Martin kicked off this weekend in Palm Springs, California.

The Battle of Valley Ford
February 12, 2008 - In January, America's midwest turns cold and windy. That becomes more obvious if you're spending January on strike like the workers in Hazelwood, Missouri.

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Alliance Demands Congress Override Bush Medicare Veto

President Bush today sparked outrage among retired Americans and working families after he vetoed Medicare legislation that would have expanded health care coverage for low-income seniors by stopping cuts in Medicare payments to doctors who care for the elderly.

The ‘Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act’, which halts a 10.6 percent cut in Medicare fees to physicians, is opposed by the Bush administration and many Republican lawmakers because it scales back subsidies to private Medicare Advantage providers.

“Through his misguided veto of the Medicare bill, President Bush is once again reflexively siding with the special interests of the big insurance companies, rather than with seniors struggling to afford quality health care,” said George J. Kourpias, President of the Alliance for Retired Americans and former IAM International President.

The House and Senate, who both passed the legislation by veto-proof margins, are expected to take immediate action to override the veto. Last week’s 69-30 Senate vote was marked by the return of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), whose presence helped Senate Democrats secure a veto-proof majority.

“This veto would prompt an exodus of physicians from treating Medicare patients and make it even harder for low-income seniors to afford their medical care – all in the name of preserving the excessive taxpayer subsidies to the Medicare Advantage programs run by large insurance companies,” continued Kourpias. “Grassroots activists with the Alliance for Retired Americans will demand that Congress acts quickly to override today’s veto.”

Greenhouse’s “The Big Squeeze” Examines Abuse of American Workers

“The Big Squeeze” by Steven Greenhouse is an almanac of abuses that confront American workers today. And it deserves as wide a readership within the American labor movement as can be generated.

Readers will not agree with every assertion made by Steve Greenhouse, the labor reporter for the New York Times. Nor will they support every conclusion reached in his book. And many readers will take issue with the policies he advocates in the final chapters.

But Greenhouse respectfully describes the challenges facing a broad range of workers by telling extremely compelling stories about individual workers. He explains why and how those challenges arose and documents them in a way that provided useful data points for his readers.

“The Big Squeeze” neither demonizes nor humanizes those whose policies become the abuses Greenhouse chronicles. Nor does the author applaud those who lead the fights to curb those abuses. This is a "balanced" book, a resource for those who care about American workers.

District 6 delivers for Local 1238 member

IAM District Lodge 6 in Des Moines, Iowa recently delivered a big victory for Local Lodge 1238 member John Ziemet, on right in photo, winning an $18,000 settlement for the 34-year member.

The Union filed a grievance and an Unfair Labor Practice against his employer, Kruse Warthan Auto Plaza, after Ziemet was unjustifiably terminated. During the investigation the employer realized that they had unjustly terminated Mr. Ziemet.

District 6 Business Representative Wayne Laufenberg, on left in photo, negotiated an $18,000.00 settlement for Ziemet. “It does pay to belong to the Union. It also pays to have good contract language like the ‘just cause’ provisions our members enjoy," said
Laufenberg.

EFCA Mobilization Gaining Momentum

Momentum for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) continues to grow, with nearly 300,000 working Americans already signing postcards pressuring the new President and Congress to immediately pass the worker-friendly legislation.

The push for EFCA is part of the AFL-CIO’s Million Member Mobilization to get one million signatures supporting the legislation. The cards will be presented to the new Congress after the November elections in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.

The Employee Free Choice Act would enable workers to bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions by strengthening their rights to form unions. After passing in the House of Representatives last year, Senate Republicans blocked a vote on the Employee Free Choice Act.

Click here to sign the petition supporting EFCA.

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2007 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
Summer 2008

What kind of union do we want to be? That's the question delegates at the upcoming Grand Lodge Convention in Orlando, FL, will have to answer when the discussion turns to the IAM's 32-year-old dues structure.

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.

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.

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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

Read the International Metalworkers' Federation magazine 'Metal World'

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