New Contracts Win Gains in Job Security
IAM members scored impressive victories on the job security front during negotiations this spring with two leading aerospace companies.
In May, 1,700 members of IAM Local 743, District 91, secured broad new job protections at the Hamilton Sundstrand division of United Technologies Corp. in Connecticut. IAM members make spacesuits for NASA like the one shown on this page.
And in June -- after rejecting Boeing's initial contract offer- 3,400 members of IAM District 837 in St. Louis won some of the toughest job security protections in the aerospace industry.
"Last year, we took Hamilton Sundstrand to court and stopped them from moving IAM work to non-union facilities," recalls General Vice President Bob Thayer, who heads the IAM Aerospace Department.
"And in St. Louis, we struck Boeing for 100 days in 1996 over the issue of job security," he continued.
"For us to go back to the bargaining table at these locations this year and negotiate even stronger job security language represents a real victory for the IAM membership and for our Aerospace Department," Thayer said.
The Hamilton Sundstrand agreement provides extended recall rights and guaranteed minimum levels of employer-provided skills training.
The contract also establishes two new joint committees to secure existing jobs and to return out-sourced work to the bargaining unit. One committee focuses on Facilities Maintenance and Machine Tool Services; the second focuses on production and experimental work.
"The important thing is that we have created a program to make these committees work. We have an explicit focus, regular meetings, and mandatory consultation and information-sharing," said District 91 Business Rep. Jim Parent.
The newly-negotiated agreement with Boeing's military division in St. Louis (the former McDonnell Douglas facilities) includes strong language pledging to retain all currently-existing IAM jobs for the life of the contract.
The contract requires that 75 days before signing an agreement to subcontract bargaining unit work, Boeing must notify the union, share technical and financial data about the proposed outsourcing and consider proposals to keep the work at Boeing.
The IAM and Boeing are also committed to meet regularly to discuss the impact of subcontracting on the union membership.
In addition, the contract grants any IAM member displaced by subcontracting Income Continuation Benefits of one weeks' salary for every year of credited service, plus medical benefits, for up to 26 weeks.
Blondin
Named to IAM Law Committee
Mark Blondin, District 751
president and directing business representative, will complete former member
Mike Day's four-year term on the IAM Law Committee. Day, president and
directing business representative for District 191 in Oakland, CA passed
away in March, 2001.
Blondin leads about 26,500 IAM members in the Puget Sound area employed
by the Boeing Company.
Law Committee members review proposed amendments to the IAM Constitution.
"The IAM Constitution is our living history, and the Law Committee helps
forge that history. It is imperative that its members take the long view
of issues," said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger. "Mark Blondin will provide
both perspective and continuity in the years ahead. He will do a great
job."
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