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IAM Local 519 President and Directing Business Representative Paul Shepherd and Aerospace Chief of Staff Jody Bennett, along with the rest of the negotiating committee, fought for and won an impressive first contract that is resulting in new organizing wins for the IAM. New members at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona employed as F-35 flight instructors won impressive wage increases that take them from $61.54 per hour to $90.60 per hour.
This first contract led to a subsequent organizing victory of another F-35 unit at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. Grand Lodge Representative Steve Nickel and Local 568 Business Representative Andy Allen worked in tandem to secure another win for the Western Territory.
Because of the outstanding performance at the bargaining table, Nickel anticipates that many other F-35 units will follow suit and join the Fighting Machinists.
“This is a shining example of the collective effort of IAM representatives fighting to improve the lives of our membership,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen. “These victories highlight the role of the IAM and its members now and into the future in assisting the U.S. Armed Forces in the maintenance and readiness of one the most advanced fighters in the United States arsenal.”
