Stewards Training on December 4, 2013 for Lockheed Palmdale and Lockheed Sunnyvale on January 9, 2014, instructed stewards on the vital role they play in negotiations and how critical they are in making the upcoming Lockheed negotiations a success.
“The Union Steward is the most important position in a Union,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary Allen. “The Stewards at Palmdale and Sunnyvale have been given the tools they need to ensure that our members are well informed throughout the negotiations process. I look forward to a successful outcome for the membership as a result of these negotiations.”
Negotiations with Lockheed Martin begin this month at three separate locations throughout the country (Marietta, Georgia; Sunnyvale, California; Palmdale, California) where the non-economic portions of the collective bargaining agreements will be negotiated. The bargaining process then moves into economics where the negotiating committees of all three locations convene at a central location to negotiate with Lockheed.
“The planning and preparation for these negotiations has been underway since January 2013,” said IAM Aerospace Coordinator Terry Smith. “We have surveyed the members, prepared the proposals and engaged the negotiating committees by utilizing the resources that our Union provides in order to maximize our chances for success at the bargaining table. Having our stewards trained and prepared for these negotiations can only increase our chances for successful negotiations. I am not saying these negotiations will be easy, far from it. What I am saying is that the membership and their elected leaders are prepared for whatever might happen during these negotiations.”
The non-economics bargaining between the parties is currently underway at the various locations. Economics bargaining is scheduled to commence on February 9, 2014 in Palm Springs, California.
Information on what is happening at each location can be found at www.iamcontract2014.com.
