When Disaster Strikes: How the IAM Disaster Relief Fund Helped One Missouri IAM Member

IAM District 9 Business Representative Roy Collins, left, presents a check to IAM Local 1345 member Mark Sadler, right, from the IAM Disaster Relief Fund.

When flames engulfed a Missouri IAM Local 1345 member’s home in the midst of contract negotiations this past summer, his IAM brothers and sisters were there to provide some much-needed assistance.

It was all made possible through the IAM Disaster Relief Fund.

When Mark Sadler and his family’s home caught fire on July 17, investigators deemed the home a total loss.

Mark, a plant janitor/sanitation department worker at Nestle Purina PetCare in Bloomfield, MO, has been employed at the plant for 36 years and has been a member of Local 1345 since September 1999 when the employees voted to join IAM District 9, St. Louis.  

As is always the case in these situations, the timing for Sadler and his family’s unfortunate loss could not have been worse, says IAM District 9 Directing Business Representative Mark Conner. The fire struck while Sadler and his fellow Local 1345 brothers and sisters were undergoing contract negotiations.

“Negotiations can already be a stressful and contentious time for IAM members and their families,” said Conner. “Add to that the additional stress of losing your home and trying to pick up the pieces. It was important we acted fast.”

“Having the IAM Disaster Relief Fund in place for our members allows us to do just that,” continued Conner. “This assistance would not be possible, of course, without the many IAM brothers and sisters who support the fund and are committed to keeping the fund healthy day in and day out.”

Brother Sadler expressed his appreciation for the donation and for all those that made it possible in these difficult times.

For more on the IAM Disaster Relief Fund or to contribute to the fund, click here.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Machinist members need your help now! The areas affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana are home to thousands of IAM members who face a near future of chaos and uncertainty. Click here to contribute to the IAM Disaster Relief Fund today.

 

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