All it takes is one member to change the lives of many. And that’s exactly what happened when machinist Alex Martinez of Local 850 in Oklahoma City started talking to others about his IAM contract.
“Alex works across the runway at the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma from the PAE group and started bragging about his Machinist contract. One look and the PAE Team wanted the IAM in their corner,” said Ben Moody, Organizer and Business Representative for IAM District 171.
In a unanimous vote this week, the IAM gained twelve new Machinist family members when the team at PAE voted YES to the IAM. Maintaining the aircraft for customs and border patrol, this group of tough, avionic mechanics say they saw the need for a union as soon as they saw the benefits of being on our team.
IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Mark A. Blondin is seeing this trend across the South.
“A Machinist contract speaks for itself. When these hard-working men and women would be sent to other sites to work, they would see they were paid less, making less in vacation and benefits as their counterparts who were doing the same job. That’s not fair and it’s not right. So we were more than happy to make them part of our Machinist family in the South,” said Blondin.
The Southern Territory has already organized a few of these custom/border patrol divisions across the territory so it makes sense this lot in OKC wanted to be part of that success.
“These are hard-working people, some of which who have spent decades on the job. They love what they do and they have paid their dues in sweat and diligence on the shop floor,” said Moody. “Now it’s time we show them what a strong contract can do for them.”
And soon, these new Machinist members can let the world know it pays to be Union when it’s the IAM who is watching your back.
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