Western Territory Hosts Organizing Summit
April 25, 2019
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A three-day organizing summit, which began on Tuesday, April 16 in Las Vegas, kicked off a productive and motivating week for organizers throughout the Western Territory. The conference theme emphasized the importance of organizing to grow the labor movement well into the future, along with the unveiling of new and exciting cutting-edge tools to aid in the cultivation of organizing leads. The planning at the conference drew from the past successes in organizing and creativity of the talented organizers in the territory.
During General Vice President Gary Allen’s opening remarks, he illustrated the importance of organizing to aid workers and their families to achieve the American dream of attaining better wages, improving working conditions, winning top notch union benefits and securing their futures.
“Only through a strong IAM contract, and through the aggressiveness of IAM representatives fighting for members, can they ensure brighter futures for themselves and their families,” said Allen.
Allen also warned of the dangers and pitfalls of not organizing.
“In order to make certain our proud union lives long into the future, it is incumbent upon us to explore nontraditional industries and use creative approaches for organizing,” said Allen.
Allen also challenged organizers to explore beyond traditional targets by organizing in health care, big manufacturing and outside of the traditional service contract workers.
Grand Lodge Representative Joe Solis, Special Representative Ryan Carrillo and Associate Organizers Bob Simoni and Nicole Pugh, along with District Organizer Justin Mauldin, showcased the new arsenal of innovative organizing tools that have been aiding in research and lead generation.
Last year, the IAM grew significantly and a number of those gains were made through organizing. The IAM was by far the top AFL-CIO affiliated union in organizing and proud of it. We still have a lot of work to do as only about 11 percent of workers in the US are unionized. The only sure way to secure the future of the labor movement is to organize, in order to sustain unions and improve the lives of American families
