Your Union will become a Local of the IAM. This means that all of your Officers and Delegates will remain in place for their term of office. Your Union Hall and Treasury will remain with your Local. Any changes to your structure will be phased in over a period of time.
What kind of changes will there be?
The dues structure in the IAM is slightly different than that of the AEIF. Your dues structure would change from 2 times the lowest wage to 2 times the average wage. This change would be phased in over a 5 year period and would result in your dues being approximately $10 to $15 per month more than they are today. Also your officers would need to be elected for 3-year terms. This change would also be phased in over the next 5 years. There may be additional changes that would occur over time but always with the knowledge and consent of both the IAM and the AEIF.
Who will negotiate the contract if we go with the IAM?
Your committee will continue to negotiate with AK Steel. The IAM will make available all of the services that the Union offers. These services include trained IAM negotiators, legal services, community services, and the backing of over 700,000 active and retired members. Whichever services your union chooses to use will be your decision.
What will happen to our grievance procedure?
Nothing! The IAM has as many different grievance procedures as we do Locals. We will work with your Officers and Delegates to ensure that they have the highest degree of training possible and that we do everything possible to enforce your contract.