Communications — 3

And each year, the Communications Department is tasked with special projects. Examples of these unique efforts are:

Direct mail campaigns in support of the IAM members to prevent President Bush from imposing a contract on members at United Airlines or in support of the IAM’s endorsed presidential candidate.

Design and layout of printed materials like the New Member Kit, the Organizing Portfolio and the Human Rights Manual.

Video productions like Everyday Heroes, the various departmental videos and the new Organizing Department DVDs.

Special events like the “Next North American Expansion” seminar, the national staff conference or appearances at the National Press Club.

Finally, the IAM Communications Department handles thousands of calls from reporters, columnists and editors. Each is looking for a few facts, a little perspective and a pithy quote in time to make their daily deadline. But their needs take a back seat to explaining the IAM’s perspective on an issue and defending our members’ rights.

In the Information Age, instantaneous communication is not a luxury. It is a necessity. The IAM Communications Department will continue to push for more information, information delivered faster and more directly, information with more local content. The members’ thirst for information may never be met, fully and to their complete satisfaction. But that remains our primary objective.