Local 2063 Hosts Jobs Rally

Hundreds of soon-to-be-furloughed Maytag workers, their families and supporters gathered over the Labor Day weekend to protest the impending shutdown of Maytag's Galesburg facility on Sept. 16. More than 1,600 factory jobs will disappear and thousands more in the surrounding area will vanish after Maytag completes its planned move to Reynosa, Mexico.

Illinois Senate candidate Barak Obama, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Galesburg Mayor Bob Sheehan and Knox County States Attorney Paul Mangieri joined IP Tom Buffenbarger and local union members calling for an end to the overseas exodus of high value U.S. manufacturing jobs.

"This fight cannot end here," said Local 2063 President Dave Bevard, who has traveled the country speaking out about the damage Maytag's Mexican move will cause. "For every good job that is lost here, up to four more are destroyed as the shock wave spreads throughout the community. The long-term effect on towns like Galesburg is devastating."

Obama ignited those gathered telling them that reversing the trend of sending America’s high paying jobs “starts right here, right now, with us.”

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City. Matthew Maguire, a machinist proposed the celebration while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.

AFL-CIO Union Members Walk the Walk

On Sept. 2, as President George W. Bush addressed the Republican National Convention, IAM members joined with fellow union members for a massive door-to-door effort aimed at reaching a million union household members about issues critical to working families

“Jobs and healthcare in this country are the two most important issues of this election,” said IP Buffenbarger. “And no one knows that better than America’s union members.” More than eight million U.S. workers are unemployed and nearly 22 percent of all jobless workers have been without work for 27 weeks or more, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their situation is made all the more desperate by the failure of the Republican-dominated Congress to extend unemployment insurance benefits to the long-term jobless.

Union members walked in 200 communities in 16 states as part of the AFL-CIO Labor 2004 initiative. They distributed leaflets comparing the stands of Bush and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry on key working family issues such as good jobs and affordable health care.

Canadian Correctional Officers Affiliate With IAM

The IAM announced an affiliation with the National Association of Federal Correctional Officers (NAFCO) last week, officially marking the beginning of an IAM campaign to organize Federal Correctional Officers in the 54 Canadian corrections facilities from coast to coast.

"NAFCO approached the IAM because its members want proper and democratic representation and a bargaining agent that will protect, support, maintain and advance the interests of all six thousand federal correctional officers," said IAM Canadian General Vice President Dave Ritchie.

"Correctional officers have been without a contract since 2001 and our demands and desires are not being properly represented at the bargaining table with the treasury board," said NAFCO Steering Committee member Nelson Hunter. "Issues ranging from wage parity with RCMP officers to more annual leave and benefit improvements are not being addressed."

"We think it's important to have Federal Correctional Officers representation back in the Canadian House of Labour," said Ritchie. "Not only are they currently outside the Canadian Labour Congress and the Quebec Federation of Labour, but they are also isolated from other government unions in the federal government sector."

Strike Ends In Victory At Ogden Chevrolet

Organizers at Local 701 in Countryside, IL recently won a new contract for striking auto and body shop technicians at Ogden Chevrolet in Westmont, IL. Key issues for the workers were a desire for a union contract, a grievance procedure, a health and welfare plan and a pension plan. This is yet another case where the owner said he would never recognize the union or bargain a contract with the workers.

IAM Local 701 Business Representative Tom Gregg called the new members “warriors” in describing the five-week strike that resulted in a new labor agreement. Gregg offered heartfelt thanks to members from other shops that joined the picket at Ogden Chevrolet. Gregg specifically mentioned the members at Bill Kay Chevrolet in Downers Grove, IL who spent much of their free time supporting the strike.

General Vice President James E. Brown thanked our new members and BR Tom Gregg for their dedication and hard work. “We wish Local 701 the best in their organizing efforts in the future,” said GVP Brown.

Fletcher Jones Eats Crow

Throughout a recent IAM organizing campaign, spokespersons for Fletcher Jones-owned Vista Motors in Chicago regularly boasted about their track record defeating union organizers. “The Machinists Union has never beaten Fletcher Jones,” said the dealer representative. Fletcher Jones is a larger auto group that owns Vista Motors / Mercedes Benz of Chicago as well as dealerships in Nevada, Texas and Florida.

Well…they won’t be saying that anymore. The IAM won the organizing drive at Vista Motors, bringing 38 new members into IAM Local 701 in Countryside, IL. Vista Motors is Jones’ first venture in the Chicago area.

“The auto techs at Vista came to Local 701 seeking to establish a fair structure for wages, training and advancement. They were also looking for job security and a grievance procedure guaranteed in a union contract,” according to Local 701 Business Representative Dave Mullin.

“This was a long hard fight,” said Midwest Territory GVP James E. Brown. “Our new members stuck together and achieved the representation they deserve. Local 701 stayed with them all the way and we appreciate the hard work of BR Dave Mullin in this effort. We wish him continued success in the future.”

Muevete, El Futuro is Now!

The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) held its 15th National Membership Meeting in August in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The theme for this year's meeting was "Organize for Power, Vote for Change!  Muevete, El Futuro is Now!" 

The IAM has long been a strong supporter of LCLAA activities, and is well represented throughout its leadership positions.  As an honor for the IAM, Southern Territory GVP Robert Martinez was selected to serve on the Executive Board of LCLAA.  Gary Allen, the Administrative Assistant to GVP Lee Pearson in the Western Territory, is on the Executive Board and Grand Lodge Representative Jose Rodriguez, also of the Western Territory, had long been serving on the Executive Board and was selected to move into the position of Vice-President of LCLAA.

Health Care Ranked Number One in IAM Survey

According to the IAM's 2004 Pulse of the Union Survey, maintaining affordable high-quality health care is the number one issue for IAM members, just ahead of preserving and expanding pension benefits. Job security ranked third - well behind these two issues.

In response to another question: "If the Presidential election were held today, whom would you vote for?" Thirty five percent answered George Bush and 65 percent said John Kerry. The IAM Strategic Resources Dept. conducted the survey of 1,000 randomly selected IAM members in July.