www.goiam.orgPiper Aircraft Plant Goes IAM
More than 536 assemblers, painters and technicians at the New Piper
Aircraft Company in Vero Beach, FL are slated to become IAM members
following a NLRB election on Nov. 25 where employees voted 310-193 in
favor of union representation.
"The drive began when workers at the plant contacted IAM organizers
through the union's website at www.goiam.org." said GLR Al Granado. "From
the campaign's kick off on Oct. 10 to this week's election, we stayed
focused on what mattered most to the employees at Piper."
Wages and benefits were key issues for the workers, who assemble the
company's single and multi-engine aircraft. GLR Granado helped lead an
in-house team of 60 workers who were further motivated by the company's
unilateral decision to reduce wages by 6 percent and cut back
participation in the employees’ 401-K plan. The company also boosted
employee health care premiums by 18 percent, raising insurance premiums
for some workers from $200 to $300 a month.
"Piper employees Bob Fink, Jeff Blake and Jim Long deserve special thanks
for getting this campaign started and seeing it through," said Granado.
“Thanks also to the In Plant Organizing Team for sticking together and
taking on all challenges they faced. Thanks also all the brothers and
sisters in District 166, the Southern Territory GLR Staff, along with the
Organizing Dept., GLR's and Apprentices who helped out on the Vote Yes and
A-Petition Blitz. Special thanks to GLR's Larry Washam, Jack Nugent,
Apprentice Organizers Tommy Mayfield, Billy Stivers and Tony Scislowicz
for all of their hard work during this campaign.”
Machinists Union Welcomes IRS Drivers
“More than anything else, these employees wanted a voice at work and to be
treated with respect,” said GLR Steve Hantzis, after employees at WIT
Associates voted 37-4 this week to join the IAM. “They will start their
careers as Machinists with a strong sense of what it means to achieve
something by sticking together.”
The 45 vehicle drivers and helpers at the Baltimore-based company move
files and furniture between Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices in
Washington, DC and New Carrollton, MD.
The organizing win represents the latest IAM victory for employees covered
by the Service Contract Act, a federal law that provides unique
opportunities for workers at companies doing business with U.S. government
agencies.
“The Service Contract Act calls for comparable wages to be paid to
employees performing similar work for government agencies in a given
area,” says Ken Walsh, IAM Administrative Assistant and Organizing
Director. “The result is often a sharp hike in pay and benefits for newly
organized employees being paid less than the area average.”
GLR Ron Eldridge Named Aerospace Coordinator
IP Tom Buffenbarger named Southern Territory Grand Lodge Representative
Ron Eldridge to join Dick Schneider, John Crowdis and Frank Santos as an
IAM Aerospace Coordinator, effective Jan. 1, 2004.
Eldridge will succeed retiring Machinist union icon Dick Floyd, who served
IAM members in numerous capacities during a union career that began more
than 40 years ago at Local Lodge 2215 in San Diego, CA.
“Dick Floyd gave the better part of his life to this union and its
members,” said IP Buffenbarger. “We owe him a debt of gratitude and
respect that can only be paid by preserving the things he worked so hard
to achieve. I am fully confident that Ron Eldridge is the right person
with the right skills to continue that legacy.”
Eldridge began his IAM service in 1973 as a Shop Steward in Local Lodge
834 while working for Boeing as a maintenance mechanic. A succession of
leadership positions followed, including In Plant Representative and
Organizer for District 70. In 1988, Eldridge was elected president and
directing business representative for District 70 and on Nov. 1, 1999, he
was appointed Special Representative. In 2001, Eldridge was named Grand
Lodge Representative. Eldridge’s role as Aerospace Coordinator will
include responsibility for Light Aircraft, Missiles and Defense
Electronics.
Give the Gift of Good Jobs
Holiday shoppers can support good jobs this year by visiting three new
Internet web that specialize in selling union-made clothing and other
items. Union members are urged to visit the web sites as part of the
AFL-CIO’s “Buy Union Week,” Nov. 29 – Dec. 7.
One site – www.nosweatshop.com –
serves as a “virtual mall” populated by such union companies as No Sweat
Apparel; SweatX; Union Jeans and Apparel; Union Threads and Unionwear.
Shoppers can also visit the AFL-CIO’s The Union Shop at
www.aflcio.org/shop, and Justice
Clothing www.justiceclothing.com.
“You could shop all day at any mall in the U.S. and have problems filling
even one cart with U.S. union-made goods,” said AFL-CIO President John
Sweeney. “That’s an indication of how bad the economy is for U.S. workers,
but here is a chance for us to start turning things around.”
IAM Flight Attendants Ready for
Take Off
Thirty-four IAM Flight Attendants from Continental Airlines, Continental
Express Jet and Continental Micronesia completed the first Transportation
Department Activist program last week at the IAM’s Winpisinger Education
and Technology Center in Hollywood, Maryland.
The all-volunteer program trains activists in labor history, organizing,
political action and modern communication techniques. Graduates will be a
vital resource for the Grand Lodge, District Lodge and Local Lodge
Executive Boards seeking to better communicate with the membership. “The
idea for this program came from a single Flight Attendant who wanted to
help develop a grass-roots communication network among IAM members,” said
Transportation GVP Robert Roach, Jr. “The IAM provided the facilities,
instructors and material, but the Flight Attendants came on their own
time, worked hard and made the program a success. These dedicated members
will make a significant contribution to this organization by keeping our
members informed.”
Local 639 Food Drive Nets 15,000
lbs
IAM Local Lodge 639 in Wichita, KS boosted
holiday spirits with a food drive to support laid-off workers. The drive
collected more than 15,000 lbs of food as well as monetary support for the
Food Pantry in Wichita.
A dedicated group of Local 639 Community Service members including Tony
Spicer, Deb Tracy and Tim Denning led the successful drive.
Holiday Closure
IAM Headquarters will be closed Thursday November 27 and Friday November
28 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.