Please write your House member and tell them to oppose consideration of the proposed NAFTA 2.0 trade deal until it includes necessary provisions to thwart U.S. job losses.
IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr., recently wrote a letter to House members that urged the lawmakers to pause consideration of the current proposed trade deal until critical flaws are addressed.
The pact, as currently written, lacks adequate labor standards, enforcement of those standards and other urgently needed reforms that would curtail the outsourcing of aerospace and general manufacturing jobs.
“This agreement will not be ready to be considered until its text is changed to reflect our detailed suggestions regarding a number of chapters, including those concerning labor standards, enforcement and rules of origin,” Martinez wrote in his letter to House members. “Without such changes, NAFTA 2.0 will continue to foster the continuing outsourcing of U.S. jobs to Mexico, as companies seek to take advantage of workers who do not enjoy fundamental human rights.”
The proposed trade deal between the U.S., Canada and Mexico would have to be ratified by the House and Senate.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2019 – The House of Representatives should not vote on a renegotiated NAFTA agreement until critical flaws in U.S. trade policy are fixed, writes Robert Martinez Jr., International President of the 600,000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) in a letter to members of Congress.
The IAM has been a leader in demanding that NAFTA 2.0 include significant changes that stop the continued outsourcing of jobs to Mexico.
Martinez recently wrote a letter to 14 House Democrats, urging them to halt pressure for a quick NAFTA 2.0 ratification vote.
The IAM is on the record throughout the renegotiation process that NAFTA 2.0 lacks adequate labor standards, enforcement of those standards and other urgently needed reforms that would curtail the outsourcing of aerospace and general manufacturing jobs.
Read the IAM’s entire letter opposing the consideration of NAFTA 2.0 until stronger labor standards, effective enforcement and other reforms are included in the text to stop outsourcing.
Dear Representative,
I am writing on behalf of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), to oppose consideration of the renegotiated NAFTA until our long-standing concerns are addressed and our recommendations are incorporated into the final text of the agreement. Acceding to the demands by the Administration to rush a vote on this matter while these issues are ignored would have disastrous results for U.S. workers. It would also constitute a wasted opportunity to fix the fundamental flaws of our nation’s trade policy which continues to cost U.S. workers hundreds of thousands of jobs.
NAFTA 2.0, as currently written, does not come close to reflecting the much-need changes that labor has submitted to USTR. This agreement will not be ready to be considered until its text is changed to reflect our detailed suggestions regarding a number of chapters, including those concerning labor standards, enforcement and rules of origin. Without such changes, NAFTA 2.0 will continue to foster the continuing outsourcing of U.S. jobs to Mexico, as companies seek to take advantage of workers who do not enjoy fundamental human rights. Among other matters, strong and enforceable labor standards, which are missing from the current agreement, must be included in its text. Other provisions that would remove the incentives to outsource U.S. manufacturing jobs must be addressed. In aerospace and related industries alone, thousands of jobs that could have been created in the U.S. are now contributing to over 40,000 aerospace jobs that currently exist in Mexico.
Mexico’s efforts to address its continued violations of fundamental human rights through the elimination of protection contracts, as well as other violations of workers’ rights, still leave us unconvinced that it has the resources and institutional commitment to effectively implement these much-needed reforms. If the House considers the renegotiated NAFTA at this time, it will lose its leverage with Mexico to honor its commitments to reform its labor law.
Until the text of NAFTA 2.0 is greatly improved incorporating our many recommendations, it should not be brought to the floor for a vote. If the agreement as currently written is considered, the IAM will have no other choice than to oppose it.
Thank you,
Robert Martinez, Jr.
International President
The IAM represents 600,000 active and retired members in the North American aerospace, defense, airline, manufacturing, transportation, woodworking, the federal sector and other industries. Machinists Union members work at Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, General Electric, United Airlines, Harley-Davidson and more. Visit goIAM.org for more information.
Regardless of your age, you are greeted the minute you walk into the retiree meeting at district 776, usually with a piece of cake. The sweets are just a bonus; it’s the people in this room who draw you in.
“I am so proud that this group allows me to be their president. People I looked up to my entire career, who helped me,” says Denise Maben, who initiated into the IAM into local 776A in 1979 and now heads the district’s retiree club in Fort Worth, TX. “I just want to take care of them now and do right by them because they did right by us for so many years.”
For Denise, this is not a hobby or something to kill time in her golden years. After decades of fighting the good fight, this is her union life today. Her Father O.D. Wright, a legend in these parts, led this retiree club for a quarter of a century until he celebrated his 90th birthday and decided it was time to step down. While he was looking after the most senior machinist members at home, Denise spent decades in the field doing the same. Taking cues from her Dad on how to live her life, she led by her gut and her heart.
“Back then we were fighting so hard. We were so mad all the time. We ate it, we drank it, we slept it and it was a 24-hour thing,” Denise remembers about the decades she spent jousting for workers’ rights.
Hired into Lockheed Martin in February 1979 as a Deburr Operator, her years on the shop floor were not easy as a woman in the 1970s. But she knew she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
“I’ll tell you, the first time I walked in and the floors were vibrating and the walls were vibrating and you couldn’t hear anything but machinery – I really thought I had died and gone to heaven. I thought this is where I want to be,” Denise recalls, smiling as she reminisces.
But she’ll tell you, it wasn’t all ‘sunshine and roses.’
“We, the cute women, were put on the aisle, in full display, and my desk was on the front aisle, they would bring all the visitors by,” explain Denise with a raised eyebrow. “It was ridiculous.”
She was clearly not a fan but it triggered a desire to make changes for workers, and in essence, a long union career. Elected as the Recording Secretary of Local 776A, the largest local in Texas at the time with nearly 8000 members, Denise held the position for three terms. And from there, she pretty much filled any union position that was available. As long as she was helping workers and their families, she was alright.
“There were so many times I was proud to be a machinist. The ’84 strike stands out for sure,” remembers Denise.
That’s not surprising because that fight took nearly 8000 IAM members from Lockheed Martin to the streets, striking for everything from better wages to benefits that mattered.
“Then the National Guard comes. You could hear them trotting down the street. 200 of them, coming from the National Guard office around the corner. And they showed up in full riot gear and surrounded us and then they started hosing us down and tear gassing us,” remembers Denise vividly. “But we stood strong, together, and by the time we got through, we had the best contract in Aerospace.”
It’s experiences and actions like these that define the legacy of the Fighting Machinists. The working men and women who fought back in the day for the rights we have today.
“The grievances we won. The changes we made. We tried to make it better for the next generation. We tried really hard,” said Denise.
The retirees in this room prove that they did just that, but they are also the first to tell you that the job is far from over.
“We are not finished yet; we are not done yet. We are still here to protect the district and its members. We are still here to help whenever its needed. We are still a force to be reckoned with,” says Denise with conviction.
That’s the general consensus in the room as everything from politics and health updates to recipes and presidential candidates are discussed in just one meeting. This is the power of the not just this retiree club, but all of the senior groups spread across the IAM. These are the men and women who are experts in all things ‘Union.’
“We have already done our fighting. We really don’t need to fighting much anymore because they know who we are. And there’s power in that,” says Denise with a sly smile and a big laugh. “There’s not much I need to set on fire anymore.”
Denise is a prime example of the why the retirees of the Machinists Union are the Watchmen of not just the IAM’s legacy, but also its future. And the reason we need to always carry on their fight, passion and love for this Union.
“I want to thank Sister Maben for everything she has done for our members and retirees,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “Her dedication and commitment is as strong today as when I met her on the shop floor in 1980. Denise truly is a great friend and a true Fighting Machinist. I look forward to continuing to stand shoulder to shoulder with her and her entire family.”
A contingent of 35 IAM Metal Trades members and officers, led by International President Robert Martinez Jr. and IAM Executive Council members, attended the AFL-CIO Metal Trades Conference September 30 through October 4, 2019 in Las Vegas.
The week kicked off with a Guide Dogs of America golf tournament sponsored by the Metal Trades Department and proceeded with meetings with the Department of Energy, Navy and contractors who employ Metal Trades members.
“I was very proud to see a large and vocal showing of Machinists Union members at the annual Metal Trades Conference,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “I want to especially thank Metal Trades President Jimmy Hart and IAM Government Employees Director Jim Price for their hard work on behalf of our metal trades membership and for again raising thousands of dollars for the IAM’s favorite charity, Guide Dogs of America.”
The Metal Trades Department is comprised of 13 affiliates of the AFL-CIO that work in industries such as Department of Energy, Department of the Navy and the Department of Defense, as well as at oil and gas refineries across the country.
