“Hardworking middle-class taxpayers didn’t think bailing out General Motors would be a wide-open invitation for large executive bonuses and not sharing the $34 billion profit it made the last few years with its middle-class workforce. In fact, they understood that there is no job security for us when GM products are made in other countries, not here in the USA.
“We all stood up for American jobs. All we are asking is that GM stand up for us now that they have profited from our sacrifices.” – UAW
Pro-worker rights advocates on Wednesday rallied at the steps of the Supreme Court as the high court that day heard testimony about whether federal anti-discrimination law protects gay and transgender employees.
The justices have to decide whether sexual orientation and gender identity should be covered under federal sex discrimination protections. The panel is looking at three cases:
To many, ten days may not seem like a long time. But for a worker on strike, ten days can feel like forever.
But for the more than ninety machinist members from Local 708 on strike against Sherwin-Williams in Andover, KS, there really was no other choice but to walk. Not just for themselves, but for the safety of workers everywhere.
“This is not a strike about wages. This is a strike about making sure each and every worker at Sherwin-Williams comes home at the end of their shift in good health. This is about making sure that if any employee is injured on the job, they receive the care they need,” said Cornell Beard, President/Directing Business Representative of IAM District 70. “Honestly, this unfair labor strike is about a paint company that protects the walls of millions of homes across the globe but isn’t protecting the family members that inhibit these homes. And that’s not something the Machinists can ignore.”
“The IAMAW and the company have discussed the possibility of sitting back down at the table for a resolve to the work stoppage,” said Chief Negotiator and District 70 Business Representative Tyson Kelly. “We are hopeful for a return to the table but until that moment, we are standing strong as the Machinists remain determined and in good spirits during this time.”
Last week, a strike rally brought more than 100 members and allies from locals across District 70 in support of their brothers and sisters on the line. The IAM remains committed to supporting these members until everyone is back to work.
Machinists Union International President Robert Martinez Jr. is urging congressional lawmakers to vote “yes” on the Protecting the Rights to Organize (PRO) Act.
“The PRO Act is a vitally important piece of legislation that strengthens federal laws and protect workers’ right to organize a union and bargain for higher wages and better benefits,” Martinez wrote in a letter to lawmakers. “Furthermore, the bill will prohibit employers from permanently replacing employees who strike and removes limitations on secondary strikes.”
The PRO Act (H.R. 2474), introduced in May by House Education and Labor Committee chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and cosponsored by 212 Democrats, would amend the National Labor Relations Act to broaden workers’ rights to strike and unionize.
Martinez’s call for action on the bill comes just days after the House Education and Labor Committee approved the legislation in a 26-21 party-line vote.
The committee’s action advances the legislation for full House floor consideration.
We ask you to help us urge all House members to vote “yes” on the PRO Act.
The IAM mourns the loss of a Bath Iron Works (BIW) icon, Clayton Grover. The Local S6 member passed away at 87 on October 4, 2019 after a brief illness.
For nearly seven decades Brother Grover has reported for duty at BIW, often saying that he continues to work “because I still can,” and that “it keeps me going” while adding “I don’t want to retire, and become a couch potato.”
Like many young men of the era, at 19 he followed his father into the shipyard in 1952 going to work as a pipe coverer. In January 1953, he joined the U.S. Army during the Korean War, serving until January 1955, then returning to work at BIW. Sixty-seven years later he was the oldest employee at BIW, working in the same department he started in making flushing bags for the ship’s piping.
Grover was presented with his 60-year pin and certificate while in the hospital with friends and IAM representatives by his side.
Grover was a proud member of Local S6, and would often say that the “union, no doubt had improved the working life” for everyone working the shipyard. A native of Maine, Grover married his beloved wife Shirley in 1956, who passed in 2016.
“Brother Glover was a truly dedicated worker, and union member,” said IAM District 4 Directing Business Representative Rick Compher. “Our deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends, and his extended union family throughout the shipyard, he will truly be missed.”
“Men and women like Clayton Grover helped build this country,” said Eastern Territory General Vice President Jimmy Conigliaro Sr. “They are the workers that gave rise to the working class, joining unions to build better jobs, with better wages, fighting for healthcare, expanding coverage to vision care, and dental. We owe Brother Grover, and those like him our sincere debt of gratitude.”
