The kitchen staff at the IAM’s crown jewel, the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center, is once again being honored for their high-quality dining services to IAM members.
The St. Mary’s County (MD) Health Department Gold Star Program recognizes food service facilities that achieve superior food safety standards. For the last three years, the prestigious Gold Star Award has been given to the kitchen staff at the Winpisinger Center, located in Hollywood, MD.
Each member of the Winpisinger Center’s kitchen staff was recently awarded an apron and gold star pin by IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr.
“The Winpisinger Center kitchen staff deserves to not only be recognized with a Gold Star Award for the food they prepare, but for the manner in which they prepare it,” said Martinez. “Their consistently high level of performance and hard work reflect their commitment to the membership of the IAM.”
The Gold Star Program has recognized food establishments for superior compliance to food safety standards with this annual award since its inception in 2007. Environmental health specialists at the health department regularly inspect over 500 foodservice facilities in St. Mary’s County to ensure food safety is being adequately addressed.
“The kitchen staff plays a really important role in making every member participant feel welcome at the Winpisinger Center – creating an environment where our members not only have the opportunity to learn what it means to be trade unionists, but they get to experience what it feels like to be a trade unionist,” said Winpisinger Director Chris Wagoner. “The hospitality and sense of being ‘welcomed home’ that the kitchen staff creates is critical to the educational work that occurs at the Center.”
Earl C. Robinson, a former Assistant Director of the Machinists Non-Partisan Political League (MNPL), passed away on January 9, 2020.
Robinson, the first African American to serve in that role for the IAM’s political arm, was a 57-year life member of the IAM.
“Earl Robinson lived a life of service to countless IAM members, their families and working families everywhere,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “We are forever grateful to him and his family for their dedication to our collective cause for dignity, justice and respect on the job. On behalf of the IAM Executive Council and our entire membership, we send Earl’s family our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Robinson joined IAM Local 15 in Houston as an employee of Cameron Iron Works in 1962.
He would become involved with the IAM as a shop steward, United Fund solicitor and co-chairman of MNPL. He was also a member of the A. Philip Randolph Institute national executive committee, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and a co-chairman of the Texas AFL-CIO Black Affairs Committee.
Robinson served as MNPL Assistant Director from 1974 until his retirement in 2001. From 1970 to 1973, Robinson was a staff organizer with the AFL-CIO’s Industrial Union Department.
Recognizing his “valuable participation in the American political democratic process,” the Georgia state legislature proclaimed March 1, 2001 Earl C. Robinson Day.
“I am and always will be a part of the Machinists family,” Robinson said at a Black History Month event at IAM Headquarters in 2014. “This organization makes sure so many children around the country have dinner on the table every night.”
Robinson’s funeral service will take place on Friday, January 17, 2020 at 1 p.m. at Providence United Church of Christ, 2200 Vicker Ave., Chesapeake, VA 23324.
In its ongoing effort to provide independence to more people across North America, Guide Dogs of America (GDA) announced its merger with Tender Loving Canines Assistance Dogs (TLCAD).
TLCAD provides service dogs to help wounded veterans, individuals with autism and to facilities whose populations can benefit from their presence. Since its founding by an IAM member in 1948, GDA has empowered blind and visually impaired people by matching them with guide dog partners.
“TLCAD shares our goal to transform the lives of people through partnerships with highly trained assistance dogs,” said GDA President Russell Gittlen. “This merger will allow us to put more dogs into the hands of people that need them — which is our ultimate mission.”
IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. has announced, effective January 1, 2020, the appointment of Directing Business Representative Tony Cruz to the position of Southern Territory Grand Lodge Special Representative.
“Tony is a true trade unionist and a well-respected labor leader in North Carolina. He has always been an asset to workers and proudly carries the value of a Fighting Machinist in everything he does,” said IAM’s Southern Territory General Vice President Rickey Wallace. “We are excited to bring him on staff so he can continue fighting for workers to have a strong machinist contract that allows them fairness and a voice on the job.”
Cruz initiated into the Machinists Union in1992 when he was working as a powered support systems repairer at the Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point, NC and has been a dues paying member of Local 2297 ever since. As a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps himself, Cruz has seen firsthand the power of solidarity and how a just cause is always worth the fight.
“Tony’s tireless work ethic and energy make him a great fit for our team. His experience on working a variety of negotiations gives workers a powerful voice in the southern territory,” said Wallace. “His specialized knowledge in the federal, private and SCA arenas is something we were looking for when filling this position.”
From shop steward to chief steward to communicator and everything in between, Cruz became the Directing Business Representative of District 110 in 2014. He has served as Trustee, Organizer, Committee Member and Lead Negotiator on a number of contracts in North Carolina. His unending belief that unions provide a better life for working people remains the driving force of his career and his personal life and make him an asset to the IAM.
On this week’s edition of the Machinists Union’s live webcast Activate L!ve, IAM General Counsel Mark Schneider joined the show to discuss the employee rights guaranteed by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the Railway Labor Act (RLA).
Activate L!VE streams every Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.
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