The House plans to vote this Friday evening on the HEROES Act (H.R. 6800), another round of much-needed relief to help working people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While this legislation includes many priorities the IAM fought for, including issuing an emergency temporary OSHA standard, extending unemployment insurance and subsidized COBRA benefits, it also includes a poison bill that would undermine the retirement security of millions of Americans.
The HEROES Act includes a composite pension plan known as the GROW Act that would end employer withdrawal liability from multi-employer pension plans, eliminate the safety net of the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) and make benefits unpredictable. The IAM and several other unions representing millions of workers and retirees had warned against including the GROW Act in coronavirus relief legislation.
The IAM cannot support any legislation that would exacerbate the current multi-employer pension crisis.
IAM District 751 members in several shops at Boeing in Washington state are motivated to be part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of their production has shifted to 3-D printed face shields to support healthcare professionals and cloth masks to protect fellow IAM members and other workers.
Members in Everett, Seattle and Auburn are helping manufacture and assemble the 3-D printed face shields.
At the Boeing plant in Everett, IAM members in the Interiors Responsibility Center are cutting material to produce 33,000 cloth masks for workers. IAM members in the Everett blanket shop are then tasked with sewing the masks and attaching tie ribbons.
“This is an opportunity for our members to help provide essential equipment at such a critical time in our nation. Our members are proud to build face shields for the health care industry, as well as cloth masks for co-workers and other workers to do their part to help during this global pandemic,” said IAM District 751 President Jon Holden. “We continue asking Boeing to begin making other equipment for the health care industries, including much needed N95 masks to meet the challenges of COVID. This is a unique opportunity for Boeing and our members to help provide these essential pieces of personal protective equipment to help our communities and our nation.”
“Our Brothers and Sisters at District 751 are stepping once again and showing the world what it means to be a trade unionist,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “These talented and dedicated men and women have always joined together to confront any challenge before them. Our union is incredibly proud of every District 751 family.”
“The spirit of the Fighting Machinists is alive and well in District 751, as it is across our whole union,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen. “Our members are making the essential PPE that are protecting Americans as we turn the tide on COVID-19. As we battle the virus and things look bleak, I want you all to know that I believe we will get through this and America and our union will emerge stronger than ever.”
Members of IAM Local 698 had not met an IAM Sister who recently passed from COVID-19, but they knew they wanted to do something in her memory.
District Assisting District Business Representative Jeff McLeod made a Facebook post with a letter of condolences to members of Local 218 on the passing of Sister Lydia Lopez, who worked at the Samaritas Senior Living Center in Saginaw.
Lopez succumbed to complications from the coronavirus in early April.
After seeing the Facebook post, members of IAM Local 698 decided to produce and deliver masks for personal protection to the workers at Samaritas, just a few miles away. The first donation of approximately 50 washable masks were made using donated materials.
“I’d like to thank the volunteers who made this possible,” said IAM Local 698 President Sean McDonald. “The donation to our sister lodge was made with a heavy heart for the loss of our sister, but at the same time with great pride. The unity and pride that went into making these masks embodies the IAM motto ‘service to the community,’ and they make me proud to be a member.”
“I cannot express my gratitude to these members in words,” said District 60 Directing Business Representative Bobby Atanasovski. “The loss of Sister Lopez, an essential worker in housekeeping at Samaritas, while caring for the most vulnerable amongst us was heart breaking. My personal thanks to all of our members at Local 698 for their efforts.”
“Union members see the need in their communities and they work to fill those needs,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President Jimmy Conigliaro Sr. “My thanks go out to those members who responded to the need of our sisters and brothers on the frontlines during this pandemic. I’d also like to thank DBR Bobby Atanasovski, ADBR Jeff McLeod and the members of Local 698.”
IAM District 751 members working at Hytek Finishes in Kent, WA continued to see the value of union membership as they ratified a new three-year contract when mail-in ballots were counted on April 24.
Workers at this tier one aerospace supplier had identified wages as the top issue for this round of bargaining. Negotiators focused on this and other issues of importance identified by members through surveys and meetings earlier in the year.
The new agreement provided 3 percent general wage increases for all members each of the three years of the contract. Not only were the GWIs a higher percentage than the previous contract, the new contract separated raises members receive after gaining additional skills and certifications from the GWI. Members can still gain additional increases for obtaining new skills and certifications; however, skill point pay increases no longer diminish the overall GWI percentage pool for members.
“People were happy with the wage increases – especially given the current climate,” said Union Steward Smith “Smitty” Larson, who also served on the bargaining committee. “In addition, the contract secured better insurance starting in September when Transdigm takes over full ownership from Esterline. Previously, there was no cap on increases to medical premiums. The new contract provides a weighted average medical premium increase cap of no more than 10 percent and a plan with better coverage.”
The contract also delivered improvements in other areas including paid time off, incorporating the state’s paid parental leave, and paid family and medical leave. The contract provided opportunities for cross training to gain new skills, and protection for full time employees from being laid-off as a result of Hytek using part-time employees.
“Overall people were satisfied with the contract,” Smitty added. “It got rid of company items that many people didn’t understand or like and is more straight forward with higher wage increases for all members each year.”
Early in the bargaining process, Hytek violated labor law by bargaining directly with the workers, sending them a letter in an attempt to undermine our union’s negotiating power and embarrass the union by noting that our proposal included a stronger union security provision that all workers must pay their fair share of union dues or an equal agency fee. This is an issue the IAM never shies away from because strength at the table comes from solidarity of the membership. At the same time, District 751 let workers at Hytek know their company had only proposed 1 percent wage increases and that our union was pushing for more, which it achieved with the 3 percent each year.
The new contract also provides union representatives better access to the shop floor so there will be increased union visibility. This is especially important to ensure all safety procedures during the COVID crisis are being followed.
“Congratulations to the entire bargaining committee and all that had a hand in the fight to secure a contract worthy of recommendation to our members,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen. “It’s these kind of fights that show that the IAM never gives up and always fights for our members despite the tactics our opponents chose to implement.”
Currently, Hytek has remained open as an essential business and implemented additional safety procedures. Those who have underlying health issues or high risk dependents at home have the option to remain home and either use PTO or have excused LWOP.
Bargaining came at a tough time for the aerospace industry, with the 737 MAX having been grounded for more than a year and the global pandemic that has crippled airlines. Union negotiators—Business Representatives Pat Bertucci, Chief of Staff Richard Jackson, Union Attorney Spencer Thal and Union Steward Smith “Smitty” Larson worked hard to deliver a contract members could approve to build a stronger future for all going forward.
The IAM and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU-IAM) joined a group of labor unions and federal lawmakers rallying for additional relief funds to support the nation’s transit workers.
The IAM signed onto a letter urging House and Senate leaders to consider an additional $32 billion of relief for transit agencies in the next CARES Act bill.
“It has become clear that this ongoing crisis is much more costly than previously anticipated, and that public transportation will need another significant infusion to remain operational for the foreseeable future,” the IAM, TCU-IAM and other unions wrote in the letter.
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed thousands of people across the globe. The novel coronavirus has also upended economies in-part as people abide by stay-at-home orders, essentially halting demand for some public transit. The buses, subways and other public transit however remains a vital necessity to front-line workers like nurses and doctors who are tasked with fighting the pandemic.
