May 7, 2020 | iMail
The IAM is joining nearly 20 U.S. Senators in supporting hazard pay and safety measures for federal employees and contractors.
In a letter sent to the Office of Personnel Management and the Office and Management and Budget, lawmakers call for the administration to address urgent issues federal employees and contractors are facing during the COVID-19 crisis.
Some of the measures mentioned are:
- Hazard pay: Increases of up to 25 percent.
- Telework: Any employee or contractor who can perform their work from home should be doing so.
- Safety leave: Agencies should receive clear criteria to make greater use of safety leave.
- Adequate PPE and cleaning supplies: All employees and contractors should have everything they need to stay safe on the job.
- Pay continuity for contractors: Providing pay continuity mitigates the economic fallout from COVID-19 for contractor employees, their families, and surrounding communities.
In addition to encouraging these measures be put in place, the Senators are also asking for the administration to ensure that they are working collaboratively with employees and unions on these matters.
Read the full letter here.
The post IAM Calls for Hazard Pay and Protection for Federal Employees and Contractors appeared first on IAMAW.
May 7, 2020 | iMail
On this week’s edition of the IAM live webcast Activate L!VE, IAM Associate General Counsel Laura Ewan talks about hazard pay during the coronavirus pandemic.
The webcast discussion covers the different types of hazard pay available during this crisis and steps workers can take to ensure their safety on the job. Getting access to paid leave and other sources of government funding are also included topics of the show.
Activate L!VE streams every Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST.
If you can’t watch live, view this or previous shows anytime on:
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
The post ICYMI: Hazard Pay on Activate L!VE appeared first on IAMAW.
May 5, 2020 | iMail
Sisters and Brothers,
Today is the 132nd anniversary of the founding of our great union.
Our history is one of overcoming great challenges. We have not only survived depressions, wars, continuous attacks on our union, and yes, pandemics—we have thrived.
The Fighting Machinists have met every challenge we have faced because we are one union with one voice, standing shoulder to shoulder in times of adversity.
From the very beginning, in 1888 when the founders of our union risked their lives to join together in a Georgia railroad pit, we have understood that our unity is our strength.
While our union and the globe confronts this crisis before us, we are reminded that we stand on the shoulders of giants who understood the critical importance of unity.
We have never given up on our mission—justice on the job for every working man and woman—and we never will.
As we continue to navigate this crisis, our No. 1 priority remains keeping our members and their families safe. We are demanding that IAM-represented employers supply our members with personal protective equipment, proper sanitation of workplaces and strictly adhere to all Centers for Disease Control guidelines.
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the family and friends of those we have lost and who have been infected by this virus.
We are also doing everything we can to provide relief to our members experiencing layoffs, including demanding relief for our members and all working people at the highest levels of government in the U.S. and Canada.
To all those who feel uncertain about our future, know that myself and your Executive Council are fighting for you day in and day out. We will get through this together and we will prevail—like we have throughout our 132 year history.
Stay safe, stay strong, stay united—together, in solidarity, we shall overcome.
Fraternally,
Robert Martinez Jr.
International President
P.S. Stay up to date on our response to this crisis by frequently visiting the IAM’s COVID-19 Resource Center at iam4.me/covid19.
The post 132 Years Later, the Fighting Machinists Continue to Overcome appeared first on IAMAW.
May 5, 2020 | iMail
The IAM is asking President Trump to use all means necessary, including the Defense Production Act, to save 700 IAM jobs at a strategically important aluminum smelter in the Pacific Northwest.
Alcoa Intalco Works, one of only seven primary aluminum smelters remaining in the United States, announced on April 22 that it was shutting down its Ferndale, WA plant.
TAKE ACTION: Ask President Trump to take all necessary actions to save U.S. steel production
“Allowing this facility to close would do significant and irreversible damage to our nation’s capacity to produce aluminum, severely weaken our domestic supply chain and jeopardize our national security, particularly in times of national emergency or foreign conflict,” wrote IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. and IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen in a letter to Trump.
Losing the Ferndale plant, the last of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, would further the U.S.’s steel deficit with China, which has dumped steel on the world market without regard to international law.
“The reliance on foreign aluminum has once again become noticeably apparent during the current COVID-19 pandemic, where high-quality aluminum is needed quickly and seamlessly to manufacture ventilators, hospital beds, and other vital medical equipment,” wrote Martinez and Allen.
The Ferndale facility is one of the largest employers in Whatcom County, and it is estimated that every job at the plant supports 4.2 indirect and induced jobs in the region.
The post Machinists Appeal to President Trump for Help Saving Washington State Aluminum Plant appeared first on IAMAW.
