Aug 18, 2020 | iMail
Members of Minnesota IAM Locals W33 and 760 recently ratified a new contract with Packaging Corporation of America (PCA). The negotiating committee was able to secure many increases in the new 6-year agreement with the paper manufacturer.
The contract includes a 2.5 percent wage increase for each of the six years, an insurance package that saves employees with family coverage over $2,000 a year, increased timeframe for short term disability benefits, increased payment for long term disability and improvements in contract language pertaining to arbitration over wages for a new position, union representation, and vacation increments.
“I am extremely proud of the effort put in by these two bargaining committees,” said District 5 Business Representative Joe Schwartz. “They spent a great amount of time preparing for negotiations by analyzing each article of the contact individually, and addressing the issues of their members from the individual surveys. This commitment and their will to stand strong for their membership allowed them to achieve gains in this contract like they have never seen before.”
“It was a long-fought negotiation but in the end, I believe that the long hours and hard work put in by this Committee and BR Schwartz made the difference in the gains that were made,” said District 5 Directing Business Representative Jeremy Pearson. “The two local lodges stood together to get proposals they wanted and to fight off those that would hurt them. They took the fight to the Company and truly embodied the spirit of the “Fighting Machinists.”
“Congratulations to the members of Local Lodges W33 and 760 at PCA,” said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Steve Galloway. “Together you’ve achieved what many years of previous rounds of negotiations were unsuccessful at achieving. Out of 16 contract changes, 15 were in favor of the union. Thank you to IAM District 5 Business Representative Joe Schwartz on a job well done, along with IAM District 5 Directing Business Representative Jeremy Pearson and Midwest Territory Grand Lodge Representative Shannon Stucker for their assistance with these negotiations. This contract epitomizes the importance of having a strong team and solidarity when the time comes to fight for what you deserve.”
The post Minnesota IAM Members Ratify New Contract with PCA appeared first on IAMAW.
Aug 18, 2020 | iMail
On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the last state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment. Although it wasn’t officially part of the Constitution until a week later, many recognize this date as the final step toward the constitutional right to vote after a century-long fight for equal representation. August 26 marks the actual 100th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
With less than 80 days to the 2020 election, the urgency to mobilize working women to vote is paramount in the goal of electing women candidates and candidates who advocate for women, and to getting this country back on track in the wake of the pandemic and its disproportionate impact on women, especially women of color.
Labor is hosting two events tonight, Tuesday, August 18, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote.
1) The Office of AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler is hosting a roundtable discussion to celebrate women’s right to vote and uplifting the issues affecting working women. Join us for a conversation between Shuler, AFT President Randi Weingarten, UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) Executive Director Alvina Yeh, Laborers (LIUNA) Women’s Caucus Co-Chair Cassandra Hammond, and Institute for Women’s Policy Research President and CEO Dr. C. Nicole Mason today at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT. Click here to RSVP.
2) The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) is hosting a candlelight vigil on Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC, in commemoration of the suffragists who fought for our right to vote. The candlelight vigil will be live streamed on CLUW National’s Facebook page. Click here to watch the candlelight vigil on Black Lives Matter Plaza, starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
The post Tonight: Labor Commemorates Women’s Right to Vote appeared first on IAMAW.
Aug 18, 2020 | iMail
Note: Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and restrictions in Prince George’s County, MD, the 2nd annual IAM International President’s Capital Classic Golf Tournament has been rescheduled to Monday, May 3, 2021.
The IAM is proud to announce that the 2nd annual IAM International President’s Capital Classic Golf Tournament will benefit U.S. military veterans at Charlotte Hall in Southern Maryland.
Fill out and return the registration and sponsorship form today. The deadline to register and sponsor the tournament is Friday, March 26, 2021.
Proceeds go toward projects to benefit U.S. military veterans receiving care at the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home.
2nd annual IAM International President’s Capital Classic Golf Tournament
Monday, May 3, 2021
National Golf Club, 300 St. Andrews Dr., Fort Washington, MD 20744
Entry fees are $150 per person or $600 per foursome and include green and cart fees, a continental breakfast and a post-round lunch, trophy presentation and raffle drawings. Registration and breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.
Ready for a day on the links to benefit our U.S. military heroes? Fill out and return our registration and sponsorship form.
If you have any questions on the tournament, please contact Terri Kenealy at tkenealy@iamaw.org or 301-967-4555.
The Charlotte Hall Veterans Home has been proudly “serving those who served” since 1985. The home is situated on 126 beautiful acres in St. Mary’s County, Md. and offers a continuum of care to U.S. military veterans. Its mission is to continually develop and deliver a safe, dignified and compassionate health care system; and provide a nurturing and engaging home environment for Maryland’s veterans and eligible spouses.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers proudly represents 600,000 active and retired members across North America. Many of our members are U.S. military veterans who work in the defense, aerospace and federal sectors, supporting the mission of our service members every day.
The post RESCHEDULED to 2021: IAM International President’s Capital Classic Golf Tournament, Benefiting U.S. Military Veterans at Charlotte Hall appeared first on IAMAW.
Aug 17, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts
Brothers and Sisters,
Being the last week before the vote this weekend the Union will not be picketing the gates or holding strike signs. Security and the fencing around GDBIW will soon be removed as well. All offsite facilities are officially closed to picketing.
The Union is allowing everyone to come to the Union Hall for questions and answers on the upcoming vote. In keeping with this update, the Union is adjusting its hours for the membership. The adjusted hours will be:
4:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Monday through Friday
6:00 AM to 5:00 PM Saturday
6:00 AM to 12:00 Noon Sunday
Whereas we are not picketing, we will not be running 24/7. You are still required to sign in but only have to be here for two (2) hours. We will still be issuing all members who come down and sign in their full strike check benefit. We also will be serving food throughout the day.
To be clear, there is NO PICKETING at any GDBIW facilities and there will be NO strike signs. Instead, come to the Union Hall and sign in as you normally have been, stay for two (2) hours, and you will still get your strike benefits check. We are continuing to build solidarity, and this is why we are taking this approach. We encourage our members to come to ask questions and get accurate answers, not opinions or misinterpretations.
Normally, the way we used to vote gave the membership the opportunity to ask questions. We are providing this opportunity to all members for the remainder of the week at the Union Hall.
The upcoming vote is this weekend from Friday, 12:01 AM, 8/21/20 through Sunday, Noon, 8/23/20.
Lastly, The Union is having a Solidarity event this Saturday, August 22nd, here at the Union Hall starting at 5 PM. The IAM President Robert Martinez will be in attendance, along with several State and Federal Legislators.
In Solidarity,
Local S6 Leadership
Aug 14, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, Negotiations
LEADERSHIP ALERT: STRIKE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
Local S6 and BIW have come to a Strike Settlement Agreement.
• The Strike Settlement Agreement is a separate agreement from the contract proposal and is not voted on.
• This agreement explains the terms and conditions on how the membership returns to work should the membership ratify the proposed contract.
• We have provided the document in its entirety at the end of this post but would like to give a more detailed explanation of the three (3) most often asked questions.
1. Employees will be assigned to return to work starting Monday, August 24th, 2020.
a. Employees normally assigned to 3rd shift will return on their normal shift: Sunday, August 23rd, 2020.
b. Employees may elect to return:
i. Monday, August 31st, 2020 OR Tuesday, September 8th, 2020.
ii. YOU MUST CALL THE CALL-IN CENTER ON OR BEFORE AUGUST 24TH TO DECLARE YOUR START DATE IF YOU CHOOSE TO RETURN ON MONDAY, AUGUST 31ST, 2020 OR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2020.
iii. IF NOT, YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO DISCIPLINE.
Example: You work for another business and need to give notice to your employer and are planning on returning on Monday, August 31st . You would need to call the call-in center on or before Monday, August 24th to declare your intention of returning the following Monday (August 31st). The same would apply if you were to return Tuesday, September 8th.
2. Vacation accrual for the month of August 2020.
a. BIW has agreed to credit 40 of the 80-hours needed to accrue vacation time for the month of August.
b. Employees must either work or use an appropriate absence code the last full week of August to accrue the 80 hours needed.
3. Insurance will be activated when you return to work on August 24th.
a. Should a member use a PB, vacation day, or FMLA on Monday, August 24th, that will count towards activating your benefits.
b. Should a member declare to BIW through the call-in center on or by August 24th that they will be returning on August 31st or September 8th then whichever of the two they return to work on would be the activation date of your benefits.
For those who noticed missing Holidays in 2023:
– Memorial Day and Independence Day 2023 have been added.
– This was an oversite prior to printing the contract proposal.
Entire Strike Settlement Agreement (Click Here)
In Solidarity,
Local S6 Negotiating Committee
