IAM Airline Workers Need Action: 23 Days Until Relief Expires

Sep 8, 2020 | iMail

The airline Paycheck Support Program contained in the CARES Act is set to expire on October 1, 2020. Carriers are making plans on how to deal with its loss, and the outlook doesn’t look good for many IAM members and other airline workers.

American Airlines has announced it will lay off 19,000 workers on October 1. Southwest Airlines is eliminating 35,000 flights from its October schedule, and Air Wisconsin, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, ExpressJet, Hawaiian Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines and United Ground Express have issued Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARN). 

TAKE ACTION: Tell your Senators and Representative to support a clean extension of the airline Payroll Support Program

The only hope of staving off mass furloughs is Congress taking action to extend CARES Act protections for airline workers. What we need to save jobs is:

• Increase PSP funding levels by an additional $32 billion (covering six months);
• Extend requirements relating to involuntary furloughs, share repurchases, dividend payments, and collective bargaining agreements to March 31, 2021;
• Require Treasury to immediately disburse funds to every air carrier and contractor that executed a Payroll Support Program Agreement, an amount equal to their current payroll support.

 “These are not controversial goals,” said IAM Transportation General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “We already have bi-partisan support for a clean extension of the program, and President Trump has also signaled his support. What we need is for Congress to actually start doing its job and take action to save the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of airline and aviation families.”

“The airline industry is in dire need of immediate assistance from Congress,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “Their inaction is jeopardizing the futures of all airline workers. The Machinists have been leading this fight from the beginning, and we must continue to keep the pressure on Congress. Do not stop contacting your Representative and Senators until this extension is enacted.”

U.S. Rep. Fred Keller (R-PA) recently led a bipartisan letter to American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, asking the carrier to continue its advocacy for the PSP extension and to keep communities and working families in mind when considering layoffs. Keller also led a separate letter to congressional leadership, highlighting the dire situation of the aviation industry and the need to include an extension of the PSP in future COVID-19 relief legislation.

TAKE ACTION: Tell your Senators and Representative to support a clean extension of the airline Payroll Support Program

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We Need More Than Words This Labor Day

Sep 5, 2020 | iMail

Sisters, Brothers and Friends of the IAM,

For all the changes and hardship 2020 has brought upon us, I know one thing will remain the same—working people like us, the men and women who make North America move—will be offered thanks this Labor Day weekend.

And while I am indeed incredibly grateful for all the sacrifices of our membership, especially during times like these, I can’t help but think that words simply aren’t enough anymore. Our families and our communities, who have put lives and livelihoods at risk during this pandemic and economic disaster, and too many of our own Brothers and Sisters who have become sick and passed away from this terrible disease, deserve more than a pat on the back once a year.

We’re not asking for any special treatment. Our demands—justice and dignity on the job—are essentially the same as they were 138 years ago when a Machinist founded what we now know as Labor Day. And in proud Fighting Machinist tradition, we have gone to the mat each and every day of this crisis for our membership.

As you’ll see in the IAM’s COVID-19 Resource Center, from airlines and aerospace to defense and manufacturing, and every industry in between, this union has been leading the charge fighting for the relief our membership needs and deserves. Just like our members on the frontlines, the IAM is out front protecting our democracy, standing up for racial justice and demanding that working people be prioritized over corporate profit.

But when we see the rich and powerful taking advantage of this crisis to further enrich themselves at the expense of working people, the hollow “thank you” they offer us on Labor Day falls on deaf ears. When political leaders seek to divide, rather than unite, working people, their rhetoric is exposed for what it is—empty words.

Today, with just 59 days until Election Day in the United States, we must each take a hard look at the world we will leave our children and grandchildren. Our membership, in the labor movement’s first-ever rank-and-file presidential endorsement vote, made it clear that we need change.

So, I ask you to get involved and take matters into your own hands. Fight like our future depends on it—because it does. Vote, volunteer and get everyone around you to do the same. Our union’s election year online hub, iam2020.org, is a good place to start.

I know this year has been difficult. Our union is no stranger to preserving through the most challenging of times. Mark my words that our fight will continue and that we will never stop demanding action and a fair shot for every working family.

In solidarity,

Robert Martinez Jr.
IAM International President

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Machinists Mourn IAM Activist Dennis Strahan

Sep 3, 2020 | iMail

On August 30, 2020, the IAM lost one of their soldiers when retired Grand Lodge Representative and Educator Dennis W. Strahan passed away after a valiant fight with cancer at the age of 76.

“It is the work of our union brothers and sisters like Dennis Strahan who personify the ideals and value of the Machinist Union,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “Strahan was a foot solider for labor, dedicated to serving the membership in any way possible. His life’s work can be seen in the success of the thousands of IAM members who crossed his path, and his legacy lives on through their continual fight for workers. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to those who called him friend.”

Serving more than 25 years in the IAM, Strahan was a true unionist with a career that began at Beech Aircraft in 1969, where he joined the Machinist Union and became part of Local 2328 in his hometown of Salina, KS. In his 11 years at Beech, Strahan held many union positions from shop steward to plant chairman, even serving on the negotiating committee in 1978 where he helped to secure a 36 percent raise for machinists.

Elected a few years later as Business Representative with District 70, he fought tirelessly for members through grievances and arbitration cases until he was recruited to serve as an Education Representative at William W. Wipinsinger Education and Technology Center. He had a passion for sharing his work and union experiences with the hundreds of machinist members who excitedly took his class. In 2005, he accepted the position of Grand Lodge Representative in which he would finish his career with the union, retiring in 2006.

Strahan was a storyteller and the life of the party, regularly sharing funny stories of his Kansas upbringing. Those closest to him say he was a true friend, willing to lend a helping hand or an understanding ear whenever it was needed. An avid golfer and a huge Kansas sports fan, friends and family remember fondly how he was always the first to start any celebration. A loving and dedicated father, caregiver, protector, friend and confident to all.

In addition to his union family who mourn his passing, he is survived by his immediate family which includes his brother Dennis, his sister Deborah, two daughters Nicole and Dawn, his five grandchildren and three great grandchildren, as well as a host of friends who will attend a private service to celebrate his life. Donations to the Guide Dogs of America to honor Strahan’s memory can be made at www.guidedogsofamerica.org.

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Here’s How You Can Help Get Out the Vote with the IAM This Election Season

Sep 3, 2020 | iMail

Election Day is nearing and the IAM has news for members and retirees who would like to be more involved in the election process. Opportunities to volunteer have been added to IAM2020.org, the Machinists Union’s one-stop shop for the 2020 election.

IAM members can sign up to phone bank, drop literature or a host of other volunteer opportunities. There is a separate link for IAM retirees to sign up to volunteer as well.

In addition to volunteer sign ups, the IAM has compiled all of the voting information you may need in one place at IAM2020.org.

You can register to vote, apply for an absentee ballot, set an election reminder and pledge to vote.

Visit IAM2020.org for all your election needs.

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