Oct 29, 2020 | iMail
The IAM Communication Department is proud to announce the release of the Winter 2020-2021 IAM Journal. The latest edition of the IAM’s flagship publication is hitting mailboxes now and is available online.
This has been difficult year for our country, and the Machinists Union family is no exception. The articles in this edition are designed to update our members on what’s going on in the IAM, and inspire them with stories of strength and solidarity.
Please enjoy the latest edition of the IAM Journal, along with the following message from IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr.:
Sisters and Brothers,
We have all been put to the test over the past several months. A global pandemic has taken the lives of loved ones. The ensuing recession has left millions out of work. Our nation is grappling with racial injustices of the past and present, wildfires of historic proportions out West, and a record number of hurricanes and floods in the South. In the middle of it all, we are going to the polls to determine the future of this country.
I know there’s been some tough conversations at the dinner tables of many IAM families this year. And it’s easy to feel alone amidst everything going on around us.
But let me be very clear—you are not alone. Your union has your back and we will always be there for each other. We will make it through this crisis and we will come out stronger on the other side.
You’ll see the perseverance of our membership in the pages of this IAM Journal. We are keeping our nation and the world moving, ensuring that critical supplies get to their destinations. We are standing up for good jobs and ensuring that the best workers in the world—our members—continue to build the military equipment that keeps our nation safe. We have been fighting for relief for our membership and every working family since Day 1 of this crisis.
But let’s call it like it is—not everyone has been on the side of working people. The indifference and inaction from the White House and its allies in Washington have cost us far too many lives and livelihoods. More than 50 IAM-represented plants have closed in the past three years. Despite our requests for assistance, this administration has said nothing—and more importantly—done nothing. The divisions in this country threaten our democracy, and the stakes have never been higher.
That’s why our membership, in the modern labor movement’s first-ever rank-and-file vote for a presidential endorsement, made it clear that this nation needs to move in a different direction. Up and down the ballot, we have the opportunity to elect candidates who will get us through this crisis and restore power back to where it belongs—with working families.
I’m not telling you how to vote. But I do want to make sure that you make your voice heard. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to be engaged when our nation needs us most.
It is times like these in the history of our union that have made us what we are today—a strong, united union. We’re known as the Fighting Machinists because we don’t back down and we never give up.
We’ll get through this, Sisters and Brothers. Keep up the fight. Stay safe, stay strong, stay united—together in solidarity, we shall overcome.
Robert Martinez Jr.
International President
The post Introducing the Winter 2020-2021 IAM Journal appeared first on IAMAW.
Oct 29, 2020 | iMail
The effects of the wage gap that Latina working women face go far beyond a paycheck; it is a trickle-down effect that plays a detrimental role in the lives of Latinas, their families and entire communities.
The post Latina Equal Pay Day appeared first on IAMAW.
Oct 29, 2020 | iMail
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is failing the very people it was created to protect according to a new report from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor. The study highlights how the current administration has used the agency to undermine workers’ rights and eliminate unions.
The committee report states “the current NLRB has waged a multi-pronged attack on the right to organize since President Trump took office.” It has done so in a myriad of ways including appointing anti-union corporate lawyers to the board, slowing down representation elections and conducting an unprecedented number of rulemakings designed to eliminate unions.
Read the full report here.
Boeing workers in South Carolina have been on the losing end of the current NLRB’s decisions for the past few years during their efforts to join the Machinists Union. A majority of the flight line workers at the North Charleston facility voted for union representation, only to be denied recognition by the NLRB in a clearly partisan decision. But the Machinists Union will continue to fight to bring union representation to the workers at the plant—and around North America—who want it.
The post The NLRB’s Assault On Workers’ Rights Under the Trump Administration appeared first on IAMAW.
Oct 28, 2020 | iMail
After operating for almost eight decades, Electrolux closed its factory in St. Cloud, Minnesota in November 2019, resulting in the loss of jobs for about 900 IAM Local 623 members. The plant, which accounted for roughly 17 percent of the town’s manufacturing jobs, was consolidated to the company’s non-union facility in Anderson, SC.
“Ever since we became Machinists, they were always threatening to move the plant jobs,” said IAM member Joe Baratta, who is laid off.
The Electrolux plant is one of dozens of IAM-represented facilities that have closed during the Trump administration.
“It’s going to impact the economy of St. Cloud at some point,” said IAM member and former employee Chad Randall. “People have always done their jobs. I think the company will see in the end that they’re going to regret not having us around anymore.”
“I’m going to miss all the people I work with,” commented IAM member and former employee Jean Klatt.
Watch the IAM’s video about the Electrolux plant closing on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
Watch all the IAM’s “Broken Promise” videos.
“It is no coincidence that Electrolux closed this plant and moved its production to a right to work state like South Carolina,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “Corporate greed isn’t anything new, but under the Trump administration it has become more prevalent. Not only have plant closings such as this one directly affected workers and their families, it has had a ripple effect in their communities. We will vote on November 3 for a change in leadership that will protect good union jobs and hold companies like Electrolux accountable.”
“The closings of many plants around the country have sadly become all too familiar under the Trump administration,” said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Steve Galloway. “Union jobs in America are under siege. The Machinists have been leading the fight to vote out this administration and elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on November 3. Their administration will stop pandering to the corporate elite and start bringing back good union jobs.”
The post Broken Promise: Electrolux in Minnesota appeared first on IAMAW.
Oct 27, 2020 | iMail
There are seven days left before Election Day and we want to make sure every Machinists Union member has a plan to vote. There is too much at stake to sit this election out.
Visit iam2020.org today to find your polling place, see early voting locations, locate a voting drop box and see what’s on your ballot.
Politics affects everything about our lives. Legislation enacted and decisions made by elected officials impact our work lives and the ability of our union to fight for better pay and benefits for our families. There is a direct link between the ballot box and our economic and workplace security.
As a reminder, the IAM, in a first-of-its-kind membership vote, chose to endorse Joe Biden for president. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will fight for affordable healthcare, retirement security and stronger unions, while fighting against the outsourcing of our jobs.
Make sure you have a plan to vote. Visit iam2020.org today.
The post VOTE! One Week Left to Make Your Voice Heard appeared first on IAMAW.
