Oct 22, 2020 | iMail
With less than two weeks left until the U.S. election, it’s important to make sure you have a voting plan in place. Whether voting by mail, voting early in-person or voting on Election Day, knowing where to go and when is key.
All the voting information you may need has been compiled at iam2020.org, the IAM’s online U.S. election hub.
On the “Get Out the Vote” section of iam2020.org, you can find your polling place, find an early voting location, see what’s on your local ballot or locate a ballot dropbox if available in your state.
The post Time to Make Your Voting Plan appeared first on IAMAW.
Oct 22, 2020 | iMail
When it comes to who is chosen to fill an open seat on the highest court in the United States, the process isn’t just a matter of picking a well-known judge from the lower courts. It’s a multi-million-dollar industry funded from hard to trace origins.
Former U.S. Attorney and current U.S. Sen. Whitehouse (D-RI) does a good job of explaining the dark money trail fueling Supreme Court cases and Justice nominations last week during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Most notable is the part where he discusses the anti-worker Janus case and the amount of money being used to fight unions in the highest court in the U.S.
Watch the entire video here.
The current nominee to the court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett has an troubling anti-labor past, as highlighted in this IAM video.
The Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed Judge Barrett today, moving to a full Senate confirmation vote scheduled for next week.
The post Big Money is Buying an Anti-Union Supreme Court appeared first on IAMAW.
Oct 20, 2020 | iMail
No one shook hands. Everyone wore masks. They practiced social distancing. But that didn’t stop the participants who attended this year’s Georgia State Council of Machinists (GSCM) Conference which was held Oct. 11 – 13, 2020 in Macon, GA to accomplish some important items for Machinists.
Twenty delegates representing five local lodges listened to Georgia AFL-CIO President Charlie Flemming talk about the significance of the Peach State in the upcoming presidential and congressional elections. For working families in the South, Georgia is a pivotal state in the nearing races.
The meeting also allowed members to vote and swear in new officers, including newly elected GSCM President James Clements of Local 2699, who will make sure the issues of Georgia’s working families stay front and center in the future. The IAMAW state councils are located across the country, in cities where Machinists are represented, as a way to help ensure legislation is created that is good for working people.
The post Different Look, Same Hard Work appeared first on IAMAW.
Oct 20, 2020 | iMail
This time of year Guide Dogs of America (GDA) is normally preparing for their biggest event – the Las Vegas Charity Weekend. GDA will miss seeing you this November, but there are some positive ways to make light of the situation. Think about all of the money you’ll save by not going to Vegas!
* No unforeseen checked baggage fee
* You won’t be stuck holding an outrageous bar tab
* That darn dealer won’t take you in blackjack this year
They can’t replace the fun you typically have at Las Vegas weekend (few can), but they can still capture the giving spirit. At GDA’s Virtual Vegas Fundraiser, everybody wins. Instead of burning money in the casino, you can donate to the fundraiser and provide guide and service dogs free of charge to those who need them most.
Each one of GDA’s puppies is raised by a loving volunteer and then professionally trained with the hopes of becoming a guide or service dog. Their dogs transform the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired, veterans with PTSD, and children with autism.
Click here to donate your normal banquet ticket and other expenditures you’ll be avoiding this year!
The post GDA Holding 2020 Virtual Vegas Fundraiser appeared first on IAMAW.
Oct 20, 2020 | iMail
In February 2018, Siemens announced they were selling the Dresser-Rand government business and services portfolio and closing the historic Wellsville, NY plant, ultimately putting nearly 250 IAM Local 1580 members out of work. The plant has been operating for over 100 years and the IAM has represented workers there since 1942.
Dresser-Rand in Wellsville is one of dozens of IAM-represented facilities that have closed during the Trump administration.
“We’ve been here for over a hundred years at this location producing stream turbines this entire time,” said IAM Local 1580 Vice President and 31-year employee Bryan Fanton. “We’ve made money here at Wellsville pretty much year in and year out, and we’re down now to about 140ish bargaining unit employees. And they’re all good machinists and they’re all going to lose their job here in the next five to 6 months.”
“It makes me feel angry that a company like Siemens can purchase something like us that has some pretty important duties when it comes to our government work, and just tear it apart and shut it down,” said Local 1580 member and 31-year employee Jim Lewis.
Watch the IAM’s video about the Dresser-Rand plant closing on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
Watch all the IAM’s “Broken Promise” videos
“Shameful actions like what Siemens did to these members in Wellsville should be denounced by our elected officials, not encouraged and rewarded,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “The members who lost their jobs all have bills to pay. That doesn’t go away when your job does. The 250 families affected by this plant closing aren’t numbers on a balance sheet, they are human beings who should be treated with dignity.”
“The jobs at this plant, along with a good union contract, has supported these workers and their community for generations, and now it has all been ripped away from them,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President Jimmy Conigliaro Sr. “They deserve better from Siemens and their government. They deserve an administration that will fight to protect their jobs from being outsourced when companies like Siemens turns abandons its workers and their communities.”
The post Broken Promise: Dresser-Rand in New York appeared first on IAMAW.
