Apr 22, 2021 | iMail
A few spaces are still available in Winpisinger Center Leadership I Online Programs in June and July. The Leadership I Online Program involves a mix of online sessions and offline assignments over a two-week period.
Local Lodge presidents can enroll members using the W3 Online Class Registration link and selecting either the June 14-25 or July 12-23 Leadership I Online program from the drop-down menu.
The programs are scheduled to accommodate varying work shifts and time zones. Classes in the June program begin at 6:30 p.m. EDT and classes in the July program begin at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
Participants who complete the Leadership I Online Program will receive a certificate and are eligible to participate in the next level of leadership programs either online or in person. Call the Winpisinger Center at 301-373-3300 for questions or more information.
The post Register Now for IAM’s Online Leadership I Program appeared first on IAMAW.
Apr 22, 2021 | iMail
This week IAM political ally and former Vice President Walter Mondale passed away at age 93 in Minneapolis. Mondale, who became a pro-labor U.S. senator from Minnesota in 1964, was elected vice president under Jimmy Carter in 1976 earning an endorsement from the Machinists Union at that year’s Grand Lodge Convention in Hollywood, FL.
“Unions stand for justice in America. It is the only system devised in democracy that gives working people a voice in their future. Without it, the rights of working people and democracy itself are threatened. That’s the point of solidarity,” Mondale would later say.
Upon leaving the White House in 1981 Mondale would return to politics in 1984 and would again earn the Machinists’ endorsement during an unsuccessful bid for president. During a speech in front of 1,800 delegates at the IAM Grand Lodge Convention in Seattle, Mondale spoke about the NLRB saying: “I want to be the president to get this nation moving again in the right direction so that people who work for a living can have a decent life; security; prosperity and employment where the right of working Americans to join together in a union, to bargain, to strike and to have the benefits of the National Labor Relations Act, is supported by a Board that believes that law is a right for every working American.”
Years later Mondale would support the Machinists Union by participating in organizational voter outreach drives. In December of 2007 he toured the state of Iowa and encouraged IAM members to vote in the 2008 presidential election. His visit included stops at Machinists’ lodges in Council Bluffs and Cedar Rapids.
“Show me a nation in which unions are prohibited, and I will show you a nation in slavery. Show me a nation where unions are permitted, and I will show you a nation living in freedom. That’s why I support the right of unions in our country,” Mondale would later say.
The post IAM Mourns Passing of Former Vice President Mondale appeared first on IAMAW.
Apr 22, 2021 | iMail
President Biden has appointed longtime labor lawyer and former IAM Legal Fellow Deirdre Hamilton to the National Mediation Board (NMB). The NMB helps smooth out disputes in the rail and airline industries.
“We are very happy to see Ms. Hamilton appointed to the NMB,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “It’s refreshing to have worker friendly members appointed to these very important positions in the U.S. Government. Ms. Hamilton will serve rail and airline workers well, and protect the interests of all those in the sector to protect and grow these great middle-class jobs.”
In January, the IAM joined 18 unions representing rail and aviation workers in sending a letter the Biden administration asking for some immediate attention to the National Mediation Board, which included the nomination of Hamilton.
Since 2014, Hamilton has served as a panelist at meetings of the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Committee and Railway and Airline Labor Law Committee. Hamilton also serves as a Senior Editor for the ABA Railway Labor Act Treatise, Fourth Edition.
Hamilton received her J.D. from the University of Michigan in 2000 and her B.A. from Oberlin College.
The post Former IAM Legal Fellow Deirdre Hamilton Nominated to National Mediation Board appeared first on IAMAW.
Apr 21, 2021 | LL S6 Elections, LL S6 Upcoming Events
ONE (1) 1st SHIFT BATH/EBMF I02
Shop Steward nominations for the above classification(s), shift, and facility are now open. Petitions may be picked up beginning on April 21, 2021, at the Local S6 Union Hall.
You must be a member in good standing for one (1) year to run for Shop Steward and the petition must be signed by ten percent (10%) of the members in the classification(s) affected.
All petitions must be returned to the Recording Secretary (Ryan Ryder) no later than 4:00 p.m., May 5, 2021.
ONE (1) 2nd SHIFT BATH/EBMF H18/C70/Y02
Shop Steward nominations for the above classification(s), shift, and facility are now open. Petitions may be picked up beginning on April 21, 2021, at the Local S6 Union Hall.
You must be a member in good standing for one (1) year to run for Shop Steward and the petition must be signed by ten percent (10%) of the members in the classification(s) affected.
All petitions must be returned to the Recording Secretary (Ryan Ryder) no later than 4:00 p.m., May 5, 2021.
Apr 20, 2021 | iMail
Last week IAM District 9 hosted a COVID-19 vaccination site for Machinists Union members and staff. Firefighters from Pattonville Fire District distributed over 460 shots at the Bridgeton, MO office.
“Thanks to the Pattonville Fire District with the help of St. Louis County, IAM members in our area who wanted to get vaccinated had the opportunity to do so,” said IAM District 9 Directing Business Representative Dave Weaver. “Special thanks to our staff and everyone who volunteered to help make this event a huge success.”
“I’m so thankful for everyone involved who helped make this event a success and helped get our Machinists Union members vaccinated,” said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Steve Galloway. “What an outstanding display of leadership and professionalism to be able to seize the moment and bring this idea to reality.”
The vaccinations were given by the Pattonville Fire District, while all the paperwork and administration was handled by St. Louis County. This meant staff at the district had to get all the info from willing participants and build a database for the county, so they in turn could make a schedule for the vaccination day.
“The clinic was held during the day, so we had our Reps calling companies where we represent members, and working with their HR to get those members released,” said Weaver. “It all came together within a week, so there was a rush. But in true Machinists Union fashion, it was a success.”
Everyone who received a vaccine at the event is already scheduled for their second dose at the district hall.
IAM District 9 building is the home office for IAM Locals 777, 1345, 41 and 688 along with the district’s Health and Welfare department and Pension Trust. With hundreds of people attending the clinic, district leadership had to protect those working in the building from being exposed to the virus from someone attending.
Strict protocols were put in place to keep social distancing intact. The vaccines were distributed in a different area than the offices and members waited in an area of the auditorium until being called in to get their shot.
The success of the event motivated the St. Louis Labor Council to work with District 9 to hold more vaccination clinics for other union members. They have coordinated with the Pattonville Fire District and St. Louis County to hold two more vaccination events in the coming weeks.
The post IAM District 9 Hosts COVID Vaccination Site for St. Louis Area Members appeared first on IAMAW.
