They are doing it for their students. That’s the sentiment that brought a group of nearly 200 dedicated teachers, social workers, and specialists from Milwaukee’s Carmen School of Science and Technology to announce their intent to organize with IAM District 10.
“The biggest detriment to our students is the high turnover of teachers,” said Alexis Garcia, a Social Studies teacher at Carmen High School of Science and Technology Northwest. “When teachers are valued and supported, it creates consistency for students and creates classrooms where both students and teachers can thrive. The pandemic only exacerbated the problem and if Carmen truly wants to follow its mission, they need to do right by their teachers.”
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Carmen Schools of Science and Technology are a network of charter schools with five campuses ranging from elementary to high school. According to their organizing campaign website, better working conditions will allow this group to provide the best educational experience for their students, creating an environment of growth that will be beneficial to all. It will also allow these educators to further protect those underrepresented on staff and in the classroom.
“These educators should only have to worry about taking care of their students’ education and nothing else,” said IAM District 10 Directing Business Representative Alex Hoekstra. “A union contract will do that. It speaks volumes that these educators are taking these steps to secure a brighter future, not only for their current students but for those who will come later.”
“We agree with the educators of Carmen. The best way to take care of the students is to make sure the teachers have everything they need to do their job,” said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Steve Galloway. “An IAM contract that outlines items like equity, pay and workload rules is going to benefit everyone in the Milwaukee community. We are proud of this group for going above and beyond to take care of the children in their care by joining the Machinists Union.”
To learn more information about this organizing campaign and support their effort, you can log onto carmenworkerscollective.org.
Due to an unfortunate error in payroll processing, 991 of you had an extra $50.00 deducted from your paycheck as an initiation fee. When this error was discovered, Local S6 Leadership immediately jumped into action to determine the cause and find a resolution. Please see below:
As such, a refund of this error will be refunded to the impacted populations 1/9/22 paycheck.
We have confirmed the error and deductions of that nature shouldn’t happen again in the future.
We thank you all for your patience as we resolved this matter. Thank You.
Approximately 116 employees at non-profit Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE) voted overwhelmingly to join IAM District 160. The year-long organizing victory overcame many obstacles, including various attempts by management to negatively influence union supporters, and being completely virtual at every step of the process.
“So many of us poured many of our hopes, concerns, and aspirations for a more equitable workplace into this movement,” shared one bargaining unit member of LEE staff. “Each and every one of us felt some level of vulnerability throughout this process, but we are so glad it has paid off. We’re excited about the work to come. We know we’ve only just begun.”
“We whole-heartedly support our LEE non-profit brothers, sisters, and siblings in their desire to unionize,” said District 160 Acting Directing Business Representative Bonnie Kosten. “LEE employees’ commitment to strengthening their workplace by joining together with their colleagues is impressive, and we are so excited they have decided to organize with us!”
“I want to welcome the LEE employees into our Machinists family,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen. “Their organizing campaign was unique and special in so many ways. The fact they never wavered in their conviction to join the IAM says a lot about their fortitude and courage. I thank and congratulate District 160 Acting Directing Business Representative Bonnie Kosten, GLR Joe Solis and Organizer Melisa Demyan and all those involved at District 160 for making this organizing drive a success.”
Leadership for Educational Equity is a national nonprofit leadership development organization inspiring and supporting a network of civic leaders to end the injustice of educational inequity. LEE employs over 100 non-supervisory employees who work to advance LEE’s mission of inspiring and supporting a diverse, enduring movement of leaders to engage civically within their communities to end the injustice of educational inequity.
Negotiating committee members from IAM District 26 (Locals 700 and 1746) recently came together at the William W. Winpisinger Center in Hollywood, MD in preparation for upcoming contract negotiations with Pratt and Whitney.
Representing nearly 3,000 members at facilities in Middletown and East Hartford, CT, these IAM members produce and maintain jet aircraft engines for military and commercial jets such as the Boeing KC-46 air refueling tanker and the Airbus A320.
The IAM’s week-long Negotiation Preparation focused on helping officers and the negotiating committee with team dynamics, drafting contract language, the law related to collective bargaining, health care, pensions and retirement security. They also focused on member mobilization, communication and strategic planning.
“Coming to the Winpisinger Center to work in this environment where the team can focus on developing the knowledge and skills to bring our members a strong agreement is crucial,” said Jeff Santini, District 26 Assistant Directing Business Representative.
The Winpisinger Center works with several departments at IAM Headquarters, including Strategic Resources, Legal and Communications, to amplify the importance of roles for the members, stewards and negotiating committees.
The IAM Aerospace Department set this course up before year’s end so that the committee would be ready and focused on the next steps at the start of 2022.
“Congratulations to the negotiating committees of IAM Locals 700 and 1746 on completing this important step in the Machinists Union’s collective bargaining process,” said Eastern Territory General Vice President Brian Bryant. “The Negotiation Prep program continues to be one of our union’s critically important programs. The tools learned throughout the week will go a long way towards ensuring a strong and effective contract at Pratt and Whitney in Connecticut.”
The current agreement is set to expire on May 1, 2022.
