During Women’s History Month this year, the IAM is highlighting current trailblazers in the union. Are you an IAM Sister interested in taking a more active role in your union? Reach out to your District leadership about the IAM Leadership Assembly of Dedicated Sisters (LEADS) Program.
Little did Nina Baldridge know she would be a union member, let alone the first woman president at her local lodge. Baldridge’s first experience with the union was on her second day of the job, when Business Representative Dempsey Jackson met with her and handed her a union card. Baldridge gladly signed.
Baldridge would go on to serve as IAM Local 470 Recording Secretary for 18 years until being elected Local President.
Baldrige admits meeting obstacles along the way.
“I was a single mom, plus my facility and my craft, instrument technician, is a predominately male field,” said Baldridge. “I know the women that came before me helped pave the way for my and others’ future.”
“Sister Baldridge has been a leader in her Local for many years, including being very active in her District, formerly District 161 and now District W2021,” said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Rickey Wallace. “Working in a primarily male dominated industry, Sister Baldridge has served her union with determination and represented our members with a commitment that has earned her the respect of her co-workers and fellow members. I am extremely proud to see this Sister step up to president of her Local and continue to being a leader in our great union.”
Although she didn’t realize it at the time, her greatest mentor was and still is retired Business Representative John Savoie.
“I had the honor of serving with John my first year as Recording Secretary, he had to really show me the ropes,” said Baldridge. “I did not know the structure of the local, much less what a bylaw was or their meaning. John had extensive knowledge on the collective bargaining agreement, and would go on to serve as union chairman, which was where he really helped me hone my grievance writing abilities and to learn when to listen and not let my emotions take over. John has retired but is still willing to advise me and hear me vent, even if it’s during his fishing trip.”
Baldridge says she would like to recognize the women who took part in the IAM LEADS program at the Winpisinger Center.
“I heard some war stories that were shocking and relatable,” said Baldridge. “To know that even in top IAM roles, and for Sisters trying to get their feet in the fire at the local and district levels, that there are obstacles that are standing in our way. Our union is joining us to share the knowledge, the strength, and the fight to crush these barriers. It does matter how small or large your role is, it is important! Do not let anyone take it from you. We are vital parts of our union”.
“My hope for the future is to let our voices be heard and met with compassion we all deserve, and more doors to be open for all women,” said Baldridge.
March 15th this year marks the day by when a women (on average) will catch up to what a man made in 2021. If you look at a typical 9:00-5:00 work day, it would be as if women started working for free at 2:40 p.m. every day. 83 Cents—that’s how much women in the U.S. who work full-time, year round, are paid for every dollar paid to men (https://www.equalpaytoday.org/equal-pay-day-2022).
Want Equal Pay? Get a Union. According to a recent article by Wendy Chun-Hoon, Director of the Women’s Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor and Liz Shuler, President of the AFL-CIO, being represented by a union reduces women’s wage gap by nearly 40 percent compared to the pay gap experienced by non-union women. For Black and Latina women, the union advantage is even greater. This translates into hundreds of thousands of additional dollars in union women’s pockets over the course of their careers (Chun-Hoo & Shuler).
Having a union contract helps with pay equity in large part because of the transparency and equality it provides. Collective bargaining agreements apply to all workers regardless of their gender or race. Union members feel more comfortable to speak out about disparities because of the support of their union.
In order to ensure equal pay across the board, the Biden-Harris administration established the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment to find ways that federal government agencies can use their authority to support the formation of unions. The task force just released its first report, containing nearly 70 recommendations. At the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau, efforts are being made to find ways to get information about organizing and bargaining rights into the hands of more workers, so more working women will know about opportunities they have to form a union. There will also be a focus on working with other agencies on a Unions and Collective Bargaining Resource Center, so more workers will have information about the many ways having a union can improve their lives (Chun-Hoo &Shuler).
Now is the time to act. Encourage the women in your lives to get a union!
30 Local Lodge 447 Machinists members at Cummins, who have been on strike for four weeks fighting for a fair contract, held a rally this week to spotlight the company’s retrogressive contract demands. The rally drew heavy support from the local community and other union affiliates.
“We are here because this company has forgotten how it became successful,” said IAM District 15 Assistant Directing Business Representative Mike Vartabedian. “Even though they made billions of dollars in profit last year, they don’t want to provide wage increases to the people who helped build the company. These Machinists keep the generators working at hospitals and nursing homes. In short, they are the people who fix the engines that drive our economy and support our frontline and emergency workers. They are on strike only because the company doesn’t want guaranteed wages increases going forward. They have the full support of the Machinists Union and the labor movement behind them.”
“Local 447 members continue to inspire Machinists and the labor movement with their fortitude and resolve in their fight for a fair and just contract at Cummins,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President Brian Bryant. “With each passing day, they become stronger and more united. All Machinists will continue to fight with them until they are treated fairly by the company.”
It’s time to mark your calendars for the 2022 IAM Grand Lodge Convention. The quadrennial event will be held at the Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World from October 2-7.
In accordance with the IAM Constitution, the Official Call for the 40th Grand Lodge Convention was mailed to all local lodges in the U.S. and Canada. The Official Call contains information regarding the nomination, election and qualification of delegates and dates when nominations and elections must be held.
IAM Organizing Grand Lodge Representative Gabrielle Rogano and other members of the IAM Organizing staff are featured in the 2022 SUNY Empire State College labor calendar. It’s part of an annual calendar distributed by the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. School of Labor Studies in New York, an associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree program that includes prominent IAM alumni.
The images, which also include IAM Grand Lodge Representative Bridget Fitzgerald, lead organizer of the BCPL campaign, and IAM Organizing Special Representative Chris Casteel, are from a “Life of a Union Organizer” project Rogano completed during her summer 2021 labor in film class.
“The images featured in the 2022 SUNY Empire State College Calendar are still shots taken from a film I created while working to help unionize Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) workers,” said Rogano. “This was a successful campaign bringing in over 400 new members to the IAM. It’s no easy feat to create a film, in a month, while only using a cellphone, but with the support of the Organizing Department, I reached my goal. I am overjoyed to have this success featured in the 2022 calendar.”
The first calendar was released by SUNY Empire State College in 2020 and invitations to submit artwork are offered to students who are enrolled in the Labor Studies program. Since 2014, the IAM has partnered with SUNY Empire State College to offer degrees in labor studies through the Harry Van Arsdale, Jr. Center for Labor Studies.
Rogano was also featured in the 2021 SUNY Empire State College labor calendar.
