Approximately 70 million Americans, including many IAM members, will receive an 8.7 percent cost-of-living increase in their Social Security benefits. The average retired worker can expect to receive an additional $140 per month starting in January 2023.
Active and retired IAM members have been on the frontlines advocating for increasing earned Social Security benefits and for measures that secure the solvency of Social Security. As Machinists, we continue our fight to ensure Social Security continues to pay retirees their life-long earned benefits. The IAM remains committed to the fight to achieve dignified retirement benefits for our members and all seniors.
“The IAM applauds the cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “Our union is on record for declaring Social Security to be the most effective anti-poverty program in our nation’s history, but most importantly, it is our most important family income and disability protection program, and the cornerstone of retirement income security for many IAM members. This increase is why we must continue fighting to ensure the Biden-Harris administration has a Congress supporting working families. Now is not the time to go backward. We must go forward with an agenda that uplifts workers and their families.”
The Social Security Administration will mail COLA notices throughout December to retirement, survivors, and disability beneficiaries, SSI recipients, and representative payees. But if you want to know your new benefit amount sooner, you can securely obtain your Social Security COLA notice online using the Message Center in yourmySocial Security account. You can access this information in early December before receiving the mailed notice. Benefit amounts will not be available before December.
The IAM Scholarship Competition is accepting applications for the 2023 year. The competition is open to members of the IAM and their children throughout the United States and Canada.
Again, this year’s Scholarship Program will be fully accessible on goiam.org.
Additionally, the IAM has a vocational-technical two-year scholarship available to members and their children.
Please note that the application must be postmarked on or before February 10, 2023, if mailing in the applications.
In 2021-2022, the IAM awarded 16 scholarships valued at $64,000. The winners were selected out of over 300 applicants.
The IAM Scholarship Fund, which is used exclusively to make these awards possible, was established by the delegates of the 1960 IAM Grand Lodge Convention.
For more information, including applications and rules, you can find them on the 2023 IAM Scholarship Competition page here.
If you would like to receive a scholarship packet by mail or have any questions regarding the program, please call our Scholarship Department at 301-967-4708.
Al cerrar el Mes de la Herencia Hispana que se celebra cada año desde el 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre, honramos el trabajo de aquellos latinos que han influido en nuestro movimiento laboral y nuestra cultura: César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, Paul Montemayor y Jack Otero, por nombrar algunos. Ellos han derribado barreras que intentaban detener a los latinos. Sus esfuerzos comenzaron a crear un espacio para los latinos en el movimiento laboral y a cultivar un movimiento de base a nivel nacional.
La IAM trabaja con grupos de constituyentes como el Consejo Laboral para el Trabajador Latino Americano (LCLAA, por sus siglas en inglés) que fomenta la educación, organización y movilización de los latinos en el movimiento laboral en un esfuerzo para impactar los derechos de los trabajadores y su influencia en el proceso político. Para más información acerca de su trabajo visite su sitio web.
Nuestros propios miembros de la IAM continúan esa valiente tradición haciendo cambios positivos en sus comunidades. Lee más sobre alguno de ellos a continuación:
Mercedes Navallez, Miembro de la Logia Local 1125
Mercedes Navallez ha sido un miembro de la Logia Local 1125 desde el 2018 y actualmente se desempeña como delegada de su local. Ella cree en la importancia del Mes de la Herencia Hispana. “Es un honor ser Hispana y contribuir un poco de nuestra cultura, pensamientos, dedicación al trabajo y a la familia”.
Cuando Navallez reflexiona sobre la importancia de aquellos que abrieron brecha, ella admite que ella “admira a nuestros antepasados, ellos fueron los que nos dieron el coraje para continuar luchando por nuestras metas y sueños, ellos nos dieron las herramientas para continuar en la vida diaria, ellos abrieron caminos para el bienestar de cada persona y de nuestras propias familias”.
Su esperanza para los miembros y el futuro de los trabajadores hispanos en toda América del Norte es que “trabajemos juntos como un equipo con nuevas perspectivas laborales para que de esta manera entendamos las necesidades de los hispanos. Cuando los hispanos se involucran en el trabajo duro de la unión, ellos traen consigo nuevas ideas frescas y cambios prósperos”.
Navallez remarcó que, como mujer hispana de 53 años de edad, siendo madre soltera de dos hijas, “no es fácil, muchas puertas se cerraron, pero gracias a Dios otras se abrieron!”. Ella continua la ardua labor cada día en el trabajo, como madre y ahora como abuela – lo que, para ella, “es un orgullo inmenso decir, ¡sí se puede lograr!”
Miguel García, Miembro de la Logia Local 2252-C
Miguel García es un miembro de IAMAW UCPR LL 2252-C. García cree que el Mes de la Herencia Hispana es una “manera justa de compartir el reconocimiento de la gran contribución cultural que los hispanos han hecho a los Estados Unidos de América”.
García admira grandemente a “Roberto Clemente Walker, quien se hizo famoso en los Estados Unidos como beisbolista de los Piratas de Pittsburg, en una época en que aún no había tantos hispanos en el deporte. Fue uno de los mejores jugadores ganando 12 premios Guante de Oro. Él dedico mucho tiempo ayudando a las comunidades más pobres y murió tratando de traer ayuda humanitaria a otro país. Él fue un mentor para los jóvenes a pesar de que vivió en tiempos de segregación racial.
García espera que otros miembros de la IAM aprendan “que al igual como otros hispanos han contribuido al fortalecimiento de nuestra cultura y nuestros derechos aquí en los Estados Unidos, nosotros como parte de la unión podemos lograr cualquier meta nos propongamos para fortalecer los lazos entre los trabajadores sindicalizados”.
Su esperanza para el futuro de los trabajadores hispanos/latinos en toda América del Norte es que “tengamos los mismos derechos laborales, beneficios médicos y otros derechos, que no seamos discriminados por ningún motivo” y que “según nuestras capacidades, obtengamos trabajos que podamos hacer de manera justa”.
García remarca: “He trabajado en la construcción por 30 años. Nunca me imaginé que tendría la oportunidad de estudiar y graduarme Cum Laude en una carrera técnica.” Él tampoco se imaginó viajar a los Estados Unidos continentales para visitar el Centro Winpisinger de la IAM para tomar cursos que lo llevarían a ser elegido como delegado y tesorero de su Logia Local. Para el, rendirse nunca fue una opción. “Donde hay voluntad, hay un camino”. Él espera poder “seguir contribuyendo positivamente en los roles que le han sido asignados en el futuro para inspirar y ayudar a los unionistas hispanos en los Estados Unidos”.
Elías Flamenco Rivera, Representante de Comunicaciones de la Gran Logia
Elías Flamenco Rivera, un Representante de Comunicaciones de la Gran Logia, cree que “el Mes de la Herencia Hispana es un momento para rendir homenaje a todas las contribuciones realizadas por nuestra comunidad a pesar de todos los obstáculos”.
Al hablar con Flamenco Rivera sobre quiénes le han inspirado, comenta: “hay muchas personas a las que respeto por ser pioneros en sus respectivos campos, tales como César Chávez y Sonia Sotomayor, las personas que más admiro son mis padres. Ellos emigraron a los Estados Unidos con nada más que sueños, laborando en trabajos mal pagados que entonces se consideraban “no esenciales”, y sin hablar el idioma. Gracias a su sacrificio y trabajo duro, ellos sentaron las bases y los valores para que yo tuviera éxito”.
Flamenco Rivera cree que “el Mes de la Herencia Hispana ofrece una oportunidad para crear solidaridad a la vez que apreciamos las luchas y aspiraciones que todos compartimos. Como lo es el movimiento laboral, la comunidad latina no es monolítica ya que tenemos diferentes historias y experiencias. Estas diferencias nos hacen más fuertes en nuestra lucha por un futuro mejor.”
Flamenco Rivera llegó a los Estados Unidos como refugiado cuando era un adolescente y ha logrado muchas primicias en su familia: el primero en graduarse de la universidad, el primero en convertirse en ciudadano estadounidense, el primero en poder trabajar en el Congreso, el primero en conocer el presidente de los Estados Unidos, y el primero en formar parte de una unión. Estas experiencias le permitieron “comprender la importancia de la inclusión y la necesidad de ampliar las oportunidades para las poblaciones subrepresentadas”, explica.
El cree que la IAM apoya los valores que conducen a tales logros, no solo en papel, sino que “los pone en práctica al tener uno de los Consejos Ejecutivos más diversos del movimiento laboral y al impulsar iniciativas para promover la inclusión.” A pesar de que la IAM este abriendo el camino para la representación, los latinos todavía están subrepresentados en los roles de liderazgo. A medida que la población latina de los Estados Unidos crece y da forma al presente y al futuro de la economía, ese nivel de subrepresentación debe cambiar. “Tener una representación diversa en posiciones de liderazgo no solo ayuda a promover la inclusión, sino que también ayuda a construir puentes entre todas las comunidades”.
Nadry Martínez, Miembro de la Logia Local 2725
Nadry Martínez, un miembro de la Logia Local 2725, considera el Mes de la Herencia Hispana como un momento para honrar los logros de los latinos e hispanos en los Estados Unidos y reconoce las contribuciones de la presencia latina en el país.
Cuando se le preguntó a quién admira, ella dijo que admira y siente tanto aprecio y orgullo por su abuelo Juan Miguel Fuentes-Vizcarrondo. El vino a los Estados Unidos en los 1960, “determinado a luchar y avanzar fuera de su país. Él se enfrentó a la barrera del idioma, estudió, trabajó duro en múltiples oficios y sirvió en el ejército de los Estados Unidos”.
A fines de la década de 1960, él tuvo la oportunidad de escribir una columna en español en The Hartford Times, un periódico vespertino de Connecticut; el decidió incluir fotos en la columna para que la gente pudiera ver imágenes positivas de su comunidad puertorriqueña. Gracias a eso y a su amor por la comunidad latina, él se convirtió en un fotógrafo con un cuidadoso deseo de presentar una imagen completa de su comunidad para contrarrestar la ignorancia, el racismo y los estereotipos. Entre sus muchos aportes, el abogó y logró el respeto por el idioma español en las escuelas con población latina en Hartford. “Toda esta pasión por su comunidad puertorriqueña hizo que se uniera a foros y luchas para abordar temas relacionados con la justicia y los derechos civiles de los hispanos”, dijo Martínez.
Martínez señaló que “la comunidad de personas de origen hispano juega un papel importante en la complementación de convivencia en los Estados Unidos. La influencia de la cultura hispana se refleja en cada elemento de la vida estadounidense, en la política, educación, deportes, música, televisión, entre otros. Juntos ayudamos a tener una mejor nación”.
Cuando se le pregunta qué espera ver para nuestros colegas hispanos, ella dice: “Yo espero empatía, consideración, respeto y que seamos tratados con igualdad de derechos. Somos una comunidad con una gran fuerza laboral y resiliencia. Nosotros nos unimos y trabajamos juntos por el bienestar y crecimiento de nosotros mismos y comunidades”.
Martínez se considera a sí misma, como latina, “fuerte, responsable; buscando inspirar y dar un buen ejemplo de lucha y perseverancia. Tengo mucho por lograr y sueños por cumplir. Me gusta trabajar, me gusta lo que hago y reconozco el gran trabajo que hacemos con nuestros miembros de la unión. Sobre todo, espero tener la capacidad y la sabiduría para hacer aportes a mis compañeros con humildad y respeto”.
As we close out Hispanic American Heritage Month, celebrated every year from September 15 to October 15, we honor the work of those Latinos who have influenced our labor movement and our culture: César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, Paul Montemayor, and Jack Otero, to only name a few. They have broken the barriers that attempted to hold Latinos back. Their efforts started to carve a space for Latinos in labor and to cultivate a nationwide grassroots movement.
The IAM partners with constituency groups like Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) who work to educate, organize and mobilize Latinos in the labor movement and has expanded its influence to organize Latinos in an effort to impact workers’ rights and their influence in the political process. For more information about them check out their website.
Our own IAM members are continuing that brave tradition by making positive changes in their communities today. Read more about some of them below:
Mercedes Navallez, Local Lodge 1125 Member
Mercedes Navallez has been a member of Local Lodge 1125 since 2018 and currently serves as a Steward for her local. She believes in the importance of Hispanic American Heritage Month. “It is an honor to be Hispanic, to contribute a bit of our culture, thoughts, dedication to work and family.”
When Navellez reflects on the importance of those who paved a way before, she admits she “admires our ancestors, they were the ones who gave us the courage to continue fighting for our dreams and goals, they gave us all the tools to continue in daily life, they opened paths for the well-being of each individual and for our own families.”
Her hope for the members and the future of Hispanic workers throughout North America is that “We work together as a team with new work perspectives, so we can understand the needs of Hispanics. That more Hispanics are involved in hard union work, Hispanics bring with them fresh new ideas and prosperous changes.”
Navellez remarked that as a 53-year-old Hispanic woman, being a single mother with 2 daughters, “it is not easy, many doors were closed to me on my way, but thank God others were opened!” She continues the ardent work every day of work, motherhood and now being a grandmother—which, to her, “is an immense pride to say, yes it can be achieved!”
Miguel Garcia, Local Lodge 2252-C Member
Miguel Garcia is a member of IAMAW UCPR LL 2252-C. Garcia believes National Hispanic Heritage Month is a “fair way to share the recognition of the great cultural contribution that Hispanics have made to the United States of America.”
Garcia greatly admires “Roberto Clemente Walker, who became famous in the US as a baseball player with the Pittsburgh Pirates, at a time when there were still not so many Hispanics in the sport. He was one of the best players, with 12 Gold Glove awards won. He spent a lot of time helping the poorest communities and died trying to bring humanitarian aid to another country. He was a mentor to young people even though he lived in times of racial segregation.”
Garcia hopes that other IAM members learn “That like other Hispanics have contributed to the strengthening of our culture and our rights in the US, we as a union can achieve any goal we set for ourselves in order to strengthen the bonds between unionized workers. “
His hope for the future of Hispanic/Latino workers throughout North America is that, “we have equal labor rights, medical benefits and other rights. That we are not discriminated against for any reason” and that “according to our abilities, we get jobs that we can do in a fair manner.”
Garcia remarks, “I have been working in construction for 30 years. I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to study and graduate Cum Laude in a technical career.” He also never imagined traveling to the mainland U.S. to visit the IAM’s Winpisinger Center to take courses that lead to his being chosen as a delegate and treasurer of his Local Lodge. For him, giving up was never an option. “Where there is a will, there is a way.” He hopes to be able “to continue contributing positively to the roles assigned to me in the future to inspire and help Hispanic unionists in the US.”
Elías Flamenco Rivera, Grand Lodge Communications Representative
Elías Flamenco Rivera, a Grand Lodge Communications Representative, believes that “Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to honor all the contributions made by our community despite all obstacles.”
When talking to Flamenco Rivera about who has inspired him, he remarks, “Even though there are many individuals that I respect for being trailblazers in their respective fields as the likes of Cesar Chavez and Sonia Sotomayor, the individuals who I admire the most are my parents. They immigrated to the United States with nothing but dreams, undertaking low paying jobs then considered ‘non-essential,’ and without speaking the language, they laid out the foundation and the values for me to succeed.”
Flamenco Rivera believes that “Hispanic Heritage Month offers an opportunity to build solidarity as we look to our shared struggles and aspirations. As the labor movement, the Latino community is not monolithic, and we all have different backgrounds and experiences. These differences make us stronger as we strive for a better future.”
Flamenco Rivera arrived in the U.S. as a teenage refugee, and went on to achieve many firsts in his family: the first to graduate from college, first to become a U.S. citizen, first to be able to work in Congress, first one to have met the President of the United States, and the first to be part of a labor union. These experiences have allowed him “to understand the importance of inclusion and the need to expand opportunities for underrepresented populations,” he explained.
He believes that the IAM supports the values that lead to such achievements, not just on paper but “puts them into practice as having one of the most diverse Executive Councils in the labor movement and pushing for initiatives to advance inclusivity.” Despite the IAM paving the way for representation, Latinos are still underrepresented in leadership roles. As the U.S. Latino population grows and shapes the present and the future of the U.S. economy, that level of underrepresentation needs to change. “Having diverse representation in leadership positions not only helps to promote inclusion but helps to build bridges between communities.”
Nadry Martínez, Local Lodge 2725 Member
Nadry Martínez, a member of Local Lodge 2725, views Hispanic Heritage Month as a time to honor the achievements of Latinos and Hispanics in the United States, and it recognizes the cultural and labor contributions of our Latino presence in the country.
When asked who she admires and looks up to, she said she admires and feels such love and pride for her grandfather Juan Miguel Fuentes-Vizcarrondo. He came to the U.S. in the 1960s, “determined to fight and move forward outside his homeland. He braved the language barrier, studied, worked hard in multiple trades, and served in the U.S. Army.”
In the late 1960s, he had the opportunity to write a column in The Hartford Times, an evening newspaper in Connecticut, in Spanish; he decided to include photos in the column so that people could see positive images of his Puerto Rican community. Thanks to that and to his love for the Latino community, he became a photographer with a careful desire to present a complete image of his community to counteract ignorance, racism and stereotypes. Among his many contributions, he advocated and achieved respect for the Spanish language in schools with Latino populations in Hartford. “All this passion for his Puerto Rican community made him join forums and fights for addressing issues related to justice and civil rights for Hispanics,” Martínez said.
Martínez noted that “The community of people of Hispanic origin plays an important role in complementing coexistence in the US. The influence of Hispanic culture is reflected in every element of American life; in politics, in education, in sports, music, television, among others. Together we help to have a better Nation.”
When asked what she hopes to see for our Hispanic colleagues, she says, “I expect empathy, consideration, respect, and that we are treated with equal rights. We are a community with a great workforce and resiliency. We unite and work together for the well-being and growth of ourselves and our communities.”
Martínez considers herself, as a Latina, to be “strong, responsible; looking to inspire and give a good example of struggle and perseverance. I have a lot to achieve and dreams to fulfill. I like to work, I like what I do and I recognize the great work we do with our union members. Above all, I hope to have the ability and wisdom to make contributions to my peers with humility and respect.”
At the end of the 2021-22 school year, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) District 10 filed Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Carmen Schools of Science and Technology for labor law violations stemming from their staff’s attempt to organize a union earlier this year. As part of a settlement reached with the NLRB and the IAMAW, Carmen Schools of Science and Technology must notify current and former workers of Unfair Labor Practice violations made by representatives of the school during the course of the unionization effort.
The settlement upholds IAMAW’s allegations that Carmen violated its employees’ labor rights. The violations include forcing staff to attend captive audience meetings, interfering with their staff’s right to engage in concerted action, making illegal anti-union statements over the course of the election, and making retaliatory threats that forming a union will decrease employer flexibility in wages and benefits. In January 2022, Carmen management hired a labor attorney to direct an anti-union campaign at its six school campuses. In March 2022, Carmen staff voted 79 to 59 against unionizing.
“I personally witnessed school administrators harass and intimidate union supporters,” said former Carmen teacher Leland Pan. “On my campus, women of color in particular were retaliated against for standing up for our students. I’m glad to see the truth come out and wonder if the election results would have been different without these underhanded tactics by Carmen administration.”
Teachers and support staff from across Carmen’s six schools formed the Carmen Workers Collective (CWC) to address multiple workplace problems, including unacceptably high levels of staff turnover, burnout, low pay, safety concerns, and the lack of teacher input in decision making. At Carmen’s Northwest High School campus, only four out of approximately 40 staff members from the bargaining unit chose to return to Carmen for the 2022-23 school year.
In exercising their right to form a union, the staff at Carmen Schools had hoped to achieve a negotiated contract that would address numerous workplace issues impacting Carmen students. The Carmen Workers Collective believes that teachers’ workspaces are their students’ learning spaces and that students benefit when their teachers are given the support and respect they need to do their jobs. Their four core goals are: equity, a sustainable workload, transparency and accountability, and financial fairness. Despite the outcome of the election, CWC hopes that Carmen will make the changes staff and students sorely need.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is among the largest industrial trade unions in North America and represents nearly 600,000 active and retired members in diverse industries including aerospace, transportation, manufacturing, shipbuilding, and woodworking.
Miguel García, Miembro de la Logia Local 2252-C
Elías Flamenco Rivera, Representante de Comunicaciones de la Gran Logia
Nadry Martínez, Miembro de la Logia Local 2725