A Dollar is Not Enough: TCU/IAM, Disney Union Coalition Recommends Contract Rejection

Jan 31, 2023 | iMail

Representatives of the Service Trades Council Union (STCU) came together at a press conference in Orlando to send a clear message to recommend members vote no on Disney’s latest contract proposal. Disney is proposing raises of $1 a year for most workers, but the main message from the press conference was that $1 is not enough to pay for the cost-of-living crisis workers face in central Florida.

A “no” vote will show that Disney workers do not accept a $1 raise and want to keep pushing for higher raises for everyone. UNITE HERE issued a report showing the consequences of low tourism on workers’ wages; evidence makes a case for an immediate $18 wage standard. Rent and other expenses have skyrocketed, leaving workers in an emergency.

This latest proposal from Disney leaves behind a clear majority of the workforce and would offer only a $1 raise to over 30,000 cast members.

WATCH: Fighting for Fairness at Disney in Florida

“The unions have been clear from our very first bargaining session that a dollar in the first year is not enough,” said Matt Hollis, TCU/IAM National Vice President and president of the Service Trades Council Union, in an interview with CNN, the collection of six union locals that are negotiating with Disney management. “A dollar does not afford Disney workers the ability to keep up with the skyrocketing rent increases. And a dollar does not afford Disney workers with the ability to continue to purchase basic necessities, such as food, gas, and utilities.”

The six affiliate unions representing workers in the Service Trades Council Union (STCU) are IATSE Local 631; Teamsters Local 385, TCU/IAM Local 1908; UFCW Local 1625; UNITE HERE! Local 362; and UNITE HERE Local 737.

A “no” vote will show that Disney workers do not accept a $1 raise and want to keep pushing for higher raises for everyone. This report shows the consequences of low tourism on workers’ wages; evidence makes a case for an immediate $18 wage standard.

Members of the Service Trades Council Union will vote to accept or reject Disney’s latest contract proposal during the vote on Thursday, February 2, and Friday, February 3.

Related News:

The post A Dollar is Not Enough: TCU/IAM, Disney Union Coalition Recommends Contract Rejection appeared first on IAMAW.

New Steward Openings: 1/27/23

Jan 27, 2023 | LL S6 Elections, LL S6 Leadership Alerts, LL S6 Upcoming Events

Brothers and Sisters,

We have three open steward positions. Please find the related information/postings below:

 

(1) 1st Shift Bath/EBMF W12

(1) 1st Shift Hardings M04

(1) 2nd Shift Bath/EBMF Maintenance

 

Shop Steward nominations for the above classification(s), shift and facility are now open. 

Petitions may be picked up beginning on Monday, January 30, 2023.

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., Friday, February 10, 2023.

 

CLICK HERE: Steward Postings: CLICK HERE

 

In Solidarity,

Local S6 Leadership

Winpisinger Center Training Helps IAM Respond to Workplace Incidents

Jan 26, 2023 | iMail

IAM members recently participated in Critical Incident Response Training, (CIRT) at the IAM’s Winpisinger Center. Brother Daniel Wicklem of IAM Local 737 gives his report on the importance of this training. The main goal of the CIRT program is to train participants on how to best help members cope with the effects of a traumatic event, or critical incidents, such as accidents or death on the job.

The post Winpisinger Center Training Helps IAM Respond to Workplace Incidents appeared first on IAMAW.

Machinists Union Urges Alcoa to Stop Planned Demolition of Washington State Intalco Aluminum Smelter

Jan 26, 2023 | iMail

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) is urging Alcoa’s CEO to halt the planned demolition of the Intalco aluminum smelter in Ferndale, Wash., the last such remaining facility west of the Mississippi River.

Nearly three years ago, 700 union members at IAM Local 2379 (District 160) were laid off at the Ferndale Alcoa Intalco Works aluminum smelter production plant as the plant entered curtailment. From the moment the facility was shuttered, the IAM has been working with all willing partners and stakeholders to reopen the smelter and restore these high-quality union jobs. The project, if not demolished, could restore aluminum manufacturing jobs in Washington state, reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses and increase energy efficiency if reopened.

The United States now produces only 1 percent of the world’s aluminum, according to a recent Congressional Research Service report. China ranks first with approximately 57 percent of global aluminum production. Russia ranks third. 

Click here for the full letter from IAMAW International President Robert Martinez Jr. to Alcoa CEO Roy Harvey.

“Since the curtailment of the Intalco smelter more than two years ago, the IAMAW has worked to assemble a coalition of supporters who understand the importance of preserving a domestic aluminum industry in the United States and the critical role the Intalco Works smelter in Ferndale, Washington plays,” said Martinez. “Thanks in large part to the IAMAW’s advocacy and coalition building, Congress included critical support for domestic aluminum producers in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). These aluminum industry-focused provisions in the IRA have created a path forward for this facility to reopen and once again start producing strategically important domestic aluminum and put more than 700 IAMAW members back to work in Ferndale. 

READ: Washington Congressional Delegation Urges Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to Negotiate in Good Faith to Restore Intalco Aluminum Plant

“With the passage of the IRA, the IAMAW assembled a management, investment, and advocacy team that came very close to achieving our goal of restarting the smelter under new ownership/management,” said Martinez. “Unfortunately, with electricity prices recently spiking in the Northwest the lead investor involved in the restart of Intalco Works concluded they could not proceed with the project. Undeterred, the IAMAW and other supporters of the project went to work to find a new lead investor. That work is currently ongoing, and real progress is being made, but the IAMAW needs more time for new investor to perform their due diligence. On behalf of the IAMAW, the workforce at Intalco Works, the Ferndale community, and the nation at large; we urge you to pause the proposed demolition of the Intalco Works.” 

READ: IAM Asks For Washington State Funding to Restore Aluminum Smelter Jobs

The post Machinists Union Urges Alcoa to Stop Planned Demolition of Washington State Intalco Aluminum Smelter appeared first on IAMAW.