Healthcare workers are the frontline heroes we rely on in our most vulnerable moments. They deserve a voice on the job and union representation to protect them and the patients in their care.
That’s why IAM District 751 is working to organize these workers and provide them with union contracts that offer protections. Recently, 751’s President and Directing Business Representative Jon Holden met with IAM’s Healthcare Director Shane Brinton to discuss how to best help healthcare workers in the Pacific Northwest.
“The pandemic taught the world many lessons, but one of the most powerful messages was that healthcare workers need a voice on the job. To protect themselves and their patients from harm,” said Holden. “That’s what a union contract can offer; a way for healthcare workers to join together in solidarity, with one voice, and speak up for better quality patient care.”
“As the IAM’s new Healthcare Director, I made District 751 one of my first field visits because the District and the Western Territory have had such impressive successes in organizing healthcare professionals,” said Brinton. “This is thanks to the leadership of Jon Holden and Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen. We hope to harness that momentum and bring healthcare workers in Washington state and beyond the protections they deserve.”
“District 751 and the Western Territory have identified a strong need among healthcare professionals for solid union representation,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen. “We’re proud that the IAM continues to grow in this sector while putting workers’ rights and patient care at the forefront of our efforts.”
Today, nearly 10,000 healthcare professionals, including clinicians, technicians, and caregivers, call the IAM their union. That’s partly due to work done by District 751. According to the Washington Department of Health, more than 430,000 healthcare practitioners call this state home. It is one of the fastest-growing sectors of our economy. But they need someone like the IAM in their corner. During the trip, Holden and Brinton met with 751-represented registered nurses and social workers from the hospice program at St. Joseph Medical Center, who shared stories about the campaign they ran to win union recognition and a contract.
“Union representation makes world-class patient care possible,” said Brinton. “Healthcare workers are natural advocates for their patients, yet they face consequences when they speak out about unsafe conditions. That’s because corporate executives call the shots in non-union facilities. But when healthcare professionals stand together in a union, they gain a powerful voice for safety and care standards that benefit both patients and workers.”
“The phrase we hear the most when organizing healthcare workers is that being a caregiver is a calling, not a profession,” explained Holden. “They want a union to be able to give their patients better care. Optimal staff to-patient ratio levels, safe working conditions, and rules that govern being able to speak up for their patients without fear of retaliation from their employer are the cornerstone principles a union contract can offer workers in the healthcare industry.”
Each year, April 28 is recognized as Workers’ Memorial Day, a day for us to commemorate the thousands of workers killed, injured, or sickened on the job. Your local can memorialize a fallen member with a personalized brick placed at the IAM Workers Memorial at the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center in Hollywood, MD.
The deadline to submit personalized bricks is Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
The brick can have two lines of lettering with up to 20 characters per line (including spaces on each line) without the logo for $100. There’s also the option to purchase a brick with three lines of lettering with up to 15 characters per line, along with the IAM logo for $125.
There’s also the option to purchase a larger brick: an 8×8 can be purchased for $200. This option comes with four lines of lettering with up to 20 characters per line without a logo, or with two lines of lettering with up to 15 characters per line, along with your own preferred logo or the IAM logo.
If your local has a member who died on the job or because of the job, a complimentary brick will be placed at no cost. Please fill out and submit the complimentary brick order form.
The IAM Workers’ Memorial was completed in 2001. It was dedicated to remembering those who lost their lives while on the job. The bricks surrounding the Memorial bear the names of fallen members along with bricks donated from lodges and proud members of the IAMAW.
On or around April 28 each year, a ceremony is conducted at the memorial to remember those who lost their lives and rededicate ourselves to prevent on-the-job injury and death to workers.
The deadline to submit personalized bricks is Friday, March 1, 2023.
Attention all IAM members who enjoy taking photos. The 2023 IAM Photography contest is now open, so get out your cameras or smartphones and start snapping some pics of your Union sisters and brothers.
Submit your pictures of IAM members in their workplace, union function, or performing community service for a chance to win a cash prize and have your photo featured in the 2024 IAM Calendar. The entry deadline is May 26, 2023.
IAM District 34 recently successfully negotiated a first contract with Valiant Government Services for 25 new IAM members working at Wright Patterson Air Force Base under the Service Contract Act (SCA).
Highlights of the three-year agreement include:
Wage increase averaging 25% in year one
Doubling of health and welfare contributions from the employer
“This was a well-deserved, solid first contract for these new members, some of whom had not received a wage increase in over five years due to the area wage determination,” said District 34 Directing Business Representative D. Scott Rich.
The IAM represents approximately 36,230 members across 657 different SCA contracts that cover 941 sites across every state in the country.
Without a union, these workers’ wages would otherwise be set by the SCA’s area wage determination, which might not increase for up to a decade. The only way for workers to increase their pay under the SCA is to organize in a union and negotiate higher wages in a contract.
All the elements in securing a first-class agreement were present and utilized in this unit’s bargaining debut.
“We met weekly at the bowling alley on base, prioritizing our goals, and electing a selfless negotiating committee that had the full support of the rank and file,” said Rich. “The IAM’s Strategic Resources Department provided us with well-drafted surveys, timely comparative data, and IAM contracts with Valiant from around the country.”
IAM District 34 represents five different units at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and hopes to help workers in other positions on the base increase their wages and benefits by organizing.
“I want to welcome the Eastern Territory’s newest members and congratulate them on a strong first contract,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan. “We were excited to see workers on that base reach out to improve their wages, benefits, and working conditions, with a union that is very familiar with negotiating under the Service Contract Act.”
“I can’t thank the Eastern Territory enough for the guidance and support throughout the organizing campaign and negotiations on the first agreement,” said Rich. “Our union has no equal in the SCA arena and we are fortunate to have experienced Grand Lodge staff so willing to help from the Eastern Territory. We look forward to continuing to grow our union at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.”
