The IAM Midwest Territory is welcoming longtime IAM leader Rick Mickschl as its Chief of Staff, and bidding farewell to LaToya Egwuekwe-Smith, who has served admirably in the role since July 2020. Both moves are effective March 1, 2023.
Mickschl, the most senior Grand Lodge Representative on the Midwest Territory’s staff, brings a wealth of negotiations, servicing and organizing knowledge to his new role as Chief of Staff.
Before joining the Midwest Territory staff in 2012, Mickschl had served as Directing Business Representative of IAM District 66 in La Crosse, WI since 2005.
His union experience also includes serving as a Local Lodge Steward, Job Rating Committee Chairman, Local Lodge President and District Delegate.
Mickschl, a second-generation member of IAM Local 21, initiated into the IAM in 1980 as a machinist and millwright. He has also served over 15 years as a labor representative on the Workforce Connections Board of Directors of Western Wisconsin and as a board member of the Great Rivers United Way. In 2021, Mickschl graduated from the State University of New York – Empire State College with a bachelor of science degree in labor studies.
“Rick has the lived experience that prepares him to handle any situation on behalf of our members in the Midwest Territory,” said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Steve Galloway. “Rick is ready for this increased role and I know that our staff, officers and members will benefit from his leadership.”
Egwuekwe-Smith leaves the IAM after nearly 15 years of exemplary service to the IAM in a variety of high-level roles.
Since 2016, Egwuekwe-Smith has served as Communications Representative and then Chief of Staff in the Midwest Territory. Before that, she had served at IAM Headquarters as a Communications Representative since 2008.
During her time at the IAM, Egwuekwe-Smith became known as a thoughtful, passionate and skilled leader. She developed and implemented cutting edge programs for contract negotiations, organizing and political communications.
Her work, including an animated map that showed the progression of U.S. unemployment during the Great Recession, was featured in major news outlets, including CNN, ABC, CBS, MSNBC and Huff Post.
Egwuekwe-Smith is a former Vice President of the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA) Executive Council and was a Fellow of the Washington, DC chapter of the New Leaders Council.
“LaToya’s contributions to the Midwest Territory and the IAM are immeasurable and will carry on for years to come,” said Galloway. “She has been a vital partner to myself and the entire Midwest Territory in some of our union’s most critical times. We wish LaToya and her family all the best in their next chapter.”
IAM District 19 and the IAM Rail Division have reached an agreement with CSX that provides paid sick leave for the approximately 700 IAM District 19 Mechanical Employees at the freight rail carrier.
The agreement provides for four paid sick days annually and the ability to convert up to an additional three personal days into sick days, for a total of seven potential paid sick days. Unused paid sick time will be contributed to the employees’ 401(k) account, or can be paid out at the end of each calendar year.
“Our freight rail members have stood strong for so long in order to achieve this victory,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “We’re going to continue to wage this battle across the industry to win this critical benefit for all freight rail workers.”
IAM District 19 continues to pursue paid sick leave for all freight rail workers.
“Our strength and solidarity have made the case to the carriers, policymakers, and the general public that we deserve paid sick leave,” said Josh Hartford, IAM Special Assistant to the International President for the IAM Rail Division. “We are now seeing the results of years of advocacy by our union and many others on this critical issue.”
“This is going to make a huge difference in the lives of IAM District 19 Mechanical Employees at CSX,” said IAM District 19 Assistant Directing General Chair Andrew Sandberg. “Our members will be able to rest easier at night knowing their union has won this for themselves and their families.”
IAM Special Assistant to the International President for the Rail Division Josh Hartford and TCU/IAM Assistant National Legislative Director David Arouca, along with representatives from other major rail unions, joined U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Mike Braun (R-IN) for a press conference on Capitol Hill demanding paid sick time from rail companies for all rail workers.
“We are here to send a strong message to the CEOs in the rail industry,” said Sanders. “The American people are sick and tired of the type of corporate greed we are seeing in that industry… That industry can and must guarantee at least seven paid sick days for every rail worker in America.”
The press conference comes as rail companies announced record-breaking earnings during quarterly earnings reports and spent more on returns to the companies’ shareholders than what they spent on improving their workers’ wages and benefits.
“If you want to make life easy in the long run, make sure you take care of your employees,” said Braun. “You should not have to scrap for sick days the way we all know it.”
The press conference included the participation of SMART-TD, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees, the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department and the National Association of Chemical Distributors.
“We applaud Sen. Sanders and Sen. Braun for their steadfast commitment advocating for our members and all rail workers,” said Hartford. “Paid sick time is common sense and not a partisan issue. Rail workers shouldn’t have to choose between their jobs and their health, and our union welcomes any legislative efforts that will address rail workers’ needs.”
Prior to the press conference, Senator Sanders sent a letter to the rail companies’ CEOs requesting that they guarantee at least seven paid sick days for their employees.
If you want the opportunity to have fresh Maine Lobster delivered right to your home, Lobster 207 is the answer. Lobster 207 provides fresh, live Maine lobster overnight right to your door. The lobster is union from the ocean floor to your door.
Live Maine lobster is hand-caught off the coast of Maine by IAM members. The team at Lobster 207 works extremely hard to sort through and deliver precisely what you ordered and deliver the highest quality lobster. All lobsters are weighed in pounds. The number of lobsters in a shipment may vary based on the individual weight of each lobster. Rest assured; your Union lobster experience will be unique!
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.”
