Feb 2, 2023 | iMail
IAM C.R.E.S.T. wants to identify smaller employers who would benefit from receiving free training on how to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
What you will learn:
– What can cause diseases
– Modes of disease transmission
– Standard Precautions to protect yourself
Click here for a flyer about the trainings.
Zoom Sessions:
Wednesday, February 22 | 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET | Zoom link
Wednesday, February 22 | 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET | Zoom link
Thursday, March 2 | 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET | Zoom link
Advanced registration is required. Please email sandh@iamaw.org or call 301-967-4707 to register and for more information.
This training is presented under grant number SH-36972-HA1 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
The post Infectious Diseases: Assessment, Mitigation and Awareness Training appeared first on IAMAW.
Feb 2, 2023 | iMail
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and its allies testified this week on House Bill 65/Senate Bill 0352 in front of the House Appropriations Committee chaired by Maryland State Del. Ben Barnes. This legislation, introduced by Maryland State Del. Steve Johnson and cross-filed in the Senate by State Sen. Nancy King, continues the Machinists Union’s campaign to organize state library workers, as it successfully did with Baltimore County public library workers.
TAKE ACTION: Help Maryland Library Workers Exercise Their Right to Unionize: Tell MD Legislator to Pass HB 65/SB 0352
The bipartisan legislation would provide a consistent process for employees of unorganized public library systems in Maryland to form a union and collectively bargain.
HB65/SB0352 does not guarantee union organizing or require library system employees to form a union. HB65/SB0352 enables Maryland library workers to organize for union representation, should they wish to do so.
“This is a statewide bill for all Maryland library employees,” said Del. Johnson. “The legislation is not a union bill; this bill is a constitutional rights bill. It’s our job as legislators to ensure that every citizen in Maryland can exercise their constitutional rights. It creates a legal pathway for library workers to join a union.”
WATCH: IAM Champions Bill to Give Maryland Library Workers Right to Unionize
“HB65/SB0352 creates a delegation of authority from the state to the country library, systems created by the state even to be able to enter into a collective bargaining agreement,” said IAM Associate General Counsel Laura Ewan. “Doing it on a county-by-county basis is ineffective, inefficient, and asks for inconsistencies for how library employees can gain union representation. “It’s a common sense approach that would allow these employees to access that constitutionally protected right to do it statewide.”
In 2022, the IAM ratified its first collective bargaining agreement covering 460 Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) employees. The one-year collective bargaining agreement, which BCPL employees overwhelmingly ratified in May, includes pay increases and paid leave, among other significant improvements.
“HB65/SB0352 will provide a constant and consistent process for my colleagues in other county library systems to organize for collective bargaining rights,” said Anita Bass, IAM BCPL United Local Lodge President and BCPL Circulation Assistant III at the Essex branch. “In our first contract, we negotiated wage increases, improved benefits for our part-time staff, and created the labor-management committee. Having a union isn’t a promise of perfection, but it is an avenue for staff to have a voice and participate in the process.”
The plight of BCPL workers seeking a pathway to organize also gained the attention of President Biden, who invited a BCPL member to speak before the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment.
“Non-management library staff makes up the majority of the library’s workforce, yet we currently have no power when it comes to making decisions that directly affect us,” said Megan Baker, not yet a union member, 18-year library employee, and Marketing & Communications Specialist at Harford County Public Library. “Instead, we are expected to trust our library leadership with no questions asked. I believe that even the possibility of having a union will change that, and personally, I would rather try to fix the parts of my workplace that are broken rather than leave a job that I love.”
Supporters of HB65/SB0352 will also testify before the Maryland Senate Finance committee on Thursday, February 16.
The post Machinists Union Members and Library Employees Testify on Legislation Giving Maryland Public Library Employees the Right to Join Unions appeared first on IAMAW.
Feb 2, 2023 | iMail
Black History Month is a time to celebrate the fullness of African American history and culture while honoring the triumphs and struggles of African-Americans throughout U.S. history.
Black History Month has been celebrated since 1926 when Carter Woodson proclaimed a week in February “Negro History Week.” Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the entire month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada, also devote February to celebrating Black history in their respective countries.
The fight for equal rights still continues today. The IAM shares in that same fight, and has fought for Civil Rights even before the historic passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
IAM leaders knew racial equality could not be achieved without participation in every part of our union. IAM Shop Steward training played a critical role, and IAM leadership ensured a focus on recruiting and training African American men to become shop stewards going back to at least the 1950s.
In January of 1963, Local 1781 in San Mateo, CA announced that a multiracial group of members successfully passed the Stewards Training Course. That same year, Local 1666 in Stamford, CT, had a basketball team comprised of eight players, six Black, and two white members. Teams like these continued throughout many lodges through the 1960s.
One act for justice can cause ripple effects that change the world. So don’t hesitate to get involved and support the labor movement’s push for equality. You can become a member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) or the A. Philip Randolph Institute, constituency groups that work with unions to ensure the rights of our African-American brothers and sisters are protected.
The post Machinists Union Celebrates Black History Month appeared first on IAMAW.
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.
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.
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.
