IAM General Secretary-Treasurer Dora Cervantes has appointed Ko Vang as a Grand Lodge Auditor. Vang is a member of IAM Local 737, and he will service and assist District and Local Lodges in the Midwest Territory.
“Brother Vang’s hard work and dedication will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our Grand Lodge Auditing team,” said Cervantes. “He will bring new ideas and young talent to our department. I am excited that he will be a part of our team.”
“As we move forward to grow the auditing department we have been tasked with finding individuals with the drive and knowledge to serve our membership,” said Paul Kendall, Assistant to the General Secretary-Treasurer. “Brother Vang has proven his abilities time and time again and will be a great asset to the team.”
Vang started his career in 2000 as an Automotive Technician with Buerkle Honda in St. Paul, MN. He served as a shop committee member and became IAM Local 737’s Vice President.
Vang has served the IAM well in different capacities, starting as a Journeyman Automotive technician to an Apprentice Organizer with the Grand Lodge Organizing department and as a District 77 Organizer in which he worked several organizing campaigns to grow our Union. He has also served as a Secretary-Treasurer for District 77, the Minnesota State Council, and District 77 Building Corps.
In addition, Vang fundraises endlessly to raise money for Guide Dogs of America/Tender Loving Canines (GDA). He has also raised and fostered a puppy giving selflessly and serves as the Minnesota President for GDA.
The Pennsylvania State Council of Machinists held its annual Guide Dog of America/Tender Loving Canines bowling night in York, PA. Members donated money through charity drawings to help fund the IAM’s charity of choice. To learn more about GDA/TLC. visit guidedogsofamerica.org.
IAM District 4 recently held its fifth annual Guide Dogs of America/Tender Loving Canines charity golf event, raising approximately $50,000 for the Machinists Union’s favorite charity. The event included about 140 participants at the Spring Meadows Golf Club in Gray, Maine.
Machinist Chris Babcock and his daughter, Madeleine, a recipient of a guide dog named Enzo, were in attendance.
“It is always an honor for District 4 to host this event. We pride ourselves in making it a special day for all participants,” said Jay Wadleigh, IAM District 4 Directing Business Representative. “I thank GVP’s Brian Bryant and David Sullivan for attending and for their continued support. We are very fortunate to have so many caring members and volunteers who have made this event special each year.”
“This annual event shows how Machinists come together to raise awareness and money for Guide Dogs of America,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan. “Guide Dogs of America has always held a special place in my heart, and I cannot express enough gratitude to District 4, their staff, and all the Machinists who donated their time and money to make this year’s event such a success.”
GDA completed a merger with Tender Loving Canines and now provides hardworking service dogs for people who are blind/visually impaired, veterans, and individuals with autism to become trusted companions that bring confidence, independence, and mobility. The organization’s services are provided free of charge to residents in the U.S. and Canada.
Michael Winpisinger, retired Assistant to the International President, passed away on June 2, 2022. He was a member of IAM Local 1363 in Cleveland, OH.
“The IAM benefitted greatly from Mike’s more than three decades of service to our great union,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “Mike was a strong leader for our union and the labor movement. We grieve along with his entire family.”
Winpisinger started in the labor movement in 1977 as an intern with the national AFL-CIO, subsequently working for the Michigan State AFL-CIO in the COPE Department and for the AFL-CIO Appalachian Council as a Job Corps recruiter. He returned to Washington in 1979 and worked for the National Council of Senior Citizens as the Director of the Membership Department.
Winpisinger served the IAM in several capacities, including Administrator of the Older Workers and Retired Members Department. In 1985, Winpisinger was appointed as Assistant to the International President, where he served until his retirement in 2012.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mowat Wilson Syndrome in honor of Mike’s great-nephew Hayden. Online Memorials may be made at witzkefuneralhomes.com
Are you looking to get a college degree that fits within your busy schedule? Look no further than our degree program with Empire State College!
Since 2014, the IAM has partnered with the State University of New York’s Empire State College (ESC) to offer associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in labor studies through ESC’s Harry Van Arsdale, Jr. School of Labor Studies in New York City.
The partnership also offers a master’s degree in work and labor policy. Degree programs are conducted online, with week-long residencies that occur once a semester at the IAM’s William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center in Hollywood, MD.
Our members lead busy lives, and the adult-focused learning at ESC makes their academic programs a perfect fit. You will not find a better program to do a deep dive into the history and context of our work as unionists.
You can apply online atwww.esc.edu/apply; members who use the code ECPTRIAM will get their application fee waived. Classes begin September 6, and the Winpisinger Center fall residency will run from September 25-30.
Want more information? Please email IAM Education Representative Douglas Williams at dwilliams@iamaw.org.
Today’s labor movement doesn’t look like it did in the past, and that’s a good thing. In the IAM’s Western Territory, that was by design when IAM General Vice President Gary R. Allen introduced the GPS plan which became their roadmap for future organizing.
But for it to work, Allen knew he needed to develop activists, specifically younger ones. In labor, we say that we stand on the shoulders of giants. Allen was determined that we would have strong shoulders in the future.
“We have to make room for the future. Union leaders need to hang their egos at the door and let the next generation in,” said Allen. “It’s about keeping the legacy and opportunities available for the ones who will take our places. I plan to keep cultivating young activists with the intent that one day, they will take my job.”
Milton’s Union Story
Milton Dueña was union proud before he ever became an IAM member.
“My mom showed me what it meant to have a union in your corner,” said Dueña, an IAM Local 1930 Business Representative Milton. “An immigrant from Ecuador, raising us by herself, she would always say we had a roof over our head, food on the table, and money to pay the bills because of the union.”
He saw how his mother’s job, protected by a United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) contract, gave them a quality of life unimaginable in her home country. Therefore, when Dueña starting working for the City of Long Beach at 22-years-old, he remembered his mother’s lessons and signed his IAM card immediately. Today, as Dueña advocates for young workers, he always thinking of his Mama.
“Young people believe in having a union, they just don’t know how and have never been asked. It’s crazy what happens when you educate them,” said Dueña. “That’s where labor comes in.”
Dueña believes we owe everything to those who grew the
movement before him, but now feels it’s his turn.
“An older person talks about seniority and pensions,” said Dueña. “Younger people ask things like, how can you help me with my student debt? How will this help me pay rent? What about mental health insurance? They don’t see the long term vision of having a union and that’s what we need to teach them.”
But, there’s also clear advantages to organizing today’s workforce. Take CAUSE, the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), a non-profit organization the Western Territory recently organized. Their core values already mirror that of the Machinists Union.
“They are young, progressive, activists and educated. They’re already serving the community, one of our cornerstones, and believe in our mission,” explained Dueña. “But some days you have to ask them, while you are advocating for everyone else, who is advocating for you? That’s usually when they want to sign up.”
The Western Territory understand this generation has different issues at stake and they shouldn’t be advocating for them if that’s not clear.
”It’s about empowering them. It’s not about money or wages, it’s showing them they can have power in the workplace with a voice and vote. And how being union also benefits their families and coworkers,” said Dueña. “To me, that hits deep. I think of my mom and how her decision to join a union changed my life. I can make that same change now in other people’s lives.”
Emily’s Union Story
For Emily Alapizco, there was no question which path she would take.
“I am a union brat. My dad retired from Raytheon. My brother works here. I wanted to carry on that tradition,” said IAM Local 933 Recording Secretary Emily Alapizco. ”I stood on the picket line with my dad as a kid. I remember visiting strike lines during the holidays. That’s when the message hit home and I began to understand what having a union card meant.”
Today at 30-years-old, she’s a shop steward and the recording-secretary at her local in Tucson, AZ, policing the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and bringing in the next generation of trade unionists.
“We need to educate and communicate better if we want to grow. It sounds simple, but it’s not,” said Alapizco. “People my age want different things. Hybrid work for sure, and fair wages because with the internet, everyone can see what others are making. Better mental health care benefits as well, like bereavement for aunts and uncles. Someone just asked if we could look into bereavement in the case of a miscarriage and I said yes because it’s their contract. I don’t think that’s something we have seen in the past.”
But she says, it’s an uphill battle. There’s a lot of misconceptions about unions if you weren’t raised on it. She had some new faces at the last meeting who needed guidance.
“I pulled a new person out of the meeting and explained, this is your meeting as much as it is mine because you are the membership,” said Alapizco. “You have every right to ask questions. Your voice is just as important as anyone else’s.”
That thinking has to be part of every interaction we have. Today’s IAM is a culmination of all industries, walks of life, ethnicities, genders and political ideals, and according to Alapizco, what makes this union family set for the future.
Diana’s Union Story
“I was 12-years-old when I got involved and joined my Machinists Union dad on the picket line for the 57-day strike at Boeing in 2008. That’s when being union started for me,” said Diana Noinala, who at the young age of 25, just became the vice president of Local 751F at Boeing in Seattle, WA. “If we want to organize for the future, people need to see a face that looks like theirs.”
Allen’s GPS plan always left room for younger leaders and today, that’s the norm. In order to organize a diverse group of industries and people in the future, we need a diverse group of leaders at the table.
“Diversity matters. I am proudly Asian, young and union. If we want to organize new industries with younger workers, we have to put people in front of them who look like them, can relate, in the same age bracket, and who speak their language,” said Noinala.
Noinala understands this generation has different needs than those in the past. At the table, it will always be about getting IAM members better wages, benefits and working conditions but there’s more to that story for someone younger. Noinala hopes her involvement will bridge the generational gap.
“I am first generation American in my family. My parents immigrated from Laos and Thailand and they told me every day how hard it was there, and the sacrifices they made to come to America. They had nothing but their citizenship and the clothes on their backs. To see them go from that to where they’re now, I’m so proud,” said Noinala. “And a lot of that came from being a Machinist Union member.”
Like so many her age, she now wants to do her part to grow the union and continue the Noinala legacy in the Machinists Union.
“We show up to work everyday to invest in our futures,” said Noinala. “It is just as crucial to do the same for our union.”
Scott’s Union Story
In the early 2000s, before most unions even considered the idea, the IAM established a Young Machinists (YM) program to cultivate the next generation of trade unionists. Scott Lacey from IAM Local 63 in Portland, OR, the current conductor-sentinel, was one of the first to sign up, along with his wife and his wife’s sister-in-law. Today, the local like to boasts about its YM alumni.
“We all came through the YM program together and today we are all local officers,” said Lacey. “It was successful because the leadership fostered that, pushed us forward and supported our ideas.”
The Machinists Union’s motto of “justice on the job and service to the community” resonates with younger people, and was originally what drew Lacey into the movement. He believes if the IAM can show the world the good it has accomplished, this union will be around for another 134 years.
“Honestly, I have no gain here except that it makes me feel good to help others,” said Lacey. “This is about doing the right thing. With the leadership in my corner, I have another tool to be able to do even more.”
IAM Local 63 has always taken community service to heart. From selling Christmas trees to raising money for nearly 800
foster kids last year, the IAM affords Lacey the opportunity to make a difference. But all of this was spearheaded by the YM program. Whether it’s in the shop or on Main Street, Lacey believes every local should be lifting up the generation who will take over.
“Not only am I proud, but I have backing from my union family who want to do the same thing. I am damn proud of that,” said Lacey.”
And he’s making sure to raise his two little ones to be union proud as well.
“They go to meetings, they sell Christmas trees, everything,” Lacey said with a laugh. “You would be shocked to see how many tress you can sell with a little blond hair, blue eyed girl helping.”
Ashley’s Union Story
Newly-elected President and Directing Business Representative (PBDR) Ashley Long of IAM Local 794 in New Mexico loves when someone assumes that at 30- years-old, she must be the youngest PDBR in her local’s history.
She laughs and says, “That would be great but GVP Allen beat me. He was just 24 when he led this local. It’s a testament to Allen’s support for young trade unionists. He knows, leadership starts at the top.
“GVP Allen gets it. He not only supports the young activists in our territory, but he lifts them up and mentors them along the way,” said Long. “They quickly learn they should be at the table and be involved.”
Like so many young machinists, Long’s story starts at home. Raised by two union educators, she has righteousness running through her veins.
“We had a really terrible governor who turned the education system on its head in New Mexico and I watched my parents live that every day,” said Long. “In that moment, it clicked for me. I knew I had to be part of changing that.”
All it took was a trip to the state capitol with her father and she was sold. After a few years at another union and a stint at New Mexico’s State Federation of Labor, Long found a home at the IAM. Her understanding of policy is changing how the territory organizes, working to change laws that hurt workers.
“When our team went to GVP Allen and said we have to run this bill and change the law, he agreed immediately and asked how can we help,” remembered Long. “The fact that he trusted a young unionist with the huge responsibility of running a piece of legislation through the process says everything about the western territory leadership.”
Today’s labor game is changing. Organizing campaigns at companies like Starbucks and Amazon are becoming critical turning points for the labor movement. The workforces are young, diverse, passionate and ready to fight for justice and
fairness; the epitome of what it means to be a trade unionist.
“Speaking to some young unionists recently, I told them that one of them would be GVP one day and take my position and another would be a future IAM International President,” said Allen. “That’s how we should be thinking – that we are only here to make room for the future. And from what I’ve seen, the labor movement is in good hands, and future generations will be standing on the shoulders of giants once again.”
SAN DIEGO, June 3, 2022 – Military Pilot Instructors at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, like the ones in the new Top Gun film, have voted to go on strike, beginning Friday, June 3.
The employer, Lockheed Martin, has refused to fairly compensate the eight highly accomplished pilots, members of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 1125 (District 725), for their advanced qualifications that include the requirement to perform and teach specialized tactics in the air combat environment, to F-35 military pilots aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
“Each instructor here has proudly served our nation’s military in the fighter squadrons across the world and continues to put in countless hours to perfect our craft and ability to instruct at very high levels,” said Military Pilot Trainer Ryan Cunningham, who goes by the call sign “Closet.” “We’re asking that Lockheed Martin treat us with the same respect we demonstrate to this company, our military, and specifically this profession, each and every day.”
When asked how he feels about his work, Closet stated, “The pride we take in our work is immense – We, along with our military instructor pilot brethren across the street, are the foundation of the development of young F-35 fighter pilots. The responsibility is difficult to grasp and never taken lightly. The young men and women that we send across the street after training with them for hundreds of hours at the PTC have the capacity to strap into our nation’s newest fighter and operate that F-35 safely, alone, with zero previous flight hours in a tactical aircraft.”
“IAM members at Miramar Air Station are not only uniquely qualified professionals, but they are also members of our San Diego community,” said IAM District 725 President and Directing Business Representative David Brewer. “We appreciate all the support for our membership as we fight for fairness for San Diego’s very own Top Gun pilots Instructors.”
“The pilots at Miramar Air Station are the finest this country has to offer,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen. “Lockheed Martin owes it to them and our nation’s military to treat these Top Gun pilots fairly. The IAM will use every resource necessary to get a fair contract.”
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.
IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. has appointed Sam Cicinelli to serve as a Special Assistant to IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Steve Galloway, effective June 1, 2022. Cicinelli previously served as Directing Business Representative of IAM Local Lodge 701, the nation’s largest mechanics local representing over 5,600 workers in the Chicagoland area. He has been an IAM member for nearly 34 years.
“Sam Cicinelli brings with him more than three decades experience and knowledge as a union tradesman and union activist focused on improving the lives of working families,” said Martinez. “His drive, work ethic, experience in the automotive industry, knack for organizing, ingenuity and creative thinking when it comes to problem-solving will prove useful in the Midwest Territory.”
As DBR, Cicinelli led two successful, highly-publicized strikes, which resulted in the complete dismantling of Chicago’s new car dealer association. He’s also successfully managed and expanded one of the IAM’s premiere apprenticeship training programs, the Mechanics Local 701 Training Center.
Cicinelli initiated into Local 701 as a Cadillac Technician in 1988. He served as Shop Steward for 11 years and Vice-President for five years. Cicinelli was appointed as an Organizer in 2000 and a Business Representative in 2001, where he serviced the trailer and body industry, automotive and body shop technicians, forklift industry, United Parcel Service and ITLRA General Trucking (ABF, Roadway, USF Holland and Yellow Transportation). He was selected to serve as Assistant Directing Business Representative in 2010 and appointed by the Executive Board to serve as Directing Business Representative in 2012.
Cicinelli’s experience also includes Chairman and Trustee on the Local 701 Health and Welfare and Pension Funds, Chairman of the Local 701 Apprenticeship Training Fund and Chairman of the Local 701 401(k) Defined Contribution Plan.
The month of June is nationally recognized as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ+) Pride Month in commemoration of the Stonewall Uprising of June 1969 in New York City.
For Pride, the Machinists Union is celebrating members of the LGBTQ+ community and raising awareness of discrimination and injustice LGBTQ+ people and workers are still fighting against.
It was only in 2020 that the Bostock Supreme Court ruling federally outlawed discrimination against LGBTQ+ workers in the United States. Before this ruling, it was legal in 28 states to fire workers for their sexual orientation
The Machinists are an allied union with Pride at Work, an AFL-CIO constituency group that organizes mutual support between the labor movement and the LGBTQ+ community to further social and economic justice.
In alliance with Pride at Work, the Machinists advocate for a strong and progressive labor movement that promotes full equality and respect for LGBTQ+ workers and their families. Union contracts can protect LGBTQ+ workers from discrimination, unfair treatment and harassment in the work place.
IAM believes LGBTQ+ rights are workers’ rights and pledges to fight for those rights with LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters every day.
To get involved with Pride at Work, check out their website and follow them on social media, @prideatwork.
In Return to Historic Roots, IAM Creates Rail Division Led by Josh Hartford as Union Grows Strength for TCU/IAM, IAM District 19 Members
IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. has appointed Josh Hartford, who has served as an IAM District 19 General Chairman since 2017, as Special Assistant to the International President for the IAM Rail Division. The Transportation Communications Union (TCU/IAM) and IAM District 19, which combined represent tens of thousands of railroad workers, are now charter members of the IAM Rail Division and remain separate entities with the same current authority over all Local Lodges within their jurisdiction.
Hartford’s appointment and the creation of the IAM Rail Division were both effective May 1, 2022.
The announcement is a fulfillment of the 2012 merger agreement between TCU/IAM and the IAM, which clearly stated that both parties would create a Rail Division comprised of TCU/IAM and IAM District 19. The creation of this division makes the IAM a powerhouse in the rail sector and encourage additional growth.
Hartford, who will report directly to the International President in his new role, initiated into IAM Local 409, now Local 318, in Waterville, ME as a machinist for the Springfield Terminal Railway Co. He served in a variety of local lodge positions before being appointed District 19 Employee Assistance Program Coordinator. He was also elected President of the Central Maine Labor Council from 2017 to 2019.
Hartford became a District 19 General Chairman in 2017 and was elected to another four-year term in 2019. His tenure includes overseeing many railroad agreements and working in several bargaining coalitions with various railroad unions. He’s currently a member of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) and the District 19 arbitration review board. The IAM Rail Division will immediately begin work to better represent the similar interests of TCU/IAM and IAM District 19 members.
Richard Johnsen Becomes General Vice President of New IAM Air Transport Territory
The IAM Executive Council has taken action to create an IAM Air Transport Territory, consisting of all IAM air transport members in the United States. Richard Johnsen, formerly IAM Chief of Staff to the International President, has joined the IAM Executive Council as Air Transport General Vice President.
The creation of the IAM Air Transport Territory, which includes IAM District 141 and IAM District 142, and the appointment of Johnsen as General Vice President, were both effective May 1, 2022.
The IAM, representing more than 100,000 air transport members, is the largest air transport union in North America.
The creation of the IAM Air Transport Territory and the IAM Rail Division allows the IAM to better focus on the distinctive
needs of its air transport and railroad memberships, respectively.
As Chief of Staff to the International President, Johnsen has spent nearly the past year traveling the country to listen to
air transport members and address their concerns as the industry emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Johnsen, a 33-year IAM member who began as a mechanic assistant at United Airlines, has devoted increasing resources
to securing the strongest possible contracts for air transport members, including the overwhelming member ratification
of a Hawaiian Airlines agreement that secures historic job protections and pay raises. Johnsen has emerged as a leader
in calling for increased staffing and more severe penalties against unruly passengers in the air transport industry.
Under Johnsen’s direction, the IAM is devoting more resources to organizing in the air transport sector, including
a recent organizing win for flight attendants.
Since initiating IAM Local 1781 in 1988, Johnsen has served in a variety of capacities at the Local, District, and Grand Lodge levels. He became Assistant General Chairperson for IAM District 141M in 2000 and joined the Grand Lodge staff as a Special Representative in 2001.
Johnsen then served as a Grand Lodge Representative before being appointed Special Assistant to the International President in February 2021. In June 2021, Johnsen was appointed Chief of Staff to the International President.
Johnsen serves on the boards of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD), United Airlines, the International
Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), and the Cooperating Railway Labor Organizations (CRLO).
Brian Bryant Becomes Resident General Vice President, David Sullivan Joins Executive Council as Eastern Territory General Vice President
The IAM Executive Council has taken action to appoint Brian Bryant as Resident General Vice President at IAM Headquarters.
Eastern Territory Chief of Staff David Sullivan has been appointed to fill Bryant’s position as Eastern Territory
General Vice President. Both appointments were effective May 1, 2022.
Bryant, a 32-year IAM member, brings a wealth of experience to the Resident-General Vice President position, a position he held from October 2018 to July 2021. Bryant also served as a General Vice President in the General Secretary- Treasurer’s Office from August 2016 to October 2018.
A native of Maine, Bryant initiated into the IAM in 1989 when he joined Local S6 as a pipe fitter at Bath Iron Works. He would serve in a variety of positions, including President of Local S6, before being elected District 4 Directing Business Representative in 1998. In 2004, Bryant joined the IAM Eastern Territory staff, and in 2009 he became Eastern Territory Chief of Staff.
David Sullivan, a 33-year IAM member, joined the Eastern Territory staff in 2016 after serving as District 4 Directing Business Representative, Assistant Directing Business Representative, and Business Representative. Sullivan served the Eastern Territory as a Special Representative and Grand Lodge Representative before becoming Eastern Territory Chief of Staff in July 2021.
He initially joined the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers, which merged into the IAM in 1988, as a shipbuilder at Bath Iron Works in Maine. He served as a Shop Steward, Local Lodge Officer, and on several committees in IAM Local S6.
NFFE-IAM Wildland Firefighters Call for Respect on Capitol Hill
Ahead of another intense wildfire season, roughly a dozen NFFEIAM firefighters, who service government-owned land, forests, and parks, visited Washington, D.C., urging lawmakers to address critical concerns such as an urgent need for wage increases amid increasing costs of living, improved health, and wellness coverage, and better working conditions.
An additional concern is seasonal NFFE-IAM firefighters, a significant portion of the workforce, many of whom have limited access to health insurance and are not eligible for government retirement. Retirement benefits for full-time firefighters, which require 20 years of service, do not cover seasonal NFFE-IAM members, even if they worked 20 years of equivalent time, simply because they are not full-time permanent employees.
NFFE-IAM says the visits in Washington, which included meetings with representatives from the White House and lawmakers on Capitol Hill, were productive. NFFE-IAM’s goal is to get firefighters and our national landscape the help they need.
Baltimore County Public Library Employees Vote Overwhelmingly to Join Machinists Union
Approximately 460 Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) employees who recently organized with the IAM recently voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first union contract. Full and part-time BCPL employees at the administrative office and the 19 county library branches are part of the agreement.
The one-year collective bargaining agreement includes pay increases, and paid leave, among other significant improvements. Among several work rule improvements, the agreement creates a labor-management committee.
The first contract with BCPL comes after years of organizing, including the IAM winning a new state law allowing BCPL employees to collectively bargain.
New York Cascades Workers, Machinists Union Win Long Battle to Vote on, Ratify First Contract
More than 100 workers at the Cascades Containerboard facility in Niagara Falls, N.Y., successfully ratified a strong first collective bargaining agreement.
The facility’s group of more than 100 workers voted to join the Machinists Union in April 2019 and have been attempting to bargain for a fair contract for nearly three years. Cascades Containerboard, a Canadian-owned company, failed to listen to U.S. lawmakers, labor leaders, or their workers as they called on the company to bargain a fair contract.
The IAM Legislative and Political Department played a vital role in helping achieve this victory. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) wrote a letter urging Canada-based Cascades, Inc. to negotiate in good faith with more than 100 of its Niagara Falls, N.Y. employees.
New York Veterinary Hospital Workers Win Historic Victory, Join IAM
Over 130 workers at Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Services (VSES) in Rochester, NY, overwhelmingly voted to join the IAM.
The National Labor Relations Board vote count was announced live on a Zoom call with Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Services workers, members of the IAM, and the National Veterinary Professionals Union.
Thrive Pet Healthcare owns VSES. The unit of 130 workers is made up of licensed veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, front desk staff, and other critical staff. The company’s controlling shareholder is a private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners.
Machinists Union: President Biden’s Historic ‘Buy American’ Expansion Answers Decades-Long Calls from U.S. Workers
The Machinists Union has championed and called for an expansion of ‘Buy American’ domestic content requirements for decades.
The Machinists Union, U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth championed an amendment to the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act that would have made a similar ‘Buy American’ threshold increase for defense products. That bipartisan amendment passed the House before being defeated by corporate-backed politicians in the Senate.
The Biden administration is now applying that rule—that any product stamped with ‘Made in America’ should have 75% of its value come from parts made here in the United States—to all products purchased with taxpayer dollars by 2029.
IAM Legislative Advocacy Saves Hundreds of Missouri Local 778 Ammunition Production Jobs
The Machinists Union scored a huge legislative win for IAM Local 778 Members at the Olin-Winchester Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) in Independence, MO. Proposed budget cuts, now canceled due to the IAM’s advocacy, would have had a devastating impact on the 1,700 workers at the facility.
The fiscal year 2022 budget unwisely included a 30 to 50 percent reduction in these munitions compared to 2021. At the time, IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. sent a letter to U.S. House and Senate appropriators, urging them to reject the effort to cut funding for U.S. Army ammunitions and asking them to restore adequate funding for the procurement of small caliber ammunition for the U.S. Army.
The Independence facility manufactures the Army’s 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm, and .50-caliber rifle ammunition.
IAM District 141 and District 142 Members at Hawaiian Airlines Overwhelmingly Ratify Contract with Historic Job Protections, Pay Raises
Approximately 2,500 IAM members at Hawaiian Airlines, represented by IAM Districts 141 and 142, have overwhelmingly ratified strong five-year collective bargaining agreements with the carrier. The agreements win the best job protections and the largest pay raises for Clerical and Related Agents, Ramp, Aircraft, and GSE Mechanics and Related in the history of Hawaiian Airlines.
Highlights of the agreements include:
An increase in the base rate of pay on the date of ratification by a minimum of 10%, and increases each year over the five years of the contract by 2%.
Limits the contributions employees will pay for health care.
Increases the number of day trades available for members.
Raises mandatory overtime pay.
The agreements will bring more fairness and expand healthcare options for part-time workers.
But, there’s also clear advantages to organizing today’s workforce. Take CAUSE, the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), a non-profit organization the Western Territory recently organized. Their core values already mirror that of the Machinists Union.
“I am a union brat. My dad retired from Raytheon. My brother works here. I wanted to carry on that tradition,” said IAM Local 933 Recording Secretary Emily Alapizco. ”I stood on the picket line with my dad as a kid. I remember visiting strike lines during the holidays. That’s when the message hit home and I began to understand what having a union card meant.”
“We need to educate and communicate better if we want to grow. It sounds simple, but it’s not,” said Alapizco. “People my age want different things. Hybrid work for sure, and fair wages because with the internet, everyone can see what others are making. Better mental health care benefits as well, like bereavement for aunts and uncles. Someone just asked if we could look into bereavement in the case of a miscarriage and I said yes because it’s their contract. I don’t think that’s something we have seen in the past.”
Allen’s GPS plan always left room for younger leaders and today, that’s the norm. In order to organize a diverse group of industries and people in the future, we need a diverse group of leaders at the table.
“I am first generation American in my family. My parents immigrated from Laos and Thailand and they told me every day how hard it was there, and the sacrifices they made to come to America. They had nothing but their citizenship and the clothes on their backs. To see them go from that to where they’re now, I’m so proud,” said Noinala. “And a lot of that came from being a Machinist Union member.”
“We all came through the YM program together and today we are all local officers,” said Lacey. “It was successful because the leadership fostered that, pushed us forward and supported our ideas.”
She laughs and says, “That would be great but GVP Allen beat me. He was just 24 when he led this local. It’s a testament to Allen’s support for young trade unionists. He knows, leadership starts at the top.
The IAM Executive Council has taken action to appoint Brian Bryant as Resident General Vice President at IAM Headquarters.
Ahead of another intense wildfire season, roughly a dozen NFFEIAM firefighters, who service government-owned land, forests, and parks, visited Washington, D.C., urging lawmakers to address critical concerns such as an urgent need for wage increases amid increasing costs of living, improved health, and wellness coverage, and better working conditions.
Approximately 460 Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) employees who recently organized with the IAM recently voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first union contract. Full and part-time BCPL employees at the administrative office and the 19 county library branches are part of the agreement.
More than 100 workers at the Cascades Containerboard facility in Niagara Falls, N.Y., successfully ratified a strong first collective bargaining agreement.
Over 130 workers at Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Services (VSES) in Rochester, NY, overwhelmingly voted to join the IAM.
The Machinists Union has championed and called for an expansion of ‘Buy American’ domestic content requirements for decades.
The Machinists Union scored a huge legislative win for IAM Local 778 Members at the Olin-Winchester Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (LCAAP) in Independence, MO. Proposed budget cuts, now canceled due to the IAM’s advocacy, would have had a devastating impact on the 1,700 workers at the facility.
Approximately 2,500 IAM members at Hawaiian Airlines, represented by IAM Districts 141 and 142, have overwhelmingly ratified strong five-year collective bargaining agreements with the carrier. The agreements win the best job protections and the largest pay raises for Clerical and Related Agents, Ramp, Aircraft, and GSE Mechanics and Related in the history of Hawaiian Airlines.