Apr 7, 2022 | iMail
April 7, 2022, WASHINGTON – IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. issued this statement following the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court:
“The IAM welcomes the historic confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Her qualifications were on full display during the confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill. Judge Jackson proved to the nation that she deserves a seat on our nation’s highest court. Her lifetime of achievements serves as a beacon of light for so many of our IAM members and other working families in our great nation. Judge Jackson proved that she will fight to protect the rights of working men and women, allowing their voices to be heard.
“The Biden-Harris Administration continues to bring balance to our nation’s courts. We also want to thank the U.S. Senators who voted to confirm Judge Jackson.”
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.
goIAM.org | @MachinistsUnion
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Apr 7, 2022 | iMail
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, currently IAM Chief of Staff to the International President, will join the IAM Executive Council as Air Transport General Vice President.
The creation of the IAM Air Transport Territory, which will include IAM District 141 and IAM District 142, and the appointment of Johnsen as General Vice President, are 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.
“The IAM is proud to be the largest and most powerful labor organization in North America for air transport workers,” said Martinez. “The creation of the IAM Air Transport Territory allows us to dedicate even more resources to servicing our dedicated airline and airport membership, as well as growing our footprint in this sector.”
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.
WATCH: Meet the IAM’s Richard Johnsen
“It’s the honor of a lifetime to join the IAM Executive Council and to lead the IAM Air Transport Territory,” said Johnsen. “We are going to continue the progress we’ve made by continuing to listen to our members, provide transparent communication channels, and fight each and every day for our air transport members who make the world move.”
Since initiating IAM Local 1781 in 1988, Johnsen has held 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).
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Apr 7, 2022 | iMail
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, will be 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 are 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 will make the IAM a powerhouse in the rail sector and encourage additional growth.
“The IAM Executive Council is committed to both fulfilling the promise made in our merger agreement, as well as aggressively addressing the needs of our railroad membership,” said Martinez. “The creation of the IAM Rail Division will give every railroad worker in TCU/IAM and District 19 the resources and support necessary to grow our strength in so many ways.”
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.
“I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity to work with TCU/IAM and District 19 to lead our railroad membership into the future,” said Hartford. “I look forward to working with TCU/IAM and District 19 members and leaders from coast to coast to fight every day for our dedicated railroad members and their families. Bringing back a Rail Division will provide all of our railroad members with a louder voice at the bargaining table and legislatively, as well as giving us a greater ability to organize new members.”
The IAM Rail Division will immediately begin work to better represent the similar interests of TCU/IAM and IAM District 19 members, including bringing the following benefits:
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- Autonomy and Prestige: Creating a separate Rail Division that reports directly to the International President provide railroad workers with more autonomy in deciding their direction within the IAM. The newly formed IAM Air Transport Territory, also effective on May 1, 2022, will focus solely on the needs of IAM air transport members.
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- Resources: TCU/IAM and District 19 will share resources to organize within the rail sector and coordinate to achieve more affiliations with other railroad unions. The Rail Division will also continue to increase coordination with IAM departments to ensure members have all the support they need.
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- Strength at the Table: More solidarity and cooperation will lead to more strength at the negotiating table with employers.
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- Legislative Strength: While TCU/IAM and District 19 have cooperated on legislative issues in the past, this structure will allow the Rail Division to address legislative issues distinctive to rail workers.
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- History: The IAM, which was founded as a railroad union in 1888, has not forgotten its roots. A Rail Division restores this historical significance and returns the IAM to many decades in which it had a Rail Division.
“The merger between TCU and the IAM has been a great success,” said TCU/IAM National President Arthur Maratea. “We look forward to building on our shared progress and continuing to grow our strength within the new IAM Rail Division.”
“IAM District 19 members are proud guardians of a rich history, and exciting future, for the IAM’s railroad membership,” said IAM District 19 President and Directing General Chairman J. Michael Perry. “Together, the new IAM Rail Division is going to build strength for our members at the bargaining table and allow for us to continue to grow in this vital industry.”
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Apr 7, 2022 | iMail
IAM General Secretary-Treasurer Dora Cervantes recently received the United Latinos of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Champion of Justice Award at its Education Conference in Las Vegas.
The award recognizes leadership that strengthens and supports Latino workers and the Latino community at large. Each recipient must demonstrate work that improves the lives of the Latino community within the North American labor movement and promotes diversity and inclusion at all levels.
“This is a union we have a super great relationship with and Dora is an amazing leader,” said Rigoberto Valdez Jr., President of United Latinos of the UFCW.
UFCW Local 540 President Felipe Mendez of Dallas presented the award.
“Dora Cervantes is a trailblazer in every regard,” said Mendez. “An outstanding trade unionist and a person of substance and respect.”
Cervantes has served as General Secretary-Treasurer since 2015, the first woman to hold the position. She initiated into IAM Local 2198 in Houston in 1989 as a Southwest Airlines Reservations Agent and later went on to serve as Organizer, Shop Steward, Recording Secretary and Vice President.
“I’m a proud Latina. I’m proud to speak Spanish. And I’m even more proud of my brown skin which allows people to seek me out when they need help understanding English or Spanish in everyday situations,” Cervantes told the audience. “My union, the IAM, added to my confidence and added to my strength to be the advocate and the voice for those who cannot be heard. I am honored and humbled to receive this award and I am forever grateful to the United Food and Commercial Workers.”
The United Latinos of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) is an organization of union members and allies who have joined together to promote issues and pursue interests important to Latinx workers.
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Apr 7, 2022 | iMail
The IAM mourns the loss of retired IAM Aerospace Coordinator Ron Eldridge, a long-time IAM leader and beloved father of IAM Grand Lodge Representative Juan Eldridge. Ron Eldridge, 71, passed away on March 26 while surrounded by family.
Ron initiated into IAM Local 839 (District 70) in 1972 as an employee of Boeing in Wichita, KS. Before coming to Wichita, Ron was raised in Oklahoma and served in the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating high school.
He would serve as an organizer for Local 839 before serving as District 70 Directing Business Representative on two occasions. Ron served as an IAM Aerospace Coordinator from 2004 until his retirement in 2016. Ron also served as a Southern Territory Special Representative and Grand Lodge Representative.
“Ron was passionate about helping people,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “He was the man we sent to negotiate the most important and most high-profile aerospace agreements in the IAM. He dedicated his life to our union because he knew he was making lives better for working families and communities. We mourn with the Eldridge family, and we will never forget the contributions and lifetime of service Ron gave to us.”
Ron is survived by his beloved wife, Maria, children Ron, Melissa, Angela, Juan, and several grandchildren.
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Apr 5, 2022 | iMail
This statement originally appeared on the SEIU website.
A coalition of labor leaders released the following statement today ahead of the Senate’s vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court:
“As the elected leaders of 27 unions and worker organizations collectively representing tens of millions of working people providing essential services across our great nation, we stand together in strong support for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the United States Supreme Court of the United States. This historic nomination demonstrates our nation’s continued path towards becoming a more just society where all children have the opportunity to succeed regardless of what they look like, where they’re from or what their parents do for a living.
“In recent years, working families have experienced firsthand how critical it is to have an equitable, fair, and balanced Supreme Court. We need justices who will uphold the Constitution and maintain fidelity to the rule of law, considering every case on its merits without favoring powerful corporations. Judge Jackson meets that test. Her impressive legal career — nearly a decade as a federal judge, service as Vice Chair and Commissioner on the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and her work representing people of various socioeconomic backgrounds as a federal public defender — demonstrates that she is more than qualified to sit on the Supreme Court.
“Working families also know a federal bench that reflects and respects the diversity of our nation is vital to robust and informed decision-making, which is imperative to fostering public trust in the judiciary. Representation matters in our justice system where cultural experience shapes the decisions made by judges. Confirming a Black woman to the Supreme Court after 233 years will not only add a needed perspective to the court, it inspires future generations and is a step towards creating a more just system by demanding a Supreme Court that looks more like America and serves all of us.
“Based on Judge Jackson’s record, demonstration of judicial temperament at last month’s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings, and past and current bi-partisan support, we believe senators should enthusiastically vote to confirm her. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s strong character and exemplary service reflect the best of our nation. Working people of all backgrounds will hold their senators accountable for how they treat this outstanding nominee when they vote in this year’s midterm elections.”
Signed:
Robert Martinez Jr., International President, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)
Mary Kay Henry, International President, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Elizabeth H. Shuler, President, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
John A. Costa, International President, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)
Dr. Everett B. Kelley, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)
Lee Saunders, President, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
Sara Nelson, International President, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
Anthony Shelton, International President, Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers’ International Union (BCTGM)
Chris Shelton, President, Communications Workers of America (CWA)
Jennifer Dorning, President, Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO
Matthew D. Loeb, International President, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)
Sean M. O’Brien, General President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)
Matthew Biggs, President, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE)
Ray Curry, President, International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW)
Lonnie Stephenson, International President, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
James Hart, President, Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Fredric Rolando, President, National Association of Letter Carriers AFL-CIO (NALC)
Becky Pringle, President, National Education Association (NEA)
Bonnie Castillo, RN, Executive Director, National Nurses United (NNU)
Michael Sacco, President, Seafarers International Union (SIU)
Lee Blackmon, Director NAGE Federal Division, The National Association of Government Employees (NAGE)
John Samuelsen, International President, Transport Workers Union of America (TWU)
Will Attig, Executive Director, Union Veterans Council (UVC)
D. Taylor, International Union President, UNITE HERE
Anthony M. Perrone, President, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW)
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Apr 5, 2022 | iMail
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 are effective May 1, 2022.
“Brian and Dave are some of the most experienced, dedicated, and well-rounded IAM officers in our union,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “From organizing and servicing to managing staff and finances, both of these Brothers know what it means to be members, activists, and leaders in the IAM. Our membership will be well served by Brian’s assignment and Dave’s addition to the Executive Council.”
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.
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Apr 5, 2022 | iMail
The IAM was the proud sponsor of a recent charity event benefitting Mothers Abandoned or Widowed (MAW), a non-profit that provides a range of assistance to previously married mothers with children who have been abandoned by their husbands or whose husbands have died prematurely.
The IAM’s silver sponsorship of the April 1 charity golf tournament in Keller, TX will help MAW continue to provide mothers in need with childcare, transportation, continuing education, and more.
“Our support for Mothers Abandoned or Widowed is just another way the IAM lives up to our motto of ‘justice on the job and service to the community,’” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “The IAM is proud to support this great cause once again, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with MAW and the great service it provides to countless women in need.”
MAW Charities was developed in honor of such women as Louise Edwards of Cincinnati, OH who faced unusual circumstances when her husband passed away unexpectedly. At the young age of 33, she raised her eight children on her own, and expecting to enjoy her grandchildren as she faced retirement, she was met by another challenge: to raise eight children whose parents had abandoned them.
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Apr 4, 2022 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts
Brothers and Sisters,
Please click the link below for the latest leadership alert.
CLICK HERE: LEADERSHIP ALERT 4/4/22: CLICK HERE
In Solidarity,
Local S6 Leadership
Apr 4, 2022 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, LL S6 Upcoming Events
Brothers and Sisters,
Please review the link below for the MOA regarding NEW Main Plant Third Shift Hours.
This agreement is effective April 24, 2022.
CLICK HERE: Third Shift New Hours MOA: CLICK HERE
In Solidarity,
Local S6 Leadership
