The National Mediation Board (NMB) has authorized an election for approximately 35 National Airlines Flight Attendants to form a union with the IAM. The Flight Attendants sought out the IAM’s assistance, citing a lack of respect from National management, poor work rules and sub-standard pay and benefits.
“National Airlines Flight Attendants just want to be treated with the respect they have earned and deserve,” said Richard Johnsen, IAM Chief of Staff to the International President. “They can be assured that the IAM will use its full power and resources to bring their quest to form a union with the Machinists Union to fruition.”
The NMB will mail ballots to the flight attendants on December 9, 2021. The voting period will take place from December 16, 2021 through January 20, 2022, with the final tally being held on January 20.
National Airlines, an Orlando-based carrier, has supported industry and governments, aided military forces and provided subsistence logistics solutions to some of the most remote global locations. National Airlines has grown from a small, regional U.S. cargo airline, to one of the world’s leading air cargo carriers, and ultimately into a passenger airline.
The IAM is the largest airline union in North America, representing over 100,000 airline workers.
Leadership of the IAM Transportation Department recently spent time with members at New York’s Metro-North Railroad, including helping train new officers of Local 226.
The visit, which included time with Metro-North members at Grand Central Station in New York City, and a maintenance facility in Brewster, N.Y., is the latest stop in a station visit program launched earlier this year by Richard Johnsen, head of the Transportation Department.
The delegation was led by IAM Transportation Coordinator Edison Fraser. He was joined by Grand Lodge Representative Gary Naylor Jr., District 19 Directing General Chairman and Assistant to the President Andrew Sandberg, and IAM Local 226 President Gabriel Debraz.
The station visit comes just months after members ratified a strong labor contract. Fraser said the recent station visit included fielding questions about the new contract, as well as the COVID-19 vaccine mandates and staffing.
“This visit went very well, and the members were very excited to see us there,” Fraser said. “They were also excited that we spent the weekend with them as we also had the opportunity to conduct Local Lodge Administration training. I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend time with these hard-working members who have such an important role in keeping things moving in New York City.”
The station visit included participation in training and the swearing-in of Local 226 officers. The officer training was conducted with help from Special Representative Jorge Bonilla.
IAM National Legislative and Political Director Hasan Solomon recently chaired the Labor Roundtable at the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL). The NBCSL Labor and Workforce Development Policy Committee members come together with members from different labor unions to discuss labor and workforce development issues pertinent to union members.
Examples include, but are not limited to, labor/management relations, minimum wage standards, so-called Right-to-Work initiatives, wage equality, employment security, family leave, and child care.
The NBCSL labor delegates concentrated on how to increase their collective voice at the NBCSL and pushing out messaging on vital issues for labor members, including the Build Back Better Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure package.
“We always say if your not at the table, you are on the menu,” said IAM Legislative and Political Director Hasan Solomon. “As chair of the Labor Roundtable, not only do we have a seat at the table – we also participate in setting the legislative agenda for state legislatures across the country.
On December 7, 1941, Japanese military planes bombed the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing at least 2,000 Americans. The attack was a pivotal point in American history because it marked the beginning of United States’ involvement in World War II, combat theater that lasted until 1945. More than 400,000 Americans died during the war, 16 million served and millions more supported the war effort here at home by manufacturing weapons, vehicles and military aircraft.
“My family has an interesting story,” said Gerald Guerena, IAM Local 727P Vice President.
Guerena’s parents, who were IAM members at IAM Local 755 in Chula Vista, CA during that time, embodied the era’s pride and patriotism. His late father, Joe, who worked at aircraft manufacturer Rohr Industries, joined the Marines after Pearl Harbor and was a machine gunner aboard a B-24 Liberator air bomber over the South Pacific. His mother, Jenny, was a historic Rosie the Riveter at Rohr and built military aircraft there from 1943 to 1946.
“While my dad went off to war my mom worked at the factory and produced electrical engine harnesses,” said Guerena, now a senior toolmaker at Lockheed Martin Skunkworks in California. “After the war my father came back and my mother became a housewife. My father continued working at Rohr until 1987.”
During the war Guerena’s father participated in intense combat in the Solomon Islands, Bougainville, New Guinea and the Battle of Guadalcanal, a tough victory against the Japanese that claimed the lives of 1,600 Americans and wounded 4,200.
“He was a very proud Marine,” said Guerena. “He was incredible. I have lots of pictures. My dad was really an incredible person.”
Gerald, who became an IAM member in 1978 at Rohr, recently took his 97-year-old mother to an aircraft museum in Southern California. The experience was nostalgic and brought back found memories of World War II.
“She looked up and said to me, ‘your father used to fly on planes like that. He flew on the planes and I helped build them,’” said Guerena. “One of the museum curators suddenly came up to her and congratulated her on being a Rosie the Riveter.”
The IAM has a long history of supporting U.S. defense. Over the years, Machinists have built iconic American military aircraft, ranging from the B-17 bomber in World War II to the fast and stealth F-35 fighter that currently serves our nation. The IAM also has the largest membership base of military veterans in the U.S. labor movement.
“As we reflect on Pearl Harbor, World War II and the war effort, it gives me great pride knowing that Machinists Union members like Gerald’s parents, and so many others, served our country with loyalty and distinction,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen. “Brother Gerald’s parents truly embody American pride and patriotism.”
The IAM is joining the IndustriALL Global Union in calling for an end to gender-based harassment and violence, especially in the workplace.
The Machinists Union is specifically calling on the United States and Canada to ratify International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention Number 190 and Recommendation 206, the first international standards to recognize that everyone has the right to a workplace free from harassment and violence. The U.S. and Canada, among many other countries, have not yet ratified the standards.
The standards recognize that violence and harassment in the world of work can occur in the physical workplace, as well as during the commute, where workers rest and online.
Unions have an important role to play to make sure the Convention becomes part of national laws, as well as fills the gaps in existing laws. This toolkit provides ways for trade unions and other stakeholders to fight violence and harassment in the world of work.
“Gender-based violence is absolutely a workplace issue and one that unions have a critical role to play in stopping,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “This important initiative leaves no one behind and protects all workers in all sectors. The IAM is committed to ending all harassment and violence.”
Last year, 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.
You may have heard about the Build Back Better Act, but what is it and how can it help to change your life?
The act would strengthen enforcement of employment and civil rights laws. That means safer workplaces, less discrimination and it would discourage wage theft, so you aren’t short-changed in your paycheck. It would expand job training programs like apprenticeships, provide universal family and medical leave. That includes four weeks of paid parental, family caregiving. Build Back Better would extend the enhanced child tax credit through the end of 2022… lower the cost of child care, by making sure most families would pay no more than seven-percent of their income on child care. How does free, universal preschool sound for three and four-year-olds? How about more financial aid for college students?
Build Back Better would secure our nation’s manufacturing supply chains with $5 billion to identify and monitor critical vulnerabilities and support U.S. companies that end those weaknesses. Let’s build back better, together, to lower costs and fight inflation, without any more taxes to people who make less than $400,000 a year.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2021 – The Maine Lobstering Union (MLU) today filed a brief with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to end the misguided closure of productive lobstering waters off the coast of Maine.
The MLU previously won injunctive relief from the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine to stop the closure on Oct. 16. A federal appeals court overturned the decision on Nov. 16, closing off about 967 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean to lobster fishing for a third of the year.
“Generations of Mainers have taken pride in sustainably cultivating the world’s best lobster while simultaneously protecting the Right Whales,” said Virginia Olsen of the Maine Lobstering Union. “The decision to close Maine’s waters to this time-honored industry is unfortunately based on misguided and incomplete science. The Maine Lobstering Union looks forward to continuing to fight to save this great American industry and defend the families and communities who rely on it.”
The Maine Lobstering Union (MLU) is a division of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) District 4 and the only union-based cooperative in the lobster industry owned and operated by Maine lobstermen. The MLU supports Maine’s lobster community and is committed to the sustainability and safety of Maine’s lobstermen and women and all wildlife that occupy and rely upon the fishery.
For union activists, nothing will ever be able to replicate the value of in-person learning but the IAM wants to make sure all members have access to education. That’s why the Machinists Union is offering Leadership I classes online in 2022.
“While I think we all prefer in-person classes, I believe that the real question isn’t whether in-person classes are better than online classes, it’s whether online classes are better than nothing,” said Mary McHugh, Assistant Director of the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center. “We probably all agree that the answer to that question is yes.”
Like so many, the Machinists Union had to turn to technology when the world shut down because of COVID-19 in 2020. Astutely, the IAM created online programs in order to continue to reach its members. But what started as a solution to the dire situation brought on by the pandemic has now become an opportunity for many.
“District Lodge 751 Directing Business Representative Jon Holden contacted us about a year ago to encourage us to offer Leadership I online,” explained McHugh. “He wanted members to be able to take Leadership I during the pandemic, but also saw online programs as a way to bring leadership training to members who might not have the opportunity to attend in-person training once the school reopened again. We ran four Leadership I online programs in 2021 and realized quickly that this really was an opportunity to reach some members we hadn’t been able to reach in the past.”
Lobsterwoman Julie Eaton of the Maine Lobstering Union Local 207 is a perfect example of someone who benefited from online classes. Eaton took Leadership I online last summer and is excited to be able to have that option again for the next installment because it’s just not always possible for her, or other fishermen, to leave their jobs for a week at a time.
“Julie is just the start,” said Chris Wagoner, Director of the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center. “For those members who come from locals that can’t send every member who is interested, or for members who have difficulty taking that block of time away from work, or for our brothers and sisters who aren’t able to travel because of personal reasons, this allows them to be able to take advantage of all the Machinists Union has to offer.”
The IAM is convinced that offering these online options will supplement the vast resources already available to our union family, making education accessible in every corner of our union. It gives our locals and districts another tool to expand their education toolboxes.
Right now, there are three Leadership I online classes on the schedule for 2022, January 10-20, June 6-16, and November 28-December 8, with a pilot program for Leadership II online running from August 8-August 18. Members can enroll through the same registration link used for in-person programs.
During the month of September, the IAM Southern Territory was the catalyst behind a 30-day campaign about union pride called the Month of Labor. The agenda, which expands Labor Day’s tradition, educated the public and members about the historical significance and current achievements of unions.
Ramon Garcia in the early 1990s as a Plane Captain at Naval Air Station Kingsville, TX..
“Labor Day is a great time to reflect on how far our movement has come and where it can go,” said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Rickey Wallace. “But our movement is so broad that one day is not enough to encapsulate the size and scope of labor and how much it means to America.”
The idea for the Month of Labor came to IAM Grand Lodge Representative Ramon Garcia after a discussion he had with his youngest daughter about union history. Garcia’s passion for labor can be traced back to his childhood.
He was raised in a working-class Texas household by his father, an active member of the American Postal Workers Union.
“I went to labor meetings and conventions with him. He rose up the ranks. It just made sense to me,” said Garcia, who became an IAM member in 1991 while working as an aircraft mechanic at the Naval Air Station in Kingsville, TX. “My dad always said the only people who help working folks are working folks. It’s us. If we don’t do it, then nobody will.”
Garcia, a U.S. Air Force veteran and proud grandfather of five who loves sharing union culture with his community, sought the assistance of resources from across the IAM. The result was a campaign that showcased the labor movement’s legendary fight for the eight-hour work day, its role in creating Social Security, the push to close the gender pay gap, and more.
Machinists Union Districts and Locals in the Southern Territory also participated in the month’s social media blitz by regenerating posts with rank-in-file membership.
Charles Mann, Business Representative at IAM District 2020.
“Create the buzz. Create the discussion. Get people talking,” said Garcia. “I wanted us to come together. Let’s learn what labor is about and why we should be together. We’re labor and we need to be one. We need to bring this message home for the month.”
The IAM Southern Territory, which has tens of thousands of members, has deep roots in American labor history. On May 5, 1888, Thomas W. Talbot organized the United Machinists and Mechanical Engineers of America, now known as the IAM.
Since then, the union’s membership has grown from 19 in 1888 to 600,000 active and retired members. That growth and history resonates with IAM District 2020 Business Representative Charles Mann, a Virginia-based union history buff.
He’s also a 20-year member of IAM Local 10 in Richmond, VA, one of the union’s oldest lodges, opening its doors in November 1888. He believes the Month of Labor was a great way for the IAM to share its rich tradition and history, hoping the campaign will “awaken the core of the rank and file members. We also want to educate potential members,” said Mann.
Mann, whose father became an IAM member in 1974, also hopes the Month of Labor will humanize the plight of the American worker, a message that has the potential to break political barriers in the notoriously anti-union South.
“The Month of Labor 2021 will be the start of the revolution where workers in the South have had enough,” said Mann. “No longer will democracy die at work once you drop below the Mason Dixon line.”
IAM members in Fort Worth, TX also participated in Month of Labor. For decades, good union contracts have sustained working families there as thousands of Machinists have found lucrative employment in the defense and aerospace industry.
IAM District 776 took the month’s meaning and message to the streets on Labor Day. The lodge, under the guidance of District Lead Organizer Keith “Chub” McCrory, helped host a cookout and community event that was attended by hundreds of people from town.
IAM District 776 Lead Organizer Keith “Chub” McCrory (Right) with other district members at the 2021 Labor Day cookout.
“Our Central Labor Council planned a celebration that was held at a local waterpark, where the IAM served up some good ole’ Texas BBQ to the general public and families of our union brothers and sisters,” said McCrory, a 20-year member of the union. “Labor Month in the Southern Territory is important to me because it is extremely important for us to know where we started. That enables us to see and understand how far we have come, which allows us to be better prepared for the future.”
In addition to food and fun, District 776 handed out informational literature and distributed yard signs that promoted values and virtues associated with Month of Labor’s meaning.
“My hope is this will help us achieve solidarity. We want all workers to understand this country was built on the back of union labor,” said McCrory. “We want to eliminate any negative perceptions that labor unions may have here in the South.”
McCrory says the Month of Labor’s main message was about fairness and freedom on the job, rights that unfortunately elude millions of unorganized workers who reside in notorious Southern right-to-work states.
“The benefits of a union are great,” said McCrory. “We’ve earned retirement, pensions, insurance, safety in the workplace, job security, transparency on the job, a voice at the workplace.”
The Month of Labor also gained traction in Louisiana, where the IAM has a long history of fighting for workers’ rights. Machinists there broke racial barriers in the 1960s when the union gained a strong reputation during the fight for civil rights and equal pay for African-American workers.
Chuck Bennett, president and directing business representative at District W2021 in Lake Charles, LA, promoted the Month of Labor around his region. Bennett, a proud husband of 32 years and father of three children was excited about the Month of Labor because it gave him an opportunity to share information about the benefits of a Machinists Union contract.
Chuck Bennett, President and Directing Business Representative at District W2021 with his wife and son.
“I had a voice once I hired-on back then and became represented by the IAM,” said Bennett. “I could speak up about safety issues that affected me and my coworkers without the threat of getting laid-off or fired. I finally had seniority protection, which meant job security. My wages increased and my benefits cost less for better coverage. All of this improved my family’s standard of living and I could really start saving for retirement. Did I mention that I also gained a pension plan?”
Bennett and Garcia credit the IAM Communications Department for crafting consistent social media posts that had simple, yet colorful graphics and straight forward messaging, a clear outreach strategy he says piqued interest from younger workers around Louisiana, many of whom never heard of a union.
“I hope the next generation of workers learn that the future is in their hands,” said Bennett. “The next generation need to know that if they do not step up and get active, they will lose these hard won rights and protections that we, and our predecessors, fought for.”
Garcia agrees with Bennett. Back in Texas, he too has shared the Month of Labor’s messaging with young family members.
“I kept finding nieces and nephews who don’t know what a labor union is,” said Garcia. “This was our opportunity to help them learn. This was an opportunity to flood and blanket the community with our story, labor’s story as a whole.”
The IAM Southern Territory says the Month of Labor was successful as it educated thousands of working families in the South, and across America, about labor history and the value of a union contract.
