Many thanks to the Machinists & Aerospace journalists at GOIAM.org who wrote and originally published this story. 

• Lauren Grace Evans of Cullman, AL. Evans, whose father, Drew Evans, is a member of IAM Local 44, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.
• Macy O’Neill of Hickory, KY. O’Neill, whose father, Clarence O’Neill, is a member of IAM Local 1969, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Macy was a 2020 Union Plus Scholarship recipient.
• Sydney Pizzinato of Gilbert, AZ. Pizzinato, whose father, Angelo Pizzinato, is a member of IAM Local Lodge 764, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

This year, Union Plus awarded $250,000 in scholarships to 199 students representing 37 unions. The 2021 group of winners includes university, college and trade or technical school students from 42 states.

Lauren Grace Evans

Troy (AL) University

Cullman (AL) High School (2020)

Lauren Grace Evans recently completed her first year as a nursing major at Troy and expects to complete her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2024. She hopes to attend graduate school with the goal of becoming a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). She decided to attend Troy after representing CHS at a Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Summit hosted by the university. Evans worked at Cullman County Center for the Developmentally Disabled while in high school, and her family has assisted with socially distanced chores at the facility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evans’ father has held several IAM leadership roles, including serving as president of the Alabama State Council of Machinists. She appreciates her father’s work to assist other union members.

“There are times when my dad has gone on strike to help those around him, and he has always taken pride in that,” said Evans. “IAM establishes loyalty, dignity, and a strong work ethic into each of its members and their families by extension. I hope someday to take part and create better opportunities for those around me.”

Macy O’Neill

Western Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC)

Graves County (KY) High School

Macy O’Neill is a nursing major at WKCTC and plans to eventually pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees with aspirations of being a nurse practitioner. She is following the footsteps of her mother, who is a nurse.

In addition to his IAM membership, O’Neill’s father is an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) member. She saw the value of his union memberships in 2012 when an injury prevented him from working.

“My father received much-needed disability pay during this time,” said O’Neill. “Union membership helped my family when we needed it most. I am thankful unions exist to help hardworking men and women who want a better and brighter future.”

Sydney Pizzinato

Arizona State University (ASU)

Highland (AZ) High School, Gilbert, AZ

Sydney Pizzinato will return to ASU this fall for her senior year as an English literature major. She spent her first year at Mesa (AZ) Community College (MCC), transferred to ASU for the 2019-20 school year, and took classes at Northern Arizona University (NAU) this past year. Sydney expects to graduate in May 2022 and hopes to enter ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication for graduate school. She is interested in journalism, technical writing, or academia as potential career paths. Pizzinato finished her first book when she was 14 and has published eight young adult books.

Both of Pizzinato’s parents work in the airline industry. In addition to her father’s IAM membership, her mother is an Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) member. Pizzinato’s mother set up the crisis center for airline crew members at Vancouver International Airport following the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

“From their salary to benefits, my parents’ union memberships have enabled our family to have a better lifestyle with a roof over our heads, food on our table, insurance benefits, and much more,” Pizzinato said.

Many thanks to the Machinists & Aerospace journalists at GOIAM.org who wrote and originally published this story. 

“Education of officers, members and staff has always been an imperative focus of the Machinists Union, and nowhere does it better than the William W. Winpisinger Center,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “Their health is the priority and we will go above and beyond to ensure a safe learning environment for participants and staff. Our union has excelled for 133 years by adjusting to changing conditions, and this is no different. We are all excited to welcome members back to the Winpisinger Center.”

“We are incredibly excited to be re-opening for in-person education,” said Winpisinger Center Director Chris Wagoner. “We are committed to re-opening in a way that ensures the safety and health of member participants and everyone who works at the Winpisinger Center as our highest priority. Our movement requires collective action and meaningful collective action requires solidarity. Solidarity requires the kind of trust that face-to-face interaction creates – so we are looking forward to again providing in-person education. We are committed to continuing a tradition of providing meaningful education that responds to the real and practical needs of members, officers, activists, and staff.”

Because the safety of member participants and staff is of the utmost importance, the W3 Center will return with a phased reopening schedule and a strict set of protocols and procedures. The W3 Center will continuously reassess all safety measures in accordance with CDC, state, and local guidelines—and where appropriate, make necessary changes.

• All participants are required to provide proof of vaccination prior to purchase of travel to attend class.
• All participants will be required to mask and socially distance while at the W3 Center.
• All W3 Center employees will be fully vaccinated.
• Leadership programs are limited to 50 percent enrollment.
• Guest rooms will not exceed 50 percent capacity. Each will be cleaned and sanitized daily and will not be used for one week after use.
• Classrooms and dining rooms will be cleaned and sanitized throughout each day and set up to allow for social distancing.
• Participants will not be allowed to bring guests at this time.
• The W3 Center will carefully and fully follow CDC recommendations and fully comply with State of Maryland laws and the St. Mary’s County Department of Health guidelines.

A full schedule with the complete set of guidelines will be sent to local and district lodges in the upcoming weeks.

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