DL141 Video Report: Ines Garcia-Keim, President of the NJ State Council of Machinists Blazes the Path for More Women Leaders in the IAM

DL141 Video Report: Ines Garcia-Keim, President of the NJ State Council of Machinists Blazes the Path for More Women Leaders in the IAM

Sep 25, 2020 | Featured News, Front Page, MNPL, Page Five, Page Four, Page Three, Page Two, Perusals, Uncategorized | 0 comments

141 Report: New Jersey State Council of Machinists President, Ines Garcia-Keim

New Jersey State Council’s First Woman President Discusses the Importance of Regular Communication With Lawmakers, her career and why unions are still relevant. 

Like many airline workers, Sister Ines Garcia-Keim began her career at Continental Airlines in 1988 thinking she would only be there for a short time while she looked for another job. She enjoyed the work, and the flexibility suited her as a working mom. A union supporter for many years, she was excited to put her skills and experience in grassroots organizing to work when she joined the IAM after the merger of Continental and United Airlines in 2011, and became an active member of Local 914 in Newark, New Jersey. Today, she leads the Legislative Committee at her local, and is the first woman elected President of the New Jersey State Council of Machinists. 

Ines served as Shop Steward for her Customer Service group at United, and was recruited in 2016 by District 141 as an organizer for the campaign at jetBlue. She worked writing copy for organizing flyers, and two years later, District 141 PDGC Mike Klemm appointed her as a District Communications Representative. Ines completed the Leadership Training in Spanish at the Winpisinger Center, where she serves as a member of the Spanish Leadership Training Group. 

She is grateful to IAMAW Organizing Director Vinny Addeo and to District 141 AGC Rich Creighton for encouraging her to become active in her union, and works to pay it forward by mentoring younger members, especially women, to get more involved in the IAM. 

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Do it Again – All Airline Workers Contact Your Lawmakers: Furloughs Start In Less Than a Week

Do it Again – All Airline Workers Contact Your Lawmakers: Furloughs Start In Less Than a Week

Sep 25, 2020 | Airlines, COVID, Featured News, Front Page, GOIAM Stories, MNPL, Page Four, Page Three, Page Two, Perusals, Row 2 | 0 comments

With the airline Paycheck Support Program (PSP) contained in the CARES Act set to expire next Wednesday, September 30, we are urging all members to continue imploring Congress to pass a clean extension of the PSP through March 2021. Adding to the urgency is the possibility of the Republican-majority Senate going on another vacation beginning today, Friday, September 25.
 
The IAM has led the fight on Capitol Hill from the onset and with only five days remaining, we must increase the pressure.
 
TAKE ACTION NOW:
 
1-      Call your Senators and Representative at 866-829-3298 to urge them to pass a clean extension of the PSP through March 31, 2021, and to save hundreds of thousands of frontline airline workers’ jobs.
 
 
“The Machinists Union stands shoulder to shoulder with Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer in their effort to get a coronavirus relief package passed for all Americans,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “It is an outrage that working families have already waited more than four months since the House passed the HEROES Act. The Machinists Union will do anything to support our membership and the tens of thousands of our airline members who will be laid off on Oct. 1.”
 

“With only five days remaining before the PSP expires, it is more important than ever that we turn up the heat in Congress,” said Transportation General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “We must band together, use our collective voice and protect the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Machinists.”

District President Mike Klemm underscored the urgent need to contact members of Congress and Senate, and stress to them how vital this aid is to airline workers. “Our junior members are under incredible stress right now. This level of inaction by lawmakers is inexcusable. Both parties support an extension. It needs to get done, and it needs to get done now.”

 
The IAM supports the Air Carrier Worker Support Extension Act of 2020 (S.4634), introduced by Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and the companion bill (H.R. 8345) introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Stacey (D-VI) and Rep. David Joyce (R-OH). Both bills have been referred to committees and are gathering bi-partisan support.
 
The IAM this week sent a joint airline union coalition letter to senators, pushing them to immediately pass a clean extension of the PSP.

Additional Resources  ///  Contact Your Senator and Ask Them to Extend the Payroll Support Program

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IAM Joins Airline, Labor Coalition Demanding Congress Pass Clean Payroll Support Extension Now

IAM Joins Airline, Labor Coalition Demanding Congress Pass Clean Payroll Support Extension Now

Sep 23, 2020 | COVID, Featured News, Front Page, GOIAM Stories, MNPL, Page Five, Page Four, Page Three, Uncategorized | 0 comments

UPDATE 9/23/2020: Government Affairs Representatives at United Airlines told a group of employees at a town hall meeting on Thursday that Senators Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Rick Scott (R-FL) have blocked a unanimous consent motion to advance a clean extension of the Payroll Support Program. This move will delay any progress on the bill for now. The Payroll Support Program is vital to thousands of airline workers who are facing furloughs within one week if funding is not extended by September 30.

The IAM, along with leaders from a coalition of airline unions and airline carriers, today sounded the alarm on Capitol Hill to push Congress to act immediately to pass a clean extension of the Payroll Support Program (PSP). There are only eight days remaining before the PSP expires, and without a clean extension, hundreds of thousands of airline workers face the possibility of being furloughed.

“As the largest airline union in the world, the Machinists Union implores Congress to act now to save the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of airline workers by passing a clean extension of the airline Payroll Support Program,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “We will need the full force of every airline worker to lift our country back up when America is ready to fly again. In the meantime, we can’t abandon the men and women who have so bravely kept our nation moving during this difficult time.”

The IAM last week held a nationwide Airline Day of Action, demanding that Congress act now to pass legislation to stem layoffs. IAM members met with Senators and Senate staff, either virtually or in person, in 32 cities in over 20 states.

“Congress has to stop placing a greater importance on their political standing and start thinking about the livelihoods of aviation’s frontline workers,” said IAM Transportation General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “Bipartisan support has already been expressed, but the clock is ticking. Every day airline workers risk their health to move America. Now, Congress needs to move to protect them.”

Here’s how you can help save airline jobs:

  1. Call your Senators at 866-829-3298 to urge them to pass a clean extension of the PSP through March 31, 2021, and to save hundreds of thousands of frontline airline workers’ jobs.
  2. Email your Senators.

The Paycheck Support Program contained in the CARES Act is set to expire on October 1, 2020. Carriers are making plans on how to deal with its loss, and the outlook doesn’t look good for airline workers.

American Airlines will cut more than 40,000 jobs, including 19,000 through furloughs and layoffs, Southwest Airlines is eliminating 35,000 flights from its October schedule, and Air Wisconsin, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, ExpressJet, Hawaiian Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines and United Ground Express have issued Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARN). 

Additional Resources  ///  Contact Your Senator and Ask Them to Extend the Payroll Support Program

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Are You Registered to Vote? Today is National Register to Vote Day.

Are You Registered to Vote? Today is National Register to Vote Day.

Sep 22, 2020 | MNPL, Organizing, Page Five, Page Four, Perusals, Row 2, Tools | 0 comments

We Vote.

WE MATTER.

Register to Vote
Check Registration Status
Polling Place Locator
Visit IAM2020.org
Vote by Mail
Get Election Reminders
Early Voting
Become a poll worker
Visit the National Voter Registration Day Website

Additional Resources
/// Stand up and be counted! Participate in the 2020 Census/// Donate to MNPL

141 Report: Jason Kammer Talks Labor Issues and Politics in the Grand Canyon State

141 Report: Jason Kammer Talks Labor Issues and Politics in the Grand Canyon State

Sep 18, 2020 | Airlines, American, COVID, Featured News, Front Page, MNPL, Page Five, Page Three, Perusals, Row 2, Uncategorized | 0 comments

141 Report: Jason Kammer Talks Labor Issues and Politics in the Grand Canyon State

Jason Kammer has worked as a Ramp Service Agent in PHX since 1996 when he joined his mother and uncle working at America West Airlines. After two airline mergers, Brother Jason now serves as the Vice President for Transportation of the Arizona State Council of Machinists.

He previously held positions as Shop Steward, Grievance Committee Rep, and was elected president of IAM Local 2559, where he served members for six years until 2019. He is also active in the Sky Harbor Lodge MNPL Planning Committee and is a delegate to the Maricopa Area Labor Federation.

Long considered a Republican stronghold, political analysts now view Arizona as a swing state in the 2020 election. The state’s demographics are changing rapidly, and in 2018 Democrat Kyrsten Sinema won a hard-fought election to the US Senate. In this year’s senate race, Democrat Mark Kelly is leading the polls against Republican incumbent Martha McSally. Senator McSally was appointed by the Arizona governor to the position in 2018 after she lost the election to Sinema and the first replacement for the late Senator John McCain stepped down. 

The Grand Canyon State has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1996, and President Trump won the state by just over 3 points in 2016. Polls this year show a very tight race, and many have Democratic nominee Joe Biden ahead of the president by up to 5 points. The state of Arizona is shaping up to be a battleground in this election, and we are pleased to hear Jason’s views. 

Additional Resources /// Visit the Local 2559 Sky Harbor Website

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IAM’s Airline Day of Action Sounds Alarm Across Country

IAM’s Airline Day of Action Sounds Alarm Across Country

Sep 18, 2020 | Airlines, American, COVID, Front Page, GOIAM Stories, Hawaiian, MNPL, Page Five, Philippine, Row 2, Spirit, Uncategorized, United | 0 comments

As part of the IAM Airline Day of Action, IAM airline members have been making thousands of phone calls, sending countless emails and meeting with their elected officials all across the country today virtually, and in person, demanding that Congress act now to pass legislation that would stem hundreds of thousands of layoffs slated to begin on October 1, 2020.

The Senate has taken two vacations and still hasn’t passed a clean extension of relief provided for airlines in the CARES Act. Time is running out. IAM members must act now to tell your Senators to support a clean extension of relief provided for airlines in the CARES Act.

 

Here’s how you can take part in the IAM Airline Day of Action:

  1. Call your Senators at 866-829-3298 to urge them to pass a clean extension of the PSP through March 31, 2021, and to save hundreds of thousands of frontline airline workers’ jobs.
  2. Email your Senators.
  3. Tweet at Majority Leader McConnell and your Senators.

– We need your help, @SenateMajLdr. Without a clean extension of the airline #PayrollSupportProgram, hundreds of thousands of frontline airline workers will be furloughed when the program expires on September 30th. Please get to the negotiating table now.

– [INSERT SENATOR’S TWITTER HANDLES] Congress needs to put politics aside and get a deal done now to save the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of airline workers. Pass a clean extension of the airline #PayrollSupportProgram today.

– [INSERT SENATOR’S TWITTER HANDLES] In a few short weeks, airline workers will not have healthcare during a pandemic. Congress needs to pass a clean extension of the airline #PayrollSupportProgram now.

– [INSERT SENATOR’S TWITTER HANDLES] Airline workers have worked through the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, it’s Congress’s turn to take care of these heroes. They need to pass a clean extension of the airline #PayrollSupportProgram now.

“The Trump Administration and strong bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate all agree that airline workers and the industry as a whole need further aid to prevent hundreds of thousands of layoffs and great harm to the U.S. economy,” said IAM General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “The IAM calls on Senate Majority Leader McConnell to support the U.S. airline industry. This industry drives over a million jobs and pumps trillions of dollars into our economy. We cannot turn our backs on this most vital sector of our economy.”

“The airline Payroll Support Program has been one of the most successful jobs programs in U.S. history,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “Congress must stop the partisanship and extend relief for hundreds of thousands of airline workers. These men and women will make their voices heard in November and they will remember who stood with them and who stood against them to save the airline industry and their livelihoods.”

 

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