Sep 30, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, Featured, Hawaiian, Home, MNPL, Philippine, Spirit, United
District 141 Legislative and MNPL Director Dave Roderick introduced the first MNPL 141 Club Awards to union activists who support legislation and public advocacy that improves workplaces in the airline industry.
The awards were presented on the second day of the 2019 International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 141 Committee Conference, held this week in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Among those honored were airline workers from Charlotte, North Carolina, who raised more than $9,000 in voluntary donations for the Machinists Union’s legislative and political work. Victory Lodge 1725 was also recognized earlier this month by the North Carolina AFL-CIO with the PR Latta Award for its outstanding advocacy on behalf of American Airlines workers.
Representatives of Charlotte Local 1725 and 141 MNPL
President Craig Vanderhoof accepted the award alongside representatives from Victory Lodge 1725 and Assistant General Chairs Mike Baskett and Mike Fairbanks.
The awards ceremony was one of the highlights of the conference, which assembles unionized airline workers from 5 airlines. Delegates at the conference represent more than 40 thousand current and retired airline workers affiliated with the Machinists Union.
The annual Committee Conference is an opportunity for elected union representatives to share ideas, network, and debate the priorities of airline workers in the United States.
Also honored at the conference was Denver Local 1886, which raised nearly $16 thousand for the political fund. Local 1886 MNPL Chairman Jim Stellini, Instructor Mark Chavez, District 141 Special Rep Terri Crandall and AGC Richie Robinson accepted the award on behalf of the members.
Representatives from Denver Local 1487
Top honors went to Chicago’s Local 1487, which raised $26,600 last year. Among those present to receive the award were Chicago Committee Chairman Craig Krzewina and Recording Secretary Greg Klewjewski, and District 141 Assistant General Chairs Mike Quartuccio and Laura Stone.
Overall, members of District 141 contributed $133,000 to the Machinists Non-Partisan Political League in 2018.
Representatives of Chicago Local 1487
The Machinists Union was instrumental in pushing lawmakers to adopt stronger protections for airline customer service agents, longer rest periods for flight attendants, better in-flight security, and critical pension protections for airline workers. MNPL donations also support legislative work that succeeded in preventing air carriers from considering household credit scores when making employment decisions. Other public policy concerns included stopping proposed policies to force airport workers to stand in TSA Security lines instead of using employee entrances as they go to work each day.
The Machinists Non-Partisan Political League is funded entirely through voluntary donations from members of the IAM and their families. No union dues are used for campaign contributions or political lobbying work. To become a contributing member of the IAM141 MNPL, visit IAM141.org/MNPL and sign up to make a recurring donation of any amount.
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Sep 5, 2019 | Airlines, Departments, Featured, Home, MNPL
The Colorado Machinists Council held their annual Legislative meeting last week in Denver. The event was hosted by Local 1886, with Local President John Martinez presiding.
America’s workplaces are facing dire challenges in 2019, despite a heated stock market and soaring corporate profits. Growing numbers of American workers see themselves losing ground as they face colossal wealth inequality and stagnating wages. Fewer workers are earning a real pension, meaning that more and more people will never be able to retire. The National Labor Relations Board and other federal regulators are openly attacking working people, engaging in radical assaults on wages, job security, and the right for employees to work together to create a better workplace.
Amplifying the voices of working people has never been more critical. Strengthening the voices of American workers to meet that challenge was the goal of the Colorado Machinists Council meeting.
The meeting brought together top union activists from around the Centennial State, including senior leadership from the Denver and Colorado chapters of the AFL-CIO and allied advocacy groups.
“We will never win with money. Corporations will never lose that fight,” said Josh Downey, President of the Denver Labor Federation. “We have to rely on work. We have to use boots on the ground,” he told the Council. Downey spoke at length about the importance of a “No Shortcuts” strategy for union members. A hard truth for those who have become accustomed to political apathy, but a renewed commitment to a robust union work ethic towards civic engagement will be needed if everyday workers want to thrive in the new century.
Event organizer Wes Fredrickson, who also works as an Organizer at the Machinists Union District 141 echoed the sentiments, saying to workers, “You are not without a voice. You are not without a work ethic. And, you are not without a union. You can use just those three tools to create great things.”
IAM District 141 Assistant General Chairman Rich Robinson spoke about the importance of aggressive industry activism in union campaigns such as those at JetBlue, JetStream, and Swissport. These efforts expand the union footprint and help boost wages and corporate responsibility, even for non-union members.
The good news for front-line workers is that sending a solid union work ethic into the political sphere is having a positive effect. There are promising signs that a fundamental shift in favor of working people is happening in the American political landscape. Union priorities are being openly championed by elected officials with an enthusiasm that has rarely been seen since the 1950s. Each of the major candidates vying for the presidential nomination of the major parties has personally met with thousands of Machinists Union members.
Josette Jaramillo, President of the Colorado AFL-CIO, touted the impressive gains that union members have made. “There’s no better time to be a union member, ” Jaramillo told the Council. “More than 5 thousand Alaska Airlines union members just ratified a new contract, protecting their jobs and raising industry standards in wages.” Union memberships are growing, despite serious efforts to stop that growth, she said.
Speaking to the goals of the Council, she said that Colorado unions are working with outside advocacy groups that share the core values of organized workers. “We’re teaching our members about solidarity. What it means to not only be part of their own union but what it means to work with other unions in our community.”
“And, honestly,” she continued, “it feels pretty badass for me to walk into a meeting with my county commissioners as a social worker, flanked by tradesmen and Fighting Machinists.” Josette is the first openly LGBT person and the first woman of color to serve as President of the Colorado AFL-CIO.
Other speakers included Machinists and Aerospace Union leaders such as Earnest “Red” Dow and Dean Ames. Ames was one of the original union organizers who helped bring Southwest Airlines into the Machinists Union in the early 1970s.
For hard core political activists such as Raymond Lincks, a 46-year ramp veteran of United Airlines, the Council offers an essential pathway for workers to play a substantial role, transforming politics from a spectator sport into nuts and bolts lobbying.
“Too often, the powerful think that we are at the bottom of the food chain. But, when we all get together and act in unison, they have to take us seriously.”
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Aug 21, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, Hawaiian, Home, MNPL, Philippine, Spirit, United, Video
Aug 14, 2019 | Airlines, Departments, Featured, Home, MNPL, Organizing
Machinists Union Members from all over New Jersey gathered in Atlantic City this week to tell their congressional representatives what they need in Garden State workplaces and communities.
Similar state council conferences are taking place in states around the nation, connecting elected leaders and candidates directly to front-line workers.
According to Dave Roderick, the Legislative Director for Machinists Union District 141, the events offer an opportunity for everyday working people to speak with power to lawmakers. “Normally, working people will never meet with their members of Congress. Union events like this create a platform for us to tell the stories of working people to lawmakers.”
Council President Ines Garcia-Keim agreed, saying the events help level the balance of power between lawmakers and workers.
“These events give working people a chance to meet elected officials and to show our numbers, our ability to organize, and our ability to deliver a message. That gives us the credibility we need when we go before lawmakers on Capitol Hill,” Garcia-Keim said.
Ines is the first woman to serve as President of the New Jersey State Council, a position she has held since January of 2018.
”This gives front-line workers an opportunity to have a one on one conversation with a representative from congress,” Ines explained. “We also have leaders from all the different parts of our union coming in to give updates about what’s going on at their workplaces. There’s a lot going on that we want lawmakers to know about, things like work rules, organizing, contract negotiations.”
“Our main goal is to make sure that everyone is informed and participating, so we can do our jobs better,” she said.
And, the conversations are often helpful for policymakers. “Our members tell lawmakers things that they don’t already know all the time,” Ines said. “Very often, we help them understand the way that laws are actually affecting the workplace from a perspective that they don’t often get to see – the position of the workers themselves.”
Union members organize the legislative councils at the state level. Voluntary donations to a separate division of the union, called the Machinists Non-Partisan Political League (MNPL) are used to support candidates who earn the council’s endorsement. “No dues can ever go to any candidates,” explained Legislative Director Roderick, “We get the money we need from recurring donations from members, selling T-Shirts and other fundraisers.”
“It is so important for members to support this work,” Roderick said. “This is how working people can band together in union to make workplaces work better.”
According to Ines, the more participation they can attract from front-line workers, the better. “We need everyone. Our union does not engage in every hot-button political issue, but we care passionately about company mergers, international trade agreements and outsourcing, a living wage and secure retirement and the like. These are the things that hit home for working people,” Ines said.
“If you are a member of our union, you are invited to play a role,” she said.
The event attracted several important members of Congress and key figures within the Machinists Union. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also addressed the conference via video message.
Attending from the House of Representatives were Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, (D-NJ), and Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ). Union leaders included IAMAW Transportation General Vice President Sito Pantoja, IAMAW District 141 President Mike Klemm, IAM141 Legislative Director Dave Roderick, Eastern Territory General Vice President, James Conigliaro, Sr., MNPL Political Director, Rick De La Fuente and many others.
Representatives from the IAM National Pension Fund and Guide Dogs of America were also in attendance.
District 141 President Mike Klemm delivered the keynote address. The invocation was delivered by Rev. Derrick Monk, a Committee Rep from Local 1776 in Philadelphia.
IAM Local 1776 President Rich Howell presented the annual Frank Darcy Leadership Award to Obie O’brien, in recognition of his lifetime of service to the Machinists Union and the working people of Philadelphia.
Machinists Union members who want to participate in upcoming Legislative Councils for 2020 can get started at their Local Lodge’s next Monthly Union Business Meeting.
Fraternally,
Michael G. Klemm
President & Directing General Chairman
IAMAW District Lodge 141
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Jul 19, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, EAP, Featured, Hawaiian, Home, MNPL, Philippine, Spirit, United
As airline employees, one of the best perks of our jobs is the ability to fly everywhere for free or cheap. If we mention the type of work we do in a casual conversation, it will surely prompt an enthusiastic response, even from complete strangers. A popular t-shirt for sale online proclaims: “Marry me and fly free.”
There’s no doubt that for most airline employees, the freedom and flexibility that our travel benefits provide is a key reason why we chose this line of work. In recent years, as airlines enjoy record load factors (and profits), traveling space-available has become more of a challenge, but with a little bit of planning and luck, it is something we all enjoy. We appreciate the freedom and flexibility to stay in touch with family and friends while we explore the world. Pass travel is priceless and priceless it should stay.
Pass travel programs allow employees to enjoy the products that we create, but they are still the company’s property. When an employee brokers the passes or treats them as personal assets, those actions can get them fired, or even arrested. IAM Committees are very good at preventing unjust terminations, and hundreds of members have been successfully defended against being unfairly fired. These good outcomes, however, do not come to members involved in theft or fraud.
Repeated violations of pass travel programs by employees can prompt the airline to restrict or limit them for everyone.
In summary, messing with your pass privileges is a bad move, so don’t be greedy. As tempting as it may seem to try to monetize this perk, don’t do it. The enhanced travel privileges we enjoy that allow us to choose our traveling companions can be changed at the airlines’ discretion, with notification to the union being the only requirement. You do not have to marry your traveling companion anymore, like the t-shirt says, but be cautious. And know who your buddies are.
Contact an EAP Representative if you have problems handling finances or family life. IAM District 141 EAP Staff and Volunteer EAP Coordinators can help you with resources in the community to address your situation and develop a plan of action to meet your needs. Find more information at https://iam141.org/eap/
Fraternally,
Michael G. Klemm
President & Directing General Chairman
IAMAW District Lodge 141
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May 23, 2019 | Departments, Featured, Home, MNPL, Video
Members of Local Lodge 1487 in Chicago, IL celebrated their annual Bowling Night to benefit Guide Dogs of America. In addition to benefiting the IAM’s preferred charity, several prizes were awarded in a raffle to benefit the Machinists Non-Partisan Political League. Sam Gonzalez, Trustee, invites all members to participate in the fellowship that these events provide. The next event will be a Golf Outing scheduled for August 15th. Find out more information at www.iamlocal1487.org
