Apr 10, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, Education, Featured, Hawaiian, Home, MNPL, Organizing, Philippine, Spirit, Uncategorized, United
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AMY KLOBUCHAR TALKS MEGA-MERGERS, PRAISES UNION ACTIVISM
Presidential Candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Mn) spoke before hundreds of Machinists Union members at its conference of railroad and airline workers.
For Senator Klobuchar, the event was the highlight of her first campaign stop in Las Vegas, where she also visited the Blind Center of Nevada and the Harold Brinley Middle School. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt), also addressed delegates at the Machinists Union Transportation Conference. The Machinists Union is the largest union of aerospace and rail workers in the world.
In her speech, Senator Klobuchar emphasized her close ties with unions, which Owen E. Herrnstadt, Chief of Staff for the IAM International President, praised in his introduction of the senior senator from Minnesota.
“Since taking office in 2007, Amy Klobuchar has been a fearless fighter on behalf of working Americans,” Herrnstadt told the assembled group of over 800 union members from the nation’s railroads and airlines. “Amy knows how to get things done.”
“She has supported efforts to protect our pensions, to protect voting rights, to make drug prices affordable, raise the minimum wage … and shine a bright light on corporations that want to merge.”
Mergers were a particular area of focus of Klobuchar’s speech to the Machinists, whose members have been rocked by two recent mega-mergers. Notably, the mergers between United Airlines and Continental, and US Airways and American.
But air transport is not the only industry that has endured huge and difficult mergers.
“We are now in a new Gilded Age,” said Klobuchar of the railroad industry. “We’re down to four Class One Carriers that are carrying 90% of the traffic.”
“This means that wages go down because there’s not enough competition,” she said. Unions are the leverage that we have. Unions can take on corporations and win better wages for workers.”
The first female senator from Minnesota spoke highly of the community spirit and activism of Machinists.
“The 600 thousand members of the Machinists Union… helped rebuild communities affected by the raging wildfires in the West and the floods in the Midwest.”
“You sent your Critical Incident Support Team to support survivors when a gunman opened fire in Aurora, Illinois, killing five people, two of whom were IAM Members.”
“And, after the devastation of Maria, you partnered with airlines to fly goods and disaster relief to Puerto Rico,” she said.
“That’s a community. That’s a shared story. That’s ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”
After her speech, Senator Klobuchar spent time speaking with delegates and posed for pictures.
The IAM Transportation Conference assembles the top union activists within the railroad and airline industries. The event is being held this week in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will run through April 11.
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Apr 9, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, Education, Featured, Hawaiian, Home, MNPL, Organizing, Philippine, Spirit, United
Bernie Sanders to American Airlines CEO:
“You Damn Well Have Enough Money to Pay Your Workers a Decent Wage.”
In a fiery speech delivered before a packed gathering of Machinists Union leaders, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called out the CEO of American Airlines for his attempts to outsource thousands of jobs at the airline.
Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) addresses Machinists at the 2019 IAM Transportation Conference. (Via IAMAW DISTRICT 141 FACEBOOK PAGE.)
Sanders was one of two Presidential candidates that addressed the union at its Conference of Airline and Railroad workers in Las Vegas, Nevada this week.
Senator and presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar (D-Mn) also spoke at the event.
The Machinists Union is the largest union of aerospace and rail workers in the world.
In his speech, Sanders confronted American Airlines CEO Doug Parker over his threats to outsource union jobs and cut health care benefits for thousands of employees.
“American Airlines wants to slash the pay of its employees; they want to outsource jobs,” Sanders told the crowd. “They want to take away health care benefits, and they want to abolish its defined benefit pension plan.”
“Brothers and sisters, together, we are not going to let that happen,” he said to loud cheers from the audience which included many American Airlines employees.
American Airlines has refused to negotiate with fleet service workers until employees agree to new outsourcing and wage and benefit concessions.
The Machinists Union proposals would only cost a fraction of the money that American has budgeted for stock buyback schemes and executive pay.
Stock buybacks can inflate a company’s stock value. Since many executives are awarded bonuses based on stock performance, these schemes are a popular tactic for increasing executive pay.
“This is exactly what Americans are sick and tired of. And it’s not just American Airlines. Companies make good profits in America, and then they shut down and move to some desperate developing country.”
“American Airlines is not a poor, struggling company,” Sanders continued. “Last year, it made a net profit of $1.4 billion. This is a company that had enough money to pay its CEO, Doug Parker, over $19 million in compensation last year. This is a company that had enough money to buy back $15 billion of its own stocks during a five-year period.”
“So, today I say to the CEO of American Airlines… You damn well have enough money to pay your workers a decent wage with good benefits.”
Sito Pantoja, General Vice President of the union’s Transportation territory, praised Senator Sanders for his long-standing relationship with the Machinists Union. Sanders was also a featured speaker at the 2014 Machinists District 141 Convention, one of the largest gatherings of unionized airline workers in the US.
(left to right) International President Robert Martinez Jr., Senator Bernie Sanders, General Vice President, Transportation Sito Pantoja
“Long before he ran for president, Senator Sanders walked the picket lines with us. He attended our local lodge meetings. He has never once failed to answer when the Machinists have called,” said Pantoja.
“Senator Bernie Sanders is a true champion of the people and a true champion of the IAM.”
The IAM Transportation Conference brings together top Machinists Union Leaders from the rail and airline industries. This year’s conference is being held in Las Vegas through April 11.
The full remarks from Senator Sanders and Klobuchar are available courtesy of the 8 News Now Las Vegas Facebook Page.
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Mar 1, 2019 | Departments, Education, Featured, Home, MNPL, Video
Feb 21, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, Featured, Hawaiian, Home, MNPL, Organizing, Philippine, Spirit, United
Right to Work is coming to our nation’s airlines. When it arrives, the wages of all airline workers could be slashed within just a few years. Overall compensation could be cut by more than half. The good news: Missouri unions know how to stop it.
There’s a looming crisis about to hit the nation’s airline workers. It’s called “Right to Work,” and its goal is simple. Cut wages. Kill the enforcement of union contracts. And eliminate anything that remotely resembles job security for those working at an airline.
Powerful Right to Work backers will stop at nothing to bring mass layoffs, at-will terminations, and low wage contractors back to airlines. But first, they will need to cut off the funds that unions need to negotiate and enforce strong, pro-worker contracts.
So far, airline workers have been protected from Right to Work, thanks to a handful of laws that have prevented most of the attacks. Because of a few legacies in labor laws, and a recent spate of outstanding union contracts, airline workers are well paid and hard to fire or lay off. But any agreement, no matter how brilliantly negotiated, will take money to enforce – which is money that Right to Work effectively takes away. Current laws that protect airline workers can be written away with a single hostile legislation or Supreme Court ruling.
The good news is that the main Right to Work battleground hasn’t yet reached airlines. And fortunately, pro-fair wage union activists are fighting like hell to stop it and are racking up some significant victories.
Notable in this effort is what happened in the State of Missouri. Corporate lobbyists there demanded, and got the legislature to pass Right to Work rules that allowed them to gut paychecks and sell off pensions for thousands of Missourians. It seemed like the corporate interests had won. They intended the law to bankrupt unions by forcing them to provide services, for free, to anti-union forces. Outraged, unions and voters demanded the law’s repeal and filed for a public referendum.
The fight was catastrophic for the Right to Work side.
Kelly Street, Local Chairman at TCU/IAM Lodge 6762, Unit 320, has been on the front lines in the effort to protect the intended targets of Right to Work for years. He works in Kansas City, MO and represents members in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Thanks to the fierce activism of unionists like Kelly Street from TCU/IAM Lodge 6762, and Brian Simmons from IAM Local Lodge 778, Right to Work failed miserably in Missouri. Empowered in part by a RTW field training module offered at the IAMAW Winpisinger Center as part of the Train the Trainer programs, activists mobilized and educated voters in every corner of the state. Not falling for the nonsense spewed by Right to Work lobbyists, 67% of voters in the Show Me State threw out the Right to Work legislation in a hard-fought statewide referendum.
Kelly Street (Left) with IAMAW International President Robert Martinez, Jr (Right)
Unfortunately, powerful business interests are not used to losing. They are launching a new effort to gut wages and pensions in Missouri. In 10 states, Right to Work lobbyists have succeeded in cutting workers’ rights out of entire state constitutions. Elsewhere, legislation is being moved that will make Right to Work Federal Law.
If these efforts are successful, the Right to Work side will never lose again. They will have the power to cut paychecks and pensions at will.
Members of IAM Local 778 in Kansas City, MO mobilized to educate voters all over Missouri on the value of organized labor and democracy at work.
That’s why it’s so crucial for airline workers to get in the fight now – while the anti-wage lobbyists are still outside the airport gates. They already have the power of billions of dollars of corporate money and the best marketing available. This is enough to win them a place on the ballot no matter how many voters and workers oppose them. If they also win power in state constitutions and the federal government, they will be unstoppable.
IAM Local 778 Trustee Brian Simmons spent months working with the We Are Missouri campaign as Regional Petition Director and organizer.
Airline workers who want to protect their pensions, and who want better than just $15/hour top pay, should contact their local lodge MNPL, or the IAM141 MNPL at IAM141.org, and find out how to get involved.
The IAM141 Machinists Non-Partisan League is funded entirely through voluntary donations from members like you. To become a supporting member of the IAM141 MNPL, please complete an MNPL Automatic Payroll Deduction Card for any amount today. Find a card by visiting the MNPL page at IAM141.org.
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Feb 8, 2019 | Departments, Education, Home, MNPL, Video
Jan 16, 2019 | Airlines, American, Community Service, Departments, EAP, Education, Hawaiian, Home, MNPL, Organizing, Philippine, Safety, Spirit, United
Updated: 1/17/2019
The Federal Government shutdown began back in December, screwing over about 2 million workers and everyone who depends on them. This includes 51 thousand TSA Agents that keep our airlines moving. Here’s a running list of how the shutdown is impacting airports and airlines.
The Machinists Non-Partisan Political League has a plan to end the shutdown – find out more at GoIAM.org. Speak Out Here >>
1. Food courts and gift shops are losing business.
IAM141 Media
When TSA security checkpoints close, they dramatically rearrange the flow of foot traffic around them. Airport restaurants and shops that depend on passengers with plenty of wait times walking past and patronizing their establishments are struggling to attract customers who now have little time or are not even in that part of the airport.
2. TSA agents are starting to depend on food pantries.
AMY MATTHEWS/ST. MARY’S FOOD BANK via AZCentral.com
A Phoenix-based charity recently attracted some 300 TSA agents to their food distribution operation. Jerry Brown, a spokesman with St. Mary’s Mobile Food Pantry, helped deliver about 10,000 pounds of staples such as canned goods, bread, and eggs to the women and men that work to keep our airports safe.
The sheer number of needy TSA families left him stunned. “I didn’t expect that from missing just one paycheck,” Brown said, adding that he saw “everything from smiles and thank you’s to tears” from thankful TSA agents.
More details from AZ Central:
Read More >>
3. Dulles is closing security checkpoints.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images. Via Fox5 DC
The airport is also blaming recent snowstorms, but TSA related staffing shortages are the leading cause for reduced security checkpoints. Story from Fox5 DC.
Read More >>
4. Houston’s Bush Intercontinental is closing security checkpoints.
IAM141 Media
The massive United Airlines hub is also a key station for Spirit Airlines and an estimated 4,000 IAM members. Closures have caused work area disruptions for airline workers.
Read More >>
5. MIA has had to cut back on hours of operation.
Pedro Portal, via MiamiHerald.com
From the Miami Herald: Concourse G closes at Miami International Airport as federal government shutdown drags on.
Read More >>
6. TSA agents need money to come to work, because gas, toll roads, and work lunches aren’t free.
Win McNamee/Getty via Vox
But, since they haven’t been paid a dime since before Christmas, hundreds of them can simply no longer afford to report for duty. This won’t change simply because the government re-opens. They need a paycheck.
7. Air Traffic Controllers are federal employees mandated to work and not getting paid.
Chalabala via IAM141 Media
Although better able to sustain a missing paycheck in the short term than other federal employees, Air Traffic Controllers have an incredibly stressful and critical job.
Read More >>
8. Many FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Officers are furloughed.
Acc.af.mil
This makes it impossible for airlines to get new routes approved and accomplish other critical housekeeping tasks, such as creating new pilot licenses and approving plans to expand and improve airport facilities.
Without FAA inspectors, an aircraft training facility in Oklahoma City has been forced to suspend operations.
Read More >>
9. Delta’s CEO Says that the airline has lost $25 million because of the shutdown so far.
Flickr
Delta CEO Ed Bastian says that the shutdown is holding up new aircraft certifications and preventing federal employees and contractors from flying. All the slowdowns have cost the nation’s largest airline $25 million in the first month of the shutdown, according to Bastian.
Read More >>
10. Security Lines at Atlanta’s Hartsfield airport stretched for more than THREE HOURS as a result of staffing shortages.
Photos: Twitter/Omar Jimenez via Business Insider
What does it take for long lines and unendurable waits at airports to become newsworthy? At the busiest airport in America, travelers now also have the longest lines. Business Insider has all the details.
Read More >>
11. At least three unions representing federal workers are suing the Trump administration to end the shutdown.
Photo Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP via Washington Post
On Tuesday, a federal judge denied a request from the unions to force the government to pay workers during the shutdown, but the legal fight is far from over. More hearings are scheduled for next week, if the federal courts have not run out of money and are still operating.
Read More >>
12. Several airport and airline unions are marching, protesting, and lobbying lawmakers to bring an end to the shutdown.
GoIAM.org/IAM141 Media
The largest airline and aerospace union in the world, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, is confronting federal decision makers over the shutdown. And they’re not alone. Thousands of union members from a range of industries are holding marches, rallies, and lobbying efforts… all aimed at ending the shutdown as soon as possible.
Read More >>
13. Several airlines are posting record profits, and really don’t need all this right now.
Chalabala via IAM141 Media
Airlines in the US have had a tough time since 9/11. The long, painful (but ultimately successful) recovery has largely been an inspiring tale for the US Commercial Aviation Industry. But, CEOs and market insiders are warning that the creeping impacts of a prolonged shutdown will be impossible to predict and prepare for, placing the current stairline prosperity in grave peril.
Read More >>
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