Oct 11, 2017 | Departments, Featured, Home
IAM141 President Mike Klemm presented a check for $250,000 to the IAM Disaster Relief Fund, the largest single donation in the history of the program.
The District Lodge 141 Executive Board made and approved the motion to donate $250,000 to the IAM Disaster Relief Fund. The record-shattering contribution was announced on the opening day of the IAM141 Chairman’s Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The historic donation was raised in order to address ongoing and massive flooding and storm damage caused by Hurricanes Harvey in East Texas, Irma in Florida and Maria in Puerto Rico.
The IAM Disaster Relief Fund helps ease financial challenges faced by IAM members following catastrophes such as the recent storms, as well as flooding and wildfires and other natural disasters. In most cases, the IAM Disaster Relief Fund can provide payments to affected members faster than other forms of emergency assistance.
The sheer magnitude of the damage caused by the 2017 hurricane season has strained all major disaster relief and aid programs in the United States. The IAM Disaster Relief Fund was also under unprecedented pressure. So many IAM members have been impacted by natural disasters in 2017 that the program was in danger of being unable to respond to future catastrophes.
In response, the IAM141 Executive Board passed a motion to replenish the fund, a measure that passed with overwhelming backing from District leadership. The new financial support will help the program continue to provide disaster-affected members with the money to buy meals, pay basic bills or make critical repairs to their homes and vehicles.
“It may not seem like a lot to some people,” said Transportation General Vice President Sito Pantoja, “but for a person that has lost everything, they need that check. That means the world to them” Pantoja helps oversee the Disaster Relief Fund, along with IAM Chief of Staff Joe Tiberi.
IAM International President Robert Martinez hailed the donation at the IAM141 Chairpersons Conference. “We’ve witnessed over the past few months how the Fighting Machinists are always there for one another. And we just saw an example of this, “said International IAM President Robert Martinez. “When our membership and this District made the largest contribution to the Disaster Relief Fund in its history.”
The IAM Disaster Relief Fund has helped hundreds of members recover from disasters associated with the recent hurricanes. In Houston alone, more than 400 checks have been delivered to families in need.
The checks come in increments of $100, $250 and $500, and are typically paid out in less than two weeks.
The IAM Disaster Relief Fund is supported entirely by voluntary donations by the membership. No dues are used to pay for the program. If you or your local lodge would like to make a donation in support of the IAM Disaster Relief Fund, please visit GoIAM.org.
IAMAW District Lodge 141 Executive Board
Oct 5, 2017 | Departments, Home
IAM141 Members in EWR Send Hurricane Relief Supplies to Members in Puerto Rico.
At a Glance
- IAM141 Members in New Jersey joined together to send a shipment of relief supplies to members and their families in Puerto Rico.
- Transportation for the shipment was made possible through a joint effort between IAM District 141 leadership and United Airlines.
- The aid shipment will go directly to our affected members’ families thanks to IAM volunteers in San Juan.
IAM141 members in Puerto Rico had requested help from the union for needed items following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. Mike Cyscon, the AGC (Assistant General Chair for IAM141) representing the EWR airport in New Jersey just happens to also represent the workers in Puerto Rico’s main airport, SJU.
IAM141 President Mike Klemm was able to broker a deal with United Airlines to allow space aboard a flight from Newark to San Juan for relief materials.
Working directly with members in Puerto Rico, District 141 assembled a list of the items that were most in need. Rather than ask for donations, which might have included some used or slightly damaged items from well-meaning volunteers, activists opted instead to purchase the items new.
Once the shipment arrived in Puerto Rico, it will be collected by Committee Person Michelle Morales Collazo. Due to the ongoing crisis on the island, Michelle will be forced to wait in line for up to five hours in order to pick up the supplies from the cargo center at the beleaguered San Juan airport.
She then has to distribute the donated items to the members and coworkers on her own time.
“We all tried to get them everything they asked for,” Cyscon said. “The only thing that we really couldn’t give them were batteries. There are safety issues that prevent batteries from being sent out by plane. But other than that, we spent the past several days at Costco, trying our best to get everything we could.”
“The main thing, for me, is that all of our members and their families are safe.” Cyscon said of the members have in Puerto Rico. “Everyone has been accounted for and are safe” Cyscon said of the members in Puerto Rico. Challenges remain, however, for the people of San Juan.
“Only about 75% of our members in Puerto Rico have been able to return to work so far,” he said. “The rest are still trying to overcome the challenges that they are facing as a result of this disaster.”
“I am so proud of the teamwork that was put in here in Newark to ensure that these supplies were being delivered to our members in San Juan.” Said Cyscon. “They went above and beyond to make this happen. This was really a team effort. I also can’t tell you how much I appreciate all the help we got from IAM141 President Mike Klemm who helped set this up with United Airlines… and from Committee Person Michelle Morales in SJU, who is working so hard to ensure that these relief materials get to our members and their families that need them. This is really good work from everyone.”
“Things like this don’t happen by accident. These things take a lot of work from a lot of people,” said District 141 President Mike Klemm.
“I want to thank all the people in Newark that have done so much to help our members in Puerto Rico,” said President Klemm. “I also want to thank our District Vice President Mitch Buckley for helping obtain more space for us to send more supplies to our members in San Juan. Along with the outstanding work that was done by AGC Mike Cyscon and Michelle Morales Collazo, this is a great example of what union solidarity should look like. Members looking out for each other.”
Sep 26, 2017 | Community Service, Departments, Home
Fundraisers are great tools for union activists. They are excellent ways to raise awareness for a cause, and to establish your local lodge as one of “the good guys.” Spending time and effort helping support a worthwhile cause will improve the unique culture of your local, promote the values of your membership, and can provide a valuable networking opportunity for your local to connect with outside activists and community groups.
Chicago’s Local 1487 has established itself as a leader in the world of union fundraising. It’s Annual Golf Outing, for example, has become one of the largest and most successful charity sporting events in the IAM. Each year, they raise thousands of dollars in support of various charities, while simultaneously attracting the active participation of hundreds of members and dozens of business partners.
Here are some very simple tips from Greg Klujewski, the Recording Secretary of Chicago’s Local 1487, and the mastermind behind some of their most successful charity events.
1. Before you do anything else, make sure that you get help, and can get attention.
According to Greg Klujewski, the first step to organizing any successful charity event is to build a team. Any big event will need to be fun and engaging, but it will also be a lot of work. Having a team of event organizers that are dedicated to seeing the project through all the inevitable challenges that it will face will be critical. It helps if the team has at least one or two members that can make on the spot decisions. For example, Greg frequently works with the Secretary Treasurer Mike Finn and Tony Licciardi, the President of Local 1487. Together, the team has all the needed authority to make binding decisions about whatever project they are working on.
Once a team has been put together, it is important to ensure that your event has the support of the membership. Every charity project at 1487 tries to attract as much member support as possible. This is also an important part of advertising the event–activists at 1487 build up a “buzz” around their events as they allow the membership to see how much work goes into the charity events.
2. Partners are better than Donors.
It may seem obvious, but donor support is a two-way street. Good friends do not only come around when they need money. You need to develop and maintain healthy relationships with donors and sponsors – even when you aren’t asking them for money. Greg Klujewski doesn’t think of these businesses, individuals and organizations as “donors” that may help fund a project as much as “partners” that help make it happen in the first place.
Generally speaking, it is better to invite donors to participate in your event than it is to ask them for money. If they can’t attend or participate directly at your event, then they may want to donate financially.
3. Set a budget based on your level of support.
Once third party support has been determined, and organizers have a good idea of how much support the event will have, a solid budget can be set up. It’s a little tricky to determine a budget before business partners and donors come on board, since they will be carrying a part of the financial workload.
4. Make it personal.
The President of Chicago’s Local 1487, Tony Licciardi, is a ‘people’ person. He likes the people that he works with, and they like him back. He relies on healthy relationships with the membership, including personal friendships and networking to make sure that everyone is invited and feels welcome to charity events, and that nobody feels left out.
5. Give it time.
The biggest secret of success in charity fundraising, based on the amazing work being done at Local 1487 is…that there is no secret formula. If there is one single outstanding feature of Local 1487 fundraisers it is that they are very methodically planned out, and no shortcuts are taken. They are not planned out and executed quickly. It takes time for potential sponsors and business partners to be contacted in person. It takes time to make sure that everyone finds out about the event, gets properly invited, and for them to make plans to attend.
Does your local hold charity fundraisers? Do you have any tips or advice for union activists that wasn’t on this list? We would love to hear about the important work that your local lodge is doing. Send your ideas and stories to us at Contact@IAM141.org.
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Sep 18, 2017 | Departments, Featured, Home, Video
As East Texas rebuilds after Hurricane Harvey, three IAM Districts and three Local Lodges have banded together to help make life a little easier for residents in hard-hit areas of Houston.
Moved by the images of destruction and the needs of those impacted by the floodwaters, IAM Local 2385 in Fayetteville, Tennessee, began organizing a more than 1200-mile round trip to Houston to cook meals for impacted communities. IAM District 711 immediately began assisting the effort, and together the two organizations then started coordinating with IAM activists in Houston.
Jerry Benson, the Directing Business Rep from District 711, said, “We saw the devastation here in Houston, and we wanted to do something. So we hit the road.”
Once in Houston, Local 2385 and District 711 set up a staging area in the parking lot of the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, where they were soon joined by Houston’s IAM Locals 811 and 2198. Together, the groups cooked and delivered more than 750 meals to area labor unions, FEMA relief centers and religious institutions who then provided them to individual communities.
“They were so gracious to drive all the way from Nashville, Tennessee, and come and help us,” said Linda Morales, the Organizing Coordinator of the Texas Gulf Coast Labor Federation. “And, we certainly appreciate that. That is the brotherly and sisterly thing to do, and the IAM has taken a leadership role in that effort.”
IAM District 141 Vice President, Victor Hernandez and Winpisinger Center Instructor, Jorge Bonilla, both residents of Houston, also helped organize the effort and deliver the meals.
“It was an impressive display of solidarity to see our Sisters and Brothers from across this great Union come together to help communities in need.” Bonilla said. “It goes to show – yet again – that when the Fighting Machinists are there, you are never alone.”
Sep 14, 2017 | Departments, Education, Featured, Home
The 2018 IAM Scholarship Competition is now accepting applications. The competition is open to members of the IAM and their children throughout the United States and Canada under procedures and rules of eligibility explained in this Announcement. The IAM Scholarship Fund, which is used exclusively to make possible these awards, was established by the delegates of the 1960 IAM Grand Lodge Convention.
SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION OVERVIEW
The Scholarship Competition
Scholarships to make possible the attainment of a Bachelor’s degree or a two-year vocational/technical certification are determined in a competition among eligible applicants that is judged by a special Selection Committee.
Amount of the Awards
Awards to members are $2,000 per academic year. They are granted for a specific period from one to four years to enable the member to earn a Bachelor’s degree or a two-year vocational/technical certification.
Awards to Children of Members are: College — $1,000 per academic year. All awards are renewed each year until a Bachelor’s degree is obtained up to a maximum of four years. Vocational/Technical School — $2,000 per year until certification is reached up to a maximum of two years.
ELIGIBILITY FOR COMPETITION
An Eligible Applicant Must Be Either—
- an IAM member; or
- the son, daughter, stepchild or legally adopted child of an IAM member.
A Member Applicant –
- must have two years of continuous good-standing membership through the closing date of the competition which is February 23, 2018;
- may apply either when entering college or vocational/technical school as a freshman or at a higher level with some college credits already completed;
- may apply as a full-time or part-time student; and
- if not a winner, may apply again the following year.
Child of a Member Applicant –
- must have one living parent with two years of continuous good-standing membership through the closing date of February 23, 2018;
- will be eligible if the parent member died after the son or
daughter entered high school, and the parent had two years of “continuous good-standing membership” at the time of death;
- A “continuous good-standing membership” is understood to be a period of membership during which the member continuously paid monthly dues uninterrupted by withdrawal cards;
- must be planning to graduate high school during the winter or by the end of the spring 2018 school year
- must plan to take a regular college or vocational/technical program on a full-time basis, maintaining qualifying grades.
Ineligible Applicants Include –
- applicants who do not intend to work without interruption for a bachelor’s degree or completion of a vocational/technical school certification;
- members’ children who are attending or have already attended college or vocational/technical school;
- children of members on the payroll of the Grand Lodge,
- graduate students; and
- applicants who do not plan to enroll in an accredited college or vocational/technical school.
- retired members
HOW TO APPLY FOR A 2018 IAM SCHOLARSHIP
There are three different Application Packets. Please choose the appropriate link below to apply for an IAM Scholarship. The Application Packet must be completed and postmarked by February 23, 2018.
- Members (college or vocational/technical school)
- Children of members (college)
- Children of members (vocational/technical school)
To be valid, an application must be submitted on the appropriate form. If you do not qualify under the above requirements, please do not send an application. No exceptions can be made to the rules. Application Packets for the 2018 competition may also be obtained by calling our scholarship department at 301-967-4708 or by emailing scholarship@iamaw.org.
Application packets postmarked later than February 23, 2018, will NOT be acknowledged or considered. No exceptions will be permitted even if a third party is responsible for the delay.
IMPORTANT: Complete the application and MAIL TO:
IAM Scholarship Program
9000 Machinists Place, Room 204
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772-2687
All Scholarship Applicants are Advised –
- to obtain guidance from their high school teachers and counselors in pursuing a college education or for attending vocational/technical school;
- not to wait until awards are announced before making other plans for financing a college education;
- to apply early for scholarships or awards from several other sources; and
- to make early application for admission to at least three colleges.
The Selection Committee
Award recipients will be chosen by an independent Selection Committee composed of four qualified educators from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
The Selection Procedure
The Committee attempts to select from each IAM territory applicants who have demonstrated learning ability and all-around suitability for college work or for attending vocational/technical school. In reaching this determination, many factors are taken into consideration, including: grades, attitude toward study, personal references, available test scores, the opinion of counselors and teachers and activities outside of school. For member applicants, weight is given to participation in local lodge responsibilities. Canadian students are judged according to Canadian scholastic standards. The IAM scholarship winners and honorable mentions will be announced in the Summer 2018 on the IAM website.
All Award Recipients –
- are responsible for obtaining admission to the college or vocational/technical school of the student’s choice;
- must take a course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent if attending college or the required courses for vocational/technical school; and
- may attend a two-year accredited college and transfer for the last two years.**
The Sponsoring Member and Member Applicants –
- must maintain continuous good-standing membership throughout the life of the award or have been issued an honorary withdrawal card due to a lay-off, plant closing or retirement after the scholarship has been awarded.
** For college scholarship recipients only.
GENERAL INFORMATION
When proper notification is submitted to the Scholarship Committee, the following may be approved: If the recipient enlists in the military, the award will be held in reserve for a period no longer than three years.
If the recipient enters the Peace Corps, the award will be held in reserve for a period no longer than two years.
The recipient must apply for reinstatement of the scholarship within three months after discharge from the military service or Peace Corps and must enroll in college.
A request for temporary suspension for academic reasons may be granted for a period not exceeding one year.
In the case of illness or accident, the award may be held in reserve for a period not to exceed two years. The student would be expected to resume college or vocational/technical work as soon as possible.
The IAM will set aside the total amount in the Scholarship Fund necessary to finance the student through the period of the award. The Program was established in the confident expectation that it will remain indefinitely, as long as donations continue. If unforeseen circumstances should cause the Program to be discontinued, scholarships in effect would be continued for their duration, and all money remaining in the Fund would be used solely for educational purposes.
ALTERNATE RESOURCES
Union Plus Credit Card Scholarships.
Send a postcard with your name, return address, telephone number and union to: Union Plus Scholarship Program, P.O. Box 34800, Wash., DC 20043-4800 or download the application from the Union Privilege web site in early September: www.unionplus.org/scholarships.
AFL-CIO’s Scholarship Guide.
The web site is www.aflcio.org for links to all unions and Federally-funded scholarship programs.
Federal Student Aid Information Center.
Call 1-800-433-3243 for a free copy of “The Student Guide.” The web site is www.StudentAid.ed.gov then link to publications or www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Vocational-Technical Information.
The web site is: http://www.trade-schools.net for information on Voc-tech schools in the U.S. and Canada or www.accsct.org for an alternate U.S. site.
Sep 6, 2017 | Departments, Home
Top, From left: Local 1776 (PHL) President, Richie Howell, Derrick Monk, and AGC Gil Simmons. Bottom, the Irv Sannit Award.
PHILADELPHIA — IAM141 Member Derrick Monk was among those recently recognized by the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania for his community activism.
Derrick was presented with the Irv Sannit Labor Volunteer award at the 2017 Labor Day celebrations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before a crowd of hundreds of labor activists.
The United Way recognizes the contributions of local donors, community activists and volunteers who work to improve educational opportunities for young people, improve financial stability for families, and help care for seniors who would like to live a dignified life in their own homes.
Derrick is the Senior Pastor at the Divine Covenant Outreach Center, and quietly conducts modest bible studies at the Philadelphia Local on Sundays. In late 2008, he and another pastor, Chauncey Phillips, were approached by Local 1776 president Richie Howell and AGC Gil Simmons about putting together a community service program for Philadelphia.
Initially, the goal was to help families deal with the loss of a loved one. “We would visit them at home,” Derrick said, “we would go to the hospital with them. We would speak for them as they were laid to rest.”
Ordained ministers, Derrick and Chauncey would ensure that grieving families would know that they were cared for. “These are our friends. We wanted them and their families to know that we weren’t just coworkers, we are brothers and sisters.”
By the following year the team had created their own non-profit, the Solid Hearts Foundation. The foundation would help provide emergency funds for dislocated members who suddenly found themselves unable to bring in a paycheck. Later, the Foundation added a scholarship program, named in honor of Danny A Schwarz, the legal expert that helped guide them as they built the nonprofit.
“My passion is people,” Derrick said. “If someone needs help paying a bill, or needs help putting a meal on the table, or needs to further their education, I want to be there for that person. I want to help.”
Patrick Eiding, President of the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, praised the work that Derrick has done on behalf of his community before a crowd of unionists at the Labor Day celebrations in Philadelphia. “Derrick Monk does significant work for his local, Local 1776. When we were looking for someone to chair our Community Service Committee, Derrick stepped up. Derrick has been putting his time in for the past six years, plus.” Speaking about the Ivr Stannit award, President Eiding said, “It’s my pleasure to have that award given to him in recognition of his work in the community.”
When asked what made him want to become a community activist in the first place, Derrick simply responded, “It was in my heart.”
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