Machinists Union: Federal ‘Buy American’ Expansion Is Long Overdue

Machinists Union: Federal ‘Buy American’ Expansion Is Long Overdue

Mar 7, 2022 | Front Page, GOIAM Stories, MNPL, Page Four, Page Three, Page Two, Perusals, Row 2

Machinists Union: President Biden’s Historic ‘Buy American’ Expansion Answers Decades-Long Calls from U.S. Workers

GOIAM.org
7 March 2022

“The Machinists Union has championed and called for an expansion of ‘Buy American’ domestic content requirements for decades. Today’s announcement is further proof that in President Biden, we finally have a champion for U.S. workers in the White House.”

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2022 – Robert Martinez Jr., International President of the 600,000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace, the largest aerospace and defense labor union in North America, released the following statement regarding President Biden’s expansion of “Buy American”:

“The Machinists Union has championed and called for an expansion of ‘Buy American’ domestic content requirements for decades. Today’s announcement is further proof that in President Biden, we finally have a champion for U.S. workers in the White House.

“Today’s announcement makes real what we have been saying all along—that ‘Made in America’ should mean ‘Made in America.’ In fact, the Machinists Union, along with U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, championed an amendment to the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act that would have made a similar ‘Buy American’ threshold increase for defense products. That bipartisan amendment passed the House before being defeated by corporate-backed politicians in the Senate.

“The Biden administration is now applying that rule—that any product stamped with ‘Made in America’ should have 75% of its value come from parts made here in the United States—to all products purchased with taxpayer dollars by 2029.

“This is critical for our domestic supply chains. It is music to the ears of American workers. It puts our tax dollars toward buying the best products made by the best workers. And it will finally make a real difference toward bringing back U.S. jobs that have been sent out of the country by bad trade deals and corporate greed.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Biden administration and the Made in America Office for hearing our call and the calls of millions of Americans. Let’s build the future right here in America.”

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, manufacturing, transit, healthcare, automotive and other industries.

 

goIAM.org | @MachinistsUnion

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Here’s How You Can Honor a Fallen Coworker at the Machinists Union Workers’ Memorial

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2 March 2022

Each year, April 28 is recognized as Workers’ Memorial Day, a day for us to commemorate the thousands of workers killed, injured, or sickened on the job. Your local can memorialize a fallen member with a personalized brick placed at the IAM Workers Memorial located at the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center in Hollywood, MD.

CLICK HERE to order personalized brick 

The brick can have two lines of lettering with up to 20 characters per line (including spaces on each line) without the logo for $100. There’s also the option to purchase a brick with three lines of lettering with up to 15 characters per line, along with the IAM logo for $125.

There’s also the option to purchase a larger brick: an 8×8 can be purchased for $200. This option comes with four lines of lettering with up to 20 characters per line without a logo, or with two lines of lettering with up to 15 characters per line, along with your own preferred logo or the IAM logo.

If your local has a member who died on the job, a complimentary brick will be place at no cost. Please fill out and submit the Complimentary Brick Order Form.

The IAM Workers’ Memorial was completed in 2001. It was dedicated to the remembrance of those who lost their lives while on the job. The bricks surrounding the Memorial bear the names of fallen members along with bricks donated from lodges and proud members of the IAMAW.

On or around April 28 each year, a ceremony is conducted at the memorial to remember those who lost their lives and rededicate ourselves to the prevention of on the job injury and death to workers.

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JetBlue Crewmembers Deserve More from Northeast Alliance

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28 February 2022

Two-thirds of JetBlue’s operation is now tied up with American’s in the so-called “Northeast Alliance.” American and JetBlue now share revenue and coordinate schedules in New York and Boston, by far JetBlue’s largest bases of operations.

However, the power in the Northeast Alliance lies with American Airlines.

Less than two months before entering the Northeast Alliance, JetBlue warned its

Board of Directors that the Northeast Alliance created a risk of JetBlue being co-opted by American manipulation and noted that potential ways to alleviate this risk might help preserve only some level of JetBlue’s independence.

Essentially, American and JetBlue have merged in New York and Boston by sharing revenue and coordinating schedules, but GO Crewmembers aren’t compensated or protected like American ground operations employees.

American ground ops workers, starting this month, will lead the industry in pay rates, $33.60 per hour at top of scale. In two years American ground ops workers will earn approximately $35 per hour base pay. This doesn’t include shift differential and premiums. AA ground ops workers also have 6 weeks vacation and 10 holidays paid at double-time and a half. They also have profit sharing and the best pension and 401k program in the industry. ALL BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO NEGOTIATE WITH AA BECAUSE OF THEIR UNION.

JetBlue GO Crewmembers deserve to share in the success they create. The only way to do that is by unionizing and gaining the right to negotiate a legally binding contract.

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Machinists Union Applauds Historic Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court

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Feb 28, 2022 | Front Page, GOIAM Stories, MNPL, Page Five, Page Four, Page Two, Perusals, Row 2

Machinists Union Applauds Historic Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court

GoIAM.org
28 February 2022

WASHINGTON – IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. issued this statement following President Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court:

“President Biden promised to nominate an extremely qualified candidate to the U.S. Supreme Court, who will also move the Court toward a more accurate representation of the American people. The President has delivered on that promise.

“Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, one of our nation’s brightest legal minds, is eminently qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. As a federal judge and in both private and public practice, Judge Jackson has built a lifetime record of fighting for the freedoms of all people. IAM and NFFE-IAM members in the federal sector saw her stand with them to block the Trump administration’s campaign to gut their collective bargaining rights.

“As the daughter of public school teachers, Judge Jackson knows what it means to serve and the challenges facing working people. She will help restore balance to the Supreme Court and ensure that working peoples’ voices are heard on the High Court. The IAM urges the Senate to move quickly on Judge Jackson’s nomination.”

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.

goIAM.org | @MachinistsUnion

 
 
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141 Report: For Employees Who Need Help, the EAP is Ready

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Feb 25, 2022 | EAP, Front Page, Page Five, Page Three, Page Two, Perusals, Row 2, Video

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This week the 141 Report focuses on what happens when a member discovers they need help from the Employee Assistance Program. IAM 141 EAP Director Bryan Hutchinson walks the viewers through the process and describes the various ways members can get support. This is a very informative report for anyone who needs aid from this essential union program.

IAM District Lodge 141 Report with Host Dave Lehive is a weekly podcast featuring Machinist Union Members and Allies of the Labor Movement. Our Video report airs every Friday at 2:00 PM EST (1:00 CST) on Facebook and Youtube and is also on Spotify.

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The New Safety Shoes at United Are Already Preventing Injuries

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In a report to Congress, a major airline found that a surprising 76% of injuries involving a vehicle resulted in foot injuries and these injuries are expensive. If the financial harm wasn’t enough, the physical toll that an accident, dropped towbar, or tractor tire could do to an errant toe is horrifying.

When United merged with Continental Airlines in 2011, the new airline stopped covering safety shoes. This change meant that employees would have to cover the costs of protective footwear themselves, over $52 – a charge many would forgo. Low-end safety-toe shoes can still cost upwards of $50, with better-quality shoes easily ranging well over $100. For hourly workers, the expense was easy to pass up, especially if the idea of a severe foot injury seemed remote. 

This year, working with the IAM, United is bringing protective footwear back,  and covering virtually all the costs for employees. From now on, ramp workers at United can choose from dozens of name-brand, high-quality safety shoes with composite-toe guards and other safety features. 

The new policy is already showing signs that it has a beneficial impact – both from a safety standpoint and financially. Last week, a ramp worker had stepped off her tractor for a moment when another tractor maneuvering behind her cart suddenly tapped it. The impact of the collision was enough to shove her tractor forward – and over her foot. She was pinned under her vehicle’s weight, unable to pull her foot out from under the front tire. 

She was wearing a new pair of boots purchased through the new program. A coworker rushed to help pull her foot from her boot, which remained pinned under the vehicle. The accident would have injured the front half of her foot had she not been wearing protective footwear. (See photo.)

The composite-toe footwear held up, and she was able to return to work. A representative of United told District 141 safety leadership the injury could have been very severe. It would have certainly cost the airline a lot of money.

“Everyone who works out on the ramp knows about the dangers and risk,” These shoes that the company is providing will give us a better shot at going home in the same condition we came to work in.”

A long-time lead ramp worker himself, Salo added that the new boots don’t just protect from injuries – they also have a lot of other safety features that will come in handy on the ground. “All of them that I’ve looked at also have non-slip soles. I can’t tell you how helpful that is for ramp workers,” he said, adding that fall injuries are one of the most common injuries on the Untied ramp. “Most of them are water-proof, too,” he said. 

Above: While at work at United, a tractor ran over a ramp agents’ foot after a minor collision with another vehicle. With help from coworkers, she was able to get her foot out from under the tire, but her new safety shoe remained pinned until the tractor could be moved. Despite the enormous weight placed on her foot, her shoe did its job and she avoided a potentially serious injury.

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