Mar 16, 2020 | Airlines, Community Service Page, COVID, EAP, Education Class, Featured, Front Page, Home, Home, MNPL, Pinned Post, Safety, Safety, Uncategorized, United
Dear United Member,
I’m sure by now most of you have had a chance to read the communication put out by Oscar Munoz and Scott Kirby last night. I want to start off by commending both men and their teams for keeping the IAM completely informed with the dire financial outlook of, not only United Airlines, but the airline industry in general. They have made it clear that their number one goal is to do everything possible to limit the impact on United’s workforce, which includes approximately 28,000 IAM members. With that said, it’s important you know the financial situation is significantly worse than the days and weeks following 9/11.
Oscar and Scott stated that March is typically United’s busiest month of the year. But this year, in just the first two weeks of March, one million fewer customers have boarded United aircraft compared to March, 2019. United is also currently projecting that revenue in March will be $1.5 billion lower than last March, and the months ahead look grim as well.
I want to share something with you. When Oscar and I came into our respective positions, weeks apart in 2015, he approached the Union and committed to do right by IAM members. He expressed his desire to enter negotiations early to improve the wages of IAM members at United.
Our response was, “wages are important but more critical than money is that IAM members’ work is protected. We need real job security and to not worry which station was next to be outsourced.” He heard us, understood IAM members’ needs and he and his team negotiated in good faith. We were able to gain the security IAM members so very much deserve. Oscar’s word was good and I am grateful for that.
The IAM’s current relationship with Oscar Munoz and Scott Kirby is solid and there exists a level of trust between both parties that we value. It is because of this relationship that the IAM will have input on any decisions that are made that will impact IAM members at United.
I want to emphasize that the IAM’s ONLY priority is to protect IAM members’ interests during this very uncertain time.
As more information becomes available, I will relay that to you.
God bless, stay safe and protect yourselves and your families by following the CDC guidelines.
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Mike Klemm
President and Directing General Chair,
IAMAW District 141
Please print and post on all IAMAW Bulletin Boards.
Printable Copy >>
Mar 14, 2020 | COVID, Education, Education Class, Featured, Front Page, Home, Home, Safety, Safety, Upcoming Events
GOIAM.ORG ////////
View Original Story
Based on guidance concerning social distancing to slow and limit the rate of infection of COVID-19, or the Coronavirus, the IAM is temporarily suspending programming at the Winpisinger Education and Technology Center for two weeks, beginning on Saturday, March 14.
The decision was made after reviewing updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and state and local health agencies.
Programming is currently slated to resume on Saturday, March 28, but IAM and W3 officials are closely monitoring the situation and will extend the programming suspension if necessary.
The IAM’s paramount concern is that members and staff who attend W3 Center programs can learn, study and work in a safe and healthy environment. The decision was not made lightly, since education is critical to the IAM’s future as a powerful labor organization.
Participants in affected programs have been contacted directly. Any updates to the status of the W3 Center’s operations will be communicated on goIAM.org and winpisinger.iamaw.org.
All IAM members and staff are encouraged to heed advice of health officials.
Mar 14, 2020 | Airlines, American, Community Service, Community Service Page, COVID, EAP, Education, Featured, Front Page, Hawaiian, Home, Home, Philippine, Safety, Safety, Spirit, Uncategorized, United
GOIAM.COM /////////////
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
I know there is much uncertainty surrounding the evolving COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak that has now been classified as a global pandemic. Our daily routines are being affected by the cancellation of many events in an effort to limit the spread of the virus. I want each and every member of our IAM family to know that the IAM is taking all necessary action to keep all of us safe while continuing the important work of our union.
The most important thing each of us can do now is to heed the advice of health officials. Please closely follow guidelines and monitor updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The best way to avoid being exposed to this virus is to:
– Clean your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
– Avoid close contact with people who are sick
– Stay home and seek medical care if you are sick
– Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or use the inside of your elbow
– Wear a facemask if you are sick
– Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily
I also encourage you to monitor the IAM Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center for more information, specific safety tips for our membership in the healthcare and transportation industries, as well as any updates on changes in IAM operations. Beginning this Saturday, March 14, we have made the decision to suspend programming at the Winpisinger Education and Technology Center for two weeks. We will closely monitor the situation and provide updates on all status changes.
To ensure that everything possible is being done to protect our membership at work, IAM Local Lodge Safety and Health Committees should meet with employers on steps being taken to mitigate the risk of virus transmission. Every employer has the responsibility to do everything necessary to keep its employees safe. Our union has a duty to hold employers responsible to that commitment.
The IAM Grand Lodge is working with elected officials to ensure that sufficient funding is available to respond to the outbreak and that steps are taken to protect jobs in industries that are especially affected by the pandemic.
Lastly, I want our membership to know that we will get through this difficult time together. Throughout our union’s 132-year history, we have always confronted great challenges. Our unity has pulled us through the toughest of times and this situation will be no different.
Let’s be smart, stay safe and continue our march toward dignity and justice for all working people.
Fraternally,
Robert Martinez Jr.
International President
Mar 11, 2020 | American, Events, Featured, Home, Organizing, The Association, Uncategorized
TWU-IAM Members Urged to Vote on Tentative Agreements with American Airlines.
Committee members and leadership from IAM Districts 141 and 142 met in Chicago this week to review the Tentative Agreements reached by the TWU-IAM Association for over 30,000 members at American Airlines. The highly anticipated agreements were achieved after four years of negotiations that sometimes became contentious. If ratified, these will be the first joint collective bargaining agreements for five workgroups represented by the Association since American Airlines and US Airways merged in 2015.
Together, the agreements focus on protecting health care, retirement benefits, and provide historic levels of job security for union members at the airline. “Pensions like yours are unheard of,” said Machinists and Aerospace Union negotiator Tom Regan to a packed room of union members. “Your wages, your job security, your health care… will be second to none.”
“This is a historic agreement,” he said. “Truly historic.”
The agreements would improve benefits such as sick time, vacation, and holidays. Retirement accruals will become some of the very best ever to exist for commercial aviation fleet service workers. New job security language will add to existing, iron-clad outsourcing and layoff protections, preventing both airline workers and the work they do from being eliminated.
Wages, overtime rules, holiday pay, and profit-sharing will lead the industry.
Additionally, workers represented by the TWU-IAMAW Association will get “Delta” profit-sharing with one crucial caveat: the unionized workers at American will own their profit sharing, guaranteed in the new contract. “That’s why I don’t like naming our profit-sharing plan after the one at Delta,” Regan explained. “Delta workers can have theirs taken away.”
Mike Klemm, President and Directing General Chair of District 141 and Dave Supplee, his counterpart at District 142, opened the meeting thanking members for their steadfast support and solidarity. “You are part of this negotiating committee,” said Supplee. “Without your support, we would not be where we are today.” Klemm praised the work of the negotiating committee that delivered “the best contracts in the industry” and explained the process that will lead to the membership ratification vote in late March.
John Coveny, General Chair of District 142, and Mark Baskett, Assistant General Chair at District 141, led a detailed review of the agreements, highlighting changes and important details. In addition to improvements in wages, Profit Sharing, and strong job security protections, the contracts would protect the superior health care coverage that IAM members value.
American Airlines negotiators included a provision that would allow the company to “immediately” eliminate many of the medical plans for any workgroup that loses union membership with the Association.
Members will receive the full text of the agreements via email and a printed copy via US Mail in the next ten days. Polling hours and locations for the ratification vote will be announced once the voting date is confirmed.
The agreement for Fleet Service members specifically focuses on scope, guaranteeing 45 cities system-wide where members will work, adding BNA, DTW, IAH, MSY, and SNA. Cargo, de-icing, lavatory service, catering, and regional bag transfer work is protected in locations where it currently exists. The agreement also includes station job protections and specific language on station closings, staffing ratios for Crew Chiefs and agents, provisions to ensure the effective handling of grievances, and language that prevents new technology from replacing workers. There are also clear tables listing qualifications for a variety of positions, facilitating the career advancement and mobility of members.
Tim Klima, the Airline Coordinator of the IAMAW Transportation Territory, praised the work of negotiators and delivered thanks and words of support from General Vice President Sito Pantoja. Klima stated the agreements “left nothing on the table” and were achieved because of the hard work of negotiators and support and solidarity of members.
Summarizing what’s ahead, PDGC Mike Klemm encouraged members to read the agreements, reach out to committee members and leadership if there are questions, and most importantly: “Go Vote!”
The TWU-IAM Association was formed after the merger of American Airlines and US Airways in 2012. As Labor Partners made up of members from the Transport Workers Union and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, they represent approximately 33,000 employees at the new American Airlines and is the largest union at the carrier. The Association is vested with all powers and authority necessary to carry out its objectives.
Mar 4, 2020 | EAP, Featured, Home, Safety, Uncategorized, United
Sisters and Brothers,
United Airlines informed its employees today that the airline will reduce its international flight schedule by 20 percent and its domestic flight schedule by 10 percent in April, and have begun planning similar reductions for the month of May. These reductions are in response to the global outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19).
United management is offering voluntary, unpaid leaves for active, non-probationary, US-based employees. Management has also instituted a hiring freeze, and postponed salary increases.
Please know that these salary freezes DO NOT affect IAM-represented United employees.
IAM contracts are in full force and unaffected, and all provisions in our contracts must be followed. It is also important to note there are no plans for involuntary furloughs.
I would like all IAM members at United to know that your union is here for you. We have weathered many storms together and we will get through this one as we have done in every other instance. Please know that your IAM representatives are here to answer questions that you may have and the Union’s EAP program is always available for members during times of stress.
I will work closely with United management, and I will make sure all IAM members at United Airlines are fully informed of all developments. In the coming days, IAM District 141 will inform members of measures that we will take to ensure our members’ interests at United Airlines are well protected.
While today’s news is not what any airline worker wants to hear, we have confidence in United’s leadership to make the right decisions to protect the best interests of United employees and the airline.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact your local union committee. For the latest on COVID-19, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website, Coronavirus Disease 2019 webpage.
Michael G. Klemm
President & Directing General Chairman
IAMAW, District Lodge 141
Feb 27, 2020 | Community Service, Education, Education Class, Featured, Home, Organizing, Uncategorized
Three members of District 141 spent a week in late January at the Winpisinger Education and Technology Center with the IAMAW Spanish Leadership Working Group (SLWG). Local 1759 Shop Steward and EAP Representative Adriana Picasso, District 141 Communications Representative Ines Garcia-Keim, and Marilyn Soto, a District 141 Organizer and Local 914 Shop Steward, who was welcomed as a new member of the group, worked to strategize outreach, set teaching schedules and to review and update course materials for this year’s Leadership courses in Spanish. The group also includes Jorge Bonilla, an Education Representative at the Winpisinger Center who is a former District 141 AGC and a member of Local 811.
Leadership programs in Spanish track the English language curriculum while also considering cultural characteristics, developing bilingual leaders who can communicate and work effectively with an increasingly diverse membership.
International President Robert Martinez recognized the work that Adriana, Ines, and Marilyn are doing in a letter he sent to members of the SLWG. Martinez pointed out his experience as an Education Rep and praised the union’s Spanish Language Programs as “second to none.” He added, “This work…is about opening doors to greater involvement, to greater activism, and to leadership to those who have for far too long been sidelined by design or by default.”
IAM Leadership Programs help bilingual and Spanish-speaking members become officers, activists, and leaders in our union, in their workplaces, and in their communities. The programs offered at the Winpisinger Center provide participants the tools and inspiration they need to amplify a message of unity in the face of efforts to divide working people.
The 2020 calendar for Spanish Language Programs is:
March 15-20 Spanish Leadership I
May 17-22 Organizing I in Spanish
June 14-19 Spanish Advanced Leadership
July 12-17 Spanish Leadership II
August 16-21 Spanish Leadership I
August 23-28 Spanish Train-the-Trainer
November 8-13 Collective Bargaining in Spanish
If you have questions about the Spanish Leadership Programs or need additional information, please contact District 141 Director of Education “Mac” McGovern at mac@iam141.org
