Winpisinger Center to Welcome In-Person Learning with Safety Protocols on August 1, 2021

Winpisinger Center to Welcome In-Person Learning with Safety Protocols on August 1, 2021

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Winpisinger Center to Welcome In-Person Learning with Safety Protocols on August 1, 2021

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The Machinists Union is proud to announce the return of in-person learning at the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center (W3 Center) in Hollywood, MD beginning August 1, 2021. For the safety of the membership and staff, the flagship union training facility was forced to suspend classes in March 2020.

Many thanks to the Machinists & Aerospace journalists at GOIAM.org who wrote and originally published this story. 

“Education of officers, members and staff has always been an imperative focus of the Machinists Union, and nowhere does it better than the William W. Winpisinger Center,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “Their health is the priority and we will go above and beyond to ensure a safe learning environment for participants and staff. Our union has excelled for 133 years by adjusting to changing conditions, and this is no different. We are all excited to welcome members back to the Winpisinger Center.”

“We are incredibly excited to be re-opening for in-person education,” said Winpisinger Center Director Chris Wagoner. “We are committed to re-opening in a way that ensures the safety and health of member participants and everyone who works at the Winpisinger Center as our highest priority. Our movement requires collective action and meaningful collective action requires solidarity. Solidarity requires the kind of trust that face-to-face interaction creates – so we are looking forward to again providing in-person education. We are committed to continuing a tradition of providing meaningful education that responds to the real and practical needs of members, officers, activists, and staff.”

Because the safety of member participants and staff is of the utmost importance, the W3 Center will return with a phased reopening schedule and a strict set of protocols and procedures. The W3 Center will continuously reassess all safety measures in accordance with CDC, state, and local guidelines—and where appropriate, make necessary changes.

  • All participants are required to provide proof of vaccination prior to purchase of travel to attend class.
  • All participants will be required to mask and socially distance while at the W3 Center.
  • All W3 Center employees will be fully vaccinated.
  • Leadership programs are limited to 50 percent enrollment.
  • Guest rooms will not exceed 50 percent capacity. Each will be cleaned and sanitized daily and will not be used for one week after use.
  • Classrooms and dining rooms will be cleaned and sanitized throughout each day and set up to allow for social distancing.
  • Participants will not be allowed to bring guests at this time.
  • The W3 Center will carefully and fully follow CDC recommendations and fully comply with State of Maryland laws and the St. Mary’s County Department of Health guidelines.

A full schedule with the complete set of guidelines will be sent to local and district lodges in the upcoming weeks.

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Action Alerts

TAKE ACTION: Scholarships Available Now!

/// The Adolph Stutz Memorial Scholarship Essay Contest is Now Accepting Applications

Tell Your Senators to Support the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) Now! 

///The PRO Act will make it easier for working people to bargain together and win good contracts because it will: Empower workers to exercise our freedom to organize and bargain. Repeal “right to work” laws. Ensure that workers can reach a first contract quickly after a union is recognized.

Recent Articles

Machinists & Aerospace Union: Give Unionized Airlines a Competitive Edge

Machinists & Aerospace Union: Give Unionized Airlines a Competitive Edge

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Machinists & Aerospace Union: Give Unionized Airlines a Competitive Edge

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The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) applauded the introduction of the “Fair and Open Skies Act” introduced by US Representative Peter Defazio (D-OR).

The legislation, among other things, would give the Department of Transportation (DOT) the authority needed to protect the wages, benefits and working conditions of US aviation workers by not permitting foreign airlines to operate in the US if such carriers utilize a “flag-of-convenience” business model, which has shown to undermine US aviation workers’ terms of employment and distort market competition. .

“The IAM applauds Congressman Defazio’s introduction of the Fair and Open Skies Act,” said General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “The fight against foreign carriers certifying in countries that have lax labor and safety standards and then operating in the US has been a long one. The IAM urges bipartisan support of this legislation, so we can finally put an end to this predatory business model which threatens airline workers’ wages, benefits, and working conditions.”

Flag of convenience carriers are foreign air carriers established in a country other than the home country of its majority owner. This is done in order to avoid regulations of the home country, which undermines labor standards in the industry, and in the countries where the flag of convenience carrier operates.

The Fair and Open Skies Act has been introduced as the latest foreign carrier to utilize the flag-of-convenience model, Norse Atlantic Airways, the successor to the recently extinct Norwegian Air Shuttle, plans to begin US operations this December.

The maritime industry understands the damage the flag of convenience business model can have on working people. When this business model began in the maritime industry, it destroyed an industry once known for good jobs. Non-U.S. workers from countries with non-existent safety and labor standards now face horrendous working conditions and poverty wages.

Action Alerts

TAKE ACTION: Scholarships Available Now!

/// The Adolph Stutz Memorial Scholarship Essay Contest is Now Accepting Applications

Tell Your Senators to Support the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) Now! 

///The PRO Act will make it easier for working people to bargain together and win good contracts because it will: Empower workers to exercise our freedom to organize and bargain. Repeal “right to work” laws. Ensure that workers can reach a first contract quickly after a union is recognized.

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Change to PBGC Policy Expands Benefits

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Dear Member of IAM District Lodge 141:

We are writing to inform you about a special benefit offered by IAM District Lodge 141: the Adolph Stutz Memorial Scholarship. Each year, our District awards several scholarships to qualified and deserving members — or their children, grandchildren, or spouses 

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Change to PBGC Policy Expands Benefits

Some IAMAW union members stand to gain from a recent change to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp (PBGC) policy regarding the payment of retiree benefits.

In the past, only retirees could collect benefits from any plan terminated by the employer and taken over by the PBGC. The change allows employees who are still on the payroll to receive benefits.

This change will take effect on June 1, 2021.

The new rules apply to any employee of any company who has had their pension terminated and taken over by the PBGC.

To find out if you are eligible to receive benefits under the new plan, please contact the PBGC directly. Representatives can guide you through the process and give you an estimate of what you are entitled to receive.

The PBGC may be contacted through their website, at www.pbgc.gov or on the phone at 1-800-400-7242. 

Fraternally, 

MICHAEL KLEMM,

President & Directing General Chair,
District 141,
International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers

141 Report: Joe Lanasa President of IAM Air Transport Local 1731

141 Report: Joe Lanasa President of IAM Air Transport Local 1731

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Joe Lanasa has been president of IAM Local 1731 since 2020, just seven years after a friend who was a committee member urged him to get more involved in the union.

141 Report: Joe Lanasa President of IAM Air Transport Local 1731

In recent years, and especially since the mega-merger of United and Continental Airlines in 2011, few stations have seen the turmoil Cleveland has. 

Joe Lanasa has been president of IAM Local 1731 since 2020, just seven years after a friend who was a committee member urged him to get more involved in the union. United Airlines workers founded the local in 1946, and while small today, under Joe’s leadership, it remains a strong and active group in the IAM.  

Air Transport Local 1731 currently represents 272 members working at United Customer Service, Ramp, and Stores in CLE, and Customer Service workers at Southwest Airlines in Columbus, Ohio (CMH). Just five months ago, the local had close to 400 members, but the COVID pandemic caused many members to take options for retirement and extended leaves of absence. This last wave of retirements comes after the local lost close to 300 members after United decided to downgrade CLE’s status as a hub airport for the airline.   

Throughout it all, Joe Lanasa remains optimistic. “CLE would have been outsourced if we didn’t have contract protections. The company wanted to downgrade every worker to part-time status,” he says, stressing how a legally binding union contract can make all the difference in workers’ lives and livelihoods. 

Joe is relentless in his mission to educate members on how union solidarity strengthens workers so they can navigate the fluctuations in the airline industry and control their future. “You wouldn’t be talking to me right now if we didn’t have a union,” says Joe, who began his airline career 33 years ago. 

Joe speaks about the City of Cleveland and his own family’s history in organized labor. What started as curiosity developed into a calling to address needs that he discovered as he became more involved in the union. He jokes how he was told when he ran for vice president that his primary responsibility was to order the pizza for the local’s meeting. He ended up leading his first meeting as vice president when the president could not attend. 

“I never thought I would be this involved with the union. But it escalated quickly.” 

Solidarity In Action

Solidarity In Action

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An alliance between Victory Lodge 1725 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Sky Harbor Lodge 2559  in Phoenix, Arizona is offering a glimpse of what may be the future of unionism: Peer-to-peer training, tighter communications, and joint action are helping create more effective union networks. Recently, CLT opened its doors to representatives of the PHX Local for a frontline tour, demonstrating just how similar airline workplaces are.

Solidarity In Action

PHX and CLT Committees Work Together for Fairness and Consistency.

In the course of performing their duties, every union representative has at one time or another heard a member of management present a new policy or procedure as something that was tested in another station with good results. A manager may boast that “the Union in station X signed off on it and they love it.” As is the case with all aspects of effective union representation, it is really up to the union reps to take nothing at face value and do a proper investigation before reaching a conclusion.

“These kinds of tactics only work if we don’t communicate with each other, which is why CLT and PHX communicate at the very least once a week, often more,” said Brian Harrison, Chair of the Sky Harbor Lodge 2559 Grievance Committee.  

After the signing of a new Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement between the IAM/TWU Association and American Airlines in the Spring of 2020, IAM Grievance Representatives in PHX became full-time union reps. They decided it was time to engage in some real hands-on experience and again relied on their Brothers and Sisters at Victory Lodge 1725 in CLT for support. “We couldn’t think of a better group to shadow for a few days to see what they have learned; what works, what doesn’t work,” said Brian. 

COVID restrictions delayed the trip, but last month, PHX Committee Chair Brian Harrison joined Representatives Trina David and Dominic Pochiro to visit Douglas International Airport in CLT. 

“We expected the trip to be productive, but those three days blew away our expectations. The back and forth of ideas between the two committees, walking the break rooms, and the ramp, and seeing the different ramp culture was eye-opening,” said Brian.

The PHX reps were struck by how despite differences in climate, facilities, and culture, the questions and complaints the CLT reps receive are almost identical to the ones they hear at their home station.  

While the trip strengthened the bonds between the two locals, Brian pointed out that when American initiated shift bidding online, it was the committee members from FLL who advised PHX reps on the pitfalls and what to expect, based on their experience. The PHX committee was happy to pay it forward by advising CLT on the system when the company introduced it there later. “Now the roles are reversed, with CLT helping us navigate the new “Scripted Turns” policy here in PHX,” said Brian.

“The experience, knowledge, and above all else the perspective we gained from our field trip to CLT was invaluable. The hospitality we were shown by the CLT Grievance Committee, and [District 141 AGCs] Mike Fairbanks and Mark Baskett are unparalleled and we can’t wait to repay the favor when they come to visit PHX. Hopefully, this is just the first of many trips and exchanges of its kind.”

United Airlines Negotiations Update

United Airlines Negotiations Update

 

IAM District 141, United Airlines Agree to Expedited Contract Talks

2 July 2023

IAM District 141 and United Airlines met this week in Chicago, IL, and agreed to enter into an expedited collective bargaining process that, if successful, would lead to seven new contracts covering approximately 23,000 IAM- represented workers at the carrier.

The expedited process, which was utilized in 2016 and led to industry-leading contracts for IAM-represented workers at United at the time, is structured to narrow the scope of issues to be negotiated, based on membership priorities. The goal is to reach industry-best contracts in a condensed period of time. In 2016, the expedited negotiations process took only five months, compared to the industry average of about 15 months. Traditional negotiations between the IAM and United have historically exceeded the 15-month industry average.

“District 141 is pleased to report that all priorities identified in the recent survey by IAM-represented workers at United are on the list to be negotiated with the Company,” said IAM District 141 President and Directing General Chairman Mike Klemm. “We are excited to get this process going and bring back the improvements that IAM members at United Airlines fully deserve. IAM members at United continue to answer the bell, day in and day out, to ensure that United Airlines remains atop the airline during the most difficult and uncertain times the US aviation industry has ever known. Simply put, IAM-represented workers at United Airlines deserve to be compensated as the industry’s best.”

Both IAM District 141 and United Airlines reserve the right to terminate the expedited contract negotiations process and enter traditional collective bargaining under what is known as Section Six of the Railway Labor Act, the federal law that governs contract negotiations in the airline and railroad sectors.

The two sides are in the process of scheduling future negotiations dates and the membership will be advised of those dates when they are finalized.

 

Michael G. Klemm
President and Directing General Chair,
IAMAW District 141