Lufthansa Workers in Puerto Rico Vote to Join the Machinists Union

Lufthansa Workers in Puerto Rico Vote to Join the Machinists Union

May 13, 2022 | Front Page, GOIAM Stories, JetBlue, Organizing, Page Five, Page Four, Page Three, Page Two, Perusals, Row 2, Uncategorized

Lufthansa Technik Workers in Puerto Rico Vote to Join the Machinists Union

GoIAM.org
Organizing

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2022 –More than 200 mechanics and related who work in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, at Lufthansa Technik, Puerto Rico, LLC. voted to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the largest airline and transportation union in North America.

“This election is the voice and feeling of all of our co-workers who desire to progress here on the island without the need to abandon our families.,” said Lufthansa Technik Senior Aircraft Mechanic Jonathan Diaz. “It is very important for those who in the beginning and after so much training to try and reach their dream to feel proud of working in the aviation industry. A dream of many but at the same time so few attain it in the country. We will demonstrate that in Puerto Rico we do good and be better not only as humans but as workers.”

“We congratulate the Lufthansa mechanics and related work for choosing to join the Machinists Union,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “This victory is a win not just for the Lufthansa workers, but for all workers in Puerto Rico who are trying to make their lives better. We urge Lufthansa to respect the decisions its workers have made and come to the negotiating table in good faith. I want to thank the amazing IAM team on the ground, including Javier Almazan, José “Lole” Rodríguez-Báez, and Juan Negron, for their dedication to getting the Lufthansa workers an opportunity for union representation.”

The National Mediation Board (NMB) election results come months after aggressive tactics and appeal to stop Lufthansa Technik workers’ right to join the IAM. Last year, Lufthansa mechanics and related sought IAM representation due to various workplace issues, including reduced work hours, irregular work rules, and inadequate wages and benefits. 

“The highly skilled aircraft mechanics and related at Lufthansa Technik have overcome many challenges over the past two years,” said Juan Negron, IAM Special Assistant to the International President. “I am proud of their courage and strength. It is time to sit down at the table and get a first contract to benefit the workers and their families. We will utilize the IAM’s full resources to ensure the workers at Lufthansa get what they deserve with a voice in the workplace and respect and dignity on the shop floor.”

“The Lufthansa Technik workers have spoken loud and clear,” said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Rickey Wallace. “They now have the legal right to negotiate a contract that will improve their quality of life and give them respect and dignity. The IAM is fully committed to achieving a first contract at Lufthansa Technik.” 

Lufthansa Technik mechanics and related provided service for United Airlines, Allegiant, Spirit, Avianca, and JetBlue until recently. 

“Today we are full of hope because finally after overcoming so many obstacles, the day is here that we the Lufthansa Technik employees in Puerto Rico are united in one voice,” said Lufthansa Technik Aircraft Mechanic Carlos Santiago. “With this victory, all the employees working at Lufthansa will gain better working conditions.”

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is among the largest industrial trade unions in North America and represents nearly 600,000 active and retired members in the manufacturing, aerospace, defense, airline, railroad, transportation, shipbuilding, woodworking, health care, and other industries.

goIAM.org | @MachinistsUnion

 

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Critical Incident Response Team Reconvenes at W3 Center to Continue Essential Training

Critical Incident Response Team Reconvenes at W3 Center to Continue Essential Training

May 1, 2022 | Front Page, GOIAM Stories, Page Four, Page Three, Perusals, Row 2, Uncategorized

Critical Incident Response Team Reconvenes at W3 Center to Continue Essential Training

GOIAM.org
30 April 2022

CIRT Classes are back in session as the Winpisinger Training and Education Center gets back into full swing.

The Transportation Department’s Critical Incident Response Training (CIRT) team recently returned to the Winpisinger Center (W3) to participate in its fifth annual class. The 25 participants applied the knowledge and experience they gained from their first four years on the team to this year’s back to the basics curriculum.
 
“The IAM is excited that the CIRT team was able to return to the W3 Center for more vital training,” said Richard Johnsen, IAM Chief of Staff to the International President. “Their continued education ensures our members have a team ready and able to provide the safety and protection they may need in the event of a crisis.”
 
This year’s class was taught by Dr. Jeffrey Mitchell, Clinical Professor and Co-Founder of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. The course focused on basic crisis intervention: strategies and assisting individuals in crisis.
 
The team also prepared by working through mock disaster scenarios to understand better how to handle crises and apply Dr. Mitchell’s techniques.
 
The class members are active Employee Assistance Program (EAP) representatives selected from the Transportation Department. The main goal of the annual courses is to train the students on how to best help individuals cope with the effects of a traumatic event or critical incident.
 
The Transportation Department developed the class in response to the horrific Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016 in Orlando, directly affecting some of its members.
 
Since its inception, the CIRT team has responded to numerous incidents, including the aftermath of a deadly hurricane season, a fatal incident aboard a Southwest Airlines plane forced to make an emergency landing in Philadelphia, and the shootings in a Henry Pratt manufacturing plant in Aurora, IL and a Walmart store in El Paso, TX.
 
 
 

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SOLIDARITY: The Machinists Union Strike Fund

SOLIDARITY: The Machinists Union Strike Fund

Mar 14, 2022 | Front Page, GOIAM Stories, Page Five, Page Four, Page Three, Perusals, Row 2

SOLIDARITY: Machinists Union Strike Fund

GOIAM.org
14 March 2022

The IAM Strike Fund allows for donations of non-dues money from members, families, friends, and other labor supporters. 

Following the launch of the strike fund, the AFL-CIO added this resource to their active strike map and donation page, which you can view here.

30 Local Lodge 447 Machinists members at Cummins, who have been on strike for four weeks fighting for a fair contract, held a rally this week to spotlight the company’s retrogressive contract demands. The rally drew heavy support from the local community and other union affiliates.

View One Day Longer, One Day Stronger video of the rally here.

“We are here because this company has forgotten how it became successful,” said IAM District 15 Assistant Directing Business Representative Mike Vartabedian. “Even though they made billions of dollars in profit last year, they don’t want to provide wage increases to the people who helped build the company. These Machinists keep the generators working at hospitals and nursing homes. In short, they are the people who fix the engines that drive our economy and support our frontline and emergency workers. They are on strike only because the company doesn’t want guaranteed wages increases going forward. They have the full support of the Machinists Union and the labor movement behind them.”

Cummins, which draws about $20 billion in annual revenue, builds heavy machinery and parts for railroads, trucks, generators, and tractors.

“Local 447 members continue to inspire Machinists and the labor movement with their fortitude and resolve in their fight for a fair and just contract at Cummins,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President Brian Bryant. “With each passing day, they become stronger and more united. All Machinists will continue to fight with them until they are treated fairly by the company.”

The IAM has launched the IAM Strike Fund on goIAM.org to benefit members enduring a strike, creating a way for fellow union members to offer vital assistance and show solidarity with workers forced to go on strike. 

Providing additional support to sisters and brothers from across this great union to the mantra of – “one day longer” etches our Fighting Machinists solidarity in stone.  

The IAM Strike Fund allows for donations of non-dues money from members, families, friends, and other labor supporters.  

Following the launch of the strike fund, the AFL-CIO added this resource to their active strike map and donation page, which you can view here.

Sen. Warren voices her support for Local 447 Machinists.

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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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Mar 2, 2022 | Front Page, GOIAM Stories, Page Five, Page Four, Page Three, Page Two, Perusals, Row 2, Safety

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

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

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

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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