IAM Airline Workers Need Action: 23 Days Until Relief Expires

IAM Airline Workers Need Action: 23 Days Until Relief Expires

Sep 9, 2020 | Airlines, American, COVID, Front Page, GOIAM Stories, Hawaiian, MNPL, Perusals, Philippine, Spirit, Uncategorized, United | 0 comments

The airline Paycheck Support Program contained in the CARES Act is set to expire on October 1, 2020. Carriers are making plans on how to deal with its loss, and the outlook doesn’t look good for many IAM members and other airline workers.

American Airlines has announced it will lay off 19,000 workers on October 1. Southwest Airlines is eliminating 35,000 flights from its October schedule, and Air Wisconsin, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, ExpressJet, Hawaiian Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines, and United Ground Express have issued Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARN). 

TAKE ACTION: Tell your Senators and Representative to support a clean extension of the airline Payroll Support Program

The only hope of staving off mass furloughs is Congress taking action to extend CARES Act protections for airline workers. What we need to save jobs is:

  • Increase PSP funding levels by an additional $32 billion (covering six months);
  • Extend requirements relating to involuntary furloughs, share repurchases, dividend payments, and collective bargaining agreements to March 31, 2021;
  • Require Treasury to immediately disburse funds to every air carrier and contractor that executed a Payroll Support Program Agreement, an amount equal to their current payroll support.

“These are not controversial goals,” said IAM Transportation General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “We already have bipartisan support for a clean extension of the program, and President Trump has also signaled his support. What we need is for Congress to actually start doing its job and take action to save the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of airline and aviation families.”

“The airline industry is in dire need of immediate assistance from Congress,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “Their inaction is jeopardizing the futures of all airline workers. The Machinists have been leading this fight from the beginning, and we must continue to keep the pressure on Congress. Do not stop contacting your Representative and Senators until this extension is enacted.”

U.S. Rep. Fred Keller (R-PA) recently led a bipartisan letter to American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, asking the carrier to continue its advocacy for the PSP extension and to keep communities and working families in mind when considering layoffs. Keller also led a separate letter to congressional leadership, highlighting the dire situation of the aviation industry and the need to include an extension of the PSP in future COVID-19 relief legislation.

TAKE ACTION: Tell your Senators and Representative to support a clean extension of the airline Payroll Support Program

 

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Back From Labor Day, We Have Important Work to Do.

Back From Labor Day, We Have Important Work to Do.

Sep 8, 2020 | Front Page, GOIAM Stories, Perusals, Row 2, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Sisters, Brothers and Friends of the IAM,

For all the changes and hardship 2020 has brought upon us, I know one thing will remain the same—working people like us, the men and women who make North America move—will be offered thanks this Labor Day weekend.

And while I am indeed incredibly grateful for all the sacrifices of our membership, especially during times like these, I can’t help but think that words simply aren’t enough anymore. Our families and our communities, who have put lives and livelihoods at risk during this pandemic and economic disaster, and too many of our own Brothers and Sisters who have become sick and passed away from this terrible disease, deserve more than a pat on the back once a year.

We’re not asking for any special treatment. Our demands—justice and dignity on the job—are essentially the same as they were 138 years ago when a Machinist founded what we now know as Labor Day. And in proud Fighting Machinist tradition, we have gone to the mat each and every day of this crisis for our membership.

As you’ll see in the IAM’s COVID-19 Resource Center, from airlines and aerospace to defense and manufacturing, and every industry in between, this union has been leading the charge fighting for the relief our membership needs and deserves. Just like our members on the frontlines, the IAM is out front protecting our democracy, standing up for racial justice and demanding that working people be prioritized over corporate profit.

But when we see the rich and powerful taking advantage of this crisis to further enrich themselves at the expense of working people, the hollow “thank you” they offer us on Labor Day falls on deaf ears. When political leaders seek to divide, rather than unite, working people, their rhetoric is exposed for what it is—empty words.

Today, with just 59 days until Election Day in the United States, we must each take a hard look at the world we will leave our children and grandchildren. Our membership, in the labor movement’s first-ever rank-and-file presidential endorsement vote, made it clear that we need change.

So, I ask you to get involved and take matters into your own hands. Fight like our future depends on it—because it does. Vote, volunteer and get everyone around you to do the same. Our union’s election year online hub, iam2020.org, is a good place to start.

I know this year has been difficult. Our union is no stranger to preserving through the most challenging of times. Mark my words that our fight will continue and that we will never stop demanding action and a fair shot for every working family.

In solidarity,

Robert Martinez Jr.
IAM International President

Additional Resources  ///  Support the Machinists Non-Partisan Political League

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IAMAW 141 Video Report: Mike Bucci, President of East Boston Local 1726

IAMAW 141 Video Report: Mike Bucci, President of East Boston Local 1726

Sep 4, 2020 | Front Page, Perusals, Row 2, Uncategorized, Video | 0 comments

Mike Bucci, President of Local 1726 in East Boston

Local Lodge President with the attitude of a Shop Steward and Organizer.

My name is Michael Bucci, President of Local 1726 located in East Boston, Massachusetts. I began to work for the airlines in December 1991, as a part time ramp serviceman for United untill 1996. From there,  I began full time till 2001, then I began my interest in the union in 2007.

It began when my friend Mike Deindia asked me to become a shop steward, until 2013. Then, I ran against the incumbent of the Local Lodge for many years to become the president until the present day. I have had the honor of representing the local many times at the Transportation, Safety, Grand Lodge and District Conferences.

I have also had the opportunity to be trained at the Winpisinger Center for classes specializing in Leadership, Safety, and politics.

The local I represent was charted in 1952. The building was purchased around 1964, by Frank V. Celona, Edward Burke, and Don Mac by the selling of pots and pans out of trailer trucks parked around the city. At this time there were around 2000 members of mechanics and cargo employees. Eddie Burke became the local president,and Don mac was the recording secretary. Frank  became a general chair in 1966, and became a GLR in 1974, from there he rose to assistant railroad coordinator 1990 then in 1996 he became the chief of staff for VP of transportation.The building became known as the Frank Solana building around the 1970s in honor of Frank’s achievements.

Currently, the local represents approximately 900 members consisting of airline mechanics, customer service agents, and fleet service. We currently have members in each state of New England. As the president of the local I currently sit on the states board of machinists consoul. Our website has all current events, charity drives, and local political endorsements sanctioned by the machinstits state council.

The pandemic has a great effect on the local lodge, due to it we have lost members to covid19, and the industry hasn’t seen changes so dramatic since september 11th 2001, when the industry as a whole has changed completely.

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Pennsylvania Representative Conor Lamb Supports Extension of PSP: “Air Travel is Going to Come Back”

Pennsylvania Representative Conor Lamb Supports Extension of PSP: “Air Travel is Going to Come Back”

Sep 2, 2020 | Airlines, American, Front Page, Hawaiian, MNPL, Perusals, Philippine, Spirit, Uncategorized, United | 0 comments

Pennsylvania Representative Conor Lamb Supports Extension of PSP: “Air Travel is Going to Come Back”

Members of District 141 took part in a Zoom call with Representative Conor Lamb (D-PA) this week, where he shared his views about the possibility of an extension of the Payroll Support Program (PSP) to save airline jobs. He presented a grim view of current negotiations.

“I hope that I’m wrong, but I’m very pessimistic at the moment based on what I’m hearing within our caucus about negotiations,” he said, responding to a question from District 141 Legislative Director Dave Roderick. The negotiations led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) are deadlocked, and Rep. Lamb explained that despite offers to modify parts of the HEROES Act which the House passed in May, “there’s a group of Republican Senators, somewhere around 20 or so, who won’t go for a single thing. They don’t even have terms, they don’t have suggestions or areas for compromise,” he added.

Rep. Lamb expressed confidence, however, in the House of Representatives voting to “give a lifeline” to airline workers, but did not see “glimmers of hope” in the Senate. He said he hoped that as the end of the current PSP approaches, the “pain becomes a little bit more clear to some of these senators who maybe are spending too much time in DC and not realizing it.”

Answering a question from Rich Howell, Vice President of the Pennsylvania State Council of Machinists and a member of Local 1776 in Philadelphia, Rep. Lamb said that six months into the pandemic, there are lessons learned about how different businesses will survive and the importance of sustaining “assets” such as airports. “Air travel is going to come back. We are in a global and interconnected world, people are going to want to get on airplanes again, and that will happen when they believe it is safe.”

He stressed that before large segments of the public return to the skies, it is important to “suppress and ultimately defeat this virus.” In the meantime, the congressman supports new federal financial help for airlines with restrictions identical to those of the PSP, ensuring that public money goes directly into the pockets of workers and it is not a “blank check.”

A former Marine, Representative Conor Lamb was elected in 2018 to represent the 17th Congressional District of Pennsylvania with broad support from labor unions. At the end of the call, the congressman praised the work of Obie O’Brien, President of the Pennsylvania State Council of Machinists, and his commitment to working families, calling him “the soul of what we’re trying to do here.”

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IAMAW 141 Video Report: Bill Gula, President of Newark’s Local 914

IAMAW 141 Video Report: Bill Gula, President of Newark’s Local 914

Aug 28, 2020 | Airlines, American, Community Service Page, Featured News, Front Page, MNPL, Organizing, Perusals, Row 2, Uncategorized, United, Video | 0 comments

Bill Gula, Local President and Activist 

Brother Bill Gula began his career in 1996, as a Ramp Services Agent at Continental Airlines.

Bill split his time between working on the ramp and later took on additional responsibilities as a Load Planner. He worked as a Hub Operations Coordinator for several years, in the tower at Newark Liberty Airport.

In 2010, Bill began organizing for the IAMAW after the merger of Continental and United Airlines. Working with Grand Lodge Reps Tom Regan, Bill Rody, and Edison Fraser, he began organizing the Newark workforces under the IAMAW banner. After the successful campaign for representation in 2011, Brother Bill initiated into the Machinists Union and began service as a ramp Shop Steward.

In 2013 Bill was elected Vice President of the United Lodge Local 914, filling a vacant position.That same year, he began his affiliation with the NJ State Council of Machinists. In 2014, Brother Gula was re-elected as Vice President of the local during the normal election cycle.

Bill rose to the position of Local 914 President in 2016 when former President Richard Creighton was promoted to Assistant General Chair at District Lodge 141. That same year, Bill was elected Vice President of Airlines for the NJ State Council of Machinists. He continued his work on behalf of union members and in 2017 was elected president of his Local for a full term, a position he proudly holds to this day. Bill continues to be active in Community Service endeavors as well as legislative efforts in his IAM local and in the NJSCM.

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Celebrating Women’s Right To Vote

Celebrating Women’s Right To Vote

Aug 28, 2020 | Community Service Page, Front Page, GOIAM Stories, Organizing, Row 2, Uncategorized, Video | 0 comments

Celebrating 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage

100 Years ago, women first won the right to vote. While we’ve come a long way in our ongoing work to create a more perfect union, our work is far from finished. Good news is, we’re nowhere near finished, either. 

When the Machinists Union was founded in 1888 and for years after, there were no women in that Atlanta railroad pit, brainstorming about how to get better wages and working conditions. but that doesn’t mean they didn’t want­­ those things. “They wanted the freedom to decide how to live their lives, whether that was homemakers or workers or advocates or all three,” said Carla Siegel, IAM Deputy General Counsel. “They wanted the freedom to be able to have a voice in the policies that affected their families, that affected their schools, that affected their communities and their coworkers.”

In the 19th and 20th centuries, women were often treated as second class citizens, regardless of their skills. yet, they fought for the right to vote, just like men did in local, state and national elections. “They engaged in nonviolent protest, which was nonetheless illegal and they paid the price for that,” said Mary McHugh of the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center. “They went to jail, they faced physical dangers, in order to put public pressure on elected officials to move women’s suffrage forward as a constitutional issue.”

Deputy General Counsel Carla Siegel says technically, the constitution didn’t actually prohibit women from voting. “It doesn’t refer to gender at all and some states allowed it, but because there were strong forces that were prohibiting women to vote in certain states, there was the push for the 19thAmendment to make it clear that of course, women had the right to vote.”

One hundred years later, women of all races, ethnicities and identities are exercising the rights to vote, despite the fact that many were initially excluded from white women’s suffrage efforts in the early 1900s. “African American women, Native American women had to continue to fight to really be able to realize a right to vote what the constitution said and what the reality was, were not the same things,” McHugh said.

In 2020, women of color are finally getting the recognition they deserve… women like Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, 16, who led ten thousand people in the New York suffrage parade in 1912, or Ida B. Wells, who created the Alpha suffrage club in 1913. “It’s a huge accomplishment,” said Vivianne Simon of IAM Local 1295 in Toronto, Canada. “We need to get more people involved just to show the solidarity for women and to be there for those who basically died for us, to acknowledge them and to show them respect by all coming together to bring it higher. Raise the bar.”

Although Simon lives in Canada, which gave women the right to vote two years before the United States, she and other IAM members understand the significance of the anniversary and the parallel it has to voting in union elections. “Well, I love that we’re celebrating a hundred years and I’ll say a hundred years of success because that’s what women’s suffrage was all about, gaining these types of rights,” said Kimberly Fedd of IAM Local 774 in Wichita, Kan. “This year in particular is a big year for our local and our district. Elections are coming up… that right was fought for and it’s a big deal.”

Women have made great strides in the workforce, even though all of us still don’t have equal pay for equal work in the United States and Canada. But, we have a better chance if we’re in a union like the IAM. Nevertheless, having a right and using it are two different things. “If you’re visible, if you’re active, if you’re vocal through your vote, through attending meetings, through getting involved in the subcommittees that may exist in your local or in your district, that’s how we move forward our agenda as women and as women inside the labor movement,­” said Ines Garcia-Keim, President of the New Jersey State Council of Machinists.

It’s a movement that still needs to be held accountable when it comes to equal rights, gender equity and inclusion, on the shop floor and in the union hall. “Unions aren’t perfect. We have still have a lot of work to do,” said Dora Cervantes, IAM General Secretary-Treasurer. “But, the wage gap is smaller and almost non-existent in union shops. Having women move up the ranks ensures that equity remains a priority.”

 

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