Mar 18, 2020 | Airlines, American, Community Service Page, COVID, Featured, Front Page, Hawaiian, Home, Home, MNPL, Organizing, Philippine, Safety, Safety, Spirit, Uncategorized, United |
IAMAW District 141 /////
Sisters and Brothers,
In recent weeks, many of you have contacted your local union representatives, Assistant General Chairpersons or me directly to express your fears of possible pay cuts, furloughs or the likelihood of your carrier going bankrupt or completely out of business. You have good reasons to be concerned.
The airline industry is facing an existential threat from a global pandemic. The spread of the Coronavirus across continents has resulted in a decrease in demand for air travel by two-thirds worldwide, with at least one airline going out of business. For over two months, airline workers have worked on the front lines of the crisis, and you have adapted to reductions in flight schedules, last-minute policy changes, and have worried about how to best protect your personal health and safety. The worst part is the unease that comes from not seeing a clear end to this crisis.
As airlines announce more cuts in service, IAM General Vice President Sito Pantoja said today that “US carriers are contemplating further capacity cuts or shutting down operations altogether, which only a month ago was unimaginable.”
The President of the United States and members of Congress are discussing how they can best help the airline industry, which is the backbone of our nation’s economy. There are several ideas being considered, and we support any action that helps workers quickly and directly. As workers, we need to unite and say with a clear and strong voice that the need is great and immediate.
I urge you to call your representatives today at 202-224-3121 and ask them to take any action necessary to save our airline jobs.
Click here to send a message to your Federal Representatives:
Please act today to protect your job and those of thousands of airline workers and millions more who depend on our industry for their livelihoods. Many of you are applying for voluntary leaves and reductions in schedules, which shows how committed we are to get through this crisis together. I ask that we work with our elected officials to make sure no one gets left behind.
Thank you for your activism and solidarity.
Fraternally,
Mike Klemm
President and Directing General Chair,
District 141
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
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Mar 17, 2020 | Airlines, Community Service Page, COVID, Featured, Front Page, Home, Home, Safety |
IAMAW Transportation Territory ///
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
In response to the unprecedented destruction of demand for air travel due to COVID-19, US airlines are considering draconian measures to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic. US airlines have slashed capacity by up to 65 percent worldwide due to a drastic decrease in demand for air travel caused by COVID-19 and are mulling a complete shutdown.
US airlines have seen sharp declines in revenue caused by decreased demand. Carriers are bleeding and US airlines could be out of cash by the end of May.
“US carriers are contemplating further capacity cuts or shutting down operations altogether, which only a month ago was unimaginable,” said IAM General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “I call on Congress to act now and help the US airline industry and its employees survive this crisis. We need every airline worker to contact their elected officials today and demand the same.”
Currently, US Lawmakers are considering whether or not to provide emergency financial help for airlines, worth billions of dollars. This help is urgently needed. As union members, we need to act fast to protect our industry and make sure that lawmakers take immediate action.
Here’s how you can help now:
1) Call your members of Congress at 202-224-3121 and tell them to take any action necessary to save our airline jobs.
“This is the worst crisis ever seen in the airline industry, by far,” continued Pantoja. “We need immediate action. Hundreds of thousands of good middle-class jobs are at risk, as are our nation’s airlines through no fault of their making. Every airline industry job is in imminent jeopardy. Do not wait. Contact your representatives immediately to save our industry and our jobs.”
All IAM members must act today and call their elected representatives and demand action be taken to save hundreds of thousands of US airline jobs.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (District 141) Legislative Department works to keep lawmakers and public decision-makers informed about the things that are important to aerospace and airline workers. You can become a supporting member of the IAM141 MNPL by signing up for recurring donations of any amount today. Every dollar helps.
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
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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
