The
Machinists Union is happy to
announce the launch of our new Delta
election website,
IAM4Delta.org.
On this site you will be able to
find the latest election
information, view our YouTube
videos, follow the campaign via
Twitter, join our Facebook group,
subscribe to RSS feeds and even sign
up to receive SMS text messages
about breaking news.
Pre-merger Delta employees can also
complete an on-line form to request
an election. Pre-merger Northwest
employees do not have to fill out an
election request form.
You can learn more about the
Machinists Union, the election
process, hear from your coworkers,
and post your own comments.
Please accept our invitation to
visit the site often, as updates
will appear frequently.
July 22, 2010
Delta
Action Could Delay Elections
Delta
Air Lines today joined the Air
Transport Association (ATA) in
appealing a federal judge’s ruling
denying their bid to overturn a fair
election process in union
representation elections.
“Delta is trying to distract its
employees and the Machinists
Union with baseless legal
challenges,” said IAM General
Vice President Robert Roach, Jr.
“This further demonstrates what
the judge in the initial case
acknowledged – that Delta is
delaying the election process.
Delta workers are ready to vote.
I call on Delta Air Lines to let
them do so.”
The IAM remains prepared to go
forward with elections for the
Fleet Service and Passenger
Service classifications. Monitor
www.IAM4Delta.org
for the latest developments.
July 21, 2010
IAM Cites
China Link in Gulf Equipment Failure
The
IAM
faulted
British
Petroleum
(BP)
this
week
for
ordering
the
use
of
low-cost
repair
facilities
in
China
to
modify
critical
safety
equipment
on
the
Deepwater
Horizon
rig
in
the
Gulf
of
Mexico.
According
to
The
Observer,
BP
ordered
the
use
of a
Chinese
repair
facility
to
overhaul
the
rig’s
blow-out
preventer,
a
device
that
subsequently
failed
and
led
to
the
worst
environmental
disaster
in
U.S.
history.
“High-quality
machining
within
extremely
high
tolerances
is
what
American
Machinists
take
pride
in
doing
on a
daily
basis,”
said
IAM
President
Tom
Buffenbarger.
“News
that
British
Petroleum
sent
the
most
critical
piece
of
its
blow-out
preventer
to
China
for
overhaul
comes
as
no
surprise.
Companies
like
BP
consistently
–
and
erroneously
–
equate
cheaper
with
better.
“American
Machinists
have
the
skills
to
take
us
to
the
bottom
of
the
ocean
and
the
furthest
reaches
of
space.
But
if
company
executives
cannot
tell
the
difference
between
materials
and
workmanship
that
can
withstand
the
enormous
pressures
of
the
deep
ocean
and
those
that
cannot,
then
they
cannot
be
trusted
to
protect
the
environment
nor
even
their
own
firm’s
survivability,”
said
Buffenbarger.
“Their
negligence
is
unbelievable.”
July 1, 2010
Machinists File for Union Elections
at Delta Air Lines
The International Association of
Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)
today is filing applications with
the National Mediation Board (NMB)
for rulings that will lead to union
representation elections for more
than 30,000 employees at Delta Air
Lines.
“The
election process will give Delta
workers an opportunity to determine
their future,” said IAM General Vice
President Robert Roach, Jr. “Delta
employees deserve to be represented
by an organization whose sole
purpose is to protect workers.”
The IAM is
requesting separate “single carrier”
rulings from the NMB with respect to
the carrier’s fleet service and
passenger service classifications.
These rulings would establish that
Delta and Northwest Airlines are
operating as one carrier for
representational purposes in each of
these classifications, clearing the
way for elections to be scheduled
for each of these combined work
groups. The Machinists Union is
still investigating the single
carrier status of stock clerks and
office & clerical employees.
Following
the NMB’s single carrier ruling, the
IAM will have 14 days to provide
evidence that sufficient interest
exists in that employee
classification to warrant an
election. Proof of interest is
demonstrated by a combination of the
IAM’s current pre-merger Northwest
membership plus signed election
request cards from pre-merger Delta
employees totaling at least 35
percent of eligible employees in
each classification.
“The IAM
campaign at Delta is about giving
workers a voice, securing pension
benefits and making sure Delta’s
merger with Northwest does not strip
workers of their right to an
independent voice at work,” said IAM
District 143 President Stephen
Gordon.
Pre-merger
Delta employees’ must sign election
request cards to secure an election.
If the NMB verifies sufficient
interest exists, it will schedule
and conduct separate elections for
each classification. No set timeline
exists for the NMB to hold
elections.
The Machinists
union is the largest airline union
in North America, representing more
than 110,000 airline workers,
including 12,500 pre-merger
Northwest Airlines fleet service,
passenger service, office &
clerical, stock clerks, simulator
technician and plant protection
employees. More information about
the IAM’s campaign at Delta Air
Lines is available at
www.IAM4Delta.org.
PDF version of
this NewsWire
The Union Edge, Labor's Talk Radio!
The
Union Edge Talk Radio Show is back
on the air, today!
We are
broadcasting from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Monday through Friday, live on
WPYT 660 AM
Pittsburgh and
WFYL
1180 AM
Philadelphia. These broadcast areas
covers over 350 union locals,
350,000 union families and over 6
million potential listeners!
Additionally, we are streaming over
the internet at
www.WFRNLive.com,
and providing updates throughout the
broadcast on Twitter and Facebook.
If you don't want to call the show
but you want to ask a question or
send information, Facebook us at
“The
Union Edge Talk Radio Show”.
May 26, 2010
Machinists Cite Pensions in Call
for Bankruptcy Reform
Bankruptcy law should be amended to
ensure employers engage in
good-faith bargaining when seeking
contract modifications,” said Roach.
“Companies should no longer be able
to use the bankruptcy code to
eliminate decades of collective
bargaining gains when there is no
justifiable
reason - other than corporate
greed.”
GVP
Roach’s complete testimony is
available at
www.goiam.org/transportation.
In testimony
before the House Judiciary
Subcommittee on Commercial and
Administrative Law, the
International Association of
Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)
called for passage of H.R. 4677;
Protecting Employees and Retirees in
Business Bankruptcies Act of 2010,
to close loopholes in current
bankruptcy law that incentivize some
corporations to seek Chapter 11
bankruptcy protection.
“While Chapter 11 bankruptcy can
provide struggling companies an
opportunity to regroup and avoid
liquidation, it is increasingly
abused as a means to get a leg-up on
the competition,” said IAM
Transportation General Vice
President Robert Roach, Jr.
“Company’s are also using bankruptcy
as a means to take what they can
from employees outside of the normal
collective bargaining process, not
just what is needed for a
corporation to survive.”
Roach cited
airlines use of bankruptcy
protection to cease funding of
defined benefit pension plans for
tens of thousands of employees,
which ultimately led to termination
of those plans by the Pension
Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).
“Companies have also abused current
bankruptcy laws to eliminate health
insurance for fixed-income retirees,
forcing the government to provide
benefits that employers promised,”
said Roach. “Employees’ pensions
were gutted, but the IAM has been
able to provide our members with
retirement security through the
multi-employer IAM National Pension
Plan, whose pensions are portable
and do not rely on the health of a
single company or industry.”
May 22, 2010
Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer
are Here!
It is that time again, time for the
Local 1833 Summer Picnic!
Don't miss this annual event for the
family.
See the
flyer for details.
See you there!
February 27, 2010
A Day of Fun at the Polar Bear
Plunge for Special Olympics
The Local 1833 Red Tail Flyers Team
jumps into Crystal Lake
The Red Tail
Flyers jumped into the icy water of
Crystal Lake in Burnsville MN on
Saturday, February 27th as one of
the largest teams for the 2010 Polar
Bear Plunge. This year the team
tripled in size and also doubled
the money they raised for
Special Olympics Minnesota. The
organization offers children and
adults with intellectual
disabilities year-round sports
training and competition. Through
Special Olympics’ athletic, health
and leadership programs, people with
intellectual disabilities transform
themselves, their communities and
the world.
Local 1833 Red Tail Flyers raised
$9046.00!
Click here for more pictures and the
Local 1833 members who participated
in this year's event.
January 15, 2010
UCUBED
The
IAM
will
launch
Ur
Union
of
Unemployed
– or
UCubed
for
short
– an
online
community
that
aims
to
unify
the
unemployed
in a
unique
and
useful
way.
Over
31
million Americans
have
lost
work
and
wages
in
this Grave
Recession. More
than
35,000
members
of
our
own
union
and
many
of
our friends,
relatives
and
neighbors
are
facing the
toughest months in
more
than
a
generation.
Their
job
prospects
will
depend,
in
large
measure,
on
what
happens
in
Washington.
Ur
Union
of
Unemployed
will
organize
the
unemployed
into
community
activist
groups
known
as
cubes.
Together,
they
will
turn
up
the
heat
on
politicians
from
the
State
House
to
the
White
House
to
act
swiftly
to
address
the
current
jobs
crisis,
along
with
important
issues
like
unemployment
benefit
extensions,
food
stamps,
COBRA
benefits
and
JOBS
NOW!,
the
IAM
effort
to
create
new
national
industrial
policy.
Each
cube
will
be
organized
by
zip
code.
Six
activists
combine
to
make
a
cube.
Nine
cubes
create
a
neighborhood.
Three
neighborhoods
create
a
power
block.
Multiply
that
again
and
again,
and
you’ve
got
a
powerful
community
that
can
effect
real
change
–
one
that
politicians
can’t
ignore.
“Ur
Union
of
Unemployed
will
add
a
real
sense
of
urgency
to
efforts
to
get
all
Americans
back
to
work,”
says
IAM
International
President
Tom
Buffenbarger.
“Everywhere
we
turn
we
see
the
personal
devastation
this
recession
has
caused.
But
we
know
there’s
strength
in
numbers.
And
31
million
unemployed
Americans
is a
pretty
big
number.
Help
us.
Help
yourself.
Help
your
country.
Together,
we
can
work
to
end
this
Grave
Recession.”
On
January
15,
2010,
visit
UCubed
at
www.unionofunemployed.com
and
watch
as
the
nation’s
unemployed
take
back
control.
To
learn
more
about
UCubed
on
GoIAM.org
click
here.
