IAM Transportation Conference Report
by Joe Pascarella
I would like to start by thanking the Executive Board and the membership for allowing me to represent our local at this conference. On July 23, 2007 at 2 P.M the presidents of the local’s that came to the conference meet to discuss the last “Day of Action”, how to hold proper elections for local and D.L. officers, the new LM-30 forms that will need to be filled out in the future and how the form has increased from 4 pages to 9 pages and that the booklet on the process has increased to 100 pages. Mr. Roach spoke on the need to organize and how all members must be involved and that we must elect candidates that represent the working men and women of America. Also that once that they are elected we must hold them responsible to our needs and the needs all Americans.
The following information will show you what business was discussed at the transportation conference and how the IAM works for the membership. We also have received DVD’s about the PBGC, the “Day of Action” for 2007 and collective bargaining agreements from the IAM Strategic Resource Center (this has no contracts for NWA at this time).
We also have some pictures from the conference taken by G.C. and member of our local Mr. Scott Peterson.
The top two topics at the Conference was the need to organize and to elect the Candidates that will care about the working class of America. The IAM has invited all the candidates that are running in 2008 for President to Orlando in August to tell the IAM why we should support them. The IAM plans to endorse both a Republican and a Democratic for the primaries. The AFL-CIO will be holding a candidates debate in Chicago with 16,000 union members present and this will be aired on Aug. 7, 2007 at 7 P.M. on CNBC please watch or tape so you can make an informed choice of who to support in the 2008 elections. Before and during the convention we raised money for both MNPL and the Guide Dogs of America. All members of the IAM can donate to both of these worthy finds by payroll check-off.
At the convention we received information on the IAM National Pension Fund and had people from the IAM National Pension Fund there to answer our questions. For the members of D.L. 143 (NWA members) a mail out will be coming followed by representatives making station visits.
I hope you will find this information helpful.
Joseph
Pascarella
Pres. 2319
Please keep informed and get involved thank you.
For Pictures from the Day of Action
Delegate Report
From the District 143 Convention
April 25-29, Orlando, FL
I would like to thank the Local for the privilege of being a Delegate to the District 143 Convention held in Orlando, Florida April 25-29. Coverage of this event is shared three ways with Sisters Pat Bligh, Andrea Backus, and me. My topic of choice was the speech presented by IAM International President, Thomas Buffenbarger. He started with bringing up several issues of major change that the air transport industry has dealt with or are currently dealing with:
Deregulation
Airlines/Mergers/Leverage Buy-outs/Bankruptcies
Proposed Changes:
To social security
To pensions
“People demand hi-tech methods of communication, but they still don’t get the message!” said President Buffenbarger. He went on to state how effective communication can be. At District 751 in Seattle, WA – Boeing, their steward system gets the word out in 15 minutes to 30,000 workers. We need our steward system to be a more effective source of information.
Buffenbarger also brought up that companies are laying off, farming out work faster than we can organize and the government is coming after all unions. Their latest tactic is the requirement to file a LM-30 form when any “key official” of a union is receiving anything of value of $25 per year from the company. Buried in paperwork, this includes such items as flowers, bibles, retirement pins and watches!
“If the proposed changes to Social Security are adopted, be prepared to have Mom and Dad move in!” Buffenbarger said and mentioned that we can go to the Social Security Website, you can put in your information to get your monthly payment on the current set up, and then you can press a second button that tells you what your payment would be on the new program. Try it, you won’t like it!
Another scary trend is the companies who want to change their pension to a defined benefit pension. The federal government wants us to trust Wall Street and invest in the stock market….How’s you’re 401k doin’? And they want to put our pension there too?!
President Buffenbarger closed his speech with some sobering information. Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea hold 40% of our National Debt; we owe our housing boom to China…Because they want us to buy their materials to build our homes. If China calls in its markers, there would be an instant depression. The U.S. no longer has the ability to manufacture all the goods that we need. Thanks to NAFTA and GATT work was sent to China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Last year the U.S. imported more food than we had exported….That is a bad sign. We have become a debtor and dependant nation.
Now more than ever, union brothers and sisters must stand firm and fight to protect our contracts, our pensions and social security, because if we don’t stand for something (as the rock song goes) we will fall for anything!!!
Respectfully submitted,
Sherree” Sherlock” Andrews
District 141 Chairperson Conference – Baltimore
May 31, 2005
Local 2319 Report
I had the opportunity to attend the Annual Chairperson’s Conference April 24, 25, 26 in Baltimore. It was great to see several of my fellow Chairpersons and discuss issues of common interest throughout the system. At the welcome reception we spoke with some of the people who are negotiating the United Airlines IAM contract. I personally thanked Randy Canale for his determination and commitment to ensure a fair and equitable contract. As of today, IAM141 has an ‘agreement in principle’, and it appears Randy and his team of skilled negotiators has succeeded in securing a defined pension plan for the United Airline membership.
The first speaker was President of BWI Local 846, Brian Montequin, who welcomed us to Baltimore. He introduced Ernest Grecco, President of the BWI AFL-CIO. Ernest stressed how important it is for us to remain actively involved in politics and to elect representatives who support labor issues. He also talked about declining membership and how much more difficult it is to organize.
Vic Payne, IAM Secretary-Treasurer, then spoke on Randy Canale’s behalf as Randy was called back into negotiations. Vic identified the expenses incurred by the IAM. He said we will all be transitioning to a new CAS (Central Accounting System) eventually. The larger Lodges will changeover to CAS first, with the smaller Lodges converting in later phases.
Robert Roach, Transportation General Vice President for the IAM, spoke next. I very much enjoyed listening to Robert as he is a very motivating speaker. Robert discussed how these are difficult times as the Railroad negotiations are stalled, four airlines are presently in bankruptcy, and CEO’s are giving themselves bonuses while our pensions are vanishing. Mr. Roach correctly referred to this as a “travesty of justice”, and I couldn’t agree more! Robert assured us that “the IAM will fight for a defined pension plan for United Airlines workers or we will shut the place down!”
Sharon Levine, an attorney for the IAM who is fighting the United Airlines battle, explained how United has deceived its retirees by dumping their pension plan on the PGBC and significantly reduced their medical program benefits. Sharon also confirmed how the IAM has attempted to negotiate in good faith with the company. United met in secret with the PBGC and negotiated payment for the termination of our pensions. Sharon also explained that an injunction was filed in the court to rule on the IAM’s right to strike.
Tony Chapman, Director of Employment Services updated us on how we can assist fellow employees if we go out on strike. Al Ambromitis, EAP Chairperson for United Airlines, update us on the Employee Assistance Program. Some of the programs in place involve Substance Abuse, Health, Marital, Family, Emotional, Stress, Finance and related personal issues. A new EAP program is ‘SOLVE’, which deals with Stress, tObacco, aLchol &drugs, hiV, and violencE. The acronym may be somewhat of a stretch, but Al stressed that this important program is confidential and they are eager to help members and their families.
United and US Airways then broke out into two groups, and each airline group discussed specific problems occurring in their respective companies. On Thursday, Karen Haychak described the IAM Pension plan which our IAM negotiators are attempting to secure for us at United. It sounds like an excellent alternative plan.
While the conference was informative, it was somewhat disconcerting to hear about so much injustice occurring in our industry. We can hope for the best, but we need to continue to enforce our contracts and hold our company executives responsible for mismanagement and unscrupulous actions. I am grateful for the support of this union through these tough times and I am proud to be a member of the IAM.
Brothers Jim Condon and Vinny Capitani also represented our Local Lodge 2319. On behalf of Jimmy, Vinny and I, we would like to express our appreciation to the Local for allowing us to attend this very important and enlightening conference.
Marci Gray
IAM Chairperson
United Airlines, Fort Myers