Gulf Coast IAM District Lodge 73

$5 For the Fight

2011-04-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As you know, on March 16, 2011 International President R. Thomas Buffenbarger sent an urgent call to all members of the IAM. He explained the attacks which are currently taking place on workers in many states and the importance of fighting back. He clearly warned us, “…the concept and practice of collective bargaining is under serious attack by the same political and corporate interests who would see America return to the times when our nation’s workforce was subjugated and tyrannized.” He closed his letter by making this call to all IAM members, “I am personally appealing to every IAM member to stand with your union to defend and secure the very rights our union’s founders and our forbears fought so valiantly for and passed on to us. It is now this generation of IAM members’ turn to preserve our Union’s proud heritage and stake our claim as “The Fighting Machinists.”

In recent days there has been an overwhelming response from IAM members who want to know what they can do to answer the call. GVP Martinez has called DBR’s to a Staff Meeting in Mississippi to put into action a plan to implement the “$5.00 for the Fight” campaign at every Local Lodge in the Southern Territory. A plan will be finalized at the meeting and each DBR will return from the meeting with clear instructions for this important fight. Accordingly, I am providing a brief outline of the steps we believe we must take to best serve our members in fighting the good fight.

1) IAM Southern Territory Regional Office will distribute ”$5.00 for the Fight” envelopes and literature for each District Lodge and its affiliated Local Lodges.

2) Each DL will distribute envelopes and literature to every Business Representative and Local Lodge President for distribution to all Shop Stewards.

3) Shop Stewards will receive instructions from the DBR or Servicing Business Representative for how to conduct a face to face campaign.

4) A face to face campaign begins with each Shop Steward asking members to contribute to the fight.

5) All members should have a copy of the letter from International President Buffenbarger or Shop Stewards will provide one to them.

6) All contributions will be placed in the prepared envelope and returned to the Shop Steward. Cash contributions are preferred. If a check is written it should be made payable to “MNPL Education Fund.” The Shop Steward will return all envelopes to the DBR of each District.

7) DBR of each District will collect all contributions and forward them to the Southern Territory Regional Office.

8) Southern Territory Regional Office will send all proceeds to IAM Headquarters in Upper Marlboro, MD for deposit in the MNPL Education Fund.

I hope this will help you understand how the $5.00 for the Fight campaign will proceed, subject to any changes made during the Staff Meeting.

With best wishes, I remain

Fraternally yours,

Information we should all know

2011-02-25T08:08:00.000-08:00

Talking Union

Whether as a IAM Officer or a steward you are talking to a new member about why he/she should join the union or talking about how non-union wages and benefits drag down union wages and benefits, you need facts to back up your story. Here are some facts from reports issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and another report from the Economic Policy Institute entitled "How Unions Help All Workers."

■Unionized workers receive more generous health benefits than non-unionized workers. They also pay 18% lower health care deductibles, and a smaller share of the costs for family coverage.
■Unionized workers receive better pension plans. Not only are they more likely to have a guaranteed benefit in retirement, their employers contribute 28% more toward pensions.
■Unionized workers receive 26% more vacation time and 14% more total paid leave (vacations and holidays).
■Strong unions set a pay standard that non-union employers follow. For example, a high school graduate whose workplace is not unionized, but whose industry is 25% unionized is paid 5% more than similar workers in less unionized industries.
■Unions play a pivotal role both in securing legislated labor protections and rights such as safety and health, overtime and family-medical leave and in enforcing those rights on the job.
■Because union members are more informed, they are more likely to benefit from social insurance programs such as unemployment insurance and workers compensation. The plain fact is that unions make a substantial difference.

Open for Service

2011-02-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

We are here to help our members and others in there right to Organize.
If you wish to be contacted about Organizing your work place, please let us know.
We will be posting information soon on who you can reach in your area.

IAMAW

2009-11-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

2009-11-17T15:49:00.000-08:00

CSC Negotiations

2009-11-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

News Letter Kessler Negotiations

2009-11-05T12:08:00.000-08:00

Service to the Membership

2009-09-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

This is an FYI to the Membership of District 73 and Local Lodges

If for any reason you need to contact Joe Harrington DBR or Benji Sullivan BR, Please call the District office @ 228-762-4981 fax 228-762-8642
If we are out of the office try our e-mail me @ JHARRI1969@AOL.COM or wbsullivan74@yahoo.com
All chief Stewards have our cell phone numbers and contract information.

We will return all massages ASAP.
Your call is important to us.

Stewards--- Avoiding the Pitfall

2009-08-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

On the Job: Avoiding the Pitfall

Issues

IAMAW stewards have a tough job. But, by keeping in mind some of the pitfalls stewards face while representing members in any IAMAW workplace, the job becomes a little easier to do.

Stewards are the heart and soul of IAMAW style rank-and-file unionism. Stewards represent the "IAM in action" as the first line of defense against employer abuses-acting as organizer, counselor, peacemaker, and troublemaker. And that's a tough job.

There are a lot of potential pitfalls facing IAM Stewards, too. These are not always possible to avoid, but listing some of the most important ones should help us to be on guard as we represent IAM members on the job.

Failure to Organize — Stewards are critical to organizing the members. We need to be thinking about how each grievance can be used to increase participation, build the union, and create new leaders (even future stewards).

Promising Remedies too Quickly — Do not pass judgment on a grievance until a thorough investigation has been completed. Wait to make a decision until after you've talked with the grievant and witnesses, consulted the contract, and examined your company's rules and past practices.

Failure to Represent Fairly — Not giving an aggrieved member fair treatment makes the union vulnerable to a lawsuit for breach of its fair representation duty. Besides, this undermines the whole purpose of the union and the very idea of solidarity.

Making Backroom Deals — Never secretly trade grievances with management. Every member is always entitled to a fair hearing.

Meeting Alone with Management — Being alone with management discussing a grievance arouses suspicion among members, allows bosses to change their stories, and denies the grievant an opportunity to participate in a vital union activity (to say nothing of undermining the spirit of rank-and-file unionism).

Failure to Adhere to Timelines — Adhere to the grievance schedule stated in the contract. If an extension is needed, get the employer's permission in writing.
Failure to Get Settlements in Writing — Putting grievance settlements in writing helps to clarify the issues and keep the agreement alive. It also serves as a record for dealing with similar problems in the future — and as a way of reviewing issues for contract bargaining.

Failure to Publicize Victories — Publicizing every victory helps to build a local union and boosts all members' morale.

Failure to Speak with New Employees — The union's best chance for finding and keeping new members is one-on-one contact with a steward. Besides giving new workers information, this helps build personal relationships and includes new workers in the union from the outset.

Remembering these tips should help make the job easier and help to avoid some of the pitfalls that can be problems for any steward.

2009-08-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

Per our conversation today I need to cancel the training class we have scheduled for Saturday 8-29-09. I have been reassigned by Brother Bob. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you. I will try to reschedule this as soon as possible. Thanks for your understanding.

James Parker
Southern Territory
Educational Representative

We will try again ASAP

Steward Training

2009-07-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

There will be Steward Training at the District Office 2129 Canty St. Pascagoula, on August 29, 2009 at 9:30am.
Please let us know if you plan on attending this class ASAP. This class is open to all members.

2009-07-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

We must Organize Organize Organize to survive in todays hard time with lay offs and cut backs in budgets buy employers.
You who are already members need to help others understand the benifits of having a Union in there work place. Please let us know of any leads you might have.

Thank you for your help and support.
Joe Harrington DBR

THE UNION IS WHO?
Most people feel that the "Union" is the Executive Board, the people who "Run" the union. This could not be further from the truth. "The Union" is YOU! YOU are the one who elects YOUR officials to represent YOU. YOU are the one who has the privilege to go to YOUR meetings and speak what's on YOUR mind, to let YOUR board know of any grievance YOU may have. A strong Union is only as strong as its members. Show YOUR employer YOU mean business, show them YOU stand behind YOUR union, and attend meetings, report infractions by the employer to YOUR shop steward or local when they occur. YOU will never agree with 100% of what YOUR local does or doesn't do. But it is important that YOU get past that and carry on and continue fighting for YOUR rights. YOU are the eyes and ears of the Union. Without YOU...There would be no "_nion"!

Remember, Union starts with...U...N...I

Welcome to our Blog!

2009-07-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new blog, for District Lodge 73! Follow us for the latest news.