IAM and NASSCO Open Negotiations in San Diego
IAM District 947 Negotiating Committee (left and
left to right: Roberto Becerra, Nick Ferioli, Joe Zimolzak, Richard
Sanchez, Scott Gilding, Gilbert Huffman, Robert Martinez and, not
pictured, Steve Cooper) sits across bargaining table from NASSCO
Reps. (right to left: Tom Fawcett, Ted Scott, Anna Cooper, Don Dame)
for the opening round of negotiations.
District 947 in Long Beach, CA and General Dynamics NASSCO opened
bargaining on January 8 for a new contract that will cover both
machinists and newly-organized electricians. The serious and
productive tone of negotiations showed that both sides were ready to
get the process underway. Determined to strengthen contract language
and improve working conditions, the IAM Negotiating Committee is
focused on issues such as union representation, overtime and
improved grievance handling.
“I have every confidence that this committee can get the job done
for our members at NASSCO,” said District 947 President and
Directing Business Representative Richard Sanchez. “We've got
regular meetings scheduled and hope to have a good offer to present
to our members by April or sooner. I would encourage our members to
keep in touch with their Shop Stewards and Committee members, as
well as the District office, during these negotiations.”
IAM members at NASSCO, the only major ship construction yard on the
West Coast, specialize in building auxiliary and support ships for
the U.S. Navy and oil tankers and dry-cargo carriers for commercial
markets. General Dynamics acquired NASSCO (formerly National Steel
and Shipbuilding Company) ten years ago. The IAM also represents
workers at the two other General Dynamic shipyards; Electric Boat
Co., in Groton, CT and Bath Iron Works in Bath, ME.
GVP Philip J. Gruber Joins Picket at Valley Ford
Midwest territory GVP Phil Gruber recently joined striking
members of Local 777 working for Valley Ford in Hazelwood, MO,
protesting Valley Ford’s request for outrageous concessions from the
18 technicians, service writers and bodymen at the dealership.
The strike began on November 1, 2007 when Valley Ford said they
wanted to gut paychecks, implement a two-tiered wage scale, replace
the current pension plan with a no value 401(k) plan, eliminate the
employees' family health plan, employee portions for insurance would
go as high as $540 per month and other ridiculous takeaways.
Jerry Vaughn, who has worked 40 years at Valley Ford, was told by
management to pack up his tools and clear everything out. There
would be no more contract negotiations with the union.
IAM District 9 Assistant Directing Business Representative Tony
Rippeto praised the members saying, "We are extremely proud of our
members for standing up for themselves and all the other technicians
in the St. Louis metro area. The fight continues with the support of
hundreds of union members from all over St. Louis who have been
picketing and holding rallies in order to help our members.”
Machinists ‘America’s Edge’ Campaign Grows
Support is growing for the IAM’s ‘America’s
Edge: Our Skills, Our Kids’ campaign to draw public attention to
skills training, apprenticeship programs and greater funding for
technical and vocational education. The Machinists campaign kicked
off with a pair of TV ads in key states, membership mailings and a
feature article in the
IAM Journal.
IAM members can show their support by adding their names to the
Blackboard
on the America’s Edge website. There is also a special section on
the America’s Edge website where members can post video clips of
themselves and their coworkers on the job. To sign the Blackboard
and to learn more about posting your own video on the America’s Edge
website, go to
www.americasedge.tv.
District 751 and SPEEA Speak Out for Boeing Tanker
IAM District 751 President and Directing Business Representative
Tom Wroblewski and Cynthia Cole, president of Local 2001 of the
Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA)/International
Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers (IFPTE), wrote
a joint letter to The Seattle Times to call attention to
the tremendous stakes involved in the Air Force’s decision on who
will build the replacement for its aging fleet of KC-135 aerial
refueling tankers. The Air Force will soon choose either Boeing’s
KC-767 Advanced Tanker or the European Aeronautic Defence and Space
Company’s (EADS) Airbus A-330.
Choosing the American version could support more than 44,000 jobs
with 300 contractors in forty states. “First and foremost, it just
makes sense for the U.S. Air Force to use an American plane,”
stresses Wroblewski and Cole. “The idea of outsourcing a $40 billion
U.S. military aircraft program to the [EADS]… makes neither
national-security nor economic sense. Why hand over some of our most
valuable technology to Europe when we should be protecting it and
our industrial base here at home?”
And who better to speak on the value of experience than the folks
who’ve been designing and building tankers for years; namely IAM and
SPEEA members? “Generations of Boeing engineers, technicians and
machinists have worked on military programs,” continues Wroblewski
and Cole. “That's in stark contrast to Airbus, which has never built
or flown a tanker.”
If the Air Force chooses the Boeing KC-767, an estimated 9,000 jobs
will be created in the Washington state alone. To read the full
letter, click
here.
Bush Threatens to Veto Mine Safety Bill
The House yesterday passed legislation strengthening the nation’s
mine safety and health laws, providing comprehensive jobsite
protections for miners. The S-MINER Act builds on the 2006 Miner Act
and would help prevent disasters, improve emergency response in the
event that a disaster does occur and reduce long term health risks
facing miners.
Despite receiving strong support from families of coal miners killed
on the job, health experts and labor leaders, the Bush
administration is threatening to veto the bill.
“It is critical that Congress take this action, because one thing is
clear: We cannot leave mine safety and health to the Bush
administration,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of
the House Education and Labor Committee. “We owe it to the loved
ones of miners who died on the job to pass these protections today.”
The fatality rate for miners is more than seven times higher than
the average for all private industries. Sixty-four miners died on
the job in the U.S in 2007, according to the Mine Safety and Health
Administration. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has introduced similar
legislation in the Senate.
Jan 18 Deadline Intermediate Web Class Enrollment
The enrollment deadline for the Communications Department's
Intermediate Web Class is January 18. This course, designed for IAM
lodges currently operating websites and whose web stewards have
attended Basic Web Design (not in the same year) will be held March
16-21, 2008 at the William Winpisinger Education and Technology
Center.
Click
here
to download the official calls outlining class requirements and
application forms. Completed Registration Forms should be faxed to
the Communications Department at 301-967-4586.
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