Jun 1, 2023 | Politics & Legislative News
Retired IAM General Secretary-Treasurer and current Alliance for Retired Americans President Robert Roach Jr. testified on Capitol Hill for adequate funding for Social Security that could help to prevent identity fraud.
The May 24 subcommittee hearing included testimonies on Social Security identity theft and long-term solutions to this problem.
“Members of the Alliance and Americans nationwide are concerned about the threat of identity theft,” said Roach during his testimony. “If the Social Security Administration, which is already short staffed, was forced to cut its budget, the agency’s work to protect Americans from Social Security number identity theft and other fraud would be hampered.”
Millions of Social Security beneficiaries depend on this benefit program as part of their income and any funding cuts could be detrimental to their livelihoods.
“The importance of Social Security cannot be overstated,” said Roach. “The decline of traditional pension plans and decades of stagnant or declining real wages have made it harder for individuals to save for retirement and Social Security has become a larger part of Americans’ retirement income.”
Throughout the years, active and retired IAM members have advocated for increasing earned Social Security benefits and for measures that secure its solvency.
The Social Security Administration must have adequate funding to stay afloat but also to strengthen its capabilities to combat identity fraud and other issues as they arise.
Watch Robert Roach’s testimony here.
The Alliance for Retired Americans is a grassroots advocacy organization with 4.4 million members. Founded by the AFL-CIO in 2001, the alliance now has 39 state alliances and members in every state.
The post Retired IAM General Secretary-Treasurer Robert Roach, Jr. Testifies to Protect Social Security appeared first on IAMAW.
May 23, 2023 | Politics & Legislative News
WASHINGTON, May 23, 2023 – IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. wrote a letter to members of the U.S. Senate urging support for the Bipartisan Railway Safety Act as amended and passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee.
The letter supports the legislation that would improve freight rail safety in the U.S. The IAM believes this common-sense legislation will create several essential safety improvements to the nation’s railways while providing significant work-life improvements for our Carmen and Machinists’ crafts.
“We support the Railway Safety Act because it will dramatically enhance rail safety in a number of ways,” IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. wrote in the letter. “For our members specifically, the bill prohibits the railroads from placing impossible time constraints on rail car and locomotive inspectors, as detailed in the Wall Street Journal’s front page expose on March 30, 2023. The bill would also require more frequent locomotive and rail car safety inspections, while ensuring that these inspections are performed as intended and by highly trained and qualified personnel.”
The IAM was founded as a railroad union in 1888, and represents more than 35,000 railroad workers across the country. These members include the IAM’s original craft, the locomotive Machinists, and various rail crafts represented by our merged affiliated, the Transportation Communications Union (TCU/IAM) and their Brotherhood of Railway Carmen Division (BRC).
Read the complete letter here.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.
goIAM.org | @MachinistsUnion
The post IAM Union Urges Passage of Railway Safety Act appeared first on IAMAW.
May 8, 2023 | Politics & Legislative News
The time has come again for our members to express your voice in who our union endorses for U.S. president. Your IAM Executive Council recently met and strongly supported continuing this process and ensuring that the IAM’s endorsement represents the will of the membership.
Beginning now, all IAM members in good standing can register to vote in the IAM’s U.S. presidential endorsement election at iamvoting.org.
After the registration process, every IAM member who registered will be given an opportunity to vote online for who should receive the union’s endorsement for president, regardless of political party. The IAM’s State Council Presidents will then vote between the top vote-getting candidates chosen by the membership from each party after the membership voting concludes.
Our great union represents working people from all walks of life, and our endorsement process reflects that diversity. Our endorsement process guarantees that all IAM members have a voice.
This work will help ensure that the candidate we endorse is committed to fighting for the interests of our members. I am also pleased that this process focuses on the most important issues facing our members, such as passing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, Buy American, transportation, fair trade, defense funding, retirement security, healthcare, prescription drug costs and more.
So, please make sure your voice is heard and register to vote in the IAM’s endorsement process at iamvoting.org.
The post Attention IAM Members! Register Now to Vote in the IAM’s U.S. Presidential Endorsement Election appeared first on IAMAW.
May 2, 2023 | Politics & Legislative News
Last month, the Florida State Council of Machinists visited Washington, D.C., urging lawmakers to address the importance of jobs in sugarcane farming and manufacturing in Florida.
During their visits, IAM members lobbied for sensible and reliable policies around sugar production and the upcoming Farm Bill.
“Everything I have today is because I’m with such a great employer. We’re like a family,” said Cornelius Fowler of IAM Local 2152 on how U.S. sugar production and manufacturing help support good-paid union jobs.
IAM Florida sugar workers’ occupations include but are not limited to sugarcane farming, milling and refining processes on American soil, including many positions requiring skilled trades, such as machinists and welders.
“The IAM will continue to work closely with allies advocating for agricultural policies that help America’s sugarcane industry and the workers that depend on it,” said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Rickey Wallace.
Early in March, the Florida State Council of Machinists also visited legislators in Tallahassee, FL, to discuss sugarcane farming and manufacturing.
See social media coverage below:
The post IAM Florida Sugar Workers Visit Capitol Hill to Address Priorities appeared first on IAMAW.
Apr 20, 2023 | Politics & Legislative News
Federal agencies, like the Department of Labor and Office of Personnel management, have been implementing recommendations from the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment and have announced progress with results.
The AFL-CIO formed its White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment Committee, pulling together labor union organizing and policy experts, including IAM Organizing Director Vinny Addeo with IAM Political and Legislative Director Hasan Solomon, to assist in thinking through issues for the Task Force to make recommendations for.
Addeo and Solomon focused on the issue unions have in gaining access to military bases to organize and represent Service Contract Act employees in their submission to the Task Force, which created a recommendation for it:
Standardize Guidelines for Union Organizer Access to Military Bases and Installations Recommendation: Instruct the Department of Defense (DOD) to review existing guidance, consider developing consistent policies and best practices, and consider issuing standardized guidance across the Department to ensure union organizers can access bases and installations. The DOD should consider implementing standardized guidelines ensuring that union organizers can have access to employees – including employees of private-sector contractors – on its bases and installations in a manner that does not interfere with safety, security, order, or contract operations. DOD should also reiterate current federal policy protections for organizing activity related to union access on DOD property and highlight relatively recent processes and procedures that have improved and standardized the access process.
“The Task Force was effective; our issues were addressed,” said Addeo. “So far we have seen positive results from the Task Force actions that were taken regarding access to military bases.”
The Biden administration in April 2021 established the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment chaired by Vice-President Kamala Harris and Vice-Chaired by Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.
The goal of the Task Force is to “remove barriers to worker organizing and position the federal government as a model employer,” says multiple documents from the White House.
The Task Force submitted more than 70 recommendations to the President, all of which were approved by President Biden in February 2022.
Multiple Task Force recommendations focus on increasing visibility, support, awareness, and promotion of collective bargaining. The White House statement says that since agencies began working to better inform federal workers of their right to join a union, nearly 80,000 federal workers have become union members.
Read the White House’s full update on implementing the Task Force’s recommendations.
The post White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment Sees Results in Union Membership and Approval appeared first on IAMAW.
Apr 19, 2023 | Politics & Legislative News
WASHINGTON, April 18, 2023 – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) released the following statements on the upcoming confirmation vote of acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su to serve as the next secretary of labor:
Robert Martinez Jr., International President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), issued the following statement:
“Acting Secretary Su is exceptionally qualified with both strong experience in labor and policy as a worker advocate and public servant, as she possesses integrity to lead the Department of Labor.
“As a public servant, she has a proven record of commitment to protecting working Americans and ensuring that workplace laws and regulations are enforced accordingly.
“The IAM calls on the Senate to swiftly move forward to confirm acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su as she is the best choice to advance working families’ priorities and a more inclusive economy.”
David Sullivan, IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President, released the following statement:
“Acting Secretary Su’s record of accomplishments not only demonstrate her ability to work with a wide range of stakeholders, from unions to the business community, but she’s also a leader on promoting equity and economic empowerment for communities across our country.
“Her long record of standing with workers and promoting economic growth speaks for itself – she gets the work done.
“We urge our Congressional Leaders to support Su’s confirmation and we look forward to continuing to work with our allies in Congress to strengthen and improve the livelihoods of our members, their families and communities.”
The IAM recently sent a letter to the Senate urging them for full support of President Biden’s nomination of Julie Su as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor. Read full letter here.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.
The post Machinists Union: Biden Labor Secretary Nominee Julie Su, A Strong Champion for American Workers appeared first on IAMAW.
Recent Comments