NFFE-IAM Wildland Firefighters Call for Respect on Capitol Hill

Mar 17, 2022 | Politics & Legislative News

Ahead of another intense wildfire season, roughly a dozen NFFE-IAM firefighters, who service government-owned land, forests and parks, spent this week in Washington, D.C. urging lawmakers to address critical concerns such as an urgent need for wage increases amid increasing costs of living, improved health and wellness coverage, and better working conditions.

“We need to make changes right now. That starts with a $20 per hour base minimum wage,” said NFFE-IAM National President Randy Erwin. “The President increased the minimum hourly rate to $15 last year, and for that we are grateful, but more work must be done.  Applications for employment are down 40% or more and we are losing experienced firefighters to state and local fire services.  It is becoming impossible to recruit and maintain the qualified workforce needed to address longer and more destructive fire seasons every year.  It’s putting more pressure on those who are working and they’re suffering, which is why are here in D.C.”

Robert Beckley, a NFFE-IAM National Vice President and Montana native who began fighting wildfires in 1975, says climate change has made the terrain more vulnerable to intense wildfires.  These fire are hot enough to effectively kill forests by ‘sterilizing’ the ground, preventing regeneration on swaths of land that cover 100,000 acres or more.  

“With climate change, with drought conditions, with insect infestation that damages trees, I’m noticing the lands are getting hotter and more trees are dying and rotting,” said Beckley. “That’s creating more fuel on the ground. When there’s a fire, it’s harder to control, it’s harder to put out and it demands more attention and more resources.”

An additional concern is seasonal NFFE-IAM firefighters, a significant portion of the workforce, many of whom have limited access to health insurance and are not eligible for government retirement. Retirement benefits for full-time firefighters, which require 20 years of service, does not cover seasonal NFFE-IAM members even if they worked 20 years of equivalent time simply because they are not full-time permanent employees.  

“The wildland firefighters are often on their own after they are injured,” Beckley continued.  “It is especially hard for seasonal firefighters who have no insurance or retirement to fall back on.  For seasonal and full-time firefighters, it’s the same hot, dirty, nasty job that takes its toll on a body and mind.”

NFFE-IAM says the visits in Washington, which included meetings with representatives from the White House and lawmakers on Capitol Hill, were productive.

“This is a bipartisan issue. We’re ready to work with members on both sides of the aisle to get things done this year,” said Erwin. “Every office that we visited understood our needs. Now it’s important for them to push legislation and get firefighters and our national landscape the help they need.”   

 

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Largest Aerospace and Defense Union Urges Administration to Fully Invest in IAM-Built F-35 Program

Mar 15, 2022 | Politics & Legislative News

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2022 – IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. sent a letter to President Biden urging a robust F-35 Lightning II program investment in the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2023 Defense Department budget request.The F-35 program currently provides for tens of thousands of high-quality Machinists Union jobs, supports more than 250,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide, and is the only 5th generation stealth fighter currently in production. 

“Thousands of Machinists Union members and their families across the country rely on these irreplaceable jobs supported by the program—from the F-35 primary production facility in Fort Worth, Texas to its engine manufacturing facility in Middletown, Connecticut and across the program’s vast network of suppliers from West Palm Beach, Florida to northern California,” said Martinez. “All told, the F-35 program supports more than 254,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide. The program’s network of suppliers includes more than 1,800 first-tier suppliers across the country supporting high-skilled jobs and more than $49 billion in annual economic impact spread across all 50 states. Your administration’s strong budgetary support of the F-35 Lightning II program is necessary to support these workers, the companies that employ them, and the domestic aerospace supply chain they robustly reinforce.”

Many Machinists Union members working on the F-35 program are U.S. military veterans. Supporting the F-35 program means good jobs for veterans and their families. Machinists Union members are the most talented and experienced aerospace and defense workers in the world. 

The full letter can be found here.  

Website: F-35: Made with Pride by Machinists Union Members

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.

goIAM.org | @MachinistsUnion

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Machinists Union: President Biden’s Historic ‘Buy American’ Expansion Answers Decades-Long Calls from U.S. Workers

Mar 4, 2022 | Politics & Legislative News

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2022 – Robert Martinez Jr., International President of the 600,000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace, the largest aerospace and defense labor union in North America, released the following statement regarding President Biden’s expansion of “Buy American”:

“The Machinists Union has championed and called for an expansion of ‘Buy American’ domestic content requirements for decades. Today’s announcement is further proof that in President Biden, we finally have a champion for U.S. workers in the White House.

“Today’s announcement makes real what we have been saying all along—that ‘Made in America’ should mean ‘Made in America.’ In fact, the Machinists Union, along with U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, championed an amendment to the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act that would have made a similar ‘Buy American’ threshold increase for defense products. That bipartisan amendment passed the House before being defeated by corporate-backed politicians in the Senate.

“The Biden administration is now applying that rule—that any product stamped with ‘Made in America’ should have 75% of its value come from parts made here in the United States—to all products purchased with taxpayer dollars by 2029.

“This is critical for our domestic supply chains. It is music to the ears of American workers. It puts our tax dollars toward buying the best products made by the best workers. And it will finally make a real difference toward bringing back U.S. jobs that have been sent out of the country by bad trade deals and corporate greed.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Biden administration and the Made in America Office for hearing our call and the calls of millions of Americans. Let’s build the future right here in America.”

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, manufacturing, transit, healthcare, automotive and other industries.

 

goIAM.org | @MachinistsUnion

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Florida State Council Convenes to Engage Members

Florida State Council Convenes to Engage Members

Feb 10, 2022 | Politics & Legislative News

IAM members, officers and staff recently gathered in Tallahassee to attend the Florida State Council of Machinists Conference. The conference focused on the importance of staying engaged in the legislative process by contacting state and federal lawmakers on bills that protect or harm union working families.

Among the council’s endorsements was U.S. Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), a longtime champion for IAM families, for U.S. Senate

Attendees heard from a slate of dynamic speakers, including IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Rickey Wallace and IAM National Political and Legislative Director Hasan Solomon. Attendees also heard from six labor-friendly legislators throughout the sessions.

“I want to thank every officer and delegate who attended for three days, who put in long hours lobbying their legislators and attending committee meetings at the Capitol,” said Mike Phillips, Florida State Council of Machinists President. “I am very proud of the commitment that each delegate and officer showed for the conference duration. I was also honored to walk the halls of the Capitol with my brothers and sisters of the great state of Florida who fight for justice, dignity, and a better way of life.”

“It is always a great honor attending the Florida State Council and joining in great conversation with our members on some of the most important issues our union and the labor movement face,” said IAM Southern Territory Vice President Rickey Wallace. “I thank the council leadership for always facing these difficult issues head-on. I also congratulate them for such a great turnout, especially in these trying times.”

Members attending the Florida State Council meeting heard how vital the Machinists Non-Partisan Political League (MNPL) is for our union and state councils. Increasing contributions to the MNPL is always a big part of the Florida State Council’s agenda with the help of IAM staff from the Political and Legislative Department. The voluntary donations to the MNPL help the IAM get pro-worker candidates elected in hopes of implementing a pro-worker, pro-democracy agenda in the state.  

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