April 2015 What will you do?

3917 E MacArthur Rd.
Wichita, KS. 67210
A Publication for “The Fighting Machinists” Representing the Workers of Spirit AeroSystems
Vol.10 Number 4
www.ll839.org
www.goiam.org
April 2015
April 2015
What will you do?
All of us are guilty of making mistakes from time to time. When these mistakes are made known to us, do we
accept responsibility for them? Try to correct them? Or do we minimize what we did or pass the blame on to
someone else? I guess sometimes it depends on how you were raised, but I look around at our union and I find
a lot of people blaming others for things that are going on.
Blaming others is usually easier than accepting personal responsibility. If we blame others often enough, we
start to believe that we are never at fault, and this can be very harmful because it can keep us from succeeding.
This is what I see happening right now to our union. Some members are not doing all that they should be doing to support our union. Most are not organizing new members and are not joining committees or volunteering at union events. Ever heard the old saying that “80-percent of the work gets done by 20-percent of the people”? Some members are even pointing fingers at other members for things not getting done properly or timely.
Our union has opportunities for everyone, and we need everyone to participate. If you are interested in growing our union and pushing our union forward instead of backwards, consider volunteering for one of the committees we have or for an upcoming community event. Attend the monthly membership meetings and look for
opportunities to help out. If you have a particular talent, such as picture-taking or writing articles for our newsletter, let someone know. To help the Union, it is vital for members to share their union experiences to educate
others.
Sometimes we hear that our leadership is not doing enough. Do we really know what they are doing? A lot of
what we do is outlined in the IAM Constitution, the District Bylaws and the Local Lodge Bylaws. Have we
checked to see what the responsibilities of each position and/or committees are? The answers can be found in
the written works that guide and direct our leadership. What is it that we want our leaders to do that we think
they are not doing?
As union members, we have a responsibility to the IAM. We have a responsibility to become the largest, best,
and most successful union possible. If we do not grow and progress, we cannot achieve our goals. We cannot
be successful in negotiations and improve our collective bargaining agreements without the support and dedication of the majority of Spirit employees. It takes all of us working together to accomplish our objectives.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Let’s
quit making excuses that are harming our union. Will you accept personal responsibility and step up to help,
or will you have an excuse?
Andi Petersen
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MACHINISTS MATTERS
April 2015
MNPL REPORT
MARCH 2015
-By Andi Petersen
The 2015 Machinists MNPL Planning Committee meeting was held March 16-20, 2015 in
Houston, Texas. The theme for this year’s event was focusing on the future. Forget what
happened last year; what is your plan for 2016, and how do you make it different?
The first speaker was Sheila Jackson Lee, the U.S. Representative for Texas’s 18th congressional district, serving since 1995. Her message was simple, and clear: Union Solidarity.
There is nothing more powerful than union solidarity. There are no problems we cannot
solve together, but we will solve very few alone. Keep fighting for worker rights, and never
give up.
Other messages from guest speakers were equally clear: Unions are the last, best hope for
working people. If those politicians who are against us succeed in taking out unions, they
will wreak havoc on middle class Americans. In states with right-to-work laws, non-union
workers receive the benefits of collective bargaining off the backs of their dues-paying coworkers. Currently, 25 states and Guam have right to work laws. Wisconsin became the
25th right-to-work state, with a bill that was signed into law on March 9, 2015. This number will allow the anti-union politicians to push for a Federal Right to Work law. Seventysix members of Congress have already co-sponsored a bill introduced by Steve King for a
National Right to Work Act, including Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo.
International President Tom Buffenbarger spoke on many different issues including the
Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) which, in addition to facilitating a massive overseas export
of U.S. jobs, the TPP has the potential to unleash a wave of labor and human rights violations. America and its workers have suffered the effects of bad trade deals such as NAFTA
and we say Never Again! IP Buffenbarger highly recommends reading a recent publication
by Chad Broughton titled Boom, Bust, Exodus. The book details the effects of NAFTA on
Galesburg and Reynosa.
Speaking on the Minimum Wage issue, President Buffenbarger explained why raising the
wage is a good thing for America’s middle class and the nation’s economy. “Congress has
not voted to increase the federal minimum wage in seven years, and their failure to do so,
along with our inadequate labor laws has directly contributed to our slow economic recovery. If wages were tied directly to worker productivity, the minimum wage, adjusted for inflation, would be $18.67. A higher minimum wage would have improved the lives of so
many low-income Americans, increasing consumer spending and promoting positive ripple
effects throughout the economy.”
President Buffenbarger was just 14 years old during the first march for voting rights in
Selma, Alabama. Fifty years after Bloody Sunday, hundreds of IAM members and their
families joined civil, human and workers’ rights activists to commemorate the sacrifice of
those who risked their lives to end Jim Crow-era policies preventing millions of African
Americans from voting. All that history on the Edmund Pettus Bridge was brought to the
forefront when nearly 60,000 marchers returned to the scene where many were beaten and
trampled in 1965. Nearly 200 IAM members and their families came from all over the
world to mark the historical anniversary, and they came because one of our most sacred
American freedoms – the right to vote – is under attack again.
Cont. on page 3
MACHINISTS MATTERS
Pg 3
April 2015
Cont. from page 2
Buffenbarger talked about the importance of supporting the reauthorization of the ExportImport Bank. The purpose of the Ex-Im Bank is to help American companies export goods
and that translates into American jobs and American employers. It puts us on a level
playing field with the rest of the world. The Ex-Im Bank is an independent, self-sustaining
agency with an 80-year record of supporting U.S. jobs by financing the export of American
goods and services, including the Harley-Davidson plant in Kansas City, Missouri.
As union leaders, we must prepare today for what tomorrow may bring. We must try
harder to educate and prepare our membership for what is proving to be the toughest fight
yet for IAM members everywhere. The competition for our jobs is real. States are upping
incentive money to take our jobs and benefits. Too many companies are coming to the table not to negotiate, but to eliminate the union altogether. Shrinking union density makes
it harder to protect our benefits.
Congress seems determined to take away our pensions, freeze our wages and diminish our
healthcare benefits. Workers are increasingly frustrated with the government and the
economy, but continue to vote for politicians who do not represent their interests. We
must focus on researching potential candidates for the upcoming 2016 presidential election and educating our members on working family issues. ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES!
In closing, we are still the largest aerospace union in the nation, and we are the last great
custodians of this industry. We will continue to be under assault as non-union states line
up to take our jobs, and companies continue to outsource our jobs to other countries.
Our government representatives have no respect for us or the processes we are trying to
protect. Their approach seems to be “screw you” if you are in the way. Well, brothers and
sisters; we ARE in their way. We ARE the last line of defense between them and the erosion of our jobs and benefits. Be proud of that fact; be proud to be a member of the greatest union in the nation - the International Association of Machinists.
Register at the local lodge today!
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MACHINISTS MATTERS
April 2015
Community Service Committee
By: Andi Petersen
The Community Service Committee would like to thank the membership for the support that you
give to us when you purchase food from the kitchen and tickets for all of our drawings. The money
you spend enables us to procure additional items for baskets and raffles and allows us to help our
members in need! Thank you for all that you do!
The Community Service Committee would also like
to congratulate Chris Phillips (pictured below), Retired Union Steward. He is the winner of the March
Madness Insignia - 48" - LED - 1080p - HDTV Black TV and Basket.
The Community Service Committee would like
to congratulate Randy Miller (pictured above).
Randy is a 2nd Shift Steward on the 737 in IPB4.
Randy is the winner of the St. Patrick's Day
Basket.
We hope both winners are enjoying their prizes!
NEXT WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15TH IS THE LAST DAY FOR GRADUATING HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENTS TO TURN IN THIER ESSAYS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE
SCHOLARHIP CONTEST.
SEE PAGE 4 FOR DETAILS AND STOP BY THE LOCAL TO PICK UP THE
INSTRUCTIONS.
DON’T MISS OUT!!
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MACHINISTS MATTERS
April 2015
ATTENTION 2015 GRADUATING
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!!!!!
The International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAMAW)
Local Lodge 839, Community Service Committee
is hosting an Essay Writing Contest
Four (4) $1,000 Scholarships Will Be Awarded
Scholarships will be granted as follows:

Two (2) $1,000 Scholarships will be awarded to contest winners
who will be graduating from high school in 2015 and who have an
immediate family member who is an IAMAW Local Lodge 839 union
member. (“Immediate family” is defined in the 2010 Collective
Bargaining Agreement.)

Two (2) $1,000 Scholarships will be awarded to contest winners
who will be graduating from a Kansas high school in 2015.
Students will write an essay answering the following question :
What are labor unions, and why are they important today? Include some of the positive historical contributions unions have made. Also include examples of how unions have impacted your
life personally.
For details regarding the scholarship contest please see your High School Counselor.
Flyers and essay guidelines are also available at the Local Lodge Office:
3917 E. MacArthur
Wichita, KS 67201
Monday - Friday, 8:00am –4:00pm
Email questions to [email protected]
MACHINISTS MATTERS
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April 2015
New Members for the Month of March 2015
THOAI BUI
AUSTIN BURING
JOHN M. BUSH
TRAVIS CARLSON
MARK CARTER
DONAL L. COOK II
RONALD V. COOPER
CHARLIE A. CRONEY
DALLAS CROUCH
WILLIAM D. DEAN
MATTHEW DEITER
JACK DESCHNER
NATHANIEL D. EVERS
GERALD M. FALEY
RODRICK FIELDS
THOMAS FLOWERS
CHRISTOPHER FOOSHEE
HARRY W. FRITCHMAN
ABEL GEBRE
JASON C. GRACY
ROBERT R. JAIME
GERALD JONES
LYLE KAUFMANN
BRYANT LYON
VAENVONG MANISAENG
AARON MCCHESNEY
TRAVIS METZINGER
DESMOND MITCHELL
LANCE ONDEREK
DAWN PATTERSON
IVAN QUINTANAR
RUSSELL RAUH
CLINT SHOCKLEY
KASEY TEMPLIN
JEFF TROWBRIDGE
ANH VO
MITCHELL WOODS
UNION KIDS
International Association of Machinists
and Aerospace Workers
Monthly Union Meetings
2nd Saturday of the Month
Local Lodge 839
Executive Board meets at 8:00 AM
Regular Meeting at 10:00 AM
3917 E. MacArthur Rd.
Wichita, Kansas 67210
Phone: (316) 524-1090
Fax: (316) 529-1277
The Fighting Machinists
www.ll839.org
President - Andi Petersen
Vice President - Betty Brooks
Recording Secretary - Larry Stafford
Treasurer - Joni Pierce
Trustees - Susan Hiebert, Rickey Nelson
Cornell Beard
Conductor/Sentinel - Michael Danler
Communicator - Ron Lea
Educator - Austin Ledbetter
1st Shift In-Plant Rep. - Tim Johnson
2nd Shift In-Plant Rep. - Jason Baze
Editor - Kaitlin Dillmon
We are the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. We belong to Local Lodge 839 of
District 70 in Wichita Kansas. We represent the Fighting Machinists of Spirit AeroSystems. We work to give our
members a voice on the job. Visit our website often at www.ll839.org for helpful and timely information.
If you have any questions, contact one of your In-Plant Representatives at 524-1090.
If you have any articles you want published, e-mail the Editor at [email protected].
The opinions expressed in any articles are the opinions of that author not the representatives of LL839
All Content © of IAM Local Lodge 839
2005-2015, All Rights Reserved