The future is in strength

J our n a l
V o l u m e 1 4 , N u m b e r 4 ~ W I N T ER , 2 0 0 8 ~
w w w . i a m a w. c a
Canadian delegates
to September’s
IAMAW Grand Lodge
Convention helped
forge a new path
for the union.
The future
is in strength
IAMAW Convention delegates lead the way
Convention report begins on p. 8
Mail Publication Agreement #40006466
D AV E R I T C H I E , C A N A D I A N V I C E - P R E S I D E N T
Thankful for the wisdom
of the membership
As I reflect upon our recent convention and place those
thoughts in the context of the serious economic times
that we are now in and the thousands of people including
many of ours that are losing their jobs because of this
economic slump — I think to myself, thank god, that our
membership saw fit at that convention to do what had to
be done in order to preserve this union, because clearly this
would have put us at a real disadvantage.
So to the wisdom of the membership, I want to
say thank you because without them we would
not be able to continue the long hard fights on
the road ahead to ensure that their
rights are being protected.
As we look at Christmas and
Christmas is coming, I think about
all of those members and workers in
general who are unemployed in these
hard economic times. I think about
how hard they must be finding it
just to make ends meet, to pay their
bills and to put food on their table
— the very basics of life.
The JOURNAL of the International
Association of Machinists and Aerospace
Workers.
Published by the International Association
of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
Affiliated with the Canadian Labour
Congress.
Dave Ritchie
15 Gervais Drive, Suite 707
Toronto, ON M3C 1Y8
Robert Roach Jr.
9000 Machinists Place
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772–2687
As these parents struggle, their kids don’t know any
differently — they want Christmas gifts! So I say to
everybody out there: if you’re lucky enough to have a job
and you’re still making money, take a moment to think
of those who are not, donate to a food bank, give to a toy
drive, do something positive for those less fortunate.
The gift of charity through anonymity is a private
gesture that only you will have knowledge of and if
you have done so in the past, I urge you to do it
again, and if this is the first time just do it for all
of the right reasons.
As we approach the holiday season,
many of the people we give to today
were donors themselves yesterday
and this has occurred because their
economic situation has changed.
To everyone out there, I wish you
and your family all the very best in
the coming year, health, wealth, and
prosperity, and I wish the same thing
for our union for it is the union that
makes us strong.
Editor: Bill Trbovich
IAM Communications Department
15 Gervais Drive, Suite 707
Toronto, ON M3C 1Y8
Translation: Les Traductions St-François
Published quarterly and mailed to every
member of the International Association of
Machinists and Aerospace Workers of Canada.
Subscription price to non-members:
$4 per year.
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Local Lodge Financial Officer. Also, tear
off the address label on the cover of
this magazine and attach it to a sheet of
paper with your new correct address and
mail it to:
J our n a l
International President
R. Thomas Buffenbarger
9000 Machinists Place
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772–2687
General Secretary-Treasurer
Warren Mart
9000 Machinists Place
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772–2687
General Vice-Presidents
Lee Pearson
620 Coolidge Drive, Suite 130
Folsom, CA 95630
2
Lynn Tucker
Executive Plaza III
135 Merchant Street, Suite 265
Cincinnati, OH 45246-3730
Bob Martinez Jr.
1111 West Mockingbird Lane, Suite 1357
Dallas, TX 75247
Richard Michalski
9000 Machinists Place
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772-2687
Phillip J. Gruber
1733 Park Street, Suite 100,
Napierville, IL 60563
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N e w s J o u rna l
Machinist wins
health and
safety award
Oshawa, ON — Dave Thompson, President
of IAMAW Local Lodge 905, was awarded
the Ontario Disability Response Team
plaque in recognition of his dedication
and commitment to improving the lives of
disabled members. The award is presented
each year by the Workers Health and Safety
Centre, the Ontario Federation of Labour
and the Durham, Lindsay, Peterborough and
Northumberland District Labour Council.
“We all recognize the dedication and
determination required to effectively hold
our employers accountable when it comes
to matters of Ontario human rights and
occupational health and safety,” said IAMAW
Grand Lodge Representative Bill Shipman.
“It takes guts, determination, intelligence and
compassion. We are fortunate enough to have
an activist in our ranks, Dave Thompson, who
possesses all of these qualities and more.”
Dave, with his brothers and sisters at Local
905, has successfully challenged his employer
through the grievance and arbitration process,
resulting in compensation worth thousands of
dollars for disabled employees denied access
to overtime, proper classification rates and
denied employment itself.
“Each time Dave and Local 905 win a
challenge, he sets the bar at Messier Dowty
just that much higher. And each time
jurisprudence is established with a local win of
these sorts, the bar is set just a little bit higher
for all disabled workers in the province,”
explained Shipman.
GL Representative Bill Shipman congratulates
LL 905 President Dave Thompson.
A full house for
Maritime Machinists
L to R: GLR Brian Beaton; Grant Graham, MCM ST (1763); Frank Sweeney, MCM PEI VP (1934);
Patricia Goodbrand, MCM Rec Sec (2797); Dale Evans, MCM Trustee (1763); Dick McGuire,
MCM President (835); Andy Byron, MCM Trustee; Gerald McKinnon, MCM NB VP (835); Paul
Gaudet, MCM NS VP (2797) and Donna Boudrea, MCM Trustee (2418).
Moncton, NB — Eighteen IAM members
from across the Maritimes converged on
Moncton, New Brunswick in mid-October,
for the 11th annual Maritime Council of
Machinists general and executive board
meeting. Representatives from Local
Lodges 2418 (Miramachi and Bathurst
New Brunswick), 835 (Saint John), 934
(Georgetown, PEI), 684 (Sydney, Nova
Scotia), 1763 (Halifax) and 2797 (Halifax)
participated in workshops and attended to
general business. Brothers Steve Clerk (LL
2797), Paul Gaudet (LL 2797) and Dale
Evans (LL 1763) delivered an in-depth
Convention report on the new Grand Lodge
dues structure and other Constitutional
changes. Brothers Frank Sweeney (President,
LL 1934) and Gerald McKinnon (Vice
President, LL835) were sworn in to their
respective positions on the Executive Board.
New leadership for District 140
New leadership for IAMAW District 140 Executive Board was elected at the recent District
Conference held in Toronto. L to R, Randy Smith from LL 2323 becomes the new Secretary
Treasurer replacing the retiring Ed Wainwright; Chuck Atkinson, a General Chairperson
from IAMAW DL 140 Central Region, becomes the new President and Directing General
Chairperson, replacing the retiring Jim Coller.
3
ORGANIZING NOTES
Machinists break
new ground with
helicopter mechanics
Montréal, QC — It took more than two
years but persistence has paid off for the
IAMAW with the successful certification of
17 workers employed by Hélicraft 2000 Inc.
at St. Hubert airport on the south shore of
Montréal.
“We have been pushing hard to
organize workers from the helicopter
industry in Quebec,” said IAMAW District
140 Organizer Robert Savoie. “The
implementation of a dedicated website,
www.helistation.org and continual contact with
workers across the province over the past two
years has finally paid off.” The 17 workers,
who perform maintenance on helicopters, are
certified mechanics, mechanics’ helpers and
stores keepers. They will become the newest
members of IAMAW Local Lodge 1751.
“The IAMAW is the aerospace union in
Canada and we believe the decision by these
employees to join us will have a spill-over
effect on other workers in this industry,”
added Savoie.
Mirabel membership grows
Montréal, QC — The IAMAW has again
expanded its membership at Mirabel
International Airport outside Montréal with
the certification of workers at GE Elano.
The 75 workers will join IAMAW Local
Lodge 1758 which already represents
aerospace workers from Heroux-Devtek and
Messier-Dowty. “I am very confident that
this new certification will convince aerospace
workers from other employers in Mirabel
to join the Machinists,” said IAMAW
District 11 President and Directing Business
Representative Dave Chartrand.
Chartrand and IAMAW District 11
Business Representative Claude Boisvert
met with the workers at GE Elano on two
occasions in Mirabel. “We explained the
benefits of belonging to the IAMAW and
it was clear they understood that we are
the union of choice for aerospace workers,”
explained Chartrand. “We are pleased to
welcome these highly qualified workers as
the newest members to the largest aerospace
union in North America.” The workers
manufacture aluminum tube and duct
products for aircraft and helicopters.
44
Drivers, operators join
Sherbrooke, QC — Two years after their initial
contact with the IAMAW, workers at A&R
Belley Transport have joined the Machinists. “We
signed them up almost overnight,” said IAMAW
Grand Lodge Representative Mario Clermont.
“I believe these workers had finally had enough
with the lower management and their need
for respect and dignity in the workplace were
the key factors in the success of this organizing
campaign,” explained Clermont.
The 17 newest members of IAMAW
Local Lodge 922 are truck drivers and fork
lift operators at two locations in Quebec City
and Sherbrooke.
New Machinists fight for
health and safety
Stoney Creek, ON — The need for better
wages and enforceable health and safety
regulations were the key elements in the
certification of nine employees by the
IAMAW at Stoney Creek Coatings.
It took only a week to sign up the nine
workers after IAMAW Apprentice Organizer
Ralph Martin explained how the union could
improve their wages as well as health and
safety in the workplace.
“Your first victory as an organizer is
always the tough one and Ralph Martin
deserves the credit for bringing this group to
the Machinists,” explained IAMAW District
78 Organizer Scott Jackson.
The newest members of IAMAW Local
Lodge 1922 paint manufactured plastic parts
for the automotive industry.
Home improvement
workers sign on
Winnipeg, MB — Employees at DuracoStormtite, formerly the home improvement
division of Arow Global in Winnipeg, have
joined the IAMAW.
When Duraco-Stormtite was formed,
25 employees of Arow Global, which was
recently certified by IAMAW Local Lodge
2247, transferred to the new employer.
“At the time, we approached their
management group and convinced them to
award the IAMAW voluntary recognition
of their employees,” explained IAMAW
District Lodge 181 Directing Business
Representative Wayne Relf. “Within two
weeks, the management group came back
to us with some classification changes to the
collective agreement and we were able to
work out a deal that satisfies both sides.”
Arow Global will replace the 25 transferred
employees and the 33 employees at DuracoStormtite will become the newest members
of IAMAW Local Lodge 2247. DuracoStormtite manufactures vinyl windows for
the home improvement industry.
Hamilton Airport workers
now Machinists
Hamilton, ON — A lack of employer respect
and continual staff shortages at Hamilton
International Airport were the key factors for
Swissport employees joining the IAMAW.
The 35 new members include lead hands
and station attendants employed by Swissport
to provide aircraft handling services for West
Jet, Sky Service and Globe Span aircraft.
“We have been talking to these workers
for almost a year and they had been hesitant
about joining a union,” explained IAMAW
District 140 Organizer Ian Morland. “But
the constant staff shortages combined with
the new Globe Span contract pushed workers
over the edge so they turned to us.”
The IAMAW currently represents
Swissport employees at Montréal’s Trudeau
International and Vancouver’s International
Airports.
Language no barrier for
Dylatech workers
Mississauga, ON — Language did not prove
to be a barrier when it came to organizing
the workers at Dylatech Incorporated.
“All of these workers are new Canadians
and English is not their first language,”
explained IAMAW District 78 Organizer
Scott Jackson. “Fair treatment from their
employer is the desire of any worker in
any language and IAMAW Organizer Roy
Bhansignh was able to deliver our message
through the use of translators and that was
the key to this organizing victory.”
The 21 new members of IAMAW Local
Lodge 1922 are machine operators and
painters at two facilities in Mississauga, Ont.
More Machinists tow
aircraft at YUL
Montréal, QC — Twenty employees of
Gestion-Air have turned to the IAMAW for
workplace representation.
Please see next page
ORGANIZING NOTES
From previous page
“These employees realized after a period
of time that their demands to their employer
through their employee committee had no
real results,” explained IAMAW District
140 Organizer Robert Savoie. “We had been
talking with them for more than a year and
they knew they needed help in solving their
workplace issues, so they turned to us.”
The new members provide aircraft towing
services for Jazz aircraft at Pierre Elliot
Trudeau International Airport.
100 years young – and still a Machinist
L to R: Herman Pruys, President IAMAW Local
Lodge 771; Hubert’s spouse Clara; Hubert
Medhurst; and Brian Short, IAMAW GLR.
New members in
metal fabrication
Toronto, ON — Employees of Blok-Lok
Metal Fabrication are the newest members of
IAMAW Local Lodge 235.
“It was a short two-week organizing
campaign in which the workers made it
very clear they wanted better treatment and
better wages,” explained IAMAW District
78 Organizer Scott Jackson. “The company
tried to talk the employees out of joining our
union but the workers were determined to have
representation from the Machinists,” added
Jackson.
The new members are welders, brake
press operators and general labourers. They
fabricate metal products for the construction
industry.
Fort Frances, ON — At 100 years old, Hubert
Medhurst is not only the oldest IAM member
in Canada, he’s also the oldest IAM retiree in
Canada. That distinction was not lost on the
executive of IAMAW Local Lodge 771, who
made Hubert a guest of honour at the September
23, 2008 monthly lodge meeting. Hubert, a
charter member of LL 771 since its inception on
March 27, 1947, was pleased his Local Lodge
remembered him and invited him to the meeting.
Born on April 25, 1908, Hubert Medhurst began
work at the paper mill in 1929 when it was
owned by The Ontario/Minnesota Pulp & Paper
Company (now Abitibi-Bowater). He started off
as a general labourer at the mill and eventually
became a Machinist by trade. He also spent
several years as the Financial Officer of Local
Lodge 771 before retiring in 1970.
Still very active around Fort Frances and
very independent, Hubert declined the offer
of a ride to the meeting, preferring to drive
himself because he just had his driver’s
licence renewed for another two years. At
the meeting, Hubert was presented with a
Machinists jacket and hat by Grand Lodge
Representative Brian Short.
C o ntract N O T E S
Machinists benefit from
mining boom
Sanitation workers win
with IAMAW
Modular home workers
win raises
North Bay, ON — A booming Canadian
mining industry has paid dividends for
members of IAMAW Local Lodge 2412
employed by Boart Longyear.
“Our membership has tripled in size over
the life of the last agreement because of the
continual demand for drilling and exploration
equipment by the Canadian mining
industry,” said Grand Lodge Representative
Pat Murphy. “This agreement reflects the
success the company has enjoyed.”
The three-year agreement provides wage
increases of 3% in the first year, retroactive to
May 1, 2008, 3% in the second year and 3%
in the third year. Other highlights include
improved lead hand and shift premiums,
benefits, vacation, clothing allowances and
pensions. The 220 members manufacture
‘down-hole’ drilling equipment for the
Canadian mining industry.
Victoriaville, QC — Members of IAMAW
Local Lodge 922 have ratified a new 66month collective agreement with Groupe
Gaudreau Incorporated division services
sanitaires.
The new agreement provides for salary
scale adjustments for the first 18 months
of a minimum of 3% for all members while
certain individuals will receive an increase of
as much as $2/hour. Wage increases in each
remaining year of the agreement will be 2%.
Other improvements include better mobility
and insurance clauses, abolition of mechanics’
tests and a new wage scale for mechanics.
The 34 members working for Groupe
Gaudreau Incorporated division services
sanitaires of Victoriaville provide repairs,
maintenance and supervise the upkeep of the
garbage site.
Penticton, BC — Members of IAMAW Local
Lodge 2711 have ratified a new three-year
collective agreement with Moduline Modular
Homes. The new agreement provides for wage
increases of 4.5% in the first year and 4% in
the second and third years respectively. Other
improvements include better premiums, RRSP
contributions and benefits. The 180 members
manufacture modular homes for the Canadian
home building industry.
Call centre workers win
seniority changes
Toronto, ON — Money is not always the
most important element of a new collective
agreement and the latest deal ratified by
members of IAMAW Local Lodge 901 is a
case in point. The 60 call centre workers,
employed at Grand and Toy, were very
Please see next page
5
C O N T R ACT N OT ES
From previous page
concerned about the wording of seniority
provisions in their collective agreement.
“Our members were pleased with their
monetary package but it was the significant
changes to contract language that made
ratification possible,” explained IAMAW
District 78 Business Representative Margaret
Miller. “The language surrounding seniority
provisions has been cleaned up considerably
and the members are satisfied with the
changes.”
The three-year agreement provides wage
increases of 2.7% in the first and second years
and 3% in the third year. Other features
include a new stat holiday (Family Day),
overtime for part-time workers after eight
hours, and sick-day banking.
Montreal airport workers
get new deal
Montréal, QC — Members of IAMAW Local
Lodge 2309 employed by Swissport have ratified
their first collective agreement.
The three-year agreement provides a lumpsum wage increase of 2.4% in the first year retroactive to July 2007 and a 2% wage increase in
the second and third years. Other agreement
highlights include lead hand premium increases
of between 10% and 42% by the end of the
agreement, vacation improvements, increased
RRSP contributions, more sick days, recall rights
and work rule improvements.
The 40 members provide ground handling
services for United, Air Inuit and Mexicana
Airlines at Montréal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau
International Airport.
LL1922 secures first
agreement
Mississauga, ON — Members of IAMAW Local
Lodge 1922 have ratified their first collective
agreement with Dylatech Incorporated.
The agreement provides incremental wage
increases totalling $1.40/hour over the life of
the agreement. The current average wage is
$11/hour. Other agreement highlights include
pension contributions, sick days, vacation and
benefit improvements.
The 21 members are machine operators
and painters at two facilities in Mississauga
which manufacture metal fire alarm and
security boxes.
LL1660 members win
new agreement
85% weigh in on pact
New contract at Aramark
Montréal, QC — Members of IAMAW Local
Lodge 2727 weighed their options and decided
to ratify a new collective agreement with
Metler Toledo by an 85% margin. The new
four-year agreement provides wage increases
of 2.25% retroactive to January 1, 2.25% in
the second year, and 2% in third and fourth
years.
“This is a good agreement that provides
Lachine, QC — Members of IAMAW Local
Lodge 1148, employed as cafeteria workers by
Aramark, have a new collective agreement.
The four-year agreement provides for wage
increases of 3%in each of the first two years
and 2.5% in each of the remaining two years.
There are also improvements to clothing
allowances and two additional holidays for
Christmas.
Dana workers win tough fight
for new agreement
Cambridge, ON — Members of IAMAW
Local Lodge 2330 have ratified a new
three-year collective agreement with Dana
Corporation, Thermal Products Division.
Dana Corporation has just emerged from
Chapter 11 in the United States and has been
imposing many concessions during bargaining
throughout the corporation. It came to the
table looking for much of the same from the
workers at the Cambridge facility.
“The bargaining committee led by
IAMAW Local Lodge 2330 President Kim
Valliere is to be commended for averting most
of those concessions, “ said IAMAW Grand
Lodge Representative Colin Cherry. “We did
settle for a wage freeze in the first year to
keep the plant off the radar screen from the
rest of the corporation who had suffered the
same fate or even worse,” added Cherry.
The agreement provides front-end
6
more than just wage increases for the
members,” explained IAMAW District 11
Business Representative Yves Raymond.
Other agreement highlights include
pension and benefits improvements and an
overtime bank. The 44 members service and
maintain commercial weight scales in the
Montréal area.
loading of increased contributions to the
IAM Labour-Management Pension plan of
4.2% in the first year and 4% in the second
year. It also provides for wage increases of
2% in both the second and third years along
with improved contract language. Cherry
called the bargaining extremely tough given
the current state of the automotive sector in
Ontario.
“The
membership
overwhelmingly
supported their committee during these
negotiations,” explained Cherry. “During
negotiations, the membership refused
overtime and wore black every Thursday to
send a clear message to the company that
even though manufacturing in the province
may be in a downturn, they were not willing
to allow their contract to be decimated.”
The 143 members manufacture thermal
parts for the automotive sector.
Lachine, QC — Members of IAMAW Local
Lodge 1660 have a new collective agreement
with Metso de St Laurent Paper Ltée.
The four-year agreement provides wage
increases totalling 11%. Other agreement
highlights include increases in teams premiums
and benefits when laid off, and improved
vacations.
The eleven members maintain and repair
paper manufacturing machinery.
Machinist dies in
industrial accident
Sherbrooke, QC — A tragic industrial accident
has claimed the life of a longtime Machinist.
Roger Desrochers, a 41-year veteran employee
at Sherwood Industries and member of IAMAW
Local Lodge 922, succumbed in hospital Friday
October 24, 2008 following injuries he received
while trying to move a heavy compressor. Workers
were trying to move the compressor with a forklift
when Desrochers became pinned under the heavy
unit. Quebec’s health and safety commission is
currently conducting an investigation.
E c o n o m ic J o u rna l
An economic agenda
for the new parliament
By Louis Erlichman
IAMAW Research Director for Canada
The global economic crisis is at the top of the
agenda for our new parliament. The widespread
financial melt-down, initially triggered by the
US sub-prime mortgage fiasco, has not only hit
our Canadian financial markets, but is having a
big impact on the whole of our economy.
For many Canadian working people,
economic problems are nothing new. Real
wages for most workers have been stagnant
for decades. Our apparent economic “boom” of
recent years didn’t extend much beyond the oil
patch and Bay Street.
Good jobs have been disappearing as Ontario
and Quebec have seen their manufacturing
base steadily erode over the last six years. The
damage has up to now been disguised in the
national statistics by booming prices for oil
and minerals, a strong housing market and a
financial industry pumped up on steroids (and
some smoke and mirrors).
Now, the collapse of world commodity
markets, the popping of the stock market
bubble, and the loss of confidence in the
financial institutions, has revealed the rotten
underpinnings of our economic structure.
The key question for our new parliament
is how to deal with the fundamental problems
now uncovered — making the fundamental
changes necessary, not just papering over some
cracks — and how to do it fairly.
Structural changes
While there are many things that must be
done quickly, so that further damage is limited,
it is essential that we also make some basic
structural changes in the way our economy
works. We didn’t get into this mess overnight.
It took decades of deregulation and trade deals
that gave increasingly unchecked control of our
economy to our corporate elites. It took many
years of government neglect that allowed our
industrial base to disappear. We won’t reverse
it overnight.
First, the government must move quickly
to maintain the liquidity and security of our
financial system, so that individuals and
businesses can keep working. If it is necessary
to inject cash into our financial institutions, the
government should be taking an equity share,
so that Canadian citizens will get a return on
their investment when the economy recovers.
And we must be clear that bail-out funds must
not be used to provide extra perks and golden
parachutes for the corporate elite.
We need to rebuild our unemployment
insurance system, so that most unemployed
workers once more are eligible for benefits.
This is not only fair, but it will sustain our
economy by increasing purchasing power as
people lose their jobs.
We need to re-regulate our financial sector
— to put limits on the excesses of cowboy
capitalism — end crazy CEO payouts, eliminate
investment vehicles so complex and opaque
that even the “professionals” dealing in them
do not understand them. As we are seeing, our
financial markets are too important to all of us
to let them be “self-regulating” — run by people
whose prime interests are to inflate “market”
values and to make themselves richer.
We need a strategy to create good jobs
— to rebuild our manufacturing sector, with
growth in areas like alternative energy. Our
governments need to institute a Buy Canadian
On the other hand, we don’t need more
corporate tax cuts (including the ones
already in the works), that fatten profits
without creating more jobs. Any corporate
tax incentives and grants must be tied to
enforceable commitments to create and
maintain good, long-term Canadian jobs.
The economic downturn must not be an
excuse for cutbacks in important government
programs. In fact, it increases the urgency
of introducing new initiatives like a national
“pharmacare” program, that can actually cut
drug costs. In this economic downturn, we
will have to live with a federal budget deficit
to stimulate our economy.
policy. Ironically, it may be the financial sector
meltdown that finally causes our governments
to notice what is happening in the real
economy.
Strategic investments
We need a longer-term plan for strategic
government investments — particularly to
increase public spending in areas that will
lead to long term productivity improvements
— upgrading roads and bridges, affordable
housing, investments in green jobs.
Active government
A more active government role will force us
to re-assess and renegotiate our participation
in NAFTA and other trade deals designed to
handcuff our governments.
Finally, if we are going to have fairness
through this economic crisis and recovery, we
need to strengthen our trade union movement.
Without strong unions, most working
Canadians will continue to pay an inordinate
price, and the corporate elite will continue to
reap the benefits.
The federal election didn’t change the
composition of parliament much. We can
only hope that the new parliament and new
government will respond more actively to
Canada’s economic challenges than the last
one did.
7
C o nventi o n R ep o rt
The future
IAM Convention delegates set
A delegate’s diary: the Law Committee
By Stan Pickthall, DBR – DL250
Canadian Member, IAMAW Committee on Law
September 17, 2008 — Over the past two weeks, I was provided
with the opportunity to be part of IAM history. I now take this
chance to thank all of the Canadian Machinists who both challenged
and supported me in my role as the Canadian member on the
Machinists Union’s Committee on Law. This committee worked on
the Constitutional Amendments at the recent 37th IAMAW Grand
Lodge Convention in Orlando, FL. It was tough slogging, with a
dues increase being proposed to the membership, but convention
delegates rolled up their sleeves and fashioned a great solution to the
problems we faced.
The IAM‘s Law Committee is a five-member committee that
reviews all propositions on Constitutional Amendments that are
presented to the IAM Convention delegates. This year there were over
150 separate submissions that were put before the Law Committee, all
of which were carefully reviewed and discussed in our meetings. The
committee held a week of meetings at the William W. Winpisinger
Education Center in July, as well as another full week of meetings
prior to the commencement of the IAM Convention.
Proposals for Constitutional Amendments are submitted by Local
Lodges throughout the US and Canada, for consideration at the Grand
Lodge Convention every four years. At our meetings in July, the Law
Committee had the opportunity to review all of the propositions that
had been submitted prior to the June 13 deadline. This deadline is in
accordance with the procedures set forth in the IAM Constitution.
During this week at Placid Harbor, we carefully read through
every proposition, along with the reasons provided by the Lodge that
submitted it. This gave us a chance to familiarize ourselves with the
issues that were important to our membership across the IAM. We also
put the propositions into categories, and gave them each a number so
that they might better be referenced at the GL Convention.
Real work begins
The week prior to Convention was when the real work began. We
again reviewed all of the proposed Constitutional Amendments, and
commenced our deliberations on how we would proceed on each
one. It is the role of the Law Committee to make a recommendation
for either concurrence or non-concurrence on each proposition, and
we had many long debates on these issues. We also began drafting
the commentary language that explained the reasons for our
recommendations.
On the first two days of the Convention the Law Committee held
Pozo honoured in Spanish
Leadership Working Group
Maria Pozo of IAMAW Local Lodge 901 receives her award from
International President Tom Buffenbarger at the recent Grand Lodge
Convention for her efforts with the Spanish Leadership Working
Group. Recognizing the growing diversity in our ranks, the IAM has
been preparing Spanish versions of the popular leadership series
at the IAM Winpisinger Education and Technology Center led by the
Spanish Leadership Working Group.
“They translated all existing Leadership 1 materials, guided the
development of new materials and delivered the first ever Spanish
Leadership 1 Program in 2006,” explained Buffenbarger.
Pozo was an instructor in the Spanish Leadership II class, launched
by the Group in June.
8
C o nventi o n R ep o rt
is strong
the union on a solid footing
open hearings where
members could make
oral submissions on the
proposed amendments.
In total, more than
250 delegates attended
the Law Committee’s
hearings, and we heard
from over 130 individual
speakers on many topics.
During the additional
session we held for the
Canadian delegates, 60–
70 delegates attended,
with at least half of
them providing oral
submissions. To say that these meetings were often heated would be
an understatement — IAM members have very strong opinions, and
voice them firmly.
Clearly, the most important decision tasked to the 1600 delegates
to this year’s Convention was how to position the IAM financially
for the future. It had been 32 years since the current dues structure
had been put into place. There were over 70 proposals on the issue
of dues and per capita increases — with many different variations
on a theme. It was overwhelmingly clear that the vast majority of
submissions proposed some form of change, but that the membership
Orlando set a record for the number of first-time delegates attending
an IAMAW Convention. Out of 1,466 delegates, more than 800 were
first-time participants. The Journal captured the impressions of four
Canadian IAMAW members who were attending their first convention.
“It was impressive just to see how that many
people came together to resolve our issues. It gave
me a better understanding of who was working
for you. Now I can put a face, as it were, to a lot of
what happens on our behalf.”
— Kim Valliere, President
IAMAW Local Lodge 2330
would not support a move to 2% of gross straight-time earnings. This
was further enforced in our hearings, where the majority of members
spoke in favour of a flat increase to Grand Lodge per capita.
Amendment
Ultimately, the flat per capita increase was the solution that was
endorsed on the Convention floor by the delegates to the 37th Grand
Lodge Convention in Orlando. The Convention also supported an
amendment that gave Local Lodges autonomy to set their own dues
rates, in order to responsibly address their own budgets at the Local
Lodge levels. There were many
other proposals discussed and
“It was a very well run event and I was
changes were made in accordance
proud to be a part of it. I didn’t quite know
with the wishes of the delegates.
A full Convention summary can be
what to expect before I got there but I
found on the goiam.org website
wasn’t disappointed. Sure, there were
Once again, I thank all the
different points of view regarding how we
Canadian delegates and the
approach the future, but in the end how we
membership they represent for their
reached a compromise is what I’ll always
support of me in my role on the IAM
remember.”
Law Committee. I look forward to
working with you all again in the
— Bradley Gomes,
future as we continue to build an
IAMAW Local Lodge 2323
ever-stronger Machinists Union.
Stay rock solid!
9
C o nventi o n R ep o rt
Delegates approve
new dues structure
Strong feelings on both sides
of the issue lead to compromise
Orlando, FL – From the moment the gavel
came down to call the Convention to order
on September 7, 2008, there was a palpable
tension amongst the delegates — the air was
heavy with a sense of change. With each of the
1,466 elected delegates (for more than 800 of
them this was their first convention) one issue
mattered above all others — approving a new
dues structure that they could take back to
their membership.
“Our union is at a crossroads,” declared
International President Tom Buffenbarger.
“We have a heavy responsibility to bear.”
A comprehensive financial report from
General Secretary-Treasurer Warren Mart laid
out the nuts and bolts of the union’s operating
costs for the past four years.
“We have to face the fact that our union
has paid a high price to outlast our adversaries
this long,” said Mart, who detailed the effects
of a “perfect storm” of falling membership
numbers, rampant outsourcing and corporate
bankruptcies. Battling bankrupt airlines
from both sides of the border on behalf of its
members has cost the IAM more than $10
million since 2001.
“What impressed me was
the passion displayed by the
membership on the various
issues. These delegates took
their responsibilities very
seriously and the content of
the debates showed that to me.
I was also impressed by the
quality of the speakers brought
in to talk to us.”
— Sansoye Sanjit,
IAMAW Local Lodge 1295
A new strategy
Despite significant cost-cutting measures at
every level of the union, it was clear the union
needed a new financial strategy to survive.
A plan dubbed the Program for Progress,
crafted by delegates at the 1976 Convention,
had outlived its intended life-span and needed
serious updating.
For two days, the atmosphere on the
convention floor over this issue matched the
weather outside — high winds and heavy rains
were interspersed by brief periods of sunshine
as three hurricanes skirted around Orlando
during the debate.
Law Committee Secretary Randy Canale
reported on the Law Committee’s review of
Canadian Office and Field
Staff receive service awards
Years of service and dedication by Canadian Office and Field Staff
were recognized at the 37th IAMAW Convention in Orlando.
Among the recipients, from left to right, were Dave Ritchie, GVP – 35
years; Jim Nugent, GLR – 40 years; Brian Beaton, GLR – 30 years;
Colin Cherry, GLR – 30 years; Heather Kelley, GLR – 25 years; Roy
Locke, GLR – 25 years; Carlos DaCosta, Airline Coordinator – 30 years;
Gilles Brosseau, Quebec Coordinator – 30 years; Bill Shipman, GLR
– 30 years; Tom Lee, Administrative Assistant – 35 years; Brian Short,
GLR – 35 years; Gerald Tremblay, GLR – 25 years; and Louis Erlichman,
Research Director for Canada – 30 years.
10
C o nventi o n R ep o rt
the 74 proposals submitted by local lodges as
well as a proposal by the Executive Council.
“Of the 75 proposals submitted, only
five disagreed completely with the need for
any form of financial fix,” said Canale, who
commended the IAM’s year-long effort to
fully engage members across Canada and the
US in the debate over financing the union.
The Law Committee’s first proposal called
for an increase to the Grand Lodge per capita
tax base rate of $5 per month in 2009, with a
second increase of $1 in 2011. Future annual
per capita increases would be based on the
Consumer Price Index (CPI). The proposal
would also eliminate most special dispensations
and allow locals and districts to set their own
dues rates and collection methods.
Strong feelings
Delegates lined up at the microphones to
express their strong feelings on both sides
of the issue resulting in a vote to recommit
the Law Committee proposal for further
study. There was little doubt that all of the
delegates were committed trade unionists and
a compromise was reached the following day.
By a resounding voice vote, the delegates
approved the Law Committee’s revised
proposal that takes into account the needs
expressed by delegates and lodges to keep
the current method of calculating the Grand
Lodge per capita tax increases for two years
before shifting to an average of the US and
Canadian CPI.
To keep the IAM financially strong,
delegates approved a one-time increase of $4
in 2009 Grand Lodge per capita tax. Together
with the normal weighted average estimated
increase of 3.02%, or 78 cents, the total
increase for 2009 is $4.78, or the equivalent of
just 2.76 cents per hour.
There will be a normal percentage increase
on the hourly average wage on a union-wide
base estimated 80 cents in 2010. In 2011,
“The videos each morning were
terrific, they were so impressive,
that huge screen was perfect. When
I went to the mike to defend our
support for the Parti Québécois, even
if they had a different viewpoint, they
complimented me on speaking up on
the issue. I am proud that my union
supports my right to defend the party
of my choice.”
— Louise Michaud,
IAMAW Local Lodge 869
there is to be a one-time increase of $2 on
the per capita base plus the combined CPI of
Canada and the United States. In 2012, and
every January thereafter, the Grand Lodge’s
per capita shall be increased by the combined
CPI’s of Canada and the US.
Local Lodges will have the ability to set
their own dues rates and collection methods
based on their own needs. Also, provisions
remain for the international president to grant
special dispensations in certain circumstances.
VP Ritchie
honoured for
35 years’ service
Canadian GVP Dave Ritchie was presented
with his 35-year IAMAW service award at the
Orlando convention. On Dave’s right is Warren
Mart, IAMAW General Secretary-Treasurer
and on his left is Tom Buffenbarger, IAMAW
International President.
Surge in membership earns
DL 78 an award at Orlando
Orlando, FL – The Grand Lodge of the International Association of
Machinists and Aerospace Workers honoured District Lodge 78 for
bringing 280 new members into its ranks in the past year. In 2005, the IAM
set a goal for each District Lodge to organize 250 new members per year
in an effort to grow the union. District 78 was one of three District Lodges
to be honoured at the 37th Grand Lodge Convention.
L to R: Accepting the award on behalf of the District Lodge 78 organizing
team is Directing Business Representative Gary Hynes along with
Canadian General Vice-President Dave Ritchie and International
President Tom Buffenbarger.
11
Uni o n E d u cati o n
Scholarship Competition:
2009 Guidelines
The scholarship competition is open each year to members
of the IAM and their children throughout the United States
and Canada.
Scholarships for a Bachelor’s degree or a two-year
vocational/technical certification are determined in a
competition among eligible applicants that is judged by an
independent Selection Committee.
Awards to Members are $2,000 per academic year.
They are granted for a specific period from one to
four years leading to a Bachelor’s degree or a twoyear vocational/technical certification.
Awards to Children of Members are: College
— $1,000 per academic year. All awards are
renewed each year until a Bachelor’s degree
is obtained or for a maximum of four
years, whichever occurs first. Vocational/
Technical School — $2,000 per year until
certification is reached or for a maximum
of two years, whichever occurs first.
Eligibility for Competition
An applicant must be either: an IAM member, or the
son, daughter, stepchild or legally adopted child of
an IAM member.
A Member Applicant
Must have one living parent with two years’
continuous goodstanding membership up to and
including the closing date of February 27, 2009;
must be planning to graduate during the winter
or by the end of the spring 2009 school year (i.e.,
normally a high school senior or completing the
last year of college preparatory work); and will be
eligible if the parent died after the son or daughter entered
high school if the parent had two years of “continuous goodstanding membership” at the time of death. A “continuous
good-standing membership” is understood to be a period of
membership during which the member continuously has paid
monthly dues uninterrupted by withdrawal cards. The IAM
member must maintain continuous goodstanding membership
throughout the life of the award.
Scholarships Not Available
• to applicants who do not intend to work without interruption
for a Bachelor’s degree or completion of a vocational/technical
school certification,
• to members’ children who are attending or have already
attended college or vocational/technical school,
• to children of members on the payroll of the Grand Lodge,
• to graduate students,
• to applicants who do not plan to enroll in an accredited college
or vocational/technical school.
How to Apply
There are three different Application Packets: one for children
of members (college); one for children of members (vocational/
technical school) and one for members (either).
To be valid, an application must be submitted on the appropriate
form. Application Packets for the 2009 competition may be
obtained by writing to the IAM Scholarship Program, indicating
whether applicant is a member, or the child of a member.
For complete 2009 Scholarship
Competition Guidelines, visit:
www.goiam.org/iamscholarship
Request for IAM Scholarship Application Packet
Please send me an Application Packet for the 2009 IAM Scholarship Competition. If the proper packet is not received within 30 days, advise me immediately. I understand that this
request is not an application, and that the Application Packet must be completed and postmarked no later than February 27, 2009.
REMINDER: Please check the appropriate box of the three listed below and the requested application will be mailed to you. As an IAM member who will have two years’ continuous
membership in the IAM as of February 27, 2009, I am requesting an Application Packet for
IMPORTANT: Complete this coupon and enclose a self-addressed LABEL for reply.
(Do not send self-addressed envelope.)
IAM Scholarship Program
9000 Machinists Place, Room 117
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772-2687
Mail to the address on the right:
If you do not qualify under the above requirements, please do not send in this coupon. No exceptions can be made to the rules.