IAMAW Local Lodge 692

A private members bill to extend employment insurance sickness benefits from 15 to 52 weeks was introduced by the New Democrat MP for New Westminster-Coquitlam, Fin Donnelly, in Ottawa. For more information look under the Political Action Tab

Check out the new Video Resource Page where you will find the “Machinists News Network”.

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

9000 Machinists Place
Upper Marlboro. Maryland 20772-2687
OFFICE OF THE INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT
GL-2 Communications
January 25,2010
Subj: 2010 lAM Photography Contest
To:     All District Lodge Presidents and Secretary-Treasurers and Local Lodge Presidents and Recording Secretaries
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
This is the official announcement of the 2010 lAM Photography Contest. It is open to all lAM members in good standing. Photo entries should catch lAM members at work in un-posed photos. Winning entries will win a cash prize and will appear in the 2011 lAM Calendar. Two dollars from each calendar sale is donated to Guide Dogs of America.
Photos may be in film or digital format. However, digital photos must be shot with at least a three-megapixel camera and must be set at the ”fine” setting.
There is no fee for participating in the Contest, and the deadline for entries is June 1,2010. Winners will be announced in Fall 2010.
Members can download the complete contest entry package by going to http://www. goiam.org/photocontest, or request one by mail to:
lAM Photography Contest Communications Department 9000 Machinists Place
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772-2687
Good luck!
In solidarity,
!
fi”~~
R. Thomas Buffenbarger International President

More information to follow

Sisters and Brothers:

Hi all! I just wanted to forward this link to everyone: www.redcross.ca/CLC

The IAMAW has stood behind many causes over the years, including many successful campaigns for the United Way at workplaces where our members work. The Haiti Earthquake tragedy we have watched on our screens over the past few weeks is certainly a cause worth donating to.

I used the link above and was able to make a donation in the space of just 5 minutes – I encourage all to do the same. The link is to donate through a Canadian Labour Congress page at the RED CROSS.

And every dollar is matched by the Canadian Government.

Finally, the donation is tax-deductible and my tax receipt was emailed to me within minutes of making the donation.

Stan Pickthall, DBR

Sisters and Brothers:

Happy New Year!

On behalf of the Officers, Business Representatives, and staff of Northwest District 250, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best for the 2010. We have made it through 2009 – one of our most difficult years on record – and we take this opportunity to thank all of you for your ongoing support and solidarity.

In the coming year, we will all do our best to survive the Winter Olympics, and will seek opportunity to grow our membership in new ways. We are now seeing the signs of economic recovery, and business economists are predicting a turn-around in employment for workers in all sectors.

With the Christmas Season behind us, there has been time for us to reflect upon the hardships we endured through 2009. Certainly, for all of us as a Union, this was the most challenging year of this decade. We saw our membership drop significantly as the impact of the recession hit hard – especially in our manufacturing and heavy industry sectors. IAM-represented workers were laid off across most sectors where we represent them (the exception being our automotive sector, where there is still moderate demand for Automotive Technicians). Membership levels were reduced by 10-15%, with a corresponding reduction in operating revenue for our District. In many other workplaces we saw our membership enter into EI-sponsored workshare agreements.

With the loss of membership in 2009, your Business Representatives and secretarial staff both undertook substantial cost-saving initiatives (elimination of auto allowances and work-sharing arrangements, respectively), and the Local Lodges increased their contributions returned to the District – all in an effort to maintain our levels of service to our membership. At the same time, it was a heavy year for negotiations and grievances – with many employers seeking concessions. We bargained dozens of automotive and small shop agreements; and we bargained for over six consecutive months with Finning (concluding negotiations with a zero-cost agreement, but with no concessions).

In 2010 we are looking towards building our District Union back up, and we are seeking your help. In the IAMAW organizing is our number one priority.

We know that our Unionized workplaces have been difficult for our members, even with first class IAMAW representation. We also know that there are many non-Union workplaces where the employees do not have any representation at all, and in those workplaces employees are at the whims of their employers.

They have no seniority, no paid benefits, no job security, and no assurance of a living wage rate. They have no assurance of respect and dignity in their workplaces. In summary, they have no guarantees whatsoever.

We know that many of you have friends and family members who have been treated unfairly in their workplace; we also know that you would like to help them.

Introduce them to IAM District 250; we can help them to organize their own Union and gain strong, professional representation as IAM members with a solid Collective Agreement. Their anonymity is assured, and we will do all we can to build for them a better workplace. We also know that many of your co-workers have been laid off in the past year, and now find themselves in those same no-union workplaces – we want to help them get back to the IAM.

Please contact your own Business Rep or our District 250 offices at the numbers shown on this letter for more information. Once again, best wishes for success in 2010. We look forward to working with you all in the coming year.

Stay Rock Solid!

Stan Pickthall

Directing Business Representative

Merry Christmas to all members and friends of the IAMAW. May next year bring you all the happiness you desire. Best wishes from your Executive Board and have a safe holiday.

For the full story look under Political Action

Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm at the Justice Institute.

Registration 8:30 am

Join Labour and friends between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM.  Located at 3350 Victoria Dr., Vancouver, B.C.

Sponsored by the B.C. Fed. and the Canadian Labour council.

Decided to go with Corel Video Studio Pro X2 for a couple of reasons, one being that it is  usable on slower computers to a point. There is a learning curve so please be patient, my first attempt needs a lot of polish.