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2005 Archived District 725 Events
(Please note that some of the hyperlinks below may be out of date)
 

Give the Gift of Good Jobs – Buy Union
Tuesday December 13, 2005

Holiday shoppers can support good jobs this year by supporting the AFL-CIO’s “Buy Union Week,” until December 4. Everyone who is in a union or supports a union are urged to make at least one purchase this holiday season from The Union Shop by visiting special Internet websites that specialize in selling union-made clothing and other items.

Stay informed. The following web sites are updated every day:

STRIKE HOTLINE UPDATED DAILY:

1 (888) IAM-AW05
1 (888) 426-2905

For more information, contact Area 3 Director Gladys Mason at (714) 898-9141
 

IAM Local Lodge 2024 web site reported on rumors that the some unidentified IAM representative refused to meet with Boeing Company officials. Click here to read the report from IAM LL 44 in Decaur, AL.
 

A Boeing laptop containing personal information of more than 160,000 current and former Boeing employees was stolen from a non-Boeing worksite. The laptop contains Social Security numbers, birth dates and banking information of employees. The company is notifying employees by email if their information was in the laptop. It is unclear why the information was on a laptop at a non-Boeing work site.

Information regarding this information is posted at the DL 725 Area 3 Hall at 5402 Bolsa Ave, Huntington Beach, CA. For more information, contact Area 3 Director Gladys Mason at (714) 898-9141
 

The IAM is charging the Boeing Company with circumventing critical safety regulations in an attempt to meet launch deadlines for NASA’s plutonium-powered New Horizons mission.

There are personnel currently working on this project at Cape Canaveral, Florida who do not meet Air Force requirements for hazardous operations such as cranes, tools and test equipment. At particular risk is the Pluto-bound New Horizons mission, planned for a January launch, carrying 24 pounds of highly-radioactive plutonium.

IAM-represented technicians employed by Boeing at Cape Canaveral struck on November 2 after Boeing proposed massive concessions in health care for current and future employees. The same proposals led to a costly 4-week strike at Boeing’s Commercial Aircraft facilities in Kansas, Oregon and Washington.

Boeing’s practice of using inexperienced replacement workers is a recipe for disaster, warned IAM representatives. The Air Force’s Range Safety department at the Cape has already issued two Corrective Action Reports — both in the first week of the strike. The Air Force threatened to shut down the project if one more CAR is issued.

On November 10, 2005, IAM members at Boeing's Huntington Beach facility in California held a rally to highlight the strike issues that have sent nearly 1,800 workers to the picket lines.

Machinists working at Boeing's Rocket Space and Defense Facilities in California, Alabama and Florida have been on strike since November 2nd.

The decision was made after the company put forth its last best and final offer that included takeaways in existing employee medical expenses and future retiree medical coverage.

Click here to watch the IAM Video.

The IAM web site features a new Boeing Strike section. Click here to visit the IAM web site.

STRIKE HOTLINE UPDATED DAILY:

1 (888) IAM-AW05
1 (888) 426-2905

Stay informed. Stay updated on issues as they develop. The following web sites are updated every day:

For more information, contact Area 3 Director Gladys Mason at (714) 898-9141

Come join us for an old fashioned Union Rally to support IAM members on Strike at Boeing.

Where:  IAM District 725 Headquarters
                5402 Bolsa Avenue
                Huntington Beach

When:    Thursday November 10, 2005
                2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Keynote speakers will include: Gary Holt, IAM DL 725 President/DBR; Lee Pearson, General Vice President; George Kourpias, former IAM International President and current President of the National Alliance of Retired Americans;
Dick Schneider, IAM Aerospace Coordinator; Mark Blondin, IAM DL 751 President/DBR and Art Pulaski, Executive ST of the California Federation of Labor.

Boeing posted over ONE BILLION DOLLARS in net income over the last year, and now they want to maximize their profits off the backs of the working people.

Come raise your voice for fairness and equity. Join us at the rally!

IAM District 725 members employed by Boeing in Huntington Beach, Torrance and Vandenber AFB continue to walk the picket lines. The stiking members welcome the support of all union members and their families on the lines. Please take an hour of your time to join your brothers and sisters in their struggle for social and economic justice.

For the most up-to-date information regarding the strike, please check the web sites listed below:

For more information, contact Area 3 Director Gladys Mason at (714) 898-9141

Nearly a thousand IAM union activists from all over the US and Canada gathered in Chicago on October 5th for the start of a three day, first ever, Organizing Summit.

The agenda for this historic event was a bit of a change from usual conferences.  It was filled with hands on, interactive meetings, workshops and motivational guest speakers that interacted with the crowd.

Delegates came to share their ideas and stories, talk about the obstacles they’ve faced in past organizing campaigns and explore new opportunities for the future.

The number one goal is to build a stronger, larger union.

At the conclusion of the summit, participants had delivered 464 solid organizing leads and 35 GB of ideas, suggestions and action plans for them to take back home.

Click here to watch an IAM video about the event.

Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks passed away at the age of 92 on Monday. It was Parks refusal to surrender her bus seat to a white rider more than 50 years ago that helped launch the modern civil rights movement.

Click here to watch an IAM video about Rosa Parks.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

IAM MEMBERSHIP CONSOLIDATED VOTING RESULTS OF OCTOBER 23, 2005 FROM VANDENBERG, HUNTINGTON BEACH, FLORIDA, EDWARDS TORRANCE, AND C-13

Your Negotiating Committee coordinated voting at all locations mentioned above in order to assure that the voting process occurred at the same time. Those Members that were TDY away from their normal locations were all afforded the opportunity to vote at the area they were sent.

Votes are counted over all due to the fact all three locations are part of a single master collective bargaining agreement. For this reason the votes were pooled together.

After the polls closed and the ballots were counted, the results are as follows:

The Boeing Last, Best, and Final Offer, was rejected.

The over all Membership authorized your IAM Negotiating Committee to call a Strike when and if necessary. The Membership voted by 85 % to authorize a strike.

Your Committee wishes to thank all Members for their support. Additional information will be forthcoming soon.

For your convenience, you may refer to the following Local lodge Websites:
 

The final regularly scheduled District Lodge 725 Delegate Body meeting will be held on Saturday October 15, 2005 in Huntington Beach, California. The meeting will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m.

The third regularly scheduled District Lodge 725 Delegate Body meeting will be held on Saturday July 16, 2005 in Huntington Beach, California. The meeting will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m.

The District Lodge 725 Executive Board meeting will be held on Thursday July 7, 2005 in Huntington Beach, California. The meeting will begin promptly at 10:30 a.m.

The IAM has prevailed against an Auto Nation dealership, again.  Power Ford, of Torrance, CA, has been directed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to post a notice of settlement in thirteen separate cases where the IAM filed charges against Power Ford for violating Federal Labor Laws.  The violations occurred during the initial organizing drive where workers voted to join the IAM, as well as during the subsequent negotiations between the IAM and the Auto Nation dealership.

The NLRB ordered Power Ford to pay back wages to five employees hurt by the illegal actions of the Auto Nation dealership.  Power Ford also has to remove any records of discipline taken against ten employees; the discipline was found to be retaliation for employee support of the IAM.
The settlement states that federal law protects workers rights to join a union.  The posting lists of restrictions on Power Ford, stating that they:

WILL NOT interfere with employees exercising their rights

WILL NOT refuse to bargain collectively with the IAMAW

WILL NOT refuse to provide the IAM with relevant and timely information

On Wednesday, June 8, 2005 District Lodge 725 lost not only our Secretary-Treasurer, but a friend and advocate when Paul Hansen passed away. He was only 48 years old.

Brother Hansen was a life-long activist who believed in making the world a better place for all working people. He served our Union in many leadership positions over the years, including LL 906 Shop Steward, Negotiator, Chief Shop Steward, LL 906 President, and DL 725 Delegate. He was elected District Lodge 725 Secretary-Treasurer in 2001 and served until his death in 2005.

Paul was always willing to lend a hand and a smile to any project. We will miss his sense of humor, his quick wit and his practical approach to life. We wish to extend our condolences and deepest sympathy to Paul's wife Peggy and their family.

Per Brother Hansen's request, no funeral services will be held. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to express sympathy may do so by sending them to our Area 2 Office located at 1512 E. Holt Blvd., Ontario, CA 91761.

On Friday, May 6, 2005 the labor movement lost one of our best and brightest leaders; Miguel Contreras, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. He was only 52 years old.

Brother Contreras was a humble man who dedicated his life to making the world a better place for others. Both his parents were migrant farm workers in California's central valley. His family became active in the United Farm Worker's Union and Miguel spent his youth organizing, agitating for change and participating in the UFW's boycotts in the 1970's. He became an organizer for the UFW and organized lettuce workers in San Francisco before he was hired as a national organizer for the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union and relocated to Los Angeles. In 1994 Miguel accepted a full-time position as Political Director for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, and went to work rebuilding the solidarity and political clout of LA's union movement. By the time he was elected Executive Secretary-Treasurer in 1996, LA's Unions were a force to be reckoned with once again.

A viewing will be held on Wednesday May 11, 2005 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., followed by a Rosary from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Saint Vincent's Church, 621 West Adams Boulevard (on the corner of Figueroa and Adams Streets) in Los Angeles.

A memorial service will take place on Thursday May 12, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 West Temple Street (between Grand and Hill Streets) in Los Angeles. A reception will follow from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Miguel will be buried on Saturday in his hometown of Dinuba.

We wish to extend our condolences to his wife Maria Elena Durazo and his sons Michael and Mario.

For more information regarding these memorial services, please contact the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor at (213) 381-5611.

The IAM will hold a special ceremony on April 28th at the William W. Winpisinger Center in Hollywood, Maryland to honor members who died on the job. The memorial service will take place at the IAM Workers' Memorial Lighthouse, where fallen workers are immortalized with individual bricks bearing their name and date of their death.

The first Workers Memorial Day was observed in 1989. April 28th was chosen because it is the anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the day of a similar remembrance in Canada. Each year more than 60,000 workers die from job injuries and illnesses and another 6 million are injured. We still have a lot of work to do.

Occupational Health and Safety Spotlight -- Remember the "Radium Girls"

Mass Media & Environmental Conflict -- Radium Girls
Historical research concerning occupational radiation poisoning in the 1920s.

Radium Watch Dial Patterns X-ray Vintage Watches Radioactive
Radium watch dial painters. X-Ray pictures of vintage watch dials and hands.

Radium Girls: Lessons From The Past
It was the early days of radium. The watch dial companies rejected the claims that radium had caused the illnesses. Government regulators felt that existing evidence did not justify further investigation.

Workers Memorial Day flier/fact sheet in English, Spanish and in color;

Workers Memorial Day poster in English and Spanish;

Mourn for the Dead, Fight for the Living

Good Jobs, Safe Jobs—Protect Workers Now;

Bush administration puts health and safety in the deep freeze;

Workers Memorial Day proclamation;

Fact sheet on Workers Memorial Day;
Safe Jobs: Keep on Fighting, a two page flier from  America@work.

The second regularly scheduled District Lodge 725 Delegate Body meeting will be held on Saturday April 16, 2005 in Huntington Beach, California. The meeting will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m.

On Sunday February 27, 2005 the Union Negotiating Committees representing IAM members from Palmdale, CA, Sunnyvale, CA and Santa Cruz, CA presented a proposed three-year contract with Lockheed Martin to the membership for their approval. An overwhelming 88% majority of Local Lodge 727-P members present voted to accept the contract in Palmdale, and 60% of Local Lodge 2228 in Sunnyvale, CA and Local Lodge 2230 members in Santa Cruz, CA voted to accept the new agreement. IAM members from Local Lodge 610 in Cape Canaveral, FL and Local Lodge 2786 in Santa Maria, CA also voted by a 60% margin to accept the proposed agreement, but IAM members from Local Lodge 709 in Marietta, GA voted to reject the proposal and voted again to authorize strike action against Lockheed Martin.

Highlights of the new three-year contract covering employees in CA are as follows:

10% in General Wage Increases (GWI) over the life of the agreement; 4% GWI payable March 2005, 3% GWI  payable March 2006 & 3% GWI payable March 2007.

Defined Pension Benefit increased from $56.00 per month per credited year of service to $66.00 per month per credited year of service effective March 2, 2005.

401(k) Retirement Savings Plan improvements: Employer matching contributions increased from $53.00 max to $58.00 max.

 $1,500.00 Ratification Bonus payable within 60 days of February 27, 2005.

COLA Supplement increase: $700.00 payable December 2005, $700.00 payable December 2006 & $700.00 payable December 2007.

COLA fold-in will increase pay rates in January 2006, January 2007 & January 2008.

Recall rights increased from 60 months to 72 months.

Basic Benefit Plan improvements: Company will pay $55.00 per quarter - a $5.00 per quarter increase.

Increased Bridging from $23.00 to $26.00.

Improved Union Security language.

Or click on the links below to visit the official Local Lodge websites:

• IAM Local Lodge 727-P
• IAM Local Lodge 2228

The Labor movement has lost a true journeyman.  Frank Souza passed away on Saturday morning, February 19 2005.  Frank was a long-time member of the Machinists union, having been initiated as a member in August of 1953.

All of us who knew Frank and Virginia, his wife, couldn't help but be enveloped by their generosity, humor and kindness.

GVP Lee Pearson said, "Frank Souza was a fine champion for all workers.  When I was coming up through the ranks as a Representative for the IAM, he was always there to give guidance and support.  He was always there for me to lean on.  He was quick to give a hug and a kind word, or a kick to the seat of the pants. He always put the members first, and I will personally miss having his counsel and friendship".

Frank Sousa, served for twelve years as the District Business Representative for IAM & AW District Lodge 190, in the San Francisco area.  He retired in 1989, but always told everyone who would be lucky enough to be around, that "you can retire from the company but you can never retire from the union."

On the occasion of his retirement, Brother Souza was honored by California Senator Alan Cranston with the following statements which are in the Congressional Record for April 04, 1989 (Page S3226). In speaking to the Senate Cranston remarked: Mr. President, it's always a pleasure to pay tribute to someone who has devoted a career to working for justice and equality and a better life for others. Frank Souza, who on April 8 will be honored by the Machinists' Unions for 36 active years in the labor movement, can make such a claim.

Initiated on August 26, 1953, into the Machinists Union, Frank has served as California's District Lodge No. 190 as directing business representative since 1977. Throughout his career, Frank has been a leader in the struggle to achieve full employment, safe working conditions, and decent wages for all Americans.

The American labor movement has been and continues to be a powerful force for equality, justice, civil rights, and social progress. I am proud of many years of working shoulder to shoulder with the movement and its leaders like Frank in striving to attain our mutually cherished goal of a decent life for every American. Frank Souza is a great fighter for the rights of working people everywhere. He, his family, and friends can be proud of his lifetime commitment to realizing our Constitution's fundamental promise: that of life, of liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for every American. I wish him much success and good will in all he'll go on to do.

Frank Sousa lived his entire adult life as a Machinist. He had worked his way up through the ranks, from apprentice to journeyman machinist.  Beyond his skills at a craftsperson, Frank showed intelligence and heart.  Very early in his working life, he began to exhibit the traits that led him to become a trusted and valued union leader. Frank served as shop steward, moved through a succession of local union positions and then took on ever more demanding leadership roles in his district lodge.

His leadership was recognized throughout the labor movement. Frank Sousa served as a delegate to AFL-CIO conventions, chaired
the Western States Trucking Committee for the National Auto Transporters, was the chairman for the Sea Land west coast negotiations committee and, from his position as vice president, led the California Labor Federation for the AFL-CIO.

Respect cannot be given, only earned. Frank Sousa's long service earned him the respect, admiration and love of the 650,000
Americans and Canadians who belong to his union, his Machinists Union. They knew he fought for them. He fought for a better life for
us all. And they stood in awe of Frank Sousa.

We miss you Frank.  We offer our prayers and support to his family, and all those who knew and loved him.

Keep up to date with the latest from the bargaining table. Click the link below to visit the IAM Aerospace Department webpage for IAM-Lockheed Martin coordinated bargaining updates:

http://goiam.org/lockheed/

IAM Local Lodge 727-P
IAM Local Lodge 2228

The IAM's i-Mail is an Internet based communication tool that was launched recently. IAM members can receive a short email containing a hyperlink to the most recent news items involving IAM members, Local Lodges and District Lodges. Published once or twice a week, i-Mail also highlights the best web sites in the labor movement. Don't delay, sign up for i-Mail today!
 

The first regularly scheduled District Lodge 725 Delegate Body meeting will be held on Saturday January 15, 2005 in Huntington Beach, California. The meeting will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m.

The District Lodge 725 Executive Board meeting will be held on Thursday January 6, 2005 in Huntington Beach, California. The meeting will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m.

The District Lodge 725 Executive Board meeting will be held on Thursday January 6, 2005 at  the Area 3 Office in Huntington Beach, California. The meeting will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m.

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