The final
draft of an
independent
report on the
future of the
U.S. space
program finds
significant
shortcomings in
the plan to
restructure NASA
as proposed by
President Obama.
The report,
issued this week
by the Center
for Strategic
and
International
Studies (CSIS),
faults the
president’s
reliance on
commercial
launch
capabilities as
being “issued
without an
executable
strategy, the
absence of which
may render
accomplishment
of the policy’s
goals
problematic.”
The report also
cited concerns
that a
commercialized
space program
would not meet
needs and
expectations of
the U.S.
military, which
relies on NASA
for access,
launch and
maintenance of
space-based
assets.
“Problems
identified
earlier with
government
support for the
commercial space
launch industry
that provides
major support
for U.S.
national
security
interests have
not been
addressed in the
Obama
administration’s
new National
Space Policy,
and threaten
future military
operations if
they are not
addressed,” said
the CSIS study.
Meanwhile,
United Space
Alliance, NASA's
prime contractor
for preparing
the space
shuttles for
flight, followed
through on a
layoff
announcement
made earlier
this month with
furlough
notifications to
902 workers in
Florida, 478 in
Texas and 14 in
Alabama.
While additional
terminations are
possible, the
exact number of
workers will
depend on
Congress’ final
budget for NASA,
says District
166 DBR Johnny
Walker. “The IAM
has been leading
the fight to
preserve our
nation’s space
industry since
President Obama
first announced
plans for
cancelling the
shuttle and
hitching rides
to space with
Russia,” says
Walker. “We’ll
continue to
fight for our
members, their
jobs and
communities.”
Click
here
to send a
message to
Congress to
support
America’s manned
space program.
Tell Congress to Invest in
Maritime Infrastructure Projects
Thursday July 29, 2010
Legislation in the House and Senate could
jump-start investment in the nation’s maritime
infrastructure and create thousands of
good-paying jobs.
Click
here to tell
Congress to invest in America’s maritime
industry. In 1986, Congress established the
Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT), a user fee for
deep draft coastal ports and harbors that is
meant to fund navigation infrastructure. Since
2003, HMT collections have far exceeded funds
appropriated for harbor maintenance, resulting
in a large and growing surplus in the trust
fund.
Legislation in Congress, House of
Representatives Bill 4844 and Senate Bill 3213,
will ensure that the government uses the funds
in the HMT trust fund for their original purpose
and not raid it for other uses like funding
Bush-era tax cuts for wealthy Americans.
Investing in America’s maritime infrastructure
will create good paying, sustainable union jobs,
maintain and expand the Maritime Highway System
and provide a sound transportation system as a
foundation for future economic growth.
Urge your Representative and Senators to move
quickly to pass H.R. 4844 and S. 3213 to restore
the Maritime Highway System. Click
here for more
information on the HMT trust fund and the Joint
Seaway Task Force.
District 725 Delegate Body Meeting
Saturday July 17, 2010
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 11:00 a.m.
The third regularly scheduled District Lodge 725 Delegate Body meeting of
the year will be held on Saturday July 17, 2010 in Rancho Cucamonga,
California. The meeting will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m.
It's Not the Heat -- It's The Stupidity
Thursday July 8, 2010
It's not the heat
in
DC that's bothering me, it's the economic stupidity of blocking
unemployment insurance extensions for those who are suffering and denying
aid to states in need. State aid is needed to save critical jobs for teachers,
firefighters,
police officers and nurses.
It's tragic.
Almost 15 million of America's working men and women are unemployed--26 million
counting the underemployed--andnearly half of all the jobless have
been out of work for more than six months. Families are stretched to the
limit and state budgets are under incredible strain, putting hundreds of
thousands more jobs in danger.
Yet the Republicans in Congress repeatedly have blocked efforts to take action,
create jobs and rebuild our battered economy.
There is nothing more important than creating and saving jobs, and we need
Congress to act now. In less than four months, every single member of the
House of Representatives and other elected leaders will face you, the
voters. Your voice and your vote are more powerful than ever.
Take time to make sure your elected officials know you demand concrete action to
rebuild our economy and create jobs now...or they may not be elected officials
anymore. So raise your voice, and join me in our fight for good jobs: Text
JOBS to 225568.
In solidarity,
Richard Trumka
AFL-CIO President
WTO Rules Airbus Got Billions
in Illegal Subsidies
Thursday
July 1, 2010
In an historic
decision that
underscores what
Machinists have
known for years,
the World Trade
Organization (WTO)
declared that
every Airbus
program for the
last 40 years
has benefited
from billions in
illegal
subsidies from
European
governments,
causing serious
financial harm
to the U.S.
commercial
aircraft
industry.
"The
WTO has ruled
that Airbus has
used illegal
government
subsidies for
more than 40
years to become
the world’s
largest maker of
commercial jets
– and it does so
as Airbus
continues to use
those subsidies
to roll out new
planes," said
Washington
Democratic Sen.
Patty Murray at
a Capitol Hill
press conference
to applaud the
WTO ruling. “They ruled
that France,
Germany and
Spain provided
more than one
billion euros in
infrastructure
and
infrastructure-related
grants between
1989 and 2001—as
well as another
billion in share
transfers and
equity infusions
to Airbus.”
While the WTO
decision is
likely to be
appealed by
Airbus, the
ruling will
certainly fuel
the controversy
over efforts by
Airbus to win
the contract for
a new Air Force
refueling
tanker. The WTO
report concludes
that without
illegal
subsidies,
Airbus could not
have developed
its Airbus
A330-200 tanker
platform "without
significantly
higher costs."
The U.S.
government
estimates that
Airbus received
financial
assistance from
European
taxpayers worth
more than
$200 billion.
The WTO report
was unequivocal
in describing
the overall
impact of the
illegal
subsidies: "Even in the
unlikely event
that Airbus
would have been
able to enter
the (large jet)
market as a
non-subsidized
competitor, we
are confident
that it would
not have
achieved the
market presence
it did,” said
the report. “It
would have been
a "much
different, and
we believe a
much weaker,
(large jet)
manufacturer"
and the
U.S. commercial
jet industry "at a minimum
... would have
had a larger
market share.”
U.S. lawmakers
and labor
leaders have
already begun to
call on
President Obama
to ensure that
Europe complies
with the WTO
ruling and to
take into
account Airbus’
unfair
competitive
advantage in the
KC-X tanker
competition.
“The
president has
the ability to
instruct the
secretary of
defense to do
the right thing
here,”
said
Headquarters GVP
Rich Michalski,
who took part in
the Capitol Hill
press
conference.
St. Louis
& Wichita Vote Results
Tuesday June 29, 2010
Members of
District 837 in
St. Louis, MO
voted 1,237 to
838 to ratify a
revised
agreement with
the Boeing
Company that
provides for a
$5000 lump sum
and three
percent annual
wage hikes
starting in the
second year. The
four and a half
year contract
also calls for
workers hired
after January
2012 to get a
401(k) savings
plan rather than
a defined
benefit pension
plan.
Following an
earlier
rejection and
strike
authorization
vote by members,
Boeing removed
language that
would have
dropped an
employee’s
dependent health
care coverage if
a member was on
medical leave
for longer than
six months. The
amended contract
allows for 30
months of
coverage and
places a cap on
prescription
co-pays.
In Wichita, KS,
members of Local
839 accepted a
10-year
agreement with
Spirit
AeroSystems that
featured
significant
levels of jobs
security in an
industry that is
still reeling
from the
recession. In
addition to job
security
language, the
new contract,
which covers
about 6,000
workers,
provides pension
increases,
limits health
insurance costs
for employees
and provides
additional pay
increases linked
to company
performance.
Last Call for
Photo Contest
Tuesday June 29, 2010
There’s still time to get an entry into the 2010 IAM Photo Contest. Don’t pass up the chance to have your lodge members featured in the 2011 IAM Calendar. The deadline for entries for the 2010 IAM Photo Contest has been extended to July 9, 2010. Winning photos will be featured in the 2011 IAM Calendar. Photos should be of IAM or TCU members in good standing and taken by an IAM or TCU member in good standing. Click here for the official call, contest rules and entry forms.
USA and Triton Give Away Bass
Fishing Boat Thursday June 10, 2010
You could soon be casting a fishing line from a
brand new bass fishing boat, thanks to a
partnership between the Union
Sportsmen’s Alliance
http://www.unionsportsmen.org (USA) and
Triton Boats.
USA and Triton will give away a new TR-18 SE
tournament bass boat, worth about $22,000 and
equipped with a Mercury engine manufactured by
IAM Local 1947 members in Fond du Lac, WI. A day
of fishing with Triton Founder and CEO Earl
Bentz on his private lake in Tennessee is also
included in the prize package. This is the
second time Bentz has partnered with USA to
award a union member with a boat.
The deadline for entering the sweepstakes is
July 31, 2010. All active and retired members of
AFL-CIO affiliated unions are eligible to win.
Current USA members are automatically entered in
the contest. If you would like to join USA
and/or enter for a chance to win, click
here
Tell Congress To
Pass Jobs Amendment Thursday May 27, 2010
Democratic lawmakers are working to pass an
amendment aimed at saving hundreds of thousands
of teacher, police and firefighter positions in
communities across America. The amendment
contains a $26 billion provision to help states
balance their budgets without resorting to
cutting vital services.
Failure to pass the amendment could mean the
loss of 300,000 teachers by the end of the
summer – which translates into larger class
sizes and reduced education services for
children. The loss of firefighters and police
will compromise the safety of the nation’s
communities. And, more Americans headed to the
unemployment line will further derail the chance
for a quicker economic recovery.
Lawmakers must take a stand. Click
here to tell
Congress to pass the teacher and public safety
appropriations amendment today.
Reserve Rooms Now
for Retirees
Conference Thursday May 27, 2010
The Fifth
International IAM
Retirees Conference
will be held in Las
Vegas, NV, from
August 31, 2010
through September 2,
2010. IAM Retirees
are a vital part of
the union and the
2010 Retirees
Conference is an
excellent
opportunity to
reconnect with
former co-workers,
share ideas and find
ways to ensure that
future generations
have jobs, health
care and a shot at a
decent retirement.
The conference
will be held at the
Rio All-Suite Hotel
& Casino, 3700 West
Flamingo Road, Las
Vegas, NV 89103.
Special room rates
of $59 plus tax per
night for single or
double occupancy,
$30.00 plus tax per
night for third and
fourth persons, with
a maximum of four
persons per
guestroom, are
available for
conference
participants until
July 30, 2010.
For reservations,
call the Rio
All-Suite Hotel and
Casino Room
Reservations at
1-888-746-6955.
Request the group
code SRIAMAO. Click
here
for the official
call letter,
registration form
and online
reservation
information for the
hotel.
Machinists Pay Tribute to Vietnam Veterans Thursday May 20, 2010
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) this week paid special tribute to the IAM at a ceremony held on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
VVMF Founder and President Jan Scruggs thanked the IAM for a $50,000 donation towards the upkeep of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the 246-foot wall inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 who perished in the conflict and dedicated to all who served with the U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War.
“For the past five years, the IAM and The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund have enjoyed a partnership formed around our mutual respect for the men and women who serve in America’s armed forces,” said International President Tom Buffenbarger. “We are proud of our many members who have served not only in Vietnam, but in conflicts from World War I and World War II, to Korea, the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan. We thank them for their courage, strength and dedication.”
The VVMF embarked on a fundraising program last fall to raise money to help cover repairs for the privately-funded memorial after some maintenance projects were put off because of shrinking budgets and other growing needs. The funds provided by the IAM will be used for the maintenance and care of 13.5 acres that make up the memorial site.
Buffenbarger, who was joined at the ceremony by members of the Executive Council and IAM veterans, also thanked “the thousands of Machinists who support our nation’s military in a different way – with their hands."
"Everyday thousands of Machinists are hard at work building the tools and machinery needed to keep our nation strong and our families safe," said Buffenbarger.
View the Machinists Pay Tribute to Vietnam Veterans video here.
Trade Unionist
Executed in Iran Tuesday May 18, 2010
An Iranian trade
unionist, Farzad
Kamangar, was
secretly hanged
in Iran on May
9, 2010.
Kamangar, a
35-year-old
teacher, was a
member of the
Teachers'
Union of
Kurdistan.
According to the
International
Metalworkers’
Federation, the
threat of
execution was
pending since
February 2008
when the union
activist was
accused of "endangering
national
security" and
"enmity against
God."
Despite an
appeal to the
Supreme Court,
Kamangar's case
has never been
reviewed, and
his lawyer was
told that the
documents from
his case file
were lost. None
of that,
however, stopped
the Iranian
authorities from
executing the
trade unionist
without even
informing his
family in
advance.
The IAM joins
with labor
allies and human
rights activists
around the world
in condemning
this horrific
act, and stands
with our Iranian
brother and
sister trade
unionists in
solidarity.
NMB Delivers Historic Election
Rule Change Tuesday May 11, 2010
The
National Mediation Board (NMB) this week
published in the Federal Register its
long-awaited change to rules governing
representation elections conducted under the
Railway Labor Act.
In
the brief summary of the historic change, the
NMB declared: “As part of its ongoing efforts to
further the statutory goals of the Railway Labor
Act, the National Mediation Board is amending
its National Railway Act rules to provide that,
in representation disputes, a majority of
valid ballots cast will determine the craft or
class representative (italics added). This
change to its election procedures will provide a
more reliable measure/indicator of employee
sentiment in representation disputes and provide
employees with clear choices in representation
matters.”
Under
the NMB’s previous election guidelines, 50+1 of
eligible voters in an election were required to
participate in the election in order for the NMB
to certify a union. Anyone who did not cast a
vote was automatically considered to have voted
against union representation. In contrast, union
representation elections conducted under the
National Labor Relations Act, as well as all
other public elections, are decided by a simple
majority of those who actually cast a ballot.
“Thousands of Machinists union members and
hundreds of members of Congress told the NMB
that it was time to end its 75-year practice of
imposing a viewpoint on people who, either by
choice or by chance, do not participate in
representation elections,” said Transportation GVP Robert Roach, Jr.
The
NMB’s new rule will take effect 30 days after
being published in the Federal Register.
Machinists in Houston Rally for
Space Program Jobs
Tuesday April 27, 2010
More than 700 Machinists gathered in Houston
this week for a rally to urge supporters of the
U.S. manned space program to send a message that
could be heard all the way back in Washington,
D.C.
Click
here to view "Houston,
We Have a Message" an IAM video about
the rally.
"It’s time to let Congress know that
American astronauts deserve better than a
heavily outsourced space program that relies on
Russian, Japanese and even Chinese contractors
to provide transportation to the International
Space Station (ISS)," said IAM President
Tom Buffenbarger. "If NASA and the Obama
administration have their way, American
astronauts will be reduced to hitchhiking to the
ISS."
Among the speakers at the rally were Texas
Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Bill White,
Texas Democratic Lt. Governor nominee Linda
Chavez-Thompson, Texas Democratic Representative
Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas Republican
Representative Pete Olson, Harris County AFL-CIO
Secretary-Treasurer Richard Shaw and Texas
AFL-CIO President Becky Moeller.
Speaker after speaker called on President Obama
to reconsider his plans to terminate the
Constellation program and commercialize the
shuttle program. More than 20,000 direct and
indirect jobs in Texas, Florida and other states
are associated with the two programs.
While the president’s space budget allocates an
extra $6 billion for NASA over the next six
years, thousands of highly-skilled jobs would be
eliminated as the agency turned to private
contractors to develop launch rockets and crew
capsules.
"Do we really want to risk our astronauts’
safety on equipment and technology developed by
for-profit companies with unproven track records
in safety and reliability?" asked
Buffenbarger. "The manned
space program in the United States has been the
pride of the nation and the envy of the world
for more than 50 years. It has more than earned
our continued support."
District 725 Delegate Body Meeting
Saturday April 17, 2010 Huntington Beach, CA 11:00 a.m.
The second regularly scheduled District Lodge 725 Delegate Body meeting of
the year will be held on Saturday April 17, 2010 in Huntington Beach,
California. The meeting will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m.
IAM Online Survey Tuesday March 16, 2010
What Issues
Matter Most to You?
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Could you fill out a survey about issues now before the
United States Congress?
Health care reform legislation is coming up for final
votes. New job creation bills are being written. Both issues will have a
profound effect on you directly. And your answers will help the IAM devise a
course of action.
Please take a few minutes to complete this anonymous
survey.
In Solidarity,
R. Thomas Buffenbarger
International President
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Support US Withdrawal from NAFTA Tuesday March 2, 2010
With
the unemployment rate at its highest point in
decades, the U.S. economy continues to shed
much-needed manufacturing jobs. The loss of
manufacturing jobs can be tied directly to our
so called "free trade" policies, which have
facilitated the movement of production to
cheap-labor sites across the globe.
The
cheap-labor model of trade was instituted with
the passage of the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA). Democratic Mississippi
Congressman Gene Taylor will soon introduce
legislation withdrawing the U.S. from NAFTA and
finally put an end to the worst polarization of
wealth since the 1920s. The bill has already
generated bipartisan support. But as the dream
of a middle-class life slips further away for
more and more Americans, IAM President Tom
Buffenbarger is urging House members go one step
further and co-sponsor the critical piece of
legislation.
"Touted as the key to raising North American
living standards, NAFTA has had the opposite
effect," writes Buffenbarger in a
letter to House
members, "as multinational corporations
have shifted production to Mexico where wages
are low, worker rights nearly non-existent, and
little regard is paid to the environment."
"The Machinists Union has witnessed this
movement first hand… And for the workers whose
jobs have not yet moved, the threat at the
bargaining table is always the same: take less
in wages and benefits or the work will move
south of the border."
"While much more needs to be done to correct
our failed trade policies, this bill marks an
important step towards a new day in trade, one
that will finally benefit working families and
not just multinational corporations."
Join
in the fight to withdraw the U.S. from NAFTA and
save our jobs. Click
here to write your
congressional representative and ask that he or
she become a cosponsor of Rep. Taylor’s bill.
Become a Jobs
Activist: Join UCubed Tuesday February 16, 2010
Ur Union of Unemployed, nicknamed
UCubed, is a community service
project of the International Association
of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).
With over 31 million Americans idled to
some degree by this Grave Recession –
and no relief in sight — the IAM and its
partners saw a need to unify the
unemployed in a unique and useful way.
UCubed does exactly that. It brings
people together – the unemployed and
underemployed alike – to build a
community of Jobs Activists who will
create local networks, support one
another and help get America back to
work.
Jobs Activists, organized by their
zip codes, advocate for sound public
policy, emailing public officials to
alert them about policies that directly
impact the jobless. And to help ease the
burden of being unemployed, they receive
steep discounts and rebate dollars when
shopping the Machinists Mall.
Job Activists come from all walks of
life, all corners of this country and
all sectors of our economy. This Grave
Recession has harmed us all – salary and
hourly, manufacturing and construction,
finance and service, union and
non-union, college educated and high
school dropouts, inner city and suburban
residents. And only by working together
can we end this economic turmoil. Become
a Jobs Activist Today. Click
here to visit the UCubed website.
Biennial Steward
Nomination and Election Notice by: John Fox, DL 725 Area 5 Director
In accordance with the IAM & AW District Lodge 725 Steward Rules, any member
wishing to become an Area 5 Union Steward must submit their name into nomination
in writing to: District Lodge 725 Area 5 Union Hall, 655 Vaqueros Avenue,
Sunnyvale, CA 94085.
Nominations will open beginning Monday, March 1, 2010 and close at 4:30 pm on
Friday, March 12, 2010. Official nomination forms are available at the Union
Hall and must be completed and submitted at the address above or postmarked no
later than Friday, March 12, 2010. An incumbent Union Steward will automatically
be a candidate, without having to complete the nomination form.
Eligibility requirements for Union Steward will be determined in accordance with
the IAM & AW District Lodge 725, Rules Governing the Eligibility, Selection,
Duties and Responsibilities of In-Plant Union Stewards.
Note: The 50% meeting eligibility requirement is waived for any member
who was unable to attend their local lodge meeting due to their work schedule.
Copies of the District Lodge 725 Steward Rules and nomination forms are
available at the Area 5 Union Hall.
Following the close of nominations, if an election is necessary, the members in
that department will receive a written notice stating the date and time of the
election. Elections will be scheduled in April or May 2010.
If you have any questions concerning this Steward nominations notice or
eligibility requirements, please contact the Area 5 Union hall at (408)
739-1434.
Local Lodge 821
Election Notice
Local Lodge 821 announces nominations and election of Local Lodge Officers.
Nominations will be held on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 2:00 pm at the Union
Hall located at 8233 Rochester Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91761.
Election, if necessary, will be held on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at the
same location. Polls will be open from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Open positions are
as follows:
(1) President
(1) Vice President
(1) Recording Secretary
(1) Secretary-Treasurer
(1) Conductor-Sentinel
(3) Trustees
(3) Auditors
(1) District 725 Delegate
(1) District 725 Alt Delegate
Note: Candidates for all positions listed above will serve a three year term
except District 725 Delegate and Alt. Delegate, which will serve for the
unexpired term.
And any other positions which may be open at the time of nominations.
Please see Election Information on page 7 for detailed instructions regarding
absentee ballots. Absentee ballot requests should be sent to:
Recording Secretary pro tem
IAM&AW Local Lodge 821
8233 Rochester Avenue
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
District 725 Minimum Monthly Dues
Notice
Saturday January 16, 2010
Monthly Dues—Why did my dues go up?
In 2007 the
leadership of the IAM began an open discussion with the rank and file membership
about the need to change our existing dues structure. The existing formula had
been in place since 1976, when gasoline was $0.62 a gallon, the average price of
a new home in the U.S. was $54,000, and the IAM had 900,000 dues paying members,
1,804 local lodges and 8,700 contracts with companies across North America. The
financial plan established in 1976 was designed to sustain the union provided
that our membership did not fall below 650,000 members. Unfortunately, IAM
membership fell below that number in 1982. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s our
membership continued to decline, and by 2007 the IAM had less than 400,000 dues
paying members. This had a devastating effect on our finances.
Why didn’t anybody tell us about the dues increase?
The need to change
our dues structure was discussed at every level of our union, and written
notification was given to every member via the IAM Journal and the District 725
Aeronaut. Grand Lodge Representatives attended every Local Lodge meeting in the
Territory and openly discussed our financial situation with the membership.
District 725 Business Representatives were assigned to attend all Local Lodge
meetings in their area of jurisdiction and further the discussion on the need to
change our dues structure.
In April of 2008
all IAM Locals elected delegates to the 37th Grand Lodge Convention.
Their elected delegates debated various proposals on this subject at the Grand
Lodge Convention held September of 2008 in Orlando, Florida, including a formula
based on 2% of a member’s annual wages. After much debate, the delegates voted
to accept a new financial plan that increased the Grand Lodge per capita tax and
eliminated the 1976 dues structure. District Lodges were advised to adopt a dues
formula in their bylaws which had to include the increased per capita tax
approved at the 2008 Grand Lodge Convention.
During the October
2008 Delegate Body Meeting, a motion was made and approved by the District
Delegates to include the per capita tax increase in the 2009 dues formula.
During discussion the District Delegates were advised that the District bylaws
would need to be amended in July of 2009 to incorporate these changes and
establish a minimum dues structure, which would include the Grand Lodge per
capita tax increase.
At the July 2009
Delegate Body Meeting, Delegates voted to accept proposed changes to the
District 725 bylaws which established a minimum dues formula for all affiliated
Local Lodges. Prior to the July Delegate Body meeting, all District Delegates
received copies of the proposed bylaw changes, and should have presented and
discussed the proposed bylaw changes with their Local Lodge membership.
How are dues calculated under the District 725 bylaws?
The current
District 725 bylaws read as follows:
Article IX
Revenue and Finances
Section 4
The minimum
monthly dues to be paid by members shall be a uniform rate equal to one and one
half times the weighted average hourly earnings of members covered by the
collective bargaining agreement or bargaining unit under the Local Lodge
jurisdiction plus the monthly Grand Lodge Per Capita Tax in accordance with the
IAM Constitution rounded up to the nearest $0.05. The dues shall be adjusted on
January 1 of each year and shall be based on the hourly earnings in effect on
the 31st day of August of the preceding year.
Section 5
The Weighted
Average Hourly Earnings shall be calculated using the following formula. Hourly
earnings shall include amounts normally considered as part of regular pay, such
as:
·Regular hourly rate of pay
·Cost of Living allowances
·Incentive earnings such as bonuses paid in addition to and/or
in lieu of wage increases
·Signing and/or ratification bonuses
·Profit sharing
But shall
exclude:
·Shift premiums
·Overtime premiums
·Lead premiums
·And other similar premium payments
Example:
The Grand Lodge
provides the District with the year’s official Per Capita Tax calculation. For
2010 the Grand Lodge Per Capita Tax (GLPCT) is $28.14 per month.
The employers
provide the District Secretary-Treasurer with the Weighted Average Hourly
Earnings (WAHE) for each bargaining unit. For the purpose of this example, the
WAHE will be $26.72.
WAHE
$26.72
x 1.5
= $40.08
GLPCT
+ $28.14
= $68.22
Monthly Dues =
$68.25 (rounded up to the nearest $0.05)
Please be
advised that the Delegates to the 2008 Grand Lodge Convention approved a
series of changes to the Grand Lodge per capita tax that began with a $4.00
increase plus a percentage increase equal to the union wide Weighted Average
Hourly Earnings (WAHE) in 2009, a percentage increase equal to the union wide
WAHE in 2010, and in 2011 the per capita tax will increase again by $2.00 plus
the percentage increase of the Consumer Price Index. From that point forward,
the Grand Lodge per capita tax will increase annually equal to the percentage
increase in the Consumer Price Index.
We have utilized
our best efforts to answer your questions and address your concerns regarding
the District’s new dues structure which became effective January 1st
2010.
District 725 Delegate Body Meeting
Saturday January 16, 2010 Huntington Beach, CA 11:00 a.m.
The first regularly scheduled District Lodge 725 Delegate Body meeting of
the year will be held on Saturday January 16, 2010 in Huntington Beach,
California. The meeting will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m.
Tell Congress: Don’t Tax Working Families’ Health Care Benefits
Monday January 11, 2010
Today, union leaders are
meeting with President Obama to discuss the next step in health care
reform legislation, especially the
tax on workers’ health care benefits in the Senate bill. On
Wednesday, you can join the fight to pass health care reform that works
for working families as part of the AFL-CIO’s National Call-In Blitz to
the U.S. House.
Both the
House and
Senate have passed health care reform bills that will be merged into
final legislation over the next few weeks. The House version is far
better for working families.
Overall, the House bill comes
closer to AFL-CIO’s health care reform goals, including a public health
care option, a much stronger employer fair share provision and no tax on
workers’ health care benefits.
While the Senate bill has
many good points, it is deeply flawed. Click
here to compare the two.
On Wednesday January
13, call toll free 1-877-3-AFL-CIO (1-877-323-5246) and
urge your representative to support working families by voting for
health reform that:
Does not tax our health
care benefits;
Requires employers to pay
their fair share; and
Reduces cost—the best way
to do this is with a public health care option.
Meanwhile, following his
address to the National Press Club on the nation’s
jobs and economic crisis, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka traveled
to the White House, where he and other union leaders were to discuss how
the final health care reform legislation should be shaped.
Scheduled to join Trumka were
AFT President Randi
Weingarten, AFSCME
President Gerald McEntee, Communications Workers of America (CWA)
President Larry Cohen, Electrical Workers (IBEW)
President Edwin Hill and United Steelworkers (USW)
President Leo Gerard, along with
NEA President Dennis
Van Roekel and several leaders of Change to Win unions.
2010 - Everybody
Counts Tuesday January
5, 2010
2010 Census Tips for the Public
from the Better Business Bureau:
How to
Identify a Census Field Representative
If a U.S. Census Bureau
employee knocks on your door, here are some recognition tips to
assure the validity of the field representative:
The field
representative must present an ID badge that contains: photograph of the
field representative, Department of Commerce watermark, and expiration
date.
The field
representative will provide you with supervisor contact information
and/or the Regional Office phone number for verification, if asked.
The field
representative will provide you with a letter from the Census Bureau
Director on official letterhead.
The field
representative may be carrying a laptop and/or bag with a Census Bureau
logo.
When Field
Representatives will be Going Door-to-Door
From April to July 2010,
census workers will knock on the door of every household that does not mail
back a completed 2010 Census form.
The Census Bureau needs
your help — it’s critical that you take just 10 minutes to fill out and mail
back your form rather than wait for a census worker to show up on your
doorstep. About $85 million in taxpayer dollars are saved for every one
percent increase in mail response.
The Census Bureau must get
a census form to – and a completed form back from – every
residence in the United States. That’s more than 130 million addresses. This
is why the census is the largest domestic mobilization our nation
undertakes.
What the 2010 Census DOES NOT Ask
Field
representatives will never ask you for your social security number, bank
account number, or credit card number. Census workers also never solicit for
donations and will never contact you by e-mail.
The Census is Safe
The 2010 Census will ask for
name, gender, age, race, ethnicity, relationship, and whether you own or
rent your home – just 10 simple questions that will take about 10
minutes to answer.
Your
answers are protected by law and are not shared with anyone.
The Census Bureau
safeguards all census responses to the highest security standards available.
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!
Click here
to see archived District 725 Calendar of Events
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