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The Bread and Roses Strike of 1912 -- and the lessons it holds for working people today -- will be the topic of this year's Labor History Conference, which will bring together labor activists, educators, students, and the general public to celebrate labor’s history but also to address the searing problems of unemployment, poverty, union-busting, racism and discrimination in our own times.
Workshops will range from focusing on the next generation of leaders, economic justice, labor and the legislature, reclaiming the American dream, and the crisis of labor and civil rights.
To register, go online at www.pnlha.org or mail registration to PNLHA, 27920 68th Ave. E., Graham, WA 98338.

The Washington State Labor Council is commemorating this year’s 100th anniversary of the Bread and Roses Strike with several events under the title of "MayWorks." Many events will be during the month of May, but some will be later in the year. These activities include a Labor Stage during the Northwest Folklife Festival over Memorial Day weekend. There will also be labor art displays.

Click here to download a list of events. Brochures and more informational will also be available at May’s local lodge meetings.

During the month of May, our union stewards will be out in force asking our members if they

would like to sign up to donate to Guide Dogs of America (GDA), a tax deductible 501(c)(3) non profit. The school was founded in 1948 when a blind individual named Joseph Jones asked the IAMAW for help in getting a guide dog because all of the other schools refused to provide him with a guide dog because of his “upper age”. He was only 57. In response to his request, the IAMAW helped him found one of the first Guide Dog Schools without an upper age limit. 64 years later, Guide Dogs of America, through your generosity, is providing guide dogs for to individuals free of charge and improving their quality of life.

The GDA Facebook page has up to date useful information about this very worthwhile program.

In 2010, we had the honor of presenting a Guide Dog to one of our own. Dennis Meech who is a District 751 member in Eastern Washington received his dog and we took a short video of his experience.

When you are approached by your steward and asked if you would like to donate, please consider donating to this very worthwhile program.

If you have dental work that needs to be done but were hesitating because of the $1,750 annual limit, 2012 is the year to schedule that dental work. IN 2012, YOU BASICALLY GET TWO YEARS OF DENTAL BENEFITS IN ONE CALENDAR YEAR. Union negotiators want you to be aware so you can take full advantage of this double year of benefits.

When the contract extension was approved, it provided a full year of dental benefits ($1,750) for the first six months of 2012 for those in incentive dental, and then reset with a full year of the improved dental benefits ($2,000) for the new network dental effective July 1 through December 31. Click here to read more....

Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA) are generated quarterly under the IAM contract and are based on the federal government’s Consumer Price Index (CPI). It is rolled into your base rate once a year in September – becoming a permanent part of your base rate.

COLA for the last quarter (November, December 2011 and January 2012) resulted in a minus 4 cents effective March 2, 2012.

Q) How can 4¢ be subtracted from my pay?
A) COLA is folded in and made permanent in your base pay September of each year. Anything not folded in is in jeopardy if there is a negative COLA.

Again, COLA may be added or subtracted from your base rate depending on the CPI fluctuations each quarter. However, once COLA is folded into your base rate each September, no negative can be subtracted from the accumulated COLA (see Section 6.4(c). There are multiple times in our past when COLA was negative and resulted in a subtraction from the already generated COLA.

Below is a quick summary of COLA language and its history:
1963 - COLA first negotiated in contract as yearly payment and could be taken away if the CPI went down.
1974 – COLA calculation changed from yearly to quarterly, but still could be taken away if the CPI was negative.
1986 – COLA folded in yearly and cannot be taken away once folded in.
Sept. 2, 2011 - 49¢ COLA (generated August 2010 through July 2011) was folded in becoming a permanent part of your base rate.
Dec. 2, 2011 - 4¢ COLA was generated based on August, September and Oct. 2011).
Mar. 2, 2012 - minus 4¢ COLA based on negative CPI from Nov and Dec 2011 and Jan. 2012).

Click here to download the February 2012 edition of the Aero Mechanic newspaper.

Click here to download the Dec 2011/Jan 2012 edition of the Aero Mechanic newspaper.

Historic Boeing pact will benefit more from education investment
Seattle Times - Guest columnist

Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Jim Albaugh writes that the recent agreement between the company and the Machinists union puts the company in better stead going forward. He calls on elected leaders and industry to invest in and reform education to ensure educated workers going forward. read more...

Boeing, Machinists, collaborate to boost competitiveness
from - Puget Sound Business Journal

The holidays are fast approaching. But never fear. American Rights at Work and the National Football League Players Association have put together a handy gift guide of union-made products made in the USA. Find great gift ideas like Play-Doh, All-Clad, Omaha Steaks, Louisville Sluggers, Snap-On tools, American Greeting cards, including a host of products made by your fellow IAM brothers and sisters.

The National Retail Federation estimates the average American will spend $700 on holiday gifts and goodies this year, totaling more than $465 billion. “If that money was spent entirely on U.S. made products, it would create 4.6 million jobs,” reports ABC World News. “But it doesn't even have to be that big. If each of us spent just $64 on American-made goods during our holiday shopping, the result would be 200,000 new jobs.”

In an effort to spur job growth, ABC World News is asking viewers to embark on a “Made in America Challenge” while shopping this holiday season. The network has put together dozens of stories on viewers across America taking on the buy American challenge, including this clip about a home in Bozeman, MT, created of 100 percent American-made goods – everything from the paint down to the screws. Builders, contractors, architects and do-it-yourselfers can find a list of the products used to make the home here. A map of where to find other American-made products is also available here.

The IAM is very proud to announce an overwhelming turnout and vote by our Hytek members on Tuesday. By a margin of 99 percent, the members stood strong in their preliminary strike authorization.

"Negotiations with Hytek have not produced adequate attention to their concerns" said Kevin Cummings, IAM Grand Lodge Representative. "These workers perform a highly skilled and critical function in a toxic and carcinogenic atmosphere, and deserve better respect and compensation than they are getting. Let's hope Hytek comes to their senses and quits talking about how much they care, and starts acting like they care. We aren't asking for the moon, just a fair contract that recognizes the sacrifices of their workers."

Congratulations. You have voted for jobs and ratified a four-year contract extension with the Boeing Co. by a vote of 74% to accept.

This agreement represents a historic moment in changing the relationship between this union and the Boeing Co. For the first time, company executives are committing to you to keep work in Puget Sound. They’re telling you that you, and the Machinists who come after you, will build the 737 MAX. You’ll build the P-8 Poseidon for the Navy, and the KC-46 tanker for the Air Force. And Boeing is committed to building twin-aisle jets in Everett, well into the future.

As a result of this vote, we have the strongest commitment to the future of aerospace jobs in Washington state that we’ve ever had.

We’ve also preserved retiree medical and pensions for new hires. Those are things that very few working people in America have today.

And just as important, this contract extension is the start of a new chapter in the IAM-Boeing relationship. We’re going to form a joint council of representatives from the top level of both the company and the union, which will meet monthly to pursue opportunities and work together to solve problems.

This committee has agreed to four mutual objectives, and first among them is this: Creating and sustaining good-paying jobs with benefits. Thanks to your vote on this contract extension, that now is one of the Boeing Co.’s stated goals.

Over the past decade, this union and Boeing have proven that we’re able to fight each other very effectively. Today, as a result of your vote, we’re committing ourselves to working together. It’ll be a big shift that we both need to embrace.

But we must do this. Because it’s obvious that we as union members cannot prosper if the Boeing Co. isn’t successful, and we’ve seen quite clearly that Boeing’s success is tied directly to the skills and experience of Machinists Union members.

Thank you for your support, and congratulations on having secured the future of aerospace manufacturing in Washington state.

Click here to view, tentative agreement regarding the contract extension, the side letter on work placement (job security), as well as be able to view existing language changes affected by the extension. Language not specifically mentioned in these attachments will remain in place with no change through the Sept. 8, 2016.

Machinists Land the 737 MAX; Tentative Agreement Reached on Contract Extension

In late October, senior executives from Boeing approached us to ask if we could get together to talk about issues that were going to come up in the 2012 contract talks. We agreed to meet with them to hear what they had to say. What resulted was an ongoing dialog and a series of meetings that ended with a proposal by the Company to extend the current contract with some changes in certain areas -- but a huge improvement in job security, which was your No. 1 issue in our first survey for the 2012 contract negotiations. Read More....

The new current quarterly adjustment amount for the period August, September and October is $0.04 effective December 2nd 2011.

Click here to download the November 2011 edition of the Aero Mechanic newspaper.

Washington Advantage in Aerospace

The union aerospace workers in Washington state are the highest skilled workforce in the nation. They love what they do, are great at it and are proud of all their accomplishments. This video will be featured in the Washington State booth at the 2011 Paris Air Show to show the world how Washington has all the advantages for any aerospace company.

Fundraising Events

Washington Advantage in Aerospace