IAM members working at Volvo Truck Canada recently ratified a new collective agreement. The 22 warehouse workers were very engaged in the process with near 100% participation in the survey process and in the ratification vote.

As a visually impaired Judo athlete, Priscilla Gagné never relied on a guide dog, though she was the proud owner of a German Shepherd Lab, Sergeant Tango. When Tango neared the end of his life in early 2023, Priscilla decided it was time to get a formally trained service dog.

“Making the jump from white cane to guide dog was a no-brainer,” Priscilla explains. Montreal’s three-year waiting list for service dogs led her to consider international options. Based in Southern California, Guide Dogs of America | Tender Loving Canines became her choice. “I knew it would take three weeks to train,” says Priscilla. “If I’m going to spend three weeks somewhere, I knew I wanted it to be California.”

The weather was perfect, the location was ideal, and, by all accounts, the IAM Local 1231 Member Appreciation Picnic in West Deane Park was a huge success!

The picnic, held on Saturday, 13 July, in West Deane Park in Etobicoke, ON was attended by around 200 hundred members throughout the day. It featured face-painting, painting magnetised wooden IAM logos, sack races and much more. The Sack Race is always loads of fun:

IAM Canadian General Vice-President, David Chartrand, made sure he attended the event before his schedule took him out-of-town. Chartrand complimented the local on the excellent organisation of the event and the fact that so many members came out to participate. Dave Chartrand video:

Local 1231 President Merry St. Bernard said the Executive wanted to hold this event to reconnect with the membership as their jobs took them all over the Greater Toronto Area. “This was a great opportunity for members to get to know one another and also to meet with their union representatives.” Merry St. Bernard video:  

Staff from District 78 as well as the Canadian Office attended the picnic, which continued on until the early evening.

See all photos from the Member Appreciation event:

IAM Local Lodge 2323 pulled off yet another successful annual BBQ for their members and retirees. The event was held in the parking lot of IAM Local 2323 offices, which accommodated everyone who gathered there throughout the day. Almost 500 people attended over the course of the day.

There were many events for the members and their families which appealed to all ages. From burgers and hot dogs, accompanied by many sides, to face-painting, ice cream, and the great company afforded by members meeting in a relaxed and fun environment. There was even a raffle with 2 large-screen televisions as grand prizes. The local also offered many Local 2323-branded items for sale.

The DJ who entertained the crowd all day with a great selection of music is also a member of IAM Local 2323. They stayed local!

Vick Seebalak, President of LL2323
“One of the reasons we have this BBQ is to give back to our members. We also invited our members to bring their families, which they did. It made it a very enjoyable family event. As a local Lodge President, I feel proud watching our members laugh with each other and having a good time. We are a family. We are a solid IAM family.” Seebalak also thanked other members of the Executive and all the volunteers for helping make this one of the most successful ever.

Chris Glover, MPP for the Toronto-area riding of Spadina-Fort York, also attended the BBQ on invitation from the local. He stressed the importance of artificial intelligence and what it promised, as well as the need to be watchful about workers being surveilled in the workplace.

Shan Wahab, a 14-year LL2323 member, took a few minutes to share his thoughts on the BBQ, saying, “it’s a great time to meet with co-workers and retirees so we don’t lose touch with them.”

In his comments to the members gathered for the event, Dave Flowers, President and Directing General Chairperson of IAM District 140, explained the difference between minimum wage and a living wage, especially as it affects airport workers. The IAM has been very active on the issue particularly at the Toronto and Vancouver airports, succeeding on getting living wage provisions into newer contracts. “Employers are making money hand-over-fist, but we’re not seeing that trickle down to the workers,” he said. He urged members to stick together because “when we raise the floor, we raise the ceiling.”

IAM Canada’s Chief-of-Staff, Ralph Martin, who also attended the BBQ, said, “It was wonderful to see so many members and retirees out socializing. These events really allow members and retirees to reconnect in an environment that’s free from the pressures of work. Great event hosted by Local Lodge 2323, thank you to the committee that put this together and many thanks to all that took the time to participate.”

Congratulations to IAM Local 2323 on yet another successful gathering for their membership and their retirees.

For all the photos from the BBQ, please visit our Flickr album

(Mirabel, Tuesday, July 23) – The joint investment by the Quebec government ($410 million) and Airbus Canada in the A220 program ($1.25 billion) will secure jobs (average salary is $87,500 per year) at the A220 plant in Mirabel until 2035.

This is good news for Airbus Canada workers and for Quebec,” says IAMAW Canadian Vice-President David Chartrand. With these investments, we’re protecting good jobs and supporting a highly strategic and beneficial industry for Quebec,” he added.

Airbus hopes to be able to produce 14 aircraft a month by 2026 in order to achieve profitability. A goal that cannot be achieved without the help of Quebec aerospace workers.

The best aerospace workforce is in Quebec, one of the only places in the world where you can build an airplane from A to Z,” says IAMAW Canada Quebec Representative Éric Rancourt. It’s an investment that will not only benefit Mirabel workers, but also those in the entire aerospace sector,” he added.

The federal government is absent

The absence of a strategic vision and a structuring aerospace policy on the part of the federal government is a hindrance to the development of our aerospace ecosystem.

For over a decade, the Quebec government has been counting on a policy to support the development of its industry, while the federal government has been content to improvise,” laments David Chartrand. Our aerospace industry could do so much more if the federal government took a page out of Quebec’s book.

The IAMAW Machinists Union is the world’s largest aerospace union, with over 184,000 members in 1,000 collective agreements. Active in the Quebec aerospace industry since 1940, the IAMAW today represents 65% of unionized workers in the sector. Machinist members can be found at Bombardier, Airbus, Airbus Atlantic, Rolls-Royce, Héroux-Devtek, Tekalia Aeronautik, Collins Aerospace, Fokker-Elmo, L3-Harris MAS inc, AJ-Walter, Air Canada and Air Transat, among others.

The 21 members of IAM Union Local 2332 working as auto technicians, apprentices, parts counter, and general garage at Prouse Chevrolet in Sault Ste Marie ratified a new collective agreement this week that saw a first-year wage adjustment and annual increases thereafter.

They also saw improvements to vision care, safety boot allowance and enhanced health and safety language.

“Chief Steward Chris Machaud made sure that we got across our message that a wage enhancement was an absolute necessity”, said IAM Representative Scott Jackson.

For more information:
Scott Jackson,
GLR Organising

IAMAW Local 1863 Retirees Club in Goderich, ON gathered to celebrate their working life, their retirement, and their IAM Union. More than 300 people attended the celebratory event, including Mayor Trevor Bazinet.

Several IAM District 78 and Grand Lodge staff attended along, with Eric Johnson, DL78 DBR and Ralph Martin, IAM Canadian Chief-of-Staff (including Mona Burke, Kim Valliere, Ken Atterbury and Derek Ferguson).

An interesting feature of the gathering was when two signed doors of the last grader ever manufactured there was put on display. When the doors were produced, they were signed by all the members at the time.

“It truly took a team to pull this off. A great big ‘Thank you’ to all those who worked so hard to make this day a success,” said DBR Johnston. “A special mention and thanks go to John and John, who are true Union Brothers and BBQ masters.”

Chief-of-Staff Martin appreciated the dedication and solidarity of the retirees.

In 2010, LL1863 was merged into IAM Local 1975 and remained affiliated to IAM District 78.

31 July, 2024

Great victory, Great news 110 security workers (Logix Security) at the Air Canada Cargo joined the IAM union family at the Pearson Airport. Despite management bully tactics We got the certification from the Labour Board late last week.

“Big thanks go to Kushang Shah who was the lead person on this campaign,” said Sam Jabbar, GLR Responsible for Organising. “His determination, hard-work and organizing skills got us this group unionised. Jabbar coordinated the campaign.

Shah, a Shop Steward with IAM Local 2323 working at Air Canada Cargo, helped with the campaign despite some difficult conditions – the work was performed in secure areas and spread out in the cargo building at various locations and times. The workers tried to join for the past five years, but with little success.

“With the help of Kushang Shah, we were able to overcome the hurdles and successfully signed the group. We were constantly in touch through our text messages and kept them informed about the benefits of belonging to the IAM. The management tried many tactics to scare the workers off from joining the union. This campaign shows that hard works always pays off.,” concluded Jabbar.

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For more information:
Sam Jabbar, GLR, Organising
sjabbar@iamaw.org

On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, 9 August, the ITUC demands the right of self-determination for Indigenous peoples worldwide.

ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle stated: “This day is an important reminder of the rich cultural diversity, historical contributions, and ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous communities. Indigenous peoples face systemic discrimination, marginalisation, and violations of their rights. Issues such as the exploitation of natural resources on Indigenous lands without consent and encroachment onto their territories require immediate attention.”

An International Labour Organization (ILO) report found that:

• More than 86% of Indigenous peoples globally work in the informal economy, compared to 66% for their non-Indigenous counterparts.
• Indigenous peoples are nearly three times more likely to be living in extreme poverty compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts.
• The share of wage and salaried workers is considerably lower among the Indigenous (27.9%) than among the non-Indigenous (49.1%) population.
• Globally, Indigenous peoples are earning 18.5% less than non-Indigenous people.

Luc Triangle continued: “The right to self-determination lies at the heart of Indigenous peoples’ struggles; it underpins their ability to freely determine their political status and pursue their economic, social, and cultural development. This principle is not only a right but a necessity for the preservation of Indigenous identity, culture and way of life.

“We stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples in their quest for justice, equality and self-determination. We call on governments, corporations and international bodies to ratify and implement ILO Convention No. 169 to protect Indigenous rights globally.”

ILO C169 addresses the rights of Indigenous and tribal peoples. It provides a comprehensive framework to protect their social, economic and cultural rights and emphasises the importance of their participation in decisions affecting their lives and lands. This is central to the sustainability of policies and programmes tackling challenges such as poverty, inequality, social conflicts, and climate change.

As well as the ratification and implementation of C169, the ITUC also calls for:

• Respect for land rights: Governments and corporations must obtain free, prior and informed consent before undertaking any projects on Indigenous territories.
• Protection and celebration of cultural heritage: The traditions and languages of Indigenous peoples must be preserved for future generations.
• Inclusive development: Policies should respect the rights and needs of Indigenous communities and include them in decision-making.

Workers’ unions are enhancing the representation of Indigenous peoples in their organisations and building alliances with Indigenous peoples’ organisations to address mutual concerns, including compliance with ILO C169:

• New Zealand: Unions are advocating for legislation to make ethnic and gender pay gap reporting mandatory. This transparency is crucial to closing the significant gender pay gap faced by Indigenous women. While overall the gender pay gap between women and men in New Zealand is 8.6%, Pacific women in New Zealand earn around 26.5% less than non-Indigenous men.
• Australia: Unions are working to ensure strong union representation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers, empowering them to achieve just wages, social protection and self-determined, fulfilling employment.
• Norway: The Norwegian Trade Union Confederation (LO Norway) promotes Indigenous culture and identity through leadership, cultural outlets and support for the truth and reconciliation process
• Latin America: To hold governments to account, trade unions are using the ILO’s supervisory mechanisms. This includes highlighting issues such as occupational safety and forced labour.
• Observations of the Autonomous Workers’ Confederation of Peru (CATP) highlighted flaws in the judicial proceedings with respect to the murder of Indigenous trade union leaders; the ongoing harassment faced by the victims’ families and illicit logging facilitated by the habilitación system, which entails the subjugation of Indigenous people to forced labour (15 September 2023);
• Observations of the General Confederation of Labour of the Argentine Republic (CGT-RA) and the Confederation of Workers of Argentina (CTA) raised concerns over the worrying occupational safety conditions for workers coming from Indigenous communities and reported instances of violence and the excessive use of force used against them by police during protests. The CTA also drew attention to the lack of consultation during the constitutional reform process of Jujuy Province in 2023. The statements of worker delegates at the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards during the 109th ILC session (2021) on the application of Convention No. 169 by the Government of Honduras reported cases of violence committed against Indigenous peoples.

August 5, 2024

Toronto. Ontario– The team behind the popular podcast Takeoffs and Touchdowns: Machinists Talking Football are thrilled to announce the highly-anticipated return of their show for Season Two.

Premiering on September 1, 2024, the new season promises to deliver even more insightful interviews that highlight the great work that is happening at the IAM and discussions about the upcoming weekly slate of National Football League (NFL) games.

“We are incredibly excited to bring back Takeoffs and Touchdowns: Machinists Talking Football for Season 2,” said Wade Bieleny, IAMAW General Chairperson Alberta and one of the show’s co-creators/hosts. Bieleny works with Kevin Timms and Keith Aiken to create and produce the weekly podcast throughout the NFL season.

Continued Bieleny – “The feedback from our listeners has been overwhelmingly positive, and throughout the upcoming NFL Season we will be working hard to bring them even more of what they love. This season, we’re not only expanding our roster of guests but also introducing new formats and hopefully interactive elements to make our show more engaging and enjoyable.”

Fans can look forward to the premiere episode on September 1, 2024, which will kick off the new season. New episodes will be released weekly, available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

For more information, updates, and exclusive content, visit the official Takeoffs and Touchdowns website at https://www.buzzsprout.com/2243632 and follow the show on social media at Takeoffs and Touchdowns – Machinists talking Football on Facebook.

Takeoffs and Touchdowns: Machinists Talking Football donates all monies to Guide Dogs of America | Tender Loving Canines.

Media Contact:
Keith Aiken
IAMAW Canada Air Transportation Coordinator
kaiken@iamaw.org
416-346-4593