Congratulations to Courtney Anderson for winning the Local Lodge's Scholarship award.
She is daughter of Tim and Lori Anderson. 2010

Congratulations to our Scholarship winner, Colleen Hathaway,
daughter of Mike & Felicia Hathaway. 2009     

Jeremy Sears, Primary
Jeremy Millen
Bobby Jones

Why We Need the Employee Free Choice Act

Thanks in large part to the efforts of union volunteers around the country, working families won a strong victory on Nov. 4, sending Barack Obama to the White House and electing a stronger pro-worker majority of senators and representatives.

However, winning an election isn’t the end of the fight. Now, our elected leaders need to tackle the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. They have to keep their promises to the people who voted for them—and we have to give them the support they need to make the tough choices. We need an economic recovery package that will turn around this broken economy for working families with good jobs, green jobs, re-regulation of our financial system and health care that works for all of us. But no matter what else we do, it won’t result in real shared prosperity unless we restore workers’ freedom to form unions so they can bargain for a better life with better wages and benefits. That’s what this proposed legislation, the Employee Free Choice Act, will do. The Employee Free Choice Act will:

• Put real teeth in the laws that are supposed to bar companies from intimidating, harassing—even firing—workers who want to form unions.
• Allow workers to form their union when a majority signs cards indicating that’s what they desire.
• Require arbitration to end corporate foot-dragging when workers try to get a first contract.

The Employee Free Choice Act will level the playing field that today leaves all the power in the hands of corporations, not workers.

And Big Business and the front groups set up by corporations are preparing an all-out, $200 million propaganda and lobbying war to block it.

Unions have made passage of the Employee Free Choice Act a top priority for this year because it is the key to good wages, benefits, a voice in the workplace and the amplified political voice unions bring workers. In 2007, the U.S. House passed the measure and it had majority support in the Senate, but a minority killed it with a filibuster, emboldened by President George W. Bush’s promise to veto the legislation. Now we have elected a new Congress that has promised to be beside us in this fight and a president who has promised to sign the Employee Free Choice Act.

Here are the facts on why we need the Employee Free Choice Act:

Working families are struggling. For too long, workers haven’t had the power to get their fair share of the value they create. Workers are finding it harder and harder to stay in our homes, pay for our health care and save for our retirement. And our economy is suffering as a result.

Unions make people’s lives better. The freedom to form unions and bargain for a better life is a basic human right, and it makes a difference: Union members make 30 percent more than workers who don’t have unions. They’re 59 percent more likely to have health benefits and four times more likely to have pensions. That’s real economic security. Communities with strong unions have higher standards of living for everyone.

But the system is broken. More than 60 million workers who don’t have a union would join one if they could. But under existing law, corporations essentially have a veto over the process. In our company-dominated system, workers can be intimidated, coerced and even fired by their bosses for trying to form a union. A decision that should be in the hands of workers is instead in the hands of corporate executives.

To the victors go the smiles. Local 933 retirees and representatives celebrate a major legal victory over Raytheon Missile Systems in Arizona. (L to R): Ronald Geuder, retired DBR Mike Mincheff, Clare L'Armee, Mark Argraves, David Lillie and current DBR James ‘Jimbo’ Watson

August 8, 2008 - In a potentially precedent-setting decision that could be worth as much as $12 million for Local 933 retirees, a U.S. District Court Judge in Arizona ordered Raytheon Missile Systems to restore health care benefits for retirees and dependants whose benefits were unilaterally terminated by the company. U.S. District Court Judge David Bury also ordered Raytheon to resume coverage for eligible employees and to compensate hundreds of retirees for health care premiums they paid after their coverage was terminated.

“This is a great victory for our retirees,” said Local 933 DBR James Watson. “They deserve the benefits they fought for during their years with the company and a dignified retirement without the worry of skyrocketing medical premiums on a fixed income.”

The ruling follows a class action lawsuit filed by Local 933 members Mark Argraves, Ronald Geuder, Clare L’Armee and David Lillie on behalf of all IAM retirees who worked at Raytheon Missile Systems under IAM contracts going back to 1990.

At issue in the lawsuit was whether Raytheon was lawfully entitled to eliminate health care benefits for employees who retired before the standard retirement age of 65. Retiree health care coverage, which was negotiated in the contract between Raytheon and the IAM, was a key incentive for many employees who took early retirement.

In granting summary judgment for the IAM retirees, Judge Bury said the collective bargaining agreements between 1990 and 1999 “unambiguously provide vested medical benefits for retirees until age 65 at no cost.”

“I wish to thank the class representatives…who represented all retirees in a valiant and competent manner,” said attorney Robert M. Gregory, who handled the case for the IAM retirees. “I also wish to express my special thanks to James ‘Jimbo’ Watson and Robert ‘Bobby’ Martinez, who had the courage to take on Raytheon in order to enforce the rights that the retirees had earned.”

The case will undoubtedly be examined as a potential legal precedent which could impact similar cases across the country. In a statement, Raytheon’s parent company said they were “assessing the decision.”

“Not only does this represent a major victory for IAM Local 933 retirees,” said Western Territory GVP Lee Pearson, “but it establishes legal precedence which could extend far beyond the borders of Arizona.  The other western states – and the companies within them – now have a loud and clear message that when our members retire under a collective bargaining agreement promising company-paid benefits, we will fight any efforts to break those promises.”

May 4, 2007 a very significant event occurred.  The C-130 Aircrew Training System (ATS) Program Team participated in a 12 hour walk-a-thon in support of the American Cancer Society – Relay For Life in Jacksonville, Arkansas raising nearly $2900.   We achieved this goal, not as individuals, but as a TEAM. 

Many of you may not be aware of the diverse team composition or of it’s significance.   There was no management versus labor.   We are fortunate to have a good relationship with management at Little Rock.   The members of our team included, exempt employees, Program Manager Vic Torla, Deputy Program Manager Nelson Mayhew, and CAE Logistics Debra Gurley, represented employees CAE Maintenance Phil Dalsing, FE Instructors, Brad Mellburg and Russ Whaley, Nav Instructors Mike Hathaway and Steve Bonifant, Pilot Instructors Dick Cornish, Jim Cross, and Jimmie Lincoln, TSSC Support Jerry Reichenbach (JMATS) and Linda Brown (E), as well as everyone throughout the ATS who supported our endeavors. We could not have achieved our goals without support.   We can accomplish so much more every day as a TEAM. 

In spite of the fact that Vic Torla had reserve duty in New Orleans that weekend, he worked all day at the office like many of us.  He was at the stadium from the time the relay began until about 5 a.m. Saturday morning walking laps as a member of the relay team.    When he left the stadium, it was not to go home to rest, but to make a 7 hr drive to do his reserve duty.  The diversity lunch and silent auction could not have occurred if not for the program office support, the team members who solicited donations from local merchants for the silent auction, and those who made bids and purchased items at the auction, donut and salsa sales in our building. 

I don’t believe there is anyone in our organization who has not been personally affected by cancer.  We are a group of survivors, care-givers, friends or relatives of cancer survivors or those who have succumbed to this disease.  Being a member of the relay team was a very rewarding experience and I am personally very proud to be involved in this endeavor.  We’re looking forward to expanding our team next year.

Linda Brown