This week, in Washington D.C. and the Hawaiian Islands, District 141 and the IAM expanded our defense of our members by meeting with key legislators from states most affected by the recent decisions of United Airlines to downsize and contract out work. The offices of Senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge met with District 141 and Grand Lodge representatives to hear directly from their constituents about the impending loss of jobs in their states and our request for help from our government. The inclusion of political pressure from the federal government level is an additional level of activism beyond the self-help methods we have used to this point through direct negotiations. It is another option we are using to exhaust all means of protection prior to losing any members. The congressmen were very supportive and have pledged to work with the IAM to push United to revise their plans for stations all across the country. They have committed to look for additional support from congressmen in other states that have stations affected by United’s decisions.
The complete update can be found at IAM141.org