Neil Kamrowski Directing Business Representative, IAMAW District Lodge 66. Right to Work is wrong for Wisconsin, and wrong on the national level

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1 Union Herald Article from the desk of: International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge Market Street La Crosse, WI Neil Kamrowski Directing Business Representative, IAMAW District Lodge 66 Right to Work is wrong for Wisconsin, and wrong on the national level And so it begins As of February 1, the GOP controlled House of Representatives has introduced legislation to strip the rights of unions. Two Republican Congressman, Steve King of Iowa and Joe Wilson of South Carolina, introduced Right to Work legislation on the national level. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer stated that President Trump believes in Right to Work and Vice President Mike Pence has been a champion of this as well. Republicans wasted no time at all after retaining control of the House, Senate, and Executive Branch to introduce what they have no doubt been foaming at the mouth to do for years. This so called Right to Work legislation is currently up to states to decide on their own. The National Labor Relations Act currently allows Unions to insert language that is known as a Union Security Clause into a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) unless those clauses are prohibited by state law. Union Security clauses allow unions to mandate payment for the services they provide in the form of Membership Dues, or Service Fees. This is mandated for all employees covered under the CBA. So called Right to Work strips unions from the right to seek payment for the services they 1 P a g e o f 5

2 provide to employees, and allows for workers to reap the benefits of having a union without paying for it. In effect this weakens the Unions, and the collective power that a union has with a full membership. Inevitably, some workers decide that they would rather not pay for the benefits they receive through the union. This leads to companies that won t respect union with a partial membership, and the lack of solidarity that a low membership shows. The union is still mandated by law to represent the employees that do not pay for the representation. With low membership rates, the union doesn t have the financial backing to do things like effectively fight grievances. The GOP and people in support of Right to Work legislation argue that it is a right of an employee to work at a facility without being mandated to be in a union, or pay for a union they don t want a part of. This is why they have misnamed it Right to Work and why people against it say it should be called the Right to Work for less. A better analogy to explain why Right to Work is wrong would be: 1. A gym requires a membership. In order to use the gym, you have to pay to use that gym. The equipment in the gym wasn t free for the gym owner. The light bill needs to be paid, and rent needs to be paid. Without each person chipping in to pay for these items, the gym would fail. Sure, a person could get exercise outside of the gym. They can run on a bike path, or buy their own equipment. Think of the gym as a union job. You can choose to go elsewhere and not pay, but the environment is less controlled, less safe, and you don t have other gym goers to help you if you need a spot. Can you use the gym, but not pay? No, but for some reason, people can use a union in a right to work state, and not pay for the benefits. 2. What would happen if you got into a cab in a big city, used the cab to get to your destination, and then at the end of the ride refused to pay for the cab? Is that fair for the cab driver, or the cab company? I would hope you answered that question with a resounding no. People who chose not to pay dues are in effect doing just that. They are taking the ride to a better destination with higher wages, pensions, lower insurance costs, better hours, and job security, but they are refusing take responsibility for what it took to get all of those things. The entire reason the GOP pushes Right to Work laws is to weaken unions. They do it to hit the pocket book of unions, and to break the solidarity that a full union brings. This brings me to this past election. Trump has stated that he was in favor of these union busting laws. He has stated that he is against raising the minimum wage. This brings me to the question: Why do people vote against their own best interest? People like Trump, and typical Republicans tend to only care about big business, and business owners. They don t protect the workers. They create laws that take away worker protections. They make it harder for a typical worker to get ahead. They shift power to powerful corporations. I honestly hope that next time those people that voted the Republicans into 2 P a g e o f 5

3 these positions think long and hard about their own self-interests before casting a similar ballot. We need to make our voice heard, and we need to make our members, non-members, and the general public understand the importance of unions today. Organizing in the IAM As of February 2, the IAM has filed another petition to represent employees working at Fort McCoy. This group of people have been working under Area Wage Determination (AWD) rates since they have been employed at the Fort. The IAM already represents employees in Transportation, Roads and Grounds, Facilities Maintenance, and Recycling. These areas have been under a Union contract for quite a few years with negotiated rates of pay above the AWD an average of 20-25%. The rate they are receiving for their Health and Welfare is near a dollar per hour more than AWD on average. All of the represented employees at the Fort are part of the IAM pension plan. All of these rates and benefits have been negotiated over a long period of time. The employees who have asked to be a part of the IAM haven t had a raise (not one penny) for as many as 8 years. They have no pension. They are being paid the minimum wage under the AWD. These employees have taken the first step in granting themselves and their families a better life, and a secure retirement. The election hasn t happened as of me writing this article, and the date for the election hasn t been set yet. This process can take as little as 20 days. GLR Bob Anderson has been assisting the District and these employees in taking the necessary steps to join the IAM. I wish them the best in making their decision to join the IAM, and I will be there to assist them when they do vote to join. 600 Californians Win Right to be IAM ers After an eight month battle, more than 600 workers at K&N Engineering in Riverside, CA received word last week that the National Labor Relations Board certified the IAM as their exclusive collective bargaining representative. The new members of IAM District 725 originally voted in favor of the IAM in May of 2016, but the company challenged the results of the election citing the inclusion of a group of employees that were not petitioned for. Ultimately the company s challenge was unsuccessful. I commend this group of workers for standing strong and staying united throughout this long and arduous process, said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary 3 P a g e o f 5

4 Allen. They endured a heavy anti-union campaign and did not back down in the fight for justice. The group was led by Western Territory Grand Lodge Representative Joseph Solis, with committed support from District Lodge 725 President/Directing Business Representative Larry Olinger, along with District 725 staff and rank and file members. K&N employees endured a lengthy anti-union campaign, including an NLRB challenge, but are now gearing up for first contract negotiations. District Lodge 725 is at the forefront of organizing and represents over 5,500 members in the aerospace, defense, and manufacturing industries throughout California. District Lodge 66 The District Delegates gathered for our regular monthly meeting on Monday January 16, Along with the regular business of the Lodge, the Delegates discussed the Wisconsin State Council of Machinists Conference held beginning February 12, the Midwest Territory Meeting to be held on the first week of April. DBR Schedule: Schedules are subject to change. In February, I was originally scheduled to travel to Placid Harbor for a class on the Service Contract Act. This class was cancelled. This means I will be going to the Wisconsin State Council of Machinists. In March, I will be traveling again with our members from Crown Cork and Seal for negotiations of their Master Agreement. Also in March, we will have Educational Representative Kevin Murch in the District office for Executive Board Training. This will take place on March 10 th. In April, the Midwest Territory will be meeting in Kansas City. One executive board per local will be in attendance as well as one from the District. I will also be attending. The Class originally scheduled to take place in February was rescheduled to April. This forced a change in plans with Peerless Negotiations. That scheduled week got moved back. I appreciate the company accommodating my schedule changes. As I said, this schedule is subject to change, but this is a rough overview of my schedule amongst the other duties that my job entails. 4 P a g e o f 5

5 DISTRICT LODGE 66 ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP I wrote about this competition in December. The essays must be in at the District Lodge 66 office at 1307 Market St., La Crosse WI by March 1, For more details, either refer back to my December Union Herald Article, or stop by the District office. 5 P a g e o f 5