Members Choice Candidates...
...are union members from various locations, shifts and jobs who are involved in our Union because they care about our members.
...are experienced, energetic leaders who offer innovative ideas, and skills to work with others to find solutions
...promote democracy by providing opportunities for members to be involved and actively recruit new leaders
...promote unity and work for positive change to empower our members
...actively enforce contractual rights daily and challenge management to protect members’ rights!
...are advocates for our members always!
...are leaders who have worked their way up through the ranks holding various leadership positions, gaining valuable experience and skills in each position to more effectively represent our members
Learn what our Members’ Choice Candidates are doing and have done to make our union stronger
- Members’ Choice candidates adamantly opposed the divisive contract extension that eliminated our pension and other hard-won benefits. We took our anger from that forced contract vote in 2014 and turned it into historic change that returned power to members and made our Union stronger with passage of the Membership Bill of Rights on Sept. 6, 2016 – ensuring no such forced vote would ever occur again to IAM members.
- Hired a staff attorney so we could more aggressively represent the members.
- Stepped up contract enforcement; challenging Boeing in new ways using all legal avenues available, including demanding to bargain effects of changes in policy, filing Unfair Labor Practice charges, increased arbitration and grievance, and more.
- Hold monthly webinars with Union leaders during the pandemic on topics of importance to educate stewards to better represent members.
- Challenged wage disparity issues in Boeing’s hiring practices and delivered pay increases to more than 16,000 members, with many receiving back pay as well.
- Challenged Boeing’s plan to eliminate thousands of inspections and hundreds of inspector jobs, resulting in a union committee to review and challenge these removals. Elevated our concerns to the FAA and continue to fight this issue to preserve the integrity of the build process.
- Hired Richard Aboulafia and the Teal Group to conduct an independent analysis on the best choice to site a new airplane program – comparing all 50 states in 41 different categories. Study showed Washington state is the most competitive place for large aerospace manufacturing operations (almost twice as good as the number 2 state) – the goal is to make it more difficult for Boeing to ignore statistics and facts.
- Offer yearly solidarity conferences with top leadership to educate and empower members for the future to strengthen our union.
- Hold town hall meetings for candid two-way discussion for all shifts at halls close to where members work and live so it is easier to participate and provide input.
- Offer Union education classes so members know their rights and are better equipped to combat contract violations.
- Offer introduction to our Union workshops so members can understand their rights, know our history and stand in solidarity with union members for a better future.
- Implemented new voting system to eliminate lines that occurred on Jan. 3, 2014 vote.
- Pushed for Aerospace Tax Incentive Accountability to keep our jobs in Washington in return for tax incentives.
Members' Choice Platform, Pledge, Vision, Accomplishments
Members' Choice candidates worked hard for nearly a year, networking with union members nationwide and getting input, to pass a Membership Bill of Rights to prevent forced votes in the future. This Bill of Rights was passed on Sept. 6, 2016 and is positive change to build a stronger union for every member. It includes:
- Contracts can only be implemented by honoring the outcome of a vote of the members.
- No contract can be re-negotiated/opened at other than expiration without a majority vote of the membership.
- District controls time, date and location of contract vote taking into account the convenience and availability of the membership to participate in the voting process.
- Once the union leadership at any level receives a request to bargain from an employer, the bargaining membership must be notified.
- Whenever practicable, contract negotiation committee must contain at least one member from the bargaining unit.