ATSS CBA

Last night at a ratification vote for the ATSS members of Local Lodge 2424, members soundly rejected the offer from the ATSS Companies.  As required, a Strike Vote was then held.  That vote resulted in an affirmative strike vote against the ATSS companies.  That vote triggers a process that calls for the union to notify the companies of the results, and the local lodge also notifies headquarters of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers that next steps are now required.

The union contacted the company, and the company is honoring the current terms and conditions of our CBA.  The parties agree to set the term of extension with the possibility of bargaining again.  ATSS Workforce is at work today with business as usual.  

Members are advised that that strike process has just begun and several more steps are necessary before further action may be required.  All Local Lodge Members should report for their normal work hours.  Members will be advised as the follow on steps are reached.  Union Strong!  

     ATSS Steward List as of January 2022    
  

Hello Everyone,

This is the monthly communication for December 2021.  The general lodge meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 1st, 2021.  I do not expect any motion to spend more than one hundred dollars for this meeting.  As I previously communicated, the nomination of local lodge officers took place on November 3^rd, 2021 and each open position only had one nominee (except for Conductor/Sentinel which had no nominee), therefore no election is needed.  The new officers will be installed at the January 5^th, 2022 general lodge meeting.  The general lodge meeting for December will take place in person at 5:15PM, at the local lodge hall, building 4313, street address 6483 Integrity Ct. (behind CAC Card and badging offices).  At this point indoor mask mandate will still apply to this meeting.  I hope more members attend.

The lodge officers were notified by mail that the union dues will increase in 2022 for the two levels of the IAM&AW organization above our local lodge by three dollars and twelve cents per month ($3.12/mo).  My intention is to discuss this with the executive board prior to the meeting on Wednesday and see if we can come up with a way to absorb some of that increase at the local lodge level.  At this point I cannot promise what the increase will be, but I do not see the local lodge needing to add to that increased amount.  And hopefully we can find a way to reduce that amount without impacting our yearly budget. We appear to be in a range that dues could increase by an amount not to exceed one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) per paycheck for those paid biweekly.  Hopefully we can cut that down more than that.  Members that pay dues bi monthly or monthly will see rates above that rough estimate, only because they do not pay dues 26 times per year.   More information will be provided at the meeting.

Again, what can I say about the vaccine policy rollout?  It has shifted yet again from the December 9^th deadline to a point later in January 2022.  At this point all I can say as a leader is that I am guessing about the future and that can cause serious turmoil, so I probably need to repeat my previous advice and stay out of the policy explanation business.  My advice is still to have your own individual plan.  Maybe taking the vaccine works for your situation, maybe it does not. It’s an individual situation, and you must plan your choices for your situation. Our lawyers have advised that the employers have the rights to do what they are doing, but the union has the right to bargain about the effects of the policy.  “Effects bargaining” could take significant time to resolve.  Appeals for reasonable accommodations or other relief from the policy could take significant time.  That needs to be accounted for in your plan.  Most of you have worked through this pandemic, risking getting sick, and deserve respect for handling your job as a professional during this trying time.  Those that have taken the vaccine deserve respect, those that are choosing not to are also due respect.  We cannot fix that divide because there is not only one solution for the future.  I expect we will see the vaccine policy take effect at some point in the future, and I do not think anyone should expect to avoid it forever.  Being vaccinated against Covid-19 will be a job requirement at some point, management will probably just juggle the dates around so that few people notice when they do take action against those who decline to get vaccinated.  Management has at least three years to create new dates, move the goal line, and re-work the policies.  Shifting it around takes the news off the front page, because employees that decline vaccination can be let go in smaller groups to avoid notice.  The union can grieve and appeal any unfair job actions, but management will probably use the extra time to develop reasons and protocols to present the “appearance” of fairness to any legal venue we may end up using.  I know this is not what some would like to hear from a union that does fight, but this fight is probably decided before anyone steps in the ring.  Working on a military installation with the US Government as the customer allows the application of rules to be different here.  We do not have the same leverage that police, firefighters, and airline pilots have to fight back. 

Now some good news for union members.  On November 18^th, President Biden signed Executive Order 14055, Non Displacement of Qualified Workers in Service Contracts.  It was published in the Federal Register on November 23^rd, 2021.   It says; “Section 1 . Policy. When a service contract expires, and a follow-on contract is awarded for the same or similar services, the Federal Government’s procurement interests in economy and efficiency are best served when the successor contractor or subcontractor hires the predecessor’s employees, thus avoiding displacement of these employees. Using a carryover work force reduces disruption in the delivery of services during the period of transition between contractors, maintains physical and information security, and provides the Federal Government with the benefits of an experienced and well-trained work force that is familiar with the Federal Government’s personnel, facilities, and requirements. These same benefits are also often realized when a successor contractor or subcontractor performs the same or similar contract work at the same location where the predecessor contract was performed.”    To try to explain this in simple terms, President Obama signed a similar Executive Order in 2009, the previous administration revoked that Obama Executive Order in 2019, and now this Executive Order is back with additional language that protects workers, like us, on Service Contract Act (SCA) jobs.

You may hear some noise that the implementation date is after the upcoming contract change over between Trax International and Jacobs Technology – if the contract award protest does not change the outcome.  But if you read the executive order guidance in full, all companies doing business with the US Government are encouraged to adopt this policy during the 180 days it normal takes for a rule like this to be enforced.  Still to be determined – if the US Government eliminated some needs in the new contract – that would still be allowed, and some workers may not have “similar” jobs available.  So it is not an 100% air tight obligation to hire everyone in the entire workforce during a contract change over, but it is as close as they can get with the new language that fixed some of the loopholes in the Obama executive order.  I’m sure over the coming years, some members may still be laid off during a change over, do not be surprised.  The US Government still wants the ability to make changes in successor contracts, and we cannot prevent that from happening.  But hopefully we will no longer see some of the business practices we have seen in a handful of the recent service contract change overs here at APG where companies purposely under bid contracts with layoffs in mind, that they knew would result in later requests to restore the positions after a certain period of time passed.  It’s always a game – the refs were just given a new mandate on calling pass interference.  We just have be in the game and remind the refs to make the right calls if needed. 

To the news that the ATSS contract was awarded to Trax International, ATSS Chief Steward AJ Begunich has already informed ATSS members that a protest was logged.  At this point we do not know how long or when that maybe resolved.  Once resolved, it is normally a 60 day transition period if Trax is still awarded the contract.  We will not know that until we know.

As of the writing of this communication there has been no announcement of negotiations or talks with the CBA’s that expire in 2022.  This is normal at this point.  I will let you know if we see problems ahead.

That is all for December 2021.  We will have more information next month.

Respectfully and Fraternally,

Bill Harkum

President, IAM&AW Local Lodge 2424

As mentioned in prevous emails our legal team has been working hard reviewing the upcoming mandates put into effect by the Federal Government. Below is thier legal opinion letter.

Hello Everyone,

The information below was provided by ATSS member and Shop Steward Joseph Grasso. 

My daughter Danielle was diagnosed with Turner Syndrome, which is a prenatal chromosomal abnormality. It required her to undergo open heart surgery when she was only 5 days old at the Children’s hospital of Philadelphia. Heart conditions, developmental delays, and short stature are just some of the issues associated with Turners.

My daughter is not alone. Turners  affects 1 in every 2000 girls each year. Please join my family and I as we try to reach our goal to raise awareness and support The Turner Syndrome Society. Below is the link to my page for the Virtual Walk, please consider making a donation.  Thank you all.

To donate please go to Joseph Grasso’s fundraising page for Turner Syndrome Society of The United States   https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/3507485 

Hello Everyone,

This is the monthly communication for May 2021. To comply with the APG guidance on social distancing on post and with IAM&AW President Martinez’ instructions on local lodge general meetings and executive board meetings during this pandemic, this month’s general lodge meeting will be virtual on Microsoft Teams at 5:30PM on Wednesday, May 5th, 2021. You do not need Microsoft Teams software nor video chat to participate, you can call in via phone as well.

I expect there will be three motions made for expenditures in excess of one hundred dollars. We will make a motion to spend an amount, not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) to carry out member appreciation activities throughout the summer. There will be multiple events this summer instead of one. These seem to be good investments in our members, and more information will be coming next month if this motion passes to spend the money. We will make a motion not to exceed four thousand dollars ($4,000.00) to pay for one additional delegate to the IAM Grand Lodge Convention in September. And to account for the funeral flower expenses for Rosemary Moss’ funeral properly, we need to make a motion to spend two hundred eleven dollars and ninety eight cents ($211.98). This will allow proper reimbursement for the expenses.

At last month’s general meeting five delegates were nominated to represent this lodge at the IAM Grand Lodge Convention in September 2021; President Bill Harkum, Vice President Brent Coleman, Recording Secretary Marquise Moultrie, Trustee James Taylor, and ATSS Chief Steward AJ Begunich. The executive committee had budgeted for the lost time and expenses of four delegates to attend the convention, but five delegates were nominated. During the nomination process the point was made that Vice President Coleman’s attendance costs this local lodge less because he is a full time employee of the district lodge. So the costs to hold an election to eliminate one delegate is roughly the same as the costs for Vice President Coleman’s attendance. So during the new business period of the motion was made to send five delegates instead of four. This is why we are making motion this month for four thousand dollars for an additional delegate to attend. And if history is a guide, we have previously seen that delegates that pledge to attend the convention now become unavailable later. So we are still near the goal for what we planned to spend on the delegates to the convention. And should the motion pass to fund all five delegates we will take a motion to accept all the delegates and forward their credentials for purposes of being seated at the Grand Lodge convention.

Now some rumor control. I have been on a medical leave of absence from my contractor job since just prior to Christmas 2020. This also impacts my duties with union district lodge. So recently there has been some speculation and rumors that I was fired from my contractor job. I am not aware that my employment has been terminated. This leave of absence has turned into a battle over telework or short term disability insurance but I fully intend to return to work when my doctor’s restriction ends in May. But as I think many of you know, I have still been carrying out my duties as President of this local lodge, I am just unable to be paid. Being President of this local lodge is an opportunity to serve members, that is why I do it – not the paycheck. So the work will continue to be done. And the battle is helping build the knowledge base of how we can help other members in similar situations. Things we have learned have already helped another member seek help and support in a similar situation.

Lastly I want to speak about Rosemary Moss. Many of us are still dealing with the shock of her untimely passing. But Rose was a woman of strong faith, and she lived her life everyday with the acceptance that God is in control. That is why we can rejoice in the life she shared with us. She was truly a shepherd to all the members of this local lodge. She dealt with your membership paperwork, dues issues, layoff and separation issues, pension and medical benefits – but many times she was just there to be a friend you could talk to. And she stood by the side of many members, even if you did not know her – she knew you and looked out for you. I have received some nice messages from her friends here on post with memories of the amazing lady she was. Some messages have ideas of what tribute we could collaborate on to show Ms. Rose’s family how much we care about them and appreciate her. I am going to wait a couple weeks and then probably gather a team of these folks that knew Rose best to come up with that meaningful tribute that we can deliver. So at this point if you have ideas, send them to me. It is said that a church is not the building – it is the people coming together in fellowship to achieve things only unity can behold. Our members coming together to honor Ms. Rose will be her working her magic to bring a little church to us when we need it. God bless you Rose!

That is all for May 2021. We will have more information next month.

Respectfully and Fraternally,

Bill Harkum
President, IAM&AW Local Lodge 2424

IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. recently met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the Oval Office to discuss the IAM’s top legislative priorities, including relief for all IAM members and frontline workers in the airline, transit, aerospace, manufacturing and other industries.

The IAM continues to lead the fight on Capitol Hill for an extension of the airline Payroll Support Program (PSP) to keep tens of thousands of IAM members employed. The IAM is also fighting for relief for Amtrak and transit workers.

“Today’s meeting was extremely productive, and I was able to present our top priorities for Machinists Union members,” said Martinez. “I am very confident that President Biden will continue to push for policies that will positively impact America’s working families and create good union jobs here at home. Joe Biden understands the pride, power, and pain of America’s working men and women during this difficult time.

The IAM is urging Congress to enact the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, a critically important piece of legislation that will grant workers the right to freely form a union without the threat of company intimidation or interference.

The PRO Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) in the House and Senator Patty Murray in the Senate (D-WA), is the most significant worker empowerment legislation since the Great Depression because it will:

• Empower workers to exercise our freedom to organize and bargain. 

• Repeal “right to work” laws.

• Ensure that workers can reach a first contract quickly after a union is recognized.

• End employers’ practice of punishing striking workers by hiring permanent replacements. Speaking up for labor rights is within every worker’s rights—and workers shouldn’t lose our jobs for it.
• Hold corporations accountable by strengthening the National Labor Relations Board and allowing it to penalize employers who retaliate against working people in support of the union or collective bargaining.
• Create pathways for workers to form unions, without fear, in newer industries like Big Tech.

IAM members must act now to tell your Senators and Representative to pass this legislation, which will protect workers’ right to organize a union and bargain for higher wages and better benefits. 

TAKE ACTION: Tell your U.S. Senators and Representative to support the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act

Call your Representative at 202-224-3121 to urge them to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, allowing workers the right to freely form a union without the threat of company intimidation or interference.

“The PRO Act is a crucially bold piece of legislation that modernizes federal laws and establishes a process for mediation and arbitration to help the parties achieve a first contract,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr in a letter to Congress. “The bill would level the playing field by prohibiting employers from requiring their employees to attend ‘captive audience’ meetings whose sole purpose is to convince workers to vote against the union.”   

1. Maryland Unemployment has switched to a new website and service called “Beacon 2.0” as of September 25th.  If you collected unemployment benefits during any of the pandemic shut down, and you now want to pay them back – this new website would be the place to ask those questions and start that process.  The website:   beacon.labor.maryland.gov/ < Caution-https://beacon.labor.maryland.gov/ >      
2.  There is not a “one size fits all” process for each member on how to handle your benefits or repayment of benefits.  Use the website and figure out the option that fits your individual needs.