Hello Everyone,

COVID-19 Update 20200520/ Update of 20200505 information

1. If you are using the union website to complete your unemployment claim’s weekly check for new work from your Union Hall, this is your official notice that the Union is not aware of any new work opportunities for the week ending 16 May 2020, if your employer has not contacted you directly.
2. We still have dozens of members still on furlough.  You are not forgotten!!  APG is still under HealthCon Charlie restrictions, so not everyone can be back at this point.  More are added each week.  We are hopeful to see employers bring back many more in the next few weeks.  Stay strong.  You are doing your part simply by staying safe.
3. Our largest Contractor, Jacobs, has finally made payments to employees that appear to make most our members whole for replenished leave or pay.  If you filed for Maryland Unemployment benefits you will probably owe that money back.  We have asked Maryland Unemployment for guidance on how to accomplish that repayment, and they have not responded.  It appears Jacobs made those repayments in three separate pay stubs that correspond to the three pay periods that were impacted.  If you have further questions about these matters check with a steward, or contact me.
4. There have been a few members that voiced concerns over the union’s approach to communication and information during this crisis.  At the start of this crisis we realized with thirteen different companies and nine different contracts, the best way to serve our members was to focus on the best results for our members that we could negotiate.  Sometimes the companies made things easy, and some were harder – but we kept grinding behind the scenes to get results.  You can criticize the communication element, but hopefully the results speak louder than the words. But if you are still concerned, we are at a point that we can meet and discuss those concerns if members desire.  We have to keep meetings under ten participants. Call me at 410-272-2424 or email me at bill.harkum@LL2424.com and I can arrange to meet with you or discuss situations on the phone.
5. During an AFL-CIO teleconference with Maryland Congressional members on May 8^th, Congressman John Sarbanes stressed that workers remember the benefits of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) that passed and signed into law in March.  These benefits are valid until at least December 31^st, 2020, and may be very useful in the future as the battle against Covid-19 continues.  Under the requirements set by the Federal Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, employers with less than 500 employees are required to:

• Paid expanded family and medical leave (FMLA) up to ten (10) weeks at two-thirds employees regular rate of pay when an employee is unable to work due to a bona fide need for child care whose school or child care is closed or unavailable due to reasons related to Covid-19.
• Two weeks (80 hours) of paid sick leave at two-thirds employees regular rate of pay for a bona fide need to care for an individual subject to quarantine, or care of a child (under age 18)  whose school or child care is unavailable due to reasons related to Covid-19, or the employee themselves who is experiencing substantially similar conditions to Covid-19 infection as specified by HHS and CDC (This would be pre test result and/or public health order for quarantine).
• Two weeks (80 hours) of paid sick leave at employees full regular rate of pay if the employee is unable to work because the employee is quarantined by public health order and/or experiencing symptoms consistent with Covid-19 infection as specified by HHS and CDC (Any public health order for quarantine would fit this description)

1. I announced previously that in the next couple of weeks you will receive US Mail with an nomination and election ballot of delegates for the IAM&AW Constitution Convention.  In that last message about nominations and election I incorrectly said that to be a delegate you must have attended general lodge meetings in the year prior to this election. That only applies to election of officers under the IAM&AW Constitution.  My apologies.
2. No other information at this time.

Respectfully and Fraternally,

Bill Harkum

President, IAM&AW Local Lodge 2424

Hello Everyone,

COVID-19 Update 20200505/ Update of 20200429 information

1. If you are using the union website to complete your unemployment claim’s weekly check for new work from your Union Hall, this is your official notice that the Union is not aware of any new work opportunities for the week ending 2 May 2020, if your employer has not contacted you directly.
2. Again most local lodge members can ignore this item other than Jacobs and ATCSS (formerly ATSS) employees.  Now that Jacobs has announced their intention to partially repay employees for the reduced hours in March and April, here is what to expect. 
3. 1. If you used PLP-C leave we are expecting to see some of that amount added back to your next paycheck (different for each employee based on how much you used).
   2. If you used LWOP-C and you filed for Maryland Unemployment benefits, you may see a dollar amount added to the next paycheck.  Before you use that money wait until you get guidance from Jacobs or the Union.  The Union is seeking information from Maryland Unemployment on how each individual is to pay that money back.  We do not have that information yet.  We will provide it once we receive a response from the State.  Jacobs may get that information first and may give guidance earlier than the Union can.  Either way, please keep in mind that once your employer pays you for that lost time – you normally owe that benefit money back to the State.  If you do not re-pay the State, you can probably count on the matter becoming an issue on your personal credit report – which could complicate you job eligibility within the Department of Defense.
   3. We still do not know for certain if Jacobs will make these payments on the next paycheck.  If we get further information about this we will let you know.
4. I will be available at the Union Hall on post this Wednesday, May 6^th, if you wish to seek further help or guidance.  If you are still laid off at this point, do not come on post to arrange a meeting.  Call me at 410-272-2424 and I can come meet you or discuss you situation on the phone.  We have not been able to staff the union hall because of HealthCon Charlie restrictions, but we will attempt to have one day a week from this point forward to have at least one person available to speak to directly.  Thank you in advance for your patience!
5. In the next couple of weeks you will receive US Mail with an nomination and election ballot of delegates for the IAM&AW Constitution Convention.  This event is tentatively still going to happen in September.  We are using an alternate election process of delegates, thus the US mail, since we are not able to hold general meetings during the Stay At Home Orders. To be a delegate you must have attended general lodge meetings in the year prior to this election.  More information will follow. We need to complete this task before early June, so you will have a short turn around time. No other information at this time.

Respectfully and Fraternally,

Bill Harkum

President, IAM&AW Local Lodge 2424

Hello Everyone,

Hello Everyone,

Not much has changed since the April 1^st update.  There are constant ongoing discussions between the Union Business Representative and the various companies.  The local lodge officers are briefed and have further discussions about those conversations, but there is not much new to report.  It appears a few members are still working, a few more are being told they may return soon (possibly more on Monday April 20^th), and many still sit at home without further direction from their employer.  The key is safety of our members and their families.

The US government, contractor companies, nor the union want to needlessly risk anyone’s safety.  There are some workers that do not want to be working at all and the feel the risk is too high.  There are others that want to be at work and carry out the critical missions we support that serve our military.  There is not a one size that fits all solution for every individual job we carry out.  There are going to be disagreements about risks, unseen hazards, and PPE – but we will act professionally when speaking our concerns.  So the prep work is ongoing to allow work activities that can be safely done to be authorized to proceed.  The return to work will likely be in small groups as job activities are approved – A kind of slowly turning on the faucet, not a full opening at one time of the entire water supply. 

Army and company leadership have stressed that individual responsibility to comply with safety standards is going to be critical to move forward.  As your leader, I stress that it is also an individual decision for each member to decide if you are committed to the requirements of your job.  If you are not committed to your job or willing to carry the job out with the new safety requirements, then you need to speak up without fear of any reprisal.  If the risks of this crisis are too distracting for you to focus on carrying out work without distraction, ask for help – all companies and the union are offering it.  It is private and without cost, and again – without fear of reprisal.  Each of you is a valued team member.  The only way to protect the entire team is to ensure that each member is focused and dedicated to work safely with the new standards.

Now, here is more info what we can pass along:

• Leave and LWOP.  No clear decision on possibility that Personal Leave will be fully or partially reimbursed at some point in the future. You do not have to exhaust your personal leave balance if you do not want.  When you submit timekeeping records you can use a combination of both Personal Leave and Leave Without Pay (LWOP), such as 2-3 hours per week of leave, and 37-38 hours of LWOP.  This would provide some money each paycheck to cover your benefits costs (which are still charged during this absence).  Using LWOP allows you to qualify for unemployment benefits.   You can use any combination of personal leave and LWOP that you wish to use to provide for some level of paycheck based on your financial/benefits package needs, but the amount you “earn” each week is deducted from your unemployment benefit.  The maximum weekly unemployment benefit in Maryland is $430.00 per week.  But the recent Congressional action added up to $600 per week to that amount for up to four months.  If you use more personal leave and less LWOP each week the unemployment benefit would probably reduce accordingly.
• Lessons learned from filing for unemployment benefits.

1. No matter where you live, if you work in Maryland – you file in Maryland.  The link is: Caution-https://www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/unemployment.shtml < Caution-https://www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/unemployment.shtml >    
2. After your initial application, you will be directed to create a PIN.  You cannot do that until 24 hours after you submit that initial application.
3. No matter what day you complete the initial claim application, you will not be able to complete a weekly claim until after 12AM on Sunday morning of any week you had reduced hours of work available.  Weekly claims are done on the “webcert” page of the unemployment website.  Save that “webcert” page to submit your claims each week.
4. There is no new information that any work is available to local lodge members for the weeks starting March 29^th through April 18^th, 2020 if you have not been contacted directly by your employer.

• The companies and the union both have mental health assistance programs that are free of charge. The Union’s Assistance Program can be reached at 301-335-0735 or email: iameap@iamaw.org < Caution-mailto:iameap@iamaw.org >    
• The International President of the IAM&AW, Robert Martinez, and Executive Council have issued guidance about monthly union dues that are normally handled in times of lay-off through “unemployment stamps”.  His decision is that dispensation of “unemployment stamps” is automatic for those who are laid off, and members do not have to make contact with the lodge office to request them.  Certain things are unclear right now about how a Local Lodge will  accomplish that tasking, but we have time.  There will be more information about this later.
• The May General meeting is cancelled.  The election of delegates for the IAM&AW Grand Lodge Convention is postponed, but will be elected with an alternative election process used.  This is members official notice of that alternate election process.  That alternate process has more to do with the activities and responsibilities of the local lodge recording secretary, but what it means to members is that you will get notice 14 days prior to an election of delegates once she has the nomination forms and ballots produced. This will probably be a mail in process with both nomination and election done at the same time. 
• The International President has directed the following statement about that process be published:  “Members who are delinquent in dues payments starting on April 1^st and extending through September 31^st as a result of lay-off please be advised that in consideration of the Coronavirus pandemic your membership and voting rights have been extended through November, and not only for two months as set out in Art. I section 14 of the IAM Constitution. Stay safe, stay strong, stay united – together in solidarity we shall overcome.” Robert Martinez, April 1, 2020.
• That is all we know at this point.  Things are likely to change.

Maryland Unemployment.  You can file a claim for unemployment online at             

Caution-https://secure-2.dllr.state.md.us/NetClaims/Welcome.aspx < Caution-https://secure-2.dllr.state.md.us/NetClaims/Welcome.aspx > 

Respectfully and Fraternally,

Bill Harkum

President, IAM&AW Local Lodge 2424

© 2020  LOCAL LODGE 2424, IAM&AW.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Members,

    It’s now been 9 days since the announcement of reduced operations in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. During this time there has been a great deal of conversation between ATC, ATSS, and the Union regarding a return to normal operations. The threat to you and your families is real and everyone is taking that seriously. With that in mind there has been an SOP developed and approved within ATC that addresses COVID-19 prevention in relation to work activities. This SOP closely reflects the recommendations of the CDC and OSHA in regards to preventive measures and employee protection.

    At this time we understand that the organization is looking at projects on an individual basis to determine mission priority and determine if work can be conducted within the scope of the SOP which requires: health screenings, social distancing to be maintained, availability of hygiene supplies like soap,surface cleaners, and disinfectants, as well as the use of face coverings and other safety requirements.

   When these projects are approved to work employees will be called in based on seniority with consideration of any licenses and special training required in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.

         For anyone who is scheduled to work during this time please understand that if at any time you feel that your health and safety are at risk your union is here to support you. If you are called back to work and are unable to return at this time due to caring for a child or another family member we can help you work through that situation as well. Reach out to your shop stewards with any questions or concerns that you have.

   If you have questions that you would like to see answered in an upcoming post please send them to : AJ@LL2424.com

Members,

    We have received guidance that normal operations are suspended, and will likely remain so through next week. In the meantime I know that many of you have questions about compensation during the time period we are not working. Recent legislation has been passed to address the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak but lawmakers and those that are affected are still sorting through the application of many of the provisions. As we get clarification on any benefits available to you we will update you on this site.

  The most common question we have received this week is whether you can file a claim for unemployment benefits. The union cannot tell you if or when you should file a claim, but we can provide the following guidance which comes from the Maryland Dept of Labor (DOL) :

Do you need to be specifically “laid off” to qualify for unemployment ? No , the DOL defines “unemployment” as a reduction of both work hours and earnings. 

When should I file? As eligibility cannot be determined until you file, the MD-DOL suggests filing your claim as soon as possible.

How much could I get from an unemployment claim? The maximum weekly benefit including state and the new federal benefit is $1030.00. 

How long do benefits last? With the new legislation benefits can extend up to 39 weeks.

Do i need to actively search for work while getting benefits? No, that requirement has been suspended.

I live in PA or DE where do I file ? You will file in Maryland as that is the state that you work in.

What information do I need from the union to file? None, as our union is not a “hiring hall” those requirements do not apply to you.

How can I apply? You can file a claim online by clicking HERE 

If you have questions on this or need assistance with anything else please reach out to your shop stewards you can find their contact info under their contract tab at the top of the page. 

As always we appreciate your membership, support, and fortitude as we weather this storm together. 

Local Lodge Membership

Many of you working on ATC – APG received notice yesterday evening not to report to work today (Mar 31st). There are growing concerns over the safety of the workforce and while the workforce is home the ATC Command along with ATSS and the Union are working together to assess working conditions and determine mission requirements.

There is no firm guidance or timeline on a return to work yet but please be patient, it is coming. We are doing everything we can to ensure that the membership is safe and that your financial well-being is taken into account.

Check back on this site as we will provide updates as we have more information.

Hello Everyone,

This is the monthly communication for February 2020. The next general meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 5, 2020. The meeting will be held at the Local Lodge Union Hall inside Building 4313 on Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Start time will be 5:15 PM.

There are no motions submitted to expend funds above one hundred ($100) dollars for this month.

We regretfully announce the passing of William M. Harkum, the father of Local Lodge 2424 (President) Bill Harkum. He passed away on Tuesday, January 28, 2020. We have no information on the funeral services at this time. Please do not hesitate to call the union office for further information.

Respectfully and Fraternally,

Rosemary Moss
IAM&AW Local Lodge 2424

The above information is copyright protected.  It contains information that is not intended to be shared with any person, business, or organization that is not an original addressee in this email. Forwarding, copying, or sharing this email or it’s contents without permission of the author is strictly prohibited.

© 2019 -2020 LOCAL LODGE 2424, IAM&AW.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Ever wonder where your dues dollars go? Watch this short video to find out.

Hello Everyone,

This is the monthly communication for January 2020. The next general meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 8th, 2020. This meeting date was moved from January 1st because of the Holiday. The meeting will be held at the Local Lodge Union Hall inside Building 4313 on Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Start time will be 5:15 PM.

There are a couple of motions submitted to expend funds above one hundred ($100) dollars for this month. It is customary for the general meeting to pass a motion in January of each year to authorize payment of all normal and customary bills each month, which can exceed one hundred dollars in many cases. These expenses include; taxes, salaries, monthly bills, steward and officer lost time, expense reports, office expenses, affiliation dues, insurances, union school training trips, conferences and conventions. The second motion would be for the sweatshirt order, we will need an additional Five Thousand Five Hundred dollars ($5,500.00) to complete an order of 375 shirts. That is a total of fifteen thousand five hundred dollars ($15,500.00) for this effort.

I expect the executive committee to approve and forward a budget for 2020 to the general meeting. We did well in 2019 following our budget. We will have some significant expenses this year with the IAM&AW Grand Lodge convention in San Diego and we will send four delegates.

We have already seen the effects of President Trump’s Executive Order 13897 regarding Contractors on a recent shift between companies on one of the government contracts. Contractors are no longer guaranteed to be automatically hired by the gaining company. Luckily, in this most recent event, It was just a delay in a sub contractor communicating their intent to employ an existing worker, but we can see the confusion that this executive order is going to create because it was mostly done in secret. Stewards and Chief Stewards rely on members communicating when they see a problem or anticipate a violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA). Members are the sensors that detect what is going on in the work force. If you see something happening that sounds like an issue – communicate that situation with a steward. If we fail to do that, the use of these new “unpublished” rules can start to create larger problems for the work force. We have to address situations as they come up before they become precedents.

We enter a new decade. What will jobs look like and this union look like in 2030? We know more robots and automation are coming. But robots and machines do not get security clearances. The work that our members do is very valuable, and you deserve a fair wage for that work. And your work should lead to the ability to retire with dignity. And if your career takes you to a different job than the current one, we should make sure this time period in your career had value to your financial stability, and you leave wanting union representation at your next job.

I challenge each of you to reflect on the benefits that come with being a union member. You can try to do it alone, but many hands – unions, make quick work when the task is bigger than one person. As what we consider to be work changes over this coming decade, the best way to ensure that the human doesn’t get lost in this transition, is to stand up and be clear about the value of work. Unions stand up for that value. I hope that each of you consider it to be valuable to belong to a union that is fighting for you.

Best wishes for blessings and prosperity in the new year.

Respectfully and Fraternally,

Bill Harkum
President, IAM&AW Local Lodge 2424

The above information is copyright protected. It contains information that is not intended to be shared with any person, business, or organization that is not an original addressee in this email. Forwarding, copying, or sharing this email or it’s contents without permission of the author is strictly prohibited.
© 2019 -2020 LOCAL LODGE 2424, IAM&AW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED