IAM Midwest Territory Chief of Staff Rod Hoffman presents the
60th anniversary plaque to the President of Local Lodge 737 Chuck O'Keefe.

IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Philip J. Gruber praised the lodge and membership saying, "We sincerely appreciate the 60 years of hard work and dedication of our members of Twin Cities Automotive Lodge 737. They are true trade unionists."

Bobby Kasper from the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation welcomed those in attendance.

Josh Straka, District Director for CD4 Congresswoman Betty McCollum also brought best wishes and thanks to Local 737.

Charlie and Lorraine Russ

Charlie grew up in the small town of Deer Creek, MN and met his future wife at a roller rink. He has been married to Lorraine for 63 years.

Charlie entered the Army in 1944, he missed being shipped over to the Battle of the Bulge with his unit due to the death of his father.

After working in the Deer Creek, Wadena area they came to the Twin Cities. Charlie  joined the IAM in 1952 when he started working as a sand blaster then painter at Fruehauf Trailer in St. Paul.

In 1967 he went to work at Rihm Kenworth also in St. Paul and continued his career as a painter until he retired in 1988.

He and Lorraine walk every day and stay active.

60 year IAM member Clarence E. Smith and DL 8 Business Representative Karl Sarpolis

Clarence began his involvement when the Machinists Union at the then National Biscuit Company, Chicago Lexington Street Bakery when the machinists broke away from the Bakery Workers Union and joined the IAM.

In 1952, Clarence transferred to the brand new Nabisco Bakery located on the South Side of Chicago at 73^rd & Kedzie. It was then and still remains the "World's Largest Bakery". There "Smitty" became a committeeman and later held the Shop Chairperson position for many years. Brother Smith also held positions on the Local Lodge 48 Executive Board and was elected President of the Lodge.

Clarence retired in the fall of 1989 and still enjoys his wood working hobby and along with his wife Barb remains active helping those not as fortunate.

After retirement Clarence passed on the position of President to a working member as he is a firm believer of having younger members getting involved in the Union. Clarence regularly attends Local Lodge meetings and more often than not brings along items he creates with his woodworking skills to be raffled off.

Clarence "Smitty" Smith is a true trade unionist and we offer him our heart-felt congratulations of being a sixty year IAM member.

A far cry from the 19 white men who met secretly in a locomotive repair pit in Atlanta's Mechanicsville neighborhood to establish the "United Machinists and Mechanical Engineers of America," the union now known as the IAM is a showcase of diversity, administering more than 5,000 contracts across the U.S. and Canada. The leadership of today's Machinists Union is equally diverse, with an executive board that includes men and women of African American, Hispanic, American Indian and Anglo descent.

"Just like the rail lines that carried our earliest organizers in every direction from Atlanta, this union expanded beyond the railroads to eventually represent workers in every major industry, including airlines, aerospace, shipbuilding, woodworking and manufacturing," said Tom Buffenbarger, the IAM's 13th International President and the youngest to take office at age 46 in 1997. "But that journey began right here in Atlanta and we're back this week to reflect on our heritage and reconnect with the spirit and determination that drove those early organizers."

After establishing "Lodge No. 1" in Atlanta, the young union grew quickly, adding 34 local lodges in one year and increasing membership from 19 to 1,500. The eight-hour day, a living wage and respect for skilled trades were among their earliest goals. The IAM today represents nearly 700,000 active and retired members across North America and is highly regarded as a forceful and influential advocate for workers' pensions, health care and job security.

"The IAM is one of this nation's oldest labor unions and we're very proud of our roots here in the South," said Buffenbarger. "It may be trendy for some to say that unions aren't welcome here or that our time has passed, but they sure aren't speaking for the millions of workers and their families who have benefitted from union-negotiated wages, pensions and health care benefits. This country still needs unions and it needs workers who get to share in the prosperity they help create. That's what drove the earliest Machinists and it's what still drives us today."

Besides losing more members than any other union in the labor movement last year, the Teamsters have accomplished nothing for aircraft mechanics. At United Airlines, weak Teamster representation removed limits on outsourcing heavy maintenance to China, slashed the number of United mechanics per aircraft by half, abandoned their guarantee to negotiate a pension plan and spent millions of their members' dues money on federal oversight due to their culture and history of corruption.

The IAM stands with our TWU sisters and brothers through the AFL-CIO and the TWU-IAM representation alliance, a model of unity and solidarity. We will ensure that all American Airlines and US Airways mechanic and related employees fully understand that with TWU-IAM representation, workers gain real benefits and protections, not empty promises.

More information about the IAM-TWU alliance is available at www.usaamerger.com. 

The community of Moore, OK is no stranger to tornados. The town is just south of Oklahoma City, and in 1999, the highest wind speed ever recorded on earth's surface, 318 MPH, during the tornado that tore through Moore. But Moore had already experienced three tornados since 1998. The worst was yet to come.

On May 20^th, Oklahomans knew the danger was high for large tornados that could be on the ground for a long time. Their worst fears were realized, as an F5 monster formed west of Moore and started moving into heavily-populated areas. The National Weather Service issued a rare "Tornado Emergency" which meant a large tornado was on the ground and endangering a large area.

During the hour the tornado was on the ground, 13,000 homes were destroyed or heavily damaged, and 22,000 people were suddenly homeless. Local Lodge 850 of the Machinists Union calls the OKC metroplex home, representing over 500 members under several contracts. IAM members are among the families affected.

District Lodge 171 Directing Business Representative Tony Bennett reports that so far, 7 IAM members' homes were a total loss, with 6 others with lesser damage. "We hear that there may be more, but communications are still so sketchy in town. Plus, this was a double whammy. The day before, a tornado tore through Edmund and Shawnee, doing major damage, and one of our members in Carney, OK took a lot of damage."

The weather isn't helping with the cleanup, either. "This morning, the Thursday after the tornado, there are flash-flood-level rains. It's not letting up on us."

As always, members are moving forward to help in District 171, which includes the state of Oklahoma and southeast Kansas. "Local 898 in Enid, Local 135 in Altus and Local 293 in Parsons, KS are taking large collections for our members," said Bennett. "and Local 850 is moving forward for our own folks."

Bennett reports that LL 850 members were spared loss of life. "Some had family members injured, but everyone's family made it through. That's what's important."

One LL 850 member, George Rogers, was in the middle of the storm as it happened. Brother Rogers has been an IAM member since January 2009, and is a general maintenance worker for Southwest Facilities Support at the FAA Center in Oklahoma City.

"I was at work, but left as soon as I saw the reports of the tornado moving in," said Rogers. "My wife was at work, one son was at his high school, and my 9-year-old son McClain was in the third-grade class at Plaza Towers Elementary, and I wanted to get to him before the tornado hit."

"I could see the tornado coming in as I raced for home," said Rogers. The tornado was hitting as he entered the community. "I couldn't get to the school in time, so I went to my father's home, who has an underground storm shelter, and we dived into it."

As soon as the storm passed, Rogers ran for the destroyed school. "The building that had my son's classroom was separate from the rest of the school, and it was in splinters." Rogers said he was the third person on the scene at Plaza Towers. "I was calling my son's name, and we were looking for survivors in the rubble. Someone saw the arm of a child sticking out of the debris, and we pulled out a child, and then another one. We're trying to remove debris, and we had all kinds of wires hampering us. I pulled out my Leatherman tool, and we started cutting through the debris.

"Then a policeman and fireman were there, and a fireman pulled a child out, and I saw it was my son. He told the fireman I was his dad."

Rogers found that his son was banged up but okay. His wife was trying to get home from work, too, but was caught on the outside, and couldn't get into the area. It was about a half an hour before he was able to communicate to her that he and McClain were okay.

"It was tough, cell phone and texting mostly didn't work, but I was able to get onto FaceBook and post that we needed help badly at Plaza Towers Elementary, and the word started getting out," said Rogers.

In the aftermath, Rogers found his family is left with nothing. All their belongings were swept away in the tornado. "We've lost everything. But miraculously, my son was saved, and I have my family. None of that stuff matters. I know what's important. We are blessed."

Rogers' family is currently staying with his mother-in-law, ready to rebuild anew, and Rogers is happy to have a good union job with good benefits, and coworkers that have his back. "I was surprised and a bit overwhelmed at the monetary support from my boss and coworkers. We can have our differences, but I found that at the end of the day, we're all in this together."

DBR Bennett affirms that versions of this story are being repeated across the city. "We Oklahomans are a hardy bunch of folks - we don't give up," said Bennett. "We rise to the challenge. Adversity brings out the best in us. We'll rebuild, stronger than before."

Because of the damage, Southern Territory General Vice President Bob Martinez has assigned Grand Lodge Representative Mark Love to assist the Local Lodge in their recovery efforts.

GVP Martinez asks the IAM membership to support the people of Moore as they prepare to clean up and rebuild. "Our hearts go out to the entire community. I hope all our locals take up collections, and they can send them to our Community Services Department, or to the Red Cross. I am proud of the stories of courage, hope, and giving that is coming out of this tragedy."

Members personally affected by the tragedy are encouraged to call the IAM Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-587-6295 for immediate counseling to anyone who needs help dealing with the aftermath of these violent storms.

The IAM Community Services Department is accepting tax-deductible donations to help with the relief effort. Checks should be made out to 'I Am Assistance' and include the address and email address of the sender. Send all donations to IAM Headquarters at 9000 Machinists Place, Upper Marlboro, MD, 20772

Members are also encouraged to donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by visiting redcross.org, dialing 1-800-REDCROSS or texting REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

GVP Philip J. Gruber and Steve Johnson Factory Manager John Deere Horicon Works
along with the IAM members who run the Gator line at John Deere, the John Deere
management team, the IAM Local 873 leadership and IAM District 10 representatives

"We have a good working relationship with John Deere and have had for many years reaching back into the 1950s," said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Philip J. Gruber. "This raffle prize is another example of the win-win relationship we have with John Deere. We would like to thank IAM Local 873 President Brian Brath, John Deere Horicon Works Factory Manager Steve Johnson and our members of Local 873 for helping make this happen."

The Midwest Territory will be marketing a decked out John Deere Gator RSX850i Trail model for the next year. At the end of that year, the raffle ticket winner can go to a local John Deere dealer and pick out a Gator Trail, Sport, or Utiluty vehicle or John Deere riding lawn equipment with a new warranty. The equipment is union made in the U.S. by members of IAM Local 873.

Go, Team Tania!
Kirkland, Washington resident Tania Finlayson will set off June 8 in her wheelchair and drive 300 miles in a fundraising effort for Guide Dogs of America.  Watch Finlayson explain her motivation in this inspiring video.

Finlayson, who has cerebral palsy and talks through a communication system using Morse Code, speaks beautifully about the gift of independence that a guide dog is to a visually impaired person.

Finlayson hopes to raise $42,000, the complete cost of raising, training, and gifting a guide dog to a blind individual. Find donation details at Finlayson's fundraising site.

Follow Finlayson's efforts on Facebook at Spokanedash4puppycash.

Union Joins "Team Tania" for 300-Mile Wheelchair Ride
By Bryan Corliss

KIRKLAND - A Kirkland woman with cerebral palsy says she wants to help other people overcome their physical limitations. Tania Finlayson is planning a 300-mile cross-state trek in her motorized wheelchair to raise money and awareness for the Guide Dogs of America charity. The event - which she's calling "A Spokane Dash for Puppy Cash" - is set for June 8-11.

Finlayson plans to leave from her home in Kirkland and head across the Cascades to Spokane, following Interstate 90 most of the way, while also taking advantage of the bicycle trails that parallel the highway. Finlayson's wheelchair has a top speed of close to 7 mph, and she and her husband, Ken, estimate it will take her four days to make the trip. She'll be supported along the way by her family, including her and Ken's son, Michael. She'll also have a support crew from Machinists Union District Lodge 751in Seattle, where Ken Finlayson works as an information technology technician.
Read the full article.

Click here for the Event Poster
Click here for flyer with full details

To donate go to http://dashforcash.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1063209
Photos: Courtesy of Spokanedash4puppycash

For more information go to http://www.guidedogsofamerica.org/1/2013/04/spokane-dash-for-puppy-cash/ & http://www.iam751.org/dash4cash/

This is the 4th Organizing Win for Grand Lodge Representative Mike Wardle in just over a 1 year period with additional successes at CSC in West Jordan, Utah, Trailboss at Hill AFB, Utah, and BOEING at Mt. Home AFB, Idaho.

"All of this has been a team effort," said Grand Lodge Representative Mike Wardle.  "This could not have been done without the help of Grand Lodge Representative Don Gresham, Local Lodge 2006 President Bill Duke, and Local Lodge 568 President Andy Allen."  Brother Allen's efforts were key in all 3 of the Utah Organizing Wins.