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Why Join Our Union?

Upon joining the union, you will be protected by a union contract which our members and those before them have worked and fought for over the last several decades. The present wage scale, paid holidays, paid vacation, paid personal absence days, health benefits and other contract provisions which directly benefit you and your family are the result of union effort.

You will also be protected by the grievance procedure in our contract. If you have a problem or concern about any aspect of your job, check immediately with your Shop Steward. The Shop Stewards are elected by the members of the area which they represent.

We cannot continue to make progress without the help of every member. We hope that you will attend our union meetings and learn more about our many activities. Meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 6:00 pm at the Machinist's Hall, 3265 Orcutt Rd. in Santa Maria (on the frontage road just a little South of Waller Park).

What exactly is an Objector?

By law, everyone has an option to be what is considered an "agency fee payor". This means that you would only pay your initiation plus those monthly dues that can be directly attributed to collective bargaining. Those that make this choice are called "objectors" because they are objecting to paying that small portion of their dues that would be used for items such as general community service and legislative activities, certain affiliation costs, political lobbying and general organizing efforts. All of these activities are very important to the survival of all unions.

Those who choose this slight reduction in dues to be "agency fee payors" are considered to be dues-paying non-members and as such give up certain benefits of union membership such as the right to attend and participate in union meetings, the right to nominate and vote for candidates for union office, the right to run for union office, the right to participate in the formulation of IAM collective bargaining demands, the right to participate in contract ratification and strike votes, the right to participate as a delegate to the International Union convention, the right to participate in the development and formulation of IAM policies, and the right to enjoy the many benefits of the IAM's Union Privilege Benefits Program, including low-interest union credit cards, life insurance, legal and travel services.

WHY WORK UNION IN GENERAL?

    America has 16.3 million union workers working in trades as diverse as construction and aviation. You can find union workers on the job as janitors, mechanics, postal workers and many more occupations.
     These people are of all ethnic groups represented in the USA and join unions for many reasons.
     In general union workers enjoy better pay and more lasting job security than their non-union counterparts.
    Union workers earn 28 percent more than non-union workers according to the US Department of Labors Bureau of Labor Statistics. This income difference is even more pronounced for minorities and women. Union women earn 31 percent more than non-union women, African-American union members earn 37 percent more than their non-union counterparts. And for Latino workers, the union advantage totals 55 percent.
    This is because in general unions stress equal opportunity and treatment by emloyers regardless of race and sex.
    Union workers are also more likely to be covered under health care plans than non-union workers. In 1997 86 percent of union workers in medium and large establishments had medical care benefits, compared with only 74 percent of non-union workers.
    Members of labor unions are also more likely to have a pension plan as well as short-term disability benefits. 90 percent of union members have some kind of pension plan, this compares to the 76 percent of non-union members who have pension plans.
    Workers in union shops have a greater share in the say of how the business operates, this can increase productivity and safety helping the productivity of the entire business as well as increasing the bottom line. The end result is a better managed safer and more productive work force. The better training that unions encourage among their members increases productivity while lowering turnover.
    Almost 50 percent of union members have been with their current employer for more than ten years. This is in comparison to the 22 percent of non-union workers who have the same amount of time with their employer. Union workers tend to have greater job satisfaction, they enjoy better benefits and pay, and have access to fair grievance procedures. Non-union employees can be fired at will for any reason the boss wants.

The AFL-CIO has a fine series of pages that document the information briefly outlined here. For a more detailed picture of unions and their benefits, including several informative graphs go to AFL/CIO union benefits.

The site below details some of the bad practices that can result from governments that actively discourage union movements and their efforts in ensuring safe and fair worksites.

Maquiladora Plants endangering workers

Maquiladora (mah-kee-ya-do-ra) plants are industrial plants in Mexico that exploit Mexican workers. These plants often use intimidation and harassment to coerce the workers into rejecting collective bargaining. Here is a link to an IAM page that profiles one such site near the border. These plants are largely unregulated, so instead of being merely exploitive labor facilities for greedy industrial bosses, they are also large generators of hazardous waste. Much of this waste is not processed after use, there are many shocking examples of large amounts of waste sitting in the open, blowing with the wind across Mexican worker neighborhoods. To see many photos of this scene visit Maquiladora

COPYRIGHT 2004, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Local Lodge 2786 International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO. The IAM authorizes you to print or download one copy of IAM-copyrighted materials on this website for your personal, non-commercial use. The IAM further authorizes you to use such materials for purposes of education or organization and to distribute copies of such materials to members of the IAM, other unions, their families, or for other educational or organizational purposes.

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