Local Lodge Election Results

Elected by acclamation at November's meeting;

President Lew Jamieson

Vice President Murray Caldwell

Secretary - Treasurer Murray Hill

Recording Secretary Karen Houston

Conductor-Sentinel Carson Yates

Elected December 1

Trustee

Jay Shaw

Mike May

MeriBeth Chewuk

Auditor

Jim Guppenberger

Mike Saltsman

Gary Steele

AFL-CIO Labor Council Delegate

Mike May

Lew Jamieson

Jay Blair

Murray Hill

Karen Houston

Lynn Beattie

Rob Schneider

Robert Livingston

District 166 Delegate

Murray Caldwell

Robert Livingston

Linda Donahoe

Chris Cassidy

Steve Ching

MeriBeth Chewuk

Rob Schneider

Stan Copeland

Allen Hinton

Jim Guppenberger

Karen Houston

Marty Coleman

Dave Lovell

Chris Raub

Stacy Drinkwater

Murray Hill

New Video from the Machinists News Network.

The video also plays in the side bar player but since it is about us, it deserves some main page play.

http://www.goiam.org/index.php/news/latest-videos/6446-iams-journey-to-space

Regular Membership Meeting December 1st, 2009

Regular membership meeting at the District Hall starts at 4:30PM. Tonight there will also be officer elections for all of the positions nominated during the November Membership meeting.
Hope everyone can come out and vote.

November 3rd Business Rep Elections.

At the upcoming regular membership meeting date of November 3rd, 2009, there will be an election for Business Reps' for District 166.
Polls will be open 8:00AM till 6:00PM at the District Hall on November 3rd, 2009.
There are 4 positions open for election and 5 nominees.

The nominees are:

Linda Donahoe
Johnny Walker
Nick Mrdjenovich
Joe Kyles
Robert Miller

Please make time to stop by and vote.

www.savespace.us Letter Campaign

Save Space is a movement started by people on the Space Coast to raise the awareness of the nation, the President, and other elected officials: Space needs to be a priority for America.

As the clock ticks toward the end of the Space Shuttle program, as the President and his advisors review the Augustine Commission recommendations, as Florida's economic engine falters. it is imperative that we make our voices heard by writing letters to the President: Save Our Space Program!

In the coming days Space Florida will also be releasing a letter campaign to address our issues with all branches of our Government. When that campaign is ready, links will be posted here. It would not be a bad idea to share the link to savespace.us with friends and family. The more support America shows for the Space Program, the better the chances NASA will receive the funding it needs to operate correctly.

USA Retirement Photos

The photos are up on the district site. Go to iam166.org and you will find a link to the photos or click http://www.iam166.org/usaweb/ to go directly to the pictures. Thanks again, to Mark Weaver for the pictures. If you need a photographer for portraits or events contact Mark.

Regular Membership Meeting October 6th, 2009.

Regular Membership meeting, October 6th 2009. Meeting starts at 4:30PM at the district hall.

October 4th Retirement Party at Fox Lake Park.

There will be a retirement party for all of our members who elected to take the voluntary layoff. The party will be October 4th starting at noon at Fox Lake Park in Titusville. Details are still in work and will be posted here as soon as everything is set. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under. In the coming weeks tickets will be offered in the shops during lunch. There will be water provided but no other beverages, so B.Y.O.B.

Plan to come out, enjoy the food, and spend some time with our retiring members.

Space Coast AFL-CIO Labor Council Activist Training.

The Space Coast AFL-CIO Labor Council will be providing Activist Training on September 26th. The training starts at 10:00AM and food will be provided.
Address for the AFL-CIO Training is 1122 Lake Drive Cocoa, FL. It is at the corner of SR520 and Lake Drive.

For more information, contact Claudie Pouncey at spacecoastaflcio@bellsouth.net

Volusia/Flagler AFL-CIO 8th Annual Labor Day Celebration

The Volusia/Flagler Chapter of the Central Florida AFL-CIO is holding it's 8th annual Labor Day Celebration.

There will be a picnic and BBQ on Monday September 7th starting at 11:00AM. The location is:

Reed Canal Park
2871 Nova Road Entrance
South Daytona.

There will be rides and games for the kids, live music, and great food. The event runs through 2:00PM. Our Local Lodge is invited to attend the celebration, so we hope to see you there! We will have a table so if you attend, stop by and say hello.

Health Care Rally in Orlando

Free Transport from Cocoa

When: Saturday, August 29th – 1:00 PM
Where: Downtown Orlando Rec. Center, 649 W. Livingston Street

Bus transportation will be provided from Space Coast AFL-CIO Hall 1122 Lake Dr Cocoa. THIS IS A TICKET EVENT. RSVP for transport and or tickets spacecoastaflcio@ymail.com by Friday the 28th. There is no charge for riding the bus. Come out and show support for Health Care Reform!


http://spacecoastaflcio.org/

Regular Membership Meeting September 1st, 2009.

271 Taylor Ave. Cape Canaveral, FL 32920-3025

Monthly Membership Meeting for LL2061. Meeting starts at 4:30PM for members with a Steward meeting directly after the membership meeting ends.

Nominations for the Business Rep Election will take place at the September meeting.

July 30, 2009 Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee; Meeting

The Augustine Committee will be meeting for a public meeting on Thursday July 30th in Cocoa Beach.

Date and Time: July 30, 2009 - 8 am - 4 pm EDT
Location Information:
Hilton Cocoa Beach
1550 North Atlantic Avenue
Cocoa Beach, FL

From the official release:

The third public session will be July 30 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT at the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront Grand Ballroom, 1550 North Atlantic Ave., in Cocoa Beach, Fla.

The agenda is:
8 a.m.: Bob Cabana, director, NASA's Kennedy Space Center
8:30 a.m.: Exploration Beyond Low Earth Orbit subgroup (Ed Crawley, moderator)
11 a.m.: Congressional perspective (presenters TBD)
Noon: Lunch break
1 p.m.: NASA Constellation projects managed at Kennedy
2:30 p.m.: Public comment period
3 - 4 p.m.: Committee public deliberations

Following each meeting, committee chairman Norman Augustine will be available to answer questions from reporters. NASA Television will carry the meetings and news conferences live on the agency's media channel. The events also can be viewed on NASA's Web site.

Anyone interested in attending should know seating is limited. It would be good for the membership to have some seats filled, even by our own family members. The Committee needs to hear how we feel about the direction NASA is headed and what we want concerning Human Space Flight.

We Have a New Home on the Web.

Last night we went live with LL2061.org . Currently all of the pages are not updated but should be within the next few weeks. For news, there is a link from LL2061.org to this blog (for the time being). As soon as possible, we will migrate over to the main site for future postings, and will post here when that time comes.

The new site will offer us options the blog does not have, so that we may communicate with each other in the best possible manner. If you find any errors on LL2061.org, feel free to email iamwebsteward@gmail.com and let us know.

Please Contact Bill Nelson and let him know F-22's should not be cut.

Early next week the Senate is expected to vote on an amendment that will strip funding for seven additional F-22s from the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Authorization, S 1390. We are asking that Senators vote against the amendment--a NO vote on the amendment.


Yes means in favor of the amendment to strip funding and ? means undecided.

Brownback, Sam (KS) ?
Cochran, Thad (MS) ?
Graham, Lindsey (SC) ?
Hagan,Kay (NC) Yes
Landrieu, Mary (LA) ?
Lincoln, Blanche (AR) ?
Nelson, Bill (FL) Yes
Pryor, Mark (AR) ?
Roberts, Pat (KS) ?
Shelby, Richard (AL) ?
Warner, Mark (VA) Yes
Webb, Jim (VA) Yes

If these planes get cut, our Brothers and Sisters on the assembly line will be the first to feel it. Second in line will be the Armed Forces, who have our backs everyday. Our Senator Bill Nelson is voting to cut the funding needed to produce these jets. It is our duty to call or email the Senator and let him know we wish for the funding, so these jets can be built.

Washington, D.C. Office
United States Senate
716 Senate Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5274
Fax: 202-228-2183

For electronic contact (Email Form) visit this website:
http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/legislation.cfm#

Jerry Copeland

Jerry Copeland, Roads and Grounds, passed away Saturday morning. Details of service arrangements will be posted when determined.  Our thought and prayers go out in Jerry's memory and for his family.

Services for Jeff Simmons

Services for Jeff Simmons, EG&G plumber, will be held Saturday, July 18 at 1 pm at Volusia Memorial of Port Orange, 4815 Clyde Morris Blvd. Port Orange. Our thought and prayers go out in Jeff's memory and for his family.

New Feature, Calendar for LL2061 Events.

Added a calendar to the page, located below the Feedblitz sign-up. Currently it has the dates of the Membership meetings added. If you have an event that needs to be added, feel free to email me at iamwebsteward@gmail.com and I'll get it added.

Joe Tidwell

Brother Joe Tidwell is in the critical care unit at Wuesthoff Hospital. Visiting hours are; 10-12 am, 3-5 pm and 8-9:30 pm. 

Regular Membership Meeting June 2nd 2009

Regular Membership meeting June 2nd 2009 at the District Hall. Meeting starts at 4:30PM.

Hall is located at 271 Taylor Avenue Cape Canaveral, FL 32920.

Regular Membership Meeting Tuesday May 5th 2009

Regular meeting starts at 4:30pm at the District Hall.

Hall is located at 271 Taylor Avenue Cape Canaveral, FL 32920.

Dues Increase Approved

The membership at Tuesday's Local Lodge meeting voted overwhelmingly to accept an Executive Board proposal that would increase dues for LL 2061. This action was viewed as a necessary action to maintain the viability and existence of the Local. The proposal was in response to an increase in monies paid to the International and the depletion of the treasury due to expenses incurred during the USA strike. The increase in payments to the International coupled with a decrease in membership in LL 2061 made it necessary for your Executive Board to take action. 

The increase is pegged at eight dollars ($8.00) per month. This computes to two dollars ($2.00) per week - five cents ($.05) per hour. Three dollars ($3.00) of this increase will go directly to the Lodge's treasury. The Executive Board has been gravely concerned that our ability to provide necessary services to the membership was being restricted and some services would have to be eliminated if this increase was not approved. Our ability to fund contract negotiations, grievance processing and arbitration of grievances,  training (Safety and Health, communications, EAP and Leadership training, and community service), were some of the services that were being curtailed or eliminated.

The dues increase was determined after extensive research and  exhaustive debate by the Executive Board. Many proposals were considered. The Board attempted to produce a proposal that would have the least economic impact on our membership and still allow the Local to maintain and increase the level of service to our members. The Executive Board feels strongly this is a fair and reasonable increase in view of the fact the dues formula has not increased since 1976. We are confident this increase will carry the Local through the foreseeable future.

Should you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at 321 446-7092 or contact an Executive Board member.

Lew

Contract Ratification Results

IAM 2061 membership ratified contract proposals today with the following companies;

EG&G
Sierra Lobo
Yang
SC Jones
Indyne
IHA
GCR/CMT

Voting was heavy at ratification meetings held at the Radisson Hotel and the IAM Hall in Cape Canaveral. Your negotiating committees are grateful to the membership for the support and encouragement the membership has offered during these negotiations.

Fraternally,

Your Negotiating Committees

FINAL NEGOTIATIONS BLOG

Your Negotiating Committee for EG&G/Yang/Sierra Lobo met again today to make final arrangements for Sundays upcoming ratification meeting. To quell recent rumors we wish to announce proposed pay increases of 4%, 3.5% and 3.5% over a 3 year contract and increases of $.25 per year for the duration of the contract added to our pension. We wish to stress that there are approximately 14 pages of proposed changes to our existing contract, including changes to the maximum work time policy, substance abuse policy, vacation annual accrual carryover and group insurance to name a few. Therefore we, as YOUR negotiating committee , strongly urge each and every member to not only review these significant changes but to also vote! Once again, if you would like to get a copy of the proposed changes, we will be handing them out early at the union hall at 8:30 a.m. til 9:30 before the ratification meeting. The meeting will start at 10 am at the Radission in Cape Canaveral. Voting will end at 2 pm.

For the proposed changes, to the InDyne, IHA, GCR/CMT and S C Jones contracts, there will be a presentation at the union hall April 5, 2009 at 11:30 am with voting immediately following. The contracts are similiar in nature, but have different details in relation to each companies. Voting will end at 2 pm.

Loss of our Brother, Glenn Exline

On Tuesday March 31st Brother Glenn Exline passed away.


He will be missed greatly by all of us who have grown to know the strong man that he was. Though Glenn had retired last February, he was still a regular at the monthly meetings where we will miss his friendship and experience dearly.



His family will receive visitors at North Brevard Funeral Home tonight from 6 to 8pm. Funeral services will also be held tomorrow, Saturday April 4th at North Brevard Funeral Home at 10am. The address is 1450 Norwood Avenue Titusville, FL 32796.

http://www.northbrevardfuneralhome.com/

You can also leave condolences at North Brevard Funeral Home's website.
Here is a direct link to Glenn's page :
http://www.northbrevardfuneralhome.com/obit-service-schedule.jsp?site=0166&id=42963

Regular Membership Meeting April 7th 2009

Regular meeting at the District hall starts at 4:30pm on Tuesday April 7th. There is also a dues rate presentation and vote on the proposal scheduled for the meeting. Please attend and cast your vote.

Hall is located at 271 Taylor Avenue Cape Canaveral, FL 32920.

NEGOTIATIONS CLARIFICATION

The Negotiating Committee has completed proof reading our new proposed contract. We have also completed a summary of all the significant changes. If you wish to get a copy early, to review, we will be handing them out early at the union hall April 5, 2009 at 830 am. The reason we are doing this is the meeting hall was not available any earlier than 930 and we need time to set up the meeting. Once again the meeting is scheduled for April 5, 2009 at the Radisson in Cape Canaveral located at 8701 Astronaut Blvd (A1A). The meeting will start at 10 am. sharp. Voting will start after our presentation and Q&A. Polls will close at 2 pm. Copies of the summary will also be available at the Radisson. We urge EVERYONE to attend, don't let someone else decide YOUR future.

Note: S C Jones, InDyne, IHA and CMT/GCR will tentatively be scheduled to vote April 5, 2009 at the union hall. Times to be announced.

Fraternally,

Your Negotiating Committee

Your Negotiating Committee is still revising our existing contract to reflect proposed changes. We hope to complete it in the coming days. In an effort for transparency, the committee will be at the union hall sunday April 5, 2009 between the hours of 8:30 to 9:30am to hand out copies of ALL significant changes. Please note, for cost containment purposes, we will not included typos or normal replacement language (i.e. JBOSC to ISC) We will then go to the Radisson to set up for the ratification vote.

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE 3/30/09

Your Negotiating Committee met with representatives of EG&G, Yang and Sierra Lobo this morning. After several rounds of intense negotiating we have tentatively agreed on a contract we feel is fair and just for all our members. We will meet again tomorrow to assemble a revised contract for members consideration. The ratification meeting will be April 5, 2009 at the Radisson in Cape Canaveral at 10 am. More information will be posted on tomorrows blog.


Fraternally,

Your Negotiating Committee

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE 3/27/09

Your committee met again with company representatives. A lot of progress has been achieved through mutual agreement and difficult negotiating. We feel we are close to reaching a contract for your consideration. Have a great weekend!

Fraternally,

Your Negotiating Committee

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE 3/26/09

Your negotiating committee met again today with company representatives. We are currently engaged in economic issues which are moving slowly. Due to difficulties finding a meeting place large enough for our group, contract ratification is scheduled for sunday April 5, 2009 at the Raddison in Cape Canaveral. The meeting will commence at 10a.m. sharp! The polls will open immediately after discussion ceases. Voting will continue until the last member present has voted. ONLY MEMBERS WILL BE ADMITTED. Please share this information with all your coworkers so everyone will have a voice in this vote!

S C Jones, Gov't Contracting Resources/CMT, InDyne Inc. and IHA negotiations are in progress and on time. Contract ratifications for these groups will be held at the union hall on April 5 at a time yet to be announced.

Fraternally,

Your Negotiating Committee

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE 3/24/09

Your Negotiations Committee met again with company representatives this morning. We have had extended conversations over our proposals and theirs. Further review is needed to reach an agreement on several issues. Trust in your committee for we have the greater good for ALL our members in our hearts and minds.

Fraternally,

Your Negotiating Committee

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE 3/23/09

Your negotiations committee reconvened meetings with management early this morning. Management presented their economic counter proposals. Although we found common ground on several proposals and tentatively agreed upon them, we are miles apart on significant issues important to our members according to our surveys. It is our sincere hope that we are able to close the gap soon so that each side feels they have accomplished their mission. Stay United! Together we can go to the moon and beyond....

Fraternally,

Your Negotiating Committee

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE 3/17/09

Happy St Pattys Day to all our brothers and sisters! Your Negotiating Committee met again with representatives of signatory companies today. We were successful in whittling down to just a couple of remaining language issues. The Union presented our economic proposals to management. After a brief rundown by DBR Johnny Walker we concluded for the day. We will reconvene next monday March 23, 2009

In Solidarity,

Your Negotiating Committee

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE 3/16/09

Your Negotiating Committee reconvened today to attempt to resolve final contract language issues. Unfortunately a couple of issues have been bantered back and forth, language added and deleted, without successful resolution. We will reconvened tomorrow morning and hope to agree on remaining non economic issues so that we can move forward in the negotiations process. Keep the faith brothers and sisters! GO DISCOVERY!