If You Are Being Laid Off And Have Physical Problems Report Them
Recent economic problems have resulted in many workers receiving layoff notices. Many of these workers have valid work-related injuries but fail to protect their rights. Kansas law requires that an injured employee give notice to their employer within 10 days of any work related injury. Many workers, especially those with hand and arm problems, have not reported their injuries to their employers out of fear of being medically laid off. When these same workers are laid off in a general economic layoff, they must report their injuries within 10 days of their last day of work.
Many of the aircraft employers in this area perform a pre-employment physical, including a hand and arm electrical test, on new employees. Workers who have had previous hand and arm problems will not pass these tests and will not obtain employment. These same workers will not be able to make a claim against their previous employer unless they have reported their work related problems within ten days of their last day worked. If you receive notice you are being laid off, report any physical problems you think are caused by or made worse by work to your employer with a witness. The reporting of any injury should not affect call back rights.
If you are being laid off and have physical problems; hands, arms, neck, back, etc., call our Union attorneys Hammond, Zongker & Farris, at 262-6800 for free legal advice and a free legal consultation. Don’t let your employer cause you more economic harm than they already have.
Sign The Card Online. Sign the Employee Free Choice Act Card online plus get information on this important legislation. Become a member of the million member mobilization campaign.
A Strong Middle Class = A Strong America On January 30, 2009, the President signed an executive order creating a Middle Class Task Force and asked his right hand man, Vice President Joe Biden, to lead it. America's road to economic recovery will be driven by our middle class.
The Task Force's first official meeting will be on February 27, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The topic of the first meeting will be: "Green Jobs: A Pathway to a Strong Middle Class."
About the Task Force: VP Biden and other members of the White House Task Force on Middle Class Working Families are dedicated to strengthening our nation's middle class. They have some pretty high goals and want to make sure you're involved every step of the way.
The Task Force is a major initiative targeted at raising the living standards of middle-class, working families in America. It is comprised of top-level administration policy makers, and in addition to regular meetings, it will conduct outreach sessions with representatives of labor, business, and the advocacy communities.
Watch the video below and also visit their website for more information on how you can add your ideas for their consideration at A Strong Middle Class
In Loving Memory of Bill Hourigan and Frank Lunga 11-8-08. LL774
Congratulations to Kathy Petersen
LL839 being named Sister of the Month for January 2009.
Kathy is a 12-year member of Local 839 in Wichita, KS, where she was overwhelmingly elected president after serving as the lodge’s vice president. Petersen, who is employed as an Inspector for Spirit Aero Systems, is the first woman to hold each of those offices in the history of the local.
Petersen became more involved in her local following the sale of Boeing to Onex Corp. Sensing a need, she stepped up and volunteered to serve on numerous committees and became involved in various local, district and community activities. She has become an effective leader by reading the bylaws, learning the constitution, asking questions and at times, making mistakes. “It is important to learn from your mistakes and keep the lines of communication flowing in all directions,” said Petersen. “Don’t second guess yourself. Just do the right thing for the right reasons and always remember to communicate.”
As a local leader, Petersen has focused on growing her union, working tirelessly to organize non-represented workers. It’s her goal to help build a stronger union and encourage other sisters to be more active. Most recently, Petersen was one of the recipients of the Women in Organizing Grant awarded by the Berger Marks Foundation.
Rita Rogers Named to Wichita Eagle's Top 10 to Watch Representing nearly 19,000 workers in the Wichita, KS area, IAM District 70 is an integral part of the local economy. The Wichita Eagle recognized this fact recently when it named District 70 Assistant DBR Rita Rogers to their annual list of “Ten to Watch in 2009.”
Workers throughout the Kansas aviation industry are deeply concerned about the possible effects of the economic downturn on their companies, which include Cessna Aircraft, Hawker Beechcraft, Spirit AeroSystems, Bombardier, LearJet, and Boeing. Wichita is a major aircraft manufacturing cluster, and the city is known as the “Air Capital of the World.” Cessna, Beechcraft and LearJet were born in Wichita.
Rogers has been an IAM member of Local 733 for over 30 years, serving as a Business Representative before becoming the assistant to District 70 DBR Steve Rooney in 2001. Rogers was Chief Spokesperson for Local 733 during the recent successful Hawker Beechcraft strike in 2008.
“I’m happy the Wichita Eagle has recognized what we’ve known for a long time,” said Southern Territory GVP Bob Martinez. “Rita Rogers is a great representative for our union, and she’s an important civic leader and a voice for working people in Wichita.” January 8th i-mail article.
Get your free FICO score at this secure, confidential site. Through a special Union Plus limited-time offer from Fair Isaac/myFICO, they are able to offer union members the ability to get their free FICO score online.
Hurricane Ike Relief Efforts Click here for a letter listing locations that are Points of Distribution for supplying ice, water and meals for Houston area resident affected by Hurricane Ike. Also power, gasoline and other resources are in limited supply. Your assistance is needed.
Convention Delegates Approve New Financial Plan View the i-mail from September 11th for all the details.
GOVERNOR SEBELIUS SIGNS HB 2006 Which provides $33 million in bonds for Wichita plane maker Cessna Aircraft to build the new transcontinental wide-bodied Citation Columbus Business Jet.
View the details
America 's Edge
Say yes! I support sharpening America's Edge in the global economy. America's Edge relies on our skills and our kids' abilities to learn and adapt to the ever-changing demands of tomorrow's workplaces. And it is time public investment flowed in their direction. Go to www.americasedge.tv and sign the petition.
Each decade, 30 million American children enter high school but only 6 million of them ever receive a college degree. The remaining 24 million either drop out; complete high school and enter the workforce; or attend a community college or university for a couple of years.
Each year, over half a trillion dollars of local, state and federal monies is focused on students bound for college. Technical and vocational education, by contrast, receives less than two percent of that amount.
Increasingly, blue collar kids find the path to college blocked by exorbitant tuition costs, intense academic competition, static enrollment levels in colleges and universities, and the financial realities facing their families. Entering the workforce immediately after high school seems their only realistic option.
And yet, America faces a growing skills shortage. Labor economists predict that a serious lack of skilled workers will begin in 2005 and grow to 5.3 million in 2010 and 21 million in 2020.
A recent white paper on California's growing labor/skill shortage reports that the percentage of employers who indicate that they have difficulty filling vacancies for highly skilled blue-collar workers is very high 68 percent. The paper asserts that California is suffering from chronic underinvestment in training. And California is not alone.
Senator Tom Harkin put the issue in perspective. Today's skill deficiencies and tomorrow's skill demands will require significant investment in education and training. Employers estimate that 39 percent of their current workforce and 26 percent of new hires will have basic skill deficiencies Seventy-five percent of the American workforce will need to be retrained merely to retain their jobs. The IAM's SKILLS initiative is called America's Edge. It has three components:
Re-emphasizing technical and vocational classes in Americas high schools
Expanding the availability of industrial technology and information technology courses in America's community colleges; and
Creating High Tech Institutes in each state that focus on 21st Century manufacturing technologies and materials.
The IAMs SKILLS initiative with its inherent appeal to the values of family security, fairness, work and personal fulfillment has great potential. It connects with blue collar workers at many levels:
taking pride in their work and workmanship
achieving more job security and a higher standard for living for their family
getting a fairer start for their kids to face the global competition
Simply put, AMERICA'S EDGE relies on OUR SKILLS and OUR KIDS abilities to learn and adapt to the ever-changing demands of tomorrows workplaces. And it is time public investment flowed in their direction.
Washington Days Was held at the Ramada Inn Hotel on Friday February 29th, 2008. Click here to view the photos
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