Washington Update — Vol. 1, No. 1

Mar 1, 2017 | Messages from President Hart, Washington Update

February 16, 2017

Vol. 1, No. 1

It’s time to get involved ….

A message from Metal Trades Department President Jimmy Hart

President Jimmy Hart

It’s time to get involved …. It’s up to you to keep your Council strong! Keeping your Council strong and vital is hard work that involves your everyday participation. Most members will never hold council office, and many have never attended a meeting, some may not have even opened this newsletter. However, if we are to thrive and better our lives in the workplace, it will take a team effort with everyone pulling together. Indifference and benign neglect of our responsibilities as trade unionists to our councils, local and international unions can no longer be accepted if we are to remain a viable and dependable voice for workers in the workplace.

Our Councils serve as the lifeline for Metal Trades Workers. A union is not about its treasury or its elected executive board or officers. A union is built on participation and buy-in by all members, recognizing the reality that if you allow others to make the decisions, they just might make them in a manner that you strongly oppose.

As I travel around the country visiting metal trades job sites, attending council meetings and such, I never grow tired of meeting dedicated trade unionists who have become activists simply by attending an organizing or political meeting. I revel in meeting the once staunch anti-union advocate who worked against the Union in a representation election, who, over time, not only learned the value of union membership but went on to become one of our greatest advocates and assets. It’s inspiring.

Participation changes minds! The Metal Trades and the labor movement as a whole face serious challenges as we confront opponents in the world of politics and management. To confront our challenges, our councils will require interested, engaged and serious delegates and workers to come together as one to fend off adversaries whose sole aim is to set us back generations by attacking our job security, wages, and protections.

We are the Metal Trades and you and your fellow brothers and sisters are the members of Unions that make us strong. It’s time to get involved: signup a new member and join the fight to keep our unions strong and vibrant. May God Bless America and protect the house of labor, for it is truly the only place in which a worker may find their strength and take refuge.

I look forward to meeting and speaking with you as I visit your councils, plants, and facilities.

Remember …… We Need You! #MetalTradesStrong

OLMS Filing Requirements and Webinars

Visit: https://www.dol.gov/olms/
for more compliance resources

OLMS is offering free webinars on use of the OLMS Electronic Forms System (EFS) for filers of the Form LM-3 and Form LM-4. See: www.dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/olms_webinar/olmswebinar2017.htm. OLMS encourages Form LM-3 and LM-4 filers to participate in the webinars, as electronic filing is mandatory for such filers beginning with fiscal years that start on or after January 1, 2017. See: www.dol.gov/olms/elec_file.htm. At that point, OLMS will no longer provide paper forms or accept paper reports, except in cases of hardship.

OLMS will host two webinars: one for Form LM-3 filers and one for Form LM-4 filers. The Form LM-3 webinar will be held on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm EST. The Form LM-4 webinar will be held on Monday, March 6, 2017, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm EST. They are both open to all interested individuals. OLMS is not holding EFS training specifically for Form LM-2 filers because electronic filing is already required. However, Form LM-2 filers may choose to participate or view the EFS Help page that includes a webinar for using the EFS Form LM-2.
The public can register at the below links with registration password: Welcome!25. Once approved by the host, the participant will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the session.
OLMS will be taking questions during the webinar by email, at OLMS-Public@dol.gov. Those with questions about webinar registration can email or call the national office at (202) 693-0123.

Time to Grow Your Council. Looking to organize new contractors and workers? … Here’s the place where Metal Trades Councils can go to find out where the jobs are. USASpending.Gov

Things We’re Reading:

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    Facebook: Facebook.com/Metaltrades/

Twitter: @metaltradesafl

Build Union, Build Metal Trades Union, Build Safe, Save a Life

The article below highlights the dangers of working in non-union shipyards with little regard for workforce safety.

The Deadly Danger of Trump’s Naval Buildup
The Navy could soon see a shipbuilding boom. But workers are dying and the contracts keep coming.

(from Politico.com)

Bram Ates felt the urge to vomit. A chemical stench filled the engine room of the tugboat in a sprawling Mississippi shipyard. Ates scrambled over to an oval hole in the floor and peered into the dark abyss. Below him, two men were crawling through cramped steel boxes laid out like coffins. They had been told to wipe the inside of the hull with paint thinner.

“Look, y’all need to get out of that tank,” Ates screamed.

He heard hissing. A tangerine fireball erupted through the hole and catapulted him across the boat. The deafening boom reverberated through the rooms of a Super 8 motel more than 2 miles away. READ MORE…

METAL TRADES COUNCILS RECORD RETENTION POLICY

It is the policy of The Metal Trades Councils to retain records as required by law and to destroy them when appropriate. The destruction of records must be approved by the [The Office of The Secretary-Treasurers], and logged into the Union’s [Destroyed Records Log]. The formal records retention policy of Metal Trades Councils is as follows: