Fundraising is an essential part of preparing for the 40th IAM Grand Lodge Convention September 7-11, 2020 in San Diego. You can help by entering our gold raffle, with all proceeds going to support the convention.
Food
insecurity is a real issue in Nova Scotia. According to Feed Nova Scotia, more
than 41,000 Nova Scotians were supported by food banks in 2017, and 1/3 of
these recipients are children.
Kim Clarke, Sarah Covey, Janet Baker & Zita Hildebrandt helped out at Feed Nova Scotia.
Women’s Committee Chair Sarah Covey and Executive Liason Janet Baker.
Janet & Sarah sort and pack milk cartons for distribution.
A pallet of donations is moved at the warehouse.
Kim packs a container with milk cartons.
It’s a sad
reality that 15.4 per cent of Nova Scotian households are considered “food
insecure,” which means they lack reliable access to enough affordable,
nutritious food.
This is why IAMAW Local Lodge 2797’s Women’s Committee
decided to support Feed Nova Scotia.
“It’s important that we look at all issues that have to do with family dynamics within the home,” explained Sarah Covey, Chair of our Women’s Committee.
“And we try and focus on local organizations that benefit all of our communities.”
1,970,623
kilograms of food was distributed through Feed Nova Scotia in the 2017/2018
year: this includes non-perishable goods, perishables, pet food, and even
menstrual supplies, which are provided through a partnership with Dignity
Period. All of the items that are donated or purchased by the organization need
to be checked to ensure they are fresh/undamaged, then sorted and packaged to
be distributed throughout the province.
It’s a task
that requires a lot of helping hands.
Enter the volunteers: more than 30,000 volunteer hours were donated last year to the organization to help make sure food gets to people who need it. Our local lodge is just one of 123 volunteer groups that are trying to help with the task. So far, our Women’s Committee has visited Feed Nova Scotia on three separate occasions to sort and package donations.
On Tuesday,
June 11th, they repackaged 250 ml milk containers, checking their
expiry dates, making sure the cartons weren’t damaged, sorting them into 15
kilogram groups and moving them onto pallets to be distributed throughout the
province. On past visits, our group has helped sort imperfect produce that has
been donated by farmers (approximately 15 per cent of Feed Nova Scotia’s
donations come directly from farmers).
Our Women’s
Committee plans to meet again in September and will probably hold another
volunteer date with Feed Nova Scotia after that meeting. Anyone interested in
joining the committee or volunteering with any of their events should contact
Sarah Covey at scovey@nsgeu.ca.
You still have time to make your voice heard in IAM CREST’s second annual workplace violence survey. The survey is available in English, French, and Spanish.
The survey will close on March 31, 2019. Results will be published in April 2019.
The survey will help IAM CREST work toward solutions to improve workplace safety. The survey is completely anonymous and data will be shared with other partners to develop broad strategies.
You can also text IAMSAFETY to 55-000 to complete the survey on your mobile device. Workplace violence can take the form of a physical or emotional attack.
Nearly 17,000 workers experienced trauma from nonfatal workplace violence in 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Five-hundred Americans were victims of workplace homicide victims in 2016.
Questions or concerns about the survey can be directed to IAM CREST Project Coordinator/Instructor Michael Oathout at 301-967-4707 or moathout@iamaw.org.
Before the holidays, members of IAMAW Local 2797 got together on their lunch break to put together 18 shoeboxes full of goodies for The Halifax Shoebox Project. Such a great initiative, and one we were proud to take part in during the holiday season!
On Sunday, November 11th, we pause to remember those who fought and sacrificed for our freedoms.
Armistice Day, now known as Remembrance Day, was first marked in Canada on Nov. 11, 1919. That date marked the one-year anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the First World War. This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the end of the war.
If you’re able to attend, the Nova Scotia/Nunavut Provincial Command of the Royal Canadian Legion will be holding a Remembrance Day service at Halifax Grand Parade, starting at 10:30 a.m.
Part of being a union member is knowing that your union family is here for you when you need it most. The time is now to help Machinists Union members in the path of Hurricane Michael.
The IAM is doing everything we can to help our members recovering from this destructive hurricane. Every dollar you give to the IAM Disaster Relief Fund goes directly to IAM members and their families in need.
IAM members can also receive confidential help through the IAM Employee/Member Assistance Program. Services include assistance with addictions, mental health, stress, depression and financial hardship. You can reach the confidential IAM Assistance Helpline by calling 301-335-0735 or emailing iameap@iamaw.org.
This article was originally posted on the IAMAW website. See the original post here: http://www.iamaw.ca/new-trade-deal-with-new-name/
Washington, DC – We have a tentative new trade deal with a new name, NAFTA is gone, to be replaced by the USMCA or United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
To get this new deal, it appears Canada has given away the farm! America has a chronic problem of over production of its milk products and our supply management system restricted Americans from dumping their surplus here. Under the deal American dairy farmers will be granted greater access to Canada’s dairy industry – worth some 3.6 per cent of Canada’s current dairy market. So now America has a place to dump its excess. Then there’s the content problem, American milk contains growth hormones, Canadian milk does not but there is no provision to provide labels on the milk products to warn consumers of milk content. All Canadian agriculture sectors took a hit. The Canadian egg industry is most notable – 10 million dozen additional imports will allowed the first year USMCA kicks in. Starting in year two, the market access for American eggs will increase one per cent each year for the next ten years. Canada will allow duty-free turkey to enter from the U.S. at a level equivalent to 3.5 per cent of the previous year’s Canadian turkey production. The market access granted for broiler hatching eggs and chicks is 21.1 per cent of the Canadian domestic production for that year.
What did we get for these concessions? U.S. President Trump has agreed that no hard limit will be placed on Canadian auto exports to the U.S. Trump had been threatening to use – Section 232 national security tariffs, which would slap a 20-25 per cent duty on cars imported into the U.S., if Canada didn’t bend on dairy concessions. What Ottawa did was avoid economic hardship for Ontario auto manufacturing by negotiating an exemption, which allows Canada to still be able to export cars and parts tariff-free up to a certain amount, well above what Canada currently sends across the border.
Another area Canada claims as a win is in regards to the Dispute Resolution. Canada would not bend in its demand for Chapter 19. One of the main reasons is according to Prime Minister Trudeau, Trump doesn’t always follow the rules. U.S. negotiator Robert Lighthizer personally detested Chapter 19 of NAFTA. This provisions allows companies to request arbitration if they feel their products have been unfairly hit with anti-dumping or countervailing duties. Bombardier successfully used this when the U.S. Commerce Department levelled a 300 per cent tariff on the Bombardier C Series airliner following a complaint by Boeing. Bombardier won the argument. Under USMCA there has been no significant change.
While Trudeau and his Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland claim this is a great deal for Canada, tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum exports remain intact. That apparently is another battle still to be won.
