Washington, D.C., Oct. 22, 2014 – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) today announced their latest organizing victory for 1,000 mechanics, technicians and maintenance personnel employed by URS at the Red River Army Depot (RRAD) near Texarkana, TX. The win follows a pair of successful IAM campaigns earlier this year that organized 925 military helicopter mechanics, technicians and maintenance personnel employed by L3 at the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) in Corpus Christi, TX.
The URS employees voted by 61 percent for IAM representation in a day-long election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
“Times are changing, and workers are tired of stagnant wages and benefits,” said IAM Southern Territory Vice President Mark Blondin. “There’s a growing trend among workers in Texas and throughout the South who believe it’s time to stand up and time to get their fair share. The new members at RRAD deserve credit for looking beyond the anti-union rhetoric and focusing on the opportunities that only collective bargaining can provide.”
Blondin credited the union’s months-long education campaign that preceded the vote for ensuring workers at URS knew their legal rights and understood the benefits of working under a collective bargaining agreement.
“We made a big difference for members at CCAD with a strong IAM contract, and the workers at RRAD told us they want the same opportunity,” said IAM Southern Territory Grand Lodge Representative Tommy Mayfield, who led the organizing effort. “They know a contract can address their issues in a professional manner while giving them the respect they deserve as skilled technicians.”
Founded in Atlanta, GA in 1888, the IAM is conducting organize drives across the South, including a campaign for more than 20,000 Flight Attendants at Delta Airlines and an effort among more than 3,000 workers at Boeing’s 787 assembly plant in North Charleston, SC.
The IAM is one of the largest industrial trade unions in North America, representing more than 600,000 active and retired members in dozens of industries.
