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BREAKING NEWS

VICTORY for Machinists Union, Black Car Drivers

IAMAW District 15 emerged victorious on May 1,

after a months-long organizing struggle at black car company Town Car International. Results of the NLRB representation election, held at the

company base in Long Island City, gave a landslide victory to the

Machinists with a margin of 2-to-1. Drivers are hopeful that the May Day

win will put an end to the widely reported use of intimidation tactics, direct threats, and acts of attempted bribery by management at Town Car in what became an intensely heated last-ditch attempt by owners to deliver a no vote.

“They withstood a lot of anti-union sentiment from the company, and also a

lot of tactics, coercion,” said Vinny Addeo, Director of Organizing for

IAMAW District 15. “These guys had the courage to come out and stand

right outside of their building and solicit their brother drivers. These guys

are going to have the dignity and respect that they deserve and stop

being treated like lower-class citizens.”

After the result announcement, Jim Conigliaro, Sr., Directing Business Representative for IAMAW District 15, told new members that the successful organizing effort at Town Car will be only the first in a series of wins for the union in securing respect and fair-treatment for black car drivers in the city.

“Tomorrow we are back to work,” Conigliaro said. We’ve got plenty of other companies on the horizon. They [drivers] were waiting for this victory;

they knew it would be a victory. They’re ready to join with us, unite together.”

The next steps are clear for drivers at Town Car and the IAMAW.

“The economy is coming back,” Conigliaro said. “The drivers have said

enough is enough. A fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work—it hasn’t been

that way in this industry. We want a contract now. We don’t want to hurt owners, but we want a fair piece of the pie. And we’re not going to stop until we get it.”

District 15 DBR Jim Conigliaro,District 15 Business Rep. Juan Negron,

District 15 Legal Council Jim Conigliaro Jr. & District 15 Organizer Vincent Addeo

join in celebration with the Black Car Drivers

Click here to view more photos

Thank You Labor Press New York - Samantha Saly

Respect for Drivers. Dignity on the Job.

GREAT JOB!

to District 15 of the

Machinists Union, AFL-CIO

IAMDropDown

The IAM is a large and diverse organization,

representing 720,000 members across North America.

District 15 is a labor union representing thousands of workers for the

purpose of "Collective Bargaining". Our Membership includes hundreds of different occupations from Truck Mechanics to Black Car Drivers, we are

headquartered in Brooklyn, New York with regional locations in

Boston MA, Buffalo NY, New Jersey and Philadelphia, PA.

MA NY NJ PA

Goals of the IAM

•Cost-of-living raises so that wage rates rise with living costs.

•Increased purchasing power to provide a higher standard of living.

•Paid sick leave and life insurance for workers; employer-paid hospital, medical, dental and eye care benefits for workers and their families

•Equal pay for equal work regardless of sex, race, or national origin.

•A safe, healthy workplace.

•Shorter work week with double time for voluntary overtime.

•Restrictions on subcontracting. Employer-paid insurance for worn, broken, or stolen tools.

•Joint apprentice training and retraining on the job.

•Portable pensions with optional early retirement benefits.

•Severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits.

•Union Shop.