IAM Local 174

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

Local 174

Legislative Representative For Fort Worth

Robert Perez has volunteered to be the Legislative Representative for our local and he will be working with the Tarrant County Democratic Party Executive Director, Elizabeth Barkley El Aiady, Web Site:www.tcdp.net. He will be bring us good information for the upcoming elections.

The Machinists Non-Partisan Political League MNPL is the political arm of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

It was created in 1947 to allow IAM members to gather individual contributions, coordinate political activity, and elect candidates who support IAM members and their families.

Candidates we support know that the MNPL stands for economic justice, security in the workplace and equality for every member. They do not take us for granted.

The MNPL scrutinizes each candidate thoroughly. We ask tough questions such as their positions on trade, labor law reform, economic conversion, transportation policies, and enhancement of the U.S. manufacturing base.

Protecting IAM interest through legislative vigilance, IAM legislative representatives work constantly to insure that the interests of union members--and all working people--are kept in the forefront of all deliberations in the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament. Legislative representatives maintain a constant vigilance to assure gains union members work so hard to achieve at the bargaining table are not lost through the stroke of a pen to sign some ill-conceived legislation into law.

Laws passed in Washington and Ottawa affect a worker's right to join a union of his or her choice and negotiate a decent contract. They also determine the kind of protection union members have the right to expect against on-the job accidents, sickness, unemployment, and old age.

Actions taken in Congress and Parliament also affect our efforts to feed, clothe, shelter, and educate our families. The politicians workers elect have the power to decide our tax bill, whether the corner station has gasoline, whether we will be protected against fraud and deception in the market place, and whether our air is fit to breathe and our water fit to drink.

Thousands of lobbyists work round the clock to get special treatment for Big Business, bankers, oil producers and other wealthy interests.

When they get their way, working people pay.

IAM legislative representatives constantly serve as the people's lobby.

IAM legislative representatives in Washington and Ottawa help keep local IAM legislative committees informed on how their legislators are voting and encourage members to participate in the political process.

IAM members and officers often testify before Congressional and Parliamental committees, and locals send representatives to Washington for annual briefings.

The Machinists Non-Partisan Political League (MNPL) and the Canadian Machinists Political League (CMPL), supported by voluntary contributions, work to help elect labor's friends to national, state, and provincial offices.

The most important job of the IAM Legislative Department, MNPL, and the CMPL, is to encourage IAM locals and districts to set up voter registration programs. The vote is the most powerful political tool workers posses.

I A M legislative goals:

Full employment by expanding the economy, lowering interest rates.

Foreign trade policies that discourage U.S. manufacturers from moving American plants and technology overseas and establishment of international labor standards; meaningful compensation for workers displaced by plant closings.

Legislation to protect against plant closings.

Effective enforcement of Occupational Safety and Health Act and standards for workers compensation.

Tax reform to close loopholes and increase individual exemptions.

Equal opportunities for all.

Improvements in Social Security coverage.

Uniform standards for unemployment compensation.

Federal standards for workers' compensation.

National Health Insurance.

Labor Law Reform.

Consumer Protection Agency.

Strict enforcement of regulations for cleaner environment.

Federal monitoring and control of the nation's energy reserves.

Federal funding for all types of energy research and development.

Support divestiture of monopolistic energy corporations, particularly those with holdings in multiple sources such as oil, coal, atomic, and solar energy.

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Last modified: 12/13/2012