Community

This is Living Wage Week – but minimum wages lag behind

The 6th of November marked the start of living wage week with the release of a report on living wages for 2023. The living wage movement sheds light on the extent to which workers are falling behind, and the ineffectiveness of minimum wage hikes, which do little to address the affordability crisis in the country. The report uncovers that the living wage rate for the Greater Toronto Area is $25.05,

Leucan Shaved Head Challenge a great success - GVP Chartrand joins LL712 to raise more than $35,000 for kids diagnosed with cancer

Friday, 26 May, 2022 Montreal, QC – IAM Canada’s General Vice-President David Chartrand and 8 others willingly had their heads shaved to raise money for Leucan, an organisation dedicated to helping kids diagnosed with cancer, as well as their families. Although the fundraising goal was a modest $5,000, the final amount raised was an astounding $35,543.00. It is a number that speaks to the generosity, dedication and caring on the

Young Machinists from Local Lodge 2323 shine again

On October 15th the Young Machinists of IAM Local 2323 (Sheryl, Kris and Nicole) as well as the Dave Flowers, PDGC of IAM Transportation District 140, Dave Flowers, went to downtown Toronto and gave out packed lunches to some of the very vulnerable people living on our streets. We successfully handed out 38 lunches and those who received were sincerely grateful. We believe that service to the community is an

Once Upon a Time in Chile (and Scotland)

Often, as a member of a trade union, we are asked, “What good does a union ever do?” Well, apart from better wages, better working conditions, vacations, and benefits – not much – well here is a wee story. On sept 11th 1973 the was a military coup in Chile. The country was overtaken by a military junta, who then proceeded to murder and torture people whom they considered subversive.

"Service to the Community" in action

Despite hardships local lodges continue to face during this pandemic, the spirit of IAM’s motto, Justice on the job, Service to the Community is unbreakable. Evidenced by several initiatives by locals to serve their community, their actions of kindness and generosity are glimmers of hope in otherwise dire circumstances. The unrelenting commitment speaks to the kind of community the IAM is, in our own time of need, we find it

Transforming lives through partnerships with service dogs

We hope you and your family are all well. As you know, due to the coronavirus, we had to cancel the 40th Annual William W. Winpisinger Las Vegas Charity Banquet. The banquet serves as a celebration for the year-long fundraising efforts achieved by devoted companies and individuals across the United States and Canada. In addition to being a celebration, it also serves as a significant fundraiser for Guide Dogs of

Add Your Voice - Include a Child Care Plan that works for working families

Hi all — We know that families in your community are anxious as they make the decision to send their children back to school or to further their education from home. Families with small children will have to decide whether-or-not to place small children in childcare or struggle to return to work without adequate child care in place. Governments across the country have recognized that in order for Canadians to

LL2323 Women's Committee fundraiser

Choose from a variety of patterns of reusable and washable100% woven cotton masks – 1 for $10 or 3 for $25. Join us in raising money for the Sick Kids Foundation! 100% of the proceeds will go to the Sick Kids Foundation For details and selection of a pattern, contact Pascale Forrester womenatwork@iamaw2323.ca #women #COVID19 @iamaw2323

Lighting Hope – LL 2323 Young Machinists Raise Funds for Women’s Shelters

The domestic and intimate partner violence predicted by many advocates due to the COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be well-founded. Incidences of domestic violence appear to be triple what they normally are. The pandemic, which obliges more people to stay at home together, makes a bad situation even worse. The Young/New Machinists Committee of Local 2323 are thinking globally and acting locally. They are fundraising to help deal with the

Despite Flood and Fire – The Story of IAM LL99 member Des Doerksen (and friends)

5 May 2020 Fort McMurray, AB – How much disaster can a person handle? Ask Desmond (Des) Doerksen. He’s a member of IAM Local 99 in Alberta and he lost three houses in the last four years – two to floods and one to fire. Des lost his first home during the great fires in Fort McMurray in 2016. Ironically, it wasn’t fire that destroyed his house, but water. Due