Strengthening solidarity by reconnecting – in person!

02 September, 2020
For immediate release

Mississauga, ON – IAM Locals 2413 and 2323 held their first in-person meetings since March of this year – just as the COVID-19 pandemic was gaining full force. Both meetings were held at the Local 2323 union hall.

The afternoon started at 4:00 pm with LL2413 meeting with all the proper physical distancing protocols observed. Due to the pandemic-related layoffs, members from many employers were able to attend and ask questions of concern.

Grand Lodge Representative Lou Pagrach and IAM District 140 General Chairperson Mike Corrado were able to answer their questions, as well as provide updates on the industry in general. The meeting also allowed members working at Sunwing to meet their new Chief Shop Steward, Nathan Oehlrich.

Later in the day, Local 2323 had their meeting in the same hall (after the proper sanitising procedure) with the same physical distancing protocols observed. The meeting, however, was so well-attended that it could not accommodate all who came.

In a first for the local, the more than 60 people (almost double the legally allowable indoor meeting limit) all moved outdoors and held the “town-hall-style” meeting on the front lawn and parking lot!

To make sure all members were protected, the local ensured that everyone was physically distanced, wore PPE, and filled out the Contact Tracing Sheets. These sheets are part of the process of identifying those who may have come into contact with an infected person and to prevent onward transmission.

The two-hour meeting consisted of reports, and questions about layoffs and recalls from Air Canada. GLR Lou Pagrach, President Dave Flowers and members of the LL2323 Shop Committees; Mike Cooke, James Oprea, Mark Pacilla, Jonathan Smith and Evangeline Palad, were all on hand to answer questions and share information.

“It was refreshing to meet face-to-face again after so many months,” said GLR Lou Pagrach. “Video calls serve their purpose, but there’s nothing like meeting in person to reconnect. Maintaining solidarity can be challenging at the best of times and I think we are well on our way to strengthening the solidarity in locals 2413 and 2323.”