IAM Local 743 Donates $20,000 to Union Community Tornado Victim's Fund

Tue, 07/26/2011 - 8:31am
Rick Brown, center left, accepts $20,000 check from IAM Lodge President, Mark Hebert and the Lodge 743 Executive Board
Rick Brown, center left, accepts $20,000 check from IAM Lodge President, Mark Hebert and the Lodge 743 Executive Board

The Union Community Fund of Western Massachusetts, a charity set up by workers and their unions, added $20,000 to it's coffers as a result of the generosity of IAM Lodge 743, a machinists union that represents workers at the Hamilton Sunstrand plant in Windsor Locks. 100% of the proceeds will go to victims of last month's tornadoes that tore through Springfield and surrounding communities, tossing thousands of lives into a state of chaos. The check was presented to Rick Brown, President of the Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO and a board member on the Union Community Fund last Wednesday, July 13th, at an IAM board meeting.

"We think the funds will be put to the best use and get the most efficiency out of the dollar," said Mark Hebert, President of Lodge 743. IAM 743 will be sending representatives to the next Union Community Fund Board meeting to help determine how the funds will be distributed. Though Lodge 743 is a Connecticut-based union, about half of its membership lives in Massachusetts and several of its members were directly impacted by the tornadoes.

The UCF board is meeting this Wednesday at 4pm to determine how all the proceeds should be distributed to the families who have been affected by storms. The Union Community Fund of Western Massachusetts makes grants to strengthen working families in areas such as jobs, housing, education, and hardship and disaster.

Rick Brown, President of the Pioneer Valley AFL-CIO and a UCF board member praised the IAM for their generosity. "Lodge 743 is helping to demonstrate what unions are all about and that's working people coming together to overcome adversity and improve their lives."