Members of the Machinists Union recently participated in the Employee Assistance Program 3 (EAP) at the IAM William Winpisingr Education and Technology Center. The members gathered to fine-tune their skills and work together building core modules on building programs at new locations. Sisters Christine Mahoe and April Stewart comment about how vital the EAP program is for the membership using recent issues they have seen while working the program.

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The Employee Assistance Program Class or EAP is a four-part course offered at the William W. Winpisinger center designed to help members at work who may be experiencing personal or work-related issues.

The post IAM’s Employee Assistance Program Saves Jobs and Changes Lives appeared first on IAMAW.

The IAM recognizes that these are stressful times for many Machinists members, staff and family members.

At any time, anyone can encounter problems associated with, but not limited to; substance abuse and addictions, mental health, stress, anxiety, depression, financial hardship and socioeconomic issues.

These are serious matters that cause problems by worsening the situation and negatively impacting the quality of life for many of our members.

If you’re feeling depressed, alone or just need to talk to someone, your IAM Employee Assistance and Addiction Services Program stands ready to assist members, staff and their families 24/7.

IAM EAP Services can be accessed by emailing iameap@iamaw.org or by calling 301-335-0735.

IAM Addiction Services can be reached by calling 1-888-250-4IAM (4426).

Your IAM EAP and Addiction Services program provides confidential assistance services to IAM members, staff and family members.

We stand ready to assist with prevention, intervention, assessment, directed care and follow-up services so our members can resume and maintain their quality of life and work.

Learn about the Eight Dimensions of Wellness, as provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Please take care of yourself, family, sisters, brothers and friends during the holiday season and remember, the IAM EAP and Retirees Department stands ready to help.

We’re Here!

The post IAM EAP and Addiction Services Program Available to Membership and Their Families appeared first on IAMAW.

“I have been a true alcoholic my entire life. I was even born premature to an addicted mother who died at the age of 42 due to liver and kidney failure caused by excessive use of alcohol and smoking. I went through my life with many ups and downs. From having nothing, to having everything, to having nothing again. Last year I really saw what alcohol can do to me. It can and will kill me. 

“Finally on July 30, I asked for real help because my life was again out of control. I was broke, broken and defeated as a human being.”

This is from a letter written by former IAM member Kenneth Avery, a millwright who worked at Crown Beverage Packaging in Olympia, WA. It was written one year into his sobriety. Today, Avery is no longer with the IAM but continues to be grateful that when he was part of the Machinist family, the union was there to help.

Kenneth Avery turned to the IAM Addiction Services Program when he felt his life was out of control.

“It will be 20 months sober for me on April 2,” exclaimed Avery happily from his new home in Wyoming, living a slower paced life he believes is helping his sobriety.

“It’s a pace that I think I needed. I was really overly stimulated in Washington. But it’s much slower here – they still try to get you to write a check,” Avery said with a chuckle.

But it wasn’t an easy path for Avery to get to this point in his life.

Just shy of two years ago, Avery walked into work under the influence and knew he needed help. He had tried rehab on his own and failed. On that day, he recognized it was time to reach out.

He remembered seeing a Facebook post about the IAM’s Addiction Services program but he couldn’t remember the details as he had barely glanced at the information.

“Alcohol was my drug of choice and it had taken over my thoughts, dreams, aspirations and my health,” remembered Avery grimly. “I went into work that morning and asked somebody if they would help me out because I wasn’t very clear minded. I was pretty much intoxicated. So we made the phone call and I spoke with Vinny and he asked me if I was willing to do anything to get sober, and I said I was.”

The “Vinny” he spoke with was Vincent Ceraso, the man in charge of the IAM’s Addiction Services program and a machinist member since 1993. Since its inception, the program has been a benefit to members and their families, free of charge.

“I got off the phone with him about 8 o’clock in the morning and he had a complete plan ready to go for me by 1 o’clock that I could take to my employer and show them what I was doing,” said Avery.

With more than 34 years of sobriety under his own belt, Ceraso understands these moments of clarity when someone reaches out are crucial to getting them help.

“We don’t provide any direct services. We provide options,” explained Ceraso. “Immediately I listen and do an evaluation. Then it’s time to find them a treatment place. It doesn’t matter where you live, I am going to match you with the best facility for you, because everyone’s recovery is unique. It probably won’t be the one down the block from where you live.”

Ceraso uses only dual diagnosis drug and alcohol treatment centers, which he credits for the completion rate and growth of the Machinist program. In just 24 months, the IAM has gotten help for nearly 150 union family members.

“Anyone can treat you for drugs and alcohol but can they treat you for the underlying issue? That’s what gives the Machinist Union such a high rate of success,” said Ceraso.

Nationwide, estimates range that about 5 percent of the population need drug or alcohol treatment. For the IAM, that’s about 30,000 members at any one time. Ceraso broke down the math.

“The numbers are staggering because if you look at the 600,000 members and then you add three family members each, you are looking at 2.4 million people. So now you take 5 percent of that and the number is huge,” said Ceraso.

But in the case of relapse statistics, the IAM is setting the curve for other programs.

“The average relapse rate in this country is about 78 percent or so in the first year which is ridiculous. If you go out three years, 92 or 93 percent of people are going to relapse,” said Ceraso. “But if you go through the Machinists, it’s about 2 or 3 percent. Not because of me, but because we are being very specific about where we send people.”

Ceraso doesn’t take credit for any of this success except to say that placement makes a difference. But some see it another way.

“It was probably, singularly, the best decision I ever let anybody make for me,” said Avery. “I owe a lot to Vinny for taking the time and finding the right facility for me, negotiating plans and working with the insurance. All I had to do was show up and get well.”

Avery isn’t the only one in the Machinist family who is grateful for this program.

By the time Dalton Gendron, the son of an IAM member, had hit his early 20s, he had undergone six knee and four back surgeries. All of which came with a host of prescribed pain pills to aid in his recovery.

Unfortunately, this sort of access to drugs left Gendron addicted to them.

“I used a range of things, but my main ones were OxyContin and Fentanyl,” recalled Gendron.  “But I still was pretty high functioning. I worked and went to the gym. I hung out with friends. I did all the regular things that people do, I was just never sober and clear-minded when I did those things.”

It was his fiancé who brought his addiction to the attention of his father. Since his dad was an IAM member, Gendron was able to get help through the Machinists Union. In two days, everything was set – a plane ticket was booked and a dual diagnosis treatment facility was awaiting his arrival.

“It was amazing and super quick. It took a lot of the stress off my shoulders,” said Gendron. “I didn’t really have to handle any of it on the front end. It was easier to just go there and not have to think about much else. I just had to focus on getting better.”

Dalton Gendron credits the IAM Addiction Services for helping turn his life around.

“I wouldn’t send our members anywhere I wouldn’t send my own son or daughter,” said Ceraso emphatically. “I live by that. I won’t send you anywhere I wouldn’t send my own blood,”.

What eliminated further stress for Gendron is how the IAM worked with his company to ensure he still had a job after recovery.

“The IAM handled everything with my HR department,” said Gendron. “It really helped knowing that I had a job to come back to.”

Ceraso has taken it a step further now.

“At the start of 2020, before the world changed due to COVID-19, we put together a one-page contract insert that I encourage any bargaining unit to consider,” said Ceraso. “Not only does it explain the program to members and the company, but it offers a way to protect the person seeking help, without the fear of discipline, if they call us.”

Today, Gendron is sober, a year and a half and counting. He did the hard work of rehab, but recognizes the importance of having the IAM in his corner at the beginning.

When asked where he would be today without the union, he told a narrative too many addicts tell.

“Single without a girlfriend. Possibly no place to live or, worst case scenario, dead,” said Gendron without hesitation. “I mean, with the kind of stuff I was doing, I’ve seen a lot of people die from it, and I could have very easily been the next one.”

Instead, his narrative, and Avery’s, are both full of hope.

“I’m sober. I got married last year, I bought a house this year and I am opening a business next year so a lot has changed in a short amount of time but it’s all been amazing,” said Gendron with a big smile.

“I can’t ever promise that I’ll never drink again, but I can say that I will do my very best every day to stay on track and work the program,” said Avery. “And as long as I do that, I’m going to be just fine. I know that. I do know that.”

Ceraso said this program has surpassed all expectation he had when he started. Some days, he’s just astounded.

“Every single day, I wake up proud of this program because every day I know that the union which employs me had the consciousness of making this help available to its membership,” said Ceraso with a smile. “And every single day I get to help our members get healthy and stay alive.”

The post Clean and Sober appeared first on IAMAW.

With hurricane season on our doorstep, it is essential to remind our members that the IAM has your back in your time of need. Now is the time to prepare and extend a helping hand to your sisters and brothers. The IAM Disaster Relief program is another of many examples of how members are helping members in our great union.

Through your collective generosity, we are able to help our sisters and brothers when they need us most. Additionally, our union is often there for our members before other entities are able to react. In order to remain prepared to provide immediate financial assistance to our sisters and brothers impacted by natural disasters, we ask that you please consider donating to the IAM Disaster Relief Fund. All monies donated to the IAM Disaster Relief Fund goes directly to IAM members and their families in need.

This meaningful assistance program would not be possible without your support. 

If you have been affected by a natural disaster and need financial assistance, click here for information on how to apply for help from the IAM. To expedite assistance claims, please contact your local or district lodge to help you through the process.

Please Note: If you participate in specific Union Plus programs and have been affected by natural disasters, you may be eligible for financial assistance through the Union Plus Disaster Relief Grant program.

Visit the Union Plus Disaster Relief Fund & Hardships to learn more about the benefits and eligibility requirements.

IAM members can also receive confidential help 24/7 through the IAM Membership Assistance Program, We’re Here.

IAM Disaster Relief Fund is financed entirely by member donations, and all donations go directly to IAM families in need.

IAM Assistance (ID # 46-2575531) is an IRS-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

The post As Hurricane Season Begins, Please Consider Donating to the IAM Disaster Relief Fund appeared first on IAMAW.

The IAM recognizes this is a stressful time for many IAM members, staff and family members due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The IAM Employee Assistance and Addiction Services Program stands ready to assist members, staff and their families during this tough period.

As with any large scale event such as this we face many challenges. In conjunction with this occurrence we face the familiar list of continuing problems associated with, but not limited to; substance abuse and addictions, mental health, stress, anxiety, depression, financial hardship and socioeconomic issues. All of these are serious matters that can cause problems by worsening the situation and negatively impacting the quality of life for many of our members.

IAM EAP Services can be accessed by emailing iameap@iamaw.org or by calling 301-335-0735.

IAM Addiction Services can be reached by calling 1-888-250-4IAM (4426).

Your IAM EAP and Addiction Services program provides confidential assistance services to IAM members, staff and family members. We stand ready to assist with prevention, intervention, assessment, directed care and follow-up services so our members can resume and maintain their quality of life and work.

Learn about the Eight Dimensions of Wellness, as provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Please take care of yourself, family, sisters, brothers and friends during this difficult time and remember, the IAM EAP and Retirees Department stands ready to help.

Visit the IAM Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center for continuing updates.

IAM-EAP Membership Outreach – 2020

Understanding the importance of Mental Health

What is Mental Health?

Christine Moutier, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, explains how we can take care of our mental health during times of stress on and off the job. She shares coping mechanisms that may help workers deal with national unrest and COVD-19.

Mental Health Check

The post IAM EAP and Addiction Services Program Remains Available to Membership During COVID-19 Crisis appeared first on IAMAW.

There’s no doubt that for most airline employees, the freedom and flexibility that our travel benefits provide is a key reason why we chose this line of work. In recent years, as airlines enjoy record load factors (and profits), traveling space-available has become more of a challenge, but with a little bit of planning and luck, it is something we all enjoy. We appreciate the freedom and flexibility to stay in touch with family and friends while we explore the world. Pass travel is priceless and priceless it should stay.

Pass travel programs allow employees to enjoy the products that we create, but they are still the company’s property. When an employee brokers the passes or treats them as personal assets, those actions can get them fired, or even arrested. IAM Committees are very good at preventing unjust terminations, and hundreds of members have been successfully defended against being unfairly fired. These good outcomes, however, do not come to members involved in theft or fraud.

Repeated violations of pass travel programs by employees can prompt the airline to restrict or limit them for everyone.

In summary, messing with your pass privileges is a bad move, so don’t be greedy. As tempting as it may seem to try to monetize this perk, don’t do it. The enhanced travel privileges we enjoy that allow us to choose our traveling companions can be changed at the airlines’ discretion, with notification to the union being the only requirement. You do not have to marry your traveling companion anymore, like the t-shirt says, but be cautious. And know who your buddies are.

Contact an EAP Representative if you have problems handling finances or family life. IAM District 141 EAP Staff and Volunteer EAP Coordinators can help you with resources in the community to address your situation and develop a plan of action to meet your needs. Find more information at https://iam141.org/eap/

The post Don’t Be Greedy: Buddy Passes are Not a Side Hustle appeared first on IAMAW.

The Summer 2019 IAM Journal will be hitting the doorsteps on IAM members by late May. Here’s a first look at one of several articles in this edition.

The opioid epidemic is sweeping across the United States. It’s affecting young and old, men and women, rich and poor. It doesn’t discriminate or care about your race, gender, income or upbringing. Chances are you know someone affected by opioid addiction.

In 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency regarding the opioid crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control, an average of 130 people in the U.S. die each day from opioid-related drug overdoses. Sadly, that number continues to rise, as it has every year for the past 20 years.

How someone gets addicted to opioids varies, but there has been a common theme: Person gets injured, prescribed opioid painkillers, gets addicted to painkillers then can no longer afford them. Then the person gets turned on to heroin or another opiate because it’s cheaper and easier to get.

Opioids are a class of highly-addictive drugs. Derived from the poppy plant, opioids can be found in heroin and many prescription drugs like Vicodin, OxyContin, codeine, morphine and a specific deadly painkiller that is sadly becoming a household name, fentanyl.

Opioids are not the only drugs affecting working families, dependency on alcohol and other drugs can have a profound impact on people’s lives.

HELP FOR THE IAM FAMILY

The IAM Executive Council recognizes the growing needs of the membership when it comes to dealing with addiction. In January, Vinny Ceraso was appointed as the Assistant Director of the IAM Employee Assistance Program and tasked with heading up the IAM Addiction Services Program.

The new program gives members a place to go for confidential help when they or a family member are struggling with drugs or alcohol. Members can call 1-888-250-4IAM (4426) at any time, day or night and speak directly with Ceraso, an addiction specialist who has been assisting others for over 25 years.

“You call that number and I’ll do an assessment to figure out exactly what your needs are,” said Ceraso. “We’ll take a look at your insurance to determine all the levels of care that are covered under your policy.”

The Addiction Services Program works within the confines of your current health care coverage to find the best treatment for your specific needs, or the needs of anyone covered under your health care plan.

“We don’t place people in a facility that their insurance doesn’t cover,” said Ceraso. “We don’t want them to get out and have a huge bill to worry about.”

All facilities the Addiction Services Program utilizes have been vetted to ensure quality treatment for IAM members.

“If I wouldn’t send my own family member to a facility, I certainly wouldn’t send my Machinists family member there,” said Ceraso. “You have to pick the right treatment center. It might not be in your ZIP code, but there is a right treatment center out there for you.”

Educating the IAM membership about the new program is the first step. Since accepting the position, Ceraso has been traveling around the country to various IAM meetings and conferences speaking and handing out literature about the Addiction Services Program.

“My goal is to spread the news that we have this benefit to every single local in the country,” said Ceraso. “I want the officers of every district to know we have these services. It’s a big goal, but I’m up for the challenge.”

The long-term goal of the program is to help as many people as possible.

“My goal is that in a few years from now, we will be helping double digit people find treatment and get well every single month,” said Ceraso.

THE MAN RUNNING THE PROGRAM

Originally from Philadelphia, but now hailing from South Jersey, Ceraso initiated into Local 1776, District 141 when he began working at U.S. Airlines.

Ceraso left the airlines in 2006 and went on to a help others with their addiction problems. He never strayed very far from his union, as he has worked closely with the IAM EAP Department over the years, giving classes and speaking at conferences.

Ceraso is a Certified Employee Assistance Professional, Substance Abuse Professional, Certified Intervention Professional and Level II Board Registered Interventionist. He has also been clean and sober for the last 32½ years.

Ceraso is open about his struggle with addiction and his journey to sobriety.

“I often share my own story with the people I am trying to help, so they know I’m not just some guy at the end of the phone,” said Ceraso. “I’ve walked where you walk.”

Ceraso’s education, credentials and experience in the field make him extremely qualified to lead this new program. However, his real-life experience may be what has prepared him for this job more than anything else.

“If it wasn’t for my union, I would be dead by now,” said Ceraso. “I almost literally died three separate times before I finally went into treatment.”

One of those times was following a terrible car crash in November 1984, when the 19-year-old received his last rights from a priest.

“Most people would think that’s when you get help,” said Ceraso. But it’s not. “It wasn’t until 18 months later when I was standing in front of a judge in Philadelphia. That’s when it dawned on me that I wasn’t built for jail so I better do something about it. When the consequences outweighed the fun, it was time to make a change.”

Ceraso wants parents of children who are addicted to drugs or alcohol to know that it’s not their fault, and they can’t fix it by themselves.

“I have very good parents, grew up in a traditional Italian Catholic family in Philadelphia,” said Ceraso. “None of my brothers and sisters suffered from this, so it certainly wasn’t my parents’ fault.”

He urges people to let the professionals handle the treatment of their loved ones.

“If you’re a parent or a spouse, you want to reach out to us,” said Ceraso. “Don’t try to do it on your own. You are playing with your loved one’s life and it’s not worth taking a chance.”

He also cautions members not to let pride get in the way when it comes to getting help for addiction.

“There are plenty of good working-class people that get hooked on this stuff,” said Ceraso. “A lot of times it starts with an injury on the job then it gets away from you. It’s certainly not a moral issue. It’s a medical issue.

“Addicts aren’t bad people trying to get good, we’re sick people trying to get well.”

Ceraso is extremely passionate about helping others in their struggle for sobriety. And for good reason.

He feels blessed to be able to do it for the union that saved him.

“I have this feeling of trying to repay a favor that was done for me in 1986,” said Ceraso. “I turned to my union for assistance with my alcohol and drug problem. They got me the help I needed and had me placed in treatment.

“I’ve been sober ever since. I feel that I’ve not ever repaid that, so I just keep trying.”

– AH

The post Addressing a Growing Problem – Help is Just a Phone Call Away appeared first on IAMAW.

Earlier this year, the IAM launched the Addiction Services Program to help find help for members and their families who are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. With the launch of their Facebook page, the program now has a social media presence.

Please give the IAM Addiction Services Facebook page a like and share it with your friends to spread the word about this useful benefit for Machinists Union members.

IAM Addiction Services include assessment, placement into a treatment facility, follow up and aftercare. These services are available to all dues-paying IAM members and their eligible family members.

Assistant Director of the IAM Employee Assistance Program Vinny Ceraso is in charge of IAM Addiction Services.

For assistance 24 hours a day, Ceraso can be contacted at 1-888-250-4IAM (4426).

The post Follow IAM Addiction Services on Facebook appeared first on IAMAW.

Vincent “Vinny” Ceraso was recently appointed as Assistant Director of the IAM Employee Assistance Program and will be in charge of IAM Addiction Services.

The program was created to help assist members and their families across the IAM struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction.

Vinny is a member of IAM Local Lodge 1776 and has been in the addiction prevention field for nearly 25 years.

The post IAM Launches Addiction Services Program appeared first on IAMAW.