Machinists soak up the sun with summer fun

By MARY ANN HOLLEY
Correspondent

Unions are about more than wages and benefits. Union membership means camaraderie and sharing the good times with the struggles. Summer often brings out the best of solidarity through family fun and fundraisers.

HAPPY 99TH BIRTHDAY TO MACHINISTS AUTOMOTIVE LODGE 777

Member of Machinists Lodge 777 – the Automotive Lodge – recently celebrated the Local Lodge’s 99th birthday with a visit from the “Decadent Dames,” dressed in their Rosie the Riveter attire.

Wearing red bandanas and navy blue overalls, the “Dames” served cake to the membership and spoke a bit about their own history, performing for a small fee to raise funds for local charities and food pantries.

Lodge 777 President Scott Hargis says the “The ‘Dames’ as ‘Rosies’ create a lot of attention, and any time our union gets noticed, it’s good.”
The “Rosies” have become regulars at the annual Working Women’s Survival Show in St. Charles, and at local union meetings when the occasion permits.

Directing Business Representative Dave Weaver was also on hand for the celebration, wishing all of the membership a strong, solid year of success.

LODGE 1345 MEMBERS COME TOGETHER FOR CAMARADERIE AND “SUMMER WINDS”

Machinists Lodge 1345 held its “Summer Winds” picnic recently at Tiemeyer Park in St. Ann, for members and their families who enjoyed a day in the sun with eats and drinks flowing, music from a professional disc jockey and an official Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus clown who painted faces and made animal balloons.

DISTRICT 9 GOLF TOURNEY BENEFITS GUIDE DOGS OF AMERICA

It was a good day for golfing, but a better day for the Guide Dogs of America, as District 9 continued its program of raising funds to support the organization founded by their own Union. Guide Dogs of America empowers people who are blind and visually impaired to live with increased independence, confidence and mobility by providing expertly matched guide dog partners.

With no government funding, GDA relies solely on donations and fundraising to provide guide dogs and instruction in their use free of charge. Machinists District 9 raised $34,000 this year alone, and hundreds of thousands over the years through various fundraisers.