Members of IAM District 77 have volunteered their time to assist the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MAC-V), maintaining a tradition of community service. The volunteers, including members from Locals 469, 737, 1575, and 112, as well as IAM Midwest Territory staff and retired Chief of Staff Luther Williams, worked together to improve a veterans’ transitional home in St. Paul, Minnesota. Their tasks included removing overgrown trees and roots, pulling weeds, laying mulch, and cleaning porches and decks to help provide a better environment for veterans moving out of homelessness.
This marks the third consecutive year that IAM District 77 has partnered with MAC-V, an organization focused on ending veteran homelessness in Minnesota.
“IAM Union members do not just show up on the shop floor, we show up to assist in our neighborhoods, at our food banks, and at homes like this one,” said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Sam Cicinelli. “We fight hard not only in the workplace, but we also bring that same energy to supporting our veterans, families, and our communities in need.”
The effort is part of the IAM H.E.L.P.S. Program (Honoring, Engaging, Lifting, Providing, and Servicing), which was co-founded by Williams. The program encourages union members across the Midwest Territory to support underserved groups such as veterans, seniors, and working families.
“We are here to help our communities, where we work, live, and play,” said Williams. “The IAM decided to start these community events to show that our union is not just in the workplace – and to get our name out there, showing what it means to be a union member and a union advocate.”
