IAM Local 839 won WSU Tech Foundation’s “Pull-a-Plane for Education” fundraiser this October in their first time entering the annual friendly competition that puts money towards school scholarships.
It all started with a cold-call from WSU Tech to IAM Local 839 as they were referred to reach out to the local IAM Union for support of their program and help in educating students about unions. From that, a partnership was formed. Local 839 donated to their scholarship program, presented at the school’s Manufacturing Day, and sponsored a team to enter the Pull-a-Plane competition.
“Now, any time that they do anything where manufacturing is at play, they always reach out to see if we want to participate,” said IAM Local 839 President Darius Williams. “So that cold call actually opened up a gigantic door that we didn’t even know was there for us.”
WSU Tech offers a variety of certification courses in the realms of aerospace manufacturing, aviation maintenance, automotive technology, avionics, composite fabrication and repair, climate and energy control (HVAC), construction, welding, machining, and manufacturing.
“A large portion of the students go on to engage in a career that is represented by a union, but they don’t actually teach that in school,” said Williams. “The initial call was to see if we would come out to educate about unions’ role in these industries.”
IAM Local 839 represents approximately 7,000 Boeing employees in Wichita, and many WSU Tech students will become IAM Local 839 members at Boeing with their future careers. IAM Local 839 wants to contribute to their education early-on and help them become informed union members.
The Pull-a-Plane competition that WSU Tech Foundation runs every year is a highly popular event for the Wichita community. Although this was the first time that IAM Local 839 took part, they brought home the gold, despite pulling against reigning champions from years past. Roughly thirty teams total competed.
Adding to the exceptionality of the win, the plane that IAM Local 839 pulled was Doc, a B-29 Superfortress that was built in 1944 by IAM members at the Boeing Corporation Wichita facility. Doc weighs 80,000 pounds and the team of twenty-five IAM Local 839 members pulled it twenty-five feet in record time — 7.43 seconds.
“We were all just so happy about this thing. I mean, we were pumped up for three days afterwards,” said Williams. “It was a big deal for us. We actually set the record for the fastest pull, and then we beat our own record to bring home the championship there. We just had a great time. It was competitive, but it was for a good cause too, so that was the beautiful part of it.”
“Local 839’s victory is a marvelous example of how our locals build meaningful relationships in their communities, introduce students to the value of union membership, and help prepare the next generation of skilled workers,” said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Craig Martin. “These students are the future of our aerospace and manufacturing industries, and potentially the future of our union. We’re proud of Local 839 for supporting their education and showing that the strength of the IAM comes from generations of members who build, support and advance our industries.”
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