Fomer IAM PDGC of 142 William O'Driscoll Passes.

[700UW]

I was glad to call this man a friend and a mentor.
 
Many people from TW owe this man a lot of gratitude for keeping them employed as long as he did, and securing their retirement.
 
OD as he was known will be missed.
 
http://www.iamdl142.org/former-district-142-president-william-odriscoll-passing/
 
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
 
With deep sadness, we must advise the membership that William O’Driscoll, former District 142 President, passed away early Friday afternoon.  Bill was President Directing General Chair at District 142 from 1985 to 2006 when he retired.  Bill became an IAM member in 1957 and was elected shop steward in 1959 while working at TWA.  Bill was the true union leader we all strive to be.
 
At this time, arrangements have not been made.  Once we have the details of the arrangements, we will post those details on our website.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this time of sorrow.

Fraternally,​

David Supplee​

President and Directing General Chair ​

 
 
See below the message from our General Vice President of Transportation Sito Pantoja:
July 8, 2016
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
It is with great sadness that I must inform you of the passing today (Friday) of retired District 142 PDGC Bill O’Driscoll. No other information is available at this time. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.



For those who may not have known Bill, he was one of strongest and smartest leaders in the entire labor movement. Tens of thousands of workers, retirees and their families are enjoying the benefits of his work and dedication every single day. He has left a legacy that will not be forgotten, and will always be remembered as the type of union representative we should all aspire to be.



Sito

 

[700UW]

William O’Driscoll, a Machinists Union legend, passed away on July 8, 2016. Although he will be greatly missed by all who knew him, his legacy will live on.

“Bill was one of strongest and smartest leaders in the entire labor movement,” said General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “Tens of thousands of workers, retirees and their families are enjoying the benefits of his work and dedication every single day. Future generations of airline workers will feel the mark he made on the industry. He has left a legacy that will not be forgotten, and will always be remembered as the type of union representative we should all aspire to be."

Bill was born in County Cork, Ireland and educated at the Catholic Worker’s College in Dublin before emigrating to the United States where he graduated from Cornell University. 
He began his career in the Machinists Union when he was elected Shop Steward in 1959 for Trans World Airlines (TWA) members of Local Lodge 1056 in New York. He served on the Local Lodge 1056 Grievance Committee, as Trustee and President.

Bill was the Chairman of the NY Strike Committee during the Great Airline Strike of 1966. Perhaps not coincidentally, Bill, or “O’D”, as he was better known, passed away on the 50th anniversary of that watershed moment in airline and labor history.

Bill was appointed Acting District Lodge 142 General Chairman in 1969, elected General Chairman in 1974 and served as District 142 President and Directing General Chairman (PDGC) from 1985 until his August 2006 retirement.

As District 142 PDGC, Bill oversaw a diverse portfolio of 57 collective bargaining agreements covering more than 36,000 IAM members, and served on the TWA Board of Directors. He led IAM members through three TWA bankruptcies in the 1990s. Bill freely shared his bankruptcy experience to help prepare other IAM leaders to deal with the revolving door bankruptcies that plagued the industry in the years following 9-11.

“Bill O’Driscoll is a big reason why IAM members in every post 9-11 airline restructuring fared far better than any other work group at a given carrier,” said IAM International President Bob Martinez. “His accomplishments are proof of what a good man and a strong union can accomplish together."

Bill expanded the IAM’s airline membership by bringing Continental Airlines Flight Attendants into District 142. He negotiated innovative contract terms that changed the industry and have been adopted at other airlines, including making sure Flight Attendants had FMLA protection a decade before they were actually covered by the law.

Bill aggressively fought the attempts by anti-union activists to divide his membership. His commitment to leveraging the strength of all IAM members, in all classifications, was absolute.

“When TWA contracts for Mechanic & Related and Customer Service employees were settled and included the IAM National Pension Plan, but TWA executives declined to agree to pensions for Flight Attendants, Bill refused to vote the ground personnel agreements,” said GVP Pantoja.  “Instead, he prepared the entire membership to strike to support TWA Flight Attendants, a move that guaranteed the Flight Attendants achieved pensions when the airline cowered."

“Bill shied away from the spotlight, preferring to orchestrate circumstances from afar so his members benefitted,” said International President Robert Martinez. “The sacrifice he and his family made for this union and its members is greatly appreciated and will never be forgotten."

“If the word legend applies to anyone, it is Bill O’Driscoll,” said GVP Pantoja.
 

 

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RIP   Thoughts n Prayers to him and his entire family