International Brotherhood of DuPont Workers

Jim Flickinger - President      Tony Davis - Vice President

Donny Irvin- Secretary/Treasurer 

Kenneth Henley - General Counsel 

"Workers Representing DuPont, Bemis and INVISTA Workers"

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All About The IBDW

The International Brotherhood of DuPont Workers is made up of local unions that represent employees of DuPont and DuPont Performance Elastomers, Bemis and INVISTA.

Every member of the IBDW, including those on the International Executive Board, is either an employee of DuPont, a company that is in a joint venture with Dupont, or plant sites and businesses that have been sold by DuPont.  The IBDW is the only international union where the rank and file members elect other rank and file members to the International’s Executive Board.

The IBDW’s goal is to improve the working conditions, wages and benefit packages for all DuPont, DuPont Performance Elastomers, Bemis and INVISTA employees.

We accomplish this without forcing our locals to give up their autonomy and without charging enormous fees and dues.

To state it more simply, we do not dictate policy to our Locals. Instead, we work with local leadership to better serve the interests of their members.

The IBDW is as its slogan states, “Workers Representing DuPont, DuPont Performance Elastomers, Bemis and INVISTA Workers".

What Has The IBDW Done?

The IBDW has many accomplishments to its credit, accomplishments that our detractors routinely fail to mention.

The IBDW is the only international union that has a year-in and year-out presence at DuPont’s Annual Stockholders Meeting.

The IBDW has had a proposal on the Proxy Statement for each of the past seven years.

The most recent proposal sought to have a wage roll employee appointed to the DuPont Board of Directors. The proposal before that sought to improve the Pension calculation for employees who are laid off. Each of these proposals was supported by ten percent of the stockholders that voted.

No other international union has ever gotten even one proposal on the proxy that would benefit DuPont employees.

The IBDW established its own web site two years ago. The web site is updated at least monthly to include information that is important to all employees of DuPont, DuPont Performance Elastomers, Bemis and INVISTA.

Through this forum, the IBDW communicates with DuPont employees across the United States and Canada. The web site also provides a forum where employees from the United States and Canada can and do communicate directly to the IBDW’s leadership. E-mail is continuously received from workers (union and non-union) discussing issues at their respective sites.

As of this update, almost 4 million DuPont, DuPont Performance Elastomers, Bemis and INVISTA employees, pensioners, survivors and investors have visited our site.

We have received favorable comments from so many DuPonters across the United States, particularly the many who work at non-union sites. These employees routinely comment on how much they appreciate being able to communicate with other workers who don’t simply mouth the Company line.

Through the web site, the facilities across the United States and Canada learn about our unique organization and how it helps all DuPont and DuPont Performance Elastomers, Bemis and INVISTA employees.

The IBDW publishes a quarterly newsletter that is full of useful information and articles about the IBDW, DuPont, DuPont Performance Elastomers, Bemis and INVISTA.

In these newsletters, you can learn about what is happening at other sites and how other local unions handle the problems that these companies cause for their respective memberships.

The leadership of every IBDW Local is always encouraged to submit information or articles and many often do.

The IBDW has accomplished what no other International Union has within DuPont.

The International recently sponsored and staged the largest informational picket ever to take place against DuPont. Thousands of employees, pensioners and survivors went to the streets to protest DuPont’s Pension and Spouse Survivor Benefit Plans.

This event took place across the United States, including at those plants represented by IBDW member unions, by unaffiliated independent unions as well by other international unions such as USW and the UAW. This significant event even crossed the northern border of the United States as the Canadian DuPont unions also participated in and showed support for this IBDW sponsored event.

The event was so significant that there was a special meeting at DuPont Headquarters in Wilmington to discuss the pension issue. We continue to raise this issue in published letters in the Wilmington News Journal and other media outlets.

The IBDW provides the only forum where labor unions representing DuPont, DuPont Performance Elastomers, Bemis, and INVISTA employees can join together to discuss and develop strategies concerning common problems of as employees.

These day long sessions, which take place at locations in close proximity to other plants, are loaded with information about the day to day problems faced by employees. These meetings are also attended by labor unions from across the United States and Canada who are not affiliated with the IBDW.

The IBDW offers valuable resources to our members at only a fraction of the cost.

The General Counsel for the IBDW, Kenneth Henley, has represented DuPont unions since 1981. He has obtained and collected judgments against DuPont amounting to over $10 million, all of which went into the pockets of DuPont employees. The IBDW leadership is constantly obtaining his counsel on issues that effect all IBDW Locals. As a result of his experience at so many DuPont plants, he probably knows more about DuPont than virtually anyone, including many of the plant managers.

Ken also serves many of the IBDW Locals by preparing and holding training seminars on matters such as preparing grievances, filing charges with the Labor Board and other valuable topics.

The IBDW has a Safety and Health Consultant. Mr. Steve Clubb, at our Louisville, KY Local, is a Federally certified OSHA consultant. On many occasions, Steve has helped the IBDW Locals prepare and file OSHA charges against DuPont which have resulted in OSHA complaints and penalties against DuPont.

Steve also serves as a training consultant. He is Federally certified to train other unions about OSHA guidelines and standards.

Over the last several years, the IBDW has entered into agreements with other international unions to better serve our membership.

The IBDW and the UMWA entered into a Mutual Aid Agreement in 1991.

During that time, both organizations have supported each other on many issues, including the UMWA’s historic coal strike of 1993.

The IBDW also has a Solidarity Agreement with USW. Our Louisville Local is affiliated with USW.

It is impossible to mention everything the IBDW does or offers within a one page flyer - this covers just a few.

However, everything that has been mentioned in this flyer only costs $2.00 per member per month.

The IBDW doesn’t have an expensive headquarters and doesn’t pay for cars for our officers.

All the dues money we receive is spent for the benefit of our members who are all DuPont, DuPont Performance Elastomer, Bemis and INVISTA employees.

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