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William "OD"
O'Discoll IAM Mourns Passing of William O'Driscoll
July 9, 2016
IAM legend Bill "OD" O'Driscoll passed away yesterday.
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.
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
9000 Machinists Place
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772