Local Lodge 1487 will be renamed in Honor of retired District President Ken Thiede.

In a moving ceremony, Local 1487  President Tony Licciardi announced that Local 1487 in Chicago will be renamed in honor of retired District President Ken Thiede. The announcement was made at a meeting of the Local 1487 Retirees Club.

“It is my honor, and my privilege, to present this plaque in honor of Ken,” said Local President Tony Licciardi. “Ken was a mentor, a loyal unionist, and a good friend,” he said.

General Vice President Richie Johnsen paid respects to Ken in a heartfelt address to the Local. “His impact on this industry is undeniable,” he said. “Everyone who does this kind of work owes him a debt of gratitude, and profound resepct.”

Thiede played a central role in improving the pay and working conditions of airline employees. Over the course of his 65 years of union activism, Thiede helped cement the Machinists Union at the forefront of the commercial aviation industry.

Thiede was a pivotal figure within the Machinists Union and was instrumental in improving the job conditions for union members in the commercial aviation industry.

During his tenure as District President, Ken helped negotiate a series of Union contracts that directly improved the pay, working conditions, and job security for thousands of airline workers. These contracts collectively forced the entire industry to improve by igniting a de-facto bidding war between airlines in their efforts to attract new employees.

Thiede’s leadership contributed to the professionalization of these roles, turning once grueling, temporary jobs into stable, career-oriented positions, greatly benefiting airline workers across the industry. Ken was at the forefront of union contracts that saw pay rates rise by a staggering 243% from the early 1990s to the year 2000. His efforts helped ensure that full-time positions became more common, with enhanced safety standards driven by stricter regulations and upgraded equipment.

His work helped turn what had been physically demanding and unstable jobs into lasting careers.

He served as a proud Unionist at Local Lodge 1487 since 1957, which was based in Des Plaines, Illinois, near Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Local Lodge 1487, based near ‘O’Hare, shared similar concerns and representation within the airline industry.

The memorial observance attracted a standing-room-only gathering of retirees, current members, and Machinists Union leadership from around the nation to Chicago. Present to pay respects to Ken was Richie Johnsen, General Vice President of the Air Transport Territory, Assistant General Chairmen Joe Bartz, Mike Quartuccio, Erik Stenberg, and retired District President Rich Delaney, among others.

A raffle in his memory raised funds that were donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

President of the Retiree Committee in Chicago, Dave Roderick, honored Ken’s memory alongside his wife of 61 years. “His loss was painful to all of us,” he said. “But, we can take solace in the knowledge that his work is finally done.”

Local Lodge 1487 Retirees Club met on Thursday, September 5, 2024.
The Club members provided a banquet of food and desserts that pleased everyone.
It was almost an Italian feast.
Five members provided a pasta dish that was enjoyed by all 3 different pastas casseroles, a lasagna and raviolis.
This turned out to be a new favorite.
Members had also provided meatballs, fried chicken, White Castle hamburger’s side dishes and enough desserts for several meetings.
Besides our lunch we discussed topics relevant to our members.
Along with our regular Birthday celebrations, and raffles we presented two members with certificates, pin and gold union cards for those over 50 years of continued membership in the Machinist union.
One member received her 25 years of continued union membership.
One last thing to mention, we have started our sign ups for our December Christmas meeting.
This luncheon is only open to our Club members and their guests.
It’s never too late to join the club.
Please consider signing up early to secure a table for you and your friends.

August 1, 2024 BBQ Meeting

August is usually one of our most attended lunch meetings.  Our numbers were down but we can only suspect that our members were out of town getting that last visit in to see the grandkids or other family members. Our attendance was 73 members 

All that we can say is you missed a fun time. A great big “THANK YOU” goes to the LL 1487 Executive Board for standing out in the heat grilling hotdogs, burgers, and brats. They were delicious. Also, we need to extend a big “THANK YOU” to the LL 1487 Women’s Committee who chopped, sliced and diced all our fixings. Making sure we had enough onions, tomatoes, relish, sport peppers, and anything else to put on our brats, hamburgers, and hot dogs (but no ketchup). 

We had a lot of fun with the White Elephant sale. The sale of everyone’s treasures brought in $55.50. That money will be deposited into the club’s coffers. This is the only sale where the proceeds go to the club. The bucket toss game was quite exciting.  Debbie Monfeli was the big winner, I believe she hit all the buckets.  I think she has been practicing since last year.  Any residual money from the game was added to the food bank cash donation.

July 11, 2024 Pizza Meeting

The Local Lodge 1487 Retirees Club held a delightful gathering on July eleventh, twenty twenty-four, featuring a pizza meeting with delicious offerings from Giuseppe’s Pizza Parlor. Each of the ninety attendees received a box lunch, making for a convenient and enjoyable meal. The event saw a wonderful turnout with eighty-six people in attendance, who took the opportunity to reconnect with friends, discuss current affairs, and celebrate various birthdays and milestones within the union. Additionally, raffles added an element of excitement to the meeting, making it a memorable and engaging event for all.

June 6, 2024 Hot Dog Meeting Meeting

The Local Lodge 1487 Retirees Club held a delightful gathering on June 6, twenty twenty-four, featuring a Hot Dog meeting with delicious with additions like chili, cheese and ketchup .
Each of the ninety attendees were able to build there own Hot Dog and add chips salads and sodas , making for a convenient and enjoyable meal. The event saw a wonderful turnout with 90 people in attendance, who took the opportunity to reconnect with friends, discuss current affairs, and celebrate various birthdays and milestones within the union. Additionally, raffles added an element of excitement to the meeting, making it a memorable and engaging event for all.