Next up in our series that takes a deeper look at each of our affiliates is the Machinists.
Name of Union: International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)
Mission: To work for members to preserve and grow the IAM on the basis of solidarity and justice, and to strive for a higher standard of living for people who work.
Current Leadership of Union: Robert Martinez Jr. is the 14th international president of IAM. Martinez is a U.S. Navy veteran who began his career in labor in 1980. That year, he joined IAM Local 776A in Fort Worth, Texas, where he worked as an aircraft assembler at Lockheed Martin. In the ensuing years, he served in various positions in the local before being appointed to the IAM Safety and Health Department in 1995. In 1999, he was named the Southern Territory Education Representative. That position was followed in 2002 by appointment as special representative and in 2003 with Martinez being named as general vice president for the Southern Territory.
Dora Cervantes serves as the general secretary-treasurer and IAM has eight general vice presidents: Gary R. Allen (Western Territory), Sito Pantoja (Transportation), Mark Blondin (Aerospace), James Conigliaro (Eastern Territory), Rickey Wallace (Southern Territory), Stan Pickthall (Canada), Brian Bryant (Headquarters) and Steve Galloway (Midwest Territory).
Current Number of Members: 600,000.
Members Work As: A wide range of trades in many industries.
Industries Represented: Aerospace, airlines, transportation, railroad, federal government, automotive, defense, woodworking, health care and several other industries.
History: In 1888, 19 machinists met in secret in a locomotive pit in Atlanta to vote to form a union. The next year, 34 locals were represented at the first Machinists convention, with Tom Talbot being elected Grand Master Machinist. With the granting of the first Canadian local, the union officially became the International Association of Machinists. Membership at this point was about 4,000.
A few years later, in 1892, IAM negotiated its first collective bargaining agreement with a railroad company. In 1895, IAM joined the American Federation of Labor. Top issues that IAM faced in the early decades were wages, length of the workweek and number of hours worked per day. IAM had significant success on all three fronts and by 1905, there were more than 750 locals and membership was approaching 300,000. Membership would continue to grow, peaking at more than 1 million members in 1968. In 2013, IAM celebrated its 125th birthday.
Current Campaigns/Community Efforts: The IAM is engaged in high-profile organizing campaigns for some 40,000 flight attendants and fleet service workers at Delta Air Lines and for Boeing workers in Charleston, South Carolina. IAM works with Guide Dogs of America to provide trained guide dogs to blind people. IAM2020.org is the IAM’s new initiative to involve members in the union’s 2020 U.S. presidential endorsement process. The IAM Addiction Services Program helps members and their families struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction. The Machinists Disaster Relief Fund assists members affected by disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires. The IAM Free College Benefit helps members and their families attain higher education. Decisions & Choices provides guidance for workers who are laid off. The IAM Veterans Services Program helps connect veterans with training and services. The William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center is a facility that provides for the complete range of educational needs of IAM members. The IAM Journal is the award-winning magazine published by the union. Activate L!VE is the IAM’s live hosted weekly talk and interview show on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. iMail is the IAM’s twice-weekly email newsletter.