As much as we each enjoy the traditions, Independence Day is, most of all, an opportunity to reflect on the bravery, courage and foresight of those who drafted the Declaration of Independence. After all these years, that message continues to resonate with how being an American is a commitment to liberty, equality and opportunity.
It is also a time to remember our troops who continue to fight for our freedom and democracy, the democracy that many people around the world still seek.
Our union has made great strides securing fair compensation for workers, advocating for job safety and bringing justice to those who try to restrict the freedoms we have worked so hard to obtain. We must continue to use our collective voices and fight for what we believe in. Together, we can ensure that we all have the same rights, freedoms and liberties.
From my family to yours, I wish you a happy, healthy and safe July 4th.
Members of the IAM Executive Council and other IAM Constitutional Officers are energized and looking toward the future as they raised their right hands and recited the oath of office today. With a focus on growing the IAM in members and bargaining power they begin a new four-year term leading the Machinists Union, as elected by the membership.
“There is nothing—no pandemic, no crisis, no politician, no employer—that will stop this union from fighting for what is just and what is right,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “It’s an exciting time to be a Fighting Machinist, Sisters and Brothers. This union is on the rise, and each of us are blessed to be leading the way. I would also like to recognize every Machinists Union family who has been affected by COVID-19. Our union has made it through these difficult times and we are rebounding because of our essential members in the transportation, defense, healthcare and other industries. We are grateful to have them working on the front lines during the pandemic and sacrificing their own well-being for the benefit of others.”
“It is truly an honor to be re-elected to serve the Machinists Union membership,” said General Secretary-Treasurer Dora Cervantes. “I’m humbled by the support and trust our members have shown this leadership team over the years. This Executive Council will continue to work tirelessly on our membership’s behalf.”
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler delivered remarks, wishing the best for all the officers swearing in. The ceremony was held via video conferencing due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
“Thank you International President Martinez, General Secretary-Treasurer Cervantes and the entire IAM leadership team,” said Shuler. “When COVID-19 hit, the Machinists did not stop. You stepped up for your members, you kept leading the way in organizing and you raised the standards for all working people. The entire labor movement is inspired by your solidarity, strength and character.”
The swearing in also marks an end of the career of retiring Eastern Territory General Vice President Jimmy Conigliaro Sr. and Canadian General Vice President Stan Pickthall.
“Congratulations to Brothers Jimmy and Stan on their well-deserved retirements,” said Martinez. “Their leadership, friendship and drive to help working people will be missed on a daily basis. On behalf of the Executive Council and the entire IAM, I thank them for their dedication to our great union and wish them and their families a long and heathy retirement.”
Along with the swearing in of the IAM Executive Council, members of the IAM Law Committee, IAM Delegates to the AFL-CIO, and the IAM Delegate to the Canadian Labour Congress were sworn in.
International President: Robert Martinez Jr.
General Secretary-Treasurer: Dora Cervantes
General Vice Presidents: Gary R. Allen, Sito Pantoja, Mark Blondin, Rickey Wallace, Brian Bryant, Steve Galloway and David Chartrand
Committee on Law: James Beno, Dave Weaver, T. Dean Wright Jr. and Tania Canniff
Delegates to AFL-CIO: E. Michael Vartabedian, Richard Jackson and Sharon Sugiyama
Delegate to Canadian Labour Congress: Kim Valliere
All were elected to serve a four-year term, expiring June 30, 2025, in accordance with Article III, Section 5 of the IAM Constitution.
IAM District 751 member David Henry participated in the hunt of a lifetime as part of Union Sportsman’s Alliance Brotherhood Outdoors television series. The episode will first air on Tuesday, July 6 at 4 p.m. ET.
Henry, an IAM Local 751C machine repair mechanic, accompanied the Brotherhood Outdoors crew to the Sierra Madre mountains in Chihuahua, Mexico to hunt Gould’s turkeys. He is an avid upland bird hunter, but this was his first time turkey hunting.
Henry said the most memorable part of the trip was “the camaraderie we had sharing these moments hunting, the story telling that always happens in a hunting camp and meeting and sharing the pursuit of wild game in its natural habitat.”
“This was my first turkey, first time hunting turkeys, first time in Mexico, it was great,” said Henry.
“Our membership is comprised of people from all walks of life with unique passions and talents that go beyond the workplace,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen. “We join in the celebration of those passions and commend Union Sportsman’s Alliance for documenting Brother Henry’s hunt and telling similar stories that work to bring us closer together. I look forward to watching Brother Henry’s episode.”
“What a great opportunity for David to participate in such an awesome event,” said IAM District 751 President/Directing Business Representative Jon Holden. “I know that he has spent many years advocating for his co-workers and it’s great to see him experience this.”
You can view the episode with Henry’s turkey hunt on Tuesday, July 6 at 4 p.m. ET with re-airings on Friday, July 9 at 11:30 a.m. ET, Saturday, July 10 at 1:30 a.m. and Sunday, July 11 at 11 a.m.
The IAM, the largest North American defense union, sent a letter to leadership of the House Appropriations Committee and House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee urging them to support funding for two DDG-51 Flight III destroyers in Fiscal Year 2022. The DDG-51 destroyer fleet is built by thousands of Machinists Union members at Bath Iron Works and Huntington Ingalls Industries.
The current FY 2022 Defense Department budget request includes funding for only one DDG-51 Arleigh Burke destroyer. Last year, Congress approved funding for two DDG-51s.
“Consistent funding for the DDG-51 program is not only necessary to properly equip our U.S. Navy, but this continued funding is also needed to promote the health of the U.S. shipbuilding industry, our domestic industrial base, and the highly-workforce on which it relies,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “Proper funding of this program will act to stabilize and strengthen the industrial base and its workforce. Each DDG-51 supports the jobs and sharpens the skills of more than 500 Machinists Union members at Bath Iron Works for a period of five years. A cut to this program is a cut to this workforce, and if these highly-skilled workers are let go, they would be nearly impossible to replace.”
The Machinists Union’s aggressive lobbying helped advance the $706 billion FY 2022 Pentagon spending measure out of the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee. The measure goes to full committee consideration on July 13.
The cut-off date to secure the group rate at the hotel is Tuesday, July 13.
The COVID-19 crisis has brought to light that most communities are hurting, but not equally. The data clearly shows that communities of color, including children, continue to be on the front lines of vulnerability. For this reason, the LCLLA National Convention is titled “El Futuro De Nuestra Comunidad – Cultivating the Groundwork for an Equitable and Just Recovery.”
The delegation will strategically work on the priorities of Latino and immigrant workers in the nation and explore, discuss and begin to create a framework that leads to a just and equitable recovery.
Machinists Union leaders and the membership are very involved with the constituency group. IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. and General Vice President Gary R. Allen are both LCLAA Vice Presidents. General Secretary-Treasurer Dora Cervantes and Assistant Political and Legislative Director Monica Lee Silbas serve on the LCLAA Executive Board.
LCLAA was born in 1972 out of the need to educate, organize and mobilize Latinos in the labor movement and has expanded its influence to organize Latinos in an effort to impact workers’ rights and their influence in the political process. LCLAA represents the interest of more than 2 million Latino workers in the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), The Change to Win Federation, Independent Unions and all its membership.
