Brother and Sisters,
Please find the below list of accomplishments and benefits to the membership that has stemmed from the Joint Schedule Recovery Committee (JSRC).
CLICK HERE: JSRC Accomplishments: CLICK HERE
In Solidarity,
Local S6 Leadership
Brothers and Sisters,
Please click the link below for the latest leadership alert.
CLICK HERE: LEADERSHIP ALERT 4_7_22: CLICK HERE
In Solidarity,
Local S6 Leadership
April 7, 2022, WASHINGTON – IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. issued this statement following the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court:
“The IAM welcomes the historic confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Her qualifications were on full display during the confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill. Judge Jackson proved to the nation that she deserves a seat on our nation’s highest court. Her lifetime of achievements serves as a beacon of light for so many of our IAM members and other working families in our great nation. Judge Jackson proved that she will fight to protect the rights of working men and women, allowing their voices to be heard.
“The Biden-Harris Administration continues to bring balance to our nation’s courts. We also want to thank the U.S. Senators who voted to confirm Judge Jackson.”
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.
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The IAM Executive Council has taken action to create an IAM Air Transport Territory, consisting of all IAM air transport members in the United States. Richard Johnsen, currently IAM Chief of Staff to the International President, will join the IAM Executive Council as Air Transport General Vice President.
The creation of the IAM Air Transport Territory, which will include IAM District 141 and IAM District 142, and the appointment of Johnsen as General Vice President, are both effective May 1, 2022.
The IAM, representing more than 100,000 air transport members, is the largest air transport union in North America. The creation of the IAM Air Transport Territory and the IAM Rail Division allows the IAM to better focus on the distinctive needs of its air transport and railroad memberships, respectively.
“The IAM is proud to be the largest and most powerful labor organization in North America for air transport workers,” said Martinez. “The creation of the IAM Air Transport Territory allows us to dedicate even more resources to servicing our dedicated airline and airport membership, as well as growing our footprint in this sector.”
As Chief of Staff to the International President, Johnsen has spent nearly the past year traveling the country to listen to air transport members and address their concerns as the industry emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Johnsen, a 33-year IAM member who began as a mechanic assistant at United Airlines, has devoted increasing resources to securing the strongest possible contracts for air transport members, including the overwhelming member ratification of a Hawaiian Airlines agreement that secures historic job protections and pay raises. Johnsen has emerged as a leader in calling for increased staffing and more severe penalties against unruly passengers in the air transport industry. Under Johnsen’s direction, the IAM is devoting more resources to organizing in the air transport sector, including a recent organizing win for flight attendants.
WATCH: Meet the IAM’s Richard Johnsen
“It’s the honor of a lifetime to join the IAM Executive Council and to lead the IAM Air Transport Territory,” said Johnsen. “We are going to continue the progress we’ve made by continuing to listen to our members, provide transparent communication channels, and fight each and every day for our air transport members who make the world move.”
Since initiating IAM Local 1781 in 1988, Johnsen has held served in a variety of capacities at the Local, District, and Grand Lodge levels. He became Assistant General Chairperson for IAM District 141M in 2000 and joined the Grand Lodge staff as a Special Representative in 2001.
Johnsen then served as a Grand Lodge Representative before being appointed Special Assistant to the International President in February 2021. In June 2021, Johnsen was appointed Chief of Staff to the International President.
Johnsen serves on the boards of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD), United Airlines, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), and the Cooperating Railway Labor Organizations (CRLO).
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IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. has appointed Josh Hartford, who has served as an IAM District 19 General Chairman since 2017, as Special Assistant to the International President for the IAM Rail Division. The Transportation Communications Union (TCU/IAM) and IAM District 19, which combined represent tens of thousands of railroad workers, will be charter members of the IAM Rail Division and remain separate entities with the same current authority over all Local Lodges within their jurisdiction.
Hartford’s appointment and the creation of the IAM Rail Division are both effective May 1, 2022.
The announcement is a fulfillment of the 2012 merger agreement between TCU/IAM and the IAM, which clearly stated that both parties would create a Rail Division comprised of TCU/IAM and IAM District 19. The creation of this division will make the IAM a powerhouse in the rail sector and encourage additional growth.
“The IAM Executive Council is committed to both fulfilling the promise made in our merger agreement, as well as aggressively addressing the needs of our railroad membership,” said Martinez. “The creation of the IAM Rail Division will give every railroad worker in TCU/IAM and District 19 the resources and support necessary to grow our strength in so many ways.”
Hartford, who will report directly to the International President in his new role, initiated into IAM Local 409, now Local 318, in Waterville, ME as a machinist for the Springfield Terminal Railway Co. He served in a variety of local lodge positions before being appointed District 19 Employee Assistance Program Coordinator. He was also elected President of the Central Maine Labor Council from 2017 to 2019.
Hartford became a District 19 General Chairman in 2017 and was elected to another four-year term in 2019. His tenure includes overseeing many railroad agreements and working in several bargaining coalitions with various railroad unions. He’s currently a member of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC) and the District 19 arbitration review board.
“I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity to work with TCU/IAM and District 19 to lead our railroad membership into the future,” said Hartford. “I look forward to working with TCU/IAM and District 19 members and leaders from coast to coast to fight every day for our dedicated railroad members and their families. Bringing back a Rail Division will provide all of our railroad members with a louder voice at the bargaining table and legislatively, as well as giving us a greater ability to organize new members.”
The IAM Rail Division will immediately begin work to better represent the similar interests of TCU/IAM and IAM District 19 members, including bringing the following benefits:
“The merger between TCU and the IAM has been a great success,” said TCU/IAM National President Arthur Maratea. “We look forward to building on our shared progress and continuing to grow our strength within the new IAM Rail Division.”
“IAM District 19 members are proud guardians of a rich history, and exciting future, for the IAM’s railroad membership,” said IAM District 19 President and Directing General Chairman J. Michael Perry. “Together, the new IAM Rail Division is going to build strength for our members at the bargaining table and allow for us to continue to grow in this vital industry.”
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