So, what happened in 1947? Congress enacted the anti-union Taft-Hartley Act, which gave us so-called “right-to-work” states. The Machinists Non-Partisan Political League was founded and the average wage for an IAM member was $1.56 an hour.
In February of the same year, brave workers in Cherry Point, NC took a vote to organize a Local Lodge, and on March 20, 1947 their charter was signed by International President Harvey Brown and the General Secretary-Treasurer Eric Peterson.
Now, in 2022, Local 1859 marked the occasion by receiving a plaque noting the anniversary from District 2020.
“It was my pleasure to be here,” said District 2020 Directing Business Representative Larry Battle. “To help mark the first 75 years, and kick off the next 75 was a personal honor.”
“The future looks bright at Fleet Readiness Center East. New construction is happening and new aircraft are being introduced,” said Local 1859 President Scott Walker. “Our members have the right organization on their side to ensure Local 1859 and the Fighting Machinists last long into the future.”
“I congratulate Local 1859 as they mark this important milestone,” said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Rickey Wallace. “Local 1859 is continuing the Machinists Union tradition of justice on the job and service to the community, and I send them thanks on behalf of the IAM.”
“This local has a long, and storied past representing a diverse group of workers,” said Walker. “We’ll kick off the next 75 years the same way, by continuing to fight for working families across North Carolina.”
Approximately 30 brave members of IAM Local 447 (District 15) are back on the job at Cummins locations in New England after achieving the guaranteed pay raises fought for in a nearly two month strike. The members had been on strike since February 12 at Cummins locations in Dedham, MA, Scarborough, ME and Concord, NH.
Cummins management had attempted to implement inconsistent and subjective pay-for-performance policies instead of guaranteed wage language, which has been negotiated since the contract’s inception.
Instead, thanks to the solidarity of IAM members and their allies, including the Massachusetts congressional delegation and a rally that included numerous community organizations and leaders, Cummins workers got guaranteed pay raises of 4%, 3% and 3% in the three-year agreement ratified on Thursday, April 8. Members returned to work on Monday, April 11.
“Our members at Cummins held strong to get a contract that values their hard work and will make life better for themselves and their families,” said IAM District 15 Assistant Directing Business Representative Mike Vartabedian. “We want to express our sincere thank you to the New England community and elected officials for their unwavering support.”
In addition, the membership also achieved:
More paid holidays
Discretionary leave
$1 an hour increase in road differential
District 15 benefits plan (legal services, identity theft protection and roadside assistance)
Increased shoe and boot allowance
Increased on-call pay
“Our Local 447 membership demonstrated tremendous strength and solidarity, and they had the entire Machinists Union, labor movement and all of our allies behind them every step of the way,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President Brian Bryant. “I’m extremely grateful to District 15 Assistant Directing Business Representative Mike Vartabedian, Grand Lodge Representative Craig Hughes and the entire team at IAM Headquarters and across the Eastern Territory who gave every resource necessary to our brave Local 447 membership.”
IAM members at Cummins service generators in nursing homes, keep emergency vehicles running, and support frontline workers.
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.
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:
Autonomy and Prestige: Creating a separate Rail Division that reports directly to the International President provide railroad workers with more autonomy in deciding their direction within the IAM. The newly formed IAM Air Transport Territory, also effective on May 1, 2022, will focus solely on the needs of IAM air transport members.
Resources: TCU/IAM and District 19 will share resources to organize within the rail sector and coordinate to achieve more affiliations with other railroad unions. The Rail Division will also continue to increase coordination with IAM departments to ensure members have all the support they need.
Strength at the Table: More solidarity and cooperation will lead to more strength at the negotiating table with employers.
Legislative Strength: While TCU/IAM and District 19 have cooperated on legislative issues in the past, this structure will allow the Rail Division to address legislative issues distinctive to rail workers.
History: The IAM, which was founded as a railroad union in 1888, has not forgotten its roots. A Rail Division restores this historical significance and returns the IAM to many decades in which it had a Rail Division.
“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.”
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.
“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).
IAM General Secretary-Treasurer Dora Cervantes recently received the United Latinos of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Champion of Justice Award at its Education Conference in Las Vegas.
The award recognizes leadership that strengthens and supports Latino workers and the Latino community at large. Each recipient must demonstrate work that improves the lives of the Latino community within the North American labor movement and promotes diversity and inclusion at all levels.
“This is a union we have a super great relationship with and Dora is an amazing leader,” said Rigoberto Valdez Jr., President of United Latinos of the UFCW.
UFCW Local 540 President Felipe Mendez of Dallas presented the award.
“Dora Cervantes is a trailblazer in every regard,” said Mendez. “An outstanding trade unionist and a person of substance and respect.”
Cervantes has served as General Secretary-Treasurer since 2015, the first woman to hold the position. She initiated into IAM Local 2198 in Houston in 1989 as a Southwest Airlines Reservations Agent and later went on to serve as Organizer, Shop Steward, Recording Secretary and Vice President.
“I’m a proud Latina. I’m proud to speak Spanish. And I’m even more proud of my brown skin which allows people to seek me out when they need help understanding English or Spanish in everyday situations,” Cervantes told the audience. “My union, the IAM, added to my confidence and added to my strength to be the advocate and the voice for those who cannot be heard. I am honored and humbled to receive this award and I am forever grateful to the United Food and Commercial Workers.”
The United Latinos of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) is an organization of union members and allies who have joined together to promote issues and pursue interests important to Latinx workers.
