Jul 10, 2025 | Politics & Legislative News
The IAM Union is calling out Republican leadership in the U.S. Senate for abandoning the working men and women who keep our transportation system moving. In the recently passed reconciliation bill, a key overtime tax deduction provision left out millions of transportation workers — including railroaders, aviation professionals, seafarers, truckers, and other critical workers.
The IAM Union, as well as the Transportation Communications Union (TCU/IAM), urged every senator to support U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell’s (D-Wash.) Amendment #2613, which would have corrected this injustice by extending the overtime tax deduction to aviation and railroad workers. Republican leaders blocked the amendment from moving forward, ignoring the needs of working families in one of the most demanding sectors of our economy.
“Airline and railroad workers often log irregular schedules, overnight shifts, and weeks away from home,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “Their dedication has kept our economy afloat in the face of supply chain disruptions and global pandemics. To single them out for exclusion is not just unfair — it’s disgraceful.”
The overtime tax deduction included in the law provides for a temporary deduction (2025–2028) of up to $12,500 ($25,000 for joint filers) on qualified overtime compensation. The deduction phases out when a taxpayer’s Modified Adjusted Gross Income exceeds $150,000 ($300,000 for joint returns).
The provision was included in a larger piece of legislation that includes tax breaks for billionaires, the slashing of health insurance for millions, and massive cuts to infrastructure funding that will lead to significant job loss.
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Jul 3, 2025 | Politics & Legislative News
WASHINGTON, July 3, 2025 – Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) issued a statement that strongly condemns the passage of the GOP’s “Big Ugly Bill,” calling it a blatant attack on working families and a giveaway to billionaires and multinational corporations:
“We can’t remember the last time Senators and Congress held the floor for hours to fight for workers and their families. Instead, GOP leadership has once again shown who they truly represent: billionaires and U.S. multinationals that offshore jobs and gut domestic industries.
“This legislation that narrowly passed along party lines, fails to offer any meaningful investment in domestic manufacturing, infrastructure, or human capital. Instead, it slashes taxes for corporations and the wealthy while gutting programs critical to working-class communities.
“Any real tax reform should strengthen American jobs, not encourage companies to move production overseas. This bill does the opposite, and working families will foot the bill.
“IAM members nationwide are sounding the alarm over deep cuts to Medicaid and public health funding. When local hospitals and clinics shut their doors or slash services, it hurts everyone. Even union members with strong healthcare benefits lose access to timely, critical care when the surrounding healthcare infrastructure collapses.
“The IAM will work hard during the midterm elections to educate and engage in meaningful conversations to empower our communities. We will continue to fight on Capitol Hill to protect the foundations of America’s working communities and support legislation that prioritizes people, not profits.”
The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across the United States and Canada.
goIAM.org | @IAM_Union
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Jun 27, 2025 | Politics & Legislative News
WASHINGTON, June 27, 2025 – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union), representing 600,000 active and retired members across North America, is calling on U.S. Senators Angus King and Susan Collins to reject devastating Medicaid cuts included in the current budget reconciliation package (H.R. 1).
IAM Union International President Brian Bryant issued letters to U.S. Senators King and Collins urging them to reject the proposal. According to state officials and recent reporting, it threatens to eliminate healthcare coverage for nearly 35,000 Mainers and risks shuttering at least four rural hospitals.
“These cuts will directly harm the communities where our members live and work,” wrote IAM Union International President Bryant. “Thousands of IAM shipbuilders at Bath Iron Works depend on a reliable local healthcare infrastructure. When hospitals and clinics close or cut services, even those with strong union-negotiated healthcare plans lose access to critical care.”
The reconciliation package includes new work requirements for Medicaid recipients and significant reductions in federal funding. Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services warns that the proposed changes would severely strain the state’s healthcare system, particularly in rural areas that rely heavily on Medicaid (known locally as MaineCare).
The IAM Union is urging both of Maine’s U.S. Senators to support working families, protect access to healthcare, and vote “No” on H.R. 1.
Read the letters to U.S. Senators King and Collins.
The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across the United States and Canada.
goIAM.org | @IAM_Union
The post IAM Union Urges Maine Senators to Reject Medicaid Cuts Threatening Rural Hospitals and Workers’ Healthcare Access appeared first on IAM Union.
Jun 27, 2025 | Politics & Legislative News
WASHINGTON, June 27, 2025 – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union), representing 600,000 active and retired members across North America, is calling on U.S. Senators Thom Tillis and Ted Budd to oppose proposed Medicaid cuts in the reconciliation package (H.R. 1) that threaten healthcare access for working families and could force the closure of rural hospitals across North Carolina.
IAM Union International President Brian Bryant issued a letter urging Senators Tillis and Budd to reject the legislation, citing its devastating effects on healthcare access and economic stability in North Carolina communities. The IAM Union represents thousands of workers in the state, including at Spirit AeroSystems in Kinston and among airline workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
“These harmful cuts would not only strip coverage from hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians, but also endanger the viability of hospitals and clinics that our members and their families rely on,” wrote IAM Union International President Bryant. “Even the best health insurance means little if the nearest hospital is closed or overwhelmed. The IAM is proud to negotiate strong healthcare benefits for our members. However, no bargaining agreement can replace a shuttered emergency room or a defunded clinic. We need Senators Tillis and Budd to protect the people they serve and reject these reckless cuts.”
It’s projected that more than 270,000 North Carolinians will lose their Medicaid coverage if the proposal passes. Meanwhile, reports indicate at least five rural hospitals in the state are at risk of closing due to financial shortfalls. North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services warns that the proposed Medicaid cuts will strain the state’s already-fragile rural healthcare network, where many providers depend on Medicaid reimbursements to stay operational.
Read the letters to U.S. Senators Tillis and Budd.
The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across the United States and Canada.
goIAM.org | @IAM_Union
The post IAM Union Urges North Carolina Senators to Reject Medicaid Cuts That Jeopardize Rural Healthcare and Working Families appeared first on IAM Union.
Jun 27, 2025 | Politics & Legislative News
WASHINGTON, June 27, 2025 – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union), representing 600,000 active and retired members across North America, is calling on U.S. Senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt to reject the Medicaid cuts proposed in the reconciliation package (H.R. 1), warning that the legislation would devastate healthcare access and put Missouri’s rural hospitals at risk.
In a letter to the Senators, IAM Union International President Brian Bryant emphasized the bill’s real-world consequences for working families and communities across Missouri.
“The IAM Union represents thousands of aerospace, airline, and manufacturing workers throughout the state, including at Boeing’s St. Louis facility and at major airports,” wrote IAM Union International President Bryant. “These cuts would deliver a painful blow to Missouri’s healthcare system and threaten the stability of rural hospitals. Even with strong union health benefits, our members need access to functioning hospitals and clinics. If healthcare infrastructure collapses, every Missourian is at risk — especially in rural communities.”
The legislation proposes strict new work requirements for Medicaid recipients and sharp reductions in federal funding. Reports indicate that hundreds of thousands of Missourians could lose coverage, and hospitals that rely on Medicaid reimbursements could be forced to close or reduce critical services. Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services has already warned that the state’s rural health providers operate on thin margins and cannot absorb the proposed cuts.
The IAM Union is calling on Senators Hawley and Schmitt to stand up for working families and vote against this harmful legislation.
Read the letters to U.S. Senators Hawley and Schmitt.
The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across the United States and Canada.
goIAM.org | @IAM_Union
The post IAM Union Urges Missouri Senators to Reject Medicaid Cuts That Threaten Rural Hospitals and Workers’ Access to Care appeared first on IAM Union.
Jun 24, 2025 | Politics & Legislative News
On Tuesday, IAM Union leaders, a congressional delegation and local shipbuilders gathered at Boston Ship Repair, an IAM-represented repair yard in downtown Boston, to call attention to the need to reinvigorate America’s domestic shipbuilding and repair industry. In recent years, global shipping companies have overwhelmingly chosen to use cheap labor and materials to source vessels primarily from China. As a result, this strategically vital domestic industry along with its highly skilled workforce have suffered greatly. These leaders met in a call to action to reinvigorate domestic shipbuilding for the sake of U.S. economic and national security.
The post IAM Union & Allies Advocate for American-Made Ship Production appeared first on IAM Union.
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