Feb 14, 2025 | Politics & Legislative News

IAM Union is calling on President Trump to immediately reverse his decision and reinstate Gwynne Wilcox to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). IAM Union believes this action is critical for ensuring that working Americans receive the full protections they are entitled to under U.S. labor law.
On Jan. 27, President Trump unlawfully dismissed Wilcox, the first Black woman to serve on the board. This decision was not only a violation of legal processes, but also a direct assault on the rights of American workers.
TAKE ACTION: Call 866-832-1560 or click here to urge your representatives to support Wilcox’s reinstatement.
By reducing the NLRB to only two members, the president has effectively crippled the board’s ability to function, leaving workers vulnerable to union-busting tactics and retaliation.
“The IAM urges President Trump to reverse the unprecedented and illegal firing of National Labor Relations Board Member Gwynne Wilcox, restore the Board’s independence, and protect workers’ rights,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant in a letter sent to members of Congress.
Thanks in large part to the IAM’s advocacy, a bipartisan group of 265 lawmakers, including every single U.S. House and Senate Democrat, as well as U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), sent a letter to President Trump urging him to reinstate Wilcox “to restore the NLRB’s ability to protect the rights of American workers to organize and collectively bargain, which have already been impaired by understaffing at the agency and now are effectively lost by the lack of quorum on the NLRB.”
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Feb 13, 2025 | Politics & Legislative News

The IAM Union and the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) joined a coalition of labor unions in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration’s orders to gut the federal workforce. The complaint challenges the firing of probationary employees, the deferred resignation ploy to pressure employees to voluntarily resign, and large-scale reductions-in-force (RIFs) that violate federal laws.
The lawsuit calls out the administration’s reckless attacks on America’s long standing, merit-based civil service. Since Jan. 20, the administration has ordered the firing of thousands of new federal workers regardless of their skill and experience, badgered nearly 2 million federal employees to resign in fear of losing their jobs, and threatened the elimination of entire agency functions—if not the actual agency itself—and the jobs that go with them.
“When the livelihoods of IAM members are under attack, our union will always fight back,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “We are fighting for everyday workers who put their hearts and souls into doing tough, critical jobs for the American people. These are healthcare professionals caring for our military veterans, wildland firefighters protecting our lives and property, and park rangers watching after our national treasurers. If anyone thinks they can unilaterally and unconstitutionally stomp on our members’ dignity, and the vital jobs they do, we’ll see them in court.”
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, also alleges the Trump Administration is illegally undermining Congress’s authority by eliminating federal agencies and jobs that have been created and authorized by the legislative branch. The suit asks the court to declare that the mass firing of probationary and other employees and the deferred resignation program, collectively, are unlawful.
“The Trump Administration’s executive actions to gut the federal workforce are not only illegal, but will also have damaging consequences for federal employees and the public services they provide,” said NFFE-IAM National President Randy Erwin. “The courts must intervene and hold this Administration accountable for violating federal laws before it is too late. Federal workers are your friends and neighbors who have dedicated their careers to serving our country. We cannot let the President disrupt their lives and dismantle critical services relied upon by the American people.”
The IAM and NFFE-IAM are also part of a coalition suing to challenge a data heist carried out by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency inside three federal government departments.
The post Protecting our Members’ Jobs: IAM, NFFE-IAM Join Labor Coalition in New Lawsuit Over Illegal Gutting of Federal Workforce appeared first on IAMAW.
Feb 10, 2025 | Politics & Legislative News

The legislative building in Santa Fe, N.M., is known as the Roundhouse. Citizens can spend hours there going round and round with different lobbyists and interest groups trying to sway state politicians. This session, IAM members from New Mexico Locals 1635 (Albuquerque), 794 (Albuquerque), and 2515 (Alamogordo) –along with IAM International President Brian Bryant, Western Territory General Vice President Robert “Bobby” Martinez, General Secretary-Treasurer Dora Cervantes, and Resident General Vice President Jody Bennett–took matters into their own hands and scored some impressive wins.
“The reason we do this is because we fight for working people, and when we fight for working people – we win,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant. “And what you were able to do yesterday, by getting an anti-captive audience bill out of committee, that’s a win for working people!”
Bryant was speaking about the lobbying efforts of these IAM members to move the Employees Free Speech Act, sponsored by State Rep. Eleanor Chavez, which is aimed at preventing employers from monitoring employees’ political activities and from holding mandatory attendance, anti-union captive audience meetings.

“We believe that you don’t only fight for things at the bargaining table, you also have to simultaneously fight for things through legislative action and advocacy,” said IAM Local 794 President Ashley Long. “Secondly, we are advocating for paid family medical leave. We know that our members have needs. They’re caregivers to children, to their elders in their family, and we want to make sure this legislation is passed, so that it’s easier for us to codify it in our collective bargaining agreements”

“We are building people, to build power, to make significant change for our members in their work life and their communities,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Robert “Bobby” Martinez. That concept grows from legendary organizer of the United Farm Workers, Marshall Ganz. “Engaging our members will get us better contracts, win more elections, and we’re just going to win overall. Real change is made when we invest in people!
IAM members also gathered at a nearby conference center to install new officers to the state council and update their bylaws to reflect needed changes.

New Mexico State Council President John Dyrcz noted that across the country, people are turning to organized labor to do things for workers that have long been ignored.
“You see states like Alaska, that are ruby red, but their voters are passing family medical leave because we all need it,” said Dyrcz. “We are going to continue to fight for laws that support workers because it’s the right thing to do. We are going to keep up the fight here in New Mexico.”
[ Council Meeting Photo Gallery]
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Feb 5, 2025 | Politics & Legislative News

IAM Rail Division representatives joined members of Congress and leaders from fellow U.S. rail unions in calling on Congress to act on rail safety two years after the toxic East Palestine train derailment.
“On behalf of all our members, our hearts still go out to the people of East Palestine. They want answers, they want results and so do we,” said Transportation Communications Union (TCU/IAM) National Legislative Director David Arouca. “The so-called Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) era has been nothing short of just cutting head counts to the bone and then harassing those who remain to pick up the slack.”
TCU/IAM represents various crafts, one of the largest being carmen, who maintain, repair and critically inspect rail cars all across the country.
“Whether it’s our carmen being harassed to perform safety inspections on insane timelines or signalmen maintaining our national network of safety detectors, we’ve all been saying the same thing: PSR is going to kill people,” said Arouca. “We need legislation passed now to reduce the risk of another East Palestine. The time to act was yesterday. Rail safety is not, nor should it ever, be a partisan issue.”
IAM District 19 President and Directing General Chair Reece Murtagh was also present to answer questions for the press. Members of Congress joining rail included House Transportation Committee Vice Ranking Member Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio), House Rail Subcommittee Ranking Member Dina Titus (D-Nev.), House Transportation Committee Member Troy Nehls (R-Texas) and House Transportation Committee Member Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.).
The rail leaders demanded that Class I railroad companies adopt the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS), which allows rail workers to report safety concerns without retaliation from employers.
While addressing the public with his own press conference in East Palestine, Ohio on the disaster’s anniversary, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who co-sponsored the bipartisan Railway Safety Act as Senator, said that passing legislation “is a very viable and a very reasonable goal.”
Senator Maria Cantwell sent a letter to U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Chairman Ted Cruz urging him to “advance the re-introduced Railway Safety Act to ensure President Trump and Vice President Vance have the tools they need to hold the railroads accountable for improving safety. “
“Rail safety is not a partisan issue or a regional issue, it is a human issue,” said Congresswoman Sykes. “I am proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on and off the Transportation Committee to put forth a piece of legislation we can be proud of, but we can only truly make it right for the people of East Palestine if we actually pass meaningful rail safety legislation.”
“I think we have a real opportunity here,” said Congresswoman Titus. “I think we can get it done, just reintroduce those bills, bring it together in a package, and move it forward. I’m committed to it, other members of Congress and the great representatives from unions are, so I’m leading this with optimism.”
The post IAM Union, Rail Labor Leaders Demand Safety Reform on Two-Year Anniversary of East Palestine Disaster appeared first on IAMAW.
Feb 4, 2025 | Politics & Legislative News

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2025 – Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union, and David Chartrand, IAM Canadian General Vice President, issued the following statement following a pause of proposed U.S.-Canadian tariffs.
“As the largest aerospace and defense labor union in the United States and Canada, the IAM Union is relieved that destructive tariffs between our two allied countries are being paused. A new path forward—one that doesn’t put U.S. and Canadian workers in a needless cycle of worrying about job loss due to tariff threats between allies—is possible. This moment offers the perfect opportunity for workers and unions from both countries to be a part of the solution moving forward.
“For decades, we have seen millions of good-paying, high-skilled U.S. and Canadian jobs outsourced to countries with little to no labor rights. Thanks to bad trade deals, tens of thousands of good IAM Union aerospace and defense jobs have become low-wage jobs in Mexico, while China has used forced technology offsets to create its own aerospace industry. This race-to-the-bottom model is being replicated by other bad actors across the globe – and it’s hurting all workers, as well as our shared national security.
“We have a chance right now to pull all stakeholders – government, business and labor – together to forge a real, comprehensive strategy to protect and grow critical manufacturing here in the United States and Canada. Workers on the both sides of the border deserve to drive policy conversations about their livelihoods, not be pawns in a larger political discussion.”
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) 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, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across the United States and Canada.
goIAM.org | @MachinistsUnion
The post IAM Union: While Tariffs Pause, U.S. and Canadian Workers Should Have Seat at Table appeared first on IAMAW.
Feb 2, 2025 | Politics & Legislative News

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2025 — Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union, and David Chartrand, IAM Canadian General Vice President, issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump imposing a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods imported into the United States:
“The IAM is a strong advocate of trade policy that helps protect and grow jobs in the United States and Canada. This includes both nations working as allies, not enemies, with regards to policy to combat illegal trade practices by countries such as China.
“The IAM represents hundreds of thousands of members in the aerospace, defense and other manufacturing sectors in both countries. Many IAM members work at companies that rely heavily on integrated supply chains between the U.S. and Canada.”
“The 25% tariffs on Canadian goods imported to the U.S., will result in job losses, increased prices, and a variety of other negative impacts. This trade war action is unjust and should be reconsidered.
“As we’ve stated in the past, the IAM supports tariffs when used properly. Tariffs are just one tool in the toolbox to combat wrongdoing by nations, such as China, that cheat global trade rules for an unfair advantage of the U.S. and Canada.
“The U.S. and Canada have a longstanding history of being close allies and working collaboratively to help level the global playing field. The Trump administration’s imposing tariffs on Canadian imports could reverse this partnership and ultimately lead to job losses for both nations.”
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) 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, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across the United States and Canada.
goIAM.org | @MachinistsUnion
The post IAM Union: U.S. Tariffs on Canada Hurt Workers in Both Countries, Weaken Alliance in Trade Fight Against China, Others appeared first on IAMAW.
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