Maine Machinists Newly Energized After International Convention in NYC
PHOTO:Maine Machinists at the 41st IAM Convention in NYC/
Machinists union members from Maine joined approximately 1,200 union members from North America at the 41st International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Convention in New York City earlier this month. The theme of this year’s convention was “Honoring Our Past, Building Our Future.”
“It is our highest honor and privilege to serve as leaders of this union with each and every one of you,” IAM President Brian Bryant, a former Bath Iron Works shipbuilder, said in his keynote address. “We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than in this room, at this convention, in this fight with all of you!”
Bryant called attention to several recent IAM organizing victories, including its core sectors of air transport, aerospace, rail, and manufacturing as well as Ohio State University Medical Center, Amentum, Qantas, Allegion, Tempus Artificial Intelligence, Lion Electric, MultiCare, IKEA, Austin Pets Alive, Apple and more. He noted that the Machinists have led AFL-CIO affiliates in NLRB election wins over the past six years with a nearly 75 percent election win rate. Bryant touched on winning paid sick leave for rail workers and reiterated the dire importance of passing railroad safety legislation in the aftermath of the East Palestine train derailment and the wake of more derailments that followed.
The week-long convention featured speeches from political leaders like Senator Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeen Jeffries and US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The convention endorsed Kamala Harris for President and brought in her running mate Governor Tim Walz to speak to the delegates over Zoom.
“This is not about talking the talk. It’s about walking the walk,” said Walz. “Kamala Harris and I have done that. If it means walking picket lines, we’ll be out there — rain, sun, snow, wind, it doesn’t matter — we’ll be standing with you. And both of us have passed legislation to make a difference. In Minnesota we passed some of strongest labor laws - strengthening collective bargaining, improving workplace safety and banning captive audience meetings.”
Several Maine Machinists also got up on stage at the convention to sing “This Land is Your Land” with Tom Morello of the band Rage Against the Machine.
PHOTO: Maine Machinists Jay Wadleigh & Kelley Ammons (left) on stage with Tom Morello.
First-time Maine delegate Devin Ragnar (IAM S6) said he was particularly impressed at the number of other first-time delegates, making up half of the delegates at the convention. He said he was pleased that the convention passed a series of resolutions addressing climate change and supporting LGBTQ, women and young members.
“We have a reputation of being a more old fashioned union, but we’ve had a huge influx of newer people as older members have retired and we’re seeing this newer leadership emerge. That’s a really exciting thing,” said Ragnar. “We shouldn’t forget the past, our roots and the people who fought to get us here, but a newer generation calls for a newer strategy and I think we’re doing it thoughtfully and at an appropriate pace.”
Ragnar was appointed as the only Maine Machinist on the international’s Young Workers Committee. He noted that Local S6 was one of the only unions in the room that had formed a Young Workers Committee, which focuses on getting new members engaged and involved in their union. He said that they discussed how to use the Machinists’Leadership Excellence Assembly of Dedicated Sisters (LEADS) model to get more women members involved.
PHOTO: More Maine Machinists with Tom Morello.
Local S6 member Cameron Fisher, who attended the convention as a guest through the LEADS program, said LEADS has really helped her build relationships with her union siblings and to understand how the union functions. Through LEADS, Fisher said she was not only able to attend the convention, but also the union’s legislative conference in Washington D.C., district meetings and arbitrations in Baileyville. She said programs like LEADS and the Young Machinists Committee are very important because they reach out to other members who may not feel like they’re as welcome in the union as others.
“You may not see yourself in these positions, but the IAM is saying, ‘No, you belong here and we’re going to support you,’” said Fisher. “Even though I wasn’t a delegate, it was awesome to be able to sit in and with the other LEADS participants from Eastern Territory and be present for all of the business.”
Fisher said one of her favorite parts of the convention was witnessing the passage of a resolution encouraging the creation of union history committees. She said there are several young Machinists at the shipyard who are passionate about labor history and want to work with the Scontras Center for Labor and Community Education to integrate into the apprenticeship program.
"I think it’s so important to have people understand the history of the union in Bath, but also the labor movement in Maine and all over the country,” said Fisher. “A lot of the people, whether or not they end up staying in our local, go on to become leaders in the community and at the shipyard, so to get a good foundation in labor history in our apprenticeship program would be awesome.”
Machinist delegate Tim Halle (IAM S6) said one of the highlights for him was hearing from AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler discuss the importance of getting involved in politics and the work we’re doing on the federal level on labor policies, such as the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which VP Harris has endorsed.
“I thought that was pretty interesting because I’m not super into politics,” said Halle. “It was eye opening to see the importance of being involved in politics and what our legislative power is on the Hill and the state level.”
Halle served on the Shipbuilding and Steelworkers Committee with fellow Maine Machinists Dave Sullivan and George Edwards at the convention where they discussed reforming our trade policies because China’s unfair trade practices hinder US steel production. He noted that there are only two aluminum production facilities left in the US.
“It blows your mind to think about how much aluminum we touch and we basically import all of it because China has basically killed aluminum production in the United States, which takes away union jobs,” said Halle. “It’s a national defense issue when we become so reliant on importing everything.”
Ragnar said he came out of the convention pumped up and energized to help strengthen his union.
“It really invigorated my resolve, morale and motivation as a union rep, but it’s also really encouraging to know that the organization that I support and care deeply about its members is moving in a direction that I would like to see it go in and represents my principles as a person,” he said.