With nearly 600,000 active and retired members, the IAM is one of the largest and most diverse labor unions in North America. You’ll find Machinists in Aerospace, Transportation, the Federal Government, Automotive, Defense, Woodworking and several other industries. We represent workers at companies as diverse as Harley-Davidson, Southwest Airlines, Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, Freightliner, Tennessee Valley Authority and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Together, we have been able to bargain for increased job security, higher wages and improved benefits.
OUR MISSION
We believe it is a natural right of working people to enjoy to the full extent the wealth created by their labor.
We believe that given the state of work in our current world, people must unite to obtain the full reward of their labor.
We believe that working people should exercise their rights cooperatively and economically for the benefit of all people.
Therefore, we, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), pledge ourselves to work for our Members to continue to preserve and grow the IAM on the basis of solidarity and justice, and to strive for a higher standard of living for people who work.
WHY UNION?
For 130 years, the Machinists Union has fought for workers’ rights and benefits.
Pensions, medical insurance, paid vacation, holidays, personal holidays, sick pay, shift differential, etc., are generally not only better in a union shop, many of these don’t even exist without a union contract.
Why the Machinists Union? There is strength in unity – and the Machinists Union provides workers with a powerful, collective voice to communicate to management.
THE UNION DIFFERENCE
A union contract puts rules in place that allow you to do your job without fear of retaliation or unjust treatment. If you feel those rules have been broken, you have the legal right to appeal through a grievance procedure. Everyone is treated with respect. Not just management’s favorites.
Safe Working Conditions
Many unionized workplaces have “safety committees” that provide workers a voice in maintaining health and safety in the workplace. Unions ensure employers are held accountable for the safety conditions at their worksite.
A Voice On The Job
“What excites me most about having a union is the solidarity we now have and the voice that can’t be ignored”
Ohio GE Healthcare Electromechanical Assembler Marlon Reed.
Better Benefits
More training opportunities, better health insurance, and retirement security can enshrined in a contract. On average, union workers have more paid sick days, vacations, and holidays than nonunion workers.
Union workers:
%
Participate in a retirement plan
%
Have access to employer-sponsored health benefits
%
Have access to paid sick days
%
Get paid vacation and paid holidays
%
Have input into the number of hours worked per week
%
Get at least a week's advance notice of their work schedules
Nonunion workers:
%
Participate in a retirement plan
%
Have access to employer-sponsored health benefits
%
Have access to paid sick days
%
Get paid vacation and paid holidays
%
Have input into the number of hours worked per week
%
Get at least a week's advance notice of their work schedules
