Join Us in Saying Thank You to Retiring International President Robert Martinez Jr.

Featured

Posted on by

As many of you know, IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. is retiring on Jan. 1, 2024.

After more than 43 years of membership and eight years leading our great union, Bob’s legacy guiding the IAM will forever be remembered across the labor movement.

Bob’s leadership allowed the IAM to emerge from the pandemic with financial stability and historic membership growth through robust and innovative organizing, while putting the IAM in its strongest financial position in generations. Most of all, Bob has dedicated his life to this union and its membership.

We wanted to give everyone the chance to say “thank you, Bob.”

Click here to send Bob a happy retirement message and thank him for his leadership of the IAM.

Bob has also been a true trailblazer for our union. He’s the first Latino international president of a major American labor union in the history of the American labor movement, the first Latino elected to the IAM Executive Council, and the first international president of color in the history of the IAM.

Through Bob’s leadership, the IAM has grown into new industries, including healthcare professionals, gig workers, tech workers, veterinary technicians, museum workers, architectural workers and more. Using new organizing tactics and strategies, the IAM was the leading AFL-CIO affiliate in National Labor Relations Board union election victories from 2018 through 2022.

At Bob’s direction, the IAM also created groundbreaking membership programs that assist members and their families, as well as expanded opportunities for underrepresented groups to advance in the IAM. Martinez commissioned a new department to provide IAM members and their families who are military veterans with VA claims assistance free of charge, as well as an addiction services program and a women’s leadership initiative.

Bob has long been a leading voice for domestic manufacturing, especially for defense production. He has led the charge to increase “Buy American” standards. He made history by initiating a rank-and-file membership vote for the IAM’s endorsement for U.S. president in 2020, and again this year.

And as chair of the 39th and 40th IAM Grand Lodge Conventions, Bob presided over delegate action to pass a Membership Bill of Rights, greatly expand resources for organizing, increase strike benefits, implement electronic meetings, and launch a Committee on the Future to listen to our members and chart the IAM’s next chapter.

We’re so proud of Bob, and excited for the IAM’s next chapter under the leadership of our next International President, Brian Bryant.

Please join us in wishing International President Martinez a great and well-earned retirement.

Happy Thanksgiving Brother and Sisters

Featured

Posted on by

Dear IAM Family,

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of gratitude. To the 600,000 IAM members who placed their trust in me as International President, I am genuinely thankful. But most of all, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you who are making a positive impact in the lives of others, no matter how big or small. Your contributions are truly making a difference, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

We are sincerely grateful for you and all IAM dedicated members in essential industries such as aerospace, transportation, federal government, automotive, defense, woodworking, and more. These industries thrive during the bustling holiday season thanks to your hard work. 

As we celebrate Thanksgiving with our loved ones, let’s pause and express our appreciation for the hardworking people who make our communities and country move forward. Their tireless efforts enable us to relish in cherished traditions and forge unforgettable memories year after year.

IAM family, your dedication and tenacity have and continue to leave a strong mark on our union and myself. Your hard work will always serve as an inspiration to us all.

On behalf of the IAM Executive Council, I wish you all a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Robert Martinez Jr.
International President

Happy 4th of July

Posted on by

Dear IAM Family,

The Fourth of July is here, and today we celebrate America’s birthday. The birth of our nation, and our independence, remind us of generations of Americans, then and now, who have continuously advanced our freedoms.

Our history tells us that freedom is never free. Our military service members have fought and died to defend the rights we hold dear. Brave Americans of all backgrounds have stood up and demanded the expansion of those freedoms for all of us.

The IAM and our members are proud to be a part of that great American tradition. We stand up for the rights of all working people to live, prosper and be free – and we will always will.

In solidarity,

Robert Martinez Jr.
IAM International President

Featured

Posted on by

Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Friends of the IAM,

Juneteenth is recognized as a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. A holiday that remembers June 19, 1866, when Black Texans gathered to celebrate the first anniversary of the ending of slavery. This day marked the end of an ugly chapter in American history and a new beginning for Black Americans and their quest for equality.

This day is a reminder that the fight continues for democracy and economic justice for all Americans. Our union has played a part in dismantling the barriers that keep everyone from fully participating in our society. 

The collective bargaining agreements we have fought for over the years have been an essential tool that allows everyone to succeed economically and confront any threats to their futures. Threats like the erosion of voting rights, which the labor movement is working to protect by highlighting harmful legislation.

We must all come together and fight for workers’ rights. The best way to achieve that goal is to embrace and celebrate our diversity.

Our union has recognized the importance of racial justice in and outside of the workplace over the years. We fight hard to ensure it’s essential to our collective bargaining agreements. Racial justice and economic justice go hand in hand. 

Please take this holiday to reflect on how far we have come and the work needed in the future to achieve racial and economic equality for all.

In solidarity,

Robert Martinez Jr.
IAM International President