As the year comes to a close and we embrace the spirit of the holidays, I extend my warmest wishes to each and every one of you and your families. Serving as your international president has been the greatest honor of my career, and as I approach retirement at the start of the new year, I reflect with immense gratitude on the journey we’ve shared.
It is with a deep sense of camaraderie that we’ve faced challenges and celebrated victories together. The solidarity that defines our union will undoubtedly continue to flourish under incoming International President Brian Bryant, and other new leaders.
It’s been my privilege to work alongside such passionate and committed individuals who strive for the betterment of workers everywhere. May the spirit of unity, compassion and understanding prevail, not only during these festive moments but throughout the years to come.
I wish you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season filled with love, laughter, and togetherness. Thank you for your trust and support. Here’s to the legacy we’ve built together and the bright future that awaits our union.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
