Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: IAM Transportation Moves North America

This article was featured in the Winter 2025-2026 IAM Journal  and was written by IAM Communications Representative Bill Harkum.

The 2025 IAM Transportation Conference gathered more than 800 IAM delegates from the Air Transport and Rail Divisions of the IAM Union at the biennial convention this summer in Las Vegas. The purpose of this year’s conference was to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing landscape of the transportation industry.

Under the banner of “Building a Better Tomorrow,” this year’s conference emphasized the IAM’s dedication to bolstering transportation jobs, protecting workers’ rights, and developing the next generation of labor leaders.

The coordination and efforts required to have a successful conference are massive and detailed. Every speaker, committee report, or event takes coordination of multiple departments and organizations. Puzzle pieces must fit perfectly to keep members engaged in the message and the movement. Telling a story that moves from the conference hall back to the shops and work sites for action.

The goal was not only to bring the IAM members together for this bi-annual event, but also to include the new voices and diverse points of view of all workers. This showed that even those with years of experience and conservative points of view share the same passion and enthusiasm for union solidarity as young workers looking to change the world in new and fresh ways.

Months of planning and preparation went into the flawless execution of the convention agenda. Help from administrative staff, international representatives, headquarters departments, and member education teams was key to a smoothly produced convention program. It was not as complicated as a Vegas Cirque du Soleil show further down the strip but the audience left the conference with smiles and a greater appreciation of the power that IAM Transportation members collectively hold.

IAM Air Transport Territory General Vice President Richie Johnsen announced that this year, the top of the scale Southwest customer service agents and American Airlines ramp workers will hit the $40 an hour mark. Top-of-
-scale aircraft mechanics at American will see over $70 an hour.

“Those are our contracts, those are IAM contracts,” said Johnsen. “We keep delivering and delivering, but there is much more to do. The FAA Authorization bill [passed by Congress and signed into law in 2024] deserves polite applause for getting done, but it means nothing if they are not implementing what we got them to put in that bill. That’s why we’re ready to keep fighting”.

IAM Air Transportation Territory Chief of Staff Edison Fraser knows the importance of that responsibility. “I’ve seen plenty of examples of progress being lost because there was no plan, no leaders, and no mentoring of the next generation. That is why mentorship is so important to GVP Johnsen and me, because you want the tide to keep rising in our favor. If we fail to plan, then our plan is to fail and failure is not an option,” he said.

Fraser pointed to his mentors, such as Dora Cervantes, Diane Babineaux, Robert Roach Jr., and Renee Cicero, as key leaders who mentored, molded, and shaped his career at the IAM. That is why Fraser and Johnsen were so adamant about bringing the young workers committee to the transportation conference for the first time, giving the future leaders of the IAM exposure to the experience and work required to have a successful conference every two years.

In conference halls, Member Education booths were set up with subject matter experts on hand to show various union benefits and demonstrate the value added to union membership just by belonging to our union.
Delegate Sarah Garcia of Houston Local 811 shared her enthusiasm for the event and its all-encompassing efforts to keep IAM members educated and informed while building a better tomorrow.

“It’s great to hear what the leaders had to say about the direction they want to take the union in and the changes they want to put in place to make sure the union is ready for the issues we may be facing in the future,” said Garcia. “I’m just excited to see the work being put in and what will come of it.”

Delegates, like Garcia, from around North America gathered to hear from leaders in the IAM and throughout the transportation industries on what the IAM has accomplished, what we are doing today, and how we plan for tomorrow.

“This union is stronger because of your commitment. ‘Building a Better Tomorrow’ is not just a slogan; it’s truly our mission,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant. “For our members, families, and the industries we work in daily. Please take that message back to your shops.”

IAM General Secretary-Treasurer Dora Cervantes started with Southwest Airlines in 1989. Now, she serves her 13th year on the IAM Executive Council, leading the finances of the union that represents workers like her when she began her career over 35 years ago.

“I can tell you, with all the pride in my backbone, that I was raised right. My father stressed union with all his children. My brother, three sisters, a cousin, one niece, and one nephew all IAM members,” Cervantes said. “And I will always be a loyal member, and I will be a loud yelling, loud thumping, fighting Machinists forever.”

The delegates come from workplaces across the IAM Union – shop stewards, business representatives, and district leaders. Most participated in breakout sessions and question-and-answer sessions tailored to their trade. The goal was to hear ideas and feedback from the actual workers to ensure that IAM members’ needs are at the forefront of the plans for the future.

The IAM Rail Division had a strong presence with delegates from District 19 and TCU/IAM, aiming to keep their members in industry-leading contracts with the respect and security that union solidarity brings to the job site. Josh Hartford, Special Assistant to the IAM International President for the Rail Division, was pleased to report that District 19 and TCU/ IAM worked with a coalition of eight other unions for a new contract with Amtrak to secure the largest general wage increases in Amtrak’s history – 34.1% compounded general wage increases over the life of the agreement.

“Together, District 19 and TCU have an opportunity. An opportunity to demand that we bring change to our workplaces, fundamentally improve our members’ lives, and grow and organize,” said Hartford. “Not just to gain new members, but to reignite the passion and engage with our existing members. Relentlessly fighting for what is rightfully our future. No one will do it for us, so we must do it ourselves.”

Tom Regan, IAM Special Assistant to the International President, reported that more than 28,000 workers at United Airlines are in negotiations for a new agreement, which became amendable in May 2025 and we look forward to setting new industry-leading pay and benefits. Additionally, with Alaska and Hawaiian merging, the IAM hopes to negotiate and approve a joint agreement for the more than 7,000 workers at those carriers. Also we are currently in negotiations with United Ground Express (UGE) representing 6100 employees. In July 2025 we reached a tentative agreement with McGee Air Services, representing 3000 employees, which is scheduled for ratification in early August 2025. The IAM currently represents three of the five industry-leading CBAs in the airline industry.

“After 41 years, I want to make sure that I give back to this union,” said Regan. “Remember this – either you stand up and fight or sit down and be quiet. We choose to stand up and fight, and if you continue to do that, you will lead the industry”.

Any lead can be easily lost, and the responsibility of leaders is to ensure progress and momentum continues. Experts explained to conference attendees the tools available to all IAM members that make life better in a union. The IAM union is over 600,000 strong with active and retired members.

The Air Transport Territory represents the largest segment of IAM members. District 141 and District 142 lead the way with members at American Airlines, United, Southwest, Alaska, and Hawaiian Airlines.

As members left the conference and the Las Vegas area, most went home on the transportation systems supporting their jobs, verifying the critical services their trades provide. Delegates were reminded that the plans and reports submitted at the conference must not be left in Vegas or just on paper, but they must be executed as we continue to build a better tomorrow that grows the strong gains IAM members have sacrificed and earned from solidarity as siblings in trade unionism.

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