IAM members from the Southern Territory recently gathered in Biloxi, Mississippi for the Southern States Conference to discuss strategies for strengthening union power and advancing worker interests across the region.
Craig Martin, General Vice President of the IAM Southern Territory, spoke about the importance of political involvement. “Our strength, our power, our solidarity is real,” said Martin. “We have to use that to engage in political processes to protect what we have and strengthen it for all workers. It’s how we tell those politicians what is important to us.”
Brian Bryant, International President of IAM, addressed delegates on holding elected officials accountable. “No matter who is in the White House, we will always back those who support bringing our jobs home, create opportunities to grow unions, and protect our retirement and healthcare,” said Bryant. “But we have to call them out when they don’t.”
Bryant also stressed looking ahead and supporting new generations of union members and activists. “We’re moving fast in this country; there’s a group of workers who want to form unions, and we are going to be there for them,” he said. “These negotiations and gains for our members create organizing opportunities. It’s an opportunity when we fight an employer and we’re successful, because non-union workers look at it and say ‘we want the same thing for us’.”
Dora Cervantes, IAM General Secretary-Treasurer, discussed the union’s finances and emphasized a strong strike fund designed to help members who go on strike. “We are better prepared financially and structurally, so that we can go out there and fight back, just like we’re doing down in St Louis, and what we did at Boeing in Washington and Oregon,” Cervantes stated.
Hasan Solomon, Legislative and Political Director at IAM, reinforced the message that legislative decisions affect all workers regardless of their interest in politics: “If you are a worker in this country, you cannot afford not to be involved in politics. Everything that you do is political,” he said.
Updates were provided by Julian Bruner, Charles Bennett, and Derek Cearley—International Representatives from IAM Southern Territory—on topics including hiring initiatives as well as disaster relief efforts.
A forum moderated by Mary McHugh featured Richie Johnsen (Air Transport), David Sullivan (Eastern Territory), and Craig Martin (Southern Territory) discussing their paths into labor activism.
Mississippi AFL-CIO President Mickey Carr spoke about regional unity: “What happens in one southern state is bound to happen in all southern states,” Carr noted. “It takes all of us standing together in unity. Let’s be the spark that lights the fire of change.”
Julie Frietchen from IAM Women’s and Young Workers Department presented on equality efforts such as adopting the ‘Be More Than a Bystander’ program.
IAM General Counsel Carla Siegel highlighted federal-level challenges facing workers due to changes affecting agencies like the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as well as attempts against federal workers’ contracts: “The problem in Washington right now is that the people who ran campaigns on backing working people are now attacking working people while in office,” Siegel said.
Further reports included automotive sector priorities from Craig Hughes; updates on Metal Trades by Andrew Sandberg; Veterans Program information from Jason Schroeder; plus remarks from Taylor Rehmet—a Texas State Senate candidate endorsed by IAM—about union member participation in politics.
Attendees closed with messages supporting striking members at Libbey Glass (Toledo), District 837 (St. Louis), as well as federal employees under current policy threats.
“I don’t care how somebody voted. I know we’ve got people who voted for President Trump…that’s our democracy…and that’s our democracy in our Union,” Bryant commented during his closing remarks regarding union rights under different administrations.“But I know nobody in this union voted for President Trump thinking that he was going to take away bargaining rights for over a million people…because that’s just flat out wrong….If you voted for him,you’ve got to make sure he knows that you don’t agree with what’s happening,because when it comes to union rights,…there’s nowhere but on the side of workers….President Trump and his billionaire buddies do not like organized labor because they know we’re the only voice for working people.”
