Myth: The IAM is absent from Flight Attendant fights on Capitol Hill.
Busted: The IAM has an 11-person Legislative Department with offices in Washington, D.C and at IAM Headquarters in Maryland to fight for Flight Attendants.
The IAM’s team of full-time lobbyists works closely with other airline union legislative representatives to protect Flight Attendants and all airline personnel. Unions representing Pilots, Flight Attendants, Mechanics, Customer Service Agents, Ramp Workers and other groups come together each week with the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department to coordinate legislative strategy.
Additionally, the IAM and AFA-CWA work very closely with the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, Transport Workers Union, United Steel Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Flight Attendant-only legislation as part of the Coalition of Flight Attendant Unions.
For any single union to claim credit for a coordinated, multi-union legislative agenda is intentionally deceptive.
Because state laws and regulations also impact Flight Attendants, the IAM’s Legislative Department works with IAM State Councils that exist in all 50 states to coordinate lobbying efforts in every State Capitol.
The IAM District that represents Continental Flight Attendants has its own Legislative Committee, which is chaired by a Flight Attendant. Further, each IAM Flight Attendant Local has a Legislative Committee that not only works with their District, State Councils and the IAM Headquarters' Legislative Department, but they also initiate legislative efforts on the city and county level.
With IAM members living in every Congressional district in the United States, the IAM has the unique ability to engage legislators in their home districts as well as in D.C. Since IAM members vote in every Congressional district, our influence is enhanced.
In addition to the IAM’s intense lobbying efforts, the Machinists Non-Partisan Political League (MNPL) was created in 1947 to allow IAM members to gather individual voluntary contributions, coordinate political activity, and elect candidates who support IAM members and their families. Each year IAM Flight Attendants are an integral part of the MNPL Planning Committee that meets to set the IAM’s legislative agenda for the year.
Because the IAM’s lobbying efforts are not narrowly focused on a single subject, we have cultivated relationships with a broad-range of legislators from both parties, which is crucial in lobbying for Flight Attendant issues.
You can view and print this IAM flyer below or download a PDF version here.
