Meet the Staff of Aerospace

Aerospace

Some 150,000 IAM members build and service commercial and military airplanes; aircraft engines; missiles and rockets; aerospace electronic gear; satellites and space vehicles. The Aerospace Department gives IAM aerospace members a solid, centralized base of power from which to bargain effectively with employers, organize new members and advance our interests with other unions, employers and government officials here and overseas.

Cut A Trillion, Lose A Million

October 28, 2011 - Cut a trillion from defense spending and you will lose a million jobs.  That's the news coming from aerospace experts and labor leaders in DC this week.

Breaking faith with jobless Americans over an applause line

The president seems to have forgotten all about these people, who are trying to get by in an economy that is shedding as many jobs as it creates. Since the 2008 financial crisis, the aviation industry has been among the hardest hit. America's aviation manufacturers shipped a total of more than 6,000 airplanes in 2007 and 2008. The total for 2010 was 1,334. Net factory billings fell to less than $8 billion last year from more than $13 billion in 2008, retrenchment to a level not seen since 2004. The biggest losers have been industry workers who have lost their jobs.

United Launch Alliance Negotiation Prep

Local Lodges at Cape Canaveral AFS, FL, Decatur, AL and Vandenberg AFB, CA are preparing for tough negotiations with the United Launch Alliance.  The 900 IAM members build, maintain and launch Atlas and Delta rockets that lift U.S. space vehicles.

IAM Salutes Those Who Made the Shuttle Soar

Near the end of 2009, the Machinists News Network (MNN) ran a story about the IAM members who worked as part of NASA’s shuttle program. These were the men and women who made sure, time and time again, that manned space flight took our breaths away.

UPDATE: IAM's Journey to Space

August 15, 2011 - This video is a thank to all the members of the labor movement that worked as part of NASA's shuttle program over the years.  Your dedication and service to this great American industry will not be forgotten.

Hawker Beechcraft Employees Say YES

August 11, 2011 - Wichita, Kansas is known as the air capitol of the world.  So when the 2,600 local lodge members from Hawker Beechcraft say yes to a new contract, it's big news for a city that depends on aerospace to thrive.

Pensions Preserved in Hawker Beechcraft Contract

Local 733 members in Wichita, KS ratified a new agreement with Hawker Beechcraft by a 69 percent margin. The five-year contract protects jobs and preserves the defined-benefit pension plan for current and future employees.

Pensions Preserved in Hawker Beechcraft Contract

Local 733 members in Wichita, KS ratified a new agreement with Hawker Beechcraft by a 69 percent margin. The five-year contract protects jobs and preserves the defined-benefit pension plan for current and future employees.

Register Now for IAM Aerospace Conference

The deadline for reduced rate hotel reservations for the 2011 IAM Aerospace Conference is August 25. Local and District Lodges can reserve rooms by calling the Hilton Nashville Downtown directly at 615-620-2150, or toll free at 1-800-HILTONS.

Download the call letter and registration form here!

Make Plans to Attend 2011 IAM Automotive Conference

The 2011 IAM Automotive Conference is scheduled for October 15-18 at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Registration will take place Saturday, October 15, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. and again on Sunday morning from 8:00 to 9:00. The Conference begins Sunday, October 16, at 9:00 a.m. and will conclude no later than 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 18.

Download the call letter here!

Final Farewell to Space Shuttle Program

Today’s landing of the Space Shuttle Atlantis marks the end of NASA’s shuttle program that started with the first launch in 1981. Tens of thousands of workers, including IAM members, played key roles in building, launching and maintaining the shuttle fleet.

Atlantis Launch Marks End of Shuttle Era

The scheduled launch of the space shuttle Atlantis on July 8 will mark the end of U.S. manned space flight for years to come and leave thousands of dedicated U.S workers out of jobs.

Pensions Preserved for Machinists at Arnprior Aerospace

Members of Local 1542 in Arnprior, ON, recently concluded contract negotiations with Arnprior Aerospace and were able to turn back company proposals that sought to reduce wages, cut holidays and eliminate pensions for current and future employees.

Despite assistance from a provincial mediator, the company continued to propose terms that eliminated pensions for new hires as well as severe penalties for early retirees. Following a recommendation from their Bargaining Committee, members of Local 1542 rejected the company proposal and voted overwhelmingly to strike.

Column: Is Obama grounding JFK's space legacy?

By Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell and Gene Cernan

"First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."—President John F. Kennedy, Joint Session of Congress, May 25, 1961

Wichita Paves the Way

Mexico Outsourcing Conference in Seattle is Cancelled

MexicoNow Cancels Conference Under Threat of IAM Protests

Seattle Machinists to Protest Mexico Outsourcing Conference

IAM Charges Illegal Use of Katrina Relief Funds

Help Available for NASA Workers in the Crosshairs

Soyuz ‘Glitch’ Delays Return of U.S. Astronaut

Labor Day - Cast Your Vote

Impact of recession on California’s aerospace industry

SanDiegoNewsroom.com reports that the outlook for Aerospace Machinists, in California, is good.