IAM Hosts Brazilian Unionists

Brazilian trade unionists, many of which currently or formerly worked at the aerospace company Embraer, visit an IAM Local Lodge in Wichita, KS.

A group of ten Brazilian trade unionists are visiting the U.S. as part of an exchange program being put on by the IAM and the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center.

Brazilian unionist Herbert Claros da Silva shows IAM staff a video about the metalworkers’ union in his hometown of São José dos Campos, Brazil.

They come from metalworkers’ unions in the Brazilian cities of São José dos Campos and Botucatu. Both unions combine to represent thousands of employees at Embraer, the largest aerospace manufacturer in Brazil.

“The labor movement needs international solidarity as we work to improve the lives of workers all around the globe,” said Owen Herrnstadt, IAM Chief of Staff and Director of the IAM Trade and Globalization Department. “The global marketplace will not wait for organized labor to get on the same page. We’re happy to host our Brazilian brothers and sisters as the IAM continues to form relationships with workers and unions around the world.”

The group spent time at IAM Headquarters and the William W. Winpisinger (WWW) Education and Technology Center in Maryland, where they attended classes and heard from IAM staff on topics ranging from organizing and collective bargaining to strategic resources and health and safety.

The delegation then traveled to Wichita, KS, to meet with IAM District 70 members and tour the Spirit and Cessna facilities. They will also go to Nashville, TN, before returning to Brazil.

An IAM delegation traveled to Brazil last October. Click here to read the story.

Click here to follow the Machinists Union on Twitter and see highlights as our Brazilian brothers and sisters tour the U.S.

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