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The union’s ‘Workers vs Billionaires’ 2026 Midterm election tour is a first-of-its-kind push for the union and will bring union’s highest-ranking official directly to the doorsteps – and workplaces – of rank-and-file IAM Union members across the country
Washington, D.C. – The International President of the powerful union representing 600,000 union members spanning many industries, IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers), is launching a nationwide election tour to personally speak with members in eight battleground states in the union’s biggest national push yet for a Midterm election. The national election tour, called Workers vs. Billionaires 2026, is the largest-scale national political mobilization effort by the union to date; a reflection of the urgency that exists in our current political moment.
“Working people across America are suffering profoundly right now as corporate greed skyrockets and billionaires buy access to bend the rules against us,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “The U.S. economy is being rigged against everyday people by robber baron tycoons and elites, creating an existential threat to our core American values of democracy, fairness, and freedom. American communities are being bled dry by billionaires who pit working people against each other, dividing us with artificial social fault lines so they can swindle us with economic injustice. The IAM Union will not stand back as basic worker protections are dismantled in this country. Instead, we’re launching our most aggressive election program yet, because the stakes are too high to not take unprecedented action.”
IAM Union is one of the most representationally diverse unions in the United States, composed of workers from hundreds of job sectors including aerospace, airlines, defense, manufacturing, public sector, healthcare, and more. A key component of Pres. Bryant’s 2026 Workers vs Billionaires nationwide tour will be having direct conversations in open forums with a wide range of members holding myriad political beliefs, bridging divides with populist values and unity.
The tour includes multiple days of events each in Arizona, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas, as well as Illinois. Mobilization activities will vary from state to state and feature non-traditional campaign venues like a Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans watch party tailgate and BBQ in Fort Worth, and will include a heavy program of worksite visits in all states. The close relationship many IAM members have to their union makes a personal touch from their International President vitally important in a traditionally low-turnout election year, and worksite access allows a rare opportunity to directly reach workers in key battleground states in a way that partisan campaigns cannot.
The tour kicked off in Maine with joint appearances alongside Maine U.S. Senate candidate Troy Jackson and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, where it will also conclude on Election Day. Pres. Bryant will be joined by additional IAM Union leaders from the national, state, and local levels at all stops, as well as federal and local officials, candidates, and community leaders.
