IAM International President Brian Bryant has appointed Derrick Battle, formerly a Special Representative assigned to the IAM Rail Division, as a Special Assistant to the International President, effective Jan. 1, 2024.
Battle, who initiated in Houston Local 2198 at Union Pacific in 2007, will handle special projects and interface with locals and districts.
“Derrick has the right discipline, demeanor and experience to handle any situation facing our districts and locals,” said Bryant. “He has a way of working with people, even in challenging situations, that will serve our union and our membership well now and into the future.”
Battle has worked his way up through the ranks of the IAM, serving as a Committeeman, Assistant Local Chairman, and Local Chairman before being appointed District 19 General Chairman in 2013, and was successfully been reelected every subsequent four years. Battle currently represented members at many railroads, including Amtrak and Union Pacific.
In July 2022, he was appointed to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the IAM Veterans Support Benefit Inc. and as a member of the IAM Veterans Support Steering Committee.
Battle enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1987, starting his career in Fort Benning, Ga. He served multiple tours of duty, including in 1989 in Panama for Operation Jump Cause and in 1991 for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. His distinguished military career culminated in 1993.