‘It’s Up to Us to Grasp This Moment’: IAM International President Brian Bryant Joins AFL-CIO Executive Council

IAM International President Brian Bryant, who took the helm leading the IAM on Jan. 1, 2024, has officially been sworn in as a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council.

The AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United Sates, is made up of more than 12 million active and retired workers from 60 national and international unions, including the IAM. The AFL-CIO Executive Council is comprised of two top officers and 55 vice presidents who are responsible for guiding the work of the federation.

“It’s an incredible honor and privilege to be sitting in this room, and I don’t take that lightly,” said Bryant after being introduced by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “I understand the great history of the AFL-CIO, and I’m absolutely thrilled and looking forward to the part that the Machinists can play with the AFL-CIO.”

Bryant, a 34-year IAM member, initiated into the IAM in 1989 when he joined Local S6 while employed at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine.  A pipefitter by trade, Bryant became active in his local and district before being appointed to the Eastern Territory staff. Bryant held three positions on the IAM Executive Council before becoming International President.

“We’re in a unique time in the labor movement,” said Bryant. “It’s up to us to grasp it.”

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