IAM Statement on Department of Labor-Supervised Rerun of Election

Responding to the U.S. Department of Labor, the IAM has agreed to a DOL-supervised rerun of the 2017 Grand Lodge elections for International Union officer positions, including International President, General Secretary-Treasurer and seven U.S. General Vice Presidents. The election excludes the Canadian General Vice President position.

The DOL struck down the IAM members’ convention action requiring that candidates for Grand Lodge office show a minimal 10 percent level of support in the union’s local lodges before becoming candidates for election. The members adopted this provision to assure that elections took place only when there was at least some possibility that more than one candidate for each position would prevail. The DOL also found that even though incumbent candidates received 749 or more local lodge endorsements, while challengers received no more than 7 endorsements, a new election is required.

“The IAM strongly disagrees with the DOL’s decision to override the will of its membership, and reserves the right to take legal action in the future to vindicate its membership’s actions,” said IAM International President Bob Martinez. “However, instead of undertaking the expense and uncertainty of litigating these issues, and further delaying the final resolution of the election, we have agreed to re-run the election, and to leave the matter in the hands, once again, of our members. Agreeing to a prompt re-run election assures that this matter will be resolved as quickly as possible so that the union can get on with the critical business of implementing the program adopted by our members at last year’s Convention. We remain committed to a free, fair and democratic election process. We also commit to our membership that we will take all necessary and appropriate steps to put an end to the DOL’s unwarranted interference in an election process established by the membership at last year’s convention.”

The nominations in each Local Lodge will take place in meetings in January 2018, with further meetings in February for lodges that nominate more candidates than the positions call for. If 25 or more locals endorse more than one candidate for International President or General Secretary-Treasurer, or more than seven candidates for United States General Vice Presidents, an election for the contested positions will take place in April.