As Black History Month 2026 begins, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is highlighting the contributions of African American workers to the labor movement. The union noted that organizations such as the Colored National Labor Union, led by Frederick Douglass in 1872, and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, organized by A. Philip Randolph in the 1920s, were instrumental in advocating for Black workers’ rights. The IAM also pointed out its own history of accepting African American members before the Civil Rights Act was enacted in the 1960s.
“It’s mind-boggling to learn about the tremendous history that links labor activism with the upward economic mobility of the Black Americans,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “Our union has been at the forefront of civil rights and Black History Month is a great time to share our union’s story.”
The IAM stated that it began discussing integration openly by 1944, when District 727, representing Lockheed employees in southern California, sent an open letter encouraging diversity among its ranks. In 1950, Roman Mayfield became one of the first African Americans accepted into the union after initially being denied membership at Boeing’s Seattle plant due to local policies. Mayfield continued to attend meetings until he was admitted as a member, which paved the way for thousands more Black workers to join both Boeing and IAM over subsequent decades.
Other moments highlighted by IAM include former president Al Hayes greeting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in New York City in 1962; predominantly African-American lodges being chartered in Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia during the 1960s; assistance from African American representative Herb Ward helping rebuild Watts after riots in 1965; contract negotiations benefiting many Black production workers at General Dynamics in Fort Worth during the 1970s; Robert Roach Jr.’s appointment as first African-American General Vice President in 1999; and Diane Babineaux becoming first Black woman General Vice President in 2013.
IAM continues to work with groups like the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) and A. Philip Randolph Institute to promote economic fairness and racial justice for Black workers.
