As Black History Month 2026 begins, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is highlighting the history of African American workers in labor unions. The organization notes that unions have played a significant role in advocating for the rights of Black workers, referencing figures such as Frederick Douglass, who became president of the Colored National Labor Union in 1872, and A. Philip Randolph, organizer of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in the 1920s. The IAM also points to its own history of admitting African American members before the Civil Rights Act was passed 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.”
In 1944, IAM District 727, representing Lockheed workers in southern California, sent an open letter encouraging diversity within its ranks. By 1950, after initial resistance due to discriminatory lodge policies, Roman Mayfield became one of the first African Americans accepted into IAM membership as a Boeing production worker in Seattle. His persistence contributed to changes that allowed thousands more Black workers to join over subsequent decades.
The union recalls other moments from its history related to African American advancement: Former IAM president Al Hayes met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in New York City in 1962; predominantly African-American lodges were chartered during the 1960s; and after riots in Watts, California in 1965, IAM assisted with community rebuilding efforts led by union representative Herb Ward.
During the 1970s, major contracts were negotiated at workplaces like General Dynamics in Fort Worth where many production workers were Black. In leadership milestones, Robert Roach Jr. became IAM’s first African-American General Vice President in 1999; Diane Babineaux followed as both Vice President and first Black woman appointed to that role in 2013.
IAM continues partnerships with organizations such as Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) and A. Philip Randolph Institute to promote racial justice and economic fairness for Black workers.
