The 1950s was a period of rapid growth for IAM. The production of jet engines during the war led IAM to expand to the aircraft industry. By 1958, IAM had more than 900,000 members. This was because IAM took steps to begin to move away from its racist past. In 1955, under the leadership of President Al Hayes IAM became more of an industrial union; it began to shift from railroad work to metal fabrication. IAM had more union members as well as workers in the aircraft industry. Thus, Aerospace workers were attracted to join IAM. The trade union produced a first-of-its-kind radio show,
Boomer Jones, to tell their history in a modern way. In 1964, IAM changed its name to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. IAMAW began to strike against five major airlines, including Eastern, National, Northwest, Trans World, and
United Airlines. 35,400 IAMAW members in 231 cities grounded the airlines for 43 days finally winning 5 percent raises in three successive years. IAM membership nearly doubled in the 1950s, in large part due to the burgeoning airline industry, from 501,000 members in 1949 to 903,000 members in 1958. As a result of the influx of members from the airlines and the new American space program, the delegates voted to change the name to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers at the 1964 convention. In 1982, due to individual and corporate bankruptcies IAM membership dropped to 820,211 members from a high of 927,000 in 1973. Also, in 1982 boycott was initiated by the IAM against
Brown & Sharpe, a machine, precision, measuring and cutting tool manufacturer, headquartered in
Rhode Island. The boycott was called after the firm refused to bargain in good faith (withdrawing previously negotiated clauses in the contract), and forced the union into a strike, during which police sprayed pepper gas on some 800 picketers at the company's
North Kingston plant in early 1982. Three weeks later, a machinist narrowly escaped serious injury when a shot fired into the picket line hit his belt buckle. The
National Labor Relations Board later charged Brown & Sharpe with regressive bargaining, and of entering into negotiations with the express purpose of not reaching an agreement with the union. It was not until 1998, nearly seventeen years after the strike began, that the Rhode Island Supreme Court ended the legal battle, ultimately siding with Brown & Sharpe in its plea that it had not illegally forced the strike. By this point, both Brown & Sharpe and its erstwhile work force were retreating from manufacturing in Rhode Island. From 1981 to 1990 the union owned and operated an Indy Car racing team,
Machinists Union Racing. In 1991, the union absorbed the
Pattern Makers' League of North America. The
Transportation Communications International Union (TCU) merged with the IAM, after a TCU member vote in July 2005. On September 7, 2008, the union began a
57-day strike against
Boeing over issues with outsourcing,
job security, pay and benefits. The union continues to expand into different companies today. In December 2013 the union's attempt to represent workers at an
Amazon.com fulfillment center in
Middletown, Delaware, failed. In 2020, the union began a
strike at
Bath Iron Works, a major
shipyard in
Bath, Maine, over disagreements regarding a new labor contract with the company. The strike, occurring during the
COVID-19 pandemic, was described by the IAM President as "the largest strike in the United States of America right now.” The strike ended after two months, with new labor contract agreements viewed as favorable to the union members. On September 12, 2024, IAM District 751 voted to
strike against Boeing over a proposed contract's pay and benefits with 94.6% of votes in and 96% in favor of a strike. The union leadership had reached a tentative agreement with Boeing prior to the vote and endorsed the contract. ==Composition==