Tom Buffenbarger, an independent union voice, appeared on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and addressed an alleged controversy following the incident when a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9. He also discussed how the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers became a model union for diversity for the entire AFL-CIO.
Buffenbarger gave an overview of the story of Flight 1282, which had just taken off from Portland, Ore. bound for Ontario, Calif. carrying 171 passengers and six crew members. Shortly after takeoff, a panel of the plane’s main body called the fuselage door plug blew off the plane at roughly 16,000 feet in the air. Thankfully, the crew followed their training and was able to safely land the plane with only a few people sustaining injuries.
Founded in 1888, the IAM was made up of mostly white males until World War II. Buffenbarger said the Machinists were one of the first unions to allow African Americans to become full members, which meant they could participate in all aspects of the union. In 2000, the IAM created a program that was designed to make the International Union look like its members. It led to the International being more diverse than the membership. The Machinists became the diversity model for all AFL-CIO-affiliated unions, he said.
Listen to the entire episode to hear more about the IAM.