The IAM Union marked a powerful moment of renewal as its newly elected International Officers were sworn in for a four-year term during an installation ceremony that celebrated the union’s democratic foundation and its future-facing vision.

Held before an audience of IAM members, retirees, staff, and labor allies, the ceremony at the IAM’s Headquarters was a reminder that in the IAM Union, leadership is chosen by the membership. Each officer sworn in was elected directly by the IAM’s rank-and-file membership. 

WATCH: 2025 IAM Union International Officer Installation Ceremony

International President Brian Bryant, a longtime member of Local S6, was sworn in to continue to lead the IAM through a period of bold organizing, strategic growth, and deep commitment to equity and inclusion. In his remarks, Bryant offered heartfelt thanks to the membership, his fellow Executive Council members, the IAM’s staff, and his family. 

PHOTOS: 2025 IAM Union International Officer Installation Ceremony

“To our membership—thank you,” said Bryant. “Thank you for placing your trust in this leadership team. That trust is not something we take lightly. It’s something we earn—every day, in every fight, in every shop floor conversation, contract campaign, organizing drive, and legislative battle.”

Bryant also reinforced the union’s evolving identity. 

“We must be clear: This union stands for all workers. No matter where you were born. No matter who you love. No matter who you worship. No matter how you got here,” said Bryant. “If you work for a living—you deserve justice on the job. You deserve the power of a union contract. And you deserve to be treated with dignity.”

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler also delivered remarks during the ceremony, celebrating the IAM Union’s legacy and applauding the union’s future-facing leadership. 

“What brings us together is this belief that all work has dignity and that we all deserve the freedom, fairness and security,” said Shuler. “Those are the values that unite every worker, and that’s what we’re going to fight for every single day. We’re going to organize everywhere — just like the IAM is by taking on the largest companies in the world.”

The following officers were sworn in for a four-year term, beginning July 1, 2025: 

International President
Brian Bryant (Local S6) 

General Secretary-Treasurer
Dora Cervantes (Local 2198) 

Canadian General Vice President
David Chartrand (Local 712)* 

U.S. General Vice Presidents
David Sullivan (Local S6)
Richie Johnsen (Local 1781)
Craig Martin (Local 470)
Jody Bennett (Local 2771)
Sam Cicinelli (Local 701)
Robert “Bobby” Martinez (Local 933) 

Law Committee
Eric Johnston (Local 235)
Ryan Haehnlein (Local 701)
Teressa Peart (Local 774)
Olu Ajetomobi (Local 1781)
Sal Vasquez (Local 311) 

Delegates to the AFL-CIO
E. Michael Vartabedian (Local 264)
Sharon Sugiyama (Local 2339G)
Richard Jackson (Local 751A) 

Delegate to the Canadian Labour Congress
Christy Slauenwhite (Local 764)*

*Elected solely by IAM members in Canada

Administering the oath of office was retired IAM International President R. Thomas Buffenbarger, who led the union from 1997 to 2016. Buffenbarger’s presence and role in the ceremony served as a bridge between generations of IAM leadership and reinforced the enduring principles that guide the union.

The installation ceremony featured spiritual and inspirational reflection from Derrick Monk, a member of IAM Local 1776, a District 141 Trustee, and Senior Pastor of the Divine Covenant Outreach Center in Philadelphia. Monk set the tone for the ceremony with an invocation that called on unity, courage, and the shared responsibility of leadership.

As the IAM Union looks ahead, this newly installed leadership team is charged with growing the union across traditional and emerging industries, empowering members through strong contracts, and continuing to lead with integrity, inclusion, and determination.

“All of us, together, are the stewards of something powerful,” said Bryant. “We inherit this union not just to protect it, but to grow it. To make it bolder, more inclusive, and more powerful than ever.”

By the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union)

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On June 19, 2025, the Competition Bureau of Canada released its final report on airline industry competition: “Cleared for takeoff: Elevating airline competition”. Its central recommendations? That Canada consider allowing foreign-owned airlines to operate domestic routes and re-evaluate current ownership limits. By proposing to eliminate cabotage restrictions and foreign ownership limits, the Bureau’s suggestions threaten to unravel the very infrastructure that sustains Canada’s aviation sector, with devastating consequences for workers, communities, and national sovereignty.

As the union representing over 16,000 airport workers across the country, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union) sees these proposals not as policy progress, but as a direct threat to Canadian jobs, an erosion of our national aviation infrastructure, and a dangerous precedent for public policy driven by short-term economics instead of long-term, Canadian public interest.

The United States strictly prohibits foreign carriers from operating domestic routes, and other regions – like the European Union – only allow such access among member states. Opening our skies unilaterally would offer foreign carriers privileges they don’t extend to us in return.

While we recognize that the airline industry needs reform, deregulating access to our domestic market is not reform. It’s a retreat.

There’s no level playing field – only a losing one

Canada’s aviation sector operates under complex constraints: vast geography, regional routes that are economically and logistically essential but unprofitable, and a regulatory environment already strained by fees and infrastructure gaps. The Bureau’s proposal to allow foreign carriers to fly domestic routes – also known as cabotage – assumes all competitors arrive equally burdened.

They do not.

No major nation, including the United States, offers Canada the same access. Foreign airlines would be invited to pick the most profitable routes without contributing to the rest of the network. That’s not competition. It’s market cherry-picking, and it undermines the carriers and workers who keep the full system running.

Workers will pay the price

For thousands of Canadians, airport jobs are often unionized, come with decent wages, benefits, and job security, and offer permanence increasingly rare in the broader labour market. Our members are the backbone of the aviation economy. Foreign operators with no commitment to Canada will just bring lower wages, fewer benefits, and more precarious, outsourced labour.

This isn’t speculation – it’s history. We’ve seen it deteriorate countless Canadian airlines – from Canada 3000 to Jetsgo to Canadian Airlines International – and there’s no evidence this time will be different.

What makes these recommendations particularly troubling is the lack of labour consultation throughout the Bureau’s study. Only one labour union was interviewed over the course of a 13-month process, despite the airline sector employing tens of thousands of unionized workers. While the IAM provided a detailed written submission to the Bureau, we were never interviewed. Without input from the frontline workforce, these policy recommendations lack the perspective needed to understand their full impact.

National infrastructure cannot be offshored

Our airlines operate in one of the most challenging geographies on earth. They serve small towns, remote communities, and Indigenous territories where air travel is not a luxury – it’s a lifeline. Foreign carriers, with no long-term investment in our infrastructure or workforce, will swoop in for the profitable urban corridors – Toronto to Vancouver, Montreal to Calgary – leaving Canadian carriers to shoulder the financial burden of essential, unprofitable routes.

Once weakened, Canadian carriers will collapse – and with them, thousands of jobs.

If Ottawa opens the door to foreign operators without long-term obligations, what happens when those players exit the market in a downturn? Who ensures continued service to the North? Who remains accountable to Parliament?

The answer cannot be: “whoever’s left.”

If the goal is a better system, let’s fix what’s broken

We do not dispute that Canada’s aviation system has problems. But they begin with issues that tend to be ignored: airport rent and landing fees, overburdened infrastructure, outdated navigation systems, and underinvestment in regional access.

Fixing these problems requires political will, not privatizing the problem and hoping it solves itself.

Conclusion

Canada has a responsibility to foster competition that serves the Canadian public, not foreign corporations. That means strengthening our airlines, protecting our workers, and building an aviation system rooted in resilience, not deregulation. These are national priorities, not global business opportunities to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

The IAM urges the Canadian government to reject the Competition Bureau’s recommendations on cabotage and foreign ownership. These proposals may promise cheaper fares, but they will come at the cost of sovereignty, safety, and economic stability.

Our skies are not for sale. And the people who keep them running shouldn’t pay the price.

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For the full report from the Competition Bureau, please click here.

To see the IAM Union’s submission to the Competition Bureau, please click here.