Featured Representatives

IAM Grand Lodge Elected Officials

On July 1, 2021, the Officers and Representatives below, were sworn in during a ceremony held at IAM Headquarters in Upper Marlboro Maryland. We wish them the best as they move our Union forward.

• International President – Robert Martinez, Jr.
• General Secretary-Treasurer – Dora Cervantes

General Vice Presidents

• Gary R. Allen
• Rickey Wallace
• Brian Bryant
• Steve Galloway
• David Sullivan
• Richie Johnsen
• David Chartrand (Canada)

IAMAW International President

Robert Martinez, Jr. is the 14th International President since the founding of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) in 1888.

Previous to his installment as International President, Martinez served as IAM Headquarters General Vice President (GVP) with responsibility for IAM Headquarters and the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center. The Headquarters GVP also has jurisdiction for the IAM’s Government Employees and Aerospace sectors.

A United States Navy veteran, Martinez began his IAM career in 1980 as a member of Local 776A in Ft. Worth, TX after being hired as an Aircraft Assembler at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth Division.

From 1980 to 1994, Martinez served in various positions with his local lodge before being appointed in 1995 as a staff member in the IAM Safety and Health Department. He also served as a Project Coordinator for the Re-Employment and Safety Training (IAM CREST) and for the Center for Administering Rehabilitation and Employment Services (IAM CARES).

In 1999, International President Tom Buffenbarger assigned Martinez to serve as the Southern Territory Education Representative with responsibility for training and education for IAM members in 14 southern states. In April 2002, he was appointed as a Special Representative and served in that capacity until joining the Executive Council in 2003 as the General Vice President assigned to the Southern Territory.

In addition to serving on the IAM Executive Council, Martinez is on the Board of Directors for Guide Dogs of America (GDA), serves as a Trustee on the Board of the IAM National Pension Fund and is a National Vice President on the National Executive Board of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA).

Vice President Martinez was recently honored with Guide Dogs of America’s highest honor, the Gift of Sight Award and the Cesar Chavez Award from LCLAA for his work on behalf of the Latino Labor Community.

Meet-the International-President’s-Staff

IAM General Secretary Treasurer

Dora Cervantes became the IAM’s 12th General Secretary-Treasurer on August 1, 2015. She is the first woman to direct the IAM’s finances as General Secretary-Treasurer.

Cervantes first joined the IAM Executive Council on July 1, 2013 as the first Hispanic woman to serve as a General Vice President. Cervantes has served as the Assistant Secretary to the General Secretary-Treasurer since 2012. As General Vice President, Cervantes worked in partnership with the General Secretary-Treasurer to administer the IAM’s financial operations.

Cervantes initiated into IAM Local 2198 in Houston, Texas in 1989 as a Reservations Agent for Southwest Airlines. She served in many capacities for her Local Lodge, including Organizer, Shop Steward, Recording Secretary and Vice President.

In 1999, Cervantes was chosen to serve as an Apprentice Organizer for Airline District 142, and became a General Chairperson for that District the following year. By appointment from International President Tom Buffenbarger, she served on the IAM’s 2002 Blue Ribbon Commission.

In 2005, Cervantes was appointed to the Grand Lodge staff in the Transportation Department as a Special Representative, and was later promoted to Grand Lodge Representative. It was in July of 2012 when Cervantes was selected by General Secretary-Treasurer Robert Roach, Jr. to serve as Assistant Secretary to the GST.

Cervantes currently serves as a National Board Member on the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), is an active member of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) and serves on the Women’s Committee of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) headquartered in London.

Fluent in English and Spanish, Cervantes helps teach the Spanish Leadership series at the William W. Winpisinger Education Center and the IAM/Aviation High School Partnership Program. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Labor Studies from the National Labor College.

General Secretary-Treasurer Meet-the-Staff & Grand Lodge Auditors

General Vice President/Southern Territory

Rickey Wallace, a 41-year member of the IAM, has served as General Vice President of the Southern Territory beginning October 1, 2018. He previously served as Resident General Vice President at Headquarters from 2016 to 2018.

Wallace initiated into Local Lodge 1296 in Clarksville, Tennessee in April 1980. In 1991 he was elected to serve as President of his Local Lodge. In 1995 Wallace was elected as Business Representative of former District Lodge 155, now known as District Lodge 711, and held that position until 2008 when he was appointed Assistant Directing Business Representative. In April 2009, he was elected to serve as the President and Directing Business Representative for District Lodge 711 and held that position through November 2015. 

In 1996, Wallace was elected Area Vice President of the Tennessee State Council of Machinists and served in that capacity until being elected to serve as President in he was appointed to serve as President of the Southern States Conference of Machinists in 2009 and was elected to that post for two consecutive terms. 

Wallace has also served on the Workforce Development Board of Middle Tennessee, an agency created by Federal Law to assist in addressing the employment needs of businesses, career development needs of workers, workforce development and youth education throughout a seven-county region. In 2000, Wallace was appointed to serve on the Executive Board of the Tennessee Labor Management Center and was also elected as a Delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention, representing the 7^th Congressional District of Tennessee.

In 2013 Wallace was elected by the membership to serve as an IAM Delegate to the AFL-CIO National Convention. In 2015 he was appointed to Grand Lodge Staff serving as Special Representative and Grand Lodge Representative. In January 2016, he joined the IAM Executive Council in the position of Resident General Vice President.

Wallace currently serves as a Union Trustee on the IAM National Pension Fund and the IAM National 401(k) Plan. In these capacities, Wallace takes an active role in representing the interests of the IAM.

Meet The Southern Territory Staff

Zone 110 BR DL2020

Except for a brief time in the late 90’s Wilbert Woods has been a dues paying union member of IAM & AW Local 2297 since beginning his work as a federal employee at the rework facility at Cherry Point, N.C. He began his career working at Alameda, California close to 20 years ago.

He was approached after work one day about joining the union and at first he had some reservations. After considerable thought he decided he would give it a try.

Shortly after, he joined and began to be exposed to things going on in the workplace that he considered to be kind of shady and less than fair. He approached his union representative about these issues and not one time did the representative not at least try to bring about the desire result. This impressed him and he has been sold on the union ever since.

Today as a former 2297 President and currently the Zone 110 Business Representative, he has had the pleasure and opportunity to represent all employees in the bargaining employee unit of LL2297. He takes all responsibilities that are given seriously and becomes disturbed anytime someone does anything that might hinder the union’s ability to provide proper representation to the employees in a bargaining unit.

He was first elected President in October of 2014 and was sworn into office in January of 2015. During his campaign he only asked that the members give him a fair opportunity to show what he would do to protect their rights and their future at FRC East Cherry Point. He was re-elected to serve a second three (3) year term in October of 2017 assume that position in January of 2018. An finally, Wilbert was re-elected in 2020 for a third (3) year term which began in January 2021, however because he was nominated and subsequently elected as the Business Representative for Zone 110 District Lodge 2020 the Lodge’s Vice President (Rory Brown) automatically moved into the Presidential position for the remainder of Wilbert’s term in office.

To quote President Woods…

“Every day we are awaken with a certain amount of mental, emotional, and physical energy that we spend throughout the day. I promise to expend the majority of that energy worker for the members as well as those who are potential members”.

He promises he’ll do everything that his ability will allow to work for the workers and in him you will have a person in that is;

• Honest
• For the people
• A fighter, who will fight the good fight
• Loyal
• Dedicated to his duties as representative of the people
• Steadfast, and committed to being with you all the way to the end
• Educated
• A great communicator
• A mediator, with excellent people skills
• Understanding and an outstanding listener
• A Organizer, believing that all workers in the unit should become union members

Wilbert is an active advocate not only for justice on the job but an individual who will lobby for workers in Washington, D.C.

Background

• Served previously as your Recording Secretary
• The sitting chair of the Events Committee since 2007
• Received leadership training from Placid Harbor Maryland
• A member of the Negotiating Committee
• Familiar with both FRC and DLA contracts
• A family man, a husband and father with children who have achieved great successes for which he could not be more proud of.
• Supporter of the local community projects and sports programs and well respected in the local community
• Throughout his entire adult life he has been a positive role model and a humble leader.