The IAM Union’s Georgia State Council of Machinists has released the following statement endorsing Keisha Lance Bottoms for governor of Georgia:
“The IAM was founded in Atlanta in 1888 by 19 railroad machinists who stood up to powerful corporate interests and demanded dignity, respect, and a voice on the job. That fight is not over, and Keisha Lance Bottoms is the leader we need to carry it forward.
“The IAM Union represents thousands of workers in Georgia across the air transport, defense, aerospace, manufacturing, rail, woodworking, and other industries. From the aerospace workers in Marietta to airport workers at Hartsfield-Jackson, to IAM members working on military bases across the state, to railroad workers on Georgia’s rail lines, to woodworkers in the timber industry, to the John Deere workers in Augusta, and the manufacturing members at the Molson Coors plant in Albany.
“IAM members are the backbone of Georgia’s economy, and they deserve a governor who knows it. Bottoms’ plan to expand Medicaid, invest in public education, and stand up to the trade policies driving up costs for working families shows she understands what’s at stake.
“Keisha is committed to working families, has respect for organized labor, and a platform built to grow an economy that works for the thousands of IAM members who live and work across the state.
“The IAM Union represents thousands of workers in Georgia across the air transport, defense, aerospace, manufacturing, rail, and other industries. Georgia is a right-to-work state, which means every union card IAM members carry is a choice, a choice they make because they know what solidarity can deliver.
“If elected in November, Bottoms would become the first African American woman elected governor of Georgia and the first Democrat to hold the office in more than 25 years. The Georgia State Council of Machinists will engage IAM members, their families, and allies across the labor movement to mobilize support ahead of the November general election.”
