Approximately 60 members from around Canada and the United States, including IAM Local 254 trustee Elizabeth Hoover de Galvez, gathered at the W3 Center September 5-8, 2023, to discuss some of the obstacles that have led to a lack of diversity in leadership roles at the IAM. Incoming IAM International President Brian Bryant spoke to the group over Zoom and asked them to develop ideas to diversify the organization.
Over two days of meetings, W3 Staff facilitated group discussions among attendees, who were broken into groups of international staff, district staff, and local lodge activists for brainstorming sessions on obstacles, needs, and solutions.
The outcome of the meeting was a list of recommendations voted on by attendees, which will be shared with the IAM executive council. Recommendations included the creation of a mentoring program, transparent communication with members about pathways into leadership, annual diversity training requirements for staff and elected representatives of IAM, a pilot program to bring on new staff at the district level to coordinate diversity and human rights initiatives, and improvements to the on-boarding process for new members with the new hire packet.