A Union For All: IAM Nonprofit Members Living the Union’s Promise of Solidarity and Justice

IAM Union Western Territory members don't just talk solidarity - they live it. A quiet yet determined army, perhaps unknown to the IAM membership, works every day to protect and empower immigrant and vulnerable communities. These aren't politicians or high-profile activists. They're IAM Union members - workers at non-profit organizations who serve as the first line of defense for families facing the con- sequences of unjust immigration policies and economic injustice.

IAM District 947 represents more than 300 workers from non-profit organizations in California, including the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC), and others. These organizations provide legal support, education, youth leadership programs, and emergency response for immigrant and under served communities under threat. These IAM Union members, many of whom are immigrants or children of immigrants themselves, are not only service providers - they're part of the very communities they serve.

"We have members who joined these non-profits because they've lived or witnessed firsthand injustices," said IAM District 947 Business Representative Jennifer Marin Esquivel. "They've seen their own families and communities impacted by immigration policies. They know what's at stake."

"Yes, it can be scary… but that doesn't mean that we're going to stop," said IAM Local 201 (District 947) member and CARECEN Lead Migrant Coordinator Guillermo Quintanilla. "That doesn't mean that we're going to let ourselves be intimidated. We're going to continue this good work… We know that we are on the right side of history."

But the work comes with risks. Some of the IAM Union-represented non-profits have removed employee profiles from their web- sites as the political climate has gotten so hostile that simply being visible has become dangerous.
"We know that the IAM Union stands with us, fights with us, and has our back, which makes all the difference. We know we are not alone in this," continued Quintanilla.

"It's hard to lead informational workshops when I'm receiving threats and constantly wondering whether those threats will come true, or if I'm putting my family or others in the community at risk," said an IAM Local 201 (District 947) member who preferred animosity. "But I still have to do this work because people need to hear their rights."

Despite these threats, IAM nonprofit workers remain fiercely committed. Their passion is visible in their daily work: organizing 'Know Your Rights' workshops, participating in legal observation, distributing food to vulnerable families, and showing up - often at a moment's notice - to defend someone in danger of detention or deportation.

"Our members are part of rapid response teams. They're the ones running toward the threat, not away from it," said Marin Esquivel. "They go to day labor centers and rallies, they record raids, they educate their neighbors. They are on the ground every single day."

"Now that we're part of the IAM, there's a deeper sense of commitment," said IAM Local 201 (District 947) member and CARECEN Senior Parenting Organizer Rocio Veliz. "We can lean on each other. We've been able to push for stronger protections, educate more families, and advocate for policy changes - together."

"As a steward, I've been able to learn about those rights and pass them on to the parents and youth I work with," Veliz continued. "When one community is under attack - Black, LGBTQ+, immigrant - we all need to speak up. Silence is complicity."

IAM District 947 has taken a bold step further by advising Locals and allied unions to embed reasonable immigrant protections directly into union contracts. These protections include paid time off for immigration-related appointments, language requiring employers to notify the union in the event of unlawful enforcement actions, and strong support for members pursuing legal status.

"The idea is simple," said IAM District 947 President and Directing Business Representative Sal Vasquez. "You shouldn't have to sacrifice your wages or your safety to support your community or secure your own legal status. Our contracts should reflect that." As immigration continues to divide headlines and communities, the IAM Western Territory is helping build bridges - between people, across struggles, and through pain. Because in this fight, unity
isn't just a noun - it's a verb.

"In these uncertain and heavy times, it's easy to feel overwhelmed - but being in a union and community means we don't face it alone," said IAM Local 201 (District 947) member and CAUSE Youth and Young Adult Community Organizer Odette Moran. "Even when the rain feels relentless, we find strength in hol- ding one another. That's the power of community - we don't wait for calm, we move forward together through the storm."

Earlier this year, IAM Local 695 member Maximo Londonio (District 160) was wrongfully detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Seattle-Ta- coma International Airport. He is a worker, a union member, and a father. The IAM Union advocated for his release, standing with his family, his employer, and immigrant rights organizations to ensure his job is protected and his freedom restored. Thanks to this collective effort, Londonio was released months later.
"Union rights are immigrant rights!" said IAM International President Brian Bryant at a rally demanding Londonio's release. "We will be here for whatever it takes, for as long as it takes."

That principle lives in every IAM Union member who works at a nonprofit, offering safety, guidance, and dignity to people navigating a broken immigration system. Many are immigrants themselves, carrying the weight of their own stories while standing guard for others.

In early July, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) appeared near a day labor center supported by an IAM represented non-profit in Los Angeles, staff sprang into action - locking doors, shielding workers, staying calm under threat. They weren't just trained. They were ready. That's the strength of IAM Union members: standing between fear and safety, prepared to protect lives.

"The work our IAM Union non-profit members do isn't just about providing services - it's about living our union's core values," said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Robert "Bobby" Martinez. "Their daily fight to protect vulnerable communities reflects who we are: a union that stands for dignity, equity, and justice for all people. Because in our union, solidarity knows no boundaries."

"From coast to coast, the IAM message is clear: we will not allow fear, hatred, or broken policies to divide us," said Bryant. "When one of us is targeted, we all show up. When one of us is silenced, we all speak out."
IAM Union members working in non-profits are tackling issues beyond immigration, including housing, economic justice, and the systemic overlap among them. Union support can help build leadership rooted in lived experience and community connection.

"The union has created new spaces for leadership," said IAM Local 201 (District 947) Secretary-Treasurer and CARECEN DOJ Accredited Representative Mayral Lopez. "We're building a network of empowered workers who can bring this knowledge and strength back to the community. Knowing our rights helps everyone - even beyond the non-
-profit world."
"Because union values don't just belong in one workplace. They belong in every part of our community," Lopez continued. "Every time someone calls me just to say 'Thank you, I got to go home,' I remember why I do this work. This is more than a job. It's a calling."

"The most empowering thing I've done as an organizer… was getting deeply involved in breathing accountability into a living document: the union contract," said IAM Local 201 (District 947) member and ICUC Community Organizer Christian Fernando Flores.

The work of IAM members at non-profit organizations makes it clear that the IAM Union is not just a union for workers in the industries that have been traditionally represented - it's a union for all people. These members' commitment to justice and equity reflects our union's core value that every person deserves dignity, safety, and a voice.

Whether on the front lines of immigration defense or economic justice or advocating for workplace protections, IAM Union members working at non-profits are helping to shape a labor movement that welcomes everyone and leaves no one behind. In their courage and compassion, we see our union's promise fulfilled: that solidarity means standing together - it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from.

"To me, being union means protection," said Veliz. "It means support. It means we're not alone - and that we're stronger when we stand together."