United States: the IAM machinists union renews its unionization campaign in Boeing’s South Carolina factories

Boeing’s machinists union, the International Association of Machinists (IAM) is renewing attempts to gain a presence in its North Charleston site in South Carolina. The IAM’s campaign halted in April 2015 when the union’s representative Mike Evans realized he would not secure half of the votes from the 3,300 workers concerned. However several months later and he is once again knocking on the factory’s doors ready to challenge Boeing management and local elected officials, both fervent opponents of unionization.
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

The IAM heads have a substantial presence at the aircraft maker’s main sites in Seattle and took out local South Carolina radio ads as well as a massive highway billboard soliciting Boeing’s machinists to join the union. As soon as Mike Evan has gathered enough signatures he has promised to call for elections in Charleston over whether or not to establish an IAM presence at the Boeing site.

Charleston is symbolic as it was here that Boeing decided to build its new Dreamliner aircraft because Sou

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
TRENDS IN 2026 — Reducing workplace absence at all costs: a major challenge for Europe
Workplace absence is on the rise across Europe, particularly among women, older employees and, since the Covid-19 pandemic, young people under the age of 30. Faced with this growing problem, some...
14 January 2026
Italy: banking group Intesa Sanpaolo sharpens focus on quality of life at work
Over the Christmas period Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy's largest bank, penned with trade unions a deal to renew the first part of the company agreement, covering work-life balance, inclusion, parenthood...
14 January 2026
Vincent Lecerf (Orange): “Equality and diversity are competitive advantages for us”
Following the signing of a new agreement on professional equality and diversity in December, the chief HR officer of French multinational telecommunications corporation Orange Group, Vincent...
13 January 2026
United Kingdom: government urged to legislate against forced labour
After consulting victims, businesses and NGOs, the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) has published a report showing that the UK is lagging behind in the fight against forced labour. The...
13 January 2026
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
EU: social partners in telecoms sign joint statement on AI
On 16 December, the social partners in Europe's telecommunications sector unveiled a joint statement on artificial intelligence. They propose an action plan for skills and commit to raising...
18 December 2025
2
Italy: collective agreement for rubber and plastics sector focuses on new skills
A month ahead of schedule, the Federazione Gomma Plastica employers' organisation and the Filctem-Cgil, Femca-Cisl and Uiltec trade unions have renewed the collective agreement for the rubber and...
5 January 2026
3
France: social partner talks extend far beyond contractual terminations
After a false start on 3 December, French social partners resumed talks on 7 January 2026 on potential changes to the unemployment insurance agreement, including the rules governing compensation...
12 January 2026
4
Italy: banking group Intesa Sanpaolo sharpens focus on quality of life at work
Over the Christmas period Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy's largest bank, penned with trade unions a deal to renew the first part of the company agreement, covering work-life balance, inclusion, parenthood...
14 January 2026