IAM Local 1969

09/21/2026

Members of IAM L1969 Arkema/Estron Chemical gathered this weekend with Machinist from across District 1888 and country to participate in the IAM Kentucky state council meetings as well as the Guide Dogs of America charity golf scramble and s***t shoot.

09/21/2026

07/25/2026

149 years ago today, on July 14, 1877, railroad workers walked off the job after repeated wage cuts and unsafe working conditions, sparking the Great Railroad Strike—the first nationwide strike in U.S. history.

More than 100,000 workers refused to accept that their lives were worth less than corporate profits. Their courage inspired workers across the country, even as the strike was met with violent repression that left around 100 people dead.

The rights working people enjoy today, from safer workplaces to better wages and the ability to organize, weren't gifts. They were won through generations of collective action, sacrifice, and solidarity.

As attacks on workers' rights continue today, the legacy of the Great Railroad Strike reminds us that every generation has a role to play in defending and expanding those victories.

Solidarity isn't just our history. It's our future.

03/25/2026

Mother Jones was once called “the most dangerous woman in America.”

She organized coal miners across Appalachia and helped build some of the earliest labor fights in this country. But she didn’t just speak to workers. She organized entire communities, bringing in miners’ wives and even leading children out of factories to demand better lives.

Her life was marked by loss. She buried her husband and all four of her children, then lost everything again in the Great Chicago Fire. After that, she spent decades moving from town to town, wherever workers were fighting to organize.

She was jailed, threatened, and run out of towns, but she kept going.

This is part of women’s labor history: not abstract, not distant, but built by women who made themselves impossible to ignore. We honor Mother Jones and the strong contributions of women to the labor movement.

03/25/2026

Today in Labor History - March 24, 1955

On this day, hundreds of empty rail cars sat idle in the yards at Ravenna in Estill County as a strike against the Louisville & Nashville Railroad spread across the South.

Non-operating railroad workers—including telegraphers, track workers, and clerks—walked off the job in a dispute over a proposed health insurance plan that would require joint contributions from workers and the railroad. The company resisted the agreement, which called for a $3.40 monthly payment from employees matched by the employer.

The strike lasted 57 days, one of the longest railroad walkouts in U.S. history. Rail traffic across 14 Southern states was disrupted, coal shipments from Eastern Kentucky slowed, and mines shut down as transportation stalled.

The conflict was marked by tension and violence, including shootings and explosions targeting trains and bridges. One striker lost his life during the strike.

Moments like this are part of Kentucky’s long history of workers organizing and standing together for better conditions on the job.

📸 Photo Credit: Lexington Herald-Leader Archive

03/25/2026

Addie Wyatt wasn’t supposed to end up on the factory floor.

She trained as a typist and passed the test, but as a Black woman, she was denied that work and sent to canning stew instead. Jobs in the front office weren’t meant for her.

So she stayed, joined her union, and got to work.

Through organizing, she rose through the ranks, becoming the first Black woman elected international vice president of a major labor union. Along the way, she fought for workers’ rights, civil rights, and gender equality, working alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and other labor leaders.

Her story is part of a long history of Black women in the labor movement who faced discrimination head on and organized anyway.

02/13/2026

Fighting for laws that matter to working class families! There is a better way and it's the UNION way!

12/11/2025

12/11/2025

🎄 IAM Locals Give Back This Christmas! 🎄

This holiday season, IAM Union Locals 1294, 1720, 1969, and 2781 came together and collected $7,300 to purchase Christmas hams for Marshall County Caring Needline.

These locals proudly represent over 600 chemical workers at the Calvert City Chemical Complex, and we’re honored to support families in our community during this special time of year.

A huge thank-you to every member who contributed. Your generosity makes a real difference. 💙✊🎁

11/26/2025

IAM members, Teamster members as well as salaried Arkema employees all came together for a common good this week. Arkema held a stuff the trailer event. There was over 200 can and non-perishable items donated by the Union along with all the donations made by employees during the drive. The items are being delivered to Marcella's kitchen where they can use them to feed those in need. Together we can achieve more! Happy Thanksgiving!