IAM General Secretary-Treasurer Dora Cervantes was reelected to the executive board of the Union Label and Service Trades Department, AFL-CIO, during its 72nd convention held at AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington on May 5. Other IAM representatives attending included Assistant Secretary Paul Kendall, Bryan Pinette, Special Assistant to the General Secretary-Treasurer, and DeLane Adams, Director of Rapid Response and Mobilization.
The event brought together labor allies from across the country. Richard Kline was also elected to another term as president of the Union Label & Service Trades Department.
Cervantes said: “Being reelected to this board is an honor, but more than that, it’s a charge. When we look for the union label and choose union-made products and union-provided services, we are supporting one another in the most direct way possible. Every union purchase protects a union job, sustains a union family, and strengthens the movement we’ve all dedicated our lives to building.”
The convention report indicated that organizing activity increased across industries in 2025 even though overall union density remains below historical levels that once supported a strong middle class. The message emphasized by the Union Label and Service Trades Department was that labor’s strength comes not only from bargaining but also from economic choices made by workers.
Delegates heard remarks from David Woods of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers & Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) and Nicole Rhine of National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC). Convention leaders encouraged affiliates to promote their Airtable database—a searchable platform for identifying union-made goods—and expand digital outreach connecting economic decisions with worker advocacy.
Cervantes concluded that every purchasing decision is an act of solidarity: “When union members…choose union-made products…they reinforce wages, benefits, and safe workplaces that unions fight to secure.” The central message remained clear: look for the union label.
