International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Overview & Governing Documents
International structure, governing documents, and the relationship between the International, districts, local lodges, and National Airlines representation.
Governing Documents
IAMAW’s governance framework is anchored in the IAM Constitution and in the bylaws of its local and district lodges. For the airline sector, District 142 and carrier-specific agreements also matter because day-to-day representation is administered through the air transport structure rather than through one single international bargaining layer.
- Constitution: Public copy of the IAM Constitution
- Lodge / District Bylaws: Official Bylaws & Internal Disputes page
- National Airlines Contract: District 142 National Airlines page | Contract PDF
Last verified: March 2026. The Constitution link above is a public copy hosted on IAM Local 463’s site; the IAMAW headquarters site clearly confirms that local and district bylaws operate under the IAM Constitution.
Overview
IAMAW is an international union with a layered governance structure. Members are organized through Local Lodges, those locals affiliate with Districts, and IAM headquarters coordinates and supports district and local activity.
In the airline sector, that hierarchy is especially important. The IAM Air Transport Territory includes District 141 and District 142, and District 142 is the clearest public-facing operational home for National Airlines flight attendant representation.
Organizational Form
IAMAW is not structured as a single-carrier union. Its authority begins with the International Constitution, runs through district structures, and is implemented locally through lodges and carrier-facing representatives.
That means representation can be highly localized in practice while still operating inside a larger international framework for governance, finance, elections, and internal dispute resolution.
National Airlines Placement Within the IAMAW Structure
Public IAM sources currently place National Airlines flight attendant representation within District 142. National Airlines flight attendants joined IAM in 2022, ratified a first contract in 2023, and the current District 142 National Airlines page identifies a General Chair and a current Flight Attendant contract.
For CrewSignal purposes, that makes District 142 the key operational layer for understanding how National Airlines representation is governed and funded.
Structural Implications
- IAMAW authority is layered: International, district, and local.
- Local and district bylaws matter because they shape how the IAM Constitution is applied in practice.
- National Airlines representation is most clearly surfaced in the public record through District 142 rather than through a separately obvious standalone National Airlines lodge structure.
- Financial analysis should therefore trace the International-to-district-to-local path, but focus member-facing attention on District 142 and National Airlines contract administration.