138th Anniversary of the Machinists Union’s Founding
On May 5th, 1888, Thomas Talbot and 18 other railroad machinists, secretly met in a locomotive pit in Atlanta to come up with a plan to improve their lives. That small meeting would result in the founding of the Order of United Machinists and Mechanical Engineers. Talbot believed that a union needed to be formed for railroad machinists that would resist wage cuts, provide insurance against unemployment, illness, and accidents but also wanted railroad machinists to be recognized for their craft skill. Within one year there were 40 locals, and by 1891, there were 189.
On May 6, 1889, the Machinists held their first major convention in Atlanta. Talbot was elected National President. The Organization’s name was changed to the National Association of Machinists (NAM) and a constitution was drawn up. Also in 1889, Frank French designed an emblem for the union. The emblem consisted of a flywheel, a friction joint caliper, and a machinist’s square with the initials of the organization. According to French, the flywheel represented the ongoing power of the union once it started, and the caliper signified an extended invitation to all persons of civilized countries. The square signified that IAM was square and honest.