IAM creates rail division, picks Hartford to lead

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers has selected Josh Hartford as special assistant to the international president for the newly created IAM Rail Division.

Hartford, who was previously IAM District 19 general chairman for five years, will lead the division effective May 1. The Transportation Communications Union and IAM District 19, which combined represent tens of thousands of rail workers, will be charter members of the IAM Rail Division, but remain separate entities with the same current authority in their respective jurisdictions.

The announcement is part of a 2012 merger agreement between TCU and IAM District 19. The division will "make the IAM a powerhouse in the rail sector and encourage additional growth," IAM officials said in a press release.

“The creation of the IAM Rail Division will give every railroad worker in TCU/IAM and District 19 the resources and support necessary to grow our strength in so many ways,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez.

Hartford joined IAM Local 409 (now Local 318) in Waterville, Maine, as a machinist for Springfield Terminal Railway Co. He was later appointed District 19 employee assistance program coordinator and was elected president of the Central Maine Labor Council from 2017 to 2019. He became District 19 general chairman in 2017.

Hartford is a member of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Railroad Safety Advisory Committee and the district’s arbitration review board.