06.06.25

Cantwell Joins IAM District 751 for Grand Opening of New Machinists Institute & Union Hall in Everett

New institute can train 700 new machinists per year, helping the PNW continue to lead the world in plane manufacturing

EVERETT, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined the members of IAM District 751 in Everett to celebrate the ribbon cutting of a new Machinists Institute to help train and skill the next generation of plane manufacturers.

"By 2030, we may have a shortfall of over 2 million machinists. Can you imagine? America's competitiveness is at stake," Sen. Cantwell said. "751 is answering the call, not just with this new facility, but in integrating the Machinists Institute to train, and skill, and attract people [...] That is why this building and the Machinists Institute -- with a training capacity of over 700 machinists, to be trained right here -- is such a great facility.”

Photos of the event are HERE; a transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s full remarks is HERE.

The new building opening today stands in the same location across the street from the Boeing Everett Plant as the former Everett Union Hall, which was demolished in 2021.

The new building includes a larger union meeting room with triple the previous hall’s capacity, administrative offices, and an educational facility run by the Machinists Institute. The Machinists Institute facility will provide continuing education and industry certifications to members, and will offer students Heavy Equipment Apprenticeships or pre-apprenticeship training -- helping IAM 751 attract more members and increasing the union’s capacity to serve them.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is one of the largest labor unions in North America, with 600,000 active and retired members. IAM District 751 is the Washington contingent with over 33,000 members, most of whom are machinists at the Boeing Company.

In October 2024, IAM District 751 members at Boeing went on strike for 53 days to secure a new contract with 38% general wage increases over the next four years, lower health insurance premiums, a commitment to build the next Boeing plane in Washington, and improved benefits. During the strike, Sen. Cantwell attended a rally on the picket line in Everett to show solidarity with the machinists.

In her historic 2024 bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Sen. Cantwell expanded funding and assistance under the FAA Aviation Workforce Development Grant Program, securing $60 million per year through FY 2028 to grow the aviation workforce pipeline. Sen. Cantwell secured a new subprogram dedicated to recruiting and training the next generation of aviation manufacturing workers. Local aviation workforce training programs operated by IAM 751’s Machinist Institute and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) are directly eligible for funding awards.  As a whole, the grant program makes investments in the education and recruitment of pilots, unmanned aircraft systems operators, maintenance technicians, aerospace engineers, and aircraft manufacturing technical workers.