Last March, a member submitted a proposal to change the union’s bylaws. The bylaws require stewards attend regular membership meetings. They provide that stewards absent from two consecutive meetings “automatically vacate” their positions. The proposal extended this requirement to committee members, too.¹

The President formed a Bylaws Committee to research the proposal. The Committee recommended against adopting the proposal unanimously. The members have the final say, but accepting any bylaws change requires a 2/3 vote. The proposal didn’t have the votes. The final tally was 33 in favor to 18 against. This totaled 51 voting members. Two thirds of 51 is 34, not 33.²

I was not at the meeting. I noticed the error when the minutes became available, and I reached out to District Lodge 4. Nobody stopped the process. Eventually, International President Brian Bryant signed off on the amendment. For nearly a year, committee members have been illegally compelled to attend Saturday meetings.³

In September, Scott MacDonald sent a letter to the International. “Whether through deception, oversight, or conspiracy,” he wrote, “this bylaw made it all the way up to the [International President] to be signed. I am not against any bylaw being passed properly, but this one was not. This is a disservice to our members.”⁴ In January, MacDonald brought additional charges against the union’s Executive Board.⁵

MacDonald accused the Executive Board of “negligence in its duties. Specifically, the E-Board was negligent for not posting proposed amendments to the Local Lodge Bylaws.”⁶ “Proposed changes must be posted in their entirety at least ten (10) working days prior to voting on them,” he explained.⁷ Last year, the IAM passed resolutions calling for History and Pride Committees.⁸ These committees were a popular idea on the deckplates, so I circulated petitions to form them. The History Committee passed unanimously at December’s meeting. The mostly stewards, officers, and committeepersons at the meeting defeated the Pride Committee.⁹ There were only 8 in favor of Pride.¹⁰ MacDonald contended that rank-and-file members were disenfranchised because the proposals were not posted before the vote. The resolutions calling for these committees were not circulated, either.

The first thing any committee does is elect a Chair. The Chair controls committee meetings, but the Chair does not get to vote unless there is a tie. MacDonald accused the Bylaws Committee’s Chair of lying about the recommendation on Pride. Scott MacDonald was on the Committee. He told me the Chair did not call a vote before declaring the Committee against Pride. Before the membership, the Chair falsely presented his opinion as the Committee’s unanimous recommendation.¹¹

International Representative George Edwards showed up to investigate the union later that month. Following his investigation, Edwards wrote the President:

“We met on December 17, 2024, to discuss the complaint on the vote for the Bylaw change for committee members to attend general membership meetings from the May 2024 General Membership meeting. As you know and you agreed that it did not meet the 2/3 requirements. Therefore, as we already discussed, the bylaws will revert to the previous bylaws. Please notify your members.”¹²

The Recording Secretary shared this communication at this month’s meeting.¹³ The union’s administrator released the letter to stewards and committee chairs a day earlier.¹⁴

Leadership conceded to MacDonald’s other charges, too. He received a letter from Brian Bryant closing the investigation:

I am writing to you in response to your letter dated January 6, 2025. My office asked General Vice President David Sullivan to assist with the investigation into this matter. GVP Sullivan assigned International Representative George Edwards to the investigation. IR Edwards has completed his investigation and sent a report of his findings to my office.

Your complaint has been thoroughly investigated. IR Edwards has made recommendations on each issue as brought forth. I agree with these recommendations, summarized as follows:

Charge of incorrect procedures followed for S6 Bylaw change:

• the Bylaw Committee will again vote on their recommendation on the LBGTQ [sic] Committee;
• with proper notice given, vote the question at an upcoming membership meeting.¹⁵

I spoke to the Bylaw Committee’s Chair concerning this investigation on Thursday. He wanted his name left out of this article, so I agreed to refer to him only as the “Chair.” He suggested members reach out to the union hall if they are interested in his identity.¹⁶

The Chair told me the committee has met in accordance with Brian Bryant’s direction on Monday, March 3. He claimed Scott MacDonald refused to attend the meeting. Another member was on vacation. “I don’t get a vote as Chair,” he told me. This left two voting members at the Bylaws Committee’s recent meeting. This time, they unanimously voted against recommending the Pride Committee.¹⁷

“It’s not true that I refused to be there,” MacDonald said.¹⁸ Committee member Dan Bailey confirmed he was on vacation when the union’s administrator called for a meeting. “If you are unable to attend, please let us know in this chat,” he wrote on Thursday, February 27. Less than an hour later, Bailey messaged back. “I return from Puerto Rico on 3/5/25.” Instead of delaying two days, the Chair went ahead with the meeting.¹⁹

The union unanimously supported History. Again, this “unanimous vote” on Pride reflects the opinions of just two members. History shows what happens when we do not show solidarity with one another. Regardless how you feel about the LGBT+ community, they make up a large part of our membership. Many LGBT+ members are new to the shipyard. It is important to create space within the union for these members. To do anything less is to reject the lessons of history and the principles of solidarity.

1. Bylaws change proposal submitted March 19, 2024. ↩︎
2. General Membership Meeting Minutes, May 18, 2024, IAM Local S6. ↩︎
3. IAM Local S6 Bylaws (June 2024), 25-26. ↩︎
4. Scott MacDonald to Dave Sullivan, September 27, 2024. ↩︎
5. Scott MacDonald to Jay Wadleigh et al, January 2, 2025; Scott MacDonald to Brian Bryant et al, January 6, 2025.  ↩︎
6. Scott MacDonald to Jay Wadleigh et al, January 2, 2025. ↩︎
7. Ibid; IAM Local S6 Bylaws (June 2024), 26. ↩︎
8. IAM, PRIDE Committee, resolution no. 5, 41st Grand Lodge Convention, September 2024; IAM, Preservation of IAM History, resolution no. 26, 41st Grand Lodge Convention, September 2024. ↩︎
9. Based on the author’s observations at the December 2024 meeting. ↩︎
10. General Membership Meeting Minutes, December 21, 2024, IAM Local S6. ↩︎
11. Scott MacDonald in conversation with author, n.d. ↩︎
12. George Edwards to Chris Williams, n.d. ↩︎
13. In union meeting, March 15, 2025. ↩︎
14. In texts with author, March 14, 2025. ↩︎
15. Brian Bryant to Scott MacDonald, February 27, 2025. ↩︎
16. Bylaws Committee Chair in conversation with author, March 20, 2025. ↩︎
17. Ibid. ↩︎
18. Scott MacDonald in conversation with author, March 20, 2025. ↩︎
19. In texts with Dan Bailey et al, February 27, 2025. ↩︎