Retired International President Robert “Bob” Martinez Jr. has been inducted into the Texas AFL-CIO Labor Hall of Fame, recognizing his more than 43 years of leadership and service to workers in Texas, the United States, Canada, and internationally.
Martinez began his career in 1980 as an aircraft assembler at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth and joined IAM Local 776A. Reflecting on his early days during his induction speech at the Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention, Martinez said: “When I first walked through the doors at General Dynamics as a member of IAM Local 776A, fresh out of the United States Navy, I wasn’t thinking about titles or awards. I was thinking about earning a living, taking care of my family, and standing shoulder to shoulder with the men and women next to me on the job.”
He rose through union ranks to become IAM’s 14th International President in 2016. Martinez became both the first Latino president of IAM and the first Latino leader of a major U.S. labor union.
At the ceremony, Jody Bennett, IAM Resident General Vice President and fellow Texan from District 776, introduced Martinez by highlighting his contributions: “Bob’s story is a labor story. It’s a Texas story. And it’s an American story,” Bennett said. “Like so many of our members, he didn’t set out to lead a union—he set out to earn a living, protect his coworkers, and make things better than he found them.”
IAM International President Brian Bryant commented on Martinez’s influence: “Bob Martinez is a leader whose commitment to working people helped shape the modern IAM and strengthened the labor movement around the world,” Bryant said. “This recognition reflects the impact he made not just in Texas, but the countless lives he changed along the way.”
During his tenure as International President until retiring in 2024, Martinez led efforts that expanded organizing into new industries and established programs for member assistance. He also focused on increasing financial stability for IAM and advancing opportunities for women and underrepresented groups within union leadership.
Martinez advocated for workers during critical periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic and worked to protect union jobs. He held positions beyond IAM including membership on the AFL-CIO Executive Council; chairing its Industrial Union Council; serving on the U.S. President’s Export Council; supporting domestic manufacturing; strengthening Buy American standards; and representing aerospace workers globally as IndustriALL’s global aerospace chairman.
Throughout his career, Martinez maintained strong ties to Texas values: “For decades—whether I was in Washington, D.C., or wherever this work took me—everyone knew one thing about me: I represented Texas,” said Martinez. “I was a Navy veteran. I was a union machinist. And I carried the grit, the values, and the pride of Texas working people with me everywhere I went.”
Martinez retired in 2024 after more than four decades with IAM.
