National IAM Benefit Trust Fund
Union Co-Chair
Dora Cervantes became a Trustee of the National IAM Benefit Trust Fund on March 1, 2014. She served as Board Co-Chair from March 1, 2014 until January 5, 2016.
She joined the IAM Executive Council on July 1, 2013 as the first Hispanic woman to serve as a General Vice President. Cervantes served as the Assistant Secretary to the General Secretary-Treasurer from 2012 until August 2015, when she became the General Secretary-Treasurer of the IAM.
Cervantes initiated into IAM Local Lodge 2198 in Houston, Texas in 1989 as a Reservations Agent for Southwest Airlines. She served in many capacities for her Local Lodge, including Organizer, Shop Steward, Recording Secretary, and Vice President.
In 1999, Cervantes was chosen to serve as an Apprentice Organizer for Airline District Lodge 142, and became a General Chairperson for that District the following year. By appointment from International President Tom Buffenbarger, she served on the IAM’s 2002 Blue Ribbon Commission.
In 2005, Cervantes was appointed to the Grand Lodge staff in the Transportation Department as a Special Representative, and was later promoted to Grand Lodge Representative. It was in July of 2012 when Cervantes was selected by General Secretary-Treasurer Robert Roach, Jr. to serve as Assistant Secretary to the GST.
Cervantes currently serves as a National Board Member on the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), is an active member of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) and serves on the Women’s Committee of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) headquartered in London, England.
Fluent in English and Spanish, Cervantes helps teach the Spanish Leadership series at the William W. Winpisinger Education Center and the IAM/Aviation High School Partnership Program. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Labor Studies from the National Labor College.