Built for processing 26,000 union members. Built with Claris FileMaker.

There are 26,000 reasons International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, District 142 (IAMAW 142) needed a purpose-built solution.

That's how many members — machinists, mechanics, and aerospace workers — the Phoenix-based union represents. Members across more than 25 airline carriers, including American Airlines, Southwest, JetBlue, and others. Every month, each of those airlines sends union membership and dues data in its own format, from its own payroll system, on its own schedule.

Reconciling all the data is meticulous work. From matching payments to member records and tracking dues status to distributing funds to the national union's International Lodge and reporting accurately for compliance, it’s a process with no margin for approximation. It touches real people's membership standing, their financial contributions, and their trust in the union that represents them.

IAMAW 142 knew their existing workflow had reached its limits. They needed a union membership management solution built around their specific rules and complexity.

A custom-built dues management solution.

IAMAW 142 collaborated with Angel City Data, a Claris Platinum Partner, to build a custom FileMaker solution for membership and dues management. Senior developer Deborah Norton worked closely with IAMAW 142's membership manager, Cathleen Coveny, to understand the processes from the inside out: every rule, every edge case, every exception the custom app would need to handle.

The result is a solution respectfully named Amelia.

Because IAMAW 142 operates entirely in the airline industry, the district named their custom application after aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. It's an inspiring tribute for a solution of this significance.

Automated union dues processing, end to end.

Amelia handles the full union membership and dues workflow, from data intake to final compliance reporting.

• Flexible data ingestion. Cathleen, the membership manager, drags an airline's spreadsheet into the system and maps columns visually — first name here, employee ID there, dues amount here. Importing this mapped data into the system takes seconds and eliminates hours of tiresome data re-entry. FileMaker memorizes those mappings, and if those formats change, the application can adapt without touching the code.

• A union-specific rules engine. All records run through IAMAW 142's own logic: current dues status, reinstatement fees, and the split between the district and the International Lodge. The custom app applies those rules automatically, across thousands of records at a time.

• A smart exception review process. Records that need a human decision, such as name variations, members switching airlines, or workers returning from leave, surface for review before anything is finalized. The system flags what needs Cathleen’s attention, so she can quickly resolve it.

• On-demand compliance reporting. IAMAW 142’s leadership can pull any report instantly as a PDF or Excel file: dues summaries, revenue breakdowns, membership status, and more.

• Direct integration with the International Lodge. Processed dues data flows to the national organization in the exact format their systems require, keeping member records aligned across the full union structure.

According to Deborah, the solution’s senior developer, "In a matter of minutes, we were able to send an entire year's worth of data for District 142 in one file — the whole year, all at once. I think that was the 'aha moment' for the International Lodge … when they realized this app has some power."

Speed, accuracy, and real-time control.

The custom FileMaker solution delivered immediate, measurable results for IAMAW District 142.

• Speed at scale. Union dues processing that once required multiple staff members working for weeks now takes one person under a week. As David Knight, president at Angel City Data, puts it: "Months of work get done in a matter of days."

• Accuracy that compliance demands. Automated rules paired with a structured review process mean every record is matched, verified, and filed correctly before it's finalized, meeting the compliance standards that dues reporting requires.
• Real-time visibility for leadership. Membership status, dues revenue, and International Lodge reconciliation are all available on demand. Compliance reports that once required significant manual effort now generate in seconds.
• Caught up and current. Three years of dues payment backlog has been cleared. IAMAW 142 is fully up to date and in control of the data. Cathleen sums it up best: "We are now waiting on the airlines to send us their reports."

From working through a backlog to now waiting on airlines to submit files, that reversal is what a purpose-built FileMaker solution makes possible.

What's next for IAMAW District 142.

The Phoenix district plans to create a member-facing portal where union members can update contact information, check dues status, and stay connected to IAMAW 142. Automated payment reminders and event tools are on the roadmap, too. The goal is to turn a back-office dues management engine into a full community hub.

There's also growing interest from other IAMAW districts in adopting the same processing solution. What started as one district solving its own union membership management problem could become a blueprint for union dues processing across the US.

The problem was theirs. The solution should be, too.

That's the case for custom development in any complex, compliance-driven organization. A custom app built with FileMaker doesn't ask you to adapt your process to the software. It lets you build a solution around your processes, your rules, your data, and your teams.

For IAMAW District 142, that means 26,000 members accounted for, a district running with confidence, and a development team proud of what they built together.

"As long as my career has been, this is the best thing I've ever done and contributed to the world of FileMaker solutions. I'm really proud of Amelia and what we’ve accomplished together as a team,” Deborah exclaims.

Need your own custom solution to take flight?

IAMAW 142's solution isn't an outlier — it's an innovative example. Organizations around the globe rely on FileMaker to manage memberships, automate financial processing, meet compliance requirements, and digitize manual processes that slow down teams.

If you're working through complex workflows, multifaceted requirements, or data management challenges, a custom FileMaker solution can positively change how your team works.

Want to talk to a FileMaker expert? Get in touch today.