Owners, contractors, andunion discuss manpowershortage, training, gain sharingPARTNERS IN THE MOST TripartiteAlliance — the Boilermakers union, con-tractors, and construction industry own-ers — gathered for the organization’s 21stannual conference Oct. 9-12 in MyrtleBeach, S.C., to discuss the challenges andopportunities facing industrial construc-tion in the near future.

More than 300 participants at the con-ference heard from program committees,guest speakers, and area tripartite bodieson many topics, but the issue on every-one’s mind was the surging manpowerrequirements in construction over thenext 10 years — and how to ensure theavailability of enough Boilermakers toman the flood of anticipated projects.

Addressing that issue, IP Newton Jones presented abold new plan to recruit a reserve force of craftsmenwho can perform Boilermaker work. Under the plan,MOST will hire five full-time recruiters. MOST andthe Brotherhood will marshal existing resources toscreen, enroll, and train the reserve work force, and toplace them on jobs when vacancies exist that cannotbe manned by the existing Boilermaker work force.(See related story on page 3 for details.)

A Web-based system to help Boilermaker lodgestrack their manpower needs was also unveiled at the conference.

Electric power industry must build ON THE TOPIC of power generation trends, LarryMakovich, Ph.D., an industry analyst with Cam-bridge Energy Research Associates Inc. (CERA),

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Vol. 45 No. 4Oct • Dec 2006

The Official Publication of theInternational Brotherhood of

Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders,Blacksmiths, Forgers, and

Helpers, AFL-CIO

INTHESE PAGES

See Tripartite, page 2

Tripartite conferenceaddresses industry’s future

More than 300 Boilermakers, contractors, and owners attendthe MOST Tripartite Alliance Conference.

L-30’s Davis takessecond, SoutheastArea wins team awardFOR BOILERMAKER GRADUATEapprentices, it’s the world series ofthe trade — the BoilermakersNational Apprenticeship Program(BNAP) competition, held annuallyat the national training center inKansas City, Kan. This grueling,week-long event shines a spotlighton eight contestants as they workthrough written and hands-onexams designed to test their knowl-edge, skills, and endurance. Thisyear’s winner, William Meredith, ofLocal Lodge 40 (Elizabethtown, Ky.),outscored other contestants to takehome the coveted bronze Boilermaker sculpture thatsignifies tradecraft excellence. The competition tookplace September 17-21.

Meredith was one of two graduate apprenticescompeting from the Southeast Area this year. MichaelDavis, from Local Lodge 30 (Greensboro, N.C.) wonsecond place, and the two men also took the awardfor best team. Competitors from the three other areaswere: from the Great Lakes, Jaramie Hillard, LocalLodge 85 (Toledo, Ohio), and Aaron Pfliger, LocalLodge 647 (Minneapolis); from the West, Ames Meyers, Local Lodge 4 (Page, Ariz.), and Kurtis

Jackson, Local Lodge 502 (Tacoma, Wash.); and fromthe Northeast, Lucas McDonald, Local Lodge 237 (Hartford, Conn.), and Rex Pears, Local Lodge 154(Pittsburgh, Pa.).

All eight contestants earned their way to the nation-als by winning the top spot in their local lodge compe-tition and then by finishing in one of the top twopositions in their area competition.

Judges representing employers and the Boilermak-ers union said the competition was intense and thescoring tight. Retired AIP William Elrod served as the

L-40’s Meredith wins nationalapprentice competition

IP Newton Jones presents William J. Meredith the first-place award as Meredith’s grandfather looks on.

See Apprentice Competition, page 12

Retiree builds “little deuce coupe” . .5

Local D366 celebrates 50 years . . . . .9

Local 92 members shine . . . . . . . . . . . .4

described how fuel costs, environmen-tal requirements, and other factorsimpact electric utilities and createcycles and trends in construction. Hesaid there was a “build out” of coal-fired power plants in the 1980s that leftunused capacity for some years, untildemand used up that capacity.

“That’s exactly what we have aheadof us on the [natural] gas side,”Makovich noted. “We built [in the2000s] over 300,000 megawatts of gas-fired capacity. When people built thegas-fired plants, they thought that thecombined cycle gas-fired plants wouldbe running 70 and 80 percent utiliza-tion. Last year, the average utilizationrate was 35 percent.”

To some extent, natural gas units arebeing underutilized because of fuelcost. But that will not continue indefi-nitely as demand continues to outstripthe nation’s electrical power reserves.CERA expects that in 2007 some stateson the East Coast will need new capac-ity beyond what is now under con-struction, a trend that will spread intoCalifornia and the Mid-Atlantic statesin 2008 and 2009.

Makovich said the rising demand fornatural gas in the power industry hasled to a surge in the construction of liq-uid natural gas (LNG) terminals in theUnited States. These terminals willallow the U.S. to increase its import ofnatural gas from other countries. Hepredicted that the surplus capacity ofgas-fired plants will be utilized by 2012,and additional plants using variousfuels will need to be coming on linebefore then.

The Boilermakers union has certainlybeen anticipating — and taking part in— this new construction wave as wellas the huge demand in environmentalcontrol retrofitting. In fact, all construc-tion trades face a tremendous challengein providing the necessary manpowerto perform upcoming work.

“Look at the big coal-fired players inthe U.S.,” Makovich told the tripartitealliance. “Each one of these playersfaces billions of dollars in capital invest-ment in the next five years or so to dealwith the requirements they face fromenvironmental requirements: to retrofitthem with flue gas desulphurization,scrubbers to take the sulfur out, to refitwith selective catalytic reduction to

deal with the NOx, to deal with the par-ticulates, to deal with mercury. So thereare a lot of requirements here and bil-lions and billions of dollars are going tobe spent in the not-too-distant future tocomply with these environmentalrequirements. That’s going to continuegoing forward. Particulates, mercury,and next on the horizon is CO2. Sothere’s a continual incremental require-ment added on to coal [plants].”

IP Jones asked Makovich to commenton a new technology being developedby GreenFuel Technologies to use algaeto remove carbon dioxide from plantstacks and produce biofuels in theprocess. Makovich said this technologyhas some promise. He cautioned, how-ever, that whatever new technology isdeveloped must be applied worldwideif we are to control CO2 emissions in ameaningful way — particularly withAsian countries now in the process of rapid industrialization.

Committee rolls outleadership training courseERIC CARLSON, CHAIRMAN of thetripartite leadership training commit-tee, told the conference that his group isready to roll out a new two-day trainingcourse for foremen. The course, whichwill be administered by MOST, willteach people skills, administrativeresponsibilities, and the businessaspects of construction. Carlson, laborrelations and safety manager for Bab-cock & Wilcox, said the program’sfocus is in marked contrast to the previ-ous foreman course, which concen-trated mainly on technical training.

“We believe that the role of a foremanhas changed significantly over theyears,” Carlson said. “What is expectedof foremen today by owners and con-tractors is different and more [complex]than what was expected even 10 or 15years ago.”

He said there is much more oversightof projects by customers and govern-ment agencies such as OSHA andEEOC. Issues such as safety, discrimi-nation, and harassment play a largerrole in day-to-day operations.

“There are expectations that we haveto impose on the first line supervisors,”Carlson explained. “The position wefind ourselves in as a contractor is thatwe want to say, ‘Okay Mr. First LineSupervisor, here’s a list of the thingsthat we expect from you, and we’regoing to hold you accountable.’ If we’re

going to go in that direction, then we owe it to the people that we’re putting in that position to provide the training as to what we mean bythose things, what’s behind them, whywe’re doing them, and how to meetthose expectations.”

The leadership training course willaddress the role a first-line supervisorplays in safety, including preparingJSAs (job safety analyses), incidentreporting, and accident investigations;absenteeism; discipline; diversityissues; and other matters. “The purposeof the program is not to teach a Boilermaker how to be a foreman. It isto provide insight into what the expec-tations are in this day and age from thecontractor and owner perspective,”said Carlson.

The committee teamed with FMI, anindustry consultant, to develop the pro-gram and course material. Two train-the-trainer courses were held earlierthis year, in St. Louis and Raleigh, N.C.(see related story page 6).

Two pilot courses will be conductedin December and January, at LocalLodge 154 (Pittsburgh) and LocalLodge 83 (Kansas City, Mo.).

Dave Haggerty, MOST safety repre-sentative and committee co-chair, saidproviding qualified instructors is thekey to the program’s success. “It’s nottechnical training. It’s not the type oftraining that a guy can explain weldingor if he can’t explain it he can showthem how to do it. It’s important tohave people there who have theunion’s best interest at heart and get outthere and do a good job of it. To makethis program work, we really need toget this out there to people who are cur-rently foremen. If we can do that, I thinkthe owners, the contractors, and theunion are going to see a direct impactright away.” Haggerty also stressedthat contractor participation is crucialto the program, as the union is notalways aware of issues that may ariseon the contractor side.

Gain sharing scores big atNRG Texas power plantA GAIN-SHARING PROJECT at anNRG Texas power plant was extremelysuccessful for the owner, the contractor,Boilermakers from Local Lodge 74(Houston), and other crafts on the job,according to two presenters at theMOST Tripartite Alliance Conference.Ken Wasilewski, a senior operationsmanager with Babcock & Wilcox Con-

struction Co. (BWCC), and Don Powell,manager of purchasing and logistics forNRG Texas, reported on the project.

The project, completed this pastMarch, involved the NRG Texas Lime-stone Electric Generating Station Unit#2. Estimated to take eight weeks, theproject required replacing lower econo-mizer sections as well as various main-tenance services. BWCC’s project teamand 232 craftsmen reduced the esti-mated manhours substantially, shaving18 days off the schedule.

Gain sharing is a type of incentiveprogram being tested under the MOST

Tripartite Alliance. It rewards produc-tivity gains rather than profit gains.Essentially, the program creates a poolof money if certain targets are met. Theproductivity savings is dividedbetween the craftsmen on the job andthe owner. The average payout to eachcraft worker on the Limestone projectwas $3,500. NRG Texas retained 50 percent of the total gain-sharingpool. This is the second gain-sharing projectto be undertaken by BWCC, NRGTexas, and Boilermakers Local Lodge74. Wasilewski and Powell reported on the first project at the 2005 tripartite conference.

Wasilewski said the Limestone Gen-erating Station project “was a nice stepup for us to take in the development ofour gain-sharing program. It was a nicesize job, bigger than the one we haddone previously. It was longer, it tookmore people, and it was a little bit moredifficult.” He noted that getting the

2 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006T R I P A R T I T E C O N F E R E N C E

ReporterOct • Dec 2006 Vol. 45 No. 4

Newton B. Jones, International President and Editor-in-Chief

William T. Creeden, Intl. Secretary-Treasurer

International Vice PresidentsLawrence McManamon, Great LakesSean Murphy, NortheastSam May, Southeast George Rogers, Central Joe Stinger, Western States Joe Maloney, Western CanadaEd Power, Eastern CanadaJim Hickenbotham, At-LargeOthal Smith Jr., At-Large

Editorial staffDonald Caswell, Managing EditorCarol Almond, Asst. to the Managing EditorMike Linderer, Writer and Editor

The Boilermaker Reporter is the official publi-cation of the International Brotherhood ofBoilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths,Forgers, and Helpers, AFL-CIO. It is publishedquarterly to disseminate information of useand interest to its members. Submissions frommembers, local lodges, and subordinate oraffiliated bodies are welcomed and encour-aged. This publication is mailed free ofcharge to active members and retiredmembers holding a Retired Members Card.Others may subscribe for the price of $10 forthree years. Standard Mail (A) postage paidat Kansas City, Kan., and additional mailingoffices. ISSN No. 1078-4101.

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Tripartite conferencecontinued from page 1

Larry Makovich of CERA explainscurrent trends in the power generation industry.

Eric Carlson, with Babcock & Wilcox,describes the revised leadership training program.

NRG Texas’s Don Powell shareddetails of a gain-sharing success storyfor NRG Texas, Babcock & Wilcox, andthe Boilermakers..

craft buy-in “is the key to success forgain-sharing projects.” Also, there can-not be too many rules. “Rules areimmediately interpreted as methods bywhich you will not pay out any gain-share money,” he said.

Three areas were tracked: safety,attendance, and termination avoid-ance. Wasilewski said scheduling, qual-ity, and other metrics wereintentionally left out of the program.“What we were hoping was that if wecould measure and have everybodymotivated to work safely and get towork on time and stay to the end, thatwould, as a collateral benefit, encour-age quality performance and wouldalso achieve the schedule.”

Another key element, Wasilewskinoted, was keeping the crafts updatedon the project progress. “We wanted tobe able to tell them on a weekly basishow they were doing. We created agraph that showed how many man-hours had been saved and how muchmoney that translated into in gain shar-ing individually.”

Don Powell was enthusiastic aboutthe success of the project and looks for-ward to more us of gain sharing onfuture projects. “We’re very excited in

the Houston area about gain sharing.It’s been a tremendous success for us.The quality was excellent; we had zerorework. The productivity was 35 per-cent better than originally estimated.That’s what creates the pool of moneyfor the gain sharing. The unexcusedabsenteeism was less than 2.9 percent,which was excellent for that duration,and we were also working seven 12s,double shifts.

“It’s clear from an owner’s perspec-tive the return on the gain-sharinginvestment was very positive. Forevery dollar we invested in the gain-sharing pool, we returned 16 timesthat in the additional revenue that weas an owner gained by having the unitback online.”

Wasilewski said he hopes to use thegain-sharing program for “some majorlong-term projects in the next year orso. Hopefully, in a couple of years we’llbe able to come back to this body anddiscuss with you the results on thesemajor projects.”

Powell added, “I would like toencourage contractors and owners tofind the means and methods to imple-ment this program, because it does

work. There’s no magic about it. It’s justtaking the tripartite approach.”

Guest speaker discusses“maglev” trainsBRANDON DUNLEVY, with MagLevInc., told the conference about his com-pany’s goal of building the first mag-netic levitation transportation systemin the United States. The train-like sys-tem would run at speeds well above200 m.p.h. on an elevated guidewaymade of plate steel box beams. Dunlevysaid the system is being called the“Pennsylvania Project.” It will extendfor 53 miles, from Pittsburgh Interna-tional Airport through downtownPittsburgh and into the suburbs.

Dunlevy said his company soughtout Boilermakers from Local Lodge 154(Pittsburgh) to assist in the test produc-tion of guideway elements becausethey needed highly-skilled welders tooperate and oversee the robotic weld-ing machines. He said MagLev wastold, “If you want the best welders, youwant the Boilermakers.” Currently twoLocal 154 members are working on theproject, which has not yet ramped up tofull production.

Robotic welding machines arerequired because of the extreme toler-ances (one millimeter across the entiresurface), the need to reduce weldingdistortion, rapid production rates, andother factors. Dunlevy suggested thatthe success of the Pennsylvania Projectcould lead to a substantial increase in

Oct • Dec 2006 the Boilermaker Reporter - 3T R I P A R T I T E C O N F E R E N C E

Effort is needed to replace retiring babyboomers, respond toconstruction boomOVER THE NEXT 10 years, the U.S.construction industry will need185,000 new craft workers every year,according to a study by the Construc-tion Labor Research Council in Wash-ington, D.C.

That statistic has set off alarmsthroughout the industry. The studysaid baby boomers will be leaving thework force at levels never beforeseen. Replacing those workers will bea major challenge — and complicat-ing things are projections of a majorconstruction boom in power genera-tion, oil refining, and other industrysectors where Boilermakers work.

The situation in Canada is likewiseserious. At the Consolidated Conven-tion last summer, Robert Blakely,BCTD’s director of Canadian Affairs,predicted that the Canadian con-struction industry would need tobring in as many as 200,000 newworkers in the next 10 years.

While a construction boom is goodfor contractor business and poten-tially good for Boilermaker job secu-rity, the union must meet the surgingmanpower needs in order to holdonto our portion of the industrial con-struction market. Any failure to manjobs can encourage owners to look toother crafts and to the nonunion sec-tor for future work. To keep the busi-ness we now have, we must be able toassure our employers as well as theircustomers that we can provide high-quality, reliable Boilermakers whenthey are needed.

IP Newton Jones took a major steptoward providing that assuranceduring the MOST Tripartite AllianceConference Oct. 9-12, announcing aplan to recruit a reserve force ofskilled craftsmen. The craftsmenwould be called on to fill vacanciesthat cannot be manned by the exist-ing Boilermaker work force. The

MOST Board of Trustees has ear-marked $1 million for the programthrough 2007.

Outlining the plan, Jones said it isdesigned to help meet the needs ofthe owner community as the demandfor skilled construction trade workerscontinues to grow.

He said a parallel goal is to “buildour Boilermaker NACBE [NationalAssociation of Construction Boiler-maker Employers] presence through-out industries where we haven’t beenfor some time.”

MOST will hire full-timerecruitersA KEY COMPONENT of the recruit-ment program will be the use of fivefull-time regional recruiters who willbe hired by MOST but managed anddirected by the International. Eachvice president will be responsible forselecting a recruiter in his section.These positions will be temporary.Recruiters will report their activitiesand send applications they receive toMOST for processing.

Jones stressed that recruiting willbe done person to person, withrecruiters soliciting at all nonunion

projects in their regions. They willalso solicit at area trade schools. Inter-national reps may be called on toteam up with the recruiters asneeded, and International vice presi-dents and local lodges will haverecruiting responsibilities as well.Some who are involved in recruit-ment may actually sign on to jobs sothey can discuss the opportunitiesavailable as a union Boilermaker.

Jones said the recruiters willreceive an orientation to make surethey can explain to applicants “thereferral list and other processes suchas the requirement for drug testing.”He added, “We intend to hire these folks [the recruiters]quickly…because we’ve got cus-tomers who are very much in need.”

Recruitment message is criticalJONES NOTED THAT the develop-ment of a recruitment message is crit-ical to the success of the program.This message will convey the advan-tages of being a Boilermaker, includ-ing superior wages and benefits, safework practices, and representationon the job. It will also cover therequirements of being a Boilermaker,such as drug testing and the 10-hourOSHA safety training course. Theprogram will require that allrecruiters are proficient in presentingthe message consistently.

Recruiters will strategically placeradio and print ads in local marketswhere construction projects areunder way. They will also distributerecruitment handouts developed andprinted by MOST.

In addition to actively recruitingconstruction workers through direct,person-to-person contact, the pro-gram will also provide for passiverecruitment through a toll-free tele-phone number and an online applica-tion system. MOST will re-activate its1-800-TIG-WELD telephone number.In addition, MOST will develop andoversee a Web site promoting Boiler-

maker jobs. The site — www.boiler-makerjobs.org — will allow thoseinterested in doing Boilermaker workto view available projects and to sub-mit applications online.

All information from the toll-freetelephone number, Web site, anddirect recruitment efforts will beprocessed by a dedicated data man-ager employed by MOST. This per-son will be responsible for verifyingapplicant certifications and otherbackground information with theappropriate sources and will alsogenerate progress reports for theoverall program.

Program will ensure“Boilermaker reliability”“WE WANT TO ENSURE Boiler-maker reliability throughout thisprocess,” Jones told the tripartite con-ference. “It is going to take all of us tomake this work. But it’s going toensure that we have a good futureand a good name going forward.” Hesaid some applicants obviouslywon’t be as qualified as others andmay require additional training. Allapplicants will be evaluated based onskills and experience, and thisprocess will involve the locals. Oncea local adds an applicant to its mem-bership rolls, the local and the Inter-national will take over alladministrative recordkeeping andprocessing for that individual. Headded, “Once you start bringingthem in and start processing themthrough our system and puttingthem to work, a lot of them will bechosen by our local lodges, but mem-bership is not guaranteed to everyonewho submits an application.”

Jones concluded, “This program, Ibelieve, is going to help in a big wayto sustain our market share — notjust for the short term, but for thelonger term.”

IP Newton Jones unveils a plan torecruit a skilled reserve work force

IP Jones announces plan to recruit skilled craftsmen

Brandon Dunlevy of MagLev talksabout a magnetic levitation project in Pennsylvania.

4 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006T R I P A R T I T E C O N F E R E N C E

demand for maglev projects across thecountry, with work stretching out for 50years. He also noted that U.S. ship-builders are very interested in the preci-sion robotic welding being developedby MagLev, since overseas shipbuild-ing firms already use such technology,giving them an advantage over NorthAmerican shipbuilders.

Committee demosmanpower tracking systemPARTICIPANTS OF THE tripartite con-ference received a preview of the Web-based Boilermaker National ResourcesTracking System under development.Larry Wargo, consultant for contractorservices with FirstEnergy Corp. andchairman of the tripartite committee formanpower tracking, demonstratedhow the system will work.

The program will allow Boilermakerlocal lodges to track manpower alloca-tions for upcoming projects againsttotal membership. Lodge-specificinformation can be entered regardingthe number of mechanics, apprentices,

and helpers available, along with theirskills, such as welding certifications.

“This tool has been developed to helpthe Boilermakers understand demand— locally, regionally, and nationally,”Wargo told the conference. “This is theonly real-time manpower database thatexists today.”

The database is updated immedi-ately when new information is added,so users of the system have access toup-to-the-minute data. This informa-tion can be printed on a weekly basis.

Lodges can enter project informationsuch as name of owner and contractoras well as work schedules (includingwork days per week, work hours perday, and second shift requirements).The system will be administered byBridget Conner of MOST.

Area tripartite bodies reportTHE FIVE AREA tripartite alliancesprovided brief summaries of their oper-ations over the last year.

Speaking for the Northeast Area Tri-partite, IVP Sean Murphy said, “I cantell you today that all 12 locals in theNortheast area have been committed tohaving local tripartite meetings, alongwith participating in the Northeast tri-partite conference.

“A lot of times we find ourselves in aposition with the local tripartites thatwe can attract folks who don’t have theresources and/or the time to attend thisconference [the national tripartite meet-ing at Myrtle Beach]. These people havetruly played a key part in market recov-ery for all of us. Like any business man-ager in this room can tell you that’sbeen involved in local tripartites, wehave nailed down sites that we havebeen trying to be a part of for 10 or 15years. So it’s truly been a market recov-ery system for us.”

The Eastern Canada Tripartite hasmade great progress in the first threeyears of its existence, said IVP EdPower. “We’re growing about 30 per-cent a year. We have three ongoing

committees right now,” including asafety committee, an outage schedulingand manpower committee, and anabsenteeism committee.

Power showed a new 11-minutetraining film produced by the absen-teeism committee that has been verywell received. The film explains theimpact of absenteeism on the Boiler-maker work force, owners, and con-tractors. It compares Boilermakerabsenteeism to what happens when amember of a professional hockey teamis out of the game. The player’s absencehurts the team’s effort, just as a Boiler-maker’s unauthorized or unexcusedabsence hurts his fellow workers, thecontractor, and the owner. RobertBlakely, BCTD director of CanadianAffairs, narrates the film.

IP Jones called the video “one of thebest pieces of work I’ve seen on absen-teeism.” Power said the EasternCanada Tripartite will make the filmavailable for modification and use byother tripartite bodies.

Representing the Ohio Valley Tripar-tite, IR-GO Marty Stanton said that athis group’s June conference, “we hadsome of the best ownership participa-tion we’ve had in some time. At thisconference I had the opportunity, alongwith Larry Wargo, to introduce theWeb-based Boilermaker ManpowerTracking System, and that was sort ofthe beginning of the implementation ofit, and things have been progressing.Our next conference will be held Janu-ary 4 at the Holiday Inn in Cincinnati.That’s our yearly manpower caucus.”He added, “We would like to encour-age the participation of all the ownersand any contractors that are not involved and get them on the invitation list.”

IR-GO Tony Palmisano reported thatthe Upper Midwest Tripartite Allianceconsists of Local Lodges 83 (KansasCity, Mo.), 107 (Milwaukee), and 647(Minneapolis). “We have approxi-mately 15 owners and 35 contractors

currently participating,” Palmisanosaid. “There’s quite a bit of manpower,and the workload is excellent.

“We started the tripartite conferencearound 2000. I believe there wereapproximately 12 people at the firstmeeting. Currently, participation is upto around 75.”

Speaking for the Western States Tri-partite, IR Bob Hall reported that hisgroup recently held its second annualconference. “We didn’t have the partic-ipation of owners we would have likedto have had,” he stated, noting thatsome owners dropped out at the lastminute and the conference may haveconflicted with some outage schedules.“We ended up with four or five. Butthose four or five were really interestedand really informed. A lot of peoplesaid, ‘I can’t make it now, but pleasedon’t take me off your list.’”

Speaking of the national tripartiteconference, Hall said, “I don’t think anyowner here was at Western States. Ithink the regional tripartite conferenceis very important. It makes it closer and more interpersonal. We look for-ward to some real growth in the Western States.”

Partners caucus on issues, solutionsTRIPARTITE ALLIANCE PARTNERSbroke into discussion groups, as they have at past conferences, to identify problems and issues and toexamine potential solutions. This year,the caucuses were facilitated by an industry consultant, C. RichardBarnes & Associates.

With help from the facilitators, theowner, contractor, and union groupsprioritized their issues. The facilitatorpresented the results of each caucus tothe entire tripartite alliance body.

The breakout sessions are importantbecause they help identify areas thatneed to be changed. Caucus recom-mendations often lead to tripartite ini-tiatives that may later develop into

Larry Wargo, with FirstEnergy Corp.,explains a Web-based manpowertracking system for local lodges.

Attendees of the June 25-30 MOST project management training course in Kansas City, Mo.

MOST sponsors project management trainingTWENTY-FOUR BOILERMAKERS earned recommendations by their business manager and an owner or contractor to attend the MOST-sponsored project management trainingcourse in Kansas City, Mo., June 25-30. The six-daycourse was conducted by Construction DivisionDirector Skipper Branscum and professional proj-ect managers John Mowrey and Chuck Connor.(Connor is a former NTL member and Mowrey isan active member of Local 85 – Toledo, Ohio.)

Attendees included Steve Fitzpatrick – L-169,Karl Zacharias – L-85, Lew Harris II – L-169, PaulBox – L-502, John Schreiner – L-7, Tim Cottingham– L-40, Terry Sullivan – L-169; 2nd Row, Tino Barrier – L-30, Kipp Contreal – L-154, Jon Young –L-85, Michael Goodson – L-502, Jesse Rodriguez –L-92, Marty King – L-237, Wayne McKay – L-110,Tim Warren – L-587, John Mowrey – instructor;3rd row, Jack Richards – L-26, Bud Owens – L-83,Terry Sexton – L-105, Jeff Burns – L-83, Tom StelfoxII – L-5, David Rompf – L-85, Jim Williamson – L-169, Michael Moreno – L-4, Eric Sapp – MOSTintern, Mike Greer – L-85; and back row, instruc-tors Chuck Connor and Skipper Branscum.

Boilermaker members interested in participat-ing in a project management course should down-load an application form from the “Forms” tab atwww.mostprograms.com.

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Oct • Dec 2006 the Boilermaker Reporter - 5T R I P A R T I T E N E W S

Committees work to improvesafety, attendance, andmanpower schedulingIT’S ONLY BEEN THREE years sincethe Boilermakers began a tripartite pro-gram in Eastern Canada, bringingtogether for the first time representa-tives from the union, contractors, andowner/clients to discuss commonindustry problems in that area. Yetalready the annual conference has pro-duced fantastic results.

Ed Power, Intl. vice president forEastern Canada, who, with then-IVPSandy MacDonald, brought the tripar-tite program to Canada in 2004, could-n’t be happier with the progress theconference has made thus far. He cred-ited the efforts of committees that arecreated during the conferences, noting:“That’s how problems will get solvedas we go down the road.”

And at this year’s third annual meet-ing, held on Prince Edward Island,Aug. 16-17, the committees had morethan just ideas to present, they hadsolutions: videos, forms, and interac-tive Web sites.

Committees report success

Safety

JASON MCINNIS, BOILERMAKERnational director of health and safety,presented the annual report for the tri-partite safety committee, reporting onprogress — two safety programs devel-oped and plans for a third.

So far, every member of Local 73(Halifax, Nova Scotia) has completed amandatory safety training program,and all members of Local 128 (Toronto,Ontario) will finish by the end of thisyear. In addition, 45 members from

each of these lodges have completedsupervisor/foreman safety training.

Since each provincial jurisdiction hasspecific legislation to ensure the healthand safety of workers, members oftenretake safety training when theychange job sites. Seventy to 90 percentof this training is redundant, with onlyabout 25 percent being site specific. Sothe committee is developing CSOP — acommon safety orientation programthat will cover general safety aware-ness for the entire construction indus-try and be recognized at all job sites.

The committee is also reviewingmethods to evaluate safety perform-ance and recognition programs. Theyplan to develop a Web site for trainingand education resources that willinclude a safety training database.

Absenteeism

JIM TINNEY, BUSINESS manager forLocal 128, and Jim Scattergood, a BrucePower manager, presented their com-mittee’s report on managing atten-dance. Their plan includes anorientation in which all players learnwhat is expected of them in regard toattendance; use of call-in cards — wal-let-sized documents that include con-tact phone numbers, timelinessexpectations, and consequences of fail-ure to notify of absenteeism; and amulti-step disciplinary policy.

“To tackle the problem, we have to beconsistent,” Tinney said. “If the three ofus work together [owner, contractor,union], we believe we can make somereal inroads on solving absenteeism.”

The committee played a samplevideotape they developed to explainthe importance of attendance by com-paring a worker to a member of a sportsteam. The videos shows how a mem-ber’s absence — especially an unex-

pected absence — can affect everymember on that team and that team’sperformance. The video can be customized for other areas and other crafts.

Manpower and Outage Scheduling

KENT OLIVER, BUSINESS managerfor Local 73, said the committee onmanpower and outage scheduling hasdeveloped a pilot program for AtlanticCanada. David Ebbett, turnaroundmanager for Irving Oil Limited, identi-fied three of the committee’s goals: 1. toidentify key contacts; 2. to gather infor-mation for planned outages (start date,duration, labour requirements); and 3.to facilitate distribution of informationto all parties.

Jerome Dick, operations manager forBabcock & Wilcox Canada, reviewed aletter and forms the committee devel-oped for employers in Atlantic Canada.These information requests will bemailed in the coming weeks to preparefor next year’s manpower scheduling.The committee is focusing on outagescheduling, but hopes to add new con-struction soon. The results will be pub-lished on a Web site maintained byLocal 73.

Guest speakers enlightenconference delegatesGUEST SPEAKERS COVERED a vari-ety of topics throughout the conference.The keynote speaker, Bruce PowerCEO Duncan Hawthorne, talked aboutrapid changes in industrial construc-tion in the recent past and those to comein the near future.

According to Hawthorne, every elec-trical power infrastructure needs repairand/or rebuilding, and manpowerneeds will be high: “It will take 6,000people to build the power plantsneeded, and 70,000 people to maintainthem. I don’t know where these peoplewill come from. Some may say it mustbe nice to have to worry about meetingthe needs of progressive growthinstead of decline — and it is — but it isstill a problem, and if we can’t solve it,we will fail.”

Hawthorne pointed out that findingthese workers is a common problem for

each group of the tripartite conference.“Young people are not attracted to thetrades anymore. If we can’t change that,40 percent of the work force will have tocome from immigration, and we’ll haveto start thinking of English as the sec-ond language in this country. We haveto recognize that success is in ourhands,” he concluded. “We have towork together — if one of us fails, we all fail.”

Boilermaker IVP Joseph Maloneyand PACE Integration Inc.’s LisaDwomik discussed a new travel cardWeb site program they have launchedin Western Canada. “Members cannow register their travel cards online,”Maloney said. “This shows the ownercommunity that we have a supplemen-tary labor base when the primary listruns out.”

The program was developed to helpdispatchers fill jobs more quickly andefficiently. “A Web-based registry isavailable 24/7,” Dwomik said. “Mem-bers can log in and enter their names ona list without having to travel to thelodge. They can update their informa-tion and certificates, and indicatewhere they would want to work.”

Jack Brochu, BCA vice president, andRick Mile, operations manager andstatutory director of boiler and pressurevessels for Ontario’s Technical Stan-dards and Safety Authority, discussedthe Ontario Common Welding Pro-gram, a cost-saving measure designedto eliminate redundant welder tests,similar to Common Arc.

Other speakers included JohnSchel, president of the BoilermakerContractors Association (BCA); BobBlakely, director of Canadian affairsfor the Building and ConstructionTrades Department; David Galvin,labour relations manager for BrucePower; the Honorable Steven W.Mahoney P.C., chair of the WorkplaceSafety and Insurance Board (WSIB);Dr. Brendan Adams, a substanceabuse expert; Michael Church, anattorney with Caley & Wray; and Alli-son Rougeau of the CanadianApprenticeship Forum. ❑

Tripartite proves successful inEastern Canada

“That’s how problems will get solvedas we go down the road.”

— IVP Ed Power, crediting the efforts of committees thatare created during the conferences.

“We have to recognize thatsuccess is in our hands. We have to

work together — if one of us fails,we all fail.”

— Duncan Hawthorne, Bruce Power CEO

Forty-one attend train-the-trainersessions in St. Louis and Raleigh, N.C.OVER FORTY LOCAL UNION instructors and con-tractor representatives attended train-the-trainer ses-sions in St. Louis and Raleigh, N. C., this summer aspart of MOST’s effort to upgrade the Foreman Train-ing Program. The program was created in 1985 byResource Systems Inc. for journeymen who are inter-ested in becoming foremen.

Following the 2005 National Tripartite Conference,MOST trustees appointed a committee to review andrevamp the program.

“Our committee determined that Boilermakersattending foreman courses were receiving technicalinstruction that repeated what they had learned inapprentice classes,” said David Haggerty, MOSTcoordinator and committee co-chair. He said thatwhat they weren’t getting was “an understanding oftheir responsibilities in job safety, such as conductingJSAs (job safety analyses), and dealing with cus-tomers on a daily basis.”

The review committee, which includes four con-tractor and four union representatives, worked inconjunction with a management consulting firm,FMI, to develop the Field Leadership TrainingCourse, which essentially replaces the ForemanTraining Program. The new course emphasizesadministrative responsibilities, people skills, and thebusiness aspects of construction.

FMI instructors Ashley Robertson and Mike Putzerthen conducted the two train-the-trainer sessions.

Haggerty said participants at the St. Louis andRaleigh sessions gave the Field Leadership TrainingCourse high marks and that refinements are stillbeing made. Two pilot training sessions will be held,one at Local Lodge 83 in Kansas City, Mo., the other atLocal Lodge 154 in Pittsburgh, to test and evaluate thenew course before it is implemented fully sometimenext spring.

“I think those attending the Field Leadership Train-ing Course are going to get a better understanding of

contractor/owner expectations, and they’re going tobe more efficient,” Haggerty noted.

Attending the St. Louis train-the-trainer sessionJune 27-28 were David Haggerty; Gerry Klimo andFrank Calore, Local 154 (Pittsburgh); John O’Hallo-ran, Local 28 (Newark, N.J.); Joel Miller, Local 108(Birmingham, Ala.); William Truman, Local 455(Sheffield, Ala.); John New, Local 374 (Hammond,Ind.); David Leimer, Local 83 (Kansas City, Mo.);Mark Lester, Local 27 (St. Louis); Danny Popovich,Local 132 (Galveston, Tex.); John Standish, BNAP;Terry Barnes and Dwain Smith, Local 40 (Elizabeth-town, Ky.); Jim McDonnell, Local 169 (Detroit); ClayHerford, IR, Construction Division; Bradley Elder,Local 667 (Charleston, W.Va.); Paul Immordino, Local13 (Philadelphia); Bob Renney and Paul Cote, Alstom;Mike Ballard and Eric Carlson, B&W; Marty Spencer;and Brad Robinson and Dennis Koehler, Local 85(Toledo, Ohio).

Attending the Raleigh, N. C. session August 15-17were John Robinson and Larry Seaberg, Local 502(Tacoma, Wash.); Charles Dunham and Alf Kargard,Local 92 (Los Angeles); Gerry Klimo, Don Fiorilli, andJim Basilon, Local 154; Rick Hope and Jeff Everly,Local 40; Dave Shareno, Local 7; Ted Sharp; MartySpencer; Pat Malone and Earl Hamre, CB&I; DavidHaggerty; David Leimer; Johnny Gallon, Local 549(Pittsburg, Calif.); Bobby Newham, Local 26 (Savan-nah, Ga.); and Roger Cheek and Ellis Johnson, Local30 (Greensboro, N.C.).

Serving on the review committee were Eric Carlson(co-chairman), safety and labor relations manager forBabcock and Wilcox; Pat Malone, field engineer forChicago Bridge & Iron; Jim Woodward, vice presidentof Nooter Construction Co.; Ted Sharp, labor relationsmanager for APCom Power; David Haggerty (co-chairman), MOST coordinator; Pat Smith BNAPnational coordinator; Marty Spencer, NortheastRegion instructor out of Local 7; and Dwain Smith,apprentice coordinator for Local 40. ❑

6 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006P A G E I D6 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006E D U C A T I O N & T R A I N I N G

Twenty-four local union and contractor representatives attend the MOST train-the-trainersession for leadership training in St. Louis June 27-28.

MOST 10-hoursafety trainingis a mustNearly 30,000 Boilermakers have takenthe course since its creation BOILERMAKER CONSTRUCTION LODGES acrossthe country have taught the MOST 10-hour safetycourse to nearly 30,000 people since the course wascreated in 1998, says MOST coordinator David Hag-gerty. The course meets guidelines established by anOSHA outreach program.

In the first 10 months of 2006, local lodges taught239 classes, reaching over 4,000 members.

Those numbers demonstrate the strong commit-ment to safety fostered by the tripartite alliance aswell as the efforts of MOST to implement effectiveprograms. Leading the way in safety training in 2006are the National Transient Lodge, Local 154 (Pitts-burgh), Local 13 (Philadelphia), and Local 455 (Mus-cle Shoals, Ala.), all of which have offered more than10 classes.

Created by MOST, the safety class is put on by thelocal lodges themselves. MOST provides train-the-trainer classes for local lodge personnel. Once certi-fied, they teach the class to their members — and veryoften to traveling Boilermakers who are in the areaand want to take the course.

Locals go the extra mile for safetyIN ORDER TO REACH members who live far fromthe union hall, Locals 83, 647, 667, and the NationalTransient Lodge have taken training on the road.

Local 83 BM-ST Roger Erickson said it makes sensefor his lodge to offer mobile training, because hisjurisdiction covers three-and-a-half states (Kansas,Iowa, Nebraska, and the western half of Missouri).“Business Representative Scott Albertson has beenconducting training regularly in Council Bluffs,Iowa,” he said, noting that the local has had about 500members working there on several large boiler proj-ects. “And we’ve got a project in Muscatine, Iowa,coming up with B&W for Grain Processors wherewe’ll do mobile training.”

Larry Horseman, Local 83 president, said, “Takingthe course onsite is important for Boilermakers whoare on the job or those who must travel at their ownexpense to Kansas City for training. We’ve had guysfly here from California for training on their way to ajob in Minnesota,” he said.

Dave Leimer, a Local 83 welding instructor, is certi-fied by OSHA to teach the MOST 10-hour safetytraining course. He said the local usually conductsclasses the second Friday of each month at the hall,and will occasionally schedule them on a Sunday toaccommodate members.

The course covers an array of topics: personal pro-tection equipment; confined space; fall protection;scaffolding use; stairways and ladders; electricalsafety; materials handling; cranes and rigging; andoccupational health. ❑

MOST works to upgrade ForemanTraining Program

Safety training information is available online

CONSTRUCTION MEMBERS LOOKING for asafety class can go to the MOST Web site at

www.mostprograms.comand click on the training tab.

You will find a list of upcoming classes. MOST (Mobilization, Optimization, Stabilization

and Training) is a joint labor-management trustthat seeks to promote the interests of the tripartite

partners (the Boilermakers union, NACBEcontractors, and construction industry owners).

The trust oversees such programs as drugscreening and manpower reserve. MOST

programs are intended to maintain a highly-skilled, dependable Boilermaker work force.

The 2007 School for Workers Summer Training Institute for stewards and local lodge officers will offer extensive training in collective bargaining, grievance handling, building the union,

and other topics vital to success for local lodge leaders.Don’t pass up this opportunity to learn the keys to making your local lodge strong.

Mark your calendars now!

Basic Class : July 15-20 Advanced : July 22-27Formal announcements and registration information will be mailed to local lodges

some time in early 2007. For more information, contact Cheryl Harris at 913-371-2640.

Plan to attend the 2007 Summer Institutes

Curriculum includes in-depthlook at recent lockouts, withinput from Local 484FIFTY-FIVE LOCAL LODGE leadersand 22 International staff membersattended classes at the 49th annualSummer Training Institute at the University of Wisconsin’s School forWorkers held August 13-25, 2006, in Madison, Wis. Over a two-weekperiod, the Institute offered Basic and Advanced courses and a staff curriculum.

The Boilermakers have been holdingthese summer seminars at the School for Workers since 1957. They are an integral part of the Brotherhood’s training and leadership development program.

The 2006 Basic course addressed communication skills, labor history,collective bargaining, contract adminis-tration, membership mobilization,safety and health, workers in the globaleconomy, FMLA, political action, andthe Boilermaker organization.

Coursework for the Advanced classis designed for those who have com-pleted the Basic training. Advancedparticipants study interviewing and lis-tening skills, communication skills,problem solving and grievance han-dling, grievance arbitration, safety andhealth, health care law, political action,health care bargaining, labor history,workers in the global economy, build-ing the union and membership mobi-lization, costing out the contract, andpublic relations.

This year’s agenda for Internationalstaff focused on negotiating pensionand health care benefits — two areasthat are extremely important today, asmany employers seek to shift morecosts to workers.

A special session dealt with theCelanese and Wabash lockouts thataffected Locals 484 (Meredosia, Ill.) and1240 (Wabash, Ind.), respectively. Boththe Advanced and Staff classesattended. SAIP Gary Prochnow, direc-tor of organizing, and IR Jim Pressley,assistant to the director of research andcollective bargaining services, led an in-depth discussion. They described thecircumstances leading up to the lock-outs, the strategies involved in dealingwith them, and the outcomes (bothlockouts ended earlier this year).

Six Local 484 members attending theAdvanced course provided first-handaccounts of how the lockouts affectedmembers and their families. Theyrecounted the difficulties faced in nego-tiating with Celanese, in dealing withthe lockout itself, and in returning towork following the end of the lockout.Prochnow and Pressley compared andcontrasted the two lockouts, noting thepositive difference that labor-friendlypoliticians in Illinois made on behalf ofLocal 484.

Local lodge leaders attending thecourses benefited not only from thefirst-hand accounts offered by Local484 leaders, but also from discussionsabout their own situations. Both U.S.and Canadian lodges sent members tothe School for Workers, with a diverseindustry representation: shipbuilding,cement, construction, manufacturing,shop, railroad, and service. For many,this was a unique opportunity to shareexperiences, build new friendships,and exchange e-mail addresses. Someparticipants of the Basic class will

see each other next year at theAdvanced course.

Institute instructors included profes-sors from UW-Madison’s School forWorkers. Boilermaker staff providinginstruction — in addition to Prochnowand Pressley — included DonaldCaswell, director of communication,education, and training services; Brid-get Martin, director of the governmentaffairs department; Shannon Brett,assistant to the director of governmentaffairs; and Milan Racic, safety andhealth specialist.

Members attending the 2006 Basiccourse included Roy Bruno of Local 5(New York); David King of Local 6(Oakland, Calif.); Richard Kelley ofLocal 13 (Philadelphia); Ronald Fergu-son and Kenyon Hart of Local 19(Philadelphia); Charles Hancock ofLocal 29 (Boston); Scott Albertson ofLocal 83 (Kansas City, Mo.); JeremyWright and Brian Haight of Local 84(Paola, Kan.); Kerry Trobaugh of LocalS185 (Belleville, Ill.); Don Vick, JimmyWampler, and Mike Campbell of LocalD209 (Speed, Ind.); Dale Harper, JamesWilhorn, and JoAnne Pyle of Local 344(Ridgecrest, Calif.); Jason King andChris Linneweber of Local 374 (Ham-mond, Ind.); Brad Hubbs and JasonRawdon of Local D465 (OklahomaCity, Okla.); George Lindley of Local482 (Wood River, Ill.); Rosendo Castroand Mark Gerondale of Local 487(Kewaunee, Wisc.); Scotty Blevins,Meredith Dixon, and Frankie Claytonof Local D595 (Lovell, Wyo.); DanielCampbell and David Triplett of Local614 (New London, Conn.); Cecil Cun-ningham and John Massey of Local 656(Chattanooga, Tenn.); and NTL mem-bers Timothy Landfried, Kelly Mil-bauer, Jack Staten, and Dustin Moore.Staff members Tracy Buck and MikeLinderer also attended the Basic course.

Members attending the 2006Advanced course August 20-25included Richard Kelly of Local 13(Philadelphia); Michael Amad of Local88 (Essington, Penn.); Dale Werner ofLocal 146 (Edmonton, Alberta); Ken-neth Carver, William Campbell, DonVick, and Jimmy Wampler of LocalD209 (Speed, Ind.); Leslie Dikes, RalphLegler, and John Sewell of Local 344(Ridgecrest, Calif.); Gabriel Lamar,Brian Dowden, and Chad Smit of Local374 (Hammond, Ind.); James Pentonand Kimberly Spradlin of Local 480(Jacksonville, Ill.); Lee Hall, Steve Sap-pington, Alan Gerdes, Denny Dormire,Bob Glenn, and Tom Evans of Local 484(Meredosia, Ill.); Daniel Currier andDavid Bye of Local 599 (Billings,Mont.); Glenn Weismann of Local 647(Minneapolis, Minn.); and NTL mem-bers Michael Dietrich, Timothy Land-fried, Dustin Moore, and Jack Staten.Staff member Linderer also attendedthe Advanced course.

International staff members attend-ing the staff training session August 20-25 included Michael Atchison, SteveBeal, Charles Brock, David Bunch, JohnChapman, Howard Cole, RoccoDeRollo, Phil Evans, Leonard Gunder-son, Camilo Juncal, Dennis King, DavidLawrence, Jim Pressley, GaryProchnow, Loyd Smith Jr., AmandaStinger, Eddie Whitefield, Alan Scheer,Danny Hamilton, Robert Godinez, andMark Kelly. ❑

Oct • Dec 2006 the Boilermaker Reporter - 7E D U C A T I O N & T R A I N I N G

Local lodge leaders, International staffattend 2006 Summer Training Institute

Basic Class

Advanced Class

International Rep Class

Local 85 members makehistory as they bring the 1890 shipyard back to lifeMEMBERS OF LOCAL 85 are back towork at the Toledo Shipyard, thanks to the efforts of their business manager, Fred Keith Jr., and Intl. Rep Len Gunderson.

The Manitowoc Marine Group hadbeen operating Toledo Shipyards since1991. In December 2005, Manitowocpulled out of the shipyard, taking 50Local 85 jobs with it.

“Manitowoc just walked away fromToledo Ship Repair and closed itdown,” Gunderson said. “They left theshipyard in total disarray, takingeverything that wasn’t nailed down.”

Keith said the shipyard closing hadonly once been hinted at before theyreceived the call that it was closing.When Keith spoke to James Hartung,president of the Port Authority aboutthe closing, Hartung said it was a greatopportunity for Keith to find someonenew to run the yard: “Someone with alittle fire in the belly who really wantsto make this work.”

Upset but not deterred, Keith and Gunderson began making planson how they could get the yard back up and running.

Working with the Toledo LucasCounty Port Authority, they were ableto meet with several potential opera-tors and hit pay dirt when they metTony LaMantia of Ironhead Fabrica-tion out of Temperance, Mich.

“Tony has that fire in the belly tomake this work, and the drive to getthe job done,” Keith said.

Not only was LaMantia willing totake on the task of rebuilding ToledoShipyard, but he met with Keith andGunderson and together they negoti-ated what Gunderson calls, “a very competitive contract.”

The seven-year agreement runsthrough January 31, 2013, with a wagere-opener in the fourth year.

LaMantia reopened the facility onFeb. 21, 2006, under the name of Ironhead Fabrication, Industrial,Marine, and Contracting; however, itwill take some time to rebuild the yardand retrain a work force. “This soundslike a formidable task, but I know Tony,Keith, and the Port are up to it,” Gunderson said.

Twenty Local 85 members are backto work helping to get the yard ready for operations. When restored, the yard will be able to support several hundred employees.

“They will do all kinds of ship repairas well as new construction at Ironhead,” Gunderson reported.

“They will start with barges and movetheir way to ships, and will also bedoing fabrication at the facility for con-struction duct work, etc.”

The community of Toledo was gladto learn that the yard had beenreopened. It has been a staple in theircommunity since 1890, when it wasfirst opened as John Craig & SonsShipbuilding. It was later renamedToledo Shipyard, and Local 85 has rep-resented workers there since it waschartered in 1892.

Over the years, many ships havebeen built there, including passengerboats and ferries.

“In its heyday, the shipyardemployed several thousand workers— mostly Hungarian Americans —and could engineer and build a com-plete vessel from start to finish in everyaspect,” says James Heaton,a historybuff and 33-year member of Local 85.

In 1944, the company was sold toDelta Shipbuilding. During World WarII, 80 percent of the work force werewomen, with most of the men in thearea either enlisted or drafted into mili-tary service. These hard-workingwomen built a Liberty ship and adestroyer for the war efforts.

Heaton said the shipyard changedhands again in 1945 and was renamedthe American Shipbuilding Company,where Local 85 members built lakefreighters in the 1950s; Coast Guardcutters and an oceanographic researchvessel in the 1960s; and a self-unload-ing ore freighter in 1973. In the mid1970s, members refitted several exist-

ing freighters as self-unloadersand built three mid-bodies thatthey floated to a larger shipyard(Lorain) for finishing.

In 1981, owner George Steinbrennerclosed down the yard. The Toledo PortAuthority assumed ownership and theyard was reopened in 1985 as MerceIndustries. In 1991, Manitowoc tookover the yard’s operations until theypulled out in December 2005.

“And now the Boilermakers areadding another chapter to the historyof this yard,” Gunderson said as hereflected on the efforts Local 85 mem-bers made to find a new operator andare now making to restore the yard toits full potential. ❑

8 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006S O L I D A R I T Y

Work goes on for L-85 member John Willettwhile the historic shipyard is being rebuilt.

L-85 BM Fred Keith and history buffJames “Frisbee” Heaton at the docksof the 1890 Toledo shipyard.

CAN YOU IMAGINE your local fac-ing a decertification election everythree years? That is, in essence, whathappens every three years to membersof Local 271 (Montreal, Quebec).

A Quebec law, RR 20, requires thatall union members decide every threeyears whether to maintain their affilia-tion or change it.

And every three years, members ofLocal 271 show their solidarity, choos-ing to remain with the InternationalBrotherhood of Boilermakers.

The province uses a “presumptive”voting process. Members must indi-cate they want to disaffiliate. If a mem-ber does not cast a vote, the provincepresumes that he or she wishes toremain affiliated.

That works fine for more than 99percent of the 752 Local 271 members.Fewer than one percent voted to leavewhen given the chance June 8-10.

Guy Villemure, Local 271 BM-ST,said the miniscule vote count showed“Boilermakers always stick together.”

International Vice President EdPower said this vote is typical formembers of Local 271. “They are asolid local, with very strong ties.”

Local 271 represents all but six unionboilermakers in the province. Ville-mure said that, overall, constructiontrades in Quebec represent 26.9 per-cent of the approximately 110,000 con-struction industry workers, down 3.3percent from 2003 figures.

A shop and construction lodge,Local 271 was chartered in 1937.

Local 271 members reaffirmaffiliation by over 99 percent

L. to r., Local 85 members Carey Moore and Al Alvarado discussshipyard operations with BM Fred Keith and IR Len Gunderson.

Toledo Shipyard reopens

Local 271 delegation and Eastern Canadian IVP Ed Power (c.) at the 31st Consolidated Convention. L-271 BM-ST GuyVillemure is second from right.

Oct • Dec 2006 the Boilermaker Reporter - 9L O C A L L O D G E N E W S

L-900 holds a welcome home party for Jason Hoffman (center, ingrey sweatshirt) upon his return from Iraq.

LOCAL 7 (BUFFALO, N.Y.) members working on their Common Arc welding certificationwere surprised by a large man in a red suit who came by to take the test. Maybe the big guyneeds a second job. It’s a long time between Christmases, after all. The Local 7 crew made surehe finished his welding in time to deliver the presents.

Canadian cement localhonors charter membersLOCAL Lodge D366 (Mississauga,Ontario) celebrated its 50-yearanniversary this fall with an openhouse, summer Olympic games, andother activities.

The 139-member lodge received itscharter October 2, 1956, the year inwhich the St. Lawrence Cement Com-pany opened its Mississauga plant.

In a ceremony to commemorate thelodge’s anniversary, two retired char-ter members — Don Booth and Ger-

hard Preuss — received inscribedclocks from Pierre Pommainville,plant union chairman, and IR-GOMike Watson.

Booth’s name was the very firstlisted on the charter.

Pommainville described manage-ment-labor relations at the plant as “generally very good.”

A part of the Holcim Group, St.Lawrence Cement Company is a lead-ing producer of cement, concrete, andmineral aggregates. ❑

Charter members Don Booth and Gerhard Preuss, second and third from left,receive commemorative clocks from plant union chairman Pierre Pommainville, atleft, and International rep. Mike Watson, at right.

D366 celebrates 50thanniversary

Santa upgrades hisCommon Arc papers

SOFTBALL GLOVES and foot-balls. Basketballs and thumbdrives (portable computer disks).These hardly sound like the toolsof war. Yet soldiers of the 1257thTransportation Company in Iraqwere more than happy to receivethese items, and more, earlier thisyear — gifts from Boilermakermembers at Local 900 (Barberton,Ohio) and their employers, BWXTand Babcock & Wilcox.

The unit is part of the 167th Cal-vary, 1/34th Brigade CombatTeam at Logistical Support AreaAnaconda in northern Iraq.

L-900 President David Sherlinsaid the idea to send care pack-ages grew from membership sug-gestions. To head up the effort,Sherlin appointed a member whohad just returned from militaryservice in Iraq himself, Jason Hoff-man, along with L-900 Vice President Ron Smith. Shop stewards and others volunteeredtheir time, raising $1,600 to purchase merchandise.

“This was a combined effort ofthe bargaining unit and theemployers,” said Pres. Sherlin.“Both hourly and salariedemployees contributed.”

The union contacted a militaryunit and went through more thana little red tape to find out whatitems the soldiers most wanted —and how to get those items into

their hands. Hoffman and Smiththen set about buying the merchandise and shipping it overseas. Among other items sent were spotlights andspotting scopes. BWXT also pro-vided cases of wrap-around safety sunglasses.

The 1257th TransportationCompany was thrilled when thepackages arrived. 1SG GlennFreeman Jr. wrote to Pres. Sherlin,stating: “Nothing brings a smile toa soldier’s face faster than a letterfrom home except maybe a carepackage. The war stopped forabout 30 minutes when the sol-diers caught sight of the softballsand gloves.”

In the letter, First Sergeant Free-man said he would send Ameri-can flags that flew during combatmissions to the union and theemployers in appreciation of thepackages.

“That letter brought tears to myeyes,” said Sherlin. “We were justhappy to show those guys thereare people who are thinking ofthem.” Sherlin added that thejoint union/company effort hasproven that both sides can worktogether effectively towards acommon goal.

Local 900 fabricates propulsionsystems for nuclear-powered air-craft carriers and submarines. Thelodge was chartered in 1956. ❑

Soldiers in Iraq thankLocal 900 for gifts

L-34’s Nelson shipsout to IraqKENNY NELSON, CHAIRMAN ofLocal Lodge 34 (Topeka), shipped outto Iraq at the end of October with hisKansas Army National Guard unit.The railroad local organized a send-off dinner for Nelson, who has been aBoilermaker for 28 years. PresidentAnthony DaPrato said Nelson holdsthe rank of sergeant first class and hasbeen a guardsman for over 20 years.He will be serving as a humanresources specialist and could be activated for more than a year. Nelsonwill be stationed in an area northof Baghdad. ❑

10 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006P A G E I D10 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006L O C A L L O D G E N E W S

Local 1, ChicagoJOHN SKERMONT, BM-ST of Local 1,Chicago, reports presentation of mem-bership pins to the following:

45 YEARS – Gary Metcalfe;35 YEARS – Charles Lyles, Merrill Lynn,Jerome Petralia, John Skermont;30 YEARS – Larry Fannin, Guy N.Nelson, Louis Truffa; and25 YEARS – Christopher Pranger.

Local 83, Kansas City, Mo.ROGER ERICKSON, BM-ST of Local 83,Kansas City, Mo., reports presentationof membership pins to the following:

55 YEARS – Robert Kampe;45 YEARS – Larry Daugherty, Richard Ice;40 YEARS – Jack Armstrong; 35 YEARS – Jim Berry, Jim Weaver;30 YEARS – John Calhoun, William Carver,Larry Horseman, Robert M. Kampe,Richard Kirby, Randall J. Mendenhall,Louie Padilla, Richard A. Scott;25 YEARS – Arnie Bryant, RogerHammell, Ron Hedges, Jess Laster,Earl Raney, John St. Helene, BruceSchanuth, Mike Sievert, Mark Suthers;20 YEARS – Gary George; and15 YEARS – Fred Daidson, Larry Rowe,John Seward.

Local 158, Peoria, Ill.S. MIKE DAMM, president of Local 158,Peoria, Ill., reports presentation ofmembership pins to the following: 25 YEARS – Fredrick Belke;20 YEARS – John E. Miller; and10 YEARS – Donald Ewing, Kurt Winders.

Local 169, DetroitTONY JACOBS, BM-ST of Local 169,Detroit, reports presentation of mem-bership pins to the following:

65 YEARS – John E. Misho, Omer F. Misho;60 YEARS – Paul V. Glover;55 YEARS – Ronald L. Hicks, Arthur J.Stedman, Oscar L. Winchester Jr.;50 YEARS – Arno A. Guske;

40 YEARS – Thomas A. Garlick, James E.George, Gerald A. Taylor, William A.Tessin, Robert A. Wiley;35 YEARS – Larry M. Bruno, Gary J.Campbell, Bill E. Cogswell, Terry V.Dewyer, Joe Espinosa, ThomasFitzpatrick, Robert Hayden, Lester R.Keson, George T. Lajoie, Harold Larson,Lloyd B. Moon, Roger L. Simkins,Willie L. Ward, George L. Wilson;30 YEARS – John K. Akers, Joseph N.Batory, Timothy A. Bell, George C.Boler Jr., Cleland K. Bridget, ThomasM. Capps, Dale R. Carlson, William E.Closser Jr., Richard W. Doneth,Raymond Flowers Jr., Marc S.Grumbley, Gregory A. Hintz, Gerald L.Kraenzlein, James Larsen, Dale A.Lewis, Edwin R. Lobdell, Charles P.Maciejewski, Robert G. Mahoney,Dennis D. Muxlow, Raymond C.Nadolski, Steven R. Sella, Henry M.Shorkey, Woodrow M. Spaulding,Kenneth D. Uhl, Jonathan H. Valentine,Frank E. Warren, Douglas D.Whiteside, Richard C. Woods; and25 YEARS – Lenny D. Minor, Kevin J.Schultz, Steven E. Schultz, Edward J.Wlodyka Jr.

Local 175, Oswego, N.Y.JOHN FULTZ, BM-ST of Local 175,Oswego, N.Y., reports presentation ofmembership pins to the following:

60 YEARS – Bill Gardner, Harry Syrell;55 YEARS – Dick Strong;50 YEARS – Hank Broadwell, Jack Fultz,Charlie O’Connor, Bob Strong;45 YEARS – Pete Carey, Louie French,Cliff Herrick, Kent Oswald, RalphOswald, Sam Sereno Sr., Wes Waldron,Newt Warner;40 YEARS – Bill Ballard, Bob Edick, KenGregory, Jim Litts, Ray Pappa, LennyPayne, Paul Wilson;35 YEARS – Joe Chambers, Roger Clark,Ray Denny Jr., Harold England, RayFargo, James Fultz, Don Greenlay,Jerry Hammett, Gary Kastler, JerryLeBlanc, Bill Martin, Jude O’Connor,James Price, Dave Roach, Gary Seeber,

Carl Scoville, Murray Shultz, LloydTrumble, Michael J. Trumble, BobWoodworth;30 YEARS – Ed Ackerly, Tony Aiesi,Claude Barker, Doug Blake, LesBlauvelt Jr., Mike Canale, DominicCarusone, Pete Carusone, Ted Clark,John Colloca, Mike Denny, AlFerguson, Irv Fuletti, Gil Gagne, TomGentile, Fred Gilbert, Bob Gilmore,Ron Goodsell, Bob Hirsh, MikeJohnson, Bob Jones Jr., Gary “Tugboat”Jones, Charlie Kibbe, Roger Lanford,Mike LeBlanc, Ralph Malone, JoeMiles, Bill Nickolas, Terry O’Donnell,Tom O’Neill, Mark Oswald, JackOutterson, Ken Paro, Pat Peel, FletcherPetrie, Nick Peterson, Larry Robbins,Jim Rogers, John Scheirer, DennisSampsell, Bill Sanderson, Bob Stone,John Sukup, Jim Waldron, Bill Wiltsie,Ed Wisniewicz, Gary Wyman; and25 YEARS – Reggie Archer, Jim Barry,Dave Bartholomew, Dave Case, MarkDenny, Charlie Donahue, GaryDawley, John Fultz, Richard Fultz, TomFultz, Bob Ferguson, Don French, JeffGalloway, Jim Galloway, Dan Gentile,Howard Godfrey, Joe Hicks, PaulHicks, Bruce Howe, Roger Looker,Roger Manchester, Peppy Martin, BradMoak, Dan Morgan, Gary Mulcahey,Tim Murphy, Mark O’Brien, JeffO’Connor, Wayne Phillips, TedQuesnell, John Raponi, Sam Sereno Jr.,Larry Stuber, T.J. Stuber, Fred

Thompson, John Wasilewski, RobertWhite, Bob Wyman.

Local 374, Hammond, Ind.PAUL MADAY, Local 374 BM-ST, Ham-mond, Ind., reports presentation ofmembership pins to the following: 55 YEARS – Gerald D. Robbins, EverettB. Timberlake;40 YEARS – David Flannigan, Jimmie C.Huffman, Milan V. Rancich;35 YEARS – Jimmie J. Colbert, JavierSandoval, William M. Shelton, RichardS. Willis;30 YEARS – Craig A. Holley, PatrickHynes, Dale A. Klemoff, Paul F. Rogier,Jay F. Wurtz;25 YEARS – Mickey A. Angotti, Rickey A.Angotti, Ray D. Arambula, Jebel Bey,Richard A. Brown, John M. Geyer,George A. Hillier Sr., Joseph A. Kasper,Patrick Krieter, Terrence G. Lukish,John B. Rankin, James H. Reed II,Michael S. Sereno, Danny S. Shaw;20 YEARS – Mark A. Biever, Jerrell L.Clark, Thomas J. Mulligan, Charles D.Topper; and15 YEARS – David P. Armonett, GregoryA. Baccino, James L. Bales, Joseph W.Esparza, Vernon D. Horn, ThomasHynes, Michael Kosiba, Richard T.Miller, James G. Mukka, Mark Peter,Penny Plowman, Gary M. Secuskie,David Shoemaker, Michael W.Snodgrass, Robert J. Steffey. ❑

Locals award service pins

Local 83 members receive service pins. L. to r., retired member Jack Armstrong –40 years, Jim Weaver – 35 years, Jim Berry – 35 years, Richard Kirby – 30 years,Business Manager Roger Erickson, John W. Calhoun – 30 years, President LarryHorsemen – 30 years, William Carver – 30 years, Richard Ice – 45 years, LouiePadilla – 30 years, and former Recording Secretary, Larry Daugherty – 45 years.

Michigan power plant jobfeatures 11 father-son setsBOILERMAKERS HAVE LONG taken pridein passing on the trade to family members,and it’s not rare to find a father and son work-ing side by side. But one particular job saw 11 sets of fathers and sons working on thesame SCR construction project, at the DetroitEdison power plant in Monroe, Mich., andall but one of the workers are members ofLocal 85 (Toledo, Ohio).

Pictured in the front row, left to right, areBill and Jeremy Durbin; Jim, Joe, and BradCalgie; Brandon (an Ironworker) and MarkMatuszewski; and Conley and Adam Cor-nett. In the middle row (seated) are Rand andByron Bishop; Buck and Matt Avery; andMike and Dave Cowdrey. In the top row areJim and Kent Elliott; Rick and Abe Babcock;Ron Sr. and Ron Jr. Henneman; and Zach andJohn Wolf. The members are posed in front ofan M-2100 crawler crane with a 460-ft. boom. Local 85 is a field construction, shop, andshipbuilding local chartered in 1892. ❑ Eleven father-son combinations work on an SCR construction job in Michigan. All workers but one are

members of Local 85 (Toledo, Ohio).

For L-85, building an SCR is a real family affair

Oct • Dec 2006 the Boilermaker Reporter - 11P A G E I DOct • Dec 2006 the Boilermaker Reporter - 11L O C A L L O D G E N E W S

Exhibit, dramatic playhighlight women’scontributionsMEGAN AND HALEY Sack,daughters of Local 60 (Peoria, Ill.)member Bruce Sack and Susan Sack, were among about 50 Illinois finalists chosen tocompete in the National HistoryDay contest held at the Univer-sity of Maryland College ParkJune 10-15.

Megan, 16, a sophomore atMendota High School, andHaley, 14, an eighth-grader atNorthbrook Middle School, wereselected for the honor from anestimated 20,000 students whocompeted in history fairs acrossthe state. About 700,000 studentscompeted nationwide.

Megan’s project was an exhibittitled, Women in the Work Forceduring WWII – We Can’t Win With-out Them: the Women Welders of theSeneca Prairie Shipyard.

The exhibit described the rolewomen played in an inland ship-yard that built tank landing ships(LSTs) during the Second WorldWar. Her project won three of thefive state special awards, includ-ing the Illinois Labor HistoryAward. At the nationals, Megan

finished in the top 20 for seniorhigh individual exhibits.

Haley’s project — researched,written, and performed by Haleyand four other middle school stu-dents — was a dramatic playtitled, “Radium Girls: Society ofthe Living Dead.” The playrecounted court cases in the 1930sin which dying women suedRadium Dial in Ottawa, Ill., afterbeing poisoned on the job bypaint containing radium. Thecompany had encouraged thewomen to lick the paint brushtips between applications as theypainted clock faces and dials,even though it knew of the healthrisks. The performance rankedfifth at the national level.

The girls’ mother, Susan Sack,who substitute teaches and runsthe Mendota History Club, saysstudents sometimes spend a yeardoing research and preparingtheir projects. The history clubfocuses on community service, soparticipants present their projectsat public events, at nursinghomes, in store fronts, and atother venues. The projects havelasting value, as the research isoften donated to libraries and museums. ❑

Haley Sack, 14, center, appears in period dress for her group’s dramatic play.

Daughters of L-60’s Sack score in national history competition

Boilermaker scholarships are opento high school seniors who will beentering their first year of a two-

or four-year academicprogram at a degree-granting, accreditedcollege or universitywithin one year of theirhigh school graduation andwho are dependents ofBoilermaker members in goodstanding. A dependent may be a son,daughter, legally adopted child, or other dependent of an active, retired, disabled, or deceasedmember.

Winners are chosen based on a variety of criteria that include grades,standardized test scores,extracurricular activities, and a writtenessay on an assigned topic.

Applications for the 2007 awards willbe available from your local lodge atthe end of this year and will beaccepted from January 1 to March 1,

2007. Applications postmarkedafter the March 1, 2007, deadline cannot be considered.

Contact your local lodge to get an application. TheInternational will not mail applications

to individuals.Some local lodges

have their ownscholarship programs.Scholarships are

also available through theUnion Plus Scholarship Program

and some state and regional laborcouncils. For information on theirscholarship programs, contact theseorganizations directly.

How to apply for aHow to apply for aBoilermaker scholarshipBoilermaker scholarship

Cody Hill, second from right, joined Local 454 (Chattanooga, Tenn.) in February,becoming a third-generation Boilermaker.

His father, Mark (at far right), joined Local 454 in 1978. Cody’s great uncle, John (at farleft), and grandfather, James, are charter members of Local 454. Brothers John and James became members of Local 679 (also in Chattanooga) in 1955. They transferred toLocal 454 in 1965.

Third-generation Hill joins Local 454

Annual adjustment helpsdues revenue keep up with inflationTHE BUREAU OF LABOR Statistics(BLS) has announced a 1.3 percentaverage increase in hourly earnings forthe manufacturing industry from July2005 to July 2006. As a result, the Inter-national will raise its per capita tax in2007 by 1.3 percent (30 cents) andmonthly union dues will increase bytwice that amount (60 cents), effectiveJanuary 1, 2007.

These increases are in accordancewith the Boilermakers’ Constitution.Article 12.2.2 states the monthly per capita tax will be adjusted annuallyby the BLS average percent increase inearnings for manufacturing, roundedto the nearest nickel. Article 31.2.2states that monthly union dues willincrease by twice the annual adjustedper capita tax increase.

Applying the 2005-2006 BLS 1.3 percent increase to the 2006 per

capita tax rate of $20.65 equals 28 cents (30 cents when rounded to the nearest nickel), making the 2007 per capita tax rate $20.95 effective January 1.

Monthly union dues vary by division, but the average rate willincrease by twice the annual adjustedper capita tax increase (two x 30 cents =60 cents).

The automatic dues increase was created by convention action in 1973,and has been in effect since 1975 so thatrevenue will keep up with inflation.Prior to that time, conventions had tovote for all dues increases. When theymet only every four years, that meantthey had to try to predict wage growthand expense growth over the next fouryears (now it’s five). By making the increase automatic and pegging itto rising wages, they ensured rises inrevenue kept pace with inflation and did not create a hardship on mem-bers since the increases are linked towage increases. ❑

Megan Sack, 16, displays her history exhibit. Per capita tax to increaseby 30 cents in 2007

12 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006A P P R E N T I C E C O M P E T I T I O N

test administrator. Judges were as follows: from the Western States Area,Brian Moore, ARB Inc.; from the GreatLakes Area, Tony Parsiliti, GemIndustrial Inc., and Robert Schwartz,Local Lodge 1 vice president andassistant business manager; from theSoutheast Area, Chuck Harvey, Babcock & Wilcox Construction Co.Inc., and Cam Juncal, IR; from theNortheast Area, Michael Bray, GeorgeYoung Company, and John Doherty,Local Lodge 28 vice president andapprentice coordinator; and from theNTL, William Coiner, Industrial Contractors Inc. and Gary Scott, vicepresident and assistant business rep.

The event was capped by anawards banquet at which all contest-ants were recognized. The awardsbanquet also acknowledged the con-tributions made by Gerard J. “Jerry”Kaelin to the apprenticeship program.Pat Smith, BNAP program coordina-tor, presented Kaelin with the Boiler-makers National Recognition Award.Kaelin is the CEO of the AmericanBoiler & Chimney Co., chairman ofBNAP, and chairman of the NortheastArea Apprentice Council.

Keynote speakers for the eventwere IP Newton Jones and the execu-tive director of Helmets to Hardhats,Matthew P. Caufield, Maj. Gen.U.S.M.C. (retired).

Apprentices compete in four areasCONTESTANTS COMPETED in fourareas at the national event: classroom,rigging, welding, and “Boilermakerskills.” Each area was worth 300 points.The 10-hour classroom test included awritten exam on Boilermaker historyand organization, OSHA safety rules,and on-the-job training issues.

In the rigging section, contestants setup and performed a tank lift usingwinches, a boom derrick and an equal-izer beam, controlling the lift usinghand signals. The project required plac-ing the tank onto a pad at a specific ele-vation and nozzle location. Contestantswere required to reeve a four-part lineand calculate the percentages of theload to be carried by the line and thederrick. Other elements of this section

included ropes and knots and blocksand reeving.

The welding test included tube weld-ing, plate welding, burning, stud weld-ing, arc gouging, and safety.Contestants had a five-hour time limitto remove and replace a failed tube.This required measuring and cuttingthe tube and replacing it using heliarcand SMAW techniques. Judging crite-ria included measuring, quality of cuts,beveling, and membrane welding. Theplate welding assignment requiredcontestants to connect vertical and hor-izontal plates using both 3/16- and5/32-diameter welding rods.

The “Boilermaker skills” sectionencompassed tube rolling, layout andfabrication, boiler component identifi-cation, tool identification and use, andCPR. This year, contestants wererequired to lay out a small boiler hop-per replica. To add to the challenge, not

all dimensions were provided in theinstructions and had to be calculatedduring the assignment. The projectincluded laying out the hopper and cut-ting, bending, and assembling it. Theassignment also included laying out astructural member, including the pre-cise alignment of bolt holes.

Meredith credits grandfatherfor inspirationFIRST-PLACE WINNER William J.Meredith says he had two things goingfor him as he entered the competitionfor the National Outstanding Appren-ticeship Award. He had lots of experi-ence competing, and he had, in hisupbringing, a firm but guiding handfrom a retired Boilermaker.

Meredith served as a battalion com-mander in the junior Reserve OfficerTraining Corps (ROTC) in Owensville,Ky., during his high school years. On

the rifle drill team, he performed beforethe critical eyes of 500 other cadets, andhe led his team to finish near the top instate competition. Those days of spitand shine and endless practice left anindelible mark on Meredith, whobelieves strongly in the importance ofpersonal appearance and preparation.

He says he is fortunate that his grand-father and namesake, William L.Meredith, played a central role in hisupbringing. The elder Meredith“stepped up and filled the shoes of afather as well as a grandfather,” recallsthe graduate apprentice, noting that hispaternal father was absent from his life.William L. Meredith, a 40-year retiredfield construction Boilermaker out ofLocal 40, “taught me a lot about work-ing with my hands,” says the youngerMeredith. “He also insisted upon mygetting an education.” ❑

William Meredith, Local 40, rolls a tube.William Meredith, Local 40, rolls a tube.

Jaramie Hillard, LocalJaramie Hillard, Local85, brushes up his plate85, brushes up his platewelding assignment.welding assignment.

Lucas McDonald, Local 237,Lucas McDonald, Local 237,makes a stud welding mark.makes a stud welding mark.

Apprentice Competitioncontinued from page 1

Jerry Kaelin accepts the BoilermakerJerry Kaelin accepts the BoilermakerNational Recognition Award.National Recognition Award.

Oct • Dec 2006 the Boilermaker Reporter - 13A P P R E N T I C E C O M P E T I T I O N

90Ames Meyers, Local 4,90Ames Meyers, Local 4,renders a block.renders a block.

Rex Pears, Local 154,Rex Pears, Local 154,demonstrates hisdemonstrates hisreeving skills.reeving skills.Michael Davis, Local 30,Michael Davis, Local 30,

lays out a boiler lays out a boiler hopper replica.hopper replica.

Aaron Pfliger, Local 647,Aaron Pfliger, Local 647,performs a vertical fillet weld.performs a vertical fillet weld.

Kurtis Jackson, LocalKurtis Jackson, Local502, tightens a clamp502, tightens a clampon a becket.on a becket.

14 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006A P P R E N T I C E N E W S

Pfliger and Hillard win GreatLakes; Pears and McDonaldwin NortheastEACH YEAR THE GREAT LAKES andNortheast areas hold their annual areaapprentice competitions together, witheach area providing their own judges.This year’s event was held May 21-25 atLocal Lodge 7 (Buffalo, N.Y.).

Aaron Pfliger, Local Lodge 647 (Min-neapolis) and Jaramie Hillard, LocalLodge 85 (Toledo, Ohio) placed firstand second in the Great Lakes AreaBoilermaker Apprentice Program(GLABAP) competition. Rex Pears,Local Lodge 154 (Pittsburgh) andLucas McDonald, Local Lodge 237(Hartford, Conn.) placed first and sec-ond in the Northeast Area BoilermakerApprentice Program (NEABAP). Thewinners went on to represent theirareas in the national contest in Kansas City.

Also competing in the GLABAP con-test were Christopher McDaniel, Local

1 (Chicago), Steven Kallies, Local 374(Hammond, Ind.), and DanielKruichuk, Local 744 (Cleveland).

Other contestants in the NEABAPcompetition were Edwin Hamilton,Local 5 (New York), Jeremiah Flagg,Local 7 (Buffalo, N.Y.), Robert Hall,Local 13 (Philadelphia), Mark McFad-den, Local 28 (Newark, N.J.), andJoshua Morse, Local 29 (Boston).

Judges were John Cammuso, Bab-cock Power Inc.; Mike Card, L-169 pres-ident; Gary Gresko, Local 13; RobertSchwartz, Local 1 vice president; NickGushue, Local 13 instructor; TonyPalmisano, IR; Jack Doherty, Local 28;Michael Stanton, Local 154 instructor;Phil Hornburger, Local 197 instructor;Bob Heine, IR; Ray Orsi, Local 154instructor; Paul Jewel, Stevens PaintonCorp.; and Tom Cook, Local 5 assistantbusiness manager.

In 2007, the Great Lakes and Northeast area competition will be hosted at Local Lodge 13(Philadelphia). ❑

Great Lakes Area contestants include, l. to r., Aaron Phliger, Local 647; JaramieHillard, Local 85; Daniel Kruichuk, Local 744; Steven Kallies, Local 374; andChristopher McDaniel, Local 1.

Northeast Area contestants include, l. to r., Edwin Hamilton, Local 5; JeremiahFlagg, Local 7; Robert Hall, Local 13; Mark McFadden, Local 28; Joshua Morse,Local 29; Rex Pears, Local 154; and Lucas McDonald, Local 237.

Great Lakes, Northeasthold area competitions

Seventeen local lodges arerepresented in competitionWILLIAM J. MEREDITH, Local Lodge40 (Elizabethtown, Ky.) won the PaulD. Wedge Memorial Award for theOutstanding Graduate Apprentice ofthe Southeast Area in competition heldAugust 21-24. Michael Davis, LocalLodge 30 (Greensboro, N.C.) tooksecond place. Winning the 38th annualevent entitled the twomen to compete in the national contest Sept.17-21 in Kansas City.

The names and locallodges of other competi-tors are Lee Aurand-Hosey, 454 (Chattanooga,Tenn.); Johnathon Bates,26 (Savannah, Ga.); SethCollier, 105 (Chillicothe,Ohio); Herbert Feran III,687 (Charleston Heights,S.C.); Eric Fuller, 108(Birmingham, Ala.);Jonathan Hadley, 112(Mobile, Ala.); EdwardHill, 45 (Richmond, Va.);Joseph Johnson III, 199(Jacksonville, Fla.); AlexKeel, 455 (Sheffield, Ala.);Matthew Kennedy, 667(Charleston, W.Va.);Rueben Massey, 263 (Memphis, Tenn.);Chad McCulloch, 83 (Kansas City,Mo.); Roger Simek, 132 (Galveston,Texas); Douglas Steponaitis Jr., 433(Tampa, Fla.); and William Young, 453(Knoxville, Tenn.).

This year contestants from 17 of the26 local lodges under the SoutheastArea Joint Apprentice Committee(SAJAC) sent contestants — surpass-ing last year’s record of 15. The compe-

tition was hosted by Local Lodge 687 ofCharleston Heights, S.C.

SAJAC director Mike Peterson calledthis year ’s event participants “fineyoung craftsmen who are surely assetsto their locals and to the Boilermakersunion.” He proudly reported that theSoutheast Area competition was hon-ored by the presence of Jim Wedge, sonof the late Paul D. Wedge, for whom theaward is named.

Union judges for this year’s eventwere Steve Speed, IR-CD-GO; MarkVandiver, IR-CD-GO; Bill Elrod, IR(retired); Lou Novak, IR (retired); BarryEdwards, IR-FBO (retired); andMichael McCluskey from SAJAC.Employer judges included Chuck Har-vey, B&W Construction; Hank Var-num, Central Maintenance and Repair;Kelly Lykens and Scott Szeghi, Enerfab;and Bob Rider and Jeff Sutherland,APCom Power. ❑

Meredith, Davis win SoutheastArea apprentice contest

William J. Meredith accepts the SE Area Apprentice Award. From left are IVP Sam May, SAJAC co-chairman; Mike Carroll, SAJAC co-chairman, APCom Power; Meredith; William L.Meredith (grandfather and retired 40-year member);and IP Newton Jones.

Eight locals send topapprentices to 19th annual competitionAMES MEYERS OF LOCAL Lodge 4(Page, Ariz.) won the James F. PrechtAward as this year’s top apprentice forthe Western States area. Kurtis Jackson,Local Lodge 502 (Tacoma, Wash.),placed second. Winning the 19thannual area competition entitled thetwo men to compete in the nationalcontest Sept. 17-21 in Kansas City.

Other contestants and their local lodges were MarkGreen, L-11 (Helena,Mont.); Dorian Durazo,L-92 (Los Angeles,Calif.); Mark Wilcoxon,L-101, (Denver); JaimeSanchez, L-182 (SaltLake City, Utah); ScottOlson, L-242 (Spokane,Wash.); and Paul Irving, L-627 (Phoenix).

Sponsored by theWestern States JointApprentice Committee

(WSJAC), the annual competition washeld June 5-7 at the Local 627 trainingfacilities. Union judges were ErnieWilden, Fred Borboa, and Roger Ross,all from Local 627. Three contractorjudges also participated: Ken Null ofBabcock & Wilcox; Tony Burns of Elec-trical Energy Services Inc., and TomValentine of Hawaiian Dredging.

The competition also included pres-entation of the Greg Streblow Scholas-tic Award to Scott Olson of Local 242and the Don Lacefield Local of the YearAward to Local 11.

WSJAC Area Coordi-nator Kyle Evensonsends a special thanks toLocal 627 for the loan oftheir training facilitiesand the assistance ofBM-ST Allen Meyers,Merlin Peterson, retiredLocal 627 instructorDave Caudill, and theLocal 627 office staff. ❑

Meyers, Jackson winWestern States competition

Ames Meyers, Local 4,won first place.

Help someone you knowbecome a Boilermaker!NOW IS A GREAT time to become a construction

Boilermaker apprentice. Economic projections suggest that this year is the beginning of a long boom

in construction and maintenance work in electric power plants,refineries, and other industries served

by Boilermakers.Interested parties can learn how to apply for the

apprentice program by visiting www.bnap.com.

Oct • Dec 2006 the Boilermaker Reporter - 15A P P R E N T I C E N E W S

ALTHOUGH ONLY 19 YEARS old,Brian Murphy, a new apprentice withLocal 7 (Buffalo, N.Y.) knows a lotabout safety, training, and looking outfor others. A volunteer firefighter andemergency medical technician, Mur-phy is also a lifeguard.

This past summer, he put his skills tothe test when he saved seven peoplefrom the waters of Lake Erie.

July 23 was a cloudy and blusteryday along Buffalo’s Bennett Beach,where Murphy and another lifeguard,Laura Zailac, were on duty, chargedwith keeping an eye on nearby swimmers. But it was further out on thelake, about a mile, where a potentialtragedy was unfolding. A motor boattowing a disabled craft had swampedin choppy seas, and seven people,including a six-year-old girl, were in the water. All wore life jackets; how-

ever, windy conditions increased theirrisk of hypothermia.

From their position on the beach,Murphy’s partner spied a wisp ofsmoke. Then the two lifeguards sawtwo flashes that looked like fireworks.Peering into the distance, Murphymade out human forms bobbingamong the waves and realized the flashes were emergency flares.Instinctively, he tossed his cell phone tothe other lifeguard, shouting, “Call911!” Then he raced to the water,jumped into the park’s kayak, and paddled like crazy into the two- andthree-foot swells.

“I had never kayaked that far,” Mur-phy recalled. “It was real hard. I hurt allthe way out there, but I knew I couldn’tstop. By the time I got out there I couldhardly move.”

When Murphy arrived at last, the lit-tle girl’s lips were turning blue. Heplaced her in the kayak and ignoringthe pain struck for shore.

Reaching the beach, he handed thegirl off to the other lifeguard andboarded a rescue boat that had arrivedon scene. He helped pull two adults tosafety, and a Coast Guard boat pulledout the other four.

Murphy learned later that appar-ently no one else had seen the distresssignals, and that except for the actionsof the lifeguards, all seven peoplemight have perished.

On August 1, local officials held a ceremony on the beach honoring Mur-phy, his partner, and a third lifeguard.The six-year-old girl Murphy hadsaved presented him with a balloon, acard she had made, and a hug. ❑

L-7 apprentice recalls daring Lake Erie rescue

Brian Murphy

Resumes for future full-time instructor positions

are being accepted at theNational Apprenticeship

Training Center in KansasCity, Kansas, through

February 28, 2007. Ten years of journeymanBoilermaker experience is preferred. Welding

certification (tube, plate) and a working understandingof other welding procedures(i.e. orbital welding), rigging,and tube rolling are required.

Drafting, blueprint, and layoutexperience is a definite plus.

Previous instructional experience is not required;

will train. Wage and benefitsare comparable to

Local 83 field package. More information is available

upon written request only(phone inquiries not

accepted). Please send resumesand written requests to the

attention of:Barbara Dunham

1017 North 9th St., Kansas City KS 66101.

RESUMES SOUGHT

FORAPPRENTICE

INSTRUCTORS

16 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006 J O B S & K U D O S

Once mothballed, $460million project is finishedthree-and-a-half monthsearly and on budgetBOILERMAKERS FROM LOCAL 92(Los Angeles) played a leading role in ajob that brought a major power plantproject in Southern California out ofmothballs and into full operation byearly 2006 — three-and-a-half monthsahead of schedule and on budget.

The $460 million Mountainviewpower plant in Redlands, Calif., 65miles east of Los Angeles, is a 1,056-megawatt combined cycle facilityfueled by natural gas. Owned bySouthern California Edison and engi-neered and built by Bechtel, Mountain-view generates enough power toservice 685,000 homes. The facility is30-40 percent more efficient than oldergas-fired plants. Each of the plant’s twounits includes two combustion tur-bines, two heat recovery steam genera-tors (HRSGs), and one steam turbine.HRSGs capture exhaust heat from thecombustion turbines and use it to createsteam for the steam turbine.

Ed Marquez, BM-ST for L-92, saidBoilermakers were a primary reasonthe project was completed so well andso fast. “At the ribbon cutting, ourmembers were commended for settingthe production tempo, for low absen-teeism, and for commitment to safety,”he said. With a maximum peak crew of126 members, Boilermakers worked200,000 man-hours over an 18-monthperiod, making over 200 heavy lifts and erecting 6,000 tons of steel and boiler components.

A major obstacle during the projectwas rain. In fact, 2004-2005 was the sec-ond wettest winter on record for South-ern California. In a two-week stretch, 15inches of rain fell. According to Bechtelsite manager Rick May, the rainknocked 30 days off the constructionschedule. But the Boilermakers stayedon top of the project and made up forlost time. They kept construction areasfree of debris and obstructions. Theyput in extra hours (including workingtwo shifts). And they stayed ahead ofthe welding requirements. The crewcompleted erection of the four HRSGsin what May said was near-record timefor the Bechtel company. Local 92’swork also included erecting four 200-ft.-tall, 18-ft.-diameter stacks; fourfilter houses; four exhaust fusers; andtwo condensers.

“The guys and gals from Local 92were truly impressive,” said May. “We had an excellent safety recordamong all the trades on the job, but theBoilermakers had the best safetyrecord, hands down.” The Local 92crew had only one lost-time accidentduring the year-and-a-half it workedon the power plant.

Market uncertainties held upinitial projectTHE MOUNTAINVIEW project firstbegan in 2001 under a different owner.However, uncertainties in the Califor-nia power market following the state’s2000-2001 energy crisis led to cancella-tion of the project after it was only 15percent completed. About 30 Boiler-makers worked on the initial job.

The project sat dormant for twoyears. Meanwhile, demand for electric-ity continued to surge in southern Cali-fornia. In March 2004, southernCalifornia Edison purchased the proj-ect and hired Bechtel to complete it.

Boilermakers field “a model crew”L-92 BM-ST MARQUEZ credited Boil-ermaker foremen for superbly organiz-ing the work and the Boilermaker crewfor a commitment to doing the job right.“I had a model crew out there,” he said,“including a top-notch general fore-man — Bob Traister.” Before the projectwas over, Bechtel offered Traister a jobas a superintendent, a position he waspleased to accept.

Marquez also applauded the work ofthe other Boilermaker foremen: RonTorres, Joey Collins, Alvin Manning,Brian Ortiz, Bob Stormo Jr., Jimmy Holland, Charlie Farrell, Bob Auterson,Glen Duran, John Blevins, and Mike Cornell.

“Every foreman out there excelled,”Traister said. “They took the job as part of their own. Also, the supportfrom engineering and the local unionwas outstanding. They took care of business.”

Bechtel’s Rick May said, “I’ve beeninvolved in projects all over the world.This was the best crew I’ve ever workedwith. Top to bottom, the Boilermakersdisplayed leadership skills, a strong

work ethic, pride, and professionalism.These were very highly-skilled men and women. These guys shined.They provided leadership not onlyamong the Boilermakers but to all thecrafts on site.”

The Mountainview power plantbecame fully operational January 19,2006, and was dedicated April 21. It isthe first new major L.A. Basin powerplant built in the last 30 years. ❑

“At the ribbon cutting, our members were commended for setting the production tempo, for low absenteeism, and for commitment to safety.”

— Ed Marquez, L-92 BM-ST

Local 92 shines in power plant jobLocal 92 shines in power plant jobnear L.A.near L.A.

Boilermakers from Local 92 helped build this 1,056-megawatt combined cycle facility in Redlands, Calif., erecting fourheat recovery steam generators in near record time for Bechtel.

Members prepare to lift tube bundles during the construction project.

“This was the best crew I’ve everworked with. Top to bottom, the Boilermakers displayed leadershipskills, a strong work ethic, pride, and professionalism.”

— Rick May, Bechtel site manager

L-4 improves, ElectricalEnergy Services says theyperformed as professionalsI WANTED TO TAKE time to thank you[Gary Evenson, L-4 BM-ST Pro Tem] andyour Boilermakers for the job that wasdone at the Tri-State, EscalanteGenerating Station in Prewitt, N.M., thispast April/May.

As you know, the previous overhaul atEscalante had left the Tri-Statemanagement team with a sour taste forthe Local 4 Boilermakers. So much thatthey were very apprehensive aboutE.E.S.I. using your people during thisspring’s outage.

As you promised, this overhaul wasquite the opposite. Your Boilermakersperformed as professionals. The job wascompleted on time, even with having beengiven additional work to do. The generalforeman was Norman Black and his twoforemen were Lewis Dodson and CurtisCollins. These people took care ofbusiness. Needless to say, the customerwas very happy with the Boilermakers’performance this time. This type of workattitude is what allows both of us a goodchance of doing the next job for this customer.

We also want to thank Berdi McCade[Local 4 office manager] for the help thatshe provided during the project. Shemade herself available during her offhours so that we had a contact with theunion hall if needed. On severaloccasions she was called during her offhours, with no notice, to provide us withadditional people, which she wassomehow able to do in a timely manner.

I would like to be able to tell you that this

outage was accident free, but this wasnot the case this time. We had threeaccident reports filed involvingBoilermakers during the outage. Nothingserious, but we all need to work harder asa team to eliminate all accidents fromaccruing on our next job.

Again, Doug Cole [project manager],Danny Green [supervisor], and I want tothank you and your people for a job well done.

TONY BURNS, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

DOUG COLE, PROJECT MANAGER

Dominion thanks L-29 for jobwell doneTHE 2006 BRAYTON POINT Unit 3overhaul was the largest in the last 25years. Fifty percent of this overhaulconsisted of the SCR project with itsmultiple sub-systems and diverse workforce. The project met all its criticalmilestones and maintained an impressiveOSHA recordable incident rate of 1.53.

The quality of the workmanship washigh, which was evident by the minorpunch lists and rework, smooth startup,and two ID fan/motor sets returning toservice without balance shot! Thesuccessful implementation of the projectenabled Unit 3 to return to service 40hours ahead of schedule! This successdid not occur without an exceptional teamof Local 29 Boilermakers. There were inexcess of 300 Boilermakers workingcomplex multiple projects within inchesof one another, emphasizing qualityworkmanship, and working cooperativelywith each other and the other overhaul groups.

Tim [Tim O’Leary, BM-ST, Local 29,Boston], you and your members shouldbe very proud of this accomplishmentand I want to thank you for a job welldone. It was a pleasure having a qualityteam on a significant environmental

project that will maintain the station’sviability into the future.

TOM MOSS, PROJECT DIRECTOR

BRAYTON POINT ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS

DOMINION ENERGY NEW ENGLAND INC.

Superbly done L-60! THIS LETTER ADDRESSES the superbperformance of the Boilermaker crew [L-60, Peoria, Ill.] during the Exelon ByronGeneration Station B1R14 outage; mostimportantly, the outstanding effortdisplayed by the Boilermaker crew on thenight shift of September 21, 2006.

During the outage an FME (foreignmaterial exclusion) concern wasdiscovered that put that particular workon critical path for the outage. Outsidevendors were called in to retrieve theforeign material, but were unsuccessful.The Boilermaker crew was given anopportunity to retrieve the foreignmaterial and did it successfully inapproximately five percent of the totaltime it took other outside venders.

Their performance should becommended as they demonstrated thedrive and desire needed in these highpressure outages.

Siemens PG and SWGS would like toextend our gratitude for a job well done and look forward to working withBoilermakers of the same caliber in the future.

JEFF KRISTENSEN

SIEMENS POWER GENERATION

JOHN MONTANELLI

SIEMENS WESTINGHOUSE GENERATION SERVICES

LG Constructors praises L-92THE HARRY ALLEN Station expansionproject is winding to a close. We wereable to achieve substantial completion onour scheduled date of March 29. On anyproject this is an achievement; however,on this project we met our scheduledobligations without a single first aid caseand while working union labor onselective overtime.

The work ethic, performance, andattention to safety displayed by theBoilermakers provided out of your local[Local 92, Los Angeles] helped to makethis project a success on all fronts.Considering we were in competition forthis project with two other EPC [engineer,procure, and construct] contractors whowere proposing nonunion labor, we arevery pleased in the quality andproductivity of the union labor youprovided. Absenteeism was almost non-existent and never an issue on this project.

To date we have worked a total of 76,120man-hours injury free and as a result have earned Lockwood Greene’s 2005President’s Cup for safety, as well aspraises from the owner, Nevada Power.Our collective performance here has led directly to further work with thisvalued customer.

We would like to thank you [L-92 BM-STEdward Marquez], general foreman DanCampos, steward Duane Gleason, and allthe Boilermakers for their participation inmaking this project a success. As we allmove on to the next project, I would like towish all who have worked for LGConstructors a very successful future.

MAURICE MEAGHER, PROJECT MANAGER

LG CONSTRUCTORS

The Venture Thanks L-60I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS my sincerethanks to you [BM-ST Edward Hebert, Local 60, Peoria, Ill.], your craft, and yourlocal hall for your support during theClinton Power Station’s recent C1R10refueling outage. In cooperation with yourBrotherhood, Venture completed ouroutage scope under cost, withinschedule, under our radiation dose goals,and with an improved safety record fromprevious refueling outages.

As with most large projects, there arespecific areas where we can improve asa team. Generally speaking C1R10 was agreat success. I look forward to workingwith you in the future.

GRAHAM CROSS, PROJECT MANAGER

THE VENTURE

Oct • Dec 2006 the Boilermaker Reporter - 17J O B S & K U D O S

Bundles going up at Mountainview .

KUDOSLocal 524 members willbuild 60 units per week;membership increasesWITH ALTERNATIVE FUEL pro-duction on the rise in the U.S.,members of Local 524 (Chicago)are busy making railroad tank carsto haul ethanol. In fact, employerUnion Tank Car has notified theunion that it plans to build 60 carsa week through 2008 — 20 unitsmore per week than the plant had been producing.

Kelly Hounshell, Local 524’spresident, said his lodge hasadded nearly 200 members in thelast year as Union Tank Car rampsup to meet the growing demand.“We’re working quite a bit of over-time,” Hounshell said, “includingsix-day workweeks.”

Local 524 members build the30,000-gal. tank cars from scratch,said Hounshell. They begin with aflat plate that is rolled into a tube.“Heads” are welded onto eitherend of the car body, and othercomponents are attached. The unitis then set onto a wheeled chassisor “truck.”

Union Tank Car operates twoother plants that build identicaltank cars — one in Sheldon, Texas,the other, a new facility, in Alexan-dria, La. Both of those plants arenonunion.

Hounshell said he and his mem-bers are cautiously optimisticabout the positive work outlook.“The company has told us theyhave a heavy workload, enough tokeep all three plants busy.” Unionand company relations have beengetting better, too, he added. Thelocal ratified a three-year contractin December 2005 that includedwage increases as well as improve-ments in health insurance, pen-sions, vacation, and 401(k)matches.

Local 524 was chartered on June 18, 1974.

Future looksgood at UnionTank Car

Great Job!

Retiree Ron Robertspresents gift to local,International

Photo, poem depict life,work for L-29 memberWHEN MEMBERS RETIRE,their co-workers often throwthem parties with gifts. But when Ronald Robertsretired, he provided the gifts —framed and matted copies of apoem he wrote for his local and International union.

Roberts, a member of BostonLocal 29 since 1979, has workedat construction sites since he wasa permit man in 1973. Whileworking at a coal-fired plant afew years ago, Roberts wrote apoem about men leaving the jobsite. He was working at the sameplant this year when he decidedto frame the poem as a thank-you gift to his union.

As his May 2006 retirementdate approached, Robertsthought about what type of art-work he could use to illustrate

the poem. Putting on the bootsand gloves he wore everyday towork, Roberts decided theywould make a great photo. Dur-ing his lunch break, he removedhis boots and gloves and pho-tographed them near a grating stairway.

Upon his retirement, Robertspresented a framed and mattedcopy of his photo and poem to Local 29 President Tom Sac-coach for display at the local’sunion hall. Roberts also askedSaccoach to forward a secondframed and matted copy toKansas City for display at Inter-national headquarters.

Roberts has received so muchpositive feedback about his giftthat he decided to make 1,000limited prints. If anyone is inter-ested in a copy of Roberts’ photoand poem, please contact him atrobbers2000@yahoo.com.

18 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006R E T I R E E N E W S

The Beach Boys sang about it. Now retired Boilermaker Rich Chavez (Local 60, Peoria, Ill.) is driving it: a 1932 model Deuce Coupe hot rod. Chavez says that although he retired in 1999, “build, build, build is in my blood.” He spent three years and “a fewsleepless nights” building his very own “Little Deuce Coupe,” which is powered by a 350 cubic inch Chevy engine and a 350 turbo automatic transmission. The Beach Boysmade their “Little Deuce Coupe” hit single in 1963.

The Local 193 (Baltimore, Md.) retirees club is onthe lookout for new members. Retiree Dennis Barronorganized the club about four years ago; it meets thesecond Tuesday of each month at Ryan’s Restaurant inMartinsburg, W.Va. Above, club members,representing 354 years of combined Boilermakerservice, enjoy a get-together. Front row, l. to r., areMarvin T. Bowers (58 years), Kenny Bowers (41 years),Steve Hammond (35 years), and Charles “Allie” Kenney(37 years). Back row, l. to r., are Willie “Bill” Parrish (36years), Roger Ward (35 years), Wayne Smith (32 years),Dennis Barron (37 years), and Gary Stottlemyer (43years). For information about joining the club, contactLocal 193 at 410-355-2344.

L-27’s Johnson earns silver medalsWILLIAM JOHNSON, a 40-year member of Local 27 (St. Louis), was a two-time winner at the 20th annual National VeteransGolden Age Games in Virginia Beach, Va. Johnson entered three events at the “Champions by the Bay” series of games in May, earning silver medals in both the horseshoe and bowling competitions.

L-193 retirees clubseeks members

L-60’s ChavezL-60’s Chavezbuilds ‘Littlebuilds ‘LittleDeuce Coupe’Deuce Coupe’

THE LOCAL 104/LOCAL 568 retireesclub (Seattle, Wash.) continues tothrive after 44 years of existence. Theclub was formed in 1962. It meetsmonthly from September throughMay and draws about 35 membersand their spouses to each meeting.

Mac McCormick, the club’s secre-tary-treasurer, says the Decembermeeting is something special, includ-ing a luncheon “with all the trim-mings.” That event usually drawsabout 90 retirees, he notes.

McCormick invites retirees andtheir wives from any Seattle lodge to

participate in the club. Meetings areheld the second Saturday of themonth, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at theold union hall (upstairs), at 1017 Stew-art Street. The club offers a great wayto stay in touch and “tell stories of pastyears,” says McCormick. A newsletteris available to dues-paying members.

Seattle retirees club still going strong

Even in “free-trade” states,winners opposed the currenttrade policyAS NEWSCASTERS and political analysts sought to explain why Ameri-cans threw so many Republicans out ofoffice on November 7, one word camebecame a litany: Iraq. Analysts spoke atlength about how winners opposed theway President Bush and the Republi-can Congress are handling the war.

But Democrats who defeated Repub-licans in this year’s elections also hadanother stance in common. Theyopposed the trade policies that havebeen blamed for the United States los-ing millions of manufacturing jobs inthe past six years.

Election results show that campaign-ing for a new trade policy that benefitsAmerican workers and farmers is awinning strategy. Candidates whofailed to distance themselves from theNAFTA-WTO status quo, with its tradedeficit and loss of manufacturing jobs,lost their elections — and their jobs —even in the “free trade” states of Iowa,Kansas, and Missouri.

In the Midwest, advocates oftrade policy change pulled upsetsVOTERS IN SEVERAL states in t heMidwest showed they do not necessar-ily support the free-trade stances theirstates have adopted. In Iowa, Kansas,and Missouri, candidates advocatingchanges in the nation’s trade policydefeated candidates who supportedthe free-trade status quo.

In Iowa’s 1st congressional district,Bruce Braley’s campaign ads called fortrade policy change. Ads for his Repub-lican opponent, Mike Whalen, askedfor no change. Braley won the seat by a55-43 margin.

Republican Jim Nussle, an ardentfree-trader, had held that seat for 16

years, but chose this year to run forgovernor. He lost.

The Kansas 2nd congressional dis-trict saw a surprising defeat for 10-yearHouse veteran Jim Ryun (R), a relent-less free-trader. Throughout her cam-paign, Democratic challenger NancyBoyda called for our failed “free trade”deals to be replaced by fair trade agree-ments. She overcame a double-digitdeficit to win by four percentage points,despite last-minute campaign assis-tance for Ryun from President Bush.

But Missouri held the biggest upset.Republican Senator Jim Talent neversaw a free-trade agreement he didn’tlike; his voting record against workerson trade policy was 100 percent. Hisopponent, Democrat Claire McCaskill,ran ads promising to “block the out-sourcing of Missouri jobs” and to “fightfor fair trade policies.” She squeakedout a win, despite vicious attack adsthat prompted several Missouri news-papers to criticize Talent for his “bot-tom-feeder” approach to politics.

Whether incumbent or open seat, the race went tofair tradeA TOTAL OF at least 15 House andfour Senate incumbents who sup-ported anti-worker trade policies werebeaten by challengers who advocatedtrade policy changes.

Open-seat races showed a similarpattern. In 11 House and one Senateopen-seat races, fair traders beat thoserunning for the trade status quo.

As of this writing, another eightHouse races races were still too close tocall, but no member of Congress with aconsistent fair-trade voting record wasdefeated, except Rep. John Hostettler(R-8th, Ind.) Hostettler is an arch con-servative and strong Bush supporterwhose Democratic opponent, BradEllsworth, asserted in his campaignthat Washington had “quit listening.”

Another Republican fair-trader, RobSimmons (2nd, Conn.) was hanging onin a race that was too close to call atpress time. Simmons gained supportfrom many workers by opposing FastTrack, CAFTA, and the Oman FTA.

Fair trade message yieldssurprise upsetsSEVERAL REPUBLICAN congres-sional leaders with anti-worker tradestances were defeated in surpriseupsets. Rep. Clay Shaw (22nd, Fla.),chair of the Ways and Means TradeSubcommittee chair, and fellow Waysand Means Committee membersNancy Johnson (5th, Conn.) and ChrisChocola (2nd, Ind.) were all replaced byfair-trade advocates — Ron Klein,Chris Murphy, and Joe Donnelly.

The only Democratic incumbentsseeking higher office who weredefeated were Reps. Harold Ford Jr.(9th, Tenn.) and Jim Davis (11th, Fla.).Neither candidate supported worker-friendly trade policies, and they paidfor it. Ford lost his bid for the open Sen-ate seat in Tennessee; Davis lost his runfor the governorship of Florida.

Trade will shape thisCongress, future electionsYOU WOULDN’T KNOW it frommainstream media post-election cover-age, but exit polls conducted on elec-

tion day suggested that Americans’anxiety about the economy and jobsecurity may have actually been agreater vote motivator than their con-cerns about the Iraq war.

New York Times exit polls found theeconomy to be the top concern of voterswhile CNN’s exit polls showed that theeconomy beat Iraq as a top concern.The top concern on CNN polls was cor-ruption, followed by terrorism.

Given the near-sweep of candidateswith pro-worker positions on trade, thetrade issue may have significant impor-tance for the 2008 presidential election.To win, future national tickets cannotfeature candidates touting more-of-the-same trade deals.

Trade and the shipping of Americanjobs off-shore were actively used in 100congressional campaigns from RhodeIsland to Hawaii.

Americans have been living with cor-porate-friendly, but anti-worker tradepolicies for at least 15 years, and noweven high-end wage earners see thisstance as a negative. A 2004 PIPA pollshowed nearly three-quarters of Amer-icans making $100,000-plus thoughtthe U.S. trade policy status quo was anet negative. This view contrastssharply with PIPA findings in the 1990s,before NAFTA and other free-trade ini-tiatives had caused so much job loss,when wealthier Americans thoughtfree-trade would be a plus. ❑

Oct • Dec 2006 the Boilermaker Reporter - 19L E A P I S S U E S

RETIRED OR DISABLED membersin good standing will no longer berequired to reach 25 years of service toqualify for a lifetime membershipcard, following action by delegates atthe 31st Consolidated Conventionthis past July. In fact, delegates votedto remove the years of service require-ment entirely. The card exemptsmembers from paying dues.

Prior to the change, members withless than 25 years of service whowished to qualify for the lifetime cardhad to continue paying dues untilthey reached the service requirement.Some members paid sick or out-of-work dues as a way to meet the obliga-tion and maintain their activemembership status.

Retired member ’s cards are notgranted automatically. A memberwho wants to obtain a card mustapply for it through his local lodgeand be approved by the International

president. They must also meet one ofthe following conditions:

1) be retired and receiving a pensionfrom Social Security, Railroad Retire-ment, other government-legislatedretirement, or a collective bargainingagreement negotiated by the Interna-tional Brotherhood or a subordinatebody;

2) be disabled and receiving a disability benefit under the SocialSecurity Act, Railroad Retirement Act,or other government-legislated bene-fit. Members must remain retiredfrom all gainful employment for thecard to remain valid.

Retired or disabled members whoseek and obtain an exemption frompaying dues will be permitted toattend local lodge meetings withoutvoice or vote. Years of service towardsmembership pins will also continueto accrue, and exempt members willbe eligible for RMCs.

Convention eases requirementsfor retired member’s card

Election results will changethe way business gets doneUNION VOTERS DROVE home a vic-tory for working-family-friendly can-didates on Nov. 7. Election day exitpolling and an independent nationalelection-night survey released by theAFL-CIO show that union membersaccounted for four-fifths of the Demo-cratic victory margin.

High turnout among union mem-bers turned a win into a sweep with 74percent of union voters supportingunion-endorsed candidates in theHouse and 76 percent supportingDemocratic candidates in Senate races.

Nonunion voters supported theDemocratic House candidates by atwo-point margin. Union householdsaccounted for roughly one in four vot-ers, although union members make uponly 13 percent of eligible voters.

Sixty-nine percent of union memberssaid they disapprove of PresidentBush’s job performance, according toan election night survey conducted forthe AFL-CIO by Peter D. Hart ResearchAssociates Inc. The war in Iraq and theeconomy and jobs were union voters’top tier issues.

Ninety-two percent of union mem-bers in battleground states said theyheard from their union this electioncycle. The Boilermakers governmentaffairs department reached out to locallodges by assisting with voter-registra-tion drives, providing work-site flyers,and helping local lodges create direct

mail campaigns to educate and motivetheir members.

Many local lodges participated inlabor walks and phone banks to get outthe vote. The government affairsdepartment gave special attention totargeted states and urged locals to par-ticipate in the AFL-CIO’s “drop-offvoter” program. This program tar-geted voters who supported labor-friendly candidates in 2004, but failedto vote in the mid-term election in 2002.

The AFL-CIO reached out to 496,000drop-off voters in Ohio alone. Of the 79percent of the union drop-off voterswho said they voted, 76 percent cast aDemocratic ballot both for the Senateand the House, according to electionnight polling.

The AFL-CIO reports that more than205,000 union members volunteeredfor their political program this year.Union members knocked on more than8.25 million doors, made 30 millionphone calls, and passed out more than14 million leaflets at workplaces and inneighborhoods.

Working America, the AFL-CIO’scommunity affiliate, reached out to 1.7million members. Working Americaput special emphasis on Ohio, Penn-sylvania, and Minnesota. The programclaims to have increased union supportfor Ohio Senate candidate SherrodBrown from 53 percent to 72 percent.

Union members supported mini-mum wage increases, as well, and allsix states with increases on the ballotpassed them. ❑

Union voters madeDemocratic sweep possible

ElectionRResultsAcross the country, fair traders defeated free traders

20 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006S E T T L E M E N T S

Local 5 — New YorkEffective July 3, 2006 to June 28, 2009, for threemembers of Local 5, New York, who fabricate andrepair heating boilers at Empire IndustrialBurner Services.

Local D6 — Buffalo, IowaEffective November 1, 2005 to October 31, 2010, for67 members of Local D6, Buffalo, Iowa, who work forLafarge North America Inc., where they producecement and fly ash.

Local 13 — PhiladelphiaEffective March 1, 2006 to February 28, 2009, for 12members of Local 13, Philadelphia, who repair smallboilers at Boiler Erection and Repair, and effectiveJune 24, 2006 to June 23, 2009 for 10 members whowork at the General Marine Refrigeration Corp.

Local M18 — Buffalo, N.Y.Effective March 1, 2006 to February 28, 2011, formembers of Local M18, Buffalo, N.Y., who work atBuffalo Metal Finishing Co. Inc.

Local D37 — SeattleEffective May 1, 2006 to October 31, 2010, for 40members of Local D37, Seattle, who work for LafargeNorth America Inc., where they produce cement.

Local 83 — Kansas City, Mo.Effective April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2009, for onemember of Local 83, Kansas City, Mo., who works inthe boiler shop at Associated Mechanical Inc.

Local D92 — Bellefonte, Pa.Effective June 1, 2006 to May 31, 2011, for 125members of Local D92, Bellefonte, Pa., who work forGraymont Inc. producing lime.

Local 104 — SeattleEffective October 27, 2005 to July 1, 2007, for onemember of Local 104, Seattle, at Marco Global Inc.;effective July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007, for onemember at New Way Forming Inc. and New WayStructures Inc.; effective July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2009,for five members at the Pacific Ship Repair &Fabrication Company; effective October 1, 2005 toMarch 31, 2008, for eight members at San Juan BlastCleaning & Coating; effective October 1, 2005 toMarch 31, 2008, for 20 members at T-Bailey Inc.;effective August 1, 2005 to July 31, 2008, for 450members at the Todd Pacific Shipyard; and effectiveOctober 1, 2006 to October 1, 2009, for two membersat Tri-State Construction.

Local 146 — Edmonton, AlbertaEffective January 22, 2006 to August 31, 2007, for 19members of Local 146, Edmonton, Alberta, atAlberta Custom Pipe Bending and ManufacturingLtd.; and effective November 28, 2005 to May 31,2008, for 33 members at Corlac Industries.

Local 154 — PittsburghEffective January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2007, for 22members of Local 154, Pittsburgh, at WitherupFabrication and Erection, where members fabricateand erect carbon and stainless steel welded storagetanks and pressure vessels of all sizes.

Local 158 — Peoria, Ill.Effective February 19, 2006 to February 15, 2008, forfour members of Local 158, Peoria, Ill., who producerailroad track maintenance equipment at Teleweld.

Local 182 — Salt Lake CityEffective May 1, 2006 to May 1, 2007, for fivemembers of Local 182, Salt Lake City, who fabricatestructural steel at Western Steel Manufacturing.

Local S185 — Belleville, Ill.Effective April 26, 2006 to April 15, 2007, for 30members of Local S185, Belleville, Ill., who work inthe enamel shop at Roesch Inc. making componentparts for cooking ranges, gas furnaces, barbecuegrills, ice merchandisers, and telephone booths.

Local 197 — Albany, N.Y.Effective July 16, 2006 to July 15, 2008, for 10members of Local 197, Albany, N.Y., who work atAdvanced Welding; effective July 16, 2006 to July 15,2008, for 12 members who perform tank repair andfabricate and fire tube boilers at American Boiler;and effective July 16, 2006 to July 15, 2008, for 32members who also perform tank repair and fabricateand fire tube boilers at Troy Boiler Works Inc.

Local S251 — Middleton, Tenn.Effective August 1, 2006 to August 4, 2010, for 400members of Local S251, Middleton, Tenn., whomanufacture, modernize, and service elevators,escalators, and moving walkways for theThyssenKrupp Elevator Co.

Local D274 — Winnipeg, ManitobaEffective July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2010, for sevenmembers of Local D274, Winnipeg, Manitoba, whomake powdered cement and bagged cement atLafarge Canada Inc.

Local D308 — Bowmansville, N.Y.Effective May 25, 2006 to May 24, 2009, for membersof Local D308, Bowmansville, N.Y., who work forBuffalo Crushed Stone producing stone and asphalt.

Local D328 — Cheektowaga, N.Y.Effective May 16, 2006 to May 15, 2009, for membersof Local D328, Cheektowaga, N.Y., who work forBuffalo Crushed Stone, and effective August 1, 2006to July 31, 2009, for members who work at CountyLime Stone Products. Members at both locationsproduce stone and asphalt.

Local D331 — Exshaw, AlbertaEffective June 4, 2005 to June 3, 2009, for 34members of Local D331, Exshaw, Alberta, whowork in the maintenance and production ofmagnesium oxide at Baymag.

Local D479 — InvermereEffective April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2009, for 19members of Local D479, Invermere, BritishColumbia, who mine gypsum for BPB Canada Inc.,and effective May 23, 2006 to January 31, 2011, for 11members who mine magnesite for John WolfeConstruction Co. Ltd.

Local 484 — Meredosia, Ill.Effective January 16, 2005 to January 16, 2009, for 93members of Local 484, Meredosia, Ill., who producepolymer emulsions for paints and coatings, non-woven fabrics, glass fibers, adhesives, paper, andtextiles for the Celanese Corporation. The membershad been locked out nearly a year when they reacheda settlement agreement with Celanese in May worthmillions of dollars in severance pay and bonuses.

Local 1086 — ClevelandEffective June 15, 2006 to June 15, 2011, at Wyman-Gordon Inc. for members of Local 1086, Cleveland,

who manufacture metal and composite materialparts used in aerospace turbine engines, land-basedgas turbines, and power plants.

Local 1255 — ChicagoEffective February 11, 2007 to February 5, 2011, formembers of Local 1255, Chicago, at Klein Tools. Klein products include occupational protectiveequipment and virtually every major type of handtool used in construction, electronics, mining, andgeneral industry, in addition to the electrical andtelecommunications fields.

Local 1603 — Alliance, OhioEffective August 1, 2006 to July 30, 2009, for 42members of Local 1603, Alliance, Ohio, who work atT & W Forge, a Durrel company, providing quality,durable precision forgings to leading manufacturersaround the globe. As forging experts, Local 1603members specialize in all grades of stainless, alloyand carbon steel, titanium, and other high-temperature materials.

Local 1702 — Canton, OhioEffective July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007, for 21 membersof Local 1702, Canton, Ohio, who manufacture preci-sion-made products at Ohio Metal. ❑

Union leaders negotiate contractsUNION LEADERS, like these pictured here, worklong hours to negotiate the best benefits they canfor Boilermaker members.

Negotiating a five-year agreement for Local D92members at Graymont are, l. to r.. Thomas Hoover, CurtPoorman, Scott Ripka, Kevin Reese, Bill McElwain, DanRipka, Norm Eminhizer, and IR Mark Kelly.

Negotiating a four-year extension at Klein Toolsfor members of Local 1255, Chicago, are, l. to r:seated, Collins Adjel-Boateng, Matthew Lukowski,Robert Aryee; and standing, Oscar Orellana andRoberto Andrade.

Negotiating a 54-month agreement for Local D37members at Lafarge are, l. to r., Vice Pres. WadeShearer, Pres. Kevin Anic, and job stewards StacyKazyaka Bonar and Gary Hrisko.

New contract summariesA brief listing of recent agreements signed and ratified by Boilermaker local lodges

Oct • Dec 2006 the Boilermaker Reporter - 21I N M E M O R I A M

NTL Ambrose, HenryNTL Ayres, HaroldNTL Ball Sr., JamesNTL Boso, JamesNTL DiMauro, AngeloNTL Greek, EdwardNTL Heiden, DonaldNTL Hunt, WilliamNTL Lundeen, SidneyNTL Mackey, JesseNTL McKay, CarlNTL Moorefield, LarryNTL Morris, TerryNTL Pyle, DonaldNTL Scott, JimmyNTL Smith, CarlNTL Upton, RalphNTL Waldrep Jr., Jobe1 Eason, Austin1 McDonough, Robert5 Burker, Steven5 Gilmartin, William5 Mulcahy, George5 Nesnadny, Ronald5 Prendergast, John5 Sandoval, Roberto6 Bachand, Orville6 Bevins, Wilson6 Bogdan, Gregory6 Bowman, William6 Brown, Eddie6 Cardenas, Ernest6 Crocker, Leland6 Crossan, Kenneth6 Dickinson, Richard6 Engel, Herbert6 Gardner, Robert6 Higgins, William6 Kelly, Donald6 Leon, Alex6 Mapes, Donald6 Mikes, Rudolf6 Pavels, Peter6 Rossi, Andrew6 Rossi, John6 Soli, Maape6 Tagata, Tufa

6 Worrell, Jerry7 Frasier, Clinton7 Little, Herman7 Metzger, William10 Bevier, Richard10 Lamendola, Nicholas11 Stenberg, Terry13 Derr, Ralph13 Ferguson, John13 Fidler, Guy13 Naus, Kenneth13 Oliver, Richard13 Vannicola, John13 Zubritski, Victor19 Egan, Michael19 Robbins, Shawn26 Deason, John26 Fisher, Robert26 Jenkins, Marvin26 McKiver, Cyrus26 Stafford, David26 Winkles, Joseph26 Winn, Robert27 Anderson, Bruce27 Brown, James R.27 Geimer, Melvin27 Joplin, Richard27 Martin, Michael27 Seiler, Leonard27 Stockamp, Julian27 Williamson, James28 Crowley, Michael28 Schroeder, John28 Sheahan, Frank28 Watson, Douglas29 Beckwith, Philip29 Greenleaf, Lawrence29 Heath, Dana29 Jannino, Richard29 Murphy, Joseph29 Pauley, Jeremiah29 Petillo, Sebastiano29 Skaggs, Kip37 Lassere, Arneaux37 Lindsey, Charlie37 McMillan, Fernie37 Nahrstadt, Raymond

37 Paretti, Anthony40 Brewer, Avis40 Godby, Carl40 Hutchinson, Quincy40 Rhyne, David40 Scears, Gary45 Baker, John45 Hawks, Curtis45 Hedrick, Harold45 Van Nostrand, Walter69 Evans, Howard69 White, Jimmie72 Blodgett, Jared72 Bukovi, David72 Haindel, Donald72 Hensley, Wilford72 Hill, Dale72 Hull, Mickey72 Kurth, Roger72 McKinnon, William72 Pence, Kenneth72 Price, Delmar72 Schmidt, Alexander72 Warner, Morris72 Whitney, Ronald72 Zentner, Thomas74 Flora, George74 Van Wagner, Enos79 Coker, Leon79 Grundmann, Frederick83 Fabac, John83 Kersten, James83 Learned, Wilmer83 Wrenn, Woodrow84 Lindsey, Lester85 Brown, George85 Varner, Homer92 Anderson, Russell92 Brown, William92 Divin, Frank92 Garrett, William92 Gonzales, Ray92 Guerra, Raymond92 Harris, Chester92 Johnson, Frederick92 Lucero, Manuel92 Piltaver, John

92 Steeber, Gary92 Tillar, Harold92 Wicker, William92 Williams, Myron101 Jamal, Ramul101 Martinez, Fred101 Secor, Frank101 Swenson, Delbert104 Alfredson, Victor104 Blumhagen, Clarence104 Bower, Richard104 Davis, Joe104 Dowling, John104 Hellum, Herbert104 Hertz, Leo104 Larson, Ernest104 Lervick, Harry104 Maund, Charles104 Nordaby, Theodore104 Rehder, Walter104 Roche, James104 Sizemore, Billy104 Smith, Wesley104 Southward, George104 Strickert, Landon104 Thomson, John104 Trask, Gene104 Ulrigg, Morris105 Smith, Gordon105 Spangler, Robert105 Stuckman, RonaldS105 Lilley, Glen107 Degrave, Gilbert107 Ethridge, Jeffrey107 Giard, Thomas107 Ketchum, Roland108 Bridges, James110 Williams, Herbert112 Dueitt, Darvin112 Nelson, Charles113 Smith, John W.113 Springer, Billy124 Hoover, Jerome126 Martin, John B.128 Blevins Jr., Digan128 Blue, John128 Ferreira, Antonio128 Gaulton, Raymond128 Lafond, Bruno

EMPLOYEES WORKING under collectivebargaining agreements containing unionsecurity clauses are required, as a condition ofemployment, to pay either monthly dues or feesto the union. This is their only obligation to theunion, regardless of the wording of theclauses. Individuals who are members of theBoilermakers pay monthly dues. Individualswho are not members pay fees.

These dues and fees, which are authorizedby law, represent your fair share of sustainingthe broad range of programs offered by theBoilermakers in support of you and your fellowworkers. The most important job right you canhave is the right to collective bargaining. Theworking conditions of all bargaining unitemployees are improved immeasurably whenthe union gains higher wages, better healthcare and pensions, fairness in the disciplinarysystem, overtime pay, vacations, and manyother improvements in working conditions atthe bargaining table.

Because they negotiate together throughtheir union, employees who are representedby a union typically receive higher wages andbetter benefits than nonunion workers doingsimilar jobs in the same industry. Strength innumbers is what makes this possible. Thestronger your union, the better your contract.We urge all employees to participate andbecome part of your labor organization.

An objecting nonmember who is subject to aunion security clause has a legal right to fileobjections to funding expenditures which arenot germane to the collective bargainingprocess. Fee-paying nonmembers whochoose to file such objections should advisethe International Brotherhood of Boilermakersin writing, in the form of a letter, signed by theobjector, and sent to the InternationalSecretary-Treasurer of the InternationalBrotherhood of Boilermakers, 753 State Ave.,Suite 565, Kansas City, KS 66101. The lettermust contain the objector’s home address andlocal lodge number, if known.

Upon receipt of the objection, theInternational President shall provide adescription of the procedures to be followed.This objection must be filed every year duringthe month of November, or within the first 30days in which the objector is required to paydues or fees to the union, or within 30 days afterthe objector becomes a nonmember.

Examples of expenditures germane to thecollective bargaining process are those madefor the negotiation, enforcement, andadministration of collective bargainingagreements, meetings with employer andunion representatives, proceedings on behalfof workers under the grievance procedure,arbitration proceedings, servicing thebargaining units that we represent, internalunion administration, and matters related to

these activities. Examples of expenditures notgermane to the collective bargaining processare those made for political purposes, forgeneral community service, for charitableactivities, for non-worker related legislativeactivities, for members-only benefits, and forcertain affiliation costs.

In considering these matters, you shouldbe aware that only members have thefollowing rights:

• to vote on the terms of your collective bargaining agreement

• to participate in the development of contract proposals

• to nominate and vote for local union officers

• to attend the International Convention as a delegate

• to participate in strike votes • to numerous other benefits available

only to members, such as those described above and at right.

It is clearly to your advantage to continue tobe a full, active member of the InternationalBrotherhood of Boilermakers.

Only through unity and solidarity can webetter our working conditions and reapbenefits for ourselves and our families. ❑

A N O T I C E T O E M P L OY E E S S U B J E C T T O U N I O N S E C U R I T Y C L A U S E S

WITH DEEP SORROW the International Brotherhood records the death of these members as reported to theInternational Secretary-Treasurer’s office, and extends its heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved families.

See IST-reported deaths, p. 22

The benefit programs listed below areavailable only to Boilermaker members

and their immediate families.*

Union Plus Credit CardCall: 1-800-522-4000

Mortgage & Real EstateAlso open to children & parents ofBoilermaker members.

Call: 1-800-848-6466

Education Services Get expert advice on funding sourcesfor college and job skills training.

Call: 1-877-881-1022

Personal LoansCredit-qualified members areeligible for loans for a variety of uses.

Call: 1-888-235-2759

Legal ServiceDiscounted legal help — first 30minutes are free.

Visit: www.unionplus.org

Life InsuranceFor members, spouses, and children.

Call: 1-800-393-0864

Auto Insurance Call: 1-888-294-9496

Accident InsuranceCall: 1-800-393-0864

Health SavingsSave on prescription medicines,hearing, dental, and vision care.

Call: 1-800-228-3523

Car Rental Discounts Call and give the ID number:

Avis: 1-800-698-5685 AWD #B723700

Budget: 1-800-455-2848 BCD#V816100

Union-Made Checks Call: 1-888-864-6625

Cingular WirelessDiscounts

Call: 1-800-452-9425

Union Plus Moving ServicesCall: 1-800-593-2526

For information on these programsand other member-only benefits, go to

www.unionplus.org*Retired members are eligible. Some

programs are not available to membersoutside the continental United States, andnot all programs are available in all states.

Phone 1-800-452-9425 forclarification of eligibility.

Money-SavingPrograms for

Members Only

22 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006I N M E M O R I A M

Intl. Cantrell, James C. $6,000.00Intl. Johnson Jr., George 6,000.00NTL Arthur, Louie W. 6,000.00NTL Ball Sr., James A. 6,000.00NTL DiMauro, Angelo 6,000.00NTL Greek, Edward 6,000.00NTL Heiden, Donald 6,000.00NTL Hunt, William Lewis 6,000.00NTL Lundeen, Sidney M. 6,000.00NTL Mackey, Jesse 6,000.00NTL McKay, Carl C. 6,000.00NTL Moorefield, Larry E. 6,000.00NTL Pyle, Donald R. 12.40NTL Sharp, Clayton D. 6,000.00NTL Thompson, Joseph C. 6,640.08

NTL Upton, Ralph O. 6,000.00NTL Waldrep Jr., Jobe C. 6,000.001 Eason, Austin 4,528.345 Mulcahy, George E. 6,000.005 Nesnadny, Ronald 6,000.005 Prendergast, John J. 6,000.005 Sandoval, Roberto 6,000.006 Bevins, Wilson 6,000.006 Bogdan, Gregory 6,000.006 Bowman, William R. 6,000.006 Brown, Eddie James 6,000.006 Cameron, John J. 6,000.006 Cardenas, Ernest G. 6,000.006 Crossan, Kenneth M. 6,000.006 Dickinson, Richard E. 6,000.006 Engel, Herbert 6,000.006 Foreman, Charles C. 6,000.00

6 Gardner, Robert L. 6,000.006 Higgins, William F. 6,000.006 Kelly, Donald L. 6,000.006 Leon Sr., Alex 6,000.006 Mikes, Rudolf 6,000.006 Rossi, Andrew I. 6,000.006 Rossi, John R. 6,000.006 Soli, Maape 6,000.006 Worrell, Jerry V. 6,000.007 Frasier, Clinton L. 1,873.707 Metzger, William L. 6,000.0010 Bevier, Richard R. 10,469.9010 Cardana, Michael G. 6,000.0010 Lamendola, Nicholas 6,000.0013 Derr, Ralph G. 6,000.0013 Ferguson, John J. 6,000.0013 Fidler, Guy E. 6,000.00

13 Naus, J. Kenneth 6,000.0013 Obes, Ronald 7,916.8113 Oliver, Richard M. 6,000.0013 Vannicola, John W. 6,000.0019 Egan, Michael 319.2719 Robbins, Shawn D. 1,362.7526 Deason, John J. 6,000.0026 Lair, Charles A. 6,000.0026 McKiver, Cyrus 4,774.6326 Winkles, Joseph L. 6,000.0026 Winn, Robert E. 6,000.0027 Anderson, Bruce H. 6,000.0027 Brown, James R. 114.0027 Geimer, Melvin G. 6,000.0027 Hill, Donald D. 6,000.0027 Joplin, Richard G. 1,884.0027 Martin, Michael P. 6,000.0027 Pelikan, Floyd L. 6,000.0027 Seiler, Leonard G. 6,000.0027 Williamson, James R. 6,000.0028 Crowley, Michael F. 5,967.2928 Schroeder, John 11,000.0028 Sheahan, Frank 5,000.0028 Watson, Douglas A. 11,000.0029 Beckwith, Philip 6,000.0029 Greenleaf, Lawrence 130.1729 Jannino, Richard W. 315.0929 Murphy, Joseph J. 4,000.0029 Pauley, Jeremiah 1,930.9829 Petillo, Sebastiano 6,000.0029 Skaggs, Kip A. 2,219.79

128 Styers, Bobby128 Young, Frank132 Brown, Marvin132 Herrington, James132 Noto, Peter134 Murray, Donald146 Butler, Michael146 Day, Michael146 Frost-Hunt, Dwayne146 Gallacher, John146 Hunter, Alexander146 Maisonneuve, Armand146 Wourms, Leander151 Ayers, George154 Barr, Bryan154 Blakeley, Lee154 Kush, Stanley154 Weiss, John158 Hanlin, Thomas158 Leonard, Lloyd158 Passmore, Harry158 Ware, James E.169 Abbatoy, Fred169 Basilisco, Frank169 L'Heureux, William169 Lee, Tommy169 Pelaez, Manuel175 Rando, Bartolo182 Hopkins, Richard182 Neff, ClarenceD191 Warren, Charles193 Brown, John199 De Witt, Vernon199 Harrell, Steve199 Wilder, Christopher203 Whalen, Raymond204 Malaia, Bernard

237 Wilson, James242 Hand, Edward242 Hirsch, Frank242 Pierce, Robert263 Helton, Corey263 Hollingsworth, Duane263 Shivers, KennethM300 Mangold, Vernon305 Davidson, Oris338 Martinez, William357 Townsend, George358 Andrij, Nick358 Gaughan, Frank359 Blanchard, L.E.359 Clark, John359 Dodd, Stephen359 Greksa, John359 Humphrey, Ralph359 Jordan, Raymond359 Petruk, Paul359 Reid, Richard359 Schreiner, Kelvin363 Brock, Leroy363 Higgins, Elmo363 Jouett, John374 Baird, Donald374 Busam, Richard374 Chorak, Nick374 Herron, Joseph374 Marsh, Dudley374 Ritter, Ronald374 Rogers, Kip374 Schneider, Philip374 Torrence, James374 Widup, Ralph397 Belcher, EdwardD414 Johnson, Elmer433 Adams, Earnest433 Cook, David

433 Dickerson, Charles433 Joyner, David433 Moody, Jay433 Parry, David433 Rewis, Clevie433 Rice, Billy433 Rollins, Tim449 Drumheller, Paul449 Sorenson, Virgil453 Sims, Marvin454 Bristol, Maynard454 Farmer, Robert454 Roberts, James454 Simmons, James454 Steiner, David455 Blazier, Garland455 Garmon, Joe455 Oliver, Roy455 Perry, John455 Stutts, Willie455 Wilson, Willard487 Andre, WillardD488 Parsons, Arthur500 Harville, Mearl500 Jeffries, Robert502 Smith, Joseph C.549 Lehr, Dwaine549 Matthews, James549 Rosarioereys, Louis549 Ruth, Ed549 Sholly, Duane549 Todd, Mason568 Prukop, John574 Manciero, Michael577 McAnelly, Thurston577 Ramsey, BillyD579 Smith, Peter582 Ivy, David582 Starkey, Andrew

582 Whittington, Jewell583 Adams, Dave587 Cooper, Jimmy587 Fusilier, Bennie587 Kube, Eric587 McKee Jr., Seabron587 Owens Jr., Frank587 Rinehart, Robert592 Butts, Donald592 Kincade, Charles614 Stula, Fred627 Hansen, Henry627 Patterson, Travis627 Presley, Robert647 Demings, LeRoy647 Kendall, J. Michael647 Kiley, Patrick647 Kopecky, Charles656 Bracken, David667 Cody, Carl667 Lemley, John667 Lloyd, Richard667 McClanahan, Jesse667 McCormick, Larry667 Stewart, Maxwell667 Summers, Howard667 Willcoxen, Richard673 Myers, James679 Harkness, Frank696 Berggren, Carl696 Brooks, Eugene696 Henne, Monte696 Krueger, Raymond696 Snell, Thomas696 Vogltanz, Edward697 Buckman, Raymond697 Kutchmarek, Michael697 Polster, Harvey697 Wildenberg, William744 Lopez, Norbert744 Maslanka, Jay

744 McManamon, James744 Mull, William744 Powers, Ronald744 Shipta, John744 Shott, John748 Rutkiewicz, Anthony790 Lopez, William801 Grynkiewicz, Alexander801 Peine, Richard802 Foster, Charles802 Keubler, Otto802 McFillin, James802 Pinto, Dominic802 Smith, James802 Vikingstad, John807 Iglesias, Nestor897 Brownlie, Emil897 Krawczak, Leo906 Boyle, Stephen906 Obes, Ronald1086 Johnson Jr., Charlie1086 O'Dougherty, Patrick1239 Macias, Bruno1243 Millican, James1509 Finco, James1509 Miklaszewski, John1509 Mlinar, Alexander1509 Sobotta, Everest1509 Villwock, Raymond1592 Young Sr., Francis1600 Hampton, Al1600 Seavey, Harvey1600 Turnquist, Donald1603 Anderson, Jack1624 Tietjen, LaVerne1637 Popa, Andrew1668 Hudec, John1702 Myers, John2000 Arehart, Thomas2000 Lancaster, James2000 Moore, Robert

Moving? Tell us where . . .Name

New Address

City

State or Province Zip

Local Lodge No. Register No.

E-Mail Address

(Also please notify the secretary of your local lodge.)

Mail form to:International Brotherhood of

Boilermakers Union

753 State Avenue, Suite 565

Kansas City, KS 66101

(Allow five weeks for change of address.)

Continued on page 23

Continued from p. 21

IF YOU HAVE NOT yet been furnished this information, contact your local lodge, secure thebeneficiary forms, complete the required information and forward to the AdministrativeOffice of the Pension Fund, 754 Minnesota Avenue, Suite 522, Kansas City, KS 66101, at theearliest possible date. NOTE: These additional death benefits can only be derived formembers who worked under a collective bargaining agreement with an employer con-tributing to the Boilermaker-Blacksmith National Pension Trust.

THE DEATH BENEFIT PLAN under the Boilermaker-Blacksmith National Pension Trust haspaid the beneficiaries of the following deceased members who were covered by the plansince the last issue of our publication.

L O D G E , N A M E & B E N E F I T

D E A T H B E N E F I T S

I S T - R E P O R T E D D E A T H S

Oct • Dec 2006 the Boilermaker Reporter - 23I N M E M O R I A M

37 Lassere, Arneaux F. 6,000.0037 McMillan, Fernie E. 6,000.0037 Nahrstadt, Raymond 6,000.0037 Paretti, Anthony F. 6,000.0040 Brewer, Avis M. 6,000.0040 Esarey, Ralph W. 6,000.0040 Godby, Carl E. 6,000.0040 Hutchinson, Quincy 6,000.0040 Rhyne, David W. 661.1340 Scears, Gary L. 4,138.8840 Spears Jr., Frank A. 6,000.0045 Hawks, Curtis E. 6,000.0045 Strickland, Rudolph 6,000.0045 Van Nostrand, Walter 245.0045 Wicker, William G. 15,000.0060 Green, George W. 6,000.0069 Evans, Howard E. 6,000.0069 White, Jimmie D. 6,000.0072 Barnes, Junior B. 6,000.0072 Blodgett, Jared O. 6,000.0072 Bukovi, David C. 6,000.0072 Haindel, Donald E. 6,000.0072 Hall, Oliver 6,000.0072 Hensley, Wilford H. 6,000.0072 Hill, Dale H. 6,000.0072 Hull, Mickey R. 6,000.0072 Pence, Kenneth M. 6,000.0072 Price, Delmar E. 6,000.0072 Warner, Morris R. 6,000.0072 Whitney, Ronald L. 1,260.1472 Zentner, Thomas H. 6,000.0074 Flora, George W. 6,000.0074 Van Wagner, Enos F. 6,000.0083 Brown, David B. 6,000.0083 Crowdes, William D. 6,000.0083 Fabac, John E. 6,000.0083 Jolly, Connie G. 6,000.0083 Learned, Wilmer 6,000.0084 Lindsey Jr., Lester L. 6,000.0085 Brown, George W. 6,000.0085 Frazier, Rocky E. 2,523.01*85 Varner, Homer E. 6,000.0092 Anderson, Russell 6,000.0092 Brown, William L. 6,000.0092 Garrett, William F. 6,000.0092 Guerra, Raymond 6,000.0092 Harris, Chester F. 6,000.0092 Johnson, Frederick L. 6,000.0092 Lucero, Manuel D. 6,000.0092 Piltaver, John 6,000.0092 Tillar, Harold R. 6,000.0092 Williams, Myron G. 11,236.56101 Jamal, Ramul M. 15,000.00101 Secor, Frank E. 6,000.00101 Swenson, Delbert F. 6,000.00104 Alfredson, Victor 6,000.00104 Blumhagen, Clarence 6,000.00104 Bower, Richard H. 6,000.00104 Brown, Dennis D. 6,000.00104 Davis, Joe I. 6,000.00104 Hellum, Herbert W. 6,000.00104 Hertz, Leo 6,000.00104 Larson, Ernest V. 6,000.00104 Lervick, Harry V. 6,000.00104 Maund, Charles G. 6,000.00104 Nordaby, Theodore K. 4,685.99104 Roche, James R. 2,375.80104 Smith, Wesley G. 6,000.00104 Southward, George V. 6,000.00104 Strickert, Landon M. 6,759.95104 Thomson, John G. 6,000.00104 Trask, Gene W. 6,000.00104 Ulrigg, Morris S. 6,000.00105 Jackson, Buddie F. 15,000.00105 Smith, Gordon W. 6,000.00105 Spangler, Robert G. 6,000.00

105 Struckman, Ronald D. 3,138.20106 Wainscott, Franklin D. 6,000.00107 DeGrave, Gilbert A. 6,000.00107 Ethridge, Jeffrey H. 6,000.00107 Giard, Thomas J. 12,982.04108 Bridges, James E. 6,000.00108 Scott, Jimmy M. 6,276.13110 Williams, Herbert D. 923.00112 Dueitt, Darvin R. 49.12112 Nelson, Charles A. 6,000.00113 Smith, John W. 6,000.00113 Springer, Billy R. 6,000.00124 Hoover, Jerome D. 6,000.00132 Brown, Marvin L. 6,000.00132 Herrington, James E. 6,000.00132 Noto, Peter A. 6,000.00151 Ayers, George 6,000.00154 Barr, Bryan 2,416.83154 Blakeley, Lee L. 6,000.00154 Kush, Stanley E. 6,000.00154 McPherson, Charles R. 691.76154 Phillips, John Alvey 6,000.00154 Weiss, John C. 6,000.00169 Abbatoy, Fred J. 6,000.00169 Basilisco, Frank M. 6,000.00169 L'Heureux, William A. 6,000.00169 Lee, Tommy Dean 3,000.00169 Pelaez, Manuel 6,000.00182 Hopkins, Richard E. 6,000.00182 Neff, Clarence W. 6,000.00193 Brown, John M. 6,000.00199 DeWitt, Vernon L. 6,000.00199 Harrell, Steve A. 6,000.00199 Wilder, Christopher J. 2,091.54204 Malaia, Bernard A. 6,000.00237 Wilson, James E. 6,000.00242 Hand, Edward M. 6,000.00242 Hirsch, Frank L. 6,000.00242 Pierce, Robert L. 6,000.00263 Helton, Corey L. 15,000.00263 Hollingsworth, Duane 6,000.00263 Shivers, Kenneth 6,000.00305 Davidson, Oris 6,000.00338 Martinez, William 6,000.00357 Townsend, George R. 6,000.00358 Andrij, Nick 6,000.00358 Smalley, Raymond J. 6,000.00363 Jouett, John L. 6,000.00363 Queen, Frank W. 6,000.00374 Busam, Richard A. 6,000.00374 Chorak, Nick 6,000.00374 Herron, Joseph D. 3,689.65374 Marsh, Dudley 6,000.00374 Ritter, Ronald W. 6,000.00374 Rogers, Kip E. 760.31374 Satalic, Edward M. 6,000.00374 Schneider, Philip Roy 6,000.00374 Torrence, James C. 693.75374 Widup, Ralph B. 6,000.00397 Belcher, Edward L. 6,000.00433 Adams, Earnest F. 4,500.00433 Cook, David A. 6,000.00433 Dickerson, Charles L. 6,000.00433 Joyner, David F. 6,000.00433 Lee, Tezze J. 6,000.00433 Moody, Jay P. 6,000.00433 Parry, David L. 6,000.00433 Rewis, Clevie 6,000.00433 Rice, Billy W. 1,707.00433 Sails, Francis R. 6,000.00449 Drumheller, Paul 6,000.00449 LaCrosse, James O. 6,000.00449 Sorenson, Virgil O. 6,000.00454 Bristol, Maynard N. 11,702.76454 Claxton, Marvin L. 3,000.00454 Farmer, Robert I. 6,000.00454 Roberts, James Oscar 6,000.00454 Steiner, David P. 62.00455 Blazier, Garland D. 6,000.00455 Bryan, Edwin F. 6,000.00455 Garmon, Joe C. 6,000.00

455 Oliver, Roy D. 11,202.83455 Perry, John W. 6,000.00455 Smith, Clifton W. 6,000.00455 Stutts, Willie A. 6,000.00455 Wilson, Willard G. 6,000.00487 Andre, Willard H. 6,000.00500 Jeffries, Robert 6,000.00502 Smith, Joseph Charles 6,000.00531 Connelly, Stephen L. 6,000.00549 Lehr, Dwaine E. 6,000.00549 Matthews, James D. 6,000.00549 Rosarioereys, Louis H. 6,000.00549 Ruth, Edd 6,000.00549 Sholly, Duane A. 6,000.00549 Todd, Mason 6,000.00574 Hamryga, Walter 6,000.00577 McAnnelly, Thurston 3,000.00577 Ramsey, Billy Ray 6,000.00582 Ivy, David E. 6,000.00582 Starkey, Andrew G. 6,000.00582 Whittington, Jewell H. 6,000.00587 Fusilier, Bennie J. 6,000.00587 Kube, Eric E. 6,000.00587 McKee Jr., Seabron R. 6,000.00587 Owens Jr., Frank 6,000.00587 Rinehart, Robert H. 6,000.00592 Butts, Donald C. 6,000.00627 Patterson, Travis J. 5,662.05627 Presley, Robert E. 6,000.00627 Thompson, Lionel R. 15,000.00647 Demings, LeRoy 6,000.00647 Kendall, J. Michael 6,000.00647 Kiley, Patrick J. 1,747.50651 Cosmo, Siolinda 6,000.00667 Holstein, James D. 15,000.00667 Lemley, John P. 1,116.00667 McClanahan, Jesse D. 25.50673 Myers, James W. 6,000.00696 Berggren, Carl R. 6,000.00696 Brooks, Eugene V. 6,000.00696 Krueger, Raymond 6,000.00696 Snell, Thomas H. 6,000.00696 Vogltanz, Edward 6,000.00

697 Buckman, Raymond 6,000.00697 Kutchmarek, Michael 6,000.00697 Polster, Harvey L. 6,000.00697 Wildenberg Sr., Wm. 6,000.00744 Maslanka, Jay A. 6,000.00744 McManamon, James J. 6,000.00744 Mull, William P. 6,000.00744 Powers, Ronald J. 3,649.16744 Shipta, John E. 6,000.00744 Shott, John A. 6,000.00748 Rutkiewicz, Anthony 6,000.00801 Grynkiewicz, Alex 6,000.00802 Keubler, Otto 6,000.00802 Komarnicki, John 2,000.00*802 McFillin, James 6,000.00802 Pinto, Dominic E. 6,000.00802 Smith, James F. 6,000.00802 Vikingstad, John 6,000.00807 Iglesias, Nestor 6,000.00906 Boyle, Stephen J. 15,000.001086 Johnson Jr., Charlie 6,000.001086 O'Dougherty, Patrick 6,000.001191 Popa, Andrew 6,000.001243 Millican, James 2,892.931509 Finco, James H. 6,000.001509 Sobotta, Everest 6,000.001509 Villwock, Raymond A. 545.45*1592 Joler, Joseph P. 4,699.131592 Young Sr., Francis S. 6,000.001600 Hampton, Al 6,000.001600 Seavey, Harvey B. 6,000.001600 Turnquist, Donald G. 6,000.001603 Anderson, Jack J. 4,000.001624 Tietjen, La Verne E. 6,000.001668 Hudec, John 6,000.001670 Gray, Lois Mae 6,000.001702 Myers, John R. 6,000.002000 Arehart, Thomas F. 6,000.002000 Lancaster, James W. 6,000.002000 Moore, Robert L. 3,870.912000 Wickware, John C. 300.75

* Additional Death Benefits Paid

Continued from p. 22

D E A T H B E N E F I T S

IN THE PAST we have measured theeffectiveness of union representationmainly by looking at the wages andbenefits our members earn.

And that yardstick shows that unionshave been effective.

In 2005, the wage advantage forunion workers was nearly 30 percentover nonunion. The average weeklywage of union workers was $801;nonunion workers earned only $622 onaverage. In many of the industries rep-resented by the Boilermakers — con-struction, production, and industrialmaintenance — the wage differencewas even greater.

Union workers also received morebenefits than nonunion workers. Only16 percent of nonunion workers haveaccess to a guaranteed (defined-bene-fit) pension; 73 percent of union work-ers enjoy that benefit. Boilermakerswhose employers participate in theBoilermaker-Blacksmith pension enjoyone of the most generous guaranteedpensions available.

But better wages and more benefitscome at a price to those who benefitfrom union labor. And the yardstickused to measure corporate effective-ness is profit.

The Boilermakers have long recog-nized that one responsibility we haveas a union is to help our employersremain profitable and competitive.When our employers fail, our memberslose jobs. When they cannot compete,our members cannot work.

The tripartite conference and the tri-partite approach to problem solvinghave grown from our commitment toensure that the construction industrycan and will employ our members. Themany cost-saving programs now

administered by MOST are testimonyto our commitment to keep our mem-bers working — and their wages high.

Programs like these are not possiblein a nonunion environment. They typ-ify the progressive approach our unionis taking to representing our members.

Our efforts to re-open the closedshipyard in Toledo (see page 8) isanother example. Our union’s founderswere among the most progressiveorganizers of their time, but I don’tknow that they would have envisioneda day when union reps would helpbusinesses get off the ground in orderto create jobs for members.

I believe that the future success of theunion movement will be determinedlargely by our willingness to engage inactivities like these. We cannot leaveeconomic development entirely to cor-porations and the government.

To keep our seat at the bargainingtable, we must help keep our employ-ers in business.

Mid-term electionscreate opportunityTHIS YEAR’S ELECTIONS were a wel-come change for the United States —and one that was a long time coming.Pro-worker candidates took manyHouse and Senate seats away fromincumbents who have done little tohelp working families. I was particu-larly gratified to see that the seat for-merly held by Tom DeLay has gone to apro-labor Democrat.

Candidates friendly to labor unionsand working families also won manyopen seats. Despite the media’s atten-tion on Iraq, exit polls show that eco-nomic issues were a major factor invoters’ decision making.

With majorities in the House andSenate, the Democratic party will nowhave the opportunity to redirect thelegislative agenda of the nation.

But don’t expect too much. At leastnot right away. President Bush has twomore years in office, and the Democratsdo not have enough votes to override aveto. The issues on the table and thetone of the debate will change, but howthese will translate into laws, budgets,and policies remains to be seen. Vetothreats and procedural stalling areeffective tools for creating gridlock.

And we cannot overlook the pro-business appointments President Bushhas made to every government agencythat regulates unions or protects work-ers — agencies such as OSHA and theNLRB. Expecting these appointees toadopt a more pro-labor approach to

doing business is unrealistic. We needto replace them, and that can’t happenuntil we have a pro-labor president.

Nonetheless, I am cautiously opti-mistic that we may begin to see someprogress in the areas most critical toBoilermakers and other working fami-lies. And the strong showing by unionsin the campaigns and by pro-labor can-didates in the elections is a good signfor 2008. In all states, unions deliveredvotes, and in some states they were thedeciding factor. It would be a mistakefor anyone seeking the White House in2008 to ignore union families.

In the meantime, your union willreturn to what we do best — represent-ing our members in the workplace andthe halls of government, where we nowhave some new friends to call on. ❑

Our union’s role is expanding

Productivity-improvingprograms like our MOST

programs are not possible ina nonunion environment.

Creating jobs and increasing productivity are as important asbargaining contracts and handling grievances

24 - the Boilermaker Reporter Oct • Dec 2006A M E S S A G E T O O U R M E M B E R S

Jones thanks NTL, L-85 forkindness in difficult timeMAX JONES, an NTL member since2003, died of lung cancer May 8. Hewas diagnosed on February 14.

Max’s co-workers, NTL Boilermak-ers working under Earl Hamre ofCB&I and Local 83 Boilermakers work-ing at Council Bluffs Energy Center #4,raised over $4,500 in cash and gifts forMax and his family.

Because of their loving generosity, I was able to take a leave of absencefrom my job to care for Max at homeuntil his death. They also visited Maxand called him each week to updatehim on the job’s progress.

My two children and two grandsonscan never express the deep felt prideand gratitude for these people. I wouldlike to also thank Gary Scott [NTL vicepresident]for his help with the paper-work and the NTL E-Board for takingup a $100.00 collection.

KATHY JONESMax Jones’ wife of 24 yearsPella, Iowa

Bill Fake (L-11) and familygive thanks for supportMY HUSBAND, BILL FAKE, Local 11(Helena, Mont.), was diagnosed April1, 2005 with malignant Mesothelioma.We could not have made it throughthis without the support of the Boiler-makers! We want to thank every mem-

ber of Local 11 and especially DougFarnes, Don Farnes, Bob Winger,Robert Hall, and Eric Matthews whohelped gather money from everyone.We are at a loss for the right words tosay how much these generous contri-butions meant to our family duringour time of need. We thank you for themoney, but also for the prayers, cards,phone calls, e-mails, and hospital vis-its. These wonderful acts of kindnesswill never be forgotten.

We would also like to thank every-one in the Health and Welfare officesand the Pension department for actingso quickly. This experience has mademe very proud to be a Boilermaker’swife. I would also like to thank all ofthe Boilermaker wives who supportedus through the Boilermakers’ wivesWeb site [a yahoo.com group calledboilermakerswives]

Our families and doctors are simplyamazed by the network of support wehave through this union.

BILL AND MARILYN FAKE , Local 11Laurel, Mont.

Time to revitalize union,says L-17’s Frank StephensTHE BABY BOOMER generation hasmaintained the union benefits our fore-fathers fought for. Now it’s time for thegeneration behind us to take the helmof the unions.

But how do we get them interestedin moving our unions forward? Wemust educate them. We must give

them the history of the unions andwhat they have accomplished.

Without unions, in time we will findourselves back to where we werebefore we enjoyed the benefits of beinga union member.

Before we can organize the youngfolks, we must get past the personalpower struggles and unite in the nameof brotherhood and sisterhood torebuild our unions to ensure that wemaintain those things we have andcontinue to be able to bargain forthings needed in the future.

I challenge everyone who reads thisto educate themselves about the unionmovement and pass it on to other folksin your department. Invite them toyour union meeting.

Create a legacy for yourself so youcan look back and say, “That is myunion and I’m damn proud of it.”

J. FRANK STEPHENS, Local 57 Portsmouth, W.Va.

Viles wants servicemen toearn pension creditsI WOULD LIKE to propose [we] showour support for the Boilermaker mem-bers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan[by funding] their pension accountswhile they are in Iraq or Afghanistan.

LARRY D. VILES, L-453Knoxville, Tenn.

National Funds Office Replies: Boiler-makers participating in the Boiler-maker-Blacksmith National Pension

Trust or Boilermakers National Annu-ity Trust who are absent from coveredemployment due to military servicemay be eligible for hours of service andcontributions based upon time spent inmilitary service.

A more complete description of thepension credit for military service maybe found on page 12 of Boilermaker-Blacksmith National Pension Trustplan booklet revised December 2003.A more complete description of theAnnuity credit may be found on pages9 and 10 of the the BoilermakersNational Annuity Trust plan bookletdated June 2001.

Got something to say?WE WELCOME letters of fewer than150 words on topics of interest to ourmembers andtheir families. Wedo not publishp e r s o n a lattacks onmembers orunsignedletters.

SEND A LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

The Boilermaker Reporter753 State Ave. Suite 570Kansas City KS 66101FAX: (913) 281-8105E-mail: nstinger@boilermakers.org

Newton B. JonesInternational President

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