V41N5 | The Boilermaker Reporter

New district will servemembers in Arkansas,Louisiana, and MississippiA BETTER FUTURE FOR Boilermakersin the southern Mississippi River basinwas the goal when elected delegatesfrom five lodges in Arkansas, Louisiana,and Mississippi created the Boilermak-ers Mississippi River District NumberFive on August 15, 2002, in Gulfport,Miss. By combining their efforts andworking together, the five constructionlodges in the district expect to increasetotal man-hours, improve organizingand recruitment, and take advantage ofthe greater efficiency that comesthrough collective effort.

The five lodges included in the dis-trict are Local 37, New Orleans, La.;Local 69, Little Rock, Ark.; Local 79,Lake Charles, La.; Local 110, Hatties-burg, Miss.; and Local 582, BatonRouge, La.

Work has been erratic throughoutthis part of the country for many years.In the years when work is scarce, mem-bership declines. When work becomesabundant again, the lodge may havedifficulty manning all the jobs, furtheradding to the downward spiral. Theformation of this district is an attemptto stop the downward spiral of jobsand members.

John Simoneaux (Local 582), whowas elected district business manager-executive secretary, explained it thisway, “We have had a tough 20 years. Inthe good days, everyone was makingmoney. Now we are suffocating. Wehave challenges ahead of us. Changesare hard to accept. But we are not backin the 1960s and 1970s. We have tomove forward.”

Pooling their resources through thedistrict, these lodges will be able toavoid the great fluctuations in availablework that force members to boom far

from home and disappoint ouremployers and their customers. If workis slack at one local, those members willbenefit from the abundant work at oneof the other locals in the district. Insteadof booming halfway across the country,they will be able to earn a living as a

Boilermaker closer to home. And cus-tomers can be assured there are enoughBoilermakers within the district to mantheir jobs, regardless of what might behappening in any single local.

First elections after 9/1l willtest U.S. faith in democracyRIGHT AFTER the attacks of 9/11, thecountry was swept up in a pro-Ameri-can patriotic fever. But that patriotismhas not brought voters to the polls.

In many states, voter turnout in theprimaries has been at record lows.

No doubt, American faith in thedemocratic process has been testedmore in the past two years than at anytime in living memory.

The presidential election debacle of2000 saw Al Gore win the popular voteby more than half a million votes, yetthe Supreme Court appointed GeorgeW. Bush president. How can democ-

racy work unless the candidate withthe most votes wins?

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 andsubsequent anthrax attacks have fright-ened and angered Americans. Can wejustify personal freedom when it leavesus so vulnerable?

President Bush has done his share todemean democracy. When a militarycoup removed the democraticallyelected president of Venezuela, he saidnothing. Later, he publicly called forthe removal of Yassir Arafat, the Pales-tinian leader elected by an 80 percentmajority of his people. Can we believein democracy even when it elects peo-ple we don’t like to office?

District 5 holds first convention

Local 693 membersbuild destroyer atNorthrop GrummanWITH A SHOUT of “man our shipand bring her to life,” a crew of about383 U.S. Navy personnel yelled “aye,aye, ma’am” while running on boardto claim the USS Shoup. The ceremony,held June 22, 2002, in Seattle, Wash.,officially entered the destroyer intonaval service in a tradition thatstretches back to the commissioning ofthe first ship in the Continental Navy.

Getting a ship ready for commis-sioning is a process that takes abouttwo years. Some sailors were workingon board while members of Local 693,Pascagoula, Miss., at NorthropGrumman Ship Systems, were stillbuilding the destroyer.

The Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer is 509.5 feet inlength, with a 59-foot beam and dis-placement of 9,300 tons. Powered byfour gas-turbine engines, the ship’sspeed can exceed 30 knots.

Attending the commissioning wereIntl. Reps. Dennis King and Warren

Fairley Jr., and District Lodge 57 BM-ES Sam May.

The Pascagoula shipyard opened in1938, and is Mississippi’s largest pri-vate employer, with nearly 11,000

employees. The AFL-CIO’s MetalTrades Department represents theshipyard’s workers, with Local 693 rep-resenting the largest unit since 1939. ❑

http://www.IBB.workingfamilies.com http://www.boilermakers.org

Reporterthe Boilermaker

Navy commissions USS Shoup

SAILORS MAN THE USS Shoup, built by members of Local 693 at Northrop GrummanShip Systems in Pascagoula, Miss.

Letters to Editor . . . . . . . . . .2

Training & EducationIntl., Council, and Local programs . .4-5LEAP Issues . . . . . . . .6-7Endorsements . . . . . . .8-9Steward’s SourcebookA grievance log can help . . . . . . . .11

Local NewsThe higher you are, the safer? . . . .13

IN THESE PAGES

Nov. 5 is a criticalelection — vote!

Vol. 41 No. 5 Sep • Oct 2002

The Official Publication of the InternationalBrotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship

Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers, andHelpers, AFL-CIO

Charles W. Jones, Editor-in-Chief

Continued on page 8

Continued on page 3

Sartain is grateful to unionI JUST WANTED to tell you howproud I am to be a boilermaker. I start-ed working with the boilermakers inthe mid-1960s. I worked 19 years as aNational Transient member. Duringthat time my mother and brotherbecame very sick, and thanks to twowonderful boilermaker representa-tives, I was able to work near home.They were E. W. Smith of the NTLand Carl Phillips of Local 455.

In 1986, I transferred into Local 108.I worked nine wonderful years out ofLocal 108 before retiring on disability.Boilermakers are the best people inthe whole world. I love you all.

JOHNNIE B. SARTAINMorris, Ala.

Be proud of sloganMR. WEAVER(L-599) expressed somediscontent with the slogan, “You don’tget what you deserve, you get whatyou negotiate.”

I would give anything to be able tosay that in my livelihood. I am an NFOdairy farmer. My husband works as aboilermaker. There is no reason wecannot make a decent living workingthe farm. If the complacent farmers inthis country would negotiate as awhole, we would get what wedeserve!Mr. Weaver should be veryproud of the company he keeps!

SHELLEY MORNEAU, NTL spouse

EDITOR’S NOTE:NFO stands forNational Farmers’ Organization. It’sthe closest thing they have to a union,as it collectively bargains prices ofcommodities.

What about cement workers?I AM A RETIRED cement worker outof Local D50 (Catskill, N.Y.). Years ago,the Cement, Lime, and GypsumWorkers Union joined with theBoilermakers Union. Why don’t weever read anything about the cementindustry, or about what they aredoing, or what is going on in our area?All we ever read about is boilermakers.Don’t you care about cement workers?

JOHN R. PETERSSaugerties, N.Y.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We publish whatwe get from members, local lodges,and officers and staff. If you want tohave a story in the Reporter, send usthe information.

A lesson on brotherhoodON AUGUST 18, 2002, I finallylearned what the brotherhood of aunion is all about.

My husband, 18-month-old daugh-ter, and I were driving to our home inthe Boston area after visiting my par-ents in Muskegon, Mich. We left earlyin the morning and stopped for gas at9:30 a.m. in Port Huron.

As we pulled off the exit, our brakesstarted to grind. Since it was Sundaymorning, there were no gas stationsopen with mechanics working. Wefound a Sears, but they did not workon brakes on Sundays.

I called my dad, Dwight (Toby)Tobaison, a member of Local 169. Hecalled Local 169 President TonyJacobs, who in turn gave him thenames of a couple of boilermakerswho lived in the area.

My dad called Dennis Bishop, anapprentice whom he never had met.

Dennis told my dad that he wouldtake care of us. We ended up follow-ing his wife, Kelly, to their homewhere Dennis spent his Sunday after-noon fixing our car (with a smile onhis face).

Dennis did not have to do this, butbecause he was a fellow boilermakerfrom Local 169, he did. Kelly was kindenough to give us anything we needed,including a place for my daughter toplay. I don’t know what we wouldhave done if Dennis had not been sowilling to help us. It really proved whatmy dad has always told me about theunion and the brotherhood within.

Thank you Dennis and Kelly for all ofyour help; it was appreciated so much.

HEATHER (TOBIASON), TO N Y, ANDMCKENNA ROSS

Why do we have to be at themercy of the SSA?I AM A 22-YEAR Boilermaker veteran.I have been having lower backproblems for over 15 years. In Oct.2001, I hurt myself again. I couldn’twalk . They discovered four moreherniated discs (outside), along withScoliosis, Spondylolisthesis (onevertebrae), and arthritis in my backand hips. Now I’m sitting here waitingfor a decision from Social Securitybefore I can get my Boilermakerspension. Why do WE have to be at themercy of the Social Security office?

WILLIAM R. KRAUSE, L-13Auburn, Pa.

EDITOR’S NOTE: If the Boilermakers-Blacksmiths pension office conductedtheir own disability evaluations, theadded expense would reduce benefitsto all pensioners. So they accept theSocial Security office‘s determination.

Alabama Boilermakers areproud to be unionSOME BOILERMAKER MEMBERSinAlabama took offense at signs dis-played by Local D208 (Martinsburg,W.Va.) during their picket. They read,“Scabs are bred in Alabama.” Thesigns referred to nonunion workersCapitol Cement had imported fromAlabama to bust the local. Alabama’sBoilermaker members want everyoneto know that plenty of Alabamans areproud to be union!

the Boilermaker Reporter2 Sep • Oct 2002

L E T T E R S

Reporterthe Boilermaker

Sep • Oct 2002 Vol. 41 No. 5

Charles W. Jones, International President and Editor-in-Chief

Jerry Z. Willburn,Intl. Secretary-Treasurer

International Vice PresidentsLawrence McManamon, Great LakesMichael S. Murphy, Northeast

Newton B. Jones, Southeast George Rogers, Central

Don Lacefield, Western States

Richard Albright, Western CanadaAlexander MacDonald, Eastern Canada

Jim Hickenbotham, At-LargeOthal Smith Jr., At-Large

Editorial staffDonald Caswell, Managing Editor

Carol Dillon, Asst. to the Managing Editor


Got something to say?WE WELCOME LETTERS on topicsof interest to our members and theirfamilies. Keep it short and sweet.Avoid profanity and personal attacks.

SEND A LETTER TO THE EDITOR:The Boilermaker Reporter753 State Ave. Suite 570Kansas City KS 66101FAX: (913) 281-8104E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

LettersBoilermakers Write to the Editor

Shell Caroline donates $5,000to L-146 apprentice programONCE IN AWHILE, a contractor willwrite a letter of thanks to a locallodge for their help during a shut-down. On occasion, they write aglowing report that gets sent totheReporter for this kudos column. ButShell Caroline, Shell Canada Ltd.’scentral Alberta operations, took theirthank you to a whole different levelwhen they donated $5,000 to LocalLodge 146, Edmonton, Alberta, fortheir apprenticeship awards.

According to Shell representatives,it is just their way of saying thankyou to all the members for their out-standing performance at a recentshutdown.

No union was more importantthan the BoilermakersI AM WRITING to express myappreciation for the extraordinaryrole played by members of Local 5(New York, N.Y.) of the InternationalBrotherhood of Boilermakers, andJerry Connolly, Local 5’s businessmanager, in the successful comple-tion of the New York PowerAuthority’s PowerNow! Project inNew York City and on Long Island.

This project entailed the installa-tion, in a period of several months, of11 clean gas turbine generators thathave supplied a total of about 450megawatts of urgently needed addi-tional generating capacity. The gasturbines have been essential in keep-ing the lights on in the city and onLong Island, both this summer andlast, and have also provided signifi-cant economic and environmentalbenefits at other times of the year.

The summer 2001 deadline forcompletion of the new generators, adeadline viewed by many as unreal-istic, could not have been met with-out the superb efforts of the membersof 14 labor unions. And no union wasmore important or committed to theproject than the Boilermakers.

I also want to cite the singular con-tributions of Jerry Connolly, not onlyin providing outstanding leadershipto Local 5 during the installation ofthe generators, but also in effectivelymaking the public case for construc-tion of these units and other, largerpower plants in New York state. Inlegislative hearings, public meetings,and other settings, Mr. Connolly hasconsistently set out the need to buildclean, new plants to meet future elec-tricity requirements.

Thirteen months ago, Mr. Connollypresented to me the American flagthat had flown over the constructionsite for the first two of the gas-turbinegenerators to begin operation. Thatremains one of my most memorablemoments at the Power Authority. Theflag will be prominently displayed inour headquarter’s office, along with aplaque, as a constant reminder ofwhat we accomplished together.

Now the Power Authority ispreparing to build a 500-megawattnatural-gas-fueled plant in theBorough of Queens in New YorkCity. This combined-cycle facility willbe one of the cleanest and most effi-cient power plants in the city’s histo-ry. As with the gas turbines, we lookforward to working closely on thisproject with Mr. Connolly and hisLocal 5 members. We know that theywill again do the Boilermakers proud.

EUGENE W. ZELTMANN, pres. & CEONew York Power Authority

Good Job!Letters of Praise from Owners &Employers

Holding a $5,000 check for Local 146 apprentice awards, are, l. to r., Dale Greenof Edmonton Exchanger, Keith Doitson of Shell Caroline, L-146 ABM CoryChannon, L-146 BM-ST Dean Milton, Lloyd Skalicky and Don Lenny of EdmontonExchanger, and Roger Stillwel of Shell Caroline.

The Boilermaker Reporter is the official publi-cation of the International Brotherhood ofBoilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths,Forgers, and Helpers, AFL-CIO. It is publishedbimonthly to disseminate information of useand interest to its members. Submissions frommembers, local lodges, and subordinate oraffiliated bodies are welcomed andencouraged. This publication is mailed freeof charge 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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District 5 convention

International Vice President for theSoutheast Newton B. Jones said that byuniting as a district, these locals willbecome stronger individually. Theywill not lose their local identity, but willbecome part of a stronger whole. “Eachof your locals is a tight-knit group,” hetold the delegates. “What the districtbuilds for us is an even tighter knitting,so we will be able to respond to themarket and get back some of the workwe’ve lost.”

In addition to John Simoneaux, theconvention elected the following dis-trict officers: James Anderson (Local582), president; Tommy Hebert (Local37), vice president; and Mark Stracener(Local 79), Bill Cason (Local 69), andDavid Simmons (Local 110), trustees.After the officers were installed, thetrustees met and chose David Simmonsas recording secretary.

Delegates from these five lodges metin Gulfport to do committee work,Aug. 12-14, 2002. These committees setthe stage for the convention, makingmany important and difficult decisions

regarding the bylaws and referral rulesfor the new district. They worked hardto find language for the bylaws andreferral rules that all the delegatescould live with.

Local 26 Bus. Mgr. Douglas (Bubba)Robbins and Local 74 Bus. Mgr. RonKeck attended the convention asobservers. They were picking up point-ers for when they help lodges in theirareas form districts in the near future. ❑

John Simoneaux (Local 582, BatonRouge, La.) was elected district businessmanager/executive secretary.

Mississippi River District Lodge officers include, l. to r., BM-ES John Simoneaux, Pres.James Anderson, Vice Pres. Tommy Hebert, Trustee Mark Stracener, Rec. Sec. &Trustee David Simmons, and Trustee Bill Cason.

the Boilermaker ReporterSep • Oct 2002 3

N E W S M A K E R S


L-483 members win back-pay at Joy MiningALJ rules company shouldhave rehired workers eventhough it had moved work LOCAL 483 MEMBERS won a majorvictory in their dispute with Joy Tech-nologies, Inc., when AdministrativeLaw Judge (ALJ) David L. Evans ruledthat the company owes 160 Boilermak-ers an estimated $4 million in back-paybecause they illegally refused to rein-state employees participating in anunfair labor practice (ULP) strike afterthe employees made an unconditionaloffer to return to work.

This decision is noteworthy becausethe ALJ held that the company mustreinstate the workers, even though theyhad already moved the work to otherfacilities. When workers engage in aULP strike, the company must reinstatethem as soon as they make an uncondi-tional offer to return. Joy Technologieshad argued that they had alreadymoved the work to other plants, so theywould reinstate the strikers as newwork came in.

But ALJ Evans held that the companyshould assume the risk for moving thework out of the plant and that strikers“who were the victims of [Joy’s] unfairlabor practices should not be requiredto suffer” because they engaged in pro-tected action against the company. Inhis ruling, Evans said that the companyhad “created its own dilemma” andthat employees at their other locationswhere the work was sent “are properlyviewed as replacements.”

During a ULP strike, companies mayuse temporary replacements, but must

reinstate strikers when they uncondi-tionally offer to return, even if thatmeans firing the replacements.

According to Boilermakers Intl. Rep.Jim Pressley, the company had devel-oped their negotiating strategy severalmonths prior to the expiration of theagreement. He said, “Their strike con-tingency plan could have been devas-tating. However, this ALJ’s decisionwill give companies reason to pausebefore attempting to carry out suchstrategies and will strengthen andencourage union solidarity efforts.”

Ruling lifts members’ morale

LOCAL 483 PRESIDENT Bill Staggssaid, “This ruling gave our members abig lift that we needed to continuenegotiating with this company. I wantto thank Intl. Pres. Charles W. Jones forsupporting our efforts and give a spe-cial thanks to Intl. Rep. Jim Pressley and(Blake & Uhlig attorney) Mike Manleyfor their help. We couldn’t have done itwithout them.”

IR Pressley also credited the teameffort, saying, “This victory had all theingredients required to make the Boil-ermaker Solidarity strategy successful:The commitment and support of Intl.Pres. Jones and IVP Larry McMana-mon; training and input from Dir. ofCollective Bargaining Services LenBeauchamp; Mike Manley’s legal guid-ance; the leadership of the Lodge 483officers and negotiating committee;and the most crucial element, thepatience and discipline of the membersof Lodge 483.”

The National Labor Relations Boardwas represented by Christal Key.

Joy Technologies manufactures deepmining equipment, machines that boreinto coal seams or slice coal from thewall of a seam. Local 483 members atthe company’s Mount Vernon plantrepair these machines, which canweigh up to 100 tons and cost millionsof dollars.

The Mount Vernon facility includesJoy’s “Brake and Clutch Center ofExcellence,” where brakes and clutchesfor these machines are repaired. Repairwork is a big part of Joy’s business.Because repairs must be made quicklyto get the equipment back on the job,Joy’s employees often work overtime.However, the contract has always stip-ulated that overtime is voluntary.

On March 17, 2001, the most recentcontract expired with the company andthe union still unable to agree on newterms. Local 483 members continued towork, but refused offers of overtime.

On August 2, 2001, the companyestablished a mandatory overtime pol-icy without negotiating with the union.Workers who refused overtime weresubject to discipline. On August 8, theBoilermakers started a ULP strike toprotest the company’s illegal action.

On August 16, the company threat-ened workers with permanent transferof the clutch and brake work to anotherfacility — a second ULP —and did, infact, begin moving work to otherplants. When the workers made anunconditional offer to return to workon Sept. 10, the company committed athird labor law violation by refusing toreinstate striking workers.

Joy used the excuse that they hadalready shipped the work to otherplants. Evidence showed that in manycases the work had not yet been startedon equipment shipped to other plants.

The Boilermakers union filed chargeswith the National Labor RelationsBoard on all three ULPs. On July 12,2002, ALJ Evans ruled for the Boiler-makers on all charges, ordering thecompany to rescind the mandatoryovertime policy, reinstate all of theemployees who had offered to return towork, and to “make the unit employeeswhole” for any wages they lost becauseof the company’s illegal action.

Joy Technologies is appealing theALJ’s decision.

The Boilermakers union has repre-sented employees of Joy Technologiesworkers at their Mount Vernon, Ill.,facility since 1978. ❑

Mexicali Plant will sellelectricity to CaliforniaIN THE 1980s, President Reagan estab-lished the maquiladora system thatallowed Mexican factories near the U.S.border to sell their products in the U.S.without paying tariffs. Since then, hun-dreds of U.S. factories have shut downand moved to Mexico, putting millionsof Americans out of work.

Now President Bush has issued spe-cial permits for “energy maquiladoras”in Mexico —power plants built in Mex-ico for the specific purpose of sellingelectricity to the United States.

The first one is being built by Inter-Gen in Mexicali, Mexico, four milesfrom the U.S. border. It will use naturalgas from Texas and will sell electricityto California.

This plant is “what free trade is allabout,” an InterGen spokesperson toldthe New York Times.

But environmentalists and laborunions in Mexico and the U.S. have adifferent name for it.

U.S. Representative Bob Filner (D-Calif, 50th) calls it “environmentalimperialism.” He explained that “theBorder Patrol has not yet figured outhow to stop air pollution.”

Although it is within walking dis-tance of the U.S. border, the InterGenplant is being built under Mexico’s laxenvironmental laws. It will pollute theair in California’s Imperial Valley, butcitizens of Imperial Valley have novoice in how the plant is constructed,and they will be unable to collect anydamages for the pollution.

Steve Birdsall, director of the Imper-ial County Air Pollution Control Dis-trict, estimates the InterGen plant willsend more than 3,800 tons of pollutantsa year into the air. He criticized Inter-Gen for ignoring California standards.

“They are the epitome of corporatearrogance,” he said.

The Bush administration has beencriticized for developing their energypolicy in secret, but that hasn’t stoppedthem from cutting back-room deals.

The only people Bush’s EnergyDepartment consulted about the pro-posed Mexicali power plants were thecorporations who will make millions atthe expense of American workers andthe environment.

U.S. workers lose two ways BUILDING POWER plants in Mexicothat export their power to the U.S. is adouble whammy for U.S. workers andtaxpayers, according to BoilermakersLegislative Director Ande Abbott.

“These plants export jobs and importpollution,” he said. “Not only do welose the construction and maintenancejobs, but we lose control of the powersupply for one million homes in Cali-fornia. They can shut down or raiseprices at will. Nothing they do will besubject to U.S. laws.”

Because Mexico has no right-to-know laws, the power plants wereunder construction before anyone hadan opportunity to review the plans.Even if they had known about them,there would have been no legal or polit-ical mechanism to stop the plants.

InterGen concedes that their Mexicaliplant does not meet California’s pollu-tion standards and would not belicensed on this side of the border, eventhough more than half of its power willgo to California.

A second Mexicali plant, being builtby Sempra, will emit one-tenth asmuch pollution, largely because it isbeing built to meet California’s emis-sion standards. Though cleaner thanInterGen’s plant, the Sempra plant willalso pollute the Imperial Valley. Andbecause they built it in Mexico, thecompany will not have to pay Califor-nia to offset the pollution it creates.

All 600 megawatts of the Sempraplant’s electricity will be sold to Califor-nia. Combined, the two plants will gen-erate enough electricity for more thanone million California homes.

Ernesto Martens, Mexico’s energysecretary, says these plants will be thefirst of many built in Mexico specifi-cally to provide power to the U.S. ❑

Bush okays importingelectricity from Mexico

Continued from page 1

National program shareshistory with that ofKentucky Local Lodge 40FOR 17 YEARS,Local 40, Elizabeth-town, Ky., has offered classroom train-ing for its apprentices and journeymen.And in December 2002, their new class-room building and the expansion oftheir welding shop will be complete.

The history of Local 40’s educationalprogram crisscrosses with that of theBoilermakers National Apprentice-ship Program (BNAP), as two of itsnational coordinators are former busi-ness managers of Local 40 — DanEverett and Pat Smith.

Local 40 started its training programwhile Everett was in office in 1985. Theybased it on an apprentice and journey-man upgrade training program createdby Resource Systems International andlater purchased by the International.

The Bureau of Apprenticeship andTraining approved the 576 hours ofcurriculum, which is divided into 297classroom hours (52 percent) and 279hours of hands-on training (48 per-cent). Local 40’s program closely fol-lows that of the national trainingcenter’s, and includes 120 classes cover-ing 19 different subjects.

Today, Asst. Bus. Mgr. Joe Medleycoordinates Local 40’s program. Local40 instructors Terry Barnes, Jeff Everly,Rick Hope, Billy Kouns, and DwainSmith teach the classes. Barnes and

Smith have been with the programsince it was created in 1985. Graduateapprentices of Local 40 have won thenational apprentice award once, andthe Southeast Area Joint ApprenticeCommittee’s Paul D. Wedge Awardseven times. ❑


T R A I N I N G & E D U C A T I O N

the Boilermaker Reporter


Local leaders attend School for Workers45th annual summertraining institutes draw 67local lodge leadersENROLLMENT IN THE Interna-tional’s annual summer training insti-tutes nearly doubled in 2002, despitethe fact that the Construction Institutewas not part of the program this year.

In 2001, class enrollment may havebeen low because the International heldits 30th Consolidated Convention thatsummer. But the increase in 2002 ismost likely a result of local lodge elec-tions, which were held this year andevery three years.

Sixty-seven local lodge leadersattended the International’s 45th annualsummer training institutes, comparedto 35 attendees in 2001. Held at the Uni-versity of Wisconsin School for Workersin Madison, Wis., these classes providea wealth of important knowledge andskills to help local lodge officers andstewards serve their members.

Thirty-eight members participated inthe Basic Institute, July 14-19; 29 mem-bers attended the Advanced Institute,July 21-26. The Construction Institutewas not held at the School for Workersthis year. Instead, 17 new constructionlodge business managers were invitedto attend a week-long educational pro-gram designed specifically for the con-struction lodge leader in Kansas City,July 29-August 2 (see July-Aug issue).

Each year, Basic Institute classes offera weeklong course of study on the prin-ciples of collective bargaining, contractadministration and grievance han-dling, labor history, occupational safetyand health, communications, publicrelations, and political action.

The Advanced Institute, for thoseindividuals who have previouslyattended a Basic Institute, covers arbi-tration preparation and presentation,topics in collective bargaining, laborlaw, and political action.

Instructors include professors fromthe School for Workers, InternationalBrotherhood staff members, and repre-sentatives from the national fundsoffice. Classes are held at the FriedrickCenter on the shore of Lake Mendota atthe University of Wisconsin. Attendeeslisten to lectures, view training films,participate in class discussions, androle-play various parts of the grievanceand arbitration procedures.

Members attending the Basic Insti-tute, July 14-19, included Intl. Rep.Anthony W. Palmisano; William F.Finnegan Jr. of Local 5, New York, N.Y.;James W. Banford Jr. of Local 13,Philadelphia, Pa.; Donald E. Thurmondof Local 27, St. Louis, Mo.

Wilbur F. Brown Jr. and Joseph D.Howell of Local 45, Richmond, Va.;Gerald Bullock of Local 85, Toledo,Ohio; David Lanciano and Ronald D.Weaver of Local 88, Essington, Pa.; BobHenson and Mikell W. Robinson ofLocal 108, Birmingham, Ala.

Daniel Longoria and Larry Seger Jr.of Local 374, Hammond, Ind.; TereseBroeckert, Carol Dallman, Greg Lar-son, and Craig Sprang of Local 443,Manitowoc, Wis.; James Hebbleth-waite, Tommie B. Murray, and StevenR. Price of Local 482, Wood River, Ill.;Terry A. Kickbusch and Gary L. Veeserof Local 487, Kewaunee, Wis.

Newton High and Jim McClain ofLocal 650, Lake City, Minn.; James P.Culbertson of Local 656, Chattanooga,Tenn.; Chris Howarth and Kenneth D.Rich of Local 802, Chester, Pa.

Dave Adamson, Jerry L. Dobbins,and Robert Joseph Jr. of Local 900, Bar-berton, Ohio; Lonnie R. Farnsworthand Terry M. Krafft of Local 1012,Cumberland, Md.

Ken Carver and Dave Gill of LocalD209, Speed, Ind.; Shawn R. Putmanand Bruce L. Wood of Local D480,Charlevoix, Mich.; and Joyce Allgeyerand Joyce Winter of Local S699,Menominee, Mich.

Those attending the Advanced Insti-tute, July 21-26, included Michael J.Fogarty, John Johndrow, and KevinSharland of Lodge 29, Boston, Mass.;Jim Calouette, Michael Card, D. FrankGolden, James Kaffenberger, andRichard N. St. John of Lodge 169,Detroit, Mich.; Marlin McCurdy ofLodge 242, Spokane, Wash.; BarryBerglan, Brian Brooks, Dave Smith, andTom Stevens of Lodge 357, Peru, Ind.;Earlene Meneskie of Lodge 374, Ham-mond, Ind.; Marchall C. Stork of Lodge693, Pascagoula, Miss.

Richard Geniesse, Steve Gromala,Richard Kanitz, Louis Neilio, and MikeTanguay of Lodge 696, Marinette, Wis.;Andre deLaGrange, Billy A. Leavell,and James F. Rose of Lodge 900, Barber-ton, Ohio; Ken Carver and Dave Gill ofLodge D209, Speed, Ind.; and DaveBorths, Carl Johnson, and Joyce Winterof Lodge S699, Menominee, Mich.

For more information on trainingprograms sponsored by the Interna-tional, contact the Research and Collec-tive Bargaining Services department atInternational headquarters. ❑

School for Workers — Basic Class

School for Workers — Advanced Class

ABOVE: Todd Miller and Josh Harris,third-year apprentices, perform Migwelding at Local 40’s training facility.

ABOVE RIGHT: Local 40 apprentices willspend 297 hours in the classroom and279 hours on hands-on training beforethey can become journeymen.

L-40 completes 17th year of training

Local 69 apprenticescomplete second yearMembers continue toexcel in classroom,hands-on trainingTWENTY-ONE APPRENTICES ofLocal Lodge 69, Little Rock, Ark., fin-ished their second year of classroomand hands-on training, scoring a classaverage of 91.4 percent.

Local 69 BM-ST Don Jones credits theSoutheastern Area Joint Apprentice-ship Committee (SAJAC) and SAJACinstructor Mike McClusky for theapprentices’ high grade-point averageby providing the class with the neces-sary materials and instruction.

He also credits four Local 69 membersfor the apprentices’ success in the hands-on training. Following the classroom ses-sion, Local 69 members Mark Tucker,Bill Cason, Frank Brown, and Don Mockconducted a 50-hour weld class.

“These members took time out oftheir busy schedules to provide theapprentices the necessary skills to learnor improve their weld procedures,”said Jones. “Proof of this was shown atthe Common Arc testing held twoweeks later. Out of 19 second-yearapprentices who participated, 12passed the Common Arc testing. This isa 72 percent pass rate for second-yearLocal 69 apprentices.” ❑


T R A I N I N G & E D U C A T I O N


Workshop addressesnational & local issues,and disability insuranceREPRESENTATIVES FROM 67Construction Division lodges met inDurango, Colo., for a jurisdictionalworkshop, August 20-23, 2002.

Intl. Pres. Charles W. Jones openedthe four-day meeting reminding thedelegates that “this workshop is adirect result of 1996 convention actionthat calls for educational programs forconstruction lodge representatives.”

He discussed problems he foreseeswith a national Building Trades agree-ment, which he has refused to sign.“Dale (Construction Division DirectorDale Branscum) and I met inWashington, D.C., to point out howthis agreement could be used by onecraft to raid another craft. And now sixor seven other crafts are supporting theBoilermakers’ position, something thatdoesn’t happen too often,” said Jones.

Branscum then provided an updateon jurisdictional issues with the IronWorkers and Pipefitters unions. Healso outlined beneficial changes thatcould come if the Building TradesDept. accepts agreement changes sup-ported by the Boilermakers.

Mike DiCicco, Branscum’s assistant,discussed changes to the NationalConstruction Agreement.

Representatives of Local 146,Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, talkedabout jurisdiction strategies they usedto secure assignments on a supercriti-cal boiler job.

Bill Loweth, of Employee BenefitSystems, Inc., reviewed a proposednew Sick and Accident Non-Occupational Disability Program thathas been designed specifically for theconstruction Boilermaker. ❑

RESEARCH DIRECTOR LEN Beauchamp conducts a class on duties of a local lodgepresident for members of the Great Lakes Area Industrial Council #1.

OFFICERS OF TENlocal lodges attend a workshop on the duties of a secretary-treasurer, August 2, 2002, in Pittsburgh, Pa.

L. TO R., LOCAL 146 BM-ST Dean Milton, ABM Cory Channon, AIP Dwight Harris, and IRJohn Rowe discuss the Genesee Phase 3 markup for a super critical Benson boiler.

LOCAL 237 MEMBERS learn how to use a “D-Head” during a class on orbital welding.

Industrial councils sponsor training

ONE GREAT ADVANTAGEfor locallodges who unite to form industrialcouncils is the increased opportunityfor training of local lodge leadership.

Lodges in the Great Lakes AreaIndustrial Council #1 and PennsylvaniaKeystone Industrial Council recentlyavailed themselves of this advantage.

Great Lakes Area IndustrialCouncil #1 holds program forlocal lodge officers

FOLLOWING THE 2002 elections oflocal lodge officers, the Great LakesArea Industrial Council #1 (GLAIC#1)held a one-day local lodge leadershipseminar for the presidents and secre-tary-treasurers of its affiliated lodges.

Len Beauchamp, director of theResearch and Collective BargainingServices department, conducted the

July 29 session, assisted by Intl. Rep.Howard Cole. Two Department ofLabor representatives led a session onduties of a secretary-treasurer.

GLAIC#1 affiliated lodges includeLocals M6, M10, D12, M24, M45, D81,M94, M114, 158, 357, 524, 1162, 1234,1239, 1240, 1247, 1255, 1509, 1600, 1652,and 1703.

Pennsylvania KeystoneCouncil holds seminar onduties of secretary-treasurer

ON AUGUST 2, 2002, representativesfrom ten lodges met at Local 154,Pittsburgh, Pa., to attend a workshopon the duties of a local lodge secre-tary-treasurer.

Conducted by Internal AuditorBryan King, the workshop coveredretention of records, membership

reports, a local lodge bookkeeping sys-tem, quarterly audits, and governmentreporting forms.

Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Key-stone Industrial Council, the workshopwas attended by representatives of thefollowing affiliated lodges, as well as

Local D533, Hagerstown, Md.: Local151, Erie; Local D173, Wampum; Local295, York; Locals 397 and 398, EastStroudsburg; Local 648, Fulllerton;Local 802, Chester; Local 906, Donora;and Local 2000, Chester. ❑

Local 237 memberslearn orbital welding

Members learn how touse specialty equipmentIT TAKES NUMEROUS hours ofwelding training to become proficientin adjusting programs, perimeters,and making the necessary correctionsneeded when fit-up and tolerancesvary. That’s why members of Local237, in Hartford, Conn., are taking aclass on orbital welding.

“Our goal is to provide fully-trained

and experienced welders to those con-tractors that use this type of specialtyequipment,” said Local 237 BM-STAnthony DeFrancesco Jr.

Thanks to the Northeast AreaApprenticeship Program, which pro-vided the equipment, Local 237 is ableto offer these classes to both appren-tices and journeymen.

Training includes learning the correctuse of a “D-Head,” a weld head that ispowered by a Magnatechs, PipemasterModel 510 power supply. ❑

Construction Divisiondiscusses jurisdiction

Construction Division Dir. Dale Branscumleads a discussion on craft jurisdiction.

First-year apprenticesexcel in classroomTWENTY-EIGHT apprentices of LocalLodge 108, Birmingham, Ala., begantheir first year of training at Local 108’snew facility, scoring a class averagethat impressed both their instructorsand Local 108 BM-ST John Helvin.

“The apprentices were eager to learnand receptive to all the information weprovided. It clearly showed that theinstructors and students were doingtheir part when the grades were talliedfor a class average of 94.3 percent,” saidHelvin. “We are awfully proud of ourapprentices and the fine job that all theinstructors did.”

Mike McClusky, an instructor fromthe Southeast Area Joint Apprentice-ship Program, joined Local 108 instruc-tors Roger Brasher and Carl McCloud

Jr. in conducting the class, June 3-12,2002. Brasher and McCloud completedtheir apprenticeship instructor courseat the International’s national trainingcenter in September 2001.

The first-year classroom curricu-lum includes first aid and CPR train-ing, safety orientation, mathematics,wire ropes, blueprint reading, rig-ging and rigging safety, weld theory,mechanical drawing, boiler steam cir-culation, and drug awareness.

The apprentices will soon begin thenext phase of their training — 50 hoursof hands-on welding, oxyfuel burning,tube preparation, and fitting. They willbe the first class to utilize Local 108’snew training facility, which featuresnine welding booths and all the state-of-the art equipment these new mem-bers will need to learn to become fieldconstruction boilermakers. ❑

Local 108 conductstraining in new center

L E A P I S S U E S




Why our union endorsesso many DemocratsTHE BOILERMAKERS UNION isnonpartisan, yet most of the candi-dates we have endorsed (see pages 8-9of this newspaper) in the coming elec-tion belong to the Democratic Party.How can that be?

The answer is really very simple:Our endorsements are based on eachcandidates’s record. We endorse can-didates who have helped us in thepast. Candidates who have consis-tently voted against the Boilermakeragenda will not get our endorsement.As other people in the labor move-ment have said, we do not have anypermanent friends. We only have per-manent interests.

The Republican Party supports apro-business agenda. They introduceand support legislation that helps cor-porations and the owning class at theexpense of working families.

For example, the tax bill passed inMarch that gave Enron a $250 milliontax rebate was a Republican bill. It waswritten by President Bush, supportedby congressional Republicans, andpassed by Republicans.

Every single Republican in theHouse of Representatives voted togive Enron that tax break (along withother large corporations). Only tenDemocrats supported the bill.

Republican Party leaders put a greatdeal of pressure on partymembers to support Presi-dent Bush’s anti-unionagenda. Those few Republi-cans in Congress who helpunions must oppose theirown party leadership.

When they do, partyleaders can withhold cam-paign donations and com-mittee assignments.

So it shouldn’t be sur-prising that Democrats usu-ally have better votingrecords on our issues thanRepublicans. And that’swhy we endorse far moreDemocrats than Republi-cans for federal office.

IN THE PAST TWO years, Congresshas not been kind to working families.Just take a look at a few of the manyways this Congress has tried to helpcorporations at the expense of workers:● Elimination of the alternative mini-mum tax for corporations, resulting inhuge tax breaks for corporations thatsuccessfully use accounting tricks toavoid paying taxes. For example, thisbill gave Enron a $250 million taxrebate, only months after the companyhad manipulated their employees’401(k) accounts so executives could selltheir stock holdings before the stockprice fell, but workers had to wait untilthe stock was nearly worthless, losingtheir retirement savings.● Fast-track trade authority that willhelp President Bush expand NAFTA

into the rest of South America. NAFTAhas resulted in the loss of millions ofgood-paying manufacturing jobs in theU.S. Now Bush wants to expand itthroughout the rest of the hemisphere,and our pro-business Congress hasgiven him the tools he needs.● A sham prescription drug benefitfor Medicarethat provides subsidiesfor pharmaceutical companies, but noguaranteed drug benefits for seniors.(For details, see the story on page 7.)● A so-called “pension reform” billthat would cut even more workers outof company retirement plans and makeit legal for mutual funds, banks, andinsurance companies to give advice ontheir own products to workers whose401(k) accounts they manage. Passed bythe House in response to Enron’s 401(k)

money-grab, it would actually makesuch abuses easier. The Senate has notyet acted on this bill. ●A Homeland Security Departmentbill that deprives workers of unionand civil service protections. Passed bythe Republican-controlled House ofRepresentatives, this bill has stalled inthe Senate because Senate Democratswant to put in language that wouldprotect workers’ rights. The House-passed version would make it illegalfor Homeland Security Departmentpersonnel to belong to a union.

They use our fear of terrorismto destroy workers’ rights

IN THE DEBATE over the HomelandSecurity Department authorization,Republicans (especially PresidentBush) have repeatedly played on thepublic’s fear of terrorism to justify theiranti-worker agenda. Bush has evenaccused Senate Democrats who want toprotect workers of being unAmericanand has threatened to veto the bill if itgives workers in the new departmentthe basic worker rights that all otherfederal government employees enjoy.

Bush’s proposed Department ofHomeland Security does not createnew agencies. It merely merges parts ofseveral existing government depart-ments and agencies into one massivedepartment. About 50,000 of the work-

ers in those offices are currently unionmembers, while the other 120,000 areprotected by civil service laws. Bushclaims he needs to bust those unionsand take away the workers’ civil serv-ice protections in order to use thedepartment effectively.

But union membership didn’t keepfirefighters, police, and rescue person-nel from rushing into the World TradeCenter to try to rescue people. And noone in Congress has even attempted todescribe a scenario in which unionmembership or civil service statuswould hinder the department’s opera-tions. Currently, federal employees areallowed to join unions and bargain col-lectively with the government, but theycannot strike.

Collective bargaining rightsare a part of national security

AS THE ELECTION approaches, thenational debate has turned towardinvading Iraq. All Americans opposeterrorism and want our country to beprotected from invasion.

But national security is more thanprotection from invasion by a foreignnation. Security also means having agood-paying job, access to medicalcare, and a pension we can count on.

Support candidates who care aboutworkers —not ones who coddle corpo-rations at workers’ expense. ❑

Public supports union rights forHomeland Security employeesShould employees of the Department of Homeland Security have thesame job protections and rights to union representation that otherfederal employees have?

L-28, John Devlin arewinning combinationElected to townshipcouncil, Devlin developsrelationship with governorWHEN UNION MEMBERS unitebehind a candidate, they can breakdown barriers. Local 28 member JohnDevlin learned that firsthand.

In 1997, Local 28 Bus. Mgr. RayDevaney (since retired), Newark, N.J.,appointed Devlin legislative director ofthe local’s LEAP committee. In no time,Devlin was deeply involved in JimMcGreevey’s campaign for governor.He learned a lot by working on thecampaign and got to know many of thepolitically-active union membersthroughout the state.

Although McGreevey lost that elec-tion, he was impressed by Devlin’swork, and he encouraged the Boiler-maker to run for local office. In 1999,Devlin did just that, making a bid tobecome a committeeman for the WallTownship. Devlin had his work cutout for him. Wall Township is aRepublican stronghold.

But he also had the support of hislocal union and the New Jersey AFL-CIO, which has developed a successfulprogram for helping union membersget elected to public office. They puthim through a school for candidates atRutgers University, where he learnedtricks of the trade from some of the bestpractitioners. For example, his publicspeaking teacher had been BillBradley’s speech coach during his bidfor the presidency.

Devlin lost that election by only 114votes in a township of about 27,000.There was little doubt he’d try again,especially with more encouragementfrom Jim McGreevey.

In 2001, Devlin built a team of 60 vol-unteers, mainly members of Local 28and members of the 800 union families

in the township. Their Get-Out-the-Vote campaign brought more voters tothe polls than ever before in the historyof Wall Township.This time, Devlinwon by a wide margin.

So did Jim McGreevey, and hequickly earned a reputation as a pro-union governor. His first act was anexecutive order supporting projectlabor agreements.

Devlin credits the support of his locallodge and the New Jersey AFL-CIO forhis victory. “They had vanloads ofguys going from door to door cam-paigning for me,” he said. “And I gotfinancial help from unions all over thestate, from all the trades.”

Some of them want Devlin to run forhigher office. Local 28 Bus. Mgr. RayCushing, who has supported andencouraged him from the beginning, isamong them.

But for now Devlin is just working toget re-elected in 2003. “It’s a lot ofwork,” he said. “Your family has to sac-rifice. I can’t work any overtime.”

But he can’t ignore the exposure he’sgetting. McGreevey still comes to hisfundraisers, and he’s worked with Sen-ators Torricelli and Corzine on envi-ronmental issues.

“People like to be associated with awinning team,” he said. ❑

L. to r., Kara and John Devlin meet with DinaMcGreevey and Gov. James McGreevey.

14%

12%

74%

Not sure

Should NOT have same protections and rights

as other federal employees

Should have the same protections and rights as other federal employees

From a national survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, August 10-13, 2002

Candidates who ignore family needs and givein to corporate greed should be sent packing

Send corporate coddlers a pink slip

Sep • Oct 2002 7the Boilermaker Reporter

L E A P I S S U E S



SENIOR CITIZENS hoping for a solu-tion to the problem of high prescriptiondrug costs lost a key battle this summer.The prescription drug bill for seniorspassed by the House in July offers littleand guarantees nothing.

Meanwhile, drug firms and HMOsscored two big wins.

First, House Republicans were ableto keep a Democrat-backed Medicareprescription drug bill from coming tothe floor for a vote. That bill, supportedby senior citizen groups, consumerorganizations, and labor unions, wouldhave provided prescription-drug bene-fits for seniors directly through theMedicare program.

Then, under the guise of offering pre-scription drug coverage to seniors,those same House Republicans man-aged to pass a bill written by the HMOand pharmaceutical industries.

House leaders and the Bush WhiteHouse immediately began crowingthat they had created a prescriptiondrug program for Medicare. Experts,however, say the bill is a sham that willdo very little for most retirees.

No guaranteed benefits, justsubsidies for insurance companies

ALLIANCE FOR RETIREDAmericansPresident George Kourpias calls it “ahoax and a fraud —a total sellout to theinsurance and pharmaceutical indus-tries.” The nonprofit health care con-sumer group Families USA points outthat the bill “deliberately bypasses theMedicare program.”

Instead of offering a guaranteedMedicare benefit, the Republican billmerely provides subsidies to insurancecompanies and HMOs that sell pre-scription drug policies to seniors. Thebill has very few rules for companies

that participate. They are free to changebenefits without notice, jack up premi-ums once customers have signed up,and even exit the marketplace the waymany Medicare HMOs have done inthe past few years.

Who will offer these policies?

THE BILL OFFERS no guarantees thatanyone will even sell these policies. Thedrug industry group, Health InsuranceAssociation of America, is on recordsaying policies based on the Republi-can plan are not viable because onlypeople with high prescription medica-tion costs will buy them, making thepremiums prohibitively expensive.

The plan sets target benefits, but doesnot require private insurers and HMOsto meet those targets.

Even if private insurers and HMOsfollow the Republican plan’s benefitlevels, seniors will pay far more for pre-scription drugs than they would underthe plan proposed by House Democ-rats. Families USA points out that theRepublican plan requires seniors to paythe majority of their drug costs.

The Republican bill costs seniors a$396 annual premium, plus a $250deductible. After that, seniors pay 20percent of the first $1,000 of drug costs,then 50 percent of the costs between$1,000 and $2,000, and 100 percent ofdrug costs between $2,000 and $4,900.

A retiree whose total drug costs are$3,000 would pay $2,296 under theRepublican plan, if he could find some-one to sell him a policy. Instead of pay-ing $250 a month, he’d be paying about$192 — a savings of less than $60, orabout $2 a day.

Campaigning for office, politicianshave been saying that retirees on fixedincomes should not have to choose

between food and their prescriptionmedication. They are right. But youcan’t buy much food for $2 a day.

The Democrat plan carries a $25 amonth premium and a $100 deductible.Seniors then pay 20 percent of prescrip-tion drug costs up to $2,000. And that’sall they pay.

A retiree whose total drug costs are$3,000 would pay only $980 under theDemocrat plan, a savings of $162 amonth. The Democrat plan is also aguaranteed feature of Medicare, not aprivately issued insurance policy that issubsidized by the government.

During this fall’s campaigns you canexpect many House Republican candi-

dates to brag that they passed a bill pro-viding a prescription drug benefit forMedicare recipients. Don’t let them getaway with this half-truth. The bill theypassed does not provide a guaranteeddrug benefit for retirees on Medicare.

Even if you are lucky enough to beable to buy a subsidized insurance pol-icy under this program, your drug costswill probably not go down very much.America’s retirees deserve to be able tobuy the medicine that keeps them alive.

We must demand that Congress passa guaranteed prescription drug benefitfor seniors on Medicare that makes asignificant dent in the high cost of pre-scription drugs. ❑

House Medicare drug bill is no cure

SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS

Union Support● 59 — Percentage of Americans who say more workers need unions

to protect their jobs, wages, and benefits from the ravages of corporate greed.

Employment● 5.7% —U.S. unemployment rate in July2002● 1,800,000 —U.S. workers laid off in masslayoffs, January to August, 2002

Health Care Insurance ● 56% —American workers who say theywill delay retirement to keep employer-subsidized health insurance● 69% —Americans who say the risingcosts of health care and prescription drugsare serious problems● 78% —Retired Americans who saythese rising costs are serious problems● 15% to 25%— Expected increase inhealth care insurance premiums in 2003● $6,300 —Next year’s projected averageinsurance premium for employees of largeemployers ● $3,150 —Average premium in 1998

Household Income ● 2.2% — Decline in U.S. median house-hold income in 2001 (first decrease in eightyears)● 0.4% —Increase in U.S. poverty rate in2001 (first increase in four years)

Housing Sales● 1.7% —Decline in existing home salesin July (Wall Street economists had pre-dicted a 1.3% increase)● 6.29% —National average rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage inAugust (lowest since 1971)

● $163,600 —Median sales price of exist-ing home in August

Consumer/Worker Confidence● 58% —Americans who say they are dis-satisfied with the state of the economy● 33% — Number who said the samething last year● 44% —Americans who say they haveless job security than last year● 45% — Number who say they are con-cerned about their economic future● 24% — Americans who say they arecompletely confident they can retire withfinancial security ● 34% —Number who say they are notconfident they can retire financially secure● 39% —Workers who say they havemore negative views regarding large cor-porations than positive views ● 58% — Americans with negative viewsregarding corporate CEOs (a bipartisanstance — 57% of Republicans, 59% ofDemocrats report negative views)● 31% —Workers who trust employers● 53% — Americans who believe corpo-rations pursue profits at the expense oftheir employees ● 50-57% — Americans who believeemployers are falling short on providingtheir employees with health care cover-age, retirement benefits, and job security● 61% —Workers who say employers arenot doing an adequate job of sharing prof-its with the people who make those profitspossible —the employees

Retired Americans demanddrug benefit for Medicare

CARRYING SIGNS that read, “Drugcompanies are making us sick,” nearly1,000 senior activists marched in Wash-ington, D.C., Sept. 5, to send a messageto Congress and the pharmaceuticalindustry: Seniors need and deserve areal, affordable prescription drug bene-fit through Medicare.

Activists attending the Alliance forRetired Americans’ first national con-ference Sept. 3–5 marched, rallied, lob-bied members of Congress, andplanned their legislative strategy.

On the last day of the conference,hundreds of seniors rallied in down-town Washington and marched to theheadquarters of the PharmaceuticalResearch and Manufacturers of Amer-ica (PhRMA), the industry’s lobbyist, toprotest high prescription drug prices.

“We are going to fight for the right tosave the lives of seniors,” said TonyFransetta, president of the 112,000-member Florida Alliance for RetiredAmericans. Seniors on fixed incomesshould not have to choose betweenhaving enough money to eat or to buythe prescription drugs they need tolive, he said. Fransetta, a retired mem-ber of the UAW, said the Alliance will

hold politicians accountable on thatissue. Several speakers pointed out thatcongressional Democrats have pro-posed a Medicare prescription planthat seniors support. Republicanspassed a phony bill, supported byPhRMA, that does not really protectseniors from high drug prices.

Five members of Congress spoke atthe rally — Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.),Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.) and Karen L.Thurman (D-Fla.). Four union presi-dents also spoke.

A survey, conducted by Peter D.Hart Research Associates for theAlliance and released at the conference,showed that 87 percent of respondentssay they would be more likely to votefor candidates who back a prescriptiondrug benefit. The other top issue forseniors is preserving Social Security,according to the survey.

Several prominent members of Con-gress addressed the conference,including House Minority LeaderRichard Gephardt (D-Mo.), HouseMinority Whip Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Reps. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.), John D. Dingell (D-Mich.),Robert T. Matsui (D-Calif.), and JaniceD. Schakowsky (D-Ill.). ❑

Seniors protest shamprescription drug bill

$4,500

$4,000

$3,500

$3,000

$2,500

$2,000

$1,500

$1,000

$500

How Much Seniors Pay Out of PocketUnder Democratic &Republican Plans

Republican Plan Democratic Plan

$1,000 $2,000 $3,000 $4,000 $5,000 $6,000 $7,000Total Annual Drug Expenditures

SOURCE: Families USA

Note:The Republican plan would be run by HMOs and insurers, not Medicare, soactual costs may run higher and/or benefits may not be available.

Above costs include annual premiums ($396 for Republican plan, $300 for Democratic).

Then the nation was assailed by revelations thatCongress had paved the way for corporate abuse on ascale not seen since the robber barons waged war onworkers in the 1890s. Does democracy work whenour elected representatives do the bidding of wealthycampaign donors instead of the people they havebeen elected to represent and serve?

Democracy works when workers vote

ALL OF THESE EXAMPLES merely demonstratethat democracy is not perfect. The history of ournation demonstrates that democracy works.

And we know from experience that democracyworks best when workers vote.

We cannot afford to influence politicians with cam-paign donations. Nor can we spend millions lobbyingCongress. Our only power is the power to vote repre-sentatives into office —or to vote them out.

Workers in Oklahoma demonstrated that powerthis year by defeating State Senator David Herbert,the legislator who was the driving force behind a lawpassed last year that did away with union security inthat state. Herbert was a political veteran; his oppo-nent was a union member who had never run foroffice before. Workers got behind their candidate andput Herbert out of office.

Candidates listed on these pages have demon-strated they can and will support legislation thathelps working families. Many of them have workedwith our legislative office on specific problems in theirdistricts or states. Others have shown a consistent pat-tern of support for the legislation we want to enact.

Reward friends and punish enemies

ELECTION DAY is the day we send Congress its mostimportant report card — the day we reward thosewho have helped us and punish those who haven’t.

While they hold office, we do our best to work withevery member of Congress. But election day is judg-ment day. November 5 is the day we reward ourfriends and punish our enemies.

Voting records of all current members of Congressappeared in the Jan-Feb 2002 issue of the Boilermaker

Reporter and are available on our web site atwww.boilermakers.org. Click on “LEAP.”

It is rare to find a politician who will support us onevery issue, yet many of the candidates listed herehave 100 percent voting records on Boilermakerissues. Their opponents have consistently votedagainst our legislative agenda.

Don’t let corporations and the wealthy buy the elec-tions. Democracy works for workers only whenworkers vote in their own best interests.

Make your vote count. Support the candidateslisted on these two pages. ❑

Election2002

ALABAMAGov Donald Siegelman*Sen Susan Parker1st Judy McCain Belk2nd No Recommendation3rd Joe Turnham4th No Recommendation5th Bud Cramer Jr.*6th No Recommendation7th Artur DavisALASKAGov Fran UlmerSen Ted Stevens*AL Don Young*ARIZONA Gov Janet Napolitano1st No Recommendation2nd Randy Camacho3rd Charles Hill4th Ed Pastor5th Craig Columbus6th Deborah Thomas7th Raul Grijalva8th Mary Judge RyanARKANSASGov Jimmie Lou FisherSen Mark Pryor1st Marion Berry*2nd Vic Snyder*3rd No Recommendation4th Mike Ross*CALIFORNIAGov Gray Davis*

1st Mike Thompson*2nd Mike Johnson3rd Howard Beeman4th Mark Norberg5th Robert Matsui*6th Lynn Woolsey*7th George Miller*8th Nancy Pelosi*9th Barbara Lee*10th Ellen Tauscher*11th Elaine Shaw12th Tom Lantos*13th Pete Stark*14th Anna Eshoo*15th Mike Honda*16th Zoe Lofgren*17th Sam Farr*18th Dennis Cardoza19th John Veen20th No Recommendation21st David LaPere22nd No Recommendation23rd Lois Capps*24th No Recommendation25th Bob Conaway26th Marjorie Musser Mikels27th Brad Sherman*28th Howard Berman*29th Adam Schiff*30th Henry Waxman*31st Xavier Becerra*32nd Hilda Solis*33rd Diane Watson*34th Lucille Roybal-Allard*

35th Maxine Waters*36th Jane Harman*37th J. Millender-McDonald*38th Grace Napolitano*39th Linda Sanchez40th No Recommendation41st No Recommendation42nd No Recommendation43rd Joe Baca*44th Louis Vandenberg45th Elle Kurpiewski46th Gerrie Schipski47th Loretta Sanchez*48th No Recommendation49th No Recommendation50th No Recommendation51st Bob Filner*52nd Duncan Hunter*53rd Susan Davis*COLORADOGov Rollie HeathSen Tom Strickland1st Diana DeGette*2nd Mark Udall*3rd Denis Berckefeldt4th Stan Matsunaga5th Curtis Imrie6th Lance Wright7th Mike FeeleyCONNECTICUTGov Bill Curry1st John Larson*2nd Joseph Courtney3rd Rosa DeLauro*4th Stephanie Sanchez5th James Maloney*DELAWARESen Joseph Biden*AL Steve BienerFLORIDAGov Bill McBride

1st No Recommendation2nd Allen Boyd*3rd Corrine Brown*4th No Recommendation5th Karen Thurman*6th Dave Bruderly7th Wayne Hogan8th Eddie Diaz9th Chuck Kalogianis10th No Recommendation11th Jim Davis*12th No Recommendation13th Jan Schneider14th No Recommendation15th Jim Tso16th No Recommendation17th Kendrick Meek18th No Recommendation19th Robert Wexler*20th Peter Deutsch*21st Lincoln Diaz-Balart*22nd Carol Roberts23rd Alcee Hastings*24th No Recommendation25th Annie BetancourtGEORGIAGov Roy Barnes*Sen Max Cleland*1st Don Smart2nd Sanford Bishop*3rd Jim Marshall4th Denise Majette5th John Lewis*6th No Recommendation7th Artur Davis8th No Recommendation9th No Recommendation10th No Recommendation11th Roger Kahn12th Charles Walker Jr.13th David Scott

HAWAIIGov Mazie Hirono1st Neil Abercrombie*2nd Patsy Mink*IDAHOSen Alan Blinken1st Betty Richardson2nd Edward KinghornILLINOISGov Rod BlagojevichSen Richard Durbin*1st Bobby Rush*2nd Jesse Jackson Jr.*3rd William Lipinski*4th Luis Gutierrez*5th Rahm Emanuel6th Tom Berry7th Danny Davis*8th Melissa Bean9th Janice Schakowsky*10th Henry Perritt11th Jerry Weller*12th Jerry Costello*13th Thomas Mason14th No Recommendation15th Joshua Hartke*16th John Kutsch17th Lane Evans*18th No Recommendation19th David Phelps*INDIANA1st Peter Visclosky*2nd Jill Long Thompson3rd Jay Rigdon4th Bill Abbott5th Kathleen Fox Carr6th Melina Fox7th Julia Carson*8th Bryan Hartke9th Baron Hill*

Candidates for the House of Representatives are listed bycongressional district. Endorsements are also included forthose states where elections are being held for governoror U.S. Senate. An asterisk by the name indicates thatcandidate is an incumbent. In a few races, no candidateearned our endorsement.

Boilermaker-endorsed candidates for Governor, U.S. Senate and House

Make Your Vote CountVote for candidates endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers

8 Sep • Oct 2002the Boilermaker Reporter

C A N D I D A T E E N D O R S E M E N T S


When we all vote togetherwe can make a difference.

Take this list of endorsed candidateswith you to the polls to ensure your

vote has maximum impact.


Continued on page 9

Election day is the lastday you can vote

MOST STATES NOW allow voters to vote ahead oftime by mail-in ballot or by going to the electionsoffice. That sure makes voting a lot more convenient.

Don’t wait until Nov. 5. Something might come upthat keeps you from going to the polls. Contact yourlocal supervisor of elections and arrange to voteahead of time.

On Nov. 5, you can relax knowing you’ve alreadytaken care of your civic responsibility.

Maybe you can use that free time to help a few ofyour friends get to the polls! ❑

IOWAGov Tom Vilsack*Sen Tom Harkin*1st Ann Hutchinson2nd Julie Thomas3rd Leonard Boswell*4th John Norris5th Paul ShomshorKANSASGov Kathleen Sebelius1st No Recommendation2nd Dan Lykins3rd Dennis Moore*4th Carlos NollaKENTUCKYSen Lois Combs Weinberg1st Klint Alexander2nd No Recommendation3rd Jack Conway4th Ken Lucas*5th No Recommendation6th No RecommendationLOUISIANASen Mary Landrieu*1st No Recommendation2nd William Jefferson*3rd No Recommendation4th No Recommendation5th Rodney Alexander6th No Recommendation7th No RecommendationMAINEGov John BaldacciSen Chellie Pingree1st Tom Allen*2nd Mike MichaudMARYLANDGov Kathleen Kennedy

Townsend1st Ann Tamlyn2nd Dutch Ruppersberger3rd Benjamin Cardin*4th Albert Wynn*5th Steny Hoyer*6th Donald DeArmon7th Elijah Cummings*8th Chris Van HollenMASSACHUSETTSGov Thomas BirminghamSen John Kerry*1st John Olver*2nd Richard Neal*3rd Jim McGovern*4th Barney Frank*5th Martin Meehan*6th John Tierney*7th Edward Markey*8th Michael Capuano*9th Stephen Lynch*10th William Delahunt*MICHIGANGov Jennifer GranholmSen Carl Levin*1st Bart Stupak*2nd No Recommendation3rd Kate Lynnes4th L.D. Hollenbeck5th Dale Kildee*6th Gary Giguere7th Michael Simpson8th Frank McAlpine9th David Fink10th Carl Marlinga11th Keven Kelly12th Sander Levin*13th Carolyn C. Kilpatrick*14th John Conyers*15th John Dingell*MINNESOTAGov Roger MoeSen Paul Wellstone*1st Steve Andereasen2nd Bill Luther*

3rd No Recommendation4th Betty McCollum*5th Martin Sabo*6th Janet Robert7th Collin Peterson*8th James Oberstar*MISSISSIPPISen No Recommendation1st No Recommendation2nd Bennie Thompson*3rd Ronnie Shows*4th Gene Taylor*MISSOURISen Jean Carnahan*1st Bill Clay Jr.*2nd No Recommendation3rd Richard Gephardt*4th Ike Skelton*5th Karen McCarthy*6th Cathy Rinehart7th No Recommendation8th Gene Curtis9th No RecommendationMONTANASen Max Baucus*AL No RecommendationNEBRASKASen No Recommendation1st No Recommendation2nd Jim Simon3rd No RecommendationNEVADA1st Shelly Berkley*2nd No Recommendation3rd Dario HerreraNEW HAMPSHIREGov Mark FernaldSen Jeanne Shaheen1st Martha Fuller2nd Katrina SwettNEW JERSEYSen Frank Lautenberg1st Robert Andrews*2nd Frank LoBiondo*3rd Jim Saxton*4th Christopher Smith*5th Anne Sumers6th Frank Pallone Jr.*7th No Recommendation8th William Pascrell Jr.*9th Steve Rothman*10th Donald Payne*11th No Recommendation12th Rush Holt*13th Robert Menendez*NEW MEXICOGov Bill RichardsonSen Gloria Tristani1st Richard Romero2nd John Arthur Smith3rd Tom Udall*NEW YORK1st Tim Bishop2nd Steve Israel*3rd Peter King*4th Carolyn McCarthy*5th Gary Ackerman* 6th Gregory Meeks*7th Joseph Crowley*8th Jerrold Nadler*9th Anthony Weiner*10th Edolphus Towns*11th Major Owens*12th Nydia Velazquez*13th Arne Mattson14th Carolyn Maloney*15th Charles Rangel*16th Jose Serrano*17th Eliot Engel*18th Nita Lowey*19th No Recommendation20th No Recommendation21st Michael McNulty*22nd Maurice Hinchey*

23rd John McHugh*24th Sherwood Boehlert25th No Recommendation26th No Recommendation27th Jack Quinn*28th Louise Slaughter*29th Amo Houghton*NORTH CAROLINASen Erskine Bowles1st Frank Ballance2nd Bob Etheridge*3rd No Recommendation4th David Price*5th No Recommendation6th No Recommendation7th Mike McIntyre*8th Cris Kouri9th No Recommendation10th No Recommendation11th No Recommendation12th No Recommendation13th Brad MillerNORTH DAKOTAAL Earl Pomeroy*OHIOGov Tom Hagan1st Greg Harris2nd Charles Sanders3rd Rick Carne4th No Recommendation5th Roger Anderson6th Ted Strickland*7th No Recommendation8th Jeff Hardenbrook9th Marcy Kaptur*10th Dennis Kucinich*11th Stephanie Tubbs Jones*12th No Recommendation13th Sherrod Brown*14th Steven LaTourette*15th No Recommendation16th No Recommendation17th Tim Ryan18th No RecommendationOKLAHOMASen David Walters1st Doug Dodd2nd Brad Carson*3rd No Recommendation4th Darryl Roberts5th Lou BarlowOREGONGov Ted KulongoskiLabor Comm Dan GardnerSen Bill Bradbury1st David Wu*2nd Peter Buckley3rd Earl Blumenaur*4th Peter DeFazio*5th Darlene Hooley*PENNSYLVANIAGov Edward Rendell1st Robert Brady*2nd Chaka Fattah*3rd No Recommendation4th Stevan Drobac Jr.

5th No Recommendation6th Daniel Wofford7th Curt Weldon*8th No Recommendation9th John Henry10th No Recommendation11th Paul Kanjorski*12th John Murtha*13th Joseph Hoeffel*14th Mike Doyle*15th Ed O’Brien16th No Recommendation17th Tim Holden18th Jack Machek19th No RecommendationRHODE ISLANDGov Myrth YorkSen Jack Reed*1st Patrick Kennedy*2nd James Langevin*SOUTH CAROLINAGov Jim Hodges*Sen Alex Sanders1st No Recommendation2nd No Recommendation3rd No Recommendation4th No Recommendation5th John Spratt Jr.*6th James Clyburn*SOUTH DAKOTASen Tim Johnson*AL Stephanie HersethTENNESSEEGov Phil BredesenSen Bob Clement1st No Recommendation2nd No Recommendation3rd No Recommendation4th Lincoln Davis5th No Recommendation6th Bart Gordon*7th No Recommendation8th John Tanner*9th Harold Ford Jr.*TEXASGov Tony SanchezSen Ron Kirk1st Max Sandlin*2nd Jim Turner*3rd No Recommendation4th No Recommendation5th Ron Chapman6th No Recommendation7th No Recommendation8th No Recommendation9th Nick Lampson*10th Lloyd Doggett*11th Chet Edwards*12th No Recommendation13th No Recommendation14th Corby Windham15th Ruben Hinojosa*16th Silvestre Reyes*17th Charles Stenholm*18th Sheila Jackson-Lee*19th No Recommendation

20th Charles Gonzalez*21st John Courage22nd No Recommendation23rd Henry Cuellar24th Martin Frost*25th Chris Bell26th No Recommendation27th Solomon Ortiz*28th Ciro Rodriguez*29th Gene Green*30th Eddie Bernice

Johnson*31st David Bagley32nd Pauline DixonUTAH1st David Thomas2nd Jim Matheson*3rd Nancy WoodsideVERMONTGov Doug RacineAL Bernie Sanders*VIRGINIASen No Recommendation1st Jo Ann Davis*2nd No Recommendation3rd Robert Scott*4th No Recommendation5th Meredith Richards6th No Recommendation7th Ben Jones8th Jim Moran*9th Rick Boucher*10th No Recommendation11th No RecommendationWASHINGTON1st Jay Inslee*2nd Rick Larsen*3rd Brian Baird*4th No Recommendation5th No Recommendation6th Norman Dicks*7th Jim McDermott*8th No Recommendation9th Adam Smith*WEST VIRGINIASen Jay Rockerfeller*1st Alan Mollohan*2nd Jim Humpherys3rd Nick Rahall*WISCONSINGov Jim Doyle1st No Recommendation2nd Tammy Baldwin*3rd Ron Kind*4th Jerry Kleczka*5th No Recommendation6th No Recommendation7th David Obey*8th No RecommendationWYOMINGSen No RecommendationAL No RecommendationDISTRICT OF COLUMBIAAL Eleanor Holmes

Norton*

Take your children to the polls toexperience democracy in action

VOTING RUNS in families, according to astudy by the Council for Excellence in Govern-ment. Children who go to the polls with theirparents are more likely to vote when theybecome adults.

The study found that 75 percent of the youngadults who grew up in an environment thatincluded political discussion were registeredto vote. Only 57 percent of young adults fromhomes that did not include political discus-sions were registered to vote.

The Boilermakers union has always stressedthe importance of making sure every voting-

age person in your family is registered to vote,knows the issues, and votes for candidateswho support workers. Our strength is deter-mined by the number of pro-worker voters weget to the polls.

As the percentage of Americans who votecontinues to decline, it is more important thanever that we pass along to our children theimportance of being involved in the politicalprocess by voting. Only one in five youngadults votes, according to the National Associ-ation of Secretaries of State.

Let’s reverse that trend. This year, take your children with you when

you go to the polls. What they learn by yourexample will stay with them a lifetime.

Make election day a family affair


C A N D I D A T E E N D O R S E M E N T S



I could have saved a life that day,But I chose to look the other way.

It wasn’t that I didn’t care,I had the time, and I was there.

But I didn’t want to seem a fool,Or argue over a safety rule.

I knew he’d done the job before,If I spoke up, he might get sore.

The chances didn’t seem that bad, I’d done the same, He knew I had.

So I shook my head and walked on by,He knew the risks as well as I.

He took the chance, I closed an eye,And with that act, I let him die.

I could have saved a life that day,But I chose to look the other way.

Now every time I see his wife,I’ll know, I should have saved his life.That guilt is something I must bear,

But it isn’t something you need share.

If you see a risk that others take, That puts their health or life at stake.The question asked, or thing you say,

Could help them live another day.

If you see a risk and walk away,Then hope you never have to say,I could have saved a life that day,But I chose to look the other way.

Don MerrellJ.R. Simplot Company

Don Plant Training [email protected]

CONSTRUCTION WORKERSwho work outdoors are atincreased risk of Lyme disease.You can get Lyme disease after adeer tick feeds on you.

The deer tick is found in most ofthe United States. But the Lymedisease problem is worst in north-eastern, mid-Atlantic, and north-central states: Connecticut,Maryland, Massachusetts,Minnesota, New Jersey, NewYork, Pennsylvania, RhodeIsland, and Wisconsin.

Doctors on Long Island, N.Y.,tested 396 building trades work-ers and found 43 had Lyme dis-ease. Three of them had the dis-ease long enough to need intra-venous antibiotics for six weeks,costing thousands of dollars each.

The rate of infection among theconstruction workers who workedoutdoors on Long Island — 13percent — was twice the rate forthe whole Long Island population.

The Hazards

LYME DISEASE AFFECTSevery-one differently. Some people getsick in about a week. The first signmay be a rash near the tick bite.Other people may not seem sickuntil months or years after a tickbite. The disease can permanentlydamage your nervous system andjoints. Sometimes joint replace-ment is needed.

Protect YourselfDEER TICKS ARE TINY— thesize of the head of a pin. The ticksare found in brush, woods, andtall grass. May and June are theworst months, but the ticks areactive in all warm months.

Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Put your pantscuffs inside your work boots.Tuck in your shirt. Light-coloredclothing may make it easier tospot ticks.

Use a tick repellent. Spray arepellent with permethrins in itnear the openings on your clothes,such as the bottoms of your pantsand the waistband. Apply the per-methrins once a month; they don’twash out every time. Do not usethem on your skin.

On your skin, use a repellentthat has DEET (N- diethyl-meta-toluamide), but no more than 33percent DEET. Be careful not touse too much of the repellent. Donot use DEET on your face.

(In the United States, there is avaccine for Lyme disease. But youmust get at least three shots and

the vaccine does not always work.If you are outdoors a lot whereLyme disease is most common,you may want to ask your doctorabout the vaccine.)

Check for tick bites every day.After you have been outdoorswhere ticks might be, check allyour skin and hair for ticks. Manypeople get a spot on their skin inthree to 30 days after a tick bite. Itlooks like a small red bullseye thatis spreading out.

Look carefully. Only 12 of theworkers who had Lyme diseaseon Long Island knew they hadbeen bitten.

Deer TickREMOVE TICKS FROMyourskin right away. Hold a tweezeron the tick as close to your skin asyou can and pull. Kill the tickwith alcohol and save it to show adoctor, if you can.

If you are bitten, see a doctor.Your doctor may want to give youa blood test to see if you are infect-ed. (The Lyme blood test may notshow up positive until two weeksor more after a tick bite.) The doc-tor may prescribe antibiotics.

Watch out in your free time. Ifyou spend free time — hiking,hunting, camping, or fishing — intick areas, watch out for tick bitesthen, too.

If you have questions, call yourlocal union, the Center to ProtectWorkers’ Rights (301-578-8500), orthe National Institute forOccupational Safety and Health(1-800-35-NIOSH), or check theeLCOSH website:http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/elcosh/elcoshom.html

© Copyright 2000, The Center toProtect Workers’ Rights. All rightsreserved.

The Center to Protect Workers’Rights is the research and develop-ment institute of the Building andConstruction Trades Dept., AFL-CIO:

CPWRSuite 1000, 8484 Georgia Ave.Silver Spring, MD 20910

Edward C. Sullivan is president ofthe Building and ConstructionTrades Department and CPWR.

Production of this information wassupported by grants UO2/310982and UO2/312014 from NIOSH, theNational Institute for OccupationalSafety and Health.

The contents are solely theresponsibility of the authors and donot necessarily represent the offi-cial views of NIOSH.

April 9, 2001.


S A F E T Y & H E A L T H


MAKE IT SAFE

Safety tips in SpanishTHIS ISSUE’S SAFETY COLUMN, “LymeDisease in Construction,” is also availablein Spanish.

CPWR has supplied us with a number ofsafety columns in both English and Spanish

that we can make available in camera-ready form to any lodge that believes theymay be useful.

For more information, contact the Boiler-maker Reporter at 913-371-2640.

HAZARD ALERT:Lyme Disease in Construction

REPETITIVE STRESS injuries causenearly two million injuries a year, butcorporations have always opposedlaws requiring them to protect theirworkers from it. For many years, theysucceeded in keeping the OccupationalSafety and Health Administration(OSHA) from addressing the problem.

But by 1990, OSHA could no longerignore the fact that repetitive stress hadbecome the single most frequent causeof work-related injuries.

On Aug, 30, 1990, OSHA DirectorElizabeth Dole (wife of RepublicanSenator Bob Dole) called for a newOSHA regulation for repetitive stress.Big Business continued to fight it.

After 11 years of research, OSHAissued an ergonomics standard on Jan.16, 2001. The Republican-controlledCongress immediately repealed thestandard, and on March 30, 2001, Bushsigned the repeal.

In the two years before this vote, 272groups and businesses spent more thanhalf a billion dollars to kill it. A total of$496,391,549 was spent lobbyingagainst the rule. Another $36,728,848was donated to the campaigns of politi-cians willing to vote against it.

The National Association of Manu-facturers created the National Coalitionon Ergonomics (NCE) in order to lobbyagainst the standard. Businesses paid$5,000 each to belong to NCE, whichspent over $100 million opposing theergonomics rule.

Congressman Roy Blunt (R-MO),who led the House campaign againstthe standard, pocketed $322,819 fromthe measure’s opponents.

The only way to win this battle is tovote out of office those congressmenwho do not want to protect workers .

Vote for worker safety on Nov. 5.Vote for pro-worker candidates. ❑

Boilermakers help earnawards for Detroit Edison

TWO DETROIT EDISON powerplants have earned recognition formaintaining a safe work environmentduring six-month-long boilerimprovement projects that were com-pleted earlier this year.

Ben Kiehl, director of the Belle RiverPower Plant in the East China Town-ship, and Paul Fessler, director of theMonroe Power Plant, acceptedplaques recognizing their workers’

efforts to complete more than 89,000man-hours without sustaining anyinjuries reportable under Occupa-tional Safety and Health Administra-tion (OSHA) regulations.

Representatives of Resource Con-tracting and Maintenance (RC&M)joined John Erickson, executive direc-tor of the National Association of Con-struction Boilermaker Employers(NACBE), in presenting the awards. ❑

L. TO R., RC&MSafety Dir. Wes Horner, RC&M VP Bill Christy, Detroit Edison reps. BillKiehl and Paul Fessler, RC&M VP Ron Horner, and NACBE Exec. Dir. John Erickson.

BNAP earns recognitionLocal chapter presentsBusiness Partner AwardTHE WYANDOTTE COUNTYChap-ter of the American Red Cross has rec-ognized the Boilermakers NationalApprenticeship Program (BNAP) for

its lifesaving training. On Sept. 12, 2002,the local chapter awarded the 2002Health & Safety Services Business Part-ner Award to BNAP for providing con-sistent, reliable education and trainingin injury and illness prevention. BNAPinstructors Donna Ruck and DavidCrawford accepted the award. ❑

Big Business paid $500Mto kill ergonomics rule

I chose to look the other way

YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD the term“information age” used to describetoday’s world. When you hear it, youmay think of television and mobilephones and the internet all providingthe average person with more informa-tion than we have ever had access to atany other time in history.

More than ever before, our success inlife is determined by how well we man-age and utilize information. That’s alsotrue of your success as a steward.

In the last installment, we gave yousome insight into how to create aneffective filing system to keep informa-tion on your grievances.

In this installment, we will give youtips on arranging the files to make themmore useful. Specifically, we will dis-cuss a very useful information manage-ment tool called a grievance log.

Keeping complete, accurate informa-tion on all of your grievances in onecentral grievance log allows you totrack trends, monitor issues, and helpadminister the collective bargainingagreement.

A filing system is more thanan archive of old grievances

AT THIS POINT we hope you havetaken our advice and are making sureeach grievance has its own unique filingnumber and that all of the informationnecessary to handle each grievance iskept in its own folder. For large files, thefolder should include an index listing allof the documents in the folder. As youadd documents, add them to this list.

The grievance log is a document usedto track all grievances you have investi-gated during the life of the agreement.Just as the index helps you see at aglance what documents are in the folderfor any single grievance, the grievancelog gives you a quick overall picture ofhow many grievances have been filed,how often, what departments, whatsupervisors, what issues, and howgrievances tend to get resolved.

Grievance logs can be customized tocontain whatever information youthink is important to track. Copies ofthe grievance log can be distributed ona regular basis to stewards and com-mittee people to help them see any newtrends that are developing. Grievancelogs are also valuable for keeping mem-bers informed of their grievances asthey move through the process.

Customize your grievancelog to suit your needs

THE SAMPLE GRIEVANCE log pro-vided on this page (Figure 1) illustratesthe basic types of information youmight want to track on your logs.

Knowing dates is always valuable. Ithelps you determine how frequentlygrievances occur and whether theytend to occur more often at certaintimes. If you’ve been getting about onegrievance a week and suddenly you’regetting five a week, obviously some-thing significant has changed and youneed to find out what happened.

Or maybe you notice that the lastweek of every month you get a lot ofcomplaints about overtime. You needto see if you can figure out why that ishappening and put an end to it.

The issue causing the complaint isanother key bit of information. Whenpossible, you will want to tie the issueto a specific article in the contract.Clearly, if one area in the contract iscausing a lot of grievances, you’ll wantto address that issue in negotiations.

Perhaps the language is unclear. Ormaybe the language is clear, but it isunrealistic in your work setting.

The steward who is handling thegrievance should be indicated on thelog. Not only does this let you knowwho to go to for information on a par-ticular grievance, it can give you insightinto how many grievances each stew-ard is handling. If some stewards areoverloaded while others rarely filegrievances, you might want to shiftsome responsibilities.

Including the step that the grievancehas reached to date and the final resolu-tion of the grievance lets you see at aglance the progress of each grievancethrough the process. They also providevaluable information on how manygrievances go to arbitration, how manyare resolved at each step, and whatkinds of resolutions can be expected.

You might also want to track the shiftor the department in which the griev-ance occurs. You might even includethe supervisor for each grievance. Ifany single shift, department, or super-visor is responsible for more than theirshare of grievances, you might want toinvestigate why.

When you have all of your grievanceinformation laid out in a table, it is easyto see patterns. If one supervisor gets alot of grievances over problems withjob bidding, while other supervisorsdon’t, your problem is more likely to bewith the supervisor than with the jobbidding language in the contract.

Similarly, if one steward often getssatisfactory resolutions on discipline-related grievances while your otherstewards don’t, you need to learn his orher secret and share that knowledge.

Be careful analyzing your informa-tion, though. To look at the big picture,you may want to calculate some per-centages. For example, let’s say that aquick glance at the grievance log showsyou that Ned Barnes, shipping depart-ment supervisor, has been involved intwice as many grievances as any othersupervisor. Look deeper before youjump to conclusions. If Barnes super-vises three times as many workers asany other supervisor, then his griev-ance ratio is actually pretty good.

Graphs help you see trends

AFTER A BIT of time into a new con-tract cycle, you can begin to build agraphic representation of your griev-ances. A simple bar graph showinghow many grievances have been filedon each issue (and the correspondingarticle in the contract) helps us visualizeproblem areas.

For example, if we average one ortwo grievances a month on overtime,over a year we should have between 12and 24 grievances. The same should gofor other issues. Some articles in thecontract may not generate any griev-

ances. This, too, is good to know. Evi-dently there are not any “trackable”problems in these areas

Graphs can be reproduced and dis-tributed prior to soliciting our mem-bers for proposals for negotiations. Wealways want more money and moretime off, and you will always get theseproposals. But what if we are having asignificant problem with job bids, orovertime equalization, or some otherarea? Graphs will reveal these problemareas and we can solicit proposals thatmay solve the problems.

What if we find out that all of theovertime grievances are in one depart-ment or with one supervisor? Ourgrievance log not only helps us see theproblem, but helps us demonstrate it tothe company. The company won’t lis-ten if we just say Ned Barnes is a pain inthe neck; if we show them a graph of hisgrievances compared to other supervi-sors, they may pay attention.

Graphs also help us see trends. Vari-ance from the trend can be indicative ofa problem. Figure 2 shows our graphfor grievances in two areas, overtimeand job bids. Note that overtime griev-ances were twice as prevalent in years

one and two of the contract as vacationscheduling grievances.

Suddenly, in year three, vacationscheduling grievances are up whileovertime grievances are down. It’s got-ten to where you simply cannot take avacation anymore.

Is this really a problem, or is the com-pany creating a false problem becausethe contract is getting ready to expire?If they can create a false issue, thensolve it in negotiations, they can dis-tract you from the contract’s overtimelanguage, which is clearly not workingfor your members.

Your grievance log and the graphs ithelps you create allow you to speak tothe company in the kind of languagethey understand. For example, multi-plying the average number of hours asteward spends on a grievance by theaverage wage tells you how much eachgrievance costs the company. You canthen point out how expensive all thoseovertime grievances are becoming.

You can also determine how muchthose grievances are costing the local.

One thing you’re bound to discover ifyou do this analysis: Grievance logscan be a very helpful tool. ❑

Grievance Handling

A grievance log helps categorize facts

GRIEVANCE LOG Number Date Article/Issue Steward Step Resolution Department Supervisor

02-1 1/05 Art X Overtime Davis 2 4 hours pd. Shipping Marks

02-2 3/21 Discipline Smith 3 Pending Arb. Qual. Control Barnes

02-03 4/07 Art VI Job Bid James 2 Denied Maintenance SamsonCommittee

02-04 4/28 Art V Sec 2 Davis 2 Company will Qual. Control BarnesSafety provide PPE

Figure 1

Figure 2

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

OvertimeAssignmentGrievances

VacationSchedulingGrievances


S T E W A R D ’ S S O U R C E B O O K


Years of experiencemakes Local 454member exceptionalIRREPLACEABLE — THAT HAStobe the best compliment a steward canreceive. And according to Local 454Rec. Sec. Billie Penney, Chattanooga,Tenn., you’ll never find another stew-ard like Cecil King.

King, who also serves as presidentof District Lodge #57, has worked as ajob steward for several years. And hisjob is not an easy one, as contractor

rules vary from one job to the next. “Boilermakers do not realize the

hardship and trouble that our stew-ards go through on the job,” saidPenney. “They are pulled from bothsides and we need to support them.”

According to Penney, King “is ded-icated to the welfare of the member.He tries to help each of us to the bestof his ability. He is kind, caring, andunderstanding, and you will not findanother Cecil out in our world.”

King plans to retire soon, andPenney asks each and every one of usto “take our hardhats off for him.”

★ ★ ★ Star Stewards ★ ★ ★

Cecil King is a star steward

How good isyour memory?

Your log’swritten record

helps you chartactivity over

several years.


S E T T L E M E N T S


National Cement LodgeCAREY ALLEN ,working direc-tor of the CLGAW Division,reports contract ratifica-tion, effective June 16, 2002to June 16, 2005, for fourmembers of the NationalCement Lodge who makePortland Cement atContinental Cement in St.Louis, Mo.

L-S3 – Quincy, ILINTL. RE P. DAVID LAWRENCEreports contract ratifica-tion, effective April 15, 2002to April 15, 2005, for 12members of Local S3,Quincy, Ill., who makestoves at the ComstockCastle Stove Co., Inc.

L-5 – New York, NYAIP BILL CAREY, Intl. Rep.Bob Heine, and GeraldConnolly, BM-ST of Local 5,New York, N.Y., report con-tract ratification, effectiveDec. 1, 2002 to Nov. 30,2004, for four Local 5 mem-bers who make fiberglasstanks at Cardinal FiberglassIndustries, and effectiveJuly 1, 2002 to June 30,2005, for five Local 5 mem-bers who repair ships atThomas J. FeeneyEnterprises, Inc.

M18 – Buffalo, NYINTL. REP . ROCCO DEROLLO

reports contract ratification,effective June 1, 2002 toMay 31, 2005, for members

of Local M18, Buffalo, N.Y.,who work at Keystone Corp.

D66 – Fort Dodge, IACAREY ALLEN, working direc-tor of the CLGAW Division,reports contract ratification,effective June 14, 2002 toJune 13, 2005, for 60 mem-bers of Local D66, FortDodge, Iowa, who makewallboard at the NationalGypsum Company.

D81 – Dixon, ILCAREY ALLEN, working direc-tor of the CLGAW Division,reports contract ratification,effective May 31, 2002, for114 members of Local D81,Dixon, Ill., who manufacturePortland Cement at DixonMarquette Cement.

S82 – Batavia, NYINTL. REP. ROCCO DEROLLOreports contract ratifica-tion, effective June 1, 2002to May 31, 2005, for mem-bers of Local S82, Batavia,N.Y., who work at ChappinMfg., Inc.

L-83 – Kansas City, MOJOHN SEWARD, a bus. rep. forLocal 83, Kansas City, Mo.,reports contract ratifica-tion, effective June 1, 2002to June 1, 2005, for 11 Local83 members who makeunderground and surfacegasoline and oil storagetanks for We-MacManufacturing.

L-146 – Edmonton, ABDEAN MILTON, BM-ST ofLocal 146, Edmonton,Alberta, Canada, reportscontract ratification, effec-tive Nov. 1, 2001 to Oct. 31,2004, for 29 Local 146 mem-bers who work at AltexIndustries, Inc.

L-151 – Erie, PAINTL. REP . BOB HEINE reportscontract ratification, effec-tive Aug. 14, 2002 to Aug.14, 2005, for 33 members ofLocal 151, Erie, Pa., whowork in the warehouse andfabrication shop at theArthur-Lewis Steel Co.

D173 – Wampum, PAINTL. REP . MARK KELLY

reports contract ratifica-tion, effective May 1, 1999to April 30, 2004, for 151members of Local D173,Wampum, Pa., who makePortland and slag cementat Cemex.

D239 – Three Forks, MTINTL. REP . MICHAEL ATCHISON

reports contract ratification,effective August 1, 2002 toJuly 31, 2006, for 42 mem-bers of Local D239, ThreeForks, Mont., who producetalc at Luzenac America.

D274 – Winnipeg, MBDON MAES, ABM forCement District Lodge D11,reports contract ratifica-tion, effective July 1, 2002

to June 30, 2006, for sevenmembers of Local D274,Winnipeg, Manitoba,Canada, who work atLafarge Canada, Inc.

D364 – Paris, ONINTL. REP . MICHAEL WATSONreports contract ratifica-tion, effective May 1, 2002to April 30, 2006, for 50members of Local D364,Paris, Ontario, Canada,who work in six sand andgravel pits and at twoasphalt plants for LafargeCanada, Inc.

L-480 – Jacksonville, ILINTL. REP . JAMES PRESSLEYreports contract ratification,effective May 19, 2002 toMay 21, 2005, for 232 mem-bers of Local 480,Jacksonville, Ill., who manu-facture cooking and foodoils at the A. C. Humko Corp.

D506 – Flat Bay, NFINTL. REP . ED MATTOCKSreports contract ratifica-tion, effective July 15, 2001to July 14, 2003, for 30members of Local D506,Flat Bay, Newfoundland,Canada, who load aggre-gates and other materialsat Western Logging.

D561 – Weeping WaterINTL. VICE PRES. JIM

HICKENBOTHAM reports con-tract ratification, effectiveAugust 1, 2002 to July 31,

2006, for 27 members ofLocal D561, Weeping Water,Neb., who manufacture limefor Kerford Limestone.

D584 – Buffalo, IACAREY ALLEN, working direc-tor of the CLGAW Division,

reports contract ratifica-tion, effective July 19, 2002to July 19, 2007, for 31members of Local D584,Buffalo, Iowa, who makelime products for theLinwood Mining andMinerals Corp.

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

You don’t get what you deserve . . .. . . you get what you negotiate

UNION LEADERS, like these pictured here, work longhours to negotiate the best benefits they can forBoilermaker members.

NEGOTIATING A CONTRACT for the members ofLocal D37, Seattle, Wash., at Lafarge are, seated,left to right, Intl. Rep. Mike Atchison and Lafargerepresentatives Steve Brooks and Joe Penning.Standing, l. to r., Local D37 members KenRobinson, Gary Hrisko, and Kevin Anic, andLafarge’s Bob Campbell. Their settlement wasreported in the Mar-Apr paper and is not part ofthis issue’s contract analysis.

NEGOTIATING A CONTRACT for Local D81 mem-bers at Dixon Marquette Cement are, front row, l. tor., Jim Kinney and Scott Setchell, and back row, l.to r., Carey Allen, Bill Dewald, and Mike Kresanek.

NEGOTIATING A CONTRACT at A. C. Humko forLocal 480 members are, l. to r., Mike Roach, DonW. Slater, Don F. Slater, and Clyde Mitchell. Notpictured is committee member Ken Willis.

NEGOTIATING A CONTRACTfor the members ofLocal 1620, Portland, Ind., at Portland Forge, are,seated, left to right, Jerry Laux, Steve Laux, PatBennett, Dan Wandell, and Marc Pendel; standing,l. to r., Ron Johnston, Doug Burke, Fred Lingo, BillBailey, Bob Smith, Bill Coleman, Fred Horning, andMike Landess. Not pictured are committee mem-bers Dick Steveson, Jim Pressley, and Tom Ancich.Their settlement was reported in the May-Jun paperand is not part of this issue’s contract analysis.

Prepared by the Research andCollective Bargaining Departmentof the International Brotherhoodof Boilermakers

THIS ANALYSIS of the 19agreements outlined below is basedon information provided in theContract Summary and TransmittalReport forms, and coversapproximately 1,162 employees.

Wage IncreasesFIFTEEN facilities will receivepay increases in 2002, aver-aging $0.35 per hour or 3.25percent. Fourteen facilitieswill receive pay increases in2003, averaging $0.32 perhour or 2.40 percent. Thirteenfacilities will receive payincreases in 2004, averaging$0.40 per hour or 3.33 percent.Six report wage increases in2005, averaging $0.42 or threepercent. One reports anincrease in 2006, not enoughfor an average.

PensionEIGHTEEN facilities partici-pate in some type of pensionprogram. Four participate inthe Boilermaker-BlacksmithNational Pension Trust. Theircontributions range from$0.90 to $1.40 per hour for thefirst year. Average cents-per-hour contributions are$1.14 for the first year, $1.19the second year, and $1.21

the third year. Twelve facilities offer a

401(k); eight have company-sponsored plans; one has aprofit sharing plan; and twoparticipate in a RegisteredRetired Savings Plan (RRSP)in Canada, which is similar tothe Individual RetirementAccounts (IRAs) in the U.S.

Shift DifferentialSIXTEEN agreements have asecond shift premium, ofwhich 15 report a cents-per-hour premium ranging from$0.10 to $1.00. The averagefor those in the U.S. is $0.33per hour, for Canada it is$0.68. The remaining agree-ment provides a percentageof pay as the premium.

Sixteen agreements pro-vide a third shift premium, ofwhich 15 provide a cents-per-hour premium ranging from$0.10 to $1.00. The average forthose in the U.S. is $0.43 perhour, for Canada it is $0.72.The remaining agreementprovides a percentage of payas the premium.

Sickness &AccidentFIFTEEN agreements provideweekly sickness and acci-dent indemnities. Of these, 12pay a set dollar amountranging from $100 to $450 perweek; the average rate for

the first year is $264.58. Ofthe remaining agreements,two provide a percentage ofthe employee's weekly earn-ings as the benefit and oneoffers long-term disability.The most common durationof time off is 26 weeks foundin six agreements.

Life Insurance/AD&DSIXTEEN agreements pro-vide life insurance. Of these,12 have a set dollar amountranging from $7,500 to$41,000, with an averagebenefit for the first contractyear of $19,333. The remain-ing agreements multiplywages by 2080 hours, or payequal to or double the annualsalary as the benefit amount

Fifteen agreements pro-vide Accidental Death andDismemberment (AD&D)insurance. In 12 of the agree-ments there is a set dollaramount ranging from $10,000to $41,000, with an averagebenefit for the first contractyear of $19,958. The remain-ing agreements multiplywages by 2080 hours, or payequal to or double the annualsalary as the benefit amount.

VacationALL OF THE agreements have avacation policy. Fourteenagreements provide a one-

week paid vacation, 18 providea two-week paid vacation, 17provide a three-week paidvacation, 13 provide a four-week paid vacation, tenprovide a five-week paidvacation, one provides six andseven weeks of paid vacation.Of the above agreements, fiveprovide vacation pay based ona percentage of earnings.

Paid HolidaysALL OF THE agreements pro-vide for paid holidays rang-ing from seven to 12 days.The average is 9.74 days.

Other ProvisionsEIGHTEEN agreements pro-vide funeral leave.

Fourteen agreements pro-vide paid leave for jury duty.

Twelve agreements haveunion leavelanguage.

Twelve agreements pro-vide all or partial reimburse-ment for the purchase ofsafety shoes.

Thirteen agreements pro-vide all or partial reimburse-ment for the purchase ofprescription safety glasses.

Five agreements provideseverance payment pack-ages, and six agreementsprovide paid leave for thosepersons who spend twoweeks at military encamp -ment each year.

A summary analysis of these contract settlements

NEGOTIATING A CONTRACT for Local D584 mem-bers at Linwood Mining are, front row, l. to r., MikeHouy, Tom Lowder, and Everett Fisher; back row,l. to r., Ed Carstensen and Carey Allen.

ACCORDING TO 31-year Local 146member Marvin McCormack,Edmonton, Alberta, “the higher youare in the air, the safer you are becauseno one can drop anything on you.”And he has the photos to prove it!

In 1977, McCormick was lifted byhelicopter to the top of a 200-foot stackto replace a cable that was weatherdamaged. Donald Yakichuk assistedhim through radio communicationswith the helicopter pilot.

McCormick said he didn’t hesitatewhen he received the work order, stat-ing, “It was my job, I’m a rigger.”When Local 146 ABM Cory Channonasked him if he would do it again, hesaid, “In a second.”

The photo was taken from the top ofthe Urea Tower with a telescopic lens. ❑


L O C A L L O D G E N E W S


Members can now call toll-free

THE BOILERMAKERS NationalFunds office now has a toll-free num-ber. For questions on your health andwelfare benefits, pension, or annuityfund, just dial 1-866-342-6555. Mem-bers in the Kansas City area mayphone the office at 913-342-6555.

Health and welfare plans addclinical management services

FIRST HEALTH®now provides clini-cal management services to Boiler-makers and their families who areeligible for the Boilermakers NationalHealth and Welfare Fund’s health carebenefits. Participants already savemoney by using doctors and hospitalsparticipating in First Health® Net-work. Now, they can take advantageof these valuable new clinical manage-ment services:● 24-hour health information. Partic-ipants can call and speak with a nursecase manager any time of the day ornight — 24 hours a day, 365 days ayear. (Does not apply to mental healthor substance abuse.) ● Pre-notification. Participants cancall the number on the back of theirBoilermaker eligibility card before non-emergency hospital stays. FirstHealth®nurse case managers with clin-ical experience will help guide them tothe level of care that is appropriate andsave participants money by locatingnetwork providers for them. ● Case management. If a participanthas a complex health condition, anurse case manager can be assigned tohelp navigate the health care system,maximize benefits, and send educa-tional health information.

● Specialized maternity services.Expectant moms can now get healthrisk assessments, educational infor-mation, guidance, and more. Partici-pants should call First Health® asearly as possible in their pregnancy toget the most from this program.

The clinical management servicesdescribed above are available even ifthe fund is not the primary health carebenefit provider. For example, if a par-ticipant’s primary coverage isMedicare and the fund provides sec-ondary coverage, the participant canstill get these new services.

Track your pension contributions

KEEPING TRACKof payments madetoward your pension is the best way toensure you get your full benefits whenyou retire.

Hold on to your pay stubs.They notonly let you double-check the annualreport you get from the Boilermakers-Blacksmiths Pension office, but theyprovide proof in the rare case that pay-ments do not get properly credited.

Compare your pay stubs to yourannual summary. Each year, the pen-sion office sends a summary of thehours and dollars credited to you inthe previous year. Make sure thereport and your stubs agree.

The pension uses a July 1-June 30fiscal year, not the calendar year ofJan. 1-Dec. 31. When you add up yourhour and dollar amounts, be sure youare comparing the correct stubs withthe funds office report.

Contact the funds office right awayif you believe you’ve found an error.The sooner you let them know of thediscrepancy, the easier it will be forthem to solve the problem.

National Funds Office News

The Fords of L-455

BUDDY L. FORD joined theBoilermakers union in 1958, and allfour of his sons followed in his foot-steps. Sons Gary, Steve, Burl, andDarryl are all members of theirfather’s lodge, Local 455 in Sheffield,Ala. Gary joined in 1981, Steve andBurl joined in 1992, and Darryl

became a member in 1999. “Following in a father’s footsteps

was once common place,” said L-455BM-ST Ed Vance, “but now it’s anoddity in this new global economy.”

Pictured, l. to r., are Steve, Burl,Darryl, Gary, and Buddy Ford. ❑

L-1 honors Reynolds

ON JULY 27, 2002, the union andemployer trustees of the Local 1 Legal,Supplementary UnemploymentBenefit, and Training & EducationFunds honored Harry Reynolds, pic-tured second from left, for his years ofservice as a trustee.

Local 1 BM-ST John Skermont,Chicago, Ill., at right, and RichardMooney, fund chairman and CEO ofHayes Mechanical LLC, secondfrom right, made the presentation,

thanking Reynolds for the signifi-cant contributions he has made overthe years.

“With his help working familiesprospered and the funds are sol-vent,” said Skermont. “We willalways remember his honesty andfriendship over the years.”

Pictured at left is Bill Gordinier,fund administrator and exec. sec. ofthe Boiler & Tank Contractors ofIllinois. ❑

The higher you are,the safer you are?

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES of theNational Board of Boiler and PressureVessel Inspectors has elected Asst. tothe Intl. Pres. Bill Carey to serve as anadvisory committee member.Nominated by Intl. Pres. Charles W.Jones, Carey will represent organizedlabor on the board.

The National Board was created in1919 to promote greater safety to lifeand property through uniformity inconstruction, installation, repair,maintenance, and inspection of boilersand pressure vessels. Workshopsinclude seminars on boiler and pres-sure vessel repair, boiler inspection,data reports, pressure relief valverepair, welding inspector training,and welding procedures. ❑

National board electsBill Carey as member

NTL elects officers

MEMBERS OF THE NationalTransient Lodge (NTL) have electedthe following local lodge officersthrough a mail-in ballot:

President Ronny E. VanscoyVP & Trustee Chrmn. Gary ScottBM-ST Wilfredo Hinojosa

Rec. Sec. & Trustee Shon AlmondTrustee Matthew P. Dixon.Pictured above from a 1999 file

photo are, l. to r., NTD Dir. WilliamAlmond, Hinojosa, Almond, Dixon,Scott, Vanscoy, Intl. Pres. Charles W.Jones, and IST Jerry Z. Willburn. ❑

OVER 400 MEMBERS of Local 128,Toronto, ON, participated in Labor Dayparades across the province. L-128Trustee Matt Thomson reports that the

above participants included “AFL-CIOSec.-Treas. Joe Maloney (a L-128 mem-ber), Intl. Rep. Stan Petronski, and if weare lucky, a few future Boilermakers.” ❑

Local 128 memberscelebrate Labor Day

Live & learn with Union PlusTHE UNION PLUS Education Pro-gram provides a range of servicesdesigned to help union members andtheir families build upon their educa-tion and job skills training. For mem-bers, it’s more than just learning — it’san investment in their future.

America’s unions have their own col-lege: the National Labor College at theGeorge Meany Center for Labor Stud-ies in Silver Spring, Md., a national cen-ter that provides continuous laboreducation for all union activists.

Each year the Union Plus NationalLabor College Scholarship awards a totalof $25,000 to eligible students attendingthe National Labor College program.

Contact the George Meany Office ofStudent Services at 301-431-5404 tolearn more about the National LaborCollege’s degree programs, or if youhave questions about eligibility, orneed an application.

Do the HomeworkSTUDENTS OF WORKING familiesare also eligible for various union-sponsored scholarships. Members andtheir families can look into these pro-grams and apply for wonderful oppor-tunities that make continuingeducation more affordable.

Take a moment to find the scholar-ships that target your needs. Here arefour great sources:

1. Union Plus Scholarship. For morethan ten years, the Union Plus Scholar-ship program has supported workingfamilies pursuing post-secondary edu-cation. The Union Plus ScholarshipProgram is offered through the UnionPlus Education Foundation.

Eligibility: Members of the Boiler-makers union, their spouses, and their

dependent children (foster children,step children, and any other child forwhom the individual member pro-vides greater than 50 percent of his orher support) can apply for a UnionPlus Scholarship. Participating unionmembers from Puerto Rico, Canada,Guam, the Virgin Islands, and U.S. citi-zens are eligible.

Members do not have to purchaseany Union Plus program products orparticipate in any Union Plus programsto apply for the scholarship and schol-arship awards are not based upon par-ticipation in a Union Plus program.

The individual must be accepted intoan accredited college or university,community college, or recognized tech-nical or trade school at the time theaward is issued. (So a senior highschool student who is applying to col-lege, then accepted, or a current collegestudent is eligible.) Graduate studentsare not eligible.

Scholarship amount: The amount ofthe award ranges from $500 - $4,000. Thisis a one-time cash award sent to individ-ual winners for undergraduate studybeginning in the fall of the same year.

Deadline: The deadline to returncompleted applications is January 31,2003. Application packets with a post-mark later than January 31 will not beeligible for review. Only winners willbe sent notification on May 31, 2003.

For more information or to downloadan application choose Education Servicesunder Member Benefits at the Union Plusweb site: http://www.unionplus

2. AFL-CIO Union ScholarshipDatabase: http://www.aflcio.org/scholar-ships/scholar.htm

Every year, thousands of studentsenrolled in college receive scholarshipsand grants from the union movement.

This website, formerly published inprint form by the AFL-CIO as the AFL-

CIO Guide to Union-Sponsored Schol-arships, Awards, and Student FinancialAid, describes more than $4 million inscholarships, with details about eligi-bility, application deadlines, and con-tact information. Although it cannottrack all of the scholarships availablethrough the almost 38,000 local unionsin the United States, it does include themajor scholarship programs and is agood place to start a search for financialaid for higher education.

3. Wiredscholar Scholarship Search:http://www.wiredscholar.com. Wired-scholar has just launched an all newscholarship search. Check out some ofthe added features available to regis-tered users: • View your results online immedi-

ately after submitting the profile. • Save your search results to view later. • Update your Profile Form anytime.

And getting scholarship searchresults can be as easy as 1-2-3:

1. Log on to wiredscholar. 2. Complete the profile form and

click submit. 3. View your search results immedi-

ately.

4. The Boilermaker Scholarship.And don’t forget to apply for the Boiler-maker’s scholarship. See the box storyon page 15 for all the details. ❑

14 Sep • Oct 2002the Boilermaker Reporter

C O N S U M E R N E W S


UNION PLUS CREDIT CARDCall: 1-800-522-4000

MORTGAGE & REAL ESTATEAlso open to your children &parents.Call: 1-800-848-6466

EDUCATION SERVICES For college and job skills training.Education tools and resources.Call: 1-877-881-1022

PERSONAL LOANSAvailable for credit-qualifiedmembers. Call: 1-888-235-2759

LEGAL SERVICEDiscounted legal help — first 30minutes are free. Visit: www.unionplus.org

LIFE INSURANCEFor members, their spouses, andchildren. Call: 1-800-899-2782

ACCIDENT INSURANCECall: 1-800-899-2782

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: 1-800-455-2848BCD#V816100

UNION-MADE CHECKS Call: 1-800-864-6625

FLOWER SERVICE Call: 1-800-667-7779

NORTH AMERICAN VAN LINES Call: 1-800-524-5533

Go to our web site for more information:

www.unionplus.org

BOILERMAKERS UNIONPRIVILEGE BENEFITS

*Includes retired members. Programrestrictions apply to members outside thecontinental United States. Phone 1-800-

452-9425 for clarification of eligibility.

The money-saving programslisted below are available onlyto Boilermaker members and

their immediate families.*

Members Only Good grades can reap great rewards

EMPLOYEES WORKING UNDER collective bar-gaining agreements containing union securityclauses are required, as a condition of employ-ment, to pay either monthly dues or fees to theunion. This is their only obligation to the union,regardless of the wording of the clauses.Individuals who are members of theBoilermakers pay monthly dues. Individuals whoare not members pay fees.

These dues and fees, which are authorized bylaw, represent your fair share of sustaining thebroad 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 unit employ-ees are improved immeasurably when the uniongains higher wages, better health care and pen-sions, fairness in the disciplinary system, over-time pay, vacations, and many otherimprovements in working conditions at the bar-gaining table. Because they negotiate together,through their union, employees who are repre-sented by a union typically receive higher wagesand better 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 and becomepart of your labor organization.

An objecting nonmember who is subject to aunion security clause has a legal right to fileobjections to funding expenditures which are notgermane to the collective bargaining process.Fee-paying nonmembers who choose to file suchobjections should advise the InternationalBrotherhood of Boilermakers in writing, in theform of a letter, signed by the objector, and sentto the International Secretary-Treasurer of theInternational Brotherhood of Boilermakers, 753State Ave., Suite 570, Kansas City, KS 66101. Theletter must contain the objector’s home addressand local lodge number, if known. Upon receipt ofthe objection, the International President shallprovide a description of the procedures to be fol-lowed. This objection must be filed every yearduring the month of November, or within the first30 days 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 the col-lective bargaining process are those made for thenegotiation, enforcement, and administration ofcollective bargaining agreements, meetings withemployer and union representatives, proceedingson behalf of workers under the grievance proce-

dure, arbitration proceedings, servicing the bar-gaining units that we represent, internal unionadministration, and matters related to these activi-ties. Examples of expenditures not germane to thecollective bargaining process are those made forpolitical purposes, for general community service,for charitable activities, for non-worker relatedlegislative activities, for members-only benefits,and for certain affiliation costs.

In considering these matters, you should beaware that only members have the follow-ing rights:• to vote on the terms of your collective

bargaining agreement• to participate in the development of con-

tract 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 at left. It is clearly to your advantage to continue to be

a full, active member of the InternationalBrotherhood of Boilermakers.

Only through unity and solidarity can we bet-ter our working conditions and reap benefits forourselves and our families.

A notice to employees subject to union security clauses

Union Plus makes home buying simpleEven if your credit isn’t A-1THE UNION PLUS Mortgage & RealEstate program continues to grow at anunprecedented rate, due to the lowestmortgage rates in 40 years and contin-ued growth of the program at the localbranch level. The program has now

expanded its ability to lend to home-buyers with less than perfect credit.

Union Plus Mortgage & Real Estatemakes refinancing and home-buyingeasier and more affordable for workingfamilies. Through Chase ManhattanMortgage Corporation, one of thelargest lenders in the U.S., union mem-

bers can take advantage of convenientmortgage programs. Mortgage coun-selors will walk you through the entireprocess of buying, selling, and refi-nancing homes. And they also offerspecial programs for first-time buyers.

Call 1-800-416-5786 and make your-self at home. ❑

See if

Union Plus

can help

you stay

in school.

NTL Constable, Maxfield $6,000.00NTL Fields, Calvin L. 6,000.00NTL Hale, Charles L. 6,000.00NTL Jackson, Gerald C. 6,000.00NTL Parker, Vernon H. 6,000.00NTL Perry, Tommy J. 6,000.001 Coughlin, James E. 6,000.001 Cruz, Pedro S. 4,500.001 Jackson, Andrew A. 6,000.001 Preble, William Dean 6,000.005 Pais, Irving 6,000.006 Cole, Mack Duffie 6,000.006 Lowery, James L. 6,000.006 Nero Sr., Martin J. 6,000.006 Rasmussen, Thomas 3,000.006 Sharon, Jay A. 6,000.006 Turner, James 6,000.006 Zaccagnini, Louis F. 6,000.0019 McCann, Joseph W. 6,000.0026 Brown, Hugh M. 6,000.0026 Ciucevich, Walter L. 6,000.0027 Hampson, Robert J. 4,132.0027 Huskey, Floyd F. 6,000.0027 Martin, John J. 4,500.0027 Nevills, Gary D. 6,000.0029 Donahue, John G. 6,000.0037 Currera Sr., George 6,000.0037 Green Sr., George 4,500.0037 Parent, Windom J. 6,000.0040 Gose, Steve 6,000.0040 Johnson, Robert W. 6,000.0068 Helfenstine, Howard 6,000.0069 Greer, Vero W. 6,000.0072 Espinoza, Rupert 6,000.0072 Snider, Edwin S. 6,000.0072 Tegi, Elmer 6,000.0072 Webster, Jim 6,000.0074 Quinn, John A. 3,000.0074 Tidwell, Mairiam K. 6,000.0079 Condon III, Frederick 6,000.0079 Doucet, Wilfred 6,000.0083 Matthews, George F. 6,000.0085 Wicker, Delmas 3,028.3392 Imgard, Harry W. 6,000.0092 Sanborn, Thomas A. 6,000.0092 Spicer, Kenneth L. 6,000.0096 Floyd, Russell S. 6,000.00104 Chapman, Thomas 6,000.00104 Cook, Louis E. 6,000.00104 Dumas, Alton B. 6,000.00104 Frazier, Jack 6,000.00104 Hammond, Densil P. 6,000.00104 Hobbs, Donald L. 6,000.00104 Jacobson, Wesley E. 6,000.00104 Petersen, Ernest 6,000.00104 Reynolds, Cecil A. 3,000.00104 Rutherford, Doyle 6,000.00104 Smail, Charles H. 6,000.00104 Sollie, Lars 6,000.00104 Strong, Roger W. 6000.00104 Strong, Roger W. 6000.00105 Moore, Charles L. 6,000.00105 Nesbitt, Charles F. 6,000.00108 Blevins, Bobby G. 6,000.00108 Hammett, Louie 6,000.00

108 Rutherford, Richard H. 6,000.00109 Powe, Walter A. 6,000.00109 Thomas, Toby K. 1,444.73112 Bell, Woodrow C. 6,000.00112 Lick, Margren E. 6,000.00113 Salzer, Clara J. 6,000.00117 Pederson, William P. 6,000.00124 Raymond, Francis A. 6,000.00132 Arnold, John M. 6,000.00132 Wiley, Michael E. 6,378.13151 Mozdy, Stanley 6,000.00154 Ferris, Richard W. 1,187.25154 Frost, Jack C. 6,000.00154 Hefley, Frank J. 6,000.00154 Painter, Arthur D. 6,000.00154 Rispigliati, Alfred 6,000.00169 Abbatoy, Jeanne M. 9,520.47169 Campbell, Michael J. 1,670.96169 Mockridge, Joseph A. 6,000.00169 Pankow, Walter E. 6,000.00169 Wetstphal, Stanley G. 6,000.00175 Smith, Ralph H. 6,000.00177 Glowinski, Frank 6,000.00193 Musick, Melvin L. 6,000.00193 Renner, Richard L. 6,000.00193 Sisk, Elmer L. 6,000.00197 Paolucci, Carl A. 6,000.00212 Riley, Joe W. 6,000.00242 Green, Robert H. 6,000.00305 Bearden, Ollie 3,000.00305 Bombek, Frank C. 6,000.00305 Henderson, Lionel 2,919.19358 McDade, Percy 6,000.00363 Johnson, Frank 6,000.00363 Kelley, Joseph H. 6,000.00374 Gum, Marvin U. 6,000.00374 Kaczmark, Matt 6,000.00374 Simpson, Russell B. 6,000.00433 Jones, James I. 6,000.00433 Raulerson, Hilton 6,000.00449 Anshutz, Donald W. 6,000.00449 Peterson, Peter O. 6,000.00453 Stansberry, Lewis H. 6,000.00454 Johnson, Roy C. 6,000.00455 Handley, George H. 6,000.00455 Huston, William W. 6,000.00455 Minor, Dwight S. 625.00500 Fields, Homer B. 6,000.00500 Johnston, Leroy A. 6,000.00502 Allery, Gaylord S. 6,000.00503 Elrod, Herman 6,000.00

549 Bradley, Herman 6,000.00549 Shaw, Larry G. 6,000.00549 Thomas, Robert L. 5,142.87568 Bartlett, Forrest 6,000.00577 Borel, Joseph I. 6,000.00582 Allen, John 6,000.00582 Brister Jr., Jesse C. 6,000.00582 Coon, Thomas L. 6,000.00582 Hopkins, Herbert 6,000.00583 Hoss, Gary M. 2,683.94583 Woodward, Robert L. 6,000.00587 Dugas, Lawrence J. 6,000.00587 Hare, J. D. 6,000.00587 Locklin, Donald F. 6,000.00592 White, Clayton G. 1,800.82627 Mendoza, Roland K. 6,000.00647 Shaw, Kenneth F. 6,000.00647 Zimmerman, Robert 6,000.00651 Steele, Helen L. 6,000.00

667 Horton, Homer R. 6,000.00667 Price, John E. 6,000.00687 Albertson, Iva W. 6,000.00688 Edwards, Marshall N. 3,420.03744 Bennett, Jim L. 6,000.00744 Dawson, Vernon E. 6,000.00744 Harrison, Walter S. 6,000.00744 Schoenfelt, Earl H. 6,000.00802 Foley, Leo A. 6,000.00802 Hope, Paul F. 6,000.00802 Rideout Jr., Linwood 6,000.00807 Brooks, Walter M. 6,000.001086 Pigon, Richard E. 6,000.001191 Dull, Valerie L. 6,000.001230 Morrison, John H. 6,000.001234 Lazarz, Frank E. 6,000.001509 Palubicki, Daniel R. 6,000.001525 Cruso Jr., George 6,000.001592 Miklos, John F. 6,000.00


I N M E M O R I A M

NTL Bolli, MarvinNTL Green, DanielNTL Lauderdale, PaulNTL Perry, Tommy1 Morrell, Amos5 Russo, Gregory A.6 Brookins, S. D.26 Sapp, Addin26 Smith, Robby27 Boesing, Joseph27 Bradley, Charles27 Dickson, Jackie27 Martin, John28 Gerard, Maurice29 Donahue, John29 Flynn, James M.30 Daves, John C.30 Wenger, Johnny A.

37 Murla, George39 Lincoln, John40 Rice, James45 Smith, Columbus72 Milligan, Kermit72 Muller, Donald72 Simons, Victor72 Snider, Edwin S.73 Hebert, Roger79 Condon III, F.W.92 Sanborn, Thomas A.101 Soderlund, James104 Aahl, Albert104 Jacobson, Wesley E.104 Murphy, Lyle W.104 Reynolds, Cecil A.104 Rutherford, Doyle104 Smail, Charles108 Blevins, Bobby108 Rutherford, Richard

110 Hillman, Don112 Bell, Woodrow112 Sasser, Bryant128 Cassidy, Frank128 Morehouse, Kevin132 Arnold, John M.146 Ferrier, Brandon146 Reichenauer, Robert146 St. Onge, Norman154 Carte, Willard154 Hefley, Frank J.169 Pankow, Walter169 Westphal, Stanley169 Wimmer, Clifford175 Dunsmore, Lawrence182 Romano, Lou191 Schanzenbacher, Karl193 Musick, Melvin193 Renner, Richard212 Riley, Joe W.

242 Green, Robert263 Brackey, Charles263 Hurlburt, Edward359 Beckman, Lee363 Johnson, Frank363 Kelley, Joseph H.374 Ashworth, James374 Crownover, William374 Kaczmark, Matt374 Quisenberry, John374 Schultz, Donald433 Howard, Charles433 Jones, James433 Peters, Thomas433 Powell, Tommy453 Blizzard, Floyd453 Fischer, Clyde453 Solla, Roberto483 Wilson, Willard500 Clinton, John502 Allery, Gaylord502 Hilyard Jr., Charles

502 Ostler, William524 Rogers, Carl530 Critchfield, Larry531 McDonald, Thomas541 Horrobin, Jack549 Chadderton, Robert549 Shaw, Larry568 Richardson, William582 Lott, Percy582 Richardson, Andrew627 Mendoza, Roland636 Blackwell, William647 Pratschner, Richard647 Sabrowsky, Nestor656 Beckner, Clarence656 VanDyke, Wallace656 Wade, Newell667 Riffee, Wintfred D.744 Schoenfelt, Earl1086 Pigon, Richard1509 Palubicki, Daniel R.2000 Clark, Howard


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

IF YOU HAVE NOT yet been furnished this information, contact your local lodge, secure the beneficiaryforms, complete the required information and forward to the Administrative Office of the Pension Fund,754 Minnesota Avenue, Suite 522, Kansas City, KS 66101, at the earliest possible date. NOTE: These addi-tional death benefits can only be derived for members who worked under a collective bargaining agree-ment with an employer contributing to the Boilermaker-Blacksmith National Pension Trust.

LODGE & NAME

THE DEATH BENEFIT PLANunder 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.

LODGE, NAME & BENEF I T

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

ONE OF THE MOSTpopular benefitsavailable to Boilermaker members isthe college scholarship program thathelps dependents of Boilermakers getstarted with their college education.These one-year grants reward thehard work and success of youngmembers of Boilermaker familiesand encourage members ofthe next generation ofcollege-educatedworkers to rememberthe union advantage.

Boilermaker scholar-ships are open to highschool seniors whowill be entering theirfirst year of a two- orfour-year academic pro-gram at a degree-granting,accredited college or universitywithin one year of their high schoolgraduation and are dependents ofBoilermaker members in goodstanding. A dependent may be ason, daughter, legally adoptedchild, or other dependent of an

active, retired, disabled, ordeceased member.

Winners are chosen based on avariety of criteria that includegrades, standardized test scores,extracurricular activities, and a writ-ten essay on an assigned topic.

Applications for the 2003 awardswill be available from your local

lodge at the end of this year andwill be accepted from January1 to March 31, 2003.Applications postmarkedafter the March 31, 2003,deadline cannot be consid-

ered. Contact your local toget an application. The

International will not mail applica-tions to individuals.

Some local lodges have their ownscholarship programs. Scholarshipsare also available through the UnionPlus credit card program and somestate and regional labor councils.

For information on their scholar-ship programs, contact these organi-zations directly.

How to apply for a Boilermaker Scholarship

Moving? Tell us where . . .Name

New Address

City

State or Province Zip

Local Lodge No. Register No.(Also please notify the secretary of your local lodge.)

Mail form to:Publications Department

753 State Avenue, Suite 565

Kansas City, KS 66101

(Allow five weeks for change of address.)

Birmingham membersare proud of new offices,hall, and training centerON AUGUST 29, 2002, members ofLocal 108, Birmingham, Ala., held anopen house to showcase their new8,000-square-foot facility. And a show-case it is.

They have a reception area, supplyroom, kitchen, conference room,atrium, and six over-sized offices thatput many places of business to shame.

Their new meeting room features aseparate foyer and kitchen, and com-fortable seating for 250.

But perhaps their proudest new fea-ture is their state-of-the-art trainingcenter that boasts its own office, ninewelding booths, and all the equipmenta Boilermaker needs to learn to work infield construction. Plus, they justreceived city approval to build a rig-ging yard on their adjacent property.

In dedicating the new facility, Local108 BM-ST John Helvin spoke of howLocal 108 members have earned theirmotto: Dedicated, Determined, andDependable.

“Today we honor past and presentmembers who strive to make this localwhat it is. They work hard for the con-tractors and owners. Our members

give their all and reach back when moreis needed. They give a day’s work for aday’s pay and that is what makes Local108 Boilermakers so great.”

But it was Intl. Rep. Steve Speed, whoserved as Local 108 BM-ST from 1993 to2000, who best expressed the sentimentof every Local 108 member in atten-dance when he said, “Today is myproudest day as a Boilermaker, to seehow far we’ve come.”

Nearly 100 people attended the openhouse, at which the building was dedi-cated to Southeast Area InternationalVice President Newton B. Jones, and thetraining center was dedicated to thememory of Local 108’s first-elected busi-ness manager, Joe Ballard (1991-1993).

Ballard’s widow, Vickie Ferguson,and his daughter, Marie-Jo Ballard,joined Jones at the ceremony wherethey received plaques and participatedin a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Also in attendance were area busi-ness representatives, Boilermaker con-tractors, and active and retired Local108 members. Honored guestsincluded National Transient DivisionDirector William Almond; DistrictLodge 57 BM-ES Sam May, Chat-tanooga, Tenn.; Local 26 BM-ST Dou-glas Robbins Jr., Savannah, Ga.; Local263 BM-ST Michael Allen; and Local455 BM-ST Ed Vance, Sheffield, Ala. ❑


C O M M E N T A R Y


L-108 dedicates new facility

HONORED GUESTS CUT the ribbon to Local 108’s new facility. L. to r., Vickie Ferguson,Marie-Jo Ballard, L-108 BM-ST John Helvin, and IVP Newton B. Jones.

NEARLY 100 GUESTSattend the dedication ceremony of Local 108’s new facility inBirmingham, Ala., on August 29, 2002.

Use your vote to tell Congressthat working families matter

IT’S ELECTION TIME again in theUnited States — time to give Con-gress their report card. Election dayis the best opportunity working fam-

ilies have to send a message to Wash-ington that our lives matter. What wedo matters. We matter.

For nearly two years now, the Bushadministration and the Republican-dominated House of Representativeshave been acting as though workingpeople are unimportant. They haveinsulted and injured us, while passinglegislation written by lobbyists for largecorporations.

Just look at some of their most egre-gious insults to American workers overthe past few months:

● They blocked passage of a compre-hensive Medicare prescription drugbenefit at the request of powerful phar-maceutical companies, who immedi-ately rewarded them with millions ofdollars in campaign donations● They passed fast-track trade author-ity, opening the door for PresidentBush to expand the North AmericanFree Trade Agreement (NAFTA) toCentral and South America● They blocked efforts for meaningfulpension reform, opting to allow corpo-rations to continue to raid employeepension funds and 401(k)s● They passed a $10 billion bailout forthe airline industry, not a penny ofwhich went to the displaced workers ● They passed a corporate wish-list oftax breaks and subsidies for Big Busi-ness, huge tax cuts for millionaires, andnothing for workers who lost their jobsas a result of Sept. 11

● They passed a law barring employ-ees of the Department of HomelandSecurity from joining unions.

This last one is enough to make yourblood boil. The Department of Home-land Security is new, but the work itsemployees will do is not. All Bush hasdone is take agencies from several otherdepartments and reorganize themunder this umbrella.

Over 50,000 of those federal employ-ees are currently represented byunions. Another 120,000 are protectedby civil service regulations.

But Bush wants to keep all workerprotections out of his “new” depart-ment — and the Republican-domi-nated House of Representatives wantsto help him do it. The authorization billthey passed in July strips these 170,000workers of all worker protections.

Bush’s implication — underscoredby the Republican leadership in boththe House and the Senate — is thatunions are antithetical to domesticsecurity. If these workers are allowed tojoin unions, they will be unable to dotheir job of keeping our nation safe.

This bill is an insult to every patrioticAmerican union member.

It is a double insult to the millions ofunion members who have served in theU.S. Armed Forces — especially thosewho served during war time.

And it is an insult beyond measure tothe hundreds of union members whodied trying to save lives in the WorldTrade Center on Sept. 11.

As an insult, the House-passedhomeland security bill is beyond com-pare. But it is worse than an insult. It isan injury. This bill strips 50,000 federalemployees of their right to collectivebargaining.

And it is just one of dozens of meas-ures passed by the House in the pasttwo years that injures working families.When you begin to catalog the injuriesworkers have suffered or will suffer ifbills passed by the House are made intolaw, you quickly see that working fam-ilies do not matter much in theirscheme of things.

We must act now to change that. Wemust vote out of office the representa-tives who are attacking working fami-lies. We must let Congress know thatthe majority of Americans work for aliving, and Congress must pass lawsthat benefit working families.

Corporations may give them bigcampaign donations. High-paid lobby-ists may wine them and dine them. Butif they want to be re-elected, they needto pass legislation that benefits themajority of Americans —not the super-rich minority.

Many times in recent years, workershave demonstrated that we can electour candidates when we worktogether. In 1998 and again in 2000, vot-ers from union households had a majorimpact on races at all levels.

This year, we can do even better — ifwe unite behind those candidates weknow will support our agenda.

Candidates who support trade lawsthat benefit our people — not just themultinational corporations.

Candidates who will ensure thatAmerican workers have good jobs andsafe workplaces.

Candidates who will safeguardSocial Security and Medicare.

Candidates who will hold corpora-tions responsible when they defraudinvestors and their employees, then tryto use bankruptcy laws to protect thefortunes they’ve stolen.

Candidates who will ensure thatworkers and retirees can afford goodhealth care and prescription drugs.

And most important of all —candi-dates who will guarantee that workershave the freedom to join a union.

It is an uphill battle. Corporationsand the rich can outspend us. They con-trol the media. They can give hugesums to buy third-party ads that skirtcampaign finance laws.

But in the final analysis, we still havemore votes than they do. By voting as abloc, we can win.

Do your part on election day.Vote for the candidates endorsed by

your union (see pages 8-9).United, we can make a difference! ❑

CHARLES W. JONESInternational President

We’ll never outspend corporations andthe rich — but we can outvote them

When working familiesvote together, we can

elect candidates who willsupport our agenda.

Documents

V41N5 | The Boilermaker Reporter