1968 Northern Nevada, Hawaii and the Mid-Pacific Islands) Said in an Exclusive Interview This Week That Unless There Are Dramatic
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.. ;. •• AMOjor Need '"Serving the men who move th.e earth!" . * * * . Urban ReneWal Only ENGINEERS:f NEW.S 'Stopgap' Says IVP '\ PUBLISHED TO PROMOTE. THE GENERAL WELFARE OF ALL ENGINEERS AND lHEIR FAMILIES ~. l By KEN ERWIN The leader of this nation's largest local construction union, both in membership ( 31,782 ).and jurisdictional area (California, Utah, · Vol. 27-No. 5 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA May, 1968 Northern Nevada, Hawaii and the Mid-Pacific islands) said in an exclusive interview this week that unless there are dramatic. and revolutionary changes in this country's economic, domestic and foreign policies . that there would be a "continuing general decline in the American way of life as we have known it." International Vice President and Business Manager AI Clem of Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3 believes the nation is ~oving from "a productive society engaged in upgrading the ' individual by providing increasing opportunities and just eco • nomic rewards" to "a society so busily engaged in studying its . e U. s. EconomY navel that it finds itself i!l constant conflict with what it wants to Middle East CrisiS and th .. do and what it is able to do." l'lF 11 In the following interview, Mr. yard-he has to have a job to pay Clem answers questions ~ that are the taxes and support himself and · R form generally on the tip of most of'his his family. Stop-gap work, like stop-gap skills, is not a long-term Labor La\V e, ,.. liii'' members' tongues. answer. He must have a market , P v··,,rfal1der State.• } / Q. As the leader of a union '·'AM presit,enr' H· · ·"., )'Jm;: '-·"/ 111r;g~:<.c able skill and there must be a mar that depends primarily on con· H : bi· .• lnim:sr Demanas .. ' . ketplace in which to sell it. The Pu .t.... pe,ae4 , struction to keep members em· marketplace in the construction in ployed, how do you feel about rnrnent dustry is where the jobs are and it . 00 Billion Gove . possible cutbacks in Federal funds . st' ns on a $3 would seem to me that the num Maunce a . for highways, public works and Pa&e 1 ber of jobs will always depend on other major construction projects? the ability of an imaginative and A, I am against such cuts. Not productive America to plan big l. solely because they provide jobs and build with foresight. We must f()r the membership, but because continually increase the number many of, in· fact, most of ·these and continuity of jobs available. "".".~ 5.1353 projects - are well - thought - out Q. What role do you feel ~ the A, BiLL .. an.tl' ·Iong - term budgetary com To ll!lllld utll ~ of tl!. Unittd St1.tn C!od•, Federal government should play "Judieiary and J ud1t1tl Proaedur"tt and ' mitrnents. We' are already fifty illeorpon.t.e the"ltl proviaLoos ~ lati ll( to in accelerating the construction , thi_UnLtedStatni.aborCout1,nndforothtr years behind in. the consbuction .. ,_ industry? t of our highway system; experts .. '. By :.=.·M~.~~!::::~ir. r~c:=:: ~~: · have said A. Well, let's face it, sinc_e the Pucr,andMr. THUUIOli'D ' • ~' - • that America is some l thirty years behind in the con government is the originator of sbuction of dams and other power _most of our major public works projects and the well-documented · projects, they, the contractor and . blight that is evidenced in our 'the unions must coordinate. every ·· cities has its. unnoticed rural coun effort toward impressing upon the terpart in many sections of our na politician, and his handmaiden, tion . the Federal agency, the vital im portance of keeping major Federal Q. Won't the. millions of dol • and State construction programs. lars being poured into urban re· moving ahe_ad at full capacity. newal counteract, to some extent, There may be soft spots in these the reduction of these other proj budgets, ·but. construction is not ects? one of them. A. Urban renewal is a stopgap. We are moving in a forced direc Q. Speaking of politics, has tion that implies that a chro_ple your union gone on record to sup· plated ghetto will solve the prob port any of the current candi lems of social confrontation. Noth dates? ing could be further from the A. The AFL-CIO has indicated truth. I, for one, am in complete it will support Hubert' Humphrey agreement with a small, but grow . if he wins· the nomination. As for ing, group of planners that be myself, I d on't pretend to tell our lieve population dispersement and membership how to vote. Realis tically, there, is no longer -~ny • Kaiser To Second Union Health totally "new cities". with built~ in factors that provide for ethnic "union vote" as such. A number balance; equal opportunity and of political education and fund raising groups such. as the AFL Supervise Ce-nter In Santa ·clara· population expansion. Still, ~ny i, progress that involves expansion CIO's COPE' and our own Inter T. J. "Tom" Stapleton, Re degree of satisfaction. of services to increased popula national Union of Operating Engi cording- Corresponding Secre If you . or your family have tions begins with the availability neers. EPEC will coptinue to use ,_ .--· Huge Dam purely voluntary· funds to educate tary, has announced that for not yet registered for eligibility of transportation, water and pow er. We should not continue to our members on the issues and the OAKLAND - Kaiser Engineers the convenience of 0. E. Local phone the office nearest you: candidates; As · regards Local 3 · will provide dehiiled engineer and shortchange ourselves on basic 3 member~ who live in the. needs because of emergency social . members, we would hope they consbuction supervision for the SANTA CLARA COUNTY would examine fhe issues and the $95.5 million Bandama hydro Santa Clara County area or problems. · 4483 STEVENS CREEK BLVD. candidates, both local and nation electric project for the Republic vicinity, you and your family· Q. Won't ·urban . renewal pro al, register; and vote for those ·. of ·the Ivory Coast in Mrica, The can now receive your vision Phone: 244-3030 vide jobs for many who are now who offer the most substantial and ~~ _ · Export-Import Bank h~ made an unemployed as well as members · and hearing benefits at the new realistic· programs· for the nation ~ ;:~al loan of - $~6.5 for the pro- SAN FRANCI_SCO of your union? and the working man. Let me say offices of Bay Area Union Pro: 715 BRYANT STREET A. Let me put it this way. In this. I believe that both major , Slate<,! to begin producing elec- fessional Center, 4483 Stevens . the frontier days a man acquired · parties and the individual candi . trical ene~;gy in 1974, the project Phone: 391-2Q~O Creek Blvd., Santa Clara, Cali some acreage, .cut . down some dates must make some long-term includes building a rock and earth trees, built -pis ·home and· began . and far-reaching fornia. commitments to dam almost a mile long some 175 The examination for you and to use the land to provide his live America's skilled workman. I feel . miles northwest of Abidjan on The membership of Local 3 your family is at ~o charge ( ar lihood. -Today, a man may help that both parties must have realis- · ~ Africa's Ivory Coast. The World has ,used this Union Profes ranged for by your Union)-so build his own house, if he has the tic and meaningful labor and pub . ~ Bank loan will be used to buy . skill. and a union card and a build lic works planks in their platforms sional Center service for more phone and take adva~tage of equipment and services in the ing permit, but he can't provide in order to win the votes of the United States. than one year and report a high this vital professional service. · for himself out of his small back see INTERVIEW page 2 ' ' ~ ,. I:,..., T ~ ._.. '·· Page 2 -May, 1968. lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lll ll ll lllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!llllllllllllll ll!lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!lllllllll!llll!lllll ll ll!llll!ll ll!llll!llll!llll /11 11111 1111 1111 $1 ~ Million Interview ... Clem In Rinconada continued from page I C~tffecli ve/1 rank and file. Organizati0n-wise, The needs of the general popula we will support that candidate tion are ve1y great. Better hous Hills Project that we believe will work best for ing, medical care, wages, urban a productive construction and la and rural blight, vastly increased A Palo Alto building firm, ~rakin! bor program dedicated to creating service facilities, to name but a Brown & Kauffman, Inc., and one a better America. of the world's largest producers of few. We may have to rethink our forest products, Weyerhaeuser Q. Do you believe either party foreign policy and involvement on waft AI Clem a more realistic priority basis. Co., will join in the development best represents the labor move Right here, let me say I think there l lll l l llll lll ll llll l llllllll l llllllllllllllllllll l lllllllllllll ll lll ll ll ll lll llllllll l lllllllllllllllll l l ll ll !llllllllllllll l llll l l lll! l llllllllllllllllllllllllllll!llll l l ll ll l l l ll lll ll ll l ~lll lf lllllllll!llll l l llllllllllll!lllllllllll lllll of the $18 million Rinconada Hills ment? community in Los Gatos. is a great deal of blight within the • A. No. There are individuals in institutional framework of the na The new community will cover Since the work season is underway, the dispatch offices have each party who, though I am tion.