North American Iron Workers/Impact
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APRIL 2011 NORTH AMERICAN IRON WORKERS/IMPACT ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2011 President’s The Battle Lines Have Been Drawn Page vents of the past month involving the construction projects. Hard to imagine when Efight to retain collective bargaining labor generally only amounts to 20–25% of a rights for public employees is but one of the project’s cost. battles being waged in statehouses, provin- Project labor agreements may be outlawed cial legislatures, and city councils through- in 22 states for any publicly funded projects by out North America as political ideology and any public subdivision. Public works would be corporate paybacks replace common sense barred from using the same type of PLA many for the common good. large corporations have adopted to ensure the Each of us understands that no one is im- quality, on-time and in-budget delivery of their mune from the overall economy. Collective bar- construction. Idaho has gone one-step further gaining reflects the state of the economy during and outlawed the use of target funds. negotiations in boom times, and these depressed The United States’ Congress continues to times. What has become obvious is our economic use the budget crisis to exact a larger toll on crisis is being used to try to weaken or eliminate working Americans and union members, at- the only organization standing between corpo- tacking the victims of economic crisis as op- rate oligarchy and democracy—the unions of posed to the perpetrators. Weeks after grant- the AFL-CIO. In the United States, the assets of ing 700B in tax cuts to the wealthiest 2%, the the richest 400 individuals (yes 400 people) are same legislators now propose to “cut spend- WALTER WISE greater than 50% of our nation or 155 million ing” by shutting down OSHA for 3 months, General President Americans. The top 25 hedge fund managers av- cut $50M from the National Labor Relations erage $650 million dollars a year and yet their Board, cutting job training and needed infra- 15% tax rate (less than that paid by many of our structure repairs. Unfortunately, we see more members) is protected. As Warren Buffett stated of the same trickle down policies that have when opposing tax cuts for the wealthy, “There’s failed repeatedly. The budget shortfalls, the class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich struggling economy and workers need one class that’s making war and we’re winning.” thing—jobs, jobs, jobs. While the press may Legislators in conservative Canadian “We have the right to be treated as be focusing on pub- provinces have similar tactics to destroy the lic employees, some of rights of our members by following the same equals; the right to bargain over safety; which are our members, game plan used in the United States; support the union ironworker is the formation of non-union or unions of con- the right to bargain over wages; the directly affected by the venience workplaces and importing workers from third world countries. right to bargain over benefits; and the aggressive agenda our enemies are pursuing. An imposing enemy to say the least, but we right to bargain over our future.” Right to Work (for are up to the task. I would like to thank each less) bills have been of you for your efforts, not only at the polls, but filed or proposed in 17 also for the letters and calls to legislators, your of the 26 states protecting union represented involvement in demonstrating our resolve, and worksites. Virginia, a current Right to Work your commitment to upholding our word as giv- (for less), tried to have it incorporated into en through the collective bargaining agreement the state constitution. While technically it af- by your performance at the jobsite. fects the collection of union dues, it sends a We have the right to be treated as equals; signal that unions are weakened, and invites the right to bargain over safety; the right to bar- out of state, irresponsible contractors to com- gain over wages; the right to bargain over ben- pete for local jobs, undermining local contrac- efits; and the right to bargain over our future. tors and the community. The battle lines have been drawn. Please Anti-prevailing wage bills have been in- contact your local union for ways to help in com- troduced or are expected to be introduced batting this assault on our human rights. The in 19 states. Although numerous studies outcome is ours to decide. have demonstrated prevailing wages do not Thank you for helping to build our increase construction costs, opponents con- great union. tinue to tout “cost savings” of up to 40% on Official Publication of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers /FX:PSL"WF /8t4VJUFt8BTIJOHUPO %$t XXXJSPOXPSLFSTPSH&NBJMJXNBHB[JOF!JXJOUMPSH INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS WALTER WISE JAY HURLEY 7PMVNF "13*- /VNCFS General President Fourth General Vice President Suite 400 191 Old Colony Ave., P.O. Box 96 1750 New York Avenue, NW S. Boston, MA 02127 Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (617) 268-2382 Phone: (202) 383-4810 Fax: (617) 268-1394 Fax: (202) 638-4856 Email: [email protected] JOSEPH HUNT JOE STANDLEY FEATURES General President Emeritus Fifth General Vice President Suite 400 1660 San Pablo Ave., Suite C 1750 New York Avenue, NW Pinole, CA 94564 Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (510) 724-9277 North American Iron Workers/IMPACT Annual Conference 2011 Phone: (202) 383-4845 4 Fax: (202) 638-4856 Fax: (510) 724-1345 ERIC DEAN TADAS KICIELINSKI 12 Ron Piksa Appointed General Vice President General Secretary Sixth General Vice President 1750 New York Avenue, NW 212 N. Kingshighway Blvd., Suite 400 Ste. 1025, St. Louis, MO 63108 John Wade Turns One Hundred Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (314) 454-6872 12 Phone: (202) 383-4820 Fax: (314) 618-8328 Fax: (202) 347-2319 Email: [email protected] 13 Beck Notice EDWARD C. McHUGH MARVIN RAGSDALE General Treasurer Seventh General Vice President Suite 400 3003 Dawn Drive, Ste. 104 A Salute to Ironworker Women 1750 New York Ave., N.W. Georgetown, TX 78628 15 Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (512) 868-5596 Phone: (202) 383-4830 Fax: (512) 868-0823 Fax: (202) 383-6483 DARRELL LABOUCAN GEORGE E. KRATZER Eighth General Vice President First General Vice President Franklin Square Office Center #8-205 Chatelain Drive 8401 Claude Thomas Road St. Albert, Alberta T8N 5A4 Suite 55 Canada Franklin, OH 45005 Phone: (780) 459-3389 DEPARTMENTS Phone: (937) 746-0854 Fax: (780) 459-3308 Fax: (937) 746-0873 RON PIKSA Departmental Reports RICHARD WARD Ninth General Vice President 18 Second General Vice President 10828 Grevelly Lake Boulevard, APRIL 2011 5964 Dayton Boulevard SW, Ste. 212 Chattanooga, TN 37415 Lakewood, WA 98499 20 IMPACT Phone: (423) 870-1982 Phone: (253) 984-0514 Fax: (423) 876-0774 Fax: (253) 984-0533 Email: [email protected] 21 A Family Perspective RONALD C. GLADNEY EDWARD J. WALSH General Counsel Third General Vice President Bartley, Goffstein, L.L.C. Local News 505 White Plains Rd. 4399 Laclede Avenue 22 Suite 200 St. Louis, MO 63108 Tarrytown, NY 10591 Phone: (314) 531-1054 Phone: (914) 332-4430 Fax: (314) 531-1131 29 Lifetime Honorary Members Fax: (914) 332-4431 Headquarters Office: Email: [email protected] (202) 383-4868 Headquarters Fax: 30 Official Monthly Record (202) 638-4856 INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENTS NORTH AMERICAN Apprenticeship and Training LU/DC Staff Retirement and IRON WORKERS/IMPACT Tel: (202) 383-4870 Shopmen’s Pension Fund ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2011 Fax: (202) 347-5256 Tel: (202) 383-4874 Fax: (202) 628-6469 Computer Department Tel: (202) 383-4886 Magazine Fax: (202) 383-4895 Tel: (202) 383-4842 On TheTThhe CoverCover Davis-Bacon Office Mailroom General officers of our International, Tel: (202) 834-9855 Tel: (202) 383-4855 Fax: (202) 347-5256 Fax: (202) 638-1038 General President Walter Wise, General Maintenance and Jurisdiction Secretary Eric Dean, and General Department of Ornamental, Tel: (202) 383-4860 Architectural & Miscellaneous Fax: (202) 347-1496 Treasurer Ed McHugh, led a successful Metals (DOAMM) strategic planning meeting and annual Tel: (630) 238-1003 Organizing Fax: (630) 238-1006 Tel: (202) 383-4851 conference in Orlando, Florida. Fax: (202) 347-1496 Department of Reinforcing Ironworkers Safety EDITOR: Scott Malley, 1750 New York Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006 Tel: (866) 336-9163 Tel: (202) 383-4829 ASSISTANT TO THE EDITOR: Nancy Folks Fax: (386) 736-9618 Fax: (202) 383-6490 THE IRONWORKER Ironworkers Political Shop Department ISSN:0021163X Published monthly, except for a combined July-August issue, for $15.00 per year by the International Association of Action League Tel: (202) 383-4846 Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, 1750 New York Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006. Preferred periodicals Tel: (202) 383-4805 Fax: (202) 783-3230 postage paid at Washington, D.C. and additional mailing offices. Printed on union-made paper. Postmasters: Send change of address to Fax: (202) 347-3569 Ironworker- 1750 New York Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006 Canada Agreement Number 40009549. near record crowd ushered in A th the 12 general president of the Iron Workers, Walt Wise, at the annual Iron Worker/IMPACT La- bor Management Conference held February 20–24, 2011 in Orlando, Florida. In his opening remarks, the new general president and IMPACT labor co-chair indi- cated he would build on the good work of the outgoing General President Joseph Hunt. “My ambi- tion is to look like Joe Hunt, ver- sion 2.0,” Wise said, “but we have a lot of work to do and new goals to pursue.” Among those goals is to realize a year in which no union ironworkers are killed on the job.