I!Illlll;;,I«Lil SUPREME COURT JUSTICE HARRY A
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i!illlll;;,i«lil SUPREME COURT JUSTICE HARRY A. BLACKMUN ON UNION SOLIDARITY D GREAT WORDS OF LABOR "Union activity, by its very nature, is group activity, and is grounded on the notion that strength can be garnered from unity, solidarity and mutual commitment This concept is of particular importance during a strike, where the individual members of the union draw strength from the commitments of fellow members, and where the activities earned on by the union rest fundamentally on the mutual reliance." - Harry A Blackmun, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court In December 1972, Justice Harry A Blackmun was the lone dissenter to a Supreme Court decision dealing with union members' rights to resign during a strike Long after the majority decision has been forgotten, the words of Justice Blackmun, as stated here, will live Justice Blackmun's appointment to the Supreme Court in 1970 followed more than a decade of exemplary service as judge of the U S Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and nearly 30 years in private and public law practice in Minneapolis GENERAL OFFICERS V7\ THE INTERNATIONAL OPERATING HUNTER P. WHARTON General President LOCAL UNION 66, PITTSBURGH, PA. 1)25 I7th St, N W, Woshington, D C. 20036 L^llili^ j. C. TURNER General Secretory-Treosurer LOCAL UNION 77, WASHINGTON, D. C. 1125 17th St, NW. Woshington, D.C. 20036 Februciry, 1973 JOHN F. BRADY first Vice President LOCAL UNION 399, CHICAGO, ILL. Volume 116 Number 2 95^4 S Damen Ave Chicago, III. 60643 J. C. TURNER LEO BACHINSKI Second Vice President Editor and Manager LOCAL UNION 148, EAST ST. LOUIS, ILL. 1750 Brentwood Blvd. Suite 602 St. Louis, Mo. 63144 CONTENTS THOMAS A. MAGUIRE Third Vice President LOCAL UrJION 15, NEW YORK, N Y Looking Ahead 2 265 W 14th St New York, N Y 10011 Labor and the 93rd Congress 4 RUSSELL T. CONLON Fourth Vice President Reception for New Congressmen ... 9 LOCAL UNION 302, SEATTLE, WASH Members o-f 93rd Congress 10 Western Avenue & Cloy St. Seattle, Wash. 98121 Environmentalists Halt Construction . 12 DALE BURCHETT Fifth Vice President Local 137 In Inaugural Parade 16 LOCAL UNION 49, ST. PAUL, MINN. 2611 Central Avenue, N E. Minneapolis, Minn 55418 Hodgson Honored by I.U.O.E. 17 Canadian Section 18 AL CLEM Sixth Vice President LOCAL UNION 3, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. S. Atlantic Conference 19 474 Valencio Street Son Francisco, Calif. 94103 In Memory: Truman, Johnson 20 JOHN POSSEHL .Seventh Vice Presidenf Monthly Buying Calendar 27 LOCAL UNION 18, CLEVELAND, OHIO Legal Notes 30 3515 Prospect Ave. Cleveland, Ohio 44115 In Memoriam 34 JOSEPH H. SEYMOUR Eighth Vice President Death Benefits 36 LOCAL UNION 12, LOS ANGELES, CALIF. 2323 West 8th St. Los Angeles, Calif. 90057 ON THE COVER: In commemoration of STEPHEN J. LESLIE Ninth Vice President the February birthday of "The Father of LOCAL UNION 25, BROOKLYN, N Y. Our Country," v^e picture George Wash 675 4th Ave Brooklyn, N. Y. 11232 ington's headquarters and statue at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. ROWLAND G. HILL Tenth Vice President LOCAL 793, TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA loJ Eglintcn East, l<oom 304 Toronto, Ontario, Canada i^aS.-^^^'r il|l<10«"I5sfc ROBERT H. FOX E/eventh Vice President LOCAL 501, LOS ANGELES, CALIF. CONTRIBUTIONS TO JOURNAL 1616 West 9th St. Los Angeles, Calif. 90015 Communications must re.ith the office before ihe twenty- fifth of the month preceding that in which ihcy are to appear. The tad that a signed arlit lo is published does not commit THE INTERNATIONAL OPERATING rNGINrPR lo TRUSTEES all opinions expressed therein ronliibulions and ileins o( JOHN J. GIBLIN Choirmon news concerning the craft and labor movement are re quested from our readers. Ivery (onlrihulion must be LOCAL UNION 68, NEWARK, N.J. written plainly on f)ne side only of the paper, and accom 509 Orange St Newark, N.J. 07107 panied by the name of the writer—not necessarily for publication, but as an evidence of good faith. WILLIAM H. DUNN Trustee CHANGE OF ADDRESS LOCAL UNION 370, SPOKANE, WASH. Requests tor changes of address must reach Ihe office ol PO Box 2158, S. 514 Elm Spokane, Wash. 99210 least four weeks before they can betome effective. Be sure to give your old addiess as well as the new one, also Local JOSEPH L. HANDLEY Trustee number of which you ate a member. LOCAL UNION 132, CHARLESTON, W. VA. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS 606 Tennessee Avenue Charleston, W. Va. 25302 LInited Stales. Canada anif Mexico, per year J2.00 J. A. McMAHON, JR Trustee ADVERTISING RATES LOCAL LIN ION 450, HOUSTON, TEXAS 114 Delmor Street Houston, Texas 77011 Rates for space will be furnished promptly on application. All remittances should be made by check or money order, and should be m.ide t'ayable to JOHN H. MURPHY Trustee LOCAL UNION 513, ST. LOUIS, MO THE INTERNATIONAL OPERATING ENGINEER 2433 South Hanley Rd. St Louis, Mo 63144 1125 171h St., N. W. Washington, D. C. 20036 POSTMASTERS—ATTENTION: Change of address on Form 3579 should be sent to International Operating Engineer, Mailing List Department, Third Floor, 1125 • 17th Street, N.W.. Washington, D.C. 20036. Second-class postage paid at Washington, D. C. lool-iinq ahGad By Hunter P. Wharton • Genera Labor's Man' in the Labor Department ETER JOSEPH BRENNAN, a union card- otherwise filled with men drawn from big busi Pcarrying painter from New York City, has ness, high finance, and academia. He remembers, been chosen by the President to serve as Secretary too, the fate of Martin P. Durkin, the last labor of Labor. One of seven children in an iron work leader to hold the post of Secretary of Labor. er's family, the 54-year-old Brennan will occupy a Durkin was president of the United Association position held infrequently by union men in the of Plumbers and Pipefitters when President 60-year history of the Labor Department. Eisenhower chose him as Labor Secretary in 1952. Organized labor has clamored incessantly for The Cabinet was tagged as "nine millionaires and more top-level "representation" at the Labor De a plumber." Just nine months after taking office— partment in recent years. In that regard. Presi in September 1953—Durkin quit, charging Eisen dent Nixon's nomination of "Pete" Brennan is hower had reneged on a promise to liberalize the more than most Washington observers hoped for, Taft-Hartley Act. and certainly more than anyone expected. Brennan, in a press conference in New York Brennan has been president of both the New shortly after President Nixon named him as York State and New York City Building and Con James D. Hodgson's successor, said he was famil struction Trades Councils. Though a lifelong iar with Durkin's experience and admitted that he Democrat, he backed President Nixon in both foresaw some "rough days ahead." He vowed to 1972 and 1968. He also has been aligned with New give the job everything he has and expressed con York Republican Governor Nelson Rockefeller. fidence he could advance programs to benefit He first came to the attention of Nixon in 1970 workers. when he led a parade of 150,000 New York con In a recent talk to fellow trade unionists, struction and maritime workers in support of the Brennan said he told President Nixon that he Administration's Vietnam policy. Later Brennan wasn't going to be "window dressing" in his new and other New York unionists who demonstrated job. "I'll be talking to him and I'll yell at him when were invited to the White House. I have to," he said. "I'm still going to be a labor Brennan has silver-white hair, twinkling eyes, man." a ruddy face and a ready smile. He took up the In three hours of public interrogation con painter's trade while a student at Textile High ducted by the Senate's Labor Committee ex School in New York. He became involved in un amining his credentials prior to Senate approval, ion activities later while attending classes at the Brennan suggested he might leave the job if he College of the City of New York. He achieved found himself cixught between conflicting pres- journeyman's status before interrupting his ca sui-es of union principles and Republican politics. reer for service in the Naval Submarine Forces But he was firm in his pledge to fight for what he during World War IL After returning to paint wanted: "I don't want anybody zinging mo in the ing in 1947, he was elected business manager of ribs, because I'm pretty good at zinging back." Painters Local 1456. He was elected to head the The new Secretary of Labor voiced his dis building trades' councils of New York in 1957. He agreement with the President on several matters is also a vice president of the New York State in his appearance before the Senators. He stated AFL-CIO. his opposition to the Administration's freeze in We echo the approval given Brennan by AFL- housing starts, compulsory arbitration, and the CIO President George Meany. "It's a good choice level of minimum wages. and he'll make a very fine Secretary of Labor," In Brennan's first session with President Nixon he said. at Camp David, Maryland, last November, he in Brennan does not hold out any illusions about dicated that he tried to convince the Chief Execu the job he's undertaking. He understands that it tive of the folly of the Phase II wage-price con will be difficult "holding his own" in a Cabinet trol program.