JobsLocal 85 welds sphere for Olympics . . . .3Legislation36th annual LEAP conference . . . . . . . .5SettlementsYou get what you negotiate . . . . . . .16Union PlusL-1 member wins $500 certificate . . .17

Open, candid discussionson H&W benefits and LM-2changes dominate sessionDELEGATE PARTICIPATION was atits highest ever this year at the Boiler-makers’ annual Construction DivisionWinter Conference, held Feb. 23-27, atthe Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort inMarco Island, Fla.

Business managers, Internationalofficers, and representatives lined up atmicrophones to discuss such issues asrevisions to the Boilermakers NationalHealth & Welfare Fund and the Depart-ment of Labor’s (DOL) new require-ments in LM-2 reporting.

Construction Division Director Dale“Skipper” Branscum was impressed bythe delegates’ participation, as was Intl.Pres. Newton B. Jones.

“These discussions are about ashealthy as a labor organization canget,” Jones said. “We are together onthese issues and we will work togetherto resolve any conflicts.”

Health & Welfare changeslead conference dialogueDUE TO RISING health care costs and asharp decline in man-hours, thereserves of the Boilermakers NationalHealth and Welfare Fund are being rap-idly depleted. Without a significantchange in benefits and/or contribu-tions the fund’s cash reserves were pro-jected to be depleted in 2005. In order toprotect the fund, the board of trustees

had to reduce expenses and increaserevenue effective January 1.

Explaining the changes and reasonsbehind them were David Hanson, thefund’s executive administrator; MarioRodriguez, the fund’s financial director;Tom DelFiacco, vice president of theSegal Co.; Curtis Barnhill, attorney; andunion trustees International Vice Presi-dents Sam May and George Rogers,National Transient Division (NTD)Director William Almond, Local 83 BM-ST Roger Erickson, Local 169 BM-STJohn Marek, Local 175 BM-ST John Fultz,and Local 744 BM-ST Pat Gallagher.

Changes drawing delegates’ attentionmost were a new disability benefit, anincrease in prescription drug co-pay-ments, and a reduction in banked hours.

Banked hours — the maximum num-ber of hours that can be accumulated ina participant’s reserve — were reducedfrom nine months to six months effec-tive January 1. Reducing the hoursaffects only three percent of the partici-pants, but saves the fund about $12.15per participant per month, or almost $3million a year, Hanson said. But several

Reporterthe Boilermaker Vol. 43 No. 2Mar • Apr • May 2004The Official Publication of theInternational Brotherhood ofBoilermakers, Iron Ship Builders,Blacksmiths, Forgers, andHelpers, AFL-CIOhttp://www.IBB.workingfamilies.com http://www.boilermakers.org

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See DISCUSSIONS DOMINATE page 2

Female welders earning respectApprentices put their education to the testat Four Corners Power Plant’s boiler jobFEMALE WELDERS from Local 4, Page, Ariz., and Local 627,Phoenix, are proving that welding isn’t just a man’s profession. Dur-ing an overhaul outage at the Four Corners Power Plant, six appren-tice tube welders, including three women, worked in the back passarea of a 740-megawatt boiler.

Among the apprentices B&W hired were Ruth Sampson, TalliaTsinnijinnie, and Belena Willie, all of Local 4. They have put innumerous hours at power plants from Ohio to Washington workingtoward welding certification.

“Alot of people often ask why I do it. But when they see a girl actu-ally wanting to do it, they start respecting us,” Sampson said. “Wehad one APS employee ask us if we really graduated from a weldingschool. He said, ‘It’s really good to see young faces out here. Keepdoing it.’ Like every job, you experience something new and youlearn from your mistakes.”

Tsinnijinnie also noted the difficulty of working in a male-domi-nated profession. “We definitely get underestimated,” she said.“Some places think because you’re a girl, you can’t do what you’redoing until after you actually show them you can do the work.”

Joe Wood, a B&W welding foreman and member of Local 627since 1993, had 30 welders working for him. He requested as manyapprentice welders as possible, and was provided with six.

“There’s been no task asked of them that they haven’t been able todo,” he said. “As a graduate apprentice, I really like the work ethic ofthese apprentices.” Belena Willie has wanted to be a welder since she was

11years old. Willie, a Local 4 apprentice, is working in agrowing field of women entering the welding profession.See FEMALE WELDERS page 3

Construction Division meets

UA President Marty Maddaloni (right) and IP Newton B. Jones announce ajoint agreement on groove welding the Boilermakers and UA signed with PCI.

business managers fear it affects moremembers than Hanson projects.

“Banked hours are especially impor-tant to Boilermaker construction work-ers who do not get steady work,” saidL-107 BM-ST James Garfield. “With thesharp decline in man-hours we areexperiencing, I believe this change willaffect a lot more than three percent ofthe participants.”

The trustees also raised contributionrates for the active and retiree plans by$1.12 an hour for all hours workedbeginning January 1. Of this increase,$1.01 per hour was necessary to main-tain the existing program, while $0.11was required to fund a new long-termdisability program.

While the delegates understood theimportance of pro-viding this benefit,they were trou-bled by the waythe increase wasmade part of thebenefit package.Ray Ventrone,business managerfor Local 154, Pitts-burgh, Pa., said hewas upset becausethe only way theycould keep theirpresent benefitswas to pay theincrease for the disability, too.

“If we’d been given the chance, wecould have negotiated this increase inour contract,” Ventrone said. “Now it hasto come out of our members’ pockets.”

Trustee Gallagher explained that theonly way to secure this insurance at sucha low rate was to make the benefit avail-able to all active participants. “We’vebeen working to get this coverage for along time,” Gallagher said. “Our inten-tion was not to make this a hardship foranyone, but to provide our memberswith the best coverage we can.”

Another change upsetting the dele-gates was the increase in prescriptiondrug co-payments. While these costsincreased slightly, the participant co-payments are still less than 20 percentof prescription costs.

“It’s always been our goal to providegood benefits with a small increase eachyear, but we all got blindsided by theeconomics,” Jones said. “We met yester-day with the contractors and they arewilling to help us work this out.”

New LM-2 report proceduresare heavy burdenIN ADDITION TO being blindsided byrising health care costs and a drop inman-hours, unions all across the U.S.are trying to recover from the DOL’snew reporting requirements.

For 40 years, a form required underthe Labor Management Reporting andDisclosure Act (LMRDA), known as theLM-2 form, has remained essentiallyunchanged. The new LM-2 form,which goes into effect July 1, requiresunions to make elaborate accountingchanges and report spending indetailed categories.

In explaining the new requirements atthe conference, certified public account-ants Bob Tiberi, Jim Giemzik, and Greg

Wallenbecker (Legacy ProfessionalsLLP) said they believe the changes aredesigned to put unions under a micro-scope. They estimate that the average-size local filing an LM-2 will now spend710 hours completing the new form.

LM-2 forms are required for locallodges with more than $250,000 annualreceipts. In addition, some lodges con-tributing to trusts must complete a newform, the T-1.

The LM-2 already required comple-tion of 24 informational items, 50 finan-cial items, and 15 supportingschedules. Now it requires unions totrack and itemize every payment to agroup or person that reaches $5,000within the year and put the expendi-ture in one of several categories deter-mined by the DOL — e.g., organizing,

administration,political action.The DOL cate-gories may not cor-relate to anyaccounting schemealready in use bythe union. In addi-tion, if a number ofpayments duringthe year to any sin-gle vendor meetthe $5,000 thresh-old, all paymentsto that vendormust be catego-

rized. Since lodges can’t predict inadvance where every payment will go,they must track all of their expendituresin these categories.

These changes siphon resources oflocal lodges that would be better spentserving their members.

Conference highlightsA HIGHLIGHT OF each winter meet-ing is the annual presentation of safetyawards by the National Association ofConstruction Boilermaker Employers(NACBE). All five U.S. vice-presiden-tial areas had lodges with zero lost-timeinjury rates; three of these areas alsohad lodges with a zero compensatoryinjury rate (see story on p. 13).

Another highlight to this year ’smeeting was the announcement of anew specialty agreement for narrow-groove welding between the Boiler-makers union, the United Association(UA), and PCI Energy Services.

In 2003, PCI worked 800,000 man-hours — all nonunion — primarily inthe nuclear industry. They project morethan one million man-hours in 2004.

This agreement calls for a compositecrew of Boilermakers and Pipefittersworking together, with money goinginto their respective benefit packages.

Intl. Pres. Jones said he looks for-ward to a good working relationshipwith the UA and is excited about thepotential work this new specialtyagreement can create.

“The Business Round Table wouldlike to work with us, but they say theyhave a problem with our agreements —they want us to bring our jurisdictionalagreements to the 21st century,” saidUA President Marty Maddaloni. “Thisagreement, like the NDT (Non-Destructive Testing), does that.”

Milan Racic, Boilermaker safety andhealth specialist, turned discussionsfrom national agreements to safety, dis-cussing manganese poisoning fromwelding rod fumes. Because man-ganese poisoning mimics Parkinson’sdisease, some researchers believe itmay speed up development of thedisease. “The only thing we can do isprotect ourselves through respiratorsor ventilation systems,” Racic said.

Jim McCormick, director of the tri-partite alliance program, discussedexpansion of the program to area andlocal levels. “If we can influence justone owner at a meeting, then we cangenerate a lot of work,” McCormicksaid. He also reported that Intl. Rep. EdPower is developing a tripartite pro-gram in Canada.

Mike Dorsey, of the AFL-CIO’s Build-ing & Construction Trades Depart-ment’s Center to Protect Workers’Rights (CPWR), talked about their Dis-aster Response Training Program as away to improve the chances that unionmembers are called to help in times ofemergency and disaster.

“We are not first responders, the firedepartment and police are first; we areemergency responders,” Dorseyexplained. “We want the building tradesworkers to be called to help when disas-ters occur, like when terrorists attackedthe World Trade Center on 9/11.”

National Apprentice Coordinator PatSmith also discussed training as hereviewed the Boilermakers NationalApprenticeship Program. He com-mended the business managers forexceeding the mandated one-in-fiveapprentice/journeyman ratio. He also

reminded the delegates that, in addi-tion to offering the standard appren-ticeship classes, the national trainingcenter now offers other curriculum,such as confined space training.

Other conference speakersincluded NTD Dir. William Almondand Michael DiCicco, deputy directorof the Construction Division, whoreviewed national and specialtyagreements, and Government AffairsDirector Bridget Martin and her assis-tant Shannon Brett, who talked aboutincreasing Boilermaker participationin legislative efforts.

William Palmisano, David Haggerty,and Bridget Connors reviewed theMobilization, Optimization, Stabiliza-tion, and Training (MOST) program;Carl Roberts, president of the Brother-hood Bank & Trust, brought the dele-gates up-to-date on the bank’s historyand holdings; and National ArchivistTom Wands presented a slide reviewhighlighting the Boilermakers’ museumin Kansas City, Kan.

In his closing remarks, Branscumthanked the delegates for their activeparticipation. “We are a more unitedbrotherhood this morning for speakingout yesterday,” he said.

Jones echoed those remarks, stating heis proud of the trustees’ commitment toprotect the health and welfare fund, andthat all floor suggestions regarding thisfund will be taken into consideration.

He also applauded the delegates’efforts to raise money for the CampaignAssistance Fund in their 50-50 drawing,which brought $800 to that fund and$800 to the winning ticket holder —retired AIP Bill Elrod. ❑

2 - the Boilermaker Reporter Mar • Apr• May 2004N E W S M A K E R S

ReporterMar • Apr• May 2004 Vol. 43 No. 2

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

Jerry Z. Willburn, Intl. Secretary-Treasurer

International Vice PresidentsLawrence McManamon, Great LakesMichael S. Murphy, NortheastSam May, Southeast George Rogers, Central Joe Stinger, Western States Richard Albright, Western CanadaAlexander MacDonald, Eastern CanadaJim Hickenbotham, At-LargeOthal Smith Jr., At-Large

Editorial staffDonald Caswell, Managing EditorCarol Almond, Asst. to the Managing EditorElizabeth Howard, Editorial Assistant

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.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:

The Boilermaker Reporter753 State Avenue, Suite 565Kansas City, KS 66101(913) 371-2640; FAX (913) 281-8104

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Continued from page 1

Discussions dominateconstruction conference

IN THE SUMMER OF 1998, LarrySnellgrove, BM-ST of Local 199, Jack-sonville, Fla., learned the HardawayCo. was planning to build a cementplant near Gainesville, Fla. WhenSnellgrove contacted them aboutscheduling the job, he was told thework traditionally assigned to Boiler-makers would go nonunion. So heasked the International for help.

Organizers Barry Edwards andMike Peterson set up a Fight Back cam-paign. Twenty-nine Local 199 mem-bers submitted employmentapplications to Hardaway.

All were rejected, but 14 of the 29members continued to call regularlyasking for employment.

In late 2003, the company paid$1,000 to each of the 14 members toavoid a hearing before an Administra-tive Law Judge to determine if theyhad been discriminated against forprotected union activity.

“We never got the work, but Hard-away is now very much aware of ourunion presence when it comes time forthe next job,” Snellgrove said. “Withthe determination and hard work ofour members, we will prevail.”

L-199 takes a standWhen company says no to union, members Fight Back

the Boilermaker

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Members’ expertise isoften called upon fornontraditional work MEMBERS OF LOCAL 85, Toledo,Ohio, are getting ready for the summer2004 Olympics. No, they won’t be thereto compete, but they hope some of theirwork will be there on display.

In June 2003, Local 85 members work-ing at Riverside Industries welded a five-foot-diameter ball out of one-inch roundstock aluminum and 304-stainless steelto be used in a display with a 2,200-pound statue. The seven-foot bronzestatue depicts a creature — part man,part beast — pulling a sphere (represent-

ing the world) with a chain made fromthe five interlocking rings that symbolizethe Olympics Games.

“Once again, our members did a spec-tacular job,” boasts Local 85 BM-ST Ger-ald Bullock. “Because of their skill andexpertise, our members are continuouslycalled upon to do nontraditional work.”

Titled “Spirit of Success,” the sculp-ture is currently on display at the ErieStreet Market in Toledo, where itsowner, John Pepies, a former Olympictorch runner, has a restaurant.

According to Riverside’s DennisEdwards, Pepies is trying to sell thesculpture to Olympic officials so it canbe displayed at the 2004 SummerOlympics in Athens, Greece. ❑

THE WORLD’S LARGEST operatingsteam locomotive, X3985, weighingover one million pounds, was show-cased at the 2004 Super Bowl in Hous-ton, Texas. On its way home toCheyenne, Wyo., the train stopped offin North Little Rock, Ark., at a UnionPacific shop, where Local 66 membersoverhaul engines and perform heavyrepair. According to Richard Carroll, a28-year member of Local 66, the train

originally burned coal but now runs onfuel oil, almost 6,000 gallons of it alongwith 25,000 gallons of water. The engineis so large that it is articulated — theboiler swings out as it rounds a curve.

Its wheel arrangement is 4-6-6-4 —four wheels for steering in the lead, twosets of six wheels for driving, and fourwheels on the trailing end. The locomo-tive, designed for hauling freight, isnow used as a tourist attraction. ❑

Female welders earn respect

Mar • Apr• May 2004 the Boilermaker Reporter - 3J O B S

Members use 850-ton swivel oncrane to turn vessels for loadingMEMBERS OF LOCAL 92, Los Angeles, have success-fully moved 48 fuel vessels from the Boeing SantaSuzanna Field Lab to new facilities throughout the U.S.

The move proved to be a difficult task as the vesselsheld high-pressure fuels such as oxygen used to testrocket engines and were located on a remote hilltopnear the San Fernando Valley in California, with onlyone way in — a narrow canyon road.

Contractors Companies, a Boilermaker contractordoing business as Contractors Rigging & Erectors andContractors Cargo Company, was invited to develop aplan to move the vessels.

Local 92 members Craig Chubbuck and RobertTraister worked several weeks with company presi-dent Gerald Wheeler and engineer Kent Henry to fig-ure out a way to move the vessels. Issues of groundloading, transporting safely out of a narrow canyon,and strict environmental concerns all had to beaddressed before they could secure the work.

The vessels, designed to withstand pressures up to10,000 pounds per square inch (psi), were up to 42-feet in length, made out of six-inch-thick concrete, andweighed from 90,000 to 250,000 pounds each.

Seventeen of the vessels were located inside vaults.To move them, the team had to attach an 850-tonswivel to an 800-ton Gantry crane so they could turnthe vessels for loading.

To make the tricky move, Local 92 members used aunified jack system to jack up the vessels and rollthem out to the crane. Setting and leveling the cranewas a challenge in itself, as the crane had to be placedon an inclined road.

Using the crane’s swivel to turn the loads, memberswould set the bottom vessel on the transporter thenlift the top vessel to await the transporter’s return.

They then transferred the vessels to over-the-roadtrailers using a 300-ton crane in an open area abouttwo miles closer to the facility gate.

Participating in this project were Local 92 mem-bers Chubbuck (project management team mem-ber), general foreman Traister, foreman JamesHolland, and crew members Leonard Atcitty, TimBarker, Ken Colbert, Richard Forth, Alberto Garcia,Wes Harrell, Brad Heinemann, Josh Johnson, BrianOrtiz, and Jose Perez.

Local 92 BM-ST Eddie Marquez is very proud of hismembers. “We, as a team, showed the client that theunion and contractors work together to accomplishthe work at hand,” Marquez said. “No matter how bigor small the job, Boilermakers are the ‘go to’ craft whoget the job done in a safe and skillful manner.

“Kudos to these members,” Marquez said. “Here atL-92 we believe a job well done is a chance to do more.”

The Santa Suzanna Field Lab, in Santa Suzanna,Calif., was created by North American Rockwell inthe 1950s to test rocket engines for America’s spaceprogram. Virtually every type of rocket engine hasbeen tested there. Many other testing programs arestill headquartered there.

The 48 vessels that were moved are owned byNASA, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, and the Boe-ing Corp. Built in the 1960s at costs ranging from$50,000 to $190,000, the vessels would cost $1.1 millioneach to replace today. ❑

Local 92 members use an 850-ton swivel toremove and turn rocket vessels from a vault. Eachvessel weighs up to 250,000 tons.

Local 92 moves 48 rocket fuel vessels

Deanne Bryant, a Local 627 journey-man welder who completed the appren-tice program last August, said it’s goodto see more and more female welders.When she started welding in 1999, shecould count the female welders in Local627 on one hand. And at the apprenticeschool in Kansas City, the number ofwomen increased from one her first yearto five by the time she finished.

Today, she shares her experienceswith the growing number of femalewelders she encounters on the job.

“It was rough in the beginning.When I started out, a lot of the guystreated me differently because I’m awoman,” the Shonto, Ariz., native said.“I used to let them help me, but I fig-ured I wouldn’t learn anything thatway. You get more respect when youshow them you can do it. If you love

what you do and you put your heartinto it, no one can take it from you.”

Because of the devotion shown bythe apprentices, Dan Kennedy, a 30-year veteran in the electric industry andFour Corners maintenance foreman,sees the apprentices as tomorrow’swork force.

“For many years there were very fewapprentices, now the demand is there,”he said. “There are opportunities forthese young people that were not therebefore. In the future, more and morehighly-skilled people will be needed toreplace our aging work force.”

In order to achieve a welding certifi-cation, welding apprentices work atpower plants across the nation when-ever work is available. An apprenticemust put in 6,000 hours of actual workexperience, which can take up to fouryears. Source: Nathan Tohtsoni, APSC ❑

Continued from page 1

On display at the Erie Street Market in Toledo, Ohio, this Olympic sculpture,the Spirit of Success, includes a five-foot ball welded by Local 85 members.

L-85 welds ball for Olympic sculpture

Working on the railroad

4 - the Boilermaker Reporter Mar • Apr• May 2004N E W S M A K E R S

by Ken Barrett, TRCP Senior Writer

AFTER LEARNING about theTheodore Roosevelt ConservationPartnership (TRCP) and its goal — toguarantee us all places to hunt andfish — Building and ConstructionTrades Department (BCTD) PresidentEdward Sullivan and the presidentsof the other building trades, includ-ing the Boilermakers’ President New-ton Jones, have decided to endorseand officially join with the TRCP.President Sullivan is also encourag-ing all individual building trademembers, especially those who huntand fish, to join TRCP.

Soon after this broad endorsementdecision was made, Larry Csonka,National Football League Hall ofFame member, host of the OutdoorLife Network’s “North to Alaska”and “Csonka Outdoors,” and volun-teer spokesman for the TRCP,addressed an estimated 3,000 repre-sentatives from the 15 building tradesat the BCTD conference in Washing-ton, D.C. Csonka emphasized theneed to expand public access to hunt-ing and fishing for average workingpeople like those who labor in thebuilding trades. He encouraged us allto get on board with the TRCP,because together we can speak with astrong, powerful, and influentialvoice and help assure a bright futurefor hunting and fishing, not only forourselves, but for our children andgrandchildren.

While many groups take on theimportant work of protecting andpreserving fish and wildlife habitatand others safeguard our rights toown, use, and enjoy guns, bows, andyes, even fishing equipment, theTRCP is pulling together the coun-try’s leading hunting and fishinggroups in a partnership to focus on“Guaranteeing Us All Places to Huntand Fish . . . Now and Forever!”

And while TRCP combines forceswith the habitat groups andunabashedly supports the SecondAmendment and citizens’ rights toown and use guns, it realizes thateven if we have unprecedented num-bers of deer, turkey, and elk, riversand lakes teeming with fish, and clos-ets full of guns, bows, and fishingrods, it won’t matter if we don’t haveaccess to places to go hunting andfishing. And it’s not just any place weare interested in, but places that pro-vide quality hunting and fishingopportunities for average men andwomen and their friends and family.

TRCP’s conservation policy work isdiverse. And while it encompassesissues like energy development,transportation infrastructure, fishand wildlife management funding,sportsmen’s access and more, theyare all aimed at elevating conserva-tion to the forefront of the Americanpolitical agenda.

The bottom line is that TRCP wantsto ensure the continuance of ourhunting and fishing traditions and anoutdoor way of life long cherished bygenerations of Americans.

TRCP embraces Theodore Roo-sevelt’s philosophy of “the greatestgood, for the greatest number,” anduses it as its guiding principle.

Furthermore, TRCP provides itsmembers with vital information onimportant issues and provides themwith easy ways to join in takingaction to make their voices heard andhelp assure a bright future for hunt-ing and fishing.

Add free membership and chancesto win great hunting and fishing tripsand equipment, and it’s little wonderthat in just a few years over 90,000individuals and 1,300 affiliatedgroups representing non-profit con-servation organizations, outdoorbusinesses, local rod and gun clubs,and building trades like the Boiler-makers have joined the TRCP.

Taken collectively, the individualmembership of TRCP’s affiliatedmember group is approaching sixmillion individuals.

So if you haven’t already joined theTRCP, don’t delay. Join Larry Csonkaand tens of thousands of others.

Sign up today by visiting our Website, www.trcp.org, or calling, toll-free,(877) 770-8722.

Membership is FREE, and whenyou join as an individual partneryou’ll become part of the fastest grow-ing hunter and angler organization inAmerica and the one that’s workinghard to “Guarantee Us All Places toHunt and Fish . . . Now and Forever.”

This column will appear regularly inthe Boilermaker Reporter to advise ourmembers on the latest news in conserva-tion and sportsmen’s rights.

Boilermakers partnerwith TRCP to helpguarantee us places to hunt and fish

Larry Csonka promoted the TRCPgoal of guaranteeing everyone a placeto hunt and fish at the BCTDLegislative Conference in March.

TRCP’s Hunting & Fishing News

Speakers lament loss ofAmerican jobs, say onlycure is political actionOVER 3,000 TRADE unionists gath-ered in Washington, D.C., for the AFL-CIO’s Building and ConstructionTrades Department’s (BCTD) 2004 Leg-islative Conference, March 29-31.

The theme, “American Jobs: Defend-ing the American Dream,” set the tonefor the conference. Speakers, includingAFL-CIO President John Sweeney,populist speaker Jim Hightower, Sen.Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y), Sen. TomHarkin (D-Iowa), Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Sen. Ted Kennedy (D- Mass.),Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.), Sen.Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), Rep. NancyPelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.(D-Ill.), Rep. Harold Ford (D-Tenn.),Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), and Rep.Ciro Rodriquez (D-Texas), focused onlabor and political issues impactingmillions of workers across America.

Building Trades President Edward C.Sullivan called on all members of the 15national construction unions to unitearound one cause.

“This year we come together indefense of the American Dream,” hesaid, “because at no other time in his-tory have the unionized working menand women of this nation been atgreater risk of losing it.”

Guest speaker Hightower accusedthe Bush administration of lootingAmerica’s treasury by taking from theworkers to pay the rich.

“They’ve launched a class war. Notmerely against the poor folks, but nowagainst the middle class as well,” hesaid. “They’ve taken a sledgehammerto our Bill of Rights, our civil liberties.They’ve sought to castrate labor unions,going after everything from overtime toyour Davis-Bacon protections. They’vedefoliated our environmental protec-tions. They’ve turned a $240 billion sur-plus into a $520 billion debt.”

Hightower said it is time again forunions to quit sitting on their handsand to stand up and fight back.

“If you want to clean the drinkingwater, you’ve got to get the hogs outof the river!” he said. “We’ve got tobecome more aggressive again,because the powers that be havebecome radically regressive. What’s

at work up at the White House, andup on Capitol Hill, and way up onWall Street is the abandonment ofsomething essential to America.”

On day two, Sen. Clinton urged theunions to get behind Democratic presi-dential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Democratic Senatecandidates, and to stand up to Bush andhis handlers to stop the outsourcing ofAmerican jobs and sacrificing Ameri-can values. She called for ending federalbreaks to companies who export Amer-ican jobs and giving rewards to thosewho create and keep jobs here.

“If you think the Bush-Cheneyadministration has been hard to takefor the last three years, think aboutwhat they will be like if they don’t havea re-election to worry about,” she said.“Think about how hard you will haveto fight them while they continue toserve the wealthy.

“We don’t have to put up with this.We have a choice. It’s called an election.If the American voters understandwhat is really at stake, they will vote theright way. If we tell the real story, I amconfident we can take back the WhiteHouse and our country.”

Recovering from shoulder surgery,Sen. Kerry was unable to attend themeeting, but spoke to trades membersvia satellite. He vowed that when he ispresident, he will end the tax benefits tocompanies who export jobs.

“Why should American taxpayerscontribute to the loss of their own jobs?”he asked. “We are going to roll back thetax cuts to the wealthiest Americans anduse it to create jobs, fund health care, andbuild schools, roads, bridges, and hospi-tals for all Americans.

“Our prosperity depends on highly-skilled construction workers who canbuild the future, workers like you andbuilding and construction trades work-ers across the country.”

Sweeney asked members to becomepart of the “Show Us The Jobs Tour,” aninteractive, nationwide tour designedto confront America with the messageof millions of working men andwomen, and out-of-work men andwomen in America.

“This election is about jobs, goodjobs,” Sweeney said. “We need lead-ers who won’t sell our future to thehighest bidder. Our president hasbeen AWOL on jobs and the guy whois going to end up without a job thisyear is George Bush.”

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Daschlecapped off the final session remindingmembers again about holding onto theAmerican Dream.

“Truth is, the Bush administrationdoes not know how to create jobs,” hesaid. “It’s time to bring this countryback to policies and principles that cre-ated jobs. Defending the AmericanDream was never about getting rich atthe expense of someone else. It’s aboutcreating a better life for our children.” ❑

BCTD conference looksahead to election season

Popular speaker Jim Hightower,tolddelegates: “If you want to clean thedrinking water, you’ve got to get the hogsout of the river.”

WWee aarree ggooiinngg ttoo rroollll bbaacckk tthhee ttaaxxccuuttss ffoorr tthhee wweeaalltthhiieesstt AAmmeerriiccaannss

aanndd uussee iitt ttoo ccrreeaattee jjoobbss..

— Senator John F. Kerry

36th AnnualL E A P

Conference

36th AnnualL E A P

ConferenceSpeakers fire up delegates for election year

Delegates visit the Hill todiscuss overtime, tradeagreements, asbestosMORE THAN 250 delegates to the 36thannual conference of the LegislativeEducation Action Program (LEAP), heldin Washington, D.C., March 15-19, heardfrom an impressive array of speakers, allof whom carried a similar message:Workers must get politically active thisyear because we are facing the prospectof losing our jobs, health care, pensions,and rights in the workplace.

No one stated this theme moreclearly than International PresidentNewton B. Jones, with his conference-opening speech.

“Tom Delay [Republican MajorityLeader of the House of Representa-tives] has issued the battle cry for histroops and the warning for us,” Jonessaid. “He said, ‘If we [Republicans] winthe House, the Senate, and the presi-dency again, it’s Katy, bar the door.’”

Jones then catalogued a list of prob-lems for workers and issues we mustremain aware of when we vote.

“Two issues that never go away arejobs and health care,” he said. “We’velost three million jobs since Bush tookoffice. That’s approaching $150 billionin lost income from wages and benefits.Where did that money go? Some wentto low-wage workers overseas, butmost of it went to the people who sup-port that man in the White House.

“He’s raising $200 million for hispresidential campaign. Those donorsget that money back with their ability toship our jobs overseas, their ability toincorporate offshore so they don’t paytaxes, their ability to do away with ourworkplace protections like overtime,and of course that tax cut for the rich.”

Jones drew a link between job loss,the income tax cut for the rich, and theloss of government services.

“When you lose three million jobs,you lose $30 billion in tax revenue at thefederal, state, and local levels. Add thatto the trillions of revenue lost to Bush’stax cuts for the rich, and you soon beginseeing deficits. Our federal govern-ment has gone from billions of dollarsin surpluses to hundreds of billions ofdollars in deficits virtually overnight.Forty-eight states are now in the red.”

Jones talked about the candidate thatthe Boilermakers are endorsing forpresident. First, based on a poll of ourmembers, we endorsed RichardGephardt. When he withdrew from therace, we studied the other candidatesand eventually endorsed John Kerry.

“Although Gephardt didn’t win, hisissues won,” Jones told the delegates.“It isn’t about a candidate. It’s aboutwhat we stand for — our members, ourjobs, and our union. John Kerry is carry-ing these issues forward.

“When you vote, you have to look atall the issues and measure what thecandidate will do to protect your job,your health care for your family, yourpensions, your unions, and your rights.

If you just look at one issue, you mightlose the others.

“You might lose the right to collectivebargaining. Bush has already taken thatright away from hundreds of thou-sands of federal workers under theguise of national security. He is movingto take collective bargaining away fromall workers in federal shipyards.

“We’ve got to get involved, or theyare going to silence us. The more jobsthey ship overseas, the weaker ourunions get, the stronger the enemies oflabor get,” Jones said. “You can eithersit back or you can fight back. And tofight back you have to go to the votingbooth. You have to get registered. Youhave to contribute and vote.”

To help convey his message, Jonesshowed a video taken last Novemberin Miami during a peaceful demon-stration outside a meeting of trade rep-resentatives discussing the Free TradeArea of the Americas agreement,which would extend NAFTA through-out the western hemisphere.

The videotape shows peacefuldemonstrators, mostly union mem-bers, being attacked by police whoknock them down with their shields,beat them with nightsticks, and firerubber bullets and bean bags at them.

In every instance, the uneditedvideotape shows the demonstratorsare peaceful and the police are actingwithout being provoked.

“What you are looking at there reallycould be the future of our country,”Jones told the delegates afterward. “Iftrade keeps going the way it’s going,and the power keeps flowing to thepeople who control these people, yourvoice is going to be silenced.

“If they silence us in the politicalarena, we can’t influence legislation. Ifthey silence us in the workplace, wecannot represent our members. Weneed a strong voice in both arenas.

Donna Brazile, chairperson of theDemocratic Voting Rights Instituteand political commentator, revved upthe crowd the first morning with ahearty reminder of why getting madand getting active is necessary.

“They have no problem, sitting intheir White House with multimillion-aires, giving them a tax break, and thenyou look at the budget that is about topass on Capitol Hill. They havestripped the tax cuts for middle-classfamilies. Why? They believe that we arenot going to protest. That we aren’tgoing to be mad. Well, I’m mad, I’mangry, and I don’t care who’s worriedabout it,” she said, pounding her fist.

“We should be mad that this admin-istration turns its back on working peo-ple and then refuses to sit down with(AFL-CIO President) John Sweeneyand the leaders of this great unionbecause they are afraid to talk abouttheir plan to create good jobs. Theyhave no plan.”

Brazile said voters won’t be dupedthis time around, as they were in2000, and that it was time to shine a

Mar • Apr• May 2004 the Boilermaker Reporter - 5L E A P

See LEAPSPEAKERS page 6

Newton B. JonesInternational President

Donna BrazilePolitical Commentator

March 15-19, 2004 — Washington, D.C.

6 - the Boilermaker Reporter Mar • Apr• May 2004L E A P

light on the hypocrisy of “compas-sionate conservatism,” a lie that theBush administration used to putworkers’ jobs at stake.

“That is what this election is about. Itis about who we are as a country, as anation, in our values, and what we holddear,” Brazile said. “We owe it not just toour parents who sweat, who have shedblood, to give us this great wonderfullivelihood, we owe it to our children, toremove George Bush, Dick Cheney, BillFrist, Tom DeLay, and every Tom, Dick,and Harry — including Katherine Har-ris — from Washington, D.C.”

Brazile not only encouraged dele-gates to support Democratic presiden-tial candidate John Kerry and otherworker-friendly candidates in upcom-ing elections, she urged them to con-sider running for office themselves atthe local or state level.

“I hope some of you decide to run forpublic office,” she said, “because youwould not allow your child to go to acrime-ridden school. You would notallow your neighbors to be withoutlights and water. You would not allowyour co-workers to lose their benefits… You would not allow that because Iknow in your heart that your values aredifferent. I know in your heart your val-ues are about life and people and justiceand fairness.”

Brazile reminded delegates of the bat-tleground states in the upcoming elec-tion — Arizona, Arkansas, Florida,Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada,Ohio, Tennessee, Washington, West Vir-ginia, and others — where locals shouldplan for bigger campaign pushes.

“Bush should not be carrying thosestates,” Brazile said. “Bush should notbe leading your effort in those states.Unless he has personally sat down withyou and told you to your face that hehas a plan to bring back the jobs, toreduce the trillion-dollar deficit … tellhim to go to Mars. And tell him to takeCheney with him.”

Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii,returned to support the Boilermakersagain with his blood-boiling, heart-pumping, straight talk about the waythe government has been moving over

the past four years. Abercrombie deftlyused President Bush’s description oflabor leaders as “economic isolation-ists” to illustrate the impact of job loss.

“(Bush said) if you are concernedabout unfair trade, if you are concernedabout whether your job is leaving thecountry to go overseas, then you are aneconomic isolationist. Well, I’ll tell youwho’s isolated.

“The most economically isolated per-son in this country is the person with-out a job. The person who doesn’t havea job, who’s been kicked out of a job,who’s been laid off the job. The personwho doesn’t know where that pay-check is going to come from or howthey are going to pay their bills at theend of the month. Or how they aregoing to have self-respect in their fam-ily after everything they have done. It’simmoral that in this country, the richestcountry on the face of the earth, in thehistory of the planet, to have anybodywho wants to work be out of a job.”

In the face of an economic crisis, withjob loss and trade, overtime, and safetylegislation all against the Americanworkers, Abercrombie nearly explodedwith emphasis on the importance of theupcoming election. The issue, he said, isyour job and your labor rights. Period.

“I don’t care what you believe aboutguns, capital punishment, about abor-tion, all the social issues that you canhave plenty of time to discuss and talkabout — IF YOU’VE GOT A JOB.Because if you don’t have a job, thenwhat difference does it make what youthink about any of it?

“This is a UNION movement, aLABOR movement. It’s about workingpeople. I respect your opinion, even ifit’s different than mine … What I thinkhas nothing to do with what my com-mitment is, what my focus is, what mydetermination is, when it comes topassing legislation on behalf of work-ing people. That is the issue that wehave to subsume to everything else.”

Abercrombie warned delegates toexpect to run into many people bothwithin and outside the governmentand labor who have succumbed to apa-thy and doubt toward participation inthe political process. They have seendirty accountants and CEOs and politi-cians on the news everyday, robbingthem blind and getting away with it.You can’t let that stop you, he said.

“They want you to feel cynicism.They want you to feel contempt. Theywant you to walk away from politics.They want you to get disgusted withwhat’s going on because then you are

not going to participate. We cannot fallprey to that. This should incite you towant to participate, to get our brothersand sisters all across this country to par-ticipate. To get our families and ourfriends to participate. To see to it thatwe can take back the government.”

Richard Trumka, secretary-treas-urer for the AFL-CIO, began by askingdelegates to consider the currentadministration’s role in manufacturingjob loss with a simple question: Whichside are you on?

“Which side are you on when it comesto strengthening our domestic defensemanufacturing base by insisting that ourtax dollars be used to buy American sothat we can protect America?”

Trumka called for delegates to helptell the truth about President Bush.Trumka cited the statistics of job loss,unemployment, loss of health care ben-efits, loss of overtime, tax breaks for thewealthy, and personal bankruptcy.

“Bush has done more to drag downour country than any chief executive inour history. The damage that he hasdone to working families is unbeliev-able,” Trumka said. “Since he’s takenoffice, we’ve lost 2.9 million good mid-dle-class jobs, manufacturing jobs. Andeach one of those jobs supports fourother jobs. So unemployment is stillstuck at 5.6 percent. And it’s only stuckat 5.6 percent because month aftermonth after month more workers giveup looking for work altogether andthey come out of the statistics.”

Trumka told delegates that whilethey are telling the truth about Bushand job loss and economic decline andthe ballooning deficit, they also need tobe telling the story about their newhope, the AFL-CIO-endorsed presiden-tial candidate, Sen. John Kerry.

“We have to make sure that ourmembers and their families and theirfriends and everybody in their com-munity know and appreciate the storyof John Kerry. John Kerry is a stand-upguy and he’ll stand up to George Bush,and stand up for America.”

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. andDemocratic presidential candidate,spoke to the Boilermaker delegates viatelephone, despite a busy schedule. Hetold the delegates to expect the otherteam to play hardball.

“These guys think they can say any-thing, push people around, get awaywith anything, and as we know, theaverage worker in America has beengoing backwards in their salaries and intheir pay, while the average CEO inAmerica is walking away with millionsof dollars in special deals,” he said.

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam Warveteran who was elected senator inMassachusetts for the first time in1984, has seen the workings of bothRepublican and Democratic presi-dencies and congresses.

“This is the biggest crony capitalism,crony government that I have seen thewhole time I have been in Washington,”he said. “I am running for president torestore fundamental fairness, main-stream American values. We are goingto stand up and speak for working peo-ple in the United States of America andwe are going to make America a placethat is fair again. And there is nothingthat makes me prouder knowing that Iam going into this battle with the Boiler-makers union at my side. I feel privi-leged to have you there.”

After the roar of the delegates’applause subsided and President Jonestold Kerry the Boilermakers would be

there behind him all the way, Kerrysounded grave as he reminded dele-gates of the work ahead.

“Well, it makes me very proud andI’m very, very, grateful, but we’ve got togo out and do the hard work locally,everybody, because there is no otherway to do it.”

Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo.,returned to the open arms of the Boiler-makers to reminisce first about his cam-paign and to thank the Boilermakers fortheir help, but to also look ahead to thework that needs to be done betweennow and November.

Gephardt invited delegates to con-sider the impact of the Bush adminis-tration’s choices from a wider globalview when it comes to issues of tradeand terrorism.

“I believe with all my heart that glob-alization is the issue of the day and it’sgoing to be the issue of the day for yearsto come. We are clearly in a global econ-omy. There’s no getting around it.That’s not the issue. The issue is howare we going to enter that global econ-omy. And what are we going todemand of other countries? And howthey treat people, how they treat work-ers? Or are we going to let this be a raceto the bottom? Or are we going todemand that workers standards andenvironmental standards come uparound the world? We need to say yesto free trade, but only if it’s fair trade.”

With suicide bombings and the waron terrorism in the forefront of the newsmedia, Gephardt tried to explain howtrade, poor living conditions, andAmerica’s role in the global society cre-ate a breeding ground for terrorists.

“Almost half the people in the worldtoday live on less than $1 a day. Just putyourself in their shoes for one minute, ifyou can. You have no money. You arebarely eating, if at all. Your family can’tsurvive. Now somebody comes alongand says: ‘Hey we’ve got a way out thatis better than this; it’s called terrorism.We can just go kill a bunch of peopleand maybe that will change things. Oreven if it doesn’t you are better off deadthan in the condition you are in.’ That’swhere we are today.

“Americans say to me, these peopleare just bad people. We need to trackthem down and kill them and they willgo away and it will be over with. It’sgoing to be tough. You have a hugepotential pool of young people out therewho may decide to become terrorists.And one of the answers to terrorism is

“Bush destroys good paying full-time, full-benefit jobs and replaces

them with part-time, low-wage,no-benefit jobs.”

— Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO

“You have an administration that ishostile to organized labor and

hostile to people organizedinto labor unions.”

— Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo.

See LEAPSPEAKERS page 7

LEAP speakersencouragegrassrootsactionContinued from page 5

“This is a LABOR movement. It’sabout working people. That is theissue that we have to subsume to

everything else.”— Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii

After 30 years of welding,Eddie Towe puts politicalaction on his ‘to do’ listTHE FIRST DAY of school, first day onthe job. The first time for anything. Thefeeling is the same. Nervous stomach.Can’t focus. You sweat. Your voicesounds strange. Your hands are shaky.

For James “Eddie” Towe, Local 454,Chattanooga, Tenn., his first trip toCapitol Hill at the LEAP conferencewas something like this. To top it off, itwas pouring down rain. And he wasn’tjust along for the ride. He was there totalk business — trade agreements and

overtime and naval power andasbestos. Even with the thorough factsheets the Boilermakers’ GovernmentAffairs Department had provided him,his head was still spinning.

“When you walk down the longhalls with the marble floors,” he said,“you can’t help feeling nervous know-ing you’re surrounded by the mostimportant people in government.”

Towe cuts a sharp figure in his suit.But, like a lot of Boilermakers, he’smore at home in a welding hood, bluejeans, and work gloves than dressshoes. Still, this was the year that hefinally decided to get on the plane andcommit to the LEAP conference.

“A friend of mine who had beengoing for the last four or five years hadbeen trying to get me to go,” Towesaid. “Like most people, I had neverreally been into politics that much, so Ididn’t think that I would enjoy it. Butthis year, with the election coming, Ifelt that I should get more involved.”

Towe has just described exactly howthe “root” of grassroots political actionworks. Afriend talks to a friend. There’ssome resistance, but there is trust, too.The first friend keeps on him. Eventu-ally, the resistant friend says, “What theheck?” and decides to give it a try.

At the conference, Towe was pairedwith two pros, Steve Justice and Ross Lit-tlejohn, members of the Local 454 LEAPcommittee. The two veterans hadarranged the meetings on Capitol Hillwith representatives, helped guide Towethrough the fact sheets and the compli-cated language of some of the issues, andtook the lead at the meetings so thatTowe could sit back, listen, and learn. Lit-tlejohn said Towe caught on fast.

“The first couple times I did most ofthe talking,” Littlejohn said, “but hecaught on real quick and we all tookturns on the different issues.”

Littlejohn is a realist about thesemeetings. Not all members of Congressyou meet with are labor-friendly. Youhave to adjust your goals. On their sec-ond day of meetings, Littlejohn andTowe, along with delegates from Local108, Birmingham, Ala., and Local 112,Mobile, Ala., met with Rep. RobertAderholt, R-Ala., who voted againstlegislation to protect overtime.

“We don’t go there to argue themdown,” Littlejohn said. “We don’t try tochange their minds. We go to presentour case. We just tell them in our ownwords how the common working manwould benefit or be hurt by laws andresolutions they are working on.”

Bridget Martin, director of govern-ment affairs, said using your story,voice, and face is the most effective wayto “lobby” your representatives.

“People are intimidated and scaredbecause they feel that they have toknow all the ins and outs of the legisla-tion. That is not the case,” she said.“They go with other Boilermakers.

They share their real-life experiences,relay their story, discuss how thechoices these representatives makeimpact them and their livelihood.”

You have to be realistic about whoyou will meet with when you arrive atthe office. Many times, members ofCongress will be busy, so delegates willmeet with their aides. At GeorgiaDemocratic Rep. David Scott’s office,Towe and Littlejohn met with DonniTurner, Scott’s legislative director.Turner said it is important for delegatesto understand that meeting with aidesis as important as meeting with themember. Aides have direct access to themember, and it’s important to developrelationships with them.

“There have been many times wherea member’s scheduler may not be ableto schedule an appointment,” Turnersaid, “but because I knew the union orthe union members, I was able tosqueeze a meeting into the schedule.”

Daniel Adcock, business manager forLocal 454, said their LEAP committeetries to send one new person to the con-ference every year, a kind of apprenticeprogram. They want to get the youngermembers involved, but he didn’t havequalms about sending Towe this year.

“Eddie will know how to vote untilthe day he dies and will be active when

he is retired,” Adcock said. “He wasreally energized . . . With all these guystalking, we are getting some youngerattendees at our meetings and they aregetting more involved.”

Adcock’s observation seems to becorrect. Eddie is motivated now to dofor his fellow members as his frienddid for him.

“I plan to educate other union mem-bers and to let them know how impor-tant it is for them and their family to getout and vote,” Towe said. ❑

Mar • Apr• May 2004 the Boilermaker Reporter - 7L E A P

Plan for the Perfect MeetingA MEETING WITH a member of Congress isn’t the time to be casual orunprepared. Donni Turner, legislative director for Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., (pictured in red at right)offers these insider tips to mak-ing every meeting count foryou, whether at the state officeor on Capitol Hill.•Limit legislative items to discussat meeting to one or two. If theissue is a Senate bill, leave it off theagenda for discussion at a repre-sentative’s office, and vice versa.•Ask the member to do something specific. Will she cosponsor a particular bill?Will he sign or not sign a letter? Will he vote against a bill? • Limit participants to members of the congressperson’s district if possible.Meetings with senators can be larger because they have larger office space.Comfortable seating in a member’s office is usually four or five. • Be on time. Do not arrive early unless you call first. Congressional offices donot have the office space. Call if you are running early or late or if the numberof people attending has changed.• Call at least twice to confirm that the request for the meeting has beenreceived and scheduled.• Enjoy yourself. During the meeting, smile, laugh, and have fun. The mem-bers and staff are people just like you. Making a personal connection is a greatway to make your point.

to begin to force up the standard of liv-ing of people around the world.”

Despite no longer being a presiden-tial candidate, Gephardt said he iscommitted to the upcoming election,and expects the Boilermakers to beequally committed.

“You have an administration that ishostile to organized labor and hostile topeople organized into labor unions. Ifthey win again, they will try to passRight to Work nationally, that’s whatthey are going to do,” he said.

“It’s not just overtime and all theseother crazy ideas they’ve come up withto knock you out of money and com-pensation,” he said. “They will try to goto the heart of the matter and knock outunions completely in this country. Thiselection is for all the marbles.

“You’ve got to let it all out thisNovember. You can’t hold anythingback in this election.”

Other speakers at the conferenceincluded Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y.; Rep. George Miller, D-Calif.;Bridget Martin, director of govern-ment affairs, who gave a politicalupdate and reviewed the 10-step plan;Shannon Brett, assistant to the directorof government affairs, who discussedgrassroots mobilization; Steven Cook,director of Institute of Labor Studiesand Research at West Virginia Univer-sity, and B.B. Smith, vice president ofthe West Virginia AFL-CIO, whotogether discussed the results of anapprenticeship study and governmentfunding of apprenticeship programs.

David Billy, deputy political directorfor labor for the Kerry for Presidentcampaign, also addressed the meeting.He gave the group an insider’s look athow a presidential campaign is run.Asked who would be Kerry’s runningmate, he said that decision would bemade by another group, one notinvolved in daily campaigning. ❑

Continued from page 6

First-time delegate takes the LEAP and learns

Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., left,discusses bills with Towe and othermembers of Locals 454, 108, and 112.

Eddie Towe listens with intent at hisfirst visit to Capitol Hill.

Ross Littlejohn, left, and Eddie Towe, review notes before a meeting atAlabama Rep. Robert Aderholt’s office.

LEAP speakers call for action

8 - the Boilermaker Reporter Mar • Apr• May 2004L E A P

JOE AND KATHY FAZIO live smackdab in the middle of the country: Nor-walk, Iowa. There aren’t many placesmore average, more all-American thanNorwalk. Or many places further frommost people’s minds in an election year.

Except that Norwalk is in Iowa,where politics converge every fouryears during the Iowa election cau-cuses. This year, the Fazio’s average,Midwestern lives were turned upside-down by the caucuses and their supportfor candidate Richard Gephardt.

Before 2003, they had never beeninvolved in politics. But their desire toget George W. Bush out of the WhiteHouse and a strong labor supporter ingot them to do things this year theynever dreamed they would do.

From the first of the year throughcaucus night, Jan. 19, the Fazios workedas volunteers for Gephardt every night,making phone calls, doing mailings,marching in parades, posting signs.

“It was a lot of work,” Kathy said.“And it was something we neverthought we would do or get involvedin.” But Kathy and her daughter,Rachel, met Gephardt at a backyardevent in Indianola, Iowa, in August, andfound a candidate worth fighting for.

“Dick and Jane (Gephardt’s wife)were both so sincere, so compassion-ate, and they had grown up like Joeand I had,” Kathy said. “I had neverfelt that way about any other candi-date. The more we were around Dick,the more we felt that he was what thecountry needed, that he was for theworking person.”

The Fazios’ involvement extendedbeyond the usual political work.Through the autumn and into the holi-day season, they made it their missionto watch over and feed Gephardt’syoung staff members, who were put-ting in 14- to 16-hour days and living onfast food. Travis Lowe, Gephardt’sIowa field director, said the Fazios“were like surrogate parents.”

“They were a hug when you neededit, a meal when you were hungry, and alaugh when a smile was hard to comeby,” Lowe said. “Many a night, around5 p.m., when headquarters was slow-ing down … the Fazios showed up witharms full of food, going cubicle by cubi-cle to give everyone a pat on the backand a boost of energy.”

John Lapp, director of Gephardt forPresident in Iowa, said the Fazios hadsupport for working families in theirbones. “When flu season arrived, they

even politely but firmly insisted thateach of us go for a flu shot,” Lapp said.

Lowe said, “The Fazios are an exampleof hard-working union members whotake an active role in their community forthe right reasons, without asking what isin it for them.”

Joe Fazio works for Monarch Cementand has been a member of the National

Cement Lodge for eight years. Kathyhas worked as an in-home daycareprovider for 24 years.

At the 2004 LEAP conference, Assis-tant to the Director of GovernmentAffairs Shannon Brett awarded thefirst-ever “Volunteer of the Year” awardto the Fazios for their dedication toGephardt and his campaign in Iowa. ❑

Fazios give their all to Gephardt in IowaFirst-time volunteers plunge headfirst into campaign with energy, enthusiasm, and heart

At the 2004 LEAP Conference, Con. Dick Gephardt greets his top Iowavolunteers, Kathy and Joe Fazio, with warm hugs.

Ande Abbott retires after 37 years of serviceLegislative & shipbuildingdirector says good-byeat 2004 LEAP conferenceAFTER 37 YEARS as a Boilermaker,Ande Abbott, legislative director anddirector of the shipbuilding and marinedivision, retired April 1.

Abbott started his Boilermaker careerin 1967 as a member of Local 285, work-ing out of the Long Beach Navy Ship-yard. Between 1967 and 1974, he servedas steward, chief steward, recordingsecretary, and eventually president ofthe local. In 1974, he took over as presi-dent of the Federal Employees MetalTrades Council in Long Beach.

In 1978, International PresidentHarold J. Buoy appointed Abbott asInternational representative for the fed-eral sector. He served the Boilermakersin that capacity for 12 years. In 1990, hewas appointed director of the ship-building and marine division, and thefollowing year, was asked to furtherserve his brother and sister Boilermak-ers as legislative director.

At the 2004 LEAP conference recep-tion, Abbott was honored by oldfriends and colleagues. Rep. Neil Aber-crombie, D-Hawaii, called Abbott oneof the great leaders in Washington.

Avideo featuring highlights from hiscareer was projected on a large screen,and Abbott exchanged hugs with Inter-national President Newton B. Jones

and with his former protégé and thenewly-appointed director of govern-ment affairs, Bridget Martin.

“Ande’s willingness to share his vastknowledge has been invaluable andhas contributed to any success I mayhave had helping our membership,”Martin said. “I am proud to have hadthe privilege to work with a man whosepassion for the labor movement hasshaped not only his life and mine, butthe lives of the hundreds of men andwomen he has met over the years.”

Abbott plans to spend his retirementcontinuing to support the causes ofworking men and women and enjoy-ing such hobbies as astronomy andtraveling. ❑

Organizer Evans gives generously to CAFFather of six sees CAFdonation as ‘insurance’INTL. REP. and General OrganizerPhillipp Evans is pretty humble. He’llbrag about his kids, but he may notmention that he’s been a foster fatherover the last 20 years.

He’ll probably urge you to get outand vote, to donate to the CampaignAssistance Fund (CAF), to volunteeryour time in your local LEAP commit-tee. But he won’t mention that he givesmore to CAF than any other Boiler-maker staff member.

That’s because Evans doesn’t thinkabout his CAF money as an option. Forhim, it’s insurance.

Evans lives in Boothwyn, Pa., withfive of his six children. His wife, Sandi,passed away from breast cancer in2000. Former president of Local 806,

Chester, Pa., Sandi was passionateabout motherhood. The couple took in24 foster children from all over the

world during their 19-year marriage.During that time, Evans learned a valu-able lesson about giving back.

“I don’t look at the money I give as adonation,” Evans says, the sound ofchildren in the background. “I look at it— and always have looked at it — asinsurance. You want to have insurancein case something happens in your life.Like with my wife. When she was diag-nosed with cancer, well, you don’t planon a thing like that happening, but youhave insurance.”

The Bush administration and its hos-tility toward working families is just thekind of thing that CAF can insureagainst, Evans says.

CAF is the Boilermakers’ politicalaction committee. It is funded entirelythrough donations from members,staff, and their families.

The Government Affairs Departmentuses CAF money for contributions to

worker-friendly candidates. Evans sayshe trusts the experts in that office to usehis money wisely and then educate himabout the issues and the candidates.

“The Boilermakers have these peopleas professionals to let us know what isgood and what is bad with legislation,”he says. “You need to listen to them. Itjust makes common sense. And if mypittance can help that staff, then I amglad to give. Because if you don’t give,you are liable to get run over.”

If you would like to make a one-time donation to CAF, make yourcheck payable to “Campaign Assis-tance Fund” and mail it to Interna-tional Secretary-Treasurer JerryWillburn, 753 State Ave., Suite 565,Kansas City, KS 66101.

To find out about payroll deduction,contact your local lodge president orbusiness manager. ❑

IP Newton B. Jones and Ande Abbott(r.) share a laugh during Abbott’s tributeat the 36th annual LEAP reception.

Evans lives with five of his sixchildren, Megen, 18, Samual, 10, Alon,13, Phillipp III, 16, and (front row)Nathaniel, 9, in Boothwyn, Pa.

Mar • Apr• May 2004 the Boilermaker Reporter - 9L E A P A W A R D S

Awards recognizemembers’ efforts to raisefunds, get out the vote

THE ONLY WAY unions can con-tribute funds to candidates forfederal office is through a politi-cal action committee (PAC), which col-lects voluntary donations from itsmembers and employees. The Boiler-makers’ Campaign Assistance Fund(CAF) is our PAC.

Raising money for CAF is essential ifour union is to have any impact onwhat happens in Washington. That’swhy at each LEAP conference, awardsare presented for outstanding contribu-tions to CAF during the previous year.

The vice-presidential area and locallodge contributing the most money toCAF receive awards, as does the locallodge having the highest CAF contribu-tion per member.

This year, the Northeast Area wonthe award for the highest CAF contri-bution by a vice-presidential area in2003, contributing $181,025. Local 154,Pittsburgh, Pa., won for largest contri-bution by a local lodge, raising $80,729.Local 105, Chillicothe, Ohio, won forhighest contribution per member at$114 per member.

Retirees were the single group of con-tributors who donated the most money,with $69,632 from all retirees com-bined. International staff and officerscontributed another $40,081.

In all, $495,912.83 was donated toCAF in 2003, yet only 55 locals out of307 represent contributing members.Nearly all of the locals forwarding largecontributions have included a CAFpayroll deduction in their contract.

Payroll deductions are the easiest wayto raise money. Most people hardlynotice a payroll deduction of $2 a week.Yet donating a couple dollars a week toCAF can raise more than $100 over ayear’s time — putting you among themembers donating the most money.

And every dollar is put to good use,supporting pro-worker candidates.

To learn how you can begin con-tributing to CAF and how to include avoluntary CAF payroll-checkoff clausein your contract, call the GovernmentAffairs Department at 703-560-1493.

Awards honor top LEF donors

THE BOILERMAKERS’Legislative Edu-cation Fund (LEF) pays for virtually allBoilermaker political education activitiesand is funded entirely through contribu-tions from local lodges. Local lodge mem-bers use their vote to determine howmuch of their dues money goes into LEF.

For the first time in the history of theLEAP conference, awards were pre-sented to the highest LEF contributors.

The Southeast Area won the award forthe highest LEF contribution by a vice-presidential area, contributing $12,338 in2003. Local 83, Kansas City, Mo., won theaward for the highest LEF contributionby a local lodge, contributing $6,536 lastyear. And the Construction Divisionwon the award for the highest LEF con-tribution by a division, contributing$30,000 to LEF in 2003.

Many members take for granted theeducational information they receivefrom the Government Affairs Depart-ment and International headquarters.They do not consider how much timeand expense goes into researchingissues, preparing materials, and organ-izing and holding the annual LEAPcon-ference. Asmall donation to LEF — only10 cents per member, per month — pro-vides an excellent return in educationalmaterials and legislative support.

Without LEF, we cannot inform ourmembers about issues before Congress.It is the duty of each local lodge to helpus keep our membership informed onissues that affect their members; how-ever, only 100 of 307 lodges donate to

LEF. If your lodge is not already con-tributing to LEF, make a motion at thenext meeting to get started.

Local 667 earns recognitionfor get-out-the vote efforts

MEMBERS OF LOCAL 667,Charleston, W. Va., have earned thefirst-ever award for outstanding voterregistration for their efforts to get moremembers to the polls.

Presented to them at the 2004 LEAPconference, the award recognizes theirefforts to register nearly 90 percent oftheir members to vote.

B. B. Smith, who has served as Local667’s LEAPchairman for 15 years, creditsthe political education class they offerapprentices for their registration success.

“This class shows them why theyshould be politically involved. Educa-tion is the key to success,” Smith says. ❑

B. B. Smith and George Pinkerman,at left, accept an award for their get-out-the-vote efforts at Local 667.

Representatives of the Construction Division accept an award from Intl.Pres. Newton Jones and Government Affairs Director Bridget Martin for the divi-sion with the highest LEF contribution in 2003.L. to r., B. Martin, S. Murphy, M.Stanton, D. King, M. VanDiver, C. Herford, C. Juncal, N. Jones, and B. Heine.

IVP Sam May, left, accepts an awardfor the Southeast Area, the vice-presi-dential area contributing the most toLEF in 2003.

Dennis Schissel and John Seward, atleft, accept an award for the lodge withthe highest LEF contribution in 2003 formembers of Local 83, Kansas City, Mo.

Awards highlight annual conference

Top ten locals sending to CAFLocal Location 2003 Donation

Local 154 Pittsburgh, Pa. $80,729.69Local 105 Chillicothe, Ohio 57,031.02Local 13 Philadelphia 34,000.00Local 5 New York 25,805.59Local 744 Cleveland 18,995.27Local 92 Los Angeles 15,010.79Local 29 Boston 14,064.40District 57 Chattanooga, Tenn.13,375.14Local 108 Birmingham, Ala. 13,292.43Local 193 Baltimore 13,086.28

Top ten locals donating to LEFLocal Location 2003 Donation

Local 83 Kansas City, Mo. $6,536.75Local 154 Pittsburgh, Pa. 2,695.00Local 455 Sheffield, Ala. 2,435.80Local 693 Pascagoula, Miss. 4,531.20Local 85 Toledo, Ohio 1,222.50Local 627 Phoenix 959.30Local 667 Charleston, W. Va. 912.70Local 13 Philadelphia 900.00Local 549 Pittsburg, Calif. 837.80Local 374 Hammond, Ind. 768.24

Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, r., and Government Affairs Director Bridget Martin,fourth from right, present an award for the local lodge with the highest CAF contri-bution in 2003 to members of Local 154, Pittsburgh, Pa. L. to. r., R. Doria, J.Steigerwald, T. Smarra, S. Murphy, M. Ventrone, S. Wolfe, T. O’Connor, and K. Miller.

AIP Sean Murphy, right, accepts anaward for the Northeast Area, thevice-presidential area contributing themost to CAF in 2003.

IVP Larry McManamon, right, acceptsan award for Local 105, Chillicothe,Ohio, the lodge with the highest CAFcontribution per member in 2003.

10 - the Boilermaker Reporter Mar • Apr• May 2004L E A P R E C E P T I O N

Meeting in this relaxed settingmakes it easier to talk torepresentatives in private sessionsTHE MAIN PURPOSE for going to Washington andtaking part in the LEAP conference is getting appoint-ments with the members of Congress who representyou and your members. These appointments providethe personal contact needed for us to get our messageto our representatives.

For most new delegates — and for many seasonedveterans — those meetings are intimidating. Theytake place in the Congress member’s office, whichmay be in any of several office buildings adjacent tothe Capitol building. In this imposing setting, sur-rounded by reminders of the importance of the per-son you’re speaking with, it is easy to get tongue-tied.

The Boilermakers’ congressional reception can helpease that anxiety a little. On Tuesday night, delegatesand members of Congress mingle together at a recep-

tion in the same hotel where the LEAP conference isbeing held. In this familiar setting, delegates can chatwith members of Congress or their aides while eatingappetizers or having a drink. The relaxed atmospherehelps delegates get used to the idea of talking to sena-tors and representatives, while also allowing the sen-ators and representatives to get a look at the delegateswho will be visiting them later in the week.

Receptions, like breakfasts, lunches, and testimo-nial dinners, are a mainstay in Washington becausethey break down barriers and make it easier for peo-ple to communicate. Members of Congress oftenattend several in a single evening. The next morning,there is always a smaller, but equally important seriesof breakfasts.

Because of busy schedules, members of Congressoften must send aides to extend their support andmeet with constituents. This is standard procedureand delegates should not feel insulted.

The aide is often a better person to speak with asindividual members of Congress cannot expect to

stay current on the thousands of bills introducedeach year. Members rely on their staff to advisethem in the area of their expertise.

The photos on these two pages are a record ofwhich members of Congress came to our receptionand met our delegates. ❑

Delegates meet representatives atBoilermakers’congressional reception

Rep. Gene Green (D-29th TX), center, with NTL dele-gate Peerless Jefferson (l.) and International PresidentNewton B. Jones.

Rep. Michael McNulty (D-21st NY), second fromright, with Local 5 delegates, l. to r., Thomas Cook,Thomas Klein, and Intl. Pres. Newton B. Jones.

Rep.Shelley Berkley (D-1st NV), second from right,with, l. to r., Legislative Dir. Ande Abbott, GovernmentAffairs Dir. Bridget Martin, and Intl. Pres. Newton Jones.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-17th NY), second from left, withLocal 5 delegates, l. to r., Thomas Klein, Intl. Pres.Newton Jones, and Kevin O’Brien.

Rep.Gary Ackerman (D-5th NY), third from right, with, l. to r., L-5 delegates, ThomasKlein, Kevin O’Brien, Gerry Connolly, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, and Thomas Cook.

Rep. Rush Holt (D-12th NJ), third from left, with Local 28 delegates, l. to r., ChrisMurphy, Ray Cushing, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, John Devlin, Joe Brophy, andSteven Martin Sr. of L-D432.

Rep. Joe Hoeffel III (D-13th PA), center, with L-13 delegates (l. to r.) Paul Beizer,Bob Melling, Jeff Kacmar, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, Gary Everly, and Richard Kelly.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-18th TX), third from left, with, l. to r., Shannon Brett,Peerless Jefferson, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, Bridget Martin, and Abe Breehey.

Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-13th MI), center, with, l. to r., Tony Jacobs, Gene Fisherof her office, Doug Withers, Frank Golden, Jim Kaffenberger, IVP Larry McManamon,Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, James Calouette, Steve Gromala, and Mark Wertz.

Rep. Sander Levin (D-12th MI), third from left, with (l. to r.) James Calouette, TonyJacobs, Jim Kaffenberger, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, Frank Golden, Steve Gromala.

Mar • Apr• May 2004 the Boilermaker Reporter - 11L E A P R E C E P T I O N

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-9th MA), fourth from left, with, l. to r., Joe Davenport,Jack Johndrow, Joe Napolitano, Steve Goodhart, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, TomSaccoach, and Jack Meade.

Rep.Tim Murphy (R-18th PA), center left, with International President Newton B.Jones, center right, and Pennsylvania delegates.

Rep. Major Owens (D-11th NY), center, with Local 5 delegates, l. to r., KevinO’Brien, Thomas Klein, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, and Thomas Cook.

Rep. Rob Simmons (D-2nd CT), third from left, with, l. to r., Shipbuilding DeputyDirector Warren Fraleigh, Legislative Director Ande Abbott, Intl. Rep. MartyStanton, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, and Asst. to the Intl. Pres. Sean Murphy.

Rep. John Tierney (D-6th MA), fifth from right, with, l. to r., Joe Davenport, JoeNapolitano, Joe Birolini, Marty Stanton, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, Ron Ault, TomSaccoach, Jack Johndrow, Steve Goodhart, and Jack Meade.

Rep. Dennis Moore (D-3rd KS), center, with, l. to r., Local 83 and D93 delegatesDennis Schissel, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, Jerry Marple, Keith Gurwell, JohnSeward Jr., and General Counsel Rep. Mike Stapp.

Rep. Donald Payne (D-10th NJ), center, with Local 28 delegates, l. to r., JoeBrophy and John Devlin, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, and Steven Martin Sr. of L-D432.

Ron Ault, president of the Metal Trades Department, back center, with confer-ence delegates representing the metal trades.

Stephen Koplan, a commissioner with the U. S. International Trade Commission,third from left, with (l. to r.) AIP Sean Murphy, IVP Othal Smith, Government AffairsDirector Bridget Martin, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, and IVP Larry McManamon.

Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-11th OH), center, with, l. to r., Terry Heiser, PhillipLewis, Dennis Boettcher, Jeff Beitel, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, IR Jim Pressley,John Clark, and Wyndham Sparling.

NLRB reps., second to fourth from left, Region 5 Dir. Wayne Gold, Region 5 Attny.Al Palewichz, board member Ronald Meisburg, from right, board members DennisWalsh and Peter Schaumber, with l. to r., AIP Bill Creeden, General Counsel Rep.Mike Stapp, Intl. Pres. Newton Jones, and General Counsel Rep. Joe Moreland.

Rep. Don Sherwood (R-10th PA), third from right, with, l. to r., Local 13 delegatesJim Banford, Jeff Kacmar, Jim Heron, Clarence Butcher the II and III, Intl. Pres.Newton Jones, Richard Kelly, Howard Snyder, and Gary Everly.

MEMBERS OF LOCAL 587, Orange,Texas, attended steward training pro-grams at their local lodge facilities onAugust 13 and 14.

Conducted by Len Beauchamp,director of research and collective bar-gaining services, and ConstructionDivision Director Dale Branscum, theclasses covered such topics as duty offair representation and what it takes tobe a union leader.

Beauchamp reviewed area andnational agreements, the grievance pro-cedure, union structure, and the Inter-national’s Constitution. Branscumdiscussed craft jurisdiction, dispute res-olutions, and covered such subjects asboilers, heat recovery steam generators,and generation and emission controls.

Local 587 BM-ST Clay Herford, whonow assists Branscum as an Interna-tional representative for the Construc-

tion Division in Kansas City, Kan., saidBranscum and Beauchamp “presenteda very informative steward trainingclass to the Local 587 members.” ❑

Dale Branscum reviews jurisdictionalissues with members of Local 587.

Canadian leadershippledges commitment tounions, training sitesIN HIS FEB. 2 “Address to the Throne,”Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martinspoke about the necessity of strongunion-based training programs.

“In the new economy, educationcomes in many forms,” Martin said.“Over the last several years, I have visitedmany union training centers. They are anessential part of our education systemand they should have a much strongerrelationship with the government.”

In his address, Martin reminded Par-liament of the necessity of the unionvoice in creating programs and makingworkforce and training decisions.

“We intend to work with unions ontheir training sites, with businesses inthe workplace, through sector coun-cils, boosting literacy and other essen-tial job skills for apprentices andworkers,” Martin said.

Martin supports the Workplace SkillsStrategy, a program that aims tostrengthen Canada’s “capacity to pro-duce the skilled workers and the kindof work force that will carry us forwardin the 21st century,” according to JoeVolpe, Canadian minister of humanresources and skills department.

In February, Martin announcedthat the government would provide$800,000 in funding over three yearsto support a research project by theCentre for Education and Work at theUniversity of Winnipeg.

The research project will measurethe long-term effects of Prior LearningAssessment and Recognition (PLAR).

PLAR is a process used to evaluateand give recognition to learning thattakes place outside formal educa-tional institutions. This informationwill be used to help workers affected byeconomic downturns. When they mustseek work in a new field, PLAR canensure they will find opportunities thatproperly use and reward their skills. ❑

12 - the Boilermaker Reporter Mar • Apr• May 2004E D U C A T I O N

Nineteen lodges sendrepresentatives to fourthannual conferenceON FEB. 17-18, representatives of 19Boilermaker local lodges attended thefourth annual conference of the Pennsyl-vania “Keystone” Industrial Council.

Held at Local 154’s facilities in Pitts-burgh, Pa., this year ’s conferenceagenda focused on contract adminis-tration. Intl. Rep. Bob Heine Jr., whoserves as the council’s business repre-sentative, conducted the meeting. Top-ics included effective communication;collective bargaining and the laboragreement; contract administration;roles, rights, and responsibilities ofstewards and supervisors; grievanceprocedures, with conference delegatesparticipating in simulated grievances;discipline; grievance mediation andarbitration; six-step problem solving;and team-building exercises.

Highlighting the conference was pres-entation of the Michael S. MurphyAward for excellence in service. Thisyear’s recipient was Jack Bledsoe, a 16-year member of Local 802 in Chester, Pa.Bledsoe’s outstanding efforts as a locallodge steward earned him the award.

“It is his enthusiasm and commit-ment, as well as that of the other atten-dees, that brings results,” Heine said.“As a council, we are committed tousing whatever tools and assets wehave to educate our members and keepa competitive edge. And we will findthe way and means to supply this serv-ice to our members.”

The Keystone Industrial Council wasfounded in December 1999 to form unityamong the Pennsylvania locals as theywork toward common goals. Since itsfounding date, the council has spon-sored a series of training programs formembers of its 23 affiliated lodges. ❑

Keystone IndustrialCouncil members meet

Four Corners PowerPlant gets a quickreturn on its traininginvestmentOVER THE PAST two years, the FourCorners Power Plant, located on theNavajo Nation in northwest New Mex-ico, has donated 140,000 pounds ofexcess pipe and boiler tubing to theLocal 4, Page, Ariz., and Local 627,Phoenix, training facilities.

It didn’t take long for the powerplant to get a quick return on its invest-ment, in the form of qualified appren-tice tube welders.

“This support of the programs is inanticipation of the work force we willneed in the future,” said Four Corners

maintenance foreman Dan Kennedy.“The tube bundles are actual pieces ofequipment that came out of a boilerrather than being just a piece of pipe.Providing this realistic practice killsseveral birds with one stone.”

Kennedy has been a strong supporterof the apprentice programs since he vis-ited the locals’ welding training facilities.

“We’re helping to improve the qual-ity of the apprentices,” Kennedy said.“The better the quality of the boiler-maker, the better it will be for Four Cor-ners in the long run.”

The Four Corners Power Plant is asubsidiary of the Arizona Public Ser-vice Co. During a recent overhaul out-age at the plant, more than 500members of Locals 4 and 627 wereemployed, including several appren-tices. Source: Nathan Tohtsoni, APSC ❑

Local 4’s Tallia Tsinnijinnie works on a boiler after training on tube bundlesdonated by her new employer. Photo courtesy of Nathan J. Tohtsoni

Donations prepare apprentices for work

L-802 steward Jack Bledsoe, c., getsan award from IR Bob Heine (l.) andcommitteeman Chuck Goodman.

YYoouu ccaann nnooww wwoorrkk aass ppaarrtt--ttiimmee iinnssttrruuccttoorrss wwiitthhoouuttlloossiinngg yyoouurr ppeennssiioonn bbeenneeffiittssEFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2004, aretiree under the Boilermaker-Black-smith National Pension Trust may beemployed up to 800 hours per planyear (October 1 — September 30) asan instructor for a Boilermaker train-ing program, provided the retireewas employed no more than 800hours as an instructor during theprevious plan year.

Any retiree working more than 800hours in a plan year may be subject tosuspension of pension benefits.

Pension trustees made this changein response to several requests frombusiness managers who wanted tohire retired Boilermakers on a part-time basis to teach apprenticeshipand other training classes. They feltretired Boilermakers often have theskill, talent, time, and temperamentto make good instructors.

Prior to this change, any retireeemployed as an apprenticeship ortraining instructor was subject tosuspension of pension benefits.

Good news for retirees

Prime Minister callstraining essential

Local 587 sponsorssteward training

Mar • Apr• May 2004 the Boilermaker Reporter - 13S A F E T Y & H E A L T H

L-182 earns award

LOCAL 182, SALT LAKE CITY, wonthe National Association of Construc-tion Boilermaker Employers (NACBE)National Safety Award this year, withthe amazing safety record of zero losttime injuries and zero compensableinjuries for the entire year.

But even with a perfect record, Local182 just barely won.

Local 110, Hattiesburg, Miss., andLocal 531, Amarillo, Texas, also reportedzero lost-time and zero compensableinjury rates through all of last year.

NACBE gives one national awardand four area awards to locals with thebest safety records.

In most years, a zero lost-time ratehas been good enough to win theaward. When more than one local has aperfect score in this category, NACBElooks at the compensatory injury rate.

Because these three locals had no losttime accidents and no compensableinjury accidents, the award went to thelocal with the most man-hoursreported to NACBE’s safety database.That was Local 182.

Locals 110 and 531 took homeawards for the best records in their

vice-presidential areas, the Southeastand Central States sections, respec-tively. Local 744, Cleveland, also won anaward for best record in the Great LakesSection, and Local 197, Albany, N.Y.,won for the Northeast Section.

Boilermaker safety records haveimproved dramatically over the lastdecade. Overall lost time rates havefallen from 8.42 percent in 1991 to0.90 percent in 2003. In the last year,37 local lodges were below thatnational average.

In 2002, two locals reported bothzero lost-time and zero compensableinjury rates, but this is the first yearthat three locals have reported suchclean safety records.

A three-way tie shows the locals areat a level of safety that none used toreach, says John Erickson,