Local Lodge 13

AFTER SEVERAL DAYS of attending conference sessions and visiting the Hill to lobby for Boilermaker priorities

Effort matches manpower needs with lagging U.S. work

THE GROWING NEED for skilled manpower in Canada—particularly in the Alberta oil sands region—along with lagging work in some areas of the United States, has spawned a new Boilermaker recruitment program to address the situation.

Twenty attend MOST training session

MEMBERS FROM A dozen local lodges met in Kansas City, Mo., Jan. 15-20 to expand their skills under the MOST Project Management Training Program. MOST (Mobilization, Optimization, Stabilization, and Training) is a pioneering labor-management trust fund designed to address issues in the construction industry through innovative programs and collaboration.

Army cites L-13 retiree four decades after combat tour

AFTER 43 YEARS without formal recognition for his service with a covert military unit in Vietnam, Louis “Lou” DeSeta finally has his medals. The 66-year-old Local 13 (Philadelphia) retiree received two Bronze Stars and an Army Commendation Medal during ceremonies at VFW Post 3420 in Newark, Delaware, on Oct. 29. Brigadier General (ret.) Terry Wiley presented the medals in the presence of DeSeta’s union brothers, fellow veterans, and family members.

Local 1 — Chicago

John Skermont , BM-ST of Local 1, Chicago, reports presentation of membership pins to the following:

40 YEARS - Edward A. Anderson, Mark J. Gustafson, Ronald R. Kowalski Sr., and
35 YEARS - William Feeney, William Frankenbach, Eugene M. Forkin, III, Raymond Garcia, Michael A. Gonzalez, William Harris Jr., Patrick Nolan, Michael Ryan, Eddie Sanks, Abdul-Aleem Sharif, and Robert Stewart.

Scholarship award recipients for three local lodges and the CFL are announced.

THE BOILERMAKERS’ International Executive Council scholarship committee announced the winners of its 2011 scholarship program this past April. The committee awarded $50,000 to 37 scholarship recipients, with $36,000 being allocated to U.S. applicants and $14,000 to applicants from Canada.

DURING A CELEBRATION at Local 13 (Philadelphia) this past summer, the lodge honored retiring BM-ST Jim Banford, who headed the lodge for nine years and also served as its treasurer for 15 years. Three other L-13 business managers — past and present — were on hand for Banford’s send-off. L. to r. are Mike Dicicco, 1984-1996; Joe Murray, 1996-2002; Banford, 2002-2011; and John Clark, the lodge’s new BM-ST.

BY ALL ACCOUNTS, the Montour Unit #1 Spring 2011 boiler outage [in Washingtonville, Pa.] was a huge success. We would like to thank you [BM-ST James Banford], Jack Borzell [L-13 business agent], your staff and the Boilermakers of Local 13 for making this possible. Jack’s constant attention to the Montour site is very much appreciated and helped a great deal in achieving our goals. You should be pleased to know that not only did the Boilermakers of Local 13 perform above our expectations, they once again completed a major outage ahead of schedule and under budget.

Donations build Brotherhood’s political strength

LODGES, VICE PRESIDENTIAL sections, and individual members that excelled in raising money for CAF and LEF in 2010 received special recognition during the LEAP conference in Washington, D.C., March 21.