Local Lodge 13

Lodges capitalize on power of social media

KEEPING MEMBERS AWARE of political developments affecting their jobs and unions has become much easier since social media tools became popular, say Boilermakers from several lodges.

Local 13 (Philadelphia) and Local 28, (Newark, N.J.) use Facebook specifically as a resource for political and legislative news and opinions, both at the state and federal levels. The lodges also share such information across their Facebook pages.

THE BOILERMAKERS’ International Executive Council has announced its selection of scholarship award recipients for three local lodges and the Canadian Federation of Labour (CFL).

Thirty-two Boilermaker dependents earn awards totaling $50,000

THE BOILERMAKERS’ International Executive Council scholarship committee announced the winners of its 2012 scholarship program this past April. The committee awarded $50,000 to 32 scholarship recipients, with $38,000 being allocated to U.S. applicants and $12,000 to applicants from Canada.

L-13 retiree donates 210th pint

JIMMY HERON KNOWS something about the gift of life. The 65-year-old Local 13 (Philadelphia) retiree has donated just over 26 gallons of blood — 210 pints to be exact — over the last five decades. Imagine a 55-gallon barrel filled almost to the half-way mark, and you get a sense of just how much blood that is.

Heron says he has donated blood faithfully since the 1960s as a way to remember a friend from his youth who died in a drag racing accident.

“Doctors said he bled out,” Heron recalls.

Donations build Brotherhood’s political strength

LODGES, VICE PRESIDENTIAL sections, and individual members that excelled in raising money for CAF and LEF in 2011 received special recognition during the LEAP conference in Washington, D.C., April 23-26.

CAF stands for Campaign Assistance Fund. As the Boilermakers’ political action fund, CAF money goes to support worker-friendly candidates for the U.S. House and Senate.

Lodge fundraiser promotes union

BOILERMAKERS LIVING IN Pennsylvania can now purchase custom license plates that promote the Boilermakers union and the Local 13 (Philadelphia) scholarship fund. The lodge recently began receiving orders for the plates, which feature the Boilermaker seal, a unique five-digit number with BM (for Boilermakers), and the words “Intl Brotherhood of Boilermakers.”

Union activism helps keep closures in public eye

MEMBERS OF LOCAL 13 (Philadelphia) are hopeful about the future of several oil refineries that had been slated for closure last year. Sunoco’s Marcus Hook and Philadelphia refineries and Conoco’s Trainer facility — all reliable sources of maintenance work for generations of Boilermakers — recently faced permanent shutdowns due to unfavorable market conditions and millions of dollars in reported operating losses.

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.