Local Lodge 374

IN A GUEST editorial published in the Evansville Courier & Press May 30, Local 374 (Hammond, Ind.) Business Agent Timothy Brumfield makes a compelling case to balance the concern for a healthy environment with the need for a healthy economy and good jobs. Brumfield’s commentary followed an air permit meeting for a new fertilizer plant being planned for southern Indiana – and the seemingly automatic opposition by the Sierra Club and another environmental group.

SINCE HIS RETIREMENT in 2004 from Local 374, Hammond, Ind., Bruce (Randy) Scott has been keeping busy volunteering his time for community services in northwest Indiana. An assistant pastor of the Pentecostals of Southlake in Merrillville, Ind., Scott also is the chaplain for the community’s police department. He says his greatest honor was to open a session of the U.S. House of Representatives with a prayer in July 2010 as a guest chaplain sponsored by Rep. Pete Visclosky and his staff.

APPRENTICE COORDINATORS and instructors from the Great Lakes Area received training Sept. 12-14 on the new On-Line Interactive Learning Management System (LMS) and the updated Related Studies Lessons. The Boilermaker National Apprenticeship Program (BNAP) is developing the system in conjunction with Kelly Press to upgrade and standardize apprentice instruction.

Local 374 — Hammond, Ind.

Timothy J. Thomas, BM-ST of Local 374, Hammond, Ind., reports presentation of membership pins to the following:

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.

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.

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.

Riders from two locals travel Indiana for fun and camaraderie

ABOUT TWO DOZEN motorcycles rolled out of Elkhart, Ind., Sept. 17 carrying a caravan of Boilermakers, family members, and guests. Active and retired members of Local 85 (Toledo, Ohio) and Local 374 (Hammond, Ind.) took part in the event, organized for the enjoyment of the ride and to share in brotherhood and camaraderie. The bikers rode from northern Indiana to the southern part of the state, returning to central Indiana before heading home.

Institutes focus on labor education

MORE THAN THREE dozen Boilermakers interested in expanding their knowledge of labor and union leadership attended sessions at the School for Workers on the University of Wisconsin campus last August. Commonly referred to as the Boilermaker Summer Institutes, the sessions include one week-long block for basic studies, another for advanced studies. After completing the basic session, participants typically return the following year to complete the advanced course.

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.