Local News

Local 549 member honored for political efforts

LOBBYING, PRECINCT WALKING, and phone banking to elect labor-friendly candidates are all in a day’s work for Local 549 (Pittsburg, Calif.) member Wilmer Ellis. A Boilermaker of 34 years, Ellis has been selected by the Contra Costa County Central Labor Council and Building & Construction Trades Council for the Labor Activist of the Year Award.

$416 million project will generate renewable energy

ABOUT TWO DOZEN Boilermakers are working under National Transient Division articles of agreement to build draft tube liners for the $416 million, 84-MW Cannelton Hydroelectric Plant near Hawesville, Ky.

National Steel Erection, Inc. (NSE) has the contract for the liners. Each is 30 feet in diameter and 60 feet long. Their function is to direct water from the Ohio River through turbines, turning generators to produce electricity. The project adjoins the existing Cannelton Locks and Dam.

Granddaughter of L-667 retiree posts video, hopes for big response

IN A NOVEL approach to choosing scholarship winners, West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, W.Va., requires its 12 finalists to create a video about themselves and to amass online votes. The top vote-getter will receive a four-year full scholarship worth $120,000. Second- and third-place winners will receive lesser four-year grants.

L-87 — West Chester, Pa.

Effective June 28, 2010 to June 27, 2013, for 45 members of Local 87 (West Chester, Pa.) who work at Sartomer Company. Sartomer Company is a manufacturer and distributor of custom chemicals for industrial and commercial use, including in flooring, inks, optics and electronics. Products include acrylate/methacrylate monomers, oligomers and other specialty chemicals.

Members install control systems at Kentucky power station.

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.

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.

HANS HOOGENDOORN, a retired member of Local 549 (Pittsburg, Calif.), has not lost his passion for the Boilermakers union.

Shipyard will build two tankers for Alaska crude transport

AKER PHILADELPHIA SHIPYARD, which employs Boilermakers from Local 19 (Philadelphia) held a document-signing ceremony Sep. 29 for two new tankers that will carry Alaskan crude oil to the U.S. West Coast. The $400 million deal, between the shipyard and SeaRiver Maritime Inc., an Exxon Mobil Corporation affiliate, is expected to involve a work force of more than 1,000 once construction begins on both vessels, according to Aker.