the Boilermaker Reporter

Volume 47, Number 4
Oct 2008 to Dec 2008

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Included articles:

Coverage of the 2008 National Apprentice Program competition, MOST National Tripartite Alliance conference topics, Boilermaker-backed candidates win, L-104 members keep boat ‘ship-shape’ for TV show, regional apprentice competition results and much, much more...

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Frank Linton now welds for fun

L-40 retiree creates metal art using skills he developed on the job

AFTER WORKING 35 years as a field construction Boilermaker, Frank Linton is now using his welding skills to create some rather spectacular metal art.

Tags  Retiree News
Locals  L-40
Reporter  V47N4

Boilermaker-backed candidates win

Activist locals lead by example, help elect Obama and other pro-worker candidates

IT SHOULD COME as no surprise that a Boilermaker appeared in Barack Obama’s half-hour, prime-time television commercial that aired Oct. 29 — an ad that was seen by more than 33 million viewers. After all, Boilermaker volunteers across the country worked tirelessly to push for working family candidates and the promise of change.

Tags  LEAP Issues
Locals  L-19, L-29, L-D263, L-696
Reporter  V47N4

Six Little Words

by David Sirota

HISTORY BOOKS TEEM with six-word phrases, from the comforting ("Nothing to fear but fear itself") to the inspiring ("Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall") to the embarrassing ("Read my lips, no new taxes"). But the six words, "on the basis of union membership" could be more momentous than any of those. Though hardly Roosevelt's rhetoric, Reagan's bluster or Bush's clumsiness, the clause could solve America's wage crisis.

Tags  LEAP Issues
Reporter  V47N4

New lodge officers attend training

Program held in five cities in United States and Canada

2008 WAS AN election year — not only for the governments of Canada and the United States, but also for Boilermaker local lodges in both countries. While U.S. lodges must hold elections every three years, Canadian lodges do so every five years. Occasionally, the Boilermaker local lodge election cycles coincide, as they did in 2008.

Reporter  V47N4

Kudos

Babcock & Wilcox praises L-627

CONGRATULATIONS ON ACCOMPLISHING what appeared to be the impossible on an unbelievable schedule, while still maintaining safety and quality. Our first impression: there was no way to get a big enough lift crane close enough to replace the “B” spray dryer absorbers in the assembly sizes necessary to support the customer’s [Tucson Electric Power Company at the Springerville Generating Station] production schedule. But your guys [Phoenix Local 627 members] did it!

Tags  Featured
Locals  L-627, L-667
Reporter  V47N4

Letters to the Editor

Cushing family grateful for memories

WE WOULD LIKE to thank everyone for their condolences, flowers, and cards. It is of the utmost importance to his family that Ray [past New Jersey Local 28 BM-ST] be remembered for the man he was and the dedication he gave to his union and his family.

Locals  L-6, L-19, L-28, L-549
Reporter  V47N4

Union-business alliance seeks pension relief

NEARLY 300 organizations with defined-benefit pension plans have joined together to ask Congress for legislative relief in light of the current economic tailspin and restrictive regulations under the Pension Protection Act. In a letter to the Ways and Means Committee (reprinted below), the alliance explains the difficulties that pension plans are facing during these troubling times.

Tags  LEAP Issues
Reporter  V47N4

Congress must adjust Pension Protection Act

Those who framed the tight funding rules for the PPA did not expect a credit tsunami and stock market collapse

THE EXTRAORDINARY COLLAPSE of America’s financial system in October has plunged the country — in fact, the world — into a recession that may be longer and deeper than any downturn we’ve seen in 25 years. What former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan described as “a credit tsunami” has resulted in bank failures, mortgage foreclosures, a shrinking economy, and rising unemployment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped from its historic high of over 14,000 points in Oct. 2007 to barely above 8,200 in Oct. 2008, a decline of over 40 percent.

Reporter  V47N4
Commentary  Newton B. Jones

New contract summaries

A brief listing of recent agreements signed and ratified by Boilermaker local lodges

L-13 — Philadelphia

Effective April 23, 2008 to March 31, 2011, for four members of Local 13, Philadelphia, who perform shop and field work in the oil and gas division of Integra Services Technologies Inc.

L-M18 — Buffalo, N.Y.

Effective June 1, 2008 to May 31, 2011, for 24 members of Local M18, Buffalo, N.Y., who make metal plating at the Keystone Corp.

Tags  Featured
Reporter  V47N4

Locals award service pins

Local 1 — Chicago

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

Baltimore retired L-193 member Eldon P. Gold receives his 50-year membership pin.
Baltimore retired L-193 member Eldon P. Gold receives his 50-year membership pin.

Tags  Featured
Locals  L-1, L-169, L-502
Reporter  V47N4

Pages

Latest News

  • L-D366 retirees attending the April 9, 2013 meeting included Marcel Aubin, Gerard Bastien, Maurice Berube, Egon Burke, Antonio Cabral, Antonio Carnevale, Gerry Colarusso, Frank Folcarelli, Nick Folcarelli, Emile Gilbert, Jose Goulart, Bob Halas, Les Illes, Giuseppe Iosue, Donald Ladouceur, Rosair e Lavoie, Danny Lenarduzzi, Verner Lessard, David Middleton, Ben Minino, Jimmy Pece, Pierre Pommainville, Nick Romeo, Raffaele Rummo, Drago Sabljak, Fausto Sciarra, Frank Skorija, Kiro Stojanoski, Attilio Ventresca

    L-D366 retirees cement relationships

    Read More

  • L-40's Autry delivers powerful anthem rendition at LEAP

    Read More

  • Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA-38) accepts the Boilermakers Legislator of the Year award May 7 during the LEAP conference.

    Union names Linda Sanchez Legislator of the Year

    Read More

  • Power Engineering editor says coal will remain "backbone of the nation's power sector"

    Read More

  • L-191 retirees receive 60-year pins

    Read More