Milestones mark progress, but tragedies loom large

WE ARE AN ORGANIZATION that places a high value on the safety and health of our members. This is evident both in our Construction Sector and our Industrial Sector, whether our lodges are bringing in a complex job without a single recordable injury or winning awards for working safely in plants, shops, and shipyards. It is evident as well in our commitment to the MOST safety training programs, our apprentice training efforts, and the work of our health and safety directors in Canada and the United States.

THE HOUSE OF Representatives made history March 21, passing the most significant improvement in American health care since the adoption of Medicare in 1965. Among other things, the health care reform bill extends health insurance coverage to 95 percent of Americans, bans insurance companies from denying coverage of pre-existing conditions and cancelling policies when people get sick, and closes the Medicare “donut hole” in prescription drug coverage for retirees.

Lack of legislation is already costing us jobs

GLOBAL WARMING HAS changed the way the entire world does business. The magnitude of that change became apparent in 2007, when the Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as pollutants.

THROUGHOUT AUGUST, support for President Obama’s health care plan began to fade slowly as criticism of the plan grew. That fading support is a disturbing development, because the plan many citizens oppose is a fiction, created by anti-reform groups.

“In politics, the war is never won. The individual battles are what matter most.”

Labor applauds middle class task force, new executive orders

CAMPAIGN PROMISES OFTEN wind up in the dust bins of history. However sincere those promises may be, the realities of office can quickly undo them.

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.

McCain doesn’t understand workers; Obama does

MANY OBSERVERS have concluded that, if elected, John McCain will continue the failed policies of the past eight years. They are right, but they don’t go far enough. He will actually make many of them far worse. For working families — including Boilermaker families — a McCain presidency would be a disaster.

GOP candidate promotes corporations and the wealthy over workers

THE CANDIDACY OF Senator John McCain is an enigma. His reputation as a “straight-shooter” and a “maverick” has convinced many Democrats and Independents he would be a welcome change from the current administration. But his voting record and public statements — particularly during the past two years — depict a candidate who offers no change at all.

IN FEBRUARY the Executive Council voted unanimously to endorse Senator Barack Obama for president of the United States. Our endorsement was not an easy decision. Many good candidates presented themselves. We studied them all and in the end determined that Obama is our best hope to unite our nation, jump-start the economy, and return the United States to its rightful place as not only the most powerful nation, but also the most respected nation.

New sector director, IVP provide support and advocacy for industrial sector lodges

THE INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE Council (IEC) announces the establishment of the Boilermakers Industrial Sector Services Department (ISSD) to provide service, support, and advocacy for lodges and members in the industrial boiler, forge, shipbuilding, cement, and stove industries. Headed by a Director and overseen by an International Vice President, the new department will enable the International to improve service to industrial sector lodges while reducing the International’s administrative costs.

Renewable sources and nuclear are needed – as well as coal

CHANGE COMES QUICKLY – and in unexpected ways. Twenty years ago, discussions of national energy policy centered on reducing costs to consumers. Now they are all about reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In May, the Democratic leadership in Congress and the White House announced they had reached an historic agreement on trade. Democrats announced that they had won guarantees to protect labor rights in all future trade deals, starting with Peru, Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. The specific labor rights protected include the right to organize, bargain collectively, as well as bans on the use of child labor and workplace discrimination.

We face many challenges, but working together, we can face them with strength and move forward

IN THIS YEAR’S ELECTIONS, OUR members and our union were more active than in any other election that I can recall. We jumped in early, and we worked hard right up until the last voting precincts closed.

Bush vowed to protect the American people, but his policies protect only the rich

IN POLITICS, YOU LEARN early that you can’t judge a candidate by his words. Every candidate says we need a strong economy, good schools, and affordable health care. Every candidate says he hates terrorism, loves economic opportunity, and wants to provide a comfortable retirement for our senior citizens.