L-555 holds grand opening for union hall

Facility is first office building owned by lodge

Local 555 BM-ST Dallas Rogers (l.) stands with his father, Doug, a retired Boilermaker and former lodge council member, outside the lodge’s newly-purchased union hall in Winnipeg.
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AFTER MANY YEARS of renting facilities to conduct its operations, Local 555 (Winnipeg, Manitoba) now owns its own union hall. The lodge held a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony June 6 to show off its new home. It also used the occasion to hold a party for retirees.

L-555 BM-ST Dallas Rogers said the facility, which was formerly occupied by a fire and water damage restoration firm, was exactly what the lodge needed. “It’s on an acre of ground in the suburbs of Winnipeg,” he said. “The offices and meeting hall didn’t require any substantial changes. We did do some re-arranging of the shop area.”

The 7,800-sq.-ft. main building includes a 1,500-sq.-ft. hall, 1,500 square feet of offices, and a 4,800-sq.-ft shop. The shop provides 12 welding booths, two grinding booths, and a state-of-the-art air filtration system. The site also includes a 1,200-sq.-ft. outbuilding.

Local 555 retirees join BM-ST Dallas Rogers, at right, in ribbon-cutting ceremonies. L. to r. are Bill Ferguson, former chief steward for Thunder Bay, Ontario; Dan Symenuk, the lodge’s first elected BM-ST; and Ken Pasaluko, also a retired BM-ST.
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The grand opening and retiree party drew guests and retirees from across Canada. The local chartered a bus for members attending from Saskatchewan, and it arranged for lodging for those coming outside of the Winnipeg area. Among the retirees being honored at the party were Dan Symenuk, the first elected full-time business manager/secretary-treasurer for Local 555; Ken Pasaluko, a former BM-ST; Gary Thistlewaite, a former assistant business agent for Saskatchewan; and Bill Ferguson, a former chief steward who served the Thunder Bay, Ontario, area.

Local 555 is a shop and construction lodge chartered in 1954. The local has the largest geographic area in the Brotherhood, covering Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and northwestern Ontario. In addition to the Winnipeg main office, the local maintains sub-offices in Regina, Saskatchewan, and Thunder Bay.