L-27 holds 20th retiree reunion

Lodge honors retired BM-ST Snead

LOCAL 27 (St. Louis) held its 20th annual retiree reunion August 1 and honored the event’s founder, David Snead.

L-27 BM-ST David Snead, center front, attends the 20th annual retiree reunion, an event he formed in 1989.
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Snead, who joined the union in 1970, was elected president and made a business representative in 1987. In 1989, he established the Retirees Reunion, an annual day of reminiscing, dinner, attendance prizes, and service pin presentations for all field construction retirees.

In 2002, Snead was elected business manager, and immediately went to work to establish a training and education fund. With the hourly contributions he negotiated from contractors, Snead was able to open the lodge’s apprenticeship training center by that year-end.

During his tenure, Snead also formed a local lodge retirement and death benefit fund in which field construction members voluntarily participate. Upon retirement, the fund provides a monetary payment and Boilermaker watch to participants.

Snead retired August 3 as Local 27’s business manager and secretary-treasurer. In his 20+ years as a lodge officer, he served on numerous boards and committees and as a delegate to the Consolidated Convention on four occasions.

Upon his retirement in 2009, the apprenticeship facility was renamed “The David L. Snead Training Center” in his honor.

“Dave earned the respect of our customers, contractors, and other crafts,” said William J. Noll, the newly-elected Local 27 BM-ST. “His experience, jurisdictional knowledge, and compassion for our members will be greatly missed.”