Tumultuous times precede convention

Newton B. Jones, International President

Our union faces historic changes

IN THE FIVE years since our last convention, historic changes have challenged us and tested our resolve. As Boilermakers have done throughout our 131-year history, we have risen to meet those challenges — adapting to change with innovative approaches, making sacrifices where necessary, and above all, standing together as brothers and sisters to advance our future.

Soon representatives from across Canada and the United States will assemble in Las Vegas for our 32nd Consolidated Convention. It is fitting that we take stock of where we have been since 2006 as we set our course for the next five years.

Without question, recent years have been tough ones. But we will face the future with the courage and conviction that have guided us in the past.

Brotherhood responds to global economic collapse

OUR UNION EMERGED from the 31st Consolidated Convention in the summer of 2006 in good shape. Action taken by delegates at that convention put us on a sound track financially, and we expected construction man-hours to rapidly expand in a revved-up economy.

To meet projected manpower needs, we implemented a new recruitment program through MOST. Our recruiting staff signed up more than 2,000 people in the trades to supplement our members where needed.

With a robust economy and many industries performing at or near capacity, pension and benefit plans were healthy, our investment returns solid. But then the economic collapse that began in 2008 undid much of our progress. Like virtually everyone else, we saw our investments suffer substantial losses. Economic uncertainty, along with concerns about climate change, contributed to cutbacks in planned power plants and other field construction projects. Many of our industrial lodges were hurt by layoffs.

A primary focus for all of labor now is to turn back the tide of antiunion politics.

With our pensions threatened by the global economic downturn, the Brotherhood acted swiftly. In an alliance with major businesses and other unions that have multi-employer, defined-benefit pension plans, we successfully lobbied Congress for temporary relief from the strict requirements of the Pension Protection Act. Meanwhile, trustees of the Boilermaker-Blacksmith National Pension Trust, which provides pension benefits to field construction and some Industrial Sector members, worked tirelessly with actuaries to restore the trust’s strength. The approach they developed requires some sacrifice for all of the plan’s participants, but the fund is now on track for recovery — and it remains one of the best pension plans in organized labor.

Union establishes Industrial Sector, modernizes referral system

FOR SOME TIME, the International leadership had recognized that a new and better approach was needed to service non-construction members. To address that need, we undertook a major organizational change to establish the Industrial Sector. This change allowed us to focus more resources on shipbuilding, cement, railroad, stove, forging, manufacturing, mining, and boiler shop lodges. Warren Fairley became the first IVP at-Large for the Industrial Sector in 2007, bringing additional representation to the Industrial Sector lodges on the Executive Council. Separate but related functions were brought together under the new Industrial Sector Services Department (ISSD).

The Industrial Sector held its first conference in Kansas City in 2009 and its second in Las Vegas in 2010. Today IVP at-Large Jim Pressley heads the sector.

Another approach we are taking to bolster the strength of our Industrial Sector lodges is by becoming more involved with the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers Union (ICEM). As Chairman of the ICEM Materials Sector, I saw firsthand how powerful this relationship can be for us. When Lafarge, one of the world’s largest cement manufacturers, sought to ram through onerous contract changes against Local D-27 in Independence, Mo., we worked through ICEM to get the matter resolved. ICEM also assisted us in establishing the North American Cement and Building Materials Union Network for coordinated bargaining with other unions.

Meanwhile, important new Construction Sector changes have been and are being implemented. We completed a major effort to bring National Transient Division members into construction lodges. This has not been an easy process for our lodges, but it is a necessary one, and I believe we will see smoother, more efficient operations going forward.

We are also implementing the MOST Boilermaker Delivery System (BDS), which will automate our referral system using a centralized, Internet-based platform. We expect substantial gains in efficiency as well as major cost savings. Members will be able to place their names on job lists and update their qualifications and other information from anywhere there is an Internet connection. Travelers will no longer have to drive long distances to place their names on work lists. Locals will have access to timely data to more efficiently dispatch Boilermakers to jobs. And the International and our contractors will benefit from accurate data about the status and availability of the construction Boilermaker workforce.

These innovations will help keep the Boilermakers union at the forefront of excellence in the building and construction trades.

Boilermakers respond to political change

THE ELECTION OF President Barack Obama in 2008 was an historic first for this country. Obama has also proven to be the first president in a very long time to truly support workers and unions, not just with words, but with actions. He reversed antiunion executive orders instituted by Pres. Bush, appointed pro-union leaders to the Department of Labor, and has repeatedly taken a public stand in support of labor.

Our union got involved early in Obama’s campaign. Our Department of Government Affairs spearheaded the Brotherhood’s support of Obama and helped build worker-friendly majorities in Congress.

We became a force on Capitol Hill in promoting a new energy policy that would provide energy producers a sustainable path to lower greenhouse gas emissions through advances in carbon capture and storage (CCS) and other technologies — a path that would ensure the continued use of coal and create many millions of man-hours of work for our field construction members. While special interests have blocked our energy policy efforts, the battle will continue.

The elections of 2010 changed the balance in politics, and now a primary focus for all of labor is to turn back the tide of antiunion politics that threatens workers across the country, in the state houses as well as in the U.S. Congress. Republican victories in the 2010 elections have led to an unprecedented assault on unions. Labor and our allies are fighting back. The 2012 elections will be pivotal for us.

We look ahead to an improving economy

WITH THE ECONOMY finally beginning to show signs of life, the work outlook is ticking up in many industries, and some laid-off workers are being recalled. It may be a while before we know just how strong the recovery is, but I’m confident our union has navigated through the worst of the Great Recession. Our pension plans are more secure. The Brotherhood’s reorganization into industrial and construction sectors has positioned us to better serve our lodges. We are saving money by reducing the number of International Vice Presidents as they leave office, but only when we can do so while maintaining high-quality service to our lodges. And we have forged strong alliances with other unions on national and international levels to address threats from multinational companies.

As we join together at the 32nd Consolidated Convention next month, let us celebrate our achievements even as we continue the challenging work of guiding the Brotherhood through the next five years.