Our job is to keep everyone complying with the law and our Constitution and following best practices. Our job is to help our locals.
Gary Powers, who is now Director of Compliance and Training, leads a workshop at the 2024 ISO conference.
International President Tim Simmons has named Gary Powers as Director of Compliance and Training. The new role is part of measures to ensure U.S. International Reps and local lodges have the information and support they need to properly conduct local lodge business in compliance with the Office of Labor-Management Standards recordkeeping and reporting requirements, the Boilermakers’ Constitution and general best practices.
“The purpose was to create a department that works directly with local lodges in compliance with government reporting and International bylaws and provide training, guidance and tools so lodge leaders and those who support them can fulfill their duties,” Powers said.
Through the new Compliance and Training Department, IBB has hosted several training sessions for International Reps and lodge leaders. The sessions, which have taken place at IBB headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri, the Great Lakes and Southeast Sections and online, have been conducted by Dr. John Lund, professor emeritus of the University of Wisconsin School for Workers and former Director of the Office of Labor-Management Standards for the U.S. Department of Labor, and author of “Auditing Local Union Financial Records: A Guide for Local Union Trustees”.
“The OLMS training was eye opening and game changing for me. I was glued to the screen,” said Scott Widdicombe, BM-ST for Local 242 (Spokane, Washington), who attended a virtual session. “There are things I just didn’t know I should be doing or shouldn’t be doing.”
In the past, much information on how to conduct lodge business was passed down from lodge leader to lodge leader; and sometimes, the information was incorrect. That, said Powers, has been a problem. With no formal training, lodge leaders only learned how their predecessors' handled things, for good or bad.
“There’s a lot I wasn’t aware of, because no one ever told me, and I don’t know any different if no one tells me,” Widdicombe said. He said grateful for the training and plans to attend any time it’s offered, and he noted that L-242’s office assistant attended the session with him—something he and Powers recommend to other lodges.
“We recommend lodges have their clerical staff participate as well, because they’re going to be helping fulfill duties,” Powers said. “They’re often the ones handling the day-to-day. It’s important they know proper record keeping, how to handle credit cards, etc.”
In addition to the compliance training sessions with Lund, Powers and staff from IBB’s Auditing Department are conducting in-person audits at local lodges. The audits are an overall look at how locals operate. The auditors examine finances, meeting minutes, union meeting practices and more, as well as compare lodge bylaws with the Boilermakers Constitution.
“This is not meant to be authoritarian,” Powers said, noting the audits—and their findings—have been overwhelmingly met with gratitude from lodge leaders like Widdicombe.
“We’ve had nothing but good feedback. It’s a chance to work with local lodge leaders, take a closer look at locals’ financial records and see where they can improve processes or put new policies in place to better manage in a positive way.”
When the audits are complete, a report is provided to the local lodge recommending possible improvements to practices. When the team finds something egregious, they strongly recommend changes. The team also provides tools to help make lodge leadership and compliance a little easier and more consistent, and Powers has plans for templates to make financial record-keeping reporting consistent for everyone.
“Our job is to keep everyone complying with the law and our Constitution and following best practices. Our job is to help locals,” said Powers.
“Everyone’s been very open to this. They’re not pushing back, and most say they wish we’d had this when they first became lodge leaders.”
Widdicombe agreed: “I thought I was doing everything right, and now I know what I have to do and what I can’t do. I look at my local and what I’m doing now in a different light. I’m more aware now, and I’m looking at everything.”
