IN A DECEMBER 19 news release, the Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD) and the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) jointly announced that the IUOE will re-affiliate with the department effective January 1.
“Raising our collective voice and acting with common purpose through this affiliation will benefit not only IUOE members, but all union construction tradesmen and women throughout the U.S. and Canada,” IUOE General President James T. Callahan said in the statement.
Sean McGarvey, President of North America’s Building Trades Unions, welcomed Callahan’s participation on the BCTD’s Governing Board of Presidents. “With the Operating Engineers as a formal partner, we will better serve the needs of our clients, our customers, our contractors and, most importantly, the members we represent,” he said.
International President Newton B. Jones applauded the announcement, stating, “The Boilermakers union is very pleased to see our brothers and sisters from the Operating Engineers take their place among the unions of the BCTD. I commend President Callahan and President McGarvey for their leadership throughout this process. This is indeed good news for the future of the trades and will further enhance labor solidarity.”
