Negotiations for the Great Lakes Articles of Agreement (GLAA), including Locals 27 (St. Louis), 83 (Kansas City, Missouri), 107 (Milwaukee), 374 (Hobart, Indiana), 647 (Minneapolis) and 744 (Cleveland), unfolded over the summer and fall of 2025. Formal bargaining began in July and continued through November, with the extended timeline driven largely by outage schedules that created ongoing meeting conflicts for both parties.
The Boilermaker co-chairs of the negotiating committee for GLAA included Great Lakes International Vice President Dan Sulivan, IR Blane Tom and Luke Voigt, a member of Local 647.
From the outset, the union’s negotiations committee approached bargaining with a clear goal: modernize and strengthen the agreement. More than 50 proposals were submitted that focused on updating outdated language, clarifying ambiguous provisions and updating the contract to better reflect current working conditions.
“This was the rejuvenation of the contract because it had old, archaic language,” Voigt said. “There were a lot of things that need to be cleaned up, such as gender-neutral language. And then, of course, we wanted to secure a good wage and benefit package for the membership.”
Negotiations focused primarily on language improvements and significant wage and benefit increases. The final agreement delivered total package increases of 5% in 2026, 5% in 2027 and 3.5% in 2028. These increases translate to average hourly gains of $4.08 in the first year, $4.28 in the second year and $3.15 in the final year. This marks the largest raises bargained for in recent history.
Voigt said all the business managers showed extreme solidarity. “Everybody stuck to their guns,” he said, which made a huge difference on the advances made in the agreement.
In addition to general wage gains, the agreement included a $1 increase to both general foremen and foremen pay rates, bringing general foremen to $6 above the journeyworker rate and foremen to $4 above. Subsistence rates were also improved, with Locals 27, 83 and 374 receiving $100 per day for jobs over 50 miles under a “me too” clause. Locals 107 and 647 secured $50 per day for jobs under 50 miles and $100 per day for jobs over 50 miles.
Apprentice welder compensation saw meaningful gains, including a 20% wage increase for tube welders when they’re certified with the employer with whom they’re working. Certified plate welders earn a 5% increase when certified with the employer with whom they’re working, not to exceed 95%.
Vacation deduction options were standardized across all locals, allowing each local’s membership to select up to three deduction options at amounts the membership sets.
The agreement also established a contract interpretation committee to help resolve questions and prevent disputes related to misinterpretation. Clear language was added to ensure members are properly compensated for owner or employer pre-employment requirements, including background checks, non-MOST drug screens and off-site pre-employment paperwork. Numerous additional clarifications and cleanups throughout the agreement improved its consistency and enforceability.
Early in the process, Local 60 (Peoria, Illinois) planned to join the GLAA when they couldn’t secure enough employers to negotiate a stand-alone local lodge agreement. However, after several negotiation sessions, additional employers agreed to bargain directly with L-60, so the local withdrew its proposals from the GLAA, negotiated independently and successfully ratified a stand-alone contract. That agreement included no language changes, increases to foremen and general foremen pay, a new tiered vacation option and a total wage and benefit package increase of $12.69 over three years.
Overall, negotiations were marked by constructive dialogue, open discussions around compensation and a shared effort to address recognized concerns. Sulivan said the contactors in the agreement have a good working relationship with the Boilermakers and they understand the value the members bring to the jobsite.
The result, he said, was a collaborative agreement that reflects the hard work of both sides—contractors and Boilermakers. Each local’s membership overwhelmingly ratified the contract on the first ballot of the tentative agreement.
“I’m proud to have been a part of these negotiations,” Sulivan said. “And I thank Luke [Voigt] and Blane [Tom] for their assistance as a co-chairman. This is something members deserve. They should be proud of what they got and what their business managers fought for.”
