Trust funds are on track after adjustments
THE ANNUAL CONSTRUCTION conference held at Marco Island, Fla. March 7-10 addressed numerous topics that impact field construction Boilermakers, from member benefits to workplace concerns to promoting the advantages of MOST programs.
IP Newton Jones reports on fund improvements.
There was positive news about the Taft-Hartley trust funds that provide participating members with pensions, annuity benefits, and health insurance. International President Newton B. Jones reported that the Boilermaker-Blacksmith National Pension Fund and the Officers’ & Employees’ Pension Plan — both of which saw a drop in investment value in the wake of the 2008 economic collapse — are now heading in the right direction. Jones attributed the good news to “swift action by the fund trustees as well as additional contributions by plan participants and employers.” He said funding plans developed by the trustees and actuaries are on track to meet levels required under the Pension Protection Act.
Rich Calcara, Boilermakers National Funds Office Executive Administrator, said investment results from 2010 were good not only for the pension funds but also for the Boilermakers National Annuity Trust and the Boilermakers National Health & Welfare Fund.
The MOST (Mobilization, Optimization, Safety, and Training) trust also is rebounding from some economic difficulties. That trust had faced underfunding issues combined with increased programming costs. “With additional funding from contractors along with cutbacks in some areas, the trust is now on a more solid footing,” Jones said.
Marketing kit will promote MOST programs
MOST ADMINISTRATOR BILL Palmisano distributed advance copies of a new marketing kit designed to help local lodges, contractors, and owners promote what he termed “the best labor-management training program available today.”
MOST Administrator Bill Palmisano explains new marketing materials.
A joint labor-management trust under the Taft-Hartley Act, MOST includes 17 distinct programs that save contractors and owners money while enhancing Boilermaker skills and safe work practices.
The kit includes printed materials as well as a video presentation featuring testimonials by owners, contractors, union leaders, and MOST staff. A separate CD serves as a sales tool that explains the value of each program. MOST Safety Rep Roger Erickson demonstrated the program to conference participants and explained how information specific to a local lodge can be printed and used as a handout.
Palmisano said quantities of the kit will be available to lodges and contractors upon request.
Brotherhood Bank seeks broader labor participation
BROTHERHOOD BANK & TRUST (BB&T), which has served Boilermakers since it was founded by the union 87 years ago, has the potential to play a larger role as “labor’s bank,” IP Jones told the conference. He said the International hopes to encourage the broader labor community to take advantage of the bank’s stability, union orientation, and financial services, just as Boilermakers have done since 1924.
“We see the Brotherhood Bank & Trust as being a tremendous growth opportunity for our investors,” he said.
International Secretary-Treasurer Bill Creeden, BB&T officials, and representatives of the Marco Consulting Group also discussed a new bank initiative that will allow investment funds from local lodges to be comingled in a common trust fund that would potentially yield higher returns than certificates of deposit or treasury bills while providing greater diversity and reducing fees.
Prairie State project progresses
MIKE ROTHER, DIRECTOR of contracts and industrial relations for the Prairie State Generating Co. (PSGC), provided an update of the Prairie State Energy Campus project in southern Illinois. More than 1,000 Boilermakers from across the country have worked at the new coal-fired power plant there. The project is under the jurisdiction of Local 363 in East St. Louis.
Mike Rother of the Prairie State Generating Company praises Boilermakers working on his firm’s new $4 billion power plant.
Rother said the $4 billion 1,600-MW facility is the largest coal-fired power plant now under construction in the United States. The project is now over 67 percent complete, he reported, and the performance of Boilermakers has been impressive. “We have a high retention rate, drug free workplace, and a low weld-reject rate. To date, the Boilermakers have a 98.5 percent acceptance rate on all…welds.”
Rother also praised the Boilermakers for their leadership in working safely. “The lead Boilermaker general foreman for the project [L-363’s John Hoerner] personally achieved over 9,000 hours of safe working performance,” he noted, while the project as a whole achieved 5.3 million man-hours without a lost time accident as of late last year.
Rother said that once the plant is complete, PSGC plans to use Boilermakers and other crafts for supplemental maintenance work, outages, and new capital projects.
Richard Hawk makes safety fun
NACBE-SPONSORED GUEST speaker Richard Hawk offered a fresh approach to safety awareness and training. His presentation, “Making Safety Fun,” included an audience test, music, story-telling, and prizes. A former nuclear industry safety engineer and management trainer, he is also an author, singer, and songwriter.
NACBE guest speaker Richard Hawk reveals how to make safety fun.
Hawk explained that people make decisions based on emotions rather than logic. He said studies show that when people enjoy what they are doing their performance improves and they are less likely to be involved in accidents. Making safety training memorable and fun can help people stay more focused on working safely, he added.
Workplace safety in the United States has improved dramatically since the days of child labor and few worker protection laws, he noted. Citing a statistic that 10 out of 11 fatal accidents occur outside the job, he urged conference participants to expand the focus of safety training to include time away from work.
Panel discusses arbitration successes
DIRECTOR OF CONSTRUCTION Services Dale “Skipper” Branscum led a panel discussion of three significant arbitrations affecting Boilermaker work jurisdiction. The cases involved the installation of seismic restraints at an Exelon nuclear generating station, a feed water heater shroud at a TVA nuclear power plant, and fin fan coolers at a Consumers Cooperative refinery. All three cases were resolved in favor of the Boilermakers.
L-1’s Bob Schwartz discusses an arbitration decision involving seismic restraints at a nuclear power plant.
Branscum explained the circumstances leading to the arbitrations and the strategies used in presenting the Boilermakers’ positions. International Reps Pat Stefancin, Dusty Garmon, and Norm Ross also served on the panel. Other panelists included, from Local 1 (Chicago), BM-ST John Skermont and VP Bob Schwartz (who argued the seismic restraint dispute); from Local 454 (Chattanooga, Tenn.), BM-ST Bob Lunsford; and from Local 555 (Winnipeg, Saskatchewan), BM-ST Dallas Rogers.
Presenters give updates on other developments
CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS also heard from other presenters about topics affecting the industry. ED-CSO Kyle Evenson and MOST BDS Program Manager Jayne Clemance explained the implementation of new referral rules and the MOST Boilermaker Delivery System. AIP/C-BNAP Pat Smith, SAIP Marty Spencer, and BNAP lead instructor John Standish discussed uniform classroom training and other priorities for the Boilermaker National Apprenticeship Program. AIP/AD-CSO John Fultz discussed recent developments in nuclear energy. SAIP/D-PA-DGA Bridget Martin and SAIP/D-LA Abe Breehey spoke about political and legislative affairs. SAIP/D-NCA Dave Haggerty reviewed grievances and the national agreements. And D-H&SS Mark Garrett discussed current safety issues.
