IR Erica Stewart, a member of L-693, has been appointed as National Coordinator of Women in the Trades Initiatives for the M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund.
BM-ST OF LOCAL 13 (Philadelphia) Martin Williams and IR Erica Stewart have both been appointed to new roles that will further catalyze the M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund on the state and national levels. Williams has been appointed to serve as the National Coordinator of State Legislative Affairs for the M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund, and Stewart has been appointed to serve as the National Coordinator of Women in the Trades Initiatives for the M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund.
In their new roles, both Williams and Stewart will lead political and educational strategies to target state and local governments, increase work opportunities for Boilermaker members and strengthen Boilermaker membership.
Williams will concentrate on identifying and coordinating outreach advocating for state legislation that supports “skilled and trained” workforce initiatives, such as the recently passed and signed ESHB 1817 in Washington State.
Stewart will seek and develop initiatives that empower more women Boilermakers to attain leadership roles at all levels, organize local communities and recruit more women into the trade. She will continue to also serve as an International Rep for the Industrial Sector Operations.
“This new role dovetails perfectly with the work Erica has done with the North American Building Trades Unions’ Women Build Nations conference to further the work of women in trades,” said International President Newton B. Jones.
As the International Brotherhood of Boilermaker’s plan to build membership and work opportunities, the M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund focuses on four core strategies: Marketing, Organizing, Recruitment and Employment.
“This is an investment in our members and in our future as a craft organization,” said President Jones. “We needed an innovative approach to finding solutions and seizing opportunities that benefit all Boilermakers for the long term. The M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund is exactly that approach.”
M.O.R.E. was successfully piloted in the Western States Section, before being rolled out across all United States sections in 2018. Some M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund actions include:
- Reaching out to potential employers through new marketing efforts.
- Restarting the “Fight Back” construction organizing campaigns and additional organizing campaigns.
- Recruiting skilled craft workers to replace those who have retired or left the union; in order to fully staff projects and increase man-hours.
- Implementing work recovery programs through employment initiatives and legislation that grows Boilermaker jobs.
In addition to supporting Boilermakers’ advocacy efforts to pass EHSB 1817 — which is expected to bring in an additional 1 to 2 million Boilermaker man-hours in the Western States annually — in the first months of 2019, M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund activities have also resulted in wins for Boilermaker work to take place later this year in the Great Lakes Section in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, and in 2020 at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.
“This is just the beginning,” said President Jones. “As we continue to build out the M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund and its structure, we can expect to reap additional gains for Boilermaker members and for our future together as a union.”
