It is our obligation and our duty as members of this union to support one another, stand beside one another and work together toward a better future for all.
A few months ago, I had the honor and privilege to participate in the Tradeswomen Build Nations conference for a second time. One of the highlights for me both years I’ve attended has been walking in the banner parade, side by side with my Boilermaker sisters and others from throughout the United States and Canada. It makes me proud to be a part of their energy; it makes me proud to be part of their excitement for our union, for our craft. It makes me proud to be a Boilermaker.
But more importantly, the parade route also provides an invaluable opportunity not always afforded to me these days, and that’s the luxury of time to talk freely, one-on-one, with a lot of different Boilermakers. I treasure that opportunity to share stories about our families and the jobs we’ve worked on, our similar experiences and what makes us unique; and I look forward to the conversations and questions that come up in our casual walk together. This year, someone asked me why it’s important for Boilermaker brothers to participate in events that support their Boilermaker sisters.
For me, it’s a simple answer that has nothing to do with gender—and it’s vital all Boilermakers understand, because it’s what gives us our power as a union:
It is our obligation and our duty as members of this union to support one another, stand beside one another and work together toward a better future for all.
Far beyond our genders, we are unique as people. We are mothers and fathers. We are married, divorced, perpetually single, and some of us don’t want to have children. We come from different religions. Some of us grew up rich, and some of us grew up in poverty. We are black and white and brown and every shade in between. We are young apprentices, seasoned journeyworkers and retirees. Some of us went to college and some of us traded high school diplomas for hard hats.
We have different political ideologies and unique cultural practices. Even the industry environments in which we work are a diverse tapestry of mills, factories, fabrication shops, construction sites, shipyards, mines and more.
But none of that matters when we come together as Boilermakers on our jobsites. As Boilermakers, our obligation is to work together to get the job done and to get it done safely, on time and with excellence.
None of that matters when we come together as Boilermakers at our union hall or local lodge meetings. As Boilermakers, our obligation is to show up, actively engage and actively participate in local lodge discussions and voting matters.
None of that matters when we come together as Boilermakers to collectively bargain and negotiate contracts that are fair and right.
And none of that matters when we come together as Boilermakers to defend the labor movement, our Boilermaker brothers and sisters or our union. As Boilermakers, our obligation is to lift our voices together to advocate for the people and legislation that will support our work, our union and the labor movement; to gather our collective strength to squash measures that would harm us as a union, that would strip the union rights from our brothers and sisters or that would snuff out the work we depend on.
So, it's important that we stand together—that we walk together—because when it comes to our union’s strength and our future, what matters most isn’t what makes us different, it’s what binds us: We’re Boilermakers. We’re a union and our obligation is to one another as a union.
