the Boilermaker Reporter

“In politics, the war is never won. The individual battles are what matter most.”

Employee Free Choice must be our first priority

THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF organized labor in recent elections have been nothing short of magnificent. Many in the media and in politics openly acknowledge that it was labor that made the difference in building pro-worker majorities in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate — and it was labor that helped lift union-friendly Barack Obama into the White House.

A MARCH SURVEY conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, a nonpartisan “fact tank” that provides information on attitudes and trends affecting public policy but does not take positions on issues, shows that a majority of the public (59%) favors setting limits on carbon dioxide emissions and making companies pay for their emissions, even if that may mean higher energy prices. A third (33%) oppose capping carbon emissions under these conditions.

Boilermakers build relationships with legislators

DELEGATES TO THE 41st annual LEAP conference welcomed legislators, congressional aides, and other guests to the Boilermakers’ congressional reception March 18 to continue the work of building good relationships.

Some tips on how you can successfully solve problems in your unit without actually filing a grievance

Safety records improve, even with an 8.7 percent increase in man-hours

THE MORE YOU work, the more chances you have to get hurt. But even with an 8.7 percent increase in man-hours by field construction Boilermakers working in the United States in 2008, the safety records just got better, reports John Erickson, executive director of the National Association of Construction Boilermaker Employers (NACBE).

Money helps pro-worker candidates, builds strong member education

BOILERMAKERS WHO EXCELLED at raising money for CAF and LEF in 2008 received recognition during the annual LEAP conference in Washington, D.C., March 18. International President Newton B. Jones presented crystal “capitol dome” awards to vice-presidential sections and individual local lodges for exceptional performance.

BY ACTION OF delegates to the Thirty-First Consolidated Convention, all local lodges must contribute no less than 25 cents per member, per month, to the Legislative Education Fund (LEF).

Indiana congressman backs union jobs, fair trade

Local D308’s David Case grew up on street where Flight 3407 crashed into home

AS CHIEF OF the Clarence Center Volunteer Fire Company near Buffalo, N.Y., David Case has faced many emergencies. But those experiences could not have prepared the 36-year-old trustee of Local D308 (Bowmansville, N.Y.) for the catastrophic plane crash near his home on the night of Feb. 12.