2010-02
2010-02 2010-02
FEBRUARY 2010
- Page 2 and 3: President’s Page JOSEPH HUNT Gene
- Page 4 and 5: With a Lift From Local Contractors
- Page 6 and 7: implemented quickly and hold the la
- Page 8 and 9: Century Steel Erector owner Don Tay
- Page 10 and 11: 10 THE IRONWORKER
- Page 12 and 13: SAFETY AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT REPORT
- Page 14 and 15: IMPACT and the National Training Fu
- Page 16 and 17: Ironworkers Build North America Cit
- Page 18 and 19: Union Ironworkers Installing Larges
- Page 20 and 21: OTHERS LOOK UP TO THEM By L.M. SIXE
- Page 22 and 23: New York State Building Trades Orga
- Page 24 and 25: Local 155 (Fresno, Calif.) Holds An
- Page 26 and 27: Apprenticeship Competition The Iron
- Page 28 and 29: I am Union. I am Sportsman. I Belon
- Page 30 and 31: OFFICIAL MONTHLY RECORD L.U. No. Me
- Page 32: 1750 New York Ave., N.W. Suite 400
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong>
President’s<br />
Page<br />
JOSEPH HUNT<br />
General President<br />
“As we begin to prepare for the<br />
new opportunities, changing the<br />
way the world looks at energy,<br />
our role in the energy sector of the<br />
construction industry will grow. ”<br />
New Training Opportunities<br />
Abound for Ironworkers<br />
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis recently<br />
notified the Iron Workers International<br />
Union of being one of the successful groups<br />
in securing a training grant from the Department<br />
of Labor. The grant, with a total<br />
dollar amount awarded in excess of 1.9<br />
million dollars, will aid in wind turbine<br />
erector training. The grant, awarded in<br />
January <strong>2010</strong>, will be used for funding the<br />
training programs for ironworkers working<br />
in the emerging wind turbine industry.<br />
There is a great deal of specialized training<br />
necessary for the ironworkers on these<br />
new wind turbine projects. Classes for this<br />
specialized training will be offered for our<br />
ironworkers at five existing training facilities:<br />
Local 6 (Buffalo, N.Y.), Local 27 (Salt<br />
Lake City), Local 263 (Dallas/Fort Worth,<br />
TX), Local 433 (Los Angeles), and Local<br />
444 (Joliet, IL). Using one of the IMPACT<br />
Project Tracking Systems, these locations<br />
were identified as the areas of the country<br />
having the greatest amount of growth in<br />
this emerging industry<br />
and the greatest<br />
number of wind turbine<br />
projects proposed<br />
to be built in the near<br />
future.<br />
Earlier in 2009,<br />
the Iron Workers<br />
were also successful<br />
when applying for and<br />
receiving a federal<br />
grant titled “Expanding<br />
Ironworker Apprenticeship:<br />
Establishment of a Hybrid-<br />
Progression Model.” This grant will be used<br />
to fund a distance-learning program to be<br />
utilized by our training facilities through<br />
the National Training Fund. The grant will<br />
benefit every local throughout the United<br />
States, especially where it is difficult for our<br />
members to be at their local union training<br />
facility when certain classes are being offered.<br />
The program ensures our members<br />
will have the ability to attend training sessions<br />
right from their homes, or from anywhere<br />
they can access a computer with a<br />
webcam. Remotely from there, they can<br />
join in on the classroom training that they<br />
may be required to have for a particular job.<br />
Ironworkers attending classes requiring<br />
hands-on training, followed by a proficiency<br />
evaluation to receive a certification card,<br />
will still be required to be physically present<br />
at their local’s training facility for that portion<br />
of the training. Utilizing these classes<br />
remotely, when only the classroom training<br />
is required, will be a step in the right direction<br />
for our members. When this training<br />
can be done from anywhere in the country,<br />
no matter where the actual classes are being<br />
held, it will provide many new training<br />
opportunities for countless ironworkers. An<br />
ironworker in Connecticut can join a class<br />
being held at a training facility in Oregon<br />
once this program is fully up and running.<br />
Especially in these tough economic<br />
times, our staffs at headquarters, both IM-<br />
PACT and the National Fund, work very<br />
hard every day with the general officers and<br />
their staffs. They are constantly looking for<br />
new and innovative ways to make the Iron<br />
Workers and the contractors who hire them,<br />
the most competitive in the industry. They<br />
find ways to secure funds, allowing our existing<br />
training facilities to upgrade, modernize,<br />
and better prepare the Iron Workers<br />
for future jurisdictional opportunities. We<br />
will pursue all of these avenues.<br />
As we begin to prepare for the new opportunities,<br />
changing the way the world<br />
looks at energy, our role in the energy sector<br />
of the construction industry will grow. Our<br />
apprentices are already seeing a great number<br />
of these new technologies in the classroom.<br />
We ask our journeymen ironworkers<br />
to take advantage of the training today and<br />
be ready for the opportunities of tomorrow.<br />
The theme of our upcoming Third Annual<br />
Iron Worker-IMPACT Labor Management<br />
Conference is “Challenges Are<br />
Opportunities.” In these difficult times, I<br />
want to challenge all of us to continue our<br />
training, upgrade our skills, and be ready<br />
for the opportunities that wait for us in the<br />
years ahead.
Official Publication of the<br />
International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers<br />
1750 New York Ave., N.W. • Suite 400 • Washington, D.C. 20006 • (2<strong>02</strong>)383-4800<br />
www.ironworkers.org E-mail: iwmagazine@iwintl.org<br />
INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS<br />
JOSEPH J. HUNT<br />
General President<br />
Suite 400<br />
1750 New York Ave., N.W.<br />
Washington, DC 20006<br />
Office: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4810<br />
Fax: (2<strong>02</strong>) 638-4856<br />
WALTER WISE<br />
General Secretary<br />
Suite 400<br />
1750 New York Ave.,<br />
Washington, DC 20006<br />
Office: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4820<br />
Fax: (2<strong>02</strong>) 347-2319<br />
EDWARD C. McHUGH<br />
General Treasurer<br />
Suite 400<br />
1750 New York Ave., N.W.<br />
Washington, DC 20006<br />
Office: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4830<br />
Fax: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-6483<br />
GORDON STRUSS<br />
First General Vice President<br />
P.O. Box 319, 122 Main Street<br />
Luck, WI 54853-0319<br />
Office: (715) 472-4250/4251<br />
Fax: (715) 472-4253<br />
GEORGE E. KRATZER<br />
Second General Vice President<br />
Franklin Square Office Center<br />
8401 Claude Thomas Road<br />
Suite 55<br />
Franklin, OH 45005<br />
Office: (937) 746-0854<br />
Fax: (937) 746-0873<br />
RICHARD WARD<br />
Third General Vice President<br />
5964 Dayton Boulevard<br />
Chattanooga, TN 37415<br />
Office: (423) 870-1982<br />
Fax: (423) 876-0774<br />
Email: rjw1943@comcast.net<br />
FRED MARR<br />
Fourth General Vice President<br />
1350 L’Heritage Drive<br />
Sarnia, Ontario N7S 6H8<br />
Canada<br />
Office: (519) 542-1413/1414<br />
Fax: (519) 542-3790<br />
INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENTS<br />
Apprenticeship and Training<br />
Tel: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4870<br />
Fax: (2<strong>02</strong>) 347-5256<br />
Computer Department<br />
Tel: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4886<br />
Fax: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4895<br />
Davis-Bacon Office<br />
Tel: (2<strong>02</strong>) 834-9855<br />
Fax: (2<strong>02</strong>) 347-1496<br />
Department of Ornamental,<br />
Architectural & Miscellaneous<br />
Metals (DOAMM)<br />
Tel: (630) 238-1003<br />
Fax: (630) 238-1006<br />
Department of Reinforcing<br />
Ironworkers<br />
Tel: (866) 336-9163<br />
Fax: (356) 736-9618<br />
Ironworkers Political<br />
Action League<br />
Tel: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4805<br />
Fax: (2<strong>02</strong>) 347-3569<br />
EDWARD J. WALSH<br />
Fifth General Vice President<br />
505 White Plains Rd.<br />
Suite 200<br />
Tarrytown, NY 10591<br />
Office: (914) 332-4430<br />
Fax: (914) 332-4431<br />
Email: ironworkdc@aol.com<br />
JAY HURLEY<br />
Sixth General Vice President<br />
191 Old Colony Ave., P.O. Box 96<br />
S. Boston, MA <strong>02</strong>127<br />
Tel: (617) 268-2382<br />
Fax: (617) 268-1394<br />
E-mail: Jay7@gis.net<br />
JOE STANDLEY<br />
Seventh General Vice President<br />
1660 San Pablo Ave., Suite C<br />
Pinole, CA 94564<br />
Office: (510) 724-9277<br />
Fax: (510) 724-1345<br />
TADAS KICIELINSKI<br />
Eighth General Vice President<br />
212 N. Kingshighway Blvd.,<br />
Ste. 1<strong>02</strong>5<br />
St. Louis, MO 63108<br />
Tel: (314) 454-6872<br />
Fax: (314) 618-8328<br />
E-mail: tkicielinski@iwintl.org<br />
ERIC DEAN<br />
Ninth General Vice President<br />
205 West Grand Avenue, Ste. 101<br />
White Pines Office Center<br />
Bensenville, IL 60106<br />
Tel: (630) 238-1003<br />
Fax: (630) 238-1006<br />
RONALD C. GLADNEY<br />
General Counsel<br />
Bartley, Goffstein, L.L.C.<br />
4399 Laclede Avenue<br />
St. Louis, MO 63108<br />
Office: (314) 531-1054<br />
Fax: (314) 531-1131<br />
Headquarters Office:<br />
(2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4868<br />
Headquarters Fax:<br />
(2<strong>02</strong>) 638-4856<br />
LU/DC Staff Retirement and<br />
Shopmen’s Pension Fund<br />
Tel: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4874<br />
Fax: (2<strong>02</strong>) 628-6469<br />
Magazine<br />
Tel: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4842<br />
Mailroom<br />
Tel: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4855<br />
Fax: (2<strong>02</strong>) 638-1038<br />
Maintenance and Jurisdiction<br />
Tel: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4860<br />
Fax: (2<strong>02</strong>) 347-1496<br />
Organizing<br />
Tel: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4851<br />
Fax: (2<strong>02</strong>) 347-1496<br />
Safety<br />
Tel: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4829<br />
Fax: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-6490<br />
Shop Department<br />
Tel: (2<strong>02</strong>) 383-4846<br />
Fax: (2<strong>02</strong>) 783-3230<br />
Volume 110 February <strong>2010</strong> Number 2<br />
FEATURES<br />
4<br />
15<br />
16<br />
20<br />
21<br />
22<br />
9<br />
11<br />
14<br />
23<br />
24<br />
29<br />
30<br />
Local 3 Builds New Arena for Stanley Cup Champs<br />
The Toughest Part of the Job for Ironworkers<br />
Ironworkers Build North America<br />
Others Look Up to Them<br />
TAUC Names Craftperson of the Year<br />
New York State Building Trades Organizes Rally<br />
DEPARTMENTS<br />
Officer’s Forum<br />
Departmental Reports<br />
IMPACT<br />
A Family Perspective<br />
Local News<br />
Lifetime Honorary Members<br />
Official Monthly Record<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong><br />
On The Cover<br />
With an opening planned for the<br />
fall of <strong>2010</strong>, the new Consol Energy<br />
Center in Downtown Pittsburgh<br />
reached a major milestone recently,<br />
as roof construction for the 18,087-<br />
seat arena commenced.<br />
EDITOR: Scott Malley, 1750 New York Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006<br />
ASSISTANT TO THE EDITOR: Nancy Folks<br />
THE IRONWORKER<br />
ISSN:0<strong>02</strong>1163X Published monthly, except for a combined July-August issue, for $15.00 per year by the International Association of<br />
Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, 1750 New York Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006. Preferred periodicals<br />
postage paid at Washington, D.C. and additional mailing offices. Printed on union-made paper. Postmasters: Send change of address to<br />
Ironworker- 1750 New York Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006<br />
Canada Agreement Number 40009549.
With a Lift From Local Contractors<br />
With an opening planned for the fall of <strong>2010</strong>,<br />
the new Consol Energy Center in Downtown<br />
Pittsburgh reached a major milestone recently,<br />
as roof construction for the 18,087 seat<br />
arena commenced. Dravosburg, Pa.-based Century<br />
Steel Erectors was tasked with completing<br />
steel work for the building, including erecting<br />
the trusses, which would provide the backbone<br />
of the roof structure, and they turned to product<br />
specialist Jim Porreca of Baltimore’s Mabey<br />
Bridge & Shore, Inc. to provide the equipment<br />
necessary to hold the steel beams in place<br />
throughout the process.<br />
The Consol Energy Center, like other indoor<br />
arenas of its kind, relies on a complex series<br />
of steel beams, gussets, and trusses to support<br />
the roof’s dome structure and add stability to<br />
the building. Ordinarily, ironworkers must be<br />
contracted to fabricate a system to support the<br />
beams near the roofline and allow welders to secure<br />
it to the building. This fabrication is time<br />
consuming, and can add significantly to the total<br />
cost of a project. In this case, Century Steel<br />
wanted an off-the-shelf solution that could be<br />
4 THE IRONWORKER
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 5
implemented quickly and hold the large<br />
steel trusses in place during install. Their<br />
main requirement was that any solution<br />
had to allow the gusset plate beam to pass<br />
through and support it, while also supporting<br />
the trusses near the roofline.<br />
Century Steel project managers worked<br />
with Porreca, Mabey engineers and professional<br />
engineer Dick Ryabik on an arrangement<br />
utilizing Mabey’s modular Mabey<br />
Universal (MU) Tower system and portions<br />
of another Mabey structural support<br />
product—the Mat 75 System. Assembled<br />
sections of Mat 75 were placed near the top<br />
of each tower and secured to the MU struc-<br />
6 THE IRONWORKER
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 7
Century Steel Erector owner Don Taylor<br />
(in white shirt) with local dignitaries.<br />
ture. Bracing on the inner and outer<br />
faces of these sections were then removed,<br />
allowing the gusset beams to<br />
pass through them. The tower continued<br />
upward with the addition of MU<br />
Tower components, which support<br />
up to 385 kips per leg, to support the<br />
main truss. “It was a challenge to say<br />
the least,” said Porreca. “Our systems<br />
are made to support heavy loads,<br />
but supporting the gusset beam and<br />
truss with the same towers required<br />
some extensive planning.”<br />
Altogether, two, 110’ towers and<br />
two, 120’ were constructed to support<br />
the roof’s framework. A bridge was<br />
also constructed between two of the<br />
towers to provide additional support<br />
to the gusset and workers crossing<br />
between them. Once done, the roof<br />
will measure 150’ tall, and is expected<br />
to be completed in the fall of 2009.<br />
Team Owner Mario Lemieux<br />
talks with ironworkers at the<br />
topping out ceremony.<br />
8 THE IRONWORKER
OFFICER’S FORUM<br />
Integrity<br />
Work continues to be slow both<br />
locally and nationally. The unemployment<br />
rate has recently topped<br />
10.2% with many pockets of the country<br />
much worse. However, there are<br />
faint signs of recovery. There has been<br />
a slight surge in projects going out<br />
for bid in recent days. The coke oven<br />
job in Monroe is over due to begin,<br />
The Banks project now has a General<br />
Contractor and bid packages will soon<br />
follow, Dater School is accepting bids<br />
under the new P.W. and Responsible<br />
Contractor bid requirements, the casino<br />
should be rolling by this time next<br />
year and a rumor has surfaced that<br />
the Kenwood Mall structural steel<br />
“statue” may be restarted. In addition,<br />
not even half of the Stimulus Package<br />
has been spent and next year is<br />
an election year. Nothing looks better<br />
on incumbents than to be cutting ribbons<br />
or standing in front of great big<br />
checks that are creating jobs for their<br />
constituency.<br />
The American Heritage Dictionary<br />
defines integrity as a “steadfast<br />
adherence to a strict moral or ethical<br />
code.” I would say it is doing what is<br />
right even though no one is looking<br />
and there seems to be less and less of<br />
that in our society these days. It can<br />
be said that the opposite is celebrated<br />
more and more. The television show<br />
“Survivor” is a great example of that.<br />
Contestants lie, connive and scheme<br />
behind one another’s backs to win a<br />
million bucks and tour the talk show<br />
circuit. Time was when a handshake<br />
was all that was needed to seal a<br />
deal. Today you would be viewed a<br />
naive fool to rely upon a simple word<br />
or someone’s handshake in business<br />
or personal matters. So many of our<br />
heroes, politicians and leaders have<br />
been caught cheating, lying and stealing<br />
that, at times, it is hard to know<br />
what to hang your hat on and who to<br />
trust and believe in. The divorce rate<br />
is a perfect example of this. Do you really<br />
trust your spouse with all your<br />
heart in all matters? Few do and with<br />
good reason. . . half of marriages end<br />
up in divorce. Today, in many cases, it<br />
is a business proposition. Ask Donald<br />
Trump (who knows) and Paul McCarthy<br />
(who wishes he had known). The<br />
Wall Street debacle is yet another example<br />
of a corporate culture of corruption<br />
and greed that lost sight of ANY<br />
sense of integrity or decency for that<br />
matter. One would think that shame<br />
and guilt would prevent future Wall<br />
Street types from continuing past<br />
practices yet that has not occurred<br />
and they are fighting against any proposed<br />
reform measures. It seems that<br />
multi-million dollar bonuses, even for<br />
abject failure, are hard to give up.<br />
We union members sometime forget<br />
the importance of the concept of<br />
integrity. In the past there have been<br />
big scandals involving pension fund<br />
monies and involvement with organized<br />
crime. Our enemies still point<br />
these past sins out whenever they refer<br />
to us. As I have said in the past; our<br />
customers, and the public at large, do<br />
not remember the great things that<br />
we accomplish and all the “atta-boys”<br />
in the world vanish in an instant with<br />
just one stumble. Everyday we go to<br />
work we put our names, our reputations<br />
and our honor on the line. Our<br />
Collective Bargaining Agreements<br />
are contracts that bind us to our contractors.<br />
We give our word that we<br />
will hold up our end of the deal and<br />
insist that they hold up their end of<br />
the deal that we both hammer out in<br />
negotiations. Our CBA’s are the foundation<br />
of a mutually beneficial pledge<br />
that serves as a framework to keep<br />
both sides honest and it has worked<br />
well for 105 years.<br />
As union members we all take<br />
and oath to uphold our constitution<br />
and bylaws and not to harm another<br />
member, or see one wronged, if<br />
we can prevent it. Your officers take<br />
further vows and swear to carry out<br />
their assigned duties for the benefit<br />
of the membership. From time to<br />
time it is good to remind ourselves<br />
of this pledge and to hold ourselves<br />
and others accountable. Every day I<br />
think of the 850+ members that I am<br />
representing and the oaths I took to<br />
look out for their best interests. This<br />
business is not a game. Spreading<br />
rumors, lying, gossip, stealing from<br />
contractors and each other, falsifying<br />
timesheets, laziness and acting the<br />
fool (both on and off the job) harms<br />
ALL of us and reflects poorly upon<br />
our organization and its members.<br />
This is a multi-million dollar business<br />
and people’s livelihoods are at<br />
stake each and every day.<br />
Morality, honesty, loyalty and integrity<br />
are notions that we are not<br />
born with. . . they must be learned.<br />
It is a noble undertaking to strive<br />
for these ideals personally and, after<br />
practicing these concepts in our lives,<br />
to teach and expect it from others we<br />
encounter. Without these ideals the<br />
Union movement is doomed.<br />
Lawrence E. Oberding<br />
Business Manager<br />
Ironworkers Local #44 (Joliet, Ill.)<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 9
10 THE IRONWORKER
APPRENTICESHIP DEPARTMENT REPORT<br />
Mike White<br />
This month’s article is from the National Fund’s Certified<br />
Welding Inspector Instructors. The following<br />
list is the Certified Welding Instructor test results from<br />
the American Welding Society, at The 25th Annual Ironworker<br />
Instructors Program, University of San Diego and<br />
recently at the mid-west Regional Training Center, Ironworkers<br />
Local 396 Training Facility in St. Louis, Mo.<br />
This year the Ironworkers National Training Fund’s<br />
Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) Training Program had<br />
one of its most successful rates of certification. The Program<br />
had 42 ironworkers take part in the CWI Preparation<br />
and 40 Hour Re-qualification courses in 2009. Thirtyfive<br />
ironworkers chose to continue with the CWI Training<br />
Program by attending the CWI<br />
Seminar and Exam in either<br />
San Diego or St. Louis. After<br />
putting in 9-hour days in<br />
the classroom and 4 to 6-hour<br />
nights of homework and study<br />
hall for 10 days; 21 ironworkers<br />
received their CWI and eight<br />
ironworkers received a CAWI.<br />
The instructors of the<br />
program recognize the following<br />
ironworkers for their<br />
achievement:<br />
Certified Welding Inspectors:<br />
Mike Blakeman, LU 769<br />
Carlos Cardona, LU 197<br />
Brian Colombo, LU 378<br />
Bill Creegan, LU 568<br />
Randy Gardner, LU 5<br />
Scott Gardner, LU 33<br />
Kevin Haas, LU 1<br />
Jimi Hale, LU 5<br />
Chuck Harris, LU 577<br />
Ken Heiden, LU 63<br />
Reis James, LU 397<br />
Cody Jones, LU 75<br />
Alex Landing, LU 16<br />
Luke Pendleton, LU 24<br />
Jason Rafter, LU 118<br />
Doug Rupik, LU 86<br />
Scott Salyers, LU 769<br />
Barry Schunck, LU 16<br />
Robert Sterling, LU 782<br />
Dan Stinson, LU 492<br />
Lance Tveiten, LU 512<br />
Certified Associate Welding Inspectors:<br />
Reggie Brantley, LU 118<br />
Tim Holmes, LU 732<br />
Roger Long, LU 498<br />
Alex Ogai, LU 5<br />
Luis Recendez, LU 433<br />
Lamar Shafer, LU 350<br />
Ray Vanderpool, LU 63<br />
Mark Van Horn, LU 769<br />
With Congratulations;<br />
Rick Munroe, CWI Instructor, LU 15<br />
Skip Maillett, CWI Instructor, LU 15<br />
Joe Hunt III, CWI Instructor, LU 396<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 11
SAFETY AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT REPORT<br />
Frank Migliaccio<br />
Last year, in the February edition<br />
of the IW Magazine, I described<br />
several fatal accidents that<br />
occurred around the country to our<br />
fellow brother and sister ironworkers.<br />
I would once again like to dedicate<br />
the February <strong>2010</strong> edition to<br />
more of our fellow ironworkers who<br />
lost their lives on the job in 2009.<br />
Just as I have done in the past, I<br />
have informed you, our members,<br />
of the number of fatalities we have<br />
had each year. Last year we experienced<br />
eleven fatalities in the United<br />
States, zero in Canada. Eight<br />
of the fatalities were due to falls<br />
from heights of 5 feet to 90 feet.<br />
One of the fall fatalities did not require<br />
the ironworker to be tied off, and one fatality occurred<br />
even though the ironworker was tied off. This amounts to 11<br />
families that will never see their loved ones come through<br />
the door again. In 2009, we experienced four fewer fatalities<br />
than our best year, 2003, where we lost 15 ironworkers to job<br />
related deaths. The eleven deaths that occurred in 2009 are<br />
still unacceptable. One job related death is one too many!<br />
Last February, the article was a great success with many<br />
comments coming from members who read the article. Again,<br />
there will be no names of the deceased, local union numbers,<br />
job locations, or company names given in this article. With<br />
that said, let’s begin.<br />
ACCIDENT # 1<br />
Age: 23<br />
Day of the week:<br />
Thursday<br />
Membership years: 2<br />
Served an Apprenticeship: No<br />
Job task:<br />
Charging Rebar in Column<br />
Ironworker set the column, fastened the couplers, braced<br />
the column off with wooden 2 X 4’s, and cut the crane loose.<br />
The ironworker climbed to the top of the column to drop in<br />
additional verticals when the bracing broke and the column<br />
collapsed and pinned the ironworker between the column<br />
and deck.<br />
ALWAYS MAKE SURE THERE IS SUFFICIENT BRACING AND<br />
IT IS STRONG ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THE STRUCTURE.<br />
ALSO, MAKE SURE THE BRACING IS INSPECTED BEFORE IT<br />
IS PUT INTO USE.<br />
ACCIDENT # 2<br />
Age: 59<br />
Day of the week:<br />
Tuesday<br />
Membership years: 40<br />
Served an Apprenticeship: Yes<br />
Job task:<br />
Welders Helper<br />
Ironworker was working on the fourth floor assisting a<br />
welder when the welder dropped his wire brush onto the<br />
plastic covering an opening the floor below. The plastic was<br />
acting as a heat barrier. It appeared the ironworker attempted<br />
to retrieve the wire brush from the plastic by reaching<br />
through or stepped through the safety cable and lost his balance<br />
and fell 35 feet to the concrete below.<br />
NEVER STEP THROUGH A FLOOR OPENING BARRIER WITH-<br />
OUT FALL PROTECTION ON AND ALSO KNOW WHAT YOU<br />
ARE STEPPING ON TO. ALL OPENING SHOULD BE COVERED<br />
WITH PLYWOOD WITH THE WORDS OPENING, DO NOT RE-<br />
MOVE, IN A HIGHLY VISIBLE COLOR IF YOU SHOULD NEED<br />
TO RETRIEVE SOMETHING FROM THE TOP OF A PLASTIC<br />
COVER, USE A BROOM OR LONG POLE TO DRAG IT CLOSE TO<br />
THE EDGE SO YOU CAN MAKE A SAFE RETRIEVE.<br />
ACCIDENT # 3<br />
Age: 42<br />
Day of the week:<br />
Monday<br />
Membership years:<br />
3 Weeks<br />
Served an Apprenticeship: Probationary Member<br />
Job task:<br />
Connecting<br />
While receiving the next lift of iron from the ground, somehow<br />
the choker became dislodged from the hook and the load<br />
fell striking the ironworker on the head, placing him in a coma.<br />
He never came out of the coma and died 13 days later.<br />
WHEN CONNECTING ANY LIFTING DEVICE TO THE HOOK<br />
OF THE CRANE MAKE SURE THAT THE MOUSE (SAFETY<br />
LATCH) IS PRESENT AND IN GOOD WORKING ORDER.<br />
ACCIDENT # 4<br />
Age: 41<br />
Day of the week:<br />
Friday<br />
Membership years: 20<br />
Served an Apprenticeship: Yes<br />
Job task:<br />
Erecting Curtain Wall<br />
The ironworker positioned a JLG Lift at the seventh floor.<br />
He untied his fall protection and attempted to step off the lift<br />
onto the floor. He misjudged the distance, lost his balance,<br />
and fell 70 feet to the ground below.<br />
ALWAYS REMAIN TIED OFF WHEN STEPPING FROM ANY<br />
PLATFORM OR LIFT ONTO ANOTHER SURFACE. YOU MAY<br />
WISH TO WEAR TWO LANYARDS SO WHEN YOU REACH<br />
YOUR FINAL DESTINATION YOU CAN TIE OFF TO AN AN-<br />
CHOR THAT SUPPORTS 5000 POUNDS PER PERSON BEFORE<br />
DISCONNECTING FROM YOUR INITIAL TIE OFF POINT.<br />
Ironworking is the most dangerous construction trade job<br />
in the nation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Why<br />
take any more chances? Before you begin any job task, ask<br />
yourself, “What must I do to perform this task in a safe manner?<br />
What checks must be performed before I start my job?<br />
What must I watch for in my surroundings, which may cause<br />
me or any member of my crew injury or death?”<br />
REMEMBER—YOU ARE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR<br />
YOU OWN SAFETY AND HEALTH.<br />
12 THE IRONWORKER
DAVIS-BACON/PREVAILING WAGE REPORT<br />
as provided through IMPACT<br />
Chris Burger, Wage Compliance Administrator<br />
Up-To-Date Davis-Bacon Rates: A Local Union Priority<br />
Business managers: Are the Davis-Bacon rates If your local covers more than one state or has<br />
in your area up-to date with your CBA? It is several distinct regions (or even states), it is that<br />
now recommended for all outside U.S. Iron Worker much more important to watch the WDOL.gov<br />
locals to check their wage determinations directly site closely. When there is something that does<br />
and regularly at the easy-to-use official www.wdol. not appear with your local’s wages, please feel<br />
gov website.<br />
free to contact me at (2<strong>02</strong>) 834-9855. It will be<br />
Through the direction of the business manager, reviewed, and if necessary, I will directly contact<br />
the proper wage analyst for that area at the<br />
these rates can be reviewed by any assigned local<br />
union official or qualified secretarial employee. DOL. If needed, call to get brief training on using<br />
the site.<br />
The goal is to see that they are in line with the<br />
most current CBA of the local. When a project Wage Complaints: DOL Enforcement is Back<br />
comes up and goes out to bid, don’t get stuck with The Wage & Hour Division of the U.S. Department<br />
of Labor has added many new inspectors<br />
an old wage rate.<br />
This should be done regularly all year, depending<br />
on when your agreement shows wage increas-<br />
Credible complaints will be reviewed by this of-<br />
since October and is serious about compliance.<br />
es. Some locals even check their “WD’s” as often fice to communicate with the DOL. So please call<br />
as every month. After we furnish the rates to the me when you identify a wage and hour or trade<br />
DOL, there can be a delay in posting them by the classification problem. I will also help you assess<br />
DOL as well as occasional omissions and errors the need (and process) of obtaining certified payroll<br />
records and other documents using FOIA and<br />
when entered by the DOL.<br />
So all you need to do is log onto the only recognized<br />
US DOL “Wage Determinations On-Line” Keeping Good Records for Wage Surveys<br />
state public records laws.<br />
site, www.WDOL.gov. First, find that center section:<br />
“Davis-Bacon Act.” Then click on “Selecting directly participating (and not assuming contrac-<br />
The DOL is catching up on surveys, at last. By<br />
DBA WDs”—this means “Davis-Bacon Act Wage tors will be involved) locals can better protect Iron<br />
Determinations.” The next screen you see will Worker jurisdiction, union wage rates, and market<br />
share. The best thing to do is to make sure all<br />
have a pull-down for the state(s) that you want to<br />
check. Enter in your state and then do the same your projects are being recorded in proper detail<br />
thing with the pull-down roster for the county you and make it a regular local union practice. If a<br />
want. You could do all counties, but you’ll usually survey is announced and this hasn’t been done,<br />
get too much information.<br />
it’s harder, but not impossible to recapture this<br />
Next, you can either select “All Construction information.<br />
Types” or just select either “Building,” “Heavy,” Some locals use the stewards weekly report,<br />
“Highway,” or “Residential.” Click on “Search” some use health and welfare records or use computer<br />
spread sheets, or even notebooks with hand-<br />
and you should see a bunch of WD’s listed. Be<br />
aware that each one will include all trades, so written, detailed notes. The key is to be recording<br />
scroll down those many pages to the letter “I” to it and to begin a base of information that will help<br />
find your Iron Worker wage rate.<br />
you each time a new survey is announced. Even if<br />
You may find that there is a non-prevailing this has not been done, you can still figure out the<br />
“SU” rate in which case there is nothing to update.<br />
If you can’t find anything under “I”, it’s to best report it on a WD-10 form. Please call for<br />
best you can, what work has been done and how<br />
because there was no Iron Worker classification more information.<br />
found in the last survey. But there are options in<br />
these cases.<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 13
IMPACT and the<br />
National Training Fund<br />
Land $2 Million Grant<br />
In September of last year, The National Training Fund<br />
(NTF), with support from Rick Sullivan of IMPACT<br />
and the IMPACT grant-writing consultant GSP Consulting,<br />
submitted a grant application to the Department of<br />
Labor (DOL). Nearly $100 million in green jobs training<br />
grants were slated to be authorized by the American<br />
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act)<br />
in the beginning of <strong>2010</strong>. On January 6, the DOL announced<br />
the list of successful applicants, which included<br />
the NTF’s grant for $1.9 million.<br />
The grant awarded to the NTF will help fund necessary<br />
safety and skill training in the wind turbine erection<br />
and maintenance market. Although ironworkers have<br />
been erecting wind turbines for many years, there is a<br />
growing need for worker certifications in several areas<br />
including tower climbing and rescue, as well as torque<br />
and tension training. The grant award will help equip<br />
and train Locals 433 (Los Angeles), 444 (Joliet, Ill.), 6<br />
(Buffalo, N.Y.), 263 (Dallas/Ft. Worth), and 27 (Salt Lake<br />
City) training centers with the tools and equipment<br />
needed to begin conducting wind turbine training. Two<br />
instructors from each training center will receive trainthe-trainer<br />
training, and over two years conduct this<br />
training and issue industry recognized third party certifications<br />
for approximately 500 ironworkers.<br />
The DOL grants will support job-training programs<br />
to help dislocated workers and others, including veterans,<br />
women, African Americans and Latinos, find jobs in<br />
expanding green industries and related occupations.<br />
“The DOL’s announcement is part of the administration’s<br />
long-term commitment to fostering both immediate<br />
economic revitalization and a clean energy future.<br />
It’s an investment that will help American workers succeed<br />
while doing good,” said Secretary Solis. “Our outstanding<br />
award recipients were selected because their<br />
proposed projects will connect workers to career pathways<br />
in green industries and occupations through critical,<br />
diverse partnerships.”<br />
Training activities funded through the grant program<br />
will be individually tailored based on occupations and skills<br />
identified as in demand in local areas around the country.<br />
Grant recipients are expected to work in conjunction<br />
with a diverse range of partners, including labor<br />
organizations, employers, and workforce investment<br />
boards. Bringing together the workforce expertise of<br />
these groups will allow grantees to develop programs<br />
responsive to the needs of both workers and employers,<br />
and provide participants with the support needed<br />
to complete the training successfully. The grantees will<br />
utilize these partnerships to design and distribute training<br />
approaches leading to portable industry credentials<br />
and employment, including career opportunities in registered<br />
apprenticeship programs.<br />
The grants are part of a larger Recovery Act initiative—totaling<br />
$500 million—to fund workforce development<br />
projects promoting economic growth by preparing<br />
workers for careers in the energy efficiency and renewable<br />
energy industries.<br />
14 THE IRONWORKER
The toughest<br />
part of the job<br />
for ironworkers<br />
By Leslie Dyson<br />
It’s not part of the job that<br />
ironworkers like to talk about, but the<br />
bridge builders in every city have<br />
stories to tell. Because they have the<br />
skills, equipment and the courage, they<br />
may be first on the scene if someone<br />
is threatening to jump off a bridge.<br />
Cecil Damery president of the<br />
Ironworkers Local 97, said,“We just<br />
help out because we’re more<br />
comfortable walking on the bridge<br />
girders and cables.”<br />
If they spot a potential jumper, they<br />
will stop work and traffic.“You don’t<br />
take chances in a life-threatening<br />
situation.” Then they call the fire<br />
department.Among the crew, they<br />
decide who wants to volunteer to talk<br />
to the person until the emergency<br />
crew arrives.<br />
He said the public would be amazed<br />
at the number of people who do<br />
threaten to end their lives in this way.<br />
On July 1, the Iron Workers’ Memorial<br />
Bridge was closed for several hours<br />
while police worked to convince a<br />
distraught woman not to take her life.<br />
They were successful.The same<br />
scenario was played out on the Lions<br />
Gate Bridge in October.<br />
In the Greater Vancouver area, only<br />
the new Golden Ears Bridge has<br />
incorporated barriers into the design<br />
to deter jumpers.<br />
While the families of the victims go<br />
through tremendous trauma, it also<br />
has a great effect on the people who<br />
witness a suicide, Damery said.<br />
Counselling is now available for<br />
ironworkers who’ve gone through the<br />
experience.<br />
An incident happened during the<br />
retrofit of the Lions Gate Bridge eight<br />
years ago, Damery recalled.There was<br />
nine months of overnight prep work<br />
with cars and people going by all the<br />
time.<br />
One cold blustery evening, he had<br />
to assist a parachutist who got his<br />
lines tangled when he attempted a<br />
BASE jump off the bridge.“I threw a<br />
rope down to him and secured him<br />
with a safety line. He was worried<br />
about the knots I was tying, but I told<br />
him,‘Don’t worry. I’ve had my<br />
schooling and you’ve got other things<br />
to worry about.’ I climbed down and<br />
cut his lines and made sure he was<br />
safe until the firefighters came and<br />
pulled him up.” He was with the<br />
jumper for close to an hour talking to<br />
him and trying to reassure him.<br />
Damery received a letter of thanks<br />
from the Fire Superintendent of West<br />
Vancouver.<br />
“I don’t want to take anything away<br />
from the work done by firefighters.<br />
Our international union shares a<br />
building with the international<br />
firefighters union in Washington, D.C.<br />
so we have a good relationship<br />
with them. But sometimes we’re<br />
there first.”<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 15<br />
Reprinted from Winter 2009/B.C. & Yukon Territory Building & Construction Trades Council TRADEtalk
Ironworkers Build North America<br />
Citi Center in Las Vegas<br />
The raising<br />
gang was a mixture<br />
of Locals 433<br />
(Los Angeles), 118<br />
(Sacramento),<br />
24 (Denver), 75<br />
(Phoenix) and 15<br />
(Hartford, Conn.)<br />
Florida Hospital Expansion<br />
ORLANDO - The Florida Hospital Expansion, erected by<br />
ironworkers from Local 808 (Orlando), is a $200 million plus<br />
project going into it’s third year. Over 928 tons of steel have<br />
been used so far. One of the focal points of this project features<br />
two pedestrian bridges<br />
that were set as “one pick”<br />
between buildings. The other<br />
focal point has to be the<br />
ICON Tower. Dixie Southern<br />
also provided design assistance<br />
on this feature.<br />
16 THE IRONWORKER
Ironworkers Restore Fish Passage<br />
Portland General Electric and the<br />
Confederated Tribes of the Warm<br />
Springs Reservation of Oregon, coowners<br />
of the Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric<br />
Project, will be restoring<br />
fish passage around the Pelton and<br />
Round Butte dams on the Deschutes<br />
River through a one-of-a- kind solution—a<br />
273-foot underwater tower<br />
and fish collection station.<br />
The new underwater tower is designed<br />
to modify currents and temperatures<br />
to mimic natural conditions<br />
and attract migrating fish into the collection<br />
facility. These fish will be sorted,<br />
and young salmon and steelhead<br />
will be trucked downstream below the<br />
dams to continue their journey to the<br />
Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean.<br />
When they return as adults, the fish<br />
reaching the lowest dam will be sorted<br />
and the salmon and steelhead will<br />
be trucked above Round Butte Dam to<br />
reach the upstream rivers to spawn.<br />
Tower dimensions<br />
Bottom Section<br />
70ft. tall x 60 ft. wide<br />
1.4 million lbs.<br />
Pipe<br />
40 ft. diameter<br />
135 ft. tall<br />
600,000 lbs.<br />
Top Section<br />
60 ft. tall x 90 ft. wide x 150 ft. long<br />
5 million pounds<br />
32 concrete floats – 45,000 lbs. each<br />
Fish Collection Facility<br />
2 V-screens<br />
Two 40 ft. tall x 30 ft. wide openings<br />
550,000 lbs.<br />
Total Weight:<br />
7.55 million lbs.<br />
The Iron Workers<br />
Ironworkers of Local 29 (Portland,<br />
Ore.) in partnership with Local<br />
14 (Spokane) started building<br />
the Selective Water Withdrawal in<br />
October of 2007 and were scheduled<br />
to finish by October 2009. The<br />
two cranes you see are the Lampson<br />
4100 on the barge and the 4100<br />
ringer on shore. The crane operators<br />
come out of Local 701. The total<br />
man-hours for the project are estimated<br />
at about 70,000.<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 17
Union Ironworkers Installing Largest<br />
Wind Turbine in Nikiski, Alaska<br />
Alaskan Wind Industries, a contractor<br />
for the Local 751 (Anchorage),<br />
installed the largest 6kW proven wind<br />
turbine in Nikiski, Alaska for a local<br />
resident. With the new net metering in<br />
place, this resident decided to install a<br />
wind turbine that will produce more<br />
than he consumes to take advantage<br />
of all the clean energy that he can produce<br />
for his family and his neighbors<br />
while still being compensated properly<br />
for his clean energy. The payoff<br />
on this wind turbine on his property<br />
will be less than 6 years without including<br />
inflation from Homer Electric<br />
Association (HEA) spikes and<br />
other incentives. With possible rolling<br />
blackouts this winter from HEA,<br />
this wind turbine will produce a lot<br />
of energy and will help HEA by producing<br />
more energy that they desperately<br />
are in need of. Bill Lynch works<br />
on the North Slope for Conoco Phillips<br />
and knows first hand that oils are not<br />
going to last forever and we need to<br />
be more proactive for our communities.<br />
Bill Lynch’s home looks over the<br />
Cook Inlet with a 360 view, including<br />
the oil platforms off Nikiski Shores.<br />
Bill Lynch’s family will receive a 30%<br />
tax rebate from the federal government<br />
and other state incentives that<br />
are coming out with the help of AKWI<br />
grant writers on staff.<br />
City of Nikiski<br />
The city of Nikiski does not currently<br />
have any restrictions on neither<br />
how high of a tower you can install<br />
nor how large of a system you<br />
are able to have installed.<br />
The Borough Mayor is also in complete<br />
support of this new wind generator<br />
system and hopes more individuals<br />
will take this initiative. The<br />
Kenai Peninsula Association for Renewable<br />
Energy has also encouraged<br />
Bill Lynch and will be working closely<br />
to support him and support renewable<br />
energy throughout the communities.<br />
Homer Electric is in full support<br />
and will be connecting the turbine<br />
this week to the grid to start generating<br />
some enormous amounts of clean<br />
power into their service lines.<br />
This project and many more like<br />
theirs have all been tested and studied<br />
to make sure the wind in their<br />
area will support this type of wind<br />
technology through Alaskan Wind<br />
Industries. AKWI has spent many<br />
hours with each homeowner & business<br />
going over technical data, wind<br />
research, payoff schematics, FAA regulations<br />
and more to help the owner<br />
place and install their new wind turbine.<br />
AKWI will be installing over 30<br />
of these wind turbines in the Kenai<br />
Peninsula in the next few months<br />
Erik Schreier, AKWI, James Daggett<br />
AKWI, Tal Mammo (Proven Manufacture<br />
Representative) Picture by Taz Tally<br />
Erik Schreier, AKWI, James Daggett<br />
AKWI, Tal Mammo (Proven Manufacture<br />
Representative), Liz Lynch, and Bill Lynch<br />
Proven 6kW Owners in Nikiski. Picture by<br />
Taz Tally<br />
with over 60 projected by the end of<br />
the 2009 fiscal year.<br />
Stoney Creek Wind Turbine Project<br />
Local 568 (Cumberland, Md.) men performed a joint<br />
training effort on rescue and tower climbing the weekend<br />
of July 11 at the Stoney Creek Wind Turbine project. A joint<br />
effort of White Construction, Local 568, and the Mid Atlantic<br />
States District Council, the training was performed<br />
on the weekend so the regular job schedule was not interrupted.<br />
On the joint training effort were Joe O’Leary, Lance<br />
Pelletier, Dennis Spangenberg, Dion Knudsen, Michael<br />
McDonald, Kevin Phillips, Dennis McGann, Eugene Rice,<br />
Steven Strother, William Guthrie, Dennis Richards, Earl<br />
Lantz, James McKenzie, Terry Pedigo, site safety manager,<br />
White Construction and Kenny Waugh, IMPACT.<br />
18 THE IRONWORKER
Animal Kingdom Lodge Erected<br />
ORLANDO - Over 1,100 tons of<br />
steel were used in the project featuring<br />
large amounts of rolled material.<br />
Dixie Southern provided design assistance<br />
to overcome challenges faced in<br />
utilizing rolled and radius structural<br />
steel beams, pipe and channel to create<br />
the look of an “African Hut.” The<br />
Animal Kingdom Lodge was erected<br />
by ironworkers from Local 808 (Orlando,<br />
Fla.)<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 19
OTHERS LOOK UP TO THEM<br />
By L.M. SIXEL Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle<br />
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION<br />
said Joe Borders Jr., a third-generation<br />
ironworker from Houston who won the<br />
column-climbing competition but placed<br />
third overall. Like many of the competitors,<br />
he had his family with him to cheer<br />
him on during the two-day contest.<br />
Practicing at home<br />
One of the toughest skills to master<br />
is tying wire knots correctly and quickly.<br />
The ties hold the iron reinforcing bar in<br />
place before concrete is poured.<br />
George brought home an iron grid to<br />
practice on during his off hours. Wesley<br />
Matlock is on the road six days a week<br />
building a casino in Oklahoma, so he lugs<br />
his iron grid with him to motels.<br />
Workers with that kind of skill and<br />
dedication are the kind construction companies<br />
want on their payrolls.<br />
“Workers<br />
with that kind<br />
of skill and<br />
dedication<br />
are the kind<br />
construction<br />
companies<br />
want on their<br />
payrolls.”<br />
and was recently named a journeyman,<br />
which meant a substantial pay raise.<br />
Ironworker apprentices start at $13.51<br />
an hour, and journeymen earn $20.77.<br />
Both groups receive health, retirement<br />
and other benefits.<br />
Letting the best shine<br />
The contest is also a way for the union<br />
to identify its best and brightest, the<br />
folks who will take on the union leadership<br />
positions and train new workers for<br />
the future, Vargocko said.<br />
Aldo Duron Jr. said he’d next like to<br />
get a certified welding certificate so he<br />
can be an instructor through his union local<br />
in New Orleans. “I’d like to move up,”<br />
he said.<br />
Most of the skills tested in the contest<br />
are used every day by ironworkers—but<br />
not the column climb. Ironworkers now<br />
use scaffolding, ladders or boom lifts,<br />
Vargocko said. But it’s the signature<br />
event. This year, however, there was a<br />
catch.<br />
National contest regulations call for a<br />
35-foot I-beam, but because the apprenticeship<br />
hall is across the street from<br />
Hobby Airport, the only way the union<br />
could build a column that tall is if it got a<br />
permit and attached a light to the top.<br />
So the union settled for a 30-footer.<br />
High Achiever: Jo Borders Jr. of Ironworkers Local 84 in Houston climbed the beam the fastest during<br />
a districtwide union apprentice competition on Wednesday. Julio Cortez Photos: Chronicle<br />
JULIO CORTEZ : CHRONICLE<br />
Joe Borders Jr. of Ironworkers Local<br />
84 in Houston climbed the beam the<br />
fastest during a district wide union apprentice<br />
competition on Wednesday. Kyle<br />
George pawed the ground like a bull in<br />
work boots, working up the strength he’d<br />
need to shimmy up the 30-foot steel column.<br />
The clock began when he took his<br />
foot off the ground and ended 11.47 seconds<br />
later when he rang the bell at the<br />
top. George came in second, but coupled<br />
with his other scores it was enough to<br />
take home the big trophy and $250.<br />
For decades, construction unions<br />
have sponsored contests to anoint their<br />
best apprentices, and earlier this week<br />
the International Association of Bridge,<br />
Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing<br />
Iron Workers held its district wide competition<br />
in Houston. Nine apprentices—<br />
all men this year—came from surrounding<br />
states to prove they’re the best at<br />
welding, rod tying, knot tying, leveling,<br />
torch burning and, of course, column<br />
climbing. The winner will go to Seattle<br />
next year to compete for the national<br />
championship.<br />
It’s serious business for the apprentices,<br />
who work full time while going to<br />
school at night for three years. It not only<br />
gives them bragging rights but also provides<br />
some measure of job security in a<br />
boom-and-bust industry.<br />
“If you make it this far, it shows,”<br />
Contractors ask for apprentices who<br />
do well in the contests by name, said Ed<br />
Vargocko, business manager of Local 84,<br />
which has about 200 apprentices working<br />
and training in Houston.<br />
Russell Jones, operations manager at<br />
W.S. Bellows Construction Corp. in Houston,<br />
said he has already inquired where<br />
Borders is working. “He’s not working for<br />
us—right now,” said Jones, who is also on<br />
the apprentice training board for the Ironworkers<br />
Joint Apprenticeship Training<br />
Committee. “We’ll keep an eye on him.”<br />
At the moment, Borders is working<br />
on an expansion project at Hobby Airport<br />
Almost There: Aaron Martin of Local 135<br />
out of Galveston climbs a beam in 15.72<br />
seconds. That was third best during the 2009<br />
District Council of Texas and Mid-South States<br />
Apprentice Competition at the Local 84/135<br />
Apprentice Training Center on Wednesday in<br />
Houston. Julio Cortex: Chronicle<br />
20 THE IRONWORKER
GRUNO NAMED Craftperson OF THE Year<br />
ORLANDO, Fla.<br />
The Association of Union Constructors<br />
named Garth Gruno<br />
Craftperson of the Year at TAUC<br />
Leadership Conference 2009 on<br />
May 7. Gruno is a member of Ironworker<br />
Local 25 (Detroit), and was<br />
honored for his work with Midwest<br />
Steel, for Barton Malow Company,<br />
on the University of Michigan C.S.<br />
Mott Children’s and Women’s Replacement<br />
Hospital.<br />
TAUC President Robert W. Santillo<br />
said Gruno exemplifies the<br />
virtues of union construction at<br />
its best. “People like you make it<br />
a pleasure for us to be union contractors,<br />
and give us reason to believe<br />
that the best days for union<br />
construction are yet to come,” said<br />
Santillo at the award ceremony.<br />
Also recognized at the ceremony<br />
were first runner-up Chad Naes<br />
and second runner-up Dino Benedict.<br />
Naes, a member of Ironworker<br />
Local 396 (St. Louis, Mo.), was<br />
honored for his work with MC Industrial,<br />
for ConocoPhillips Company,<br />
on the ConocoPhillips Wood<br />
River Waste Water Treatment<br />
Plant Expansion.<br />
Benedict, a member of Ironworker<br />
Local 25, was honored for<br />
his work with Midwest Steel, for<br />
Walbridge-Barton Malow, on the<br />
Detroit Metro Airport North Terminal<br />
Expansion.<br />
The James J. Willis Craftperson<br />
of the Year Award recognizes outstanding<br />
labor management cooperation<br />
and quality craftsmanship<br />
in the construction industry.<br />
Nominations are evaluated<br />
against five criteria:<br />
1. Schedule and Budget;<br />
2. Productivity;<br />
3. Cost Savings Innovation;<br />
4. Safety and Health; and<br />
5. Outstanding Craftsmanship<br />
Projects must be completed in the<br />
calendar year of the award, and nominations<br />
are forwarded to our judge’s<br />
panel to be evaluated and ranked in<br />
each category. This year, the members<br />
of the Willis Award judge’s panel were:<br />
• Alan Black, Construction<br />
and Turnaround Services;<br />
• Charles “Bud” Burns, J.J.<br />
White; and,<br />
• William Ligetti, Ironworker<br />
Employers Association of<br />
Western Pennsylvania.<br />
This was the first year this award<br />
was given out under the name of<br />
the ‘James J. Willis Craftperson of<br />
the Year Award.’<br />
ABOUT TAUC<br />
The Association of Union Constructors<br />
is the premier national<br />
trade association representing the<br />
21st Century union construction<br />
industry. TAUC consists of more<br />
than 2,500 union contractors, local<br />
union contractor associations and<br />
vendors in the industrial maintenance<br />
and construction field. They<br />
demonstrate union construction is<br />
the best option because it is safer<br />
and more productive, and it provides<br />
a higher-quality and costcompetitive<br />
product.<br />
Robert Santillo, Timothy Willis, Garth Gruno, Joseph Hunt, Walter Wise, Mary Jane<br />
Willis, and Patricia Chudzik<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 21
New York State Building<br />
Trades Organize Rally<br />
The New York State Building Trades organized a rally in<br />
support of a bill regarding public works introduced in the<br />
State Assembly. With the support of all the locals in the<br />
New York State District Council, the Iron Workers had a<br />
turnout of over 200 ironworkers in Albany. Approximately,<br />
2,000 union construction workers attended the rally.<br />
22 THE IRONWORKER
A Family Perspective<br />
Ironworker’s Family Gives Thanks<br />
Laurie Haley Hersh<br />
On August 19, 2009, my brother<br />
Liam Haley’s day started out<br />
as routine as any other. A Local 12<br />
ironworker on his way to work, he<br />
stopped to get his morning coffee<br />
and his lotto tickets, sure to be his<br />
lucky day. Only a few hours later<br />
he plunged 92 feet to the ground,<br />
through a roof at a construction<br />
site in Rensselaer.<br />
With injuries too numerous to<br />
mention, Liam landed on his feet,<br />
crushing every bone as he fell like<br />
an accordion. On the ground, his coworkers<br />
thought he was dead until<br />
one man heard a gurgling noise<br />
escaping from Liam’s lips. He was<br />
rushed to Albany Medical Center<br />
where the trauma team took over;<br />
Liam’s life was in their hands.<br />
When I arrived at the hospital,<br />
from the parking lot I could see<br />
that the entrance was a yellow<br />
blur. As I got closer, I saw that the<br />
yellow ‘blur’ was a line of perhaps<br />
50-75 ironworkers wearing the<br />
yellow Local 12 Ironworker tee<br />
shirts! They stood like centurions<br />
in the sweltering heat waiting for<br />
word, as if standing guard over<br />
their comrade.<br />
With news reporters swarming<br />
the building trying to get to<br />
the family for a story, Ron Clapper<br />
and his army of ironworkers were<br />
able to keep them at bay. Ron, at<br />
the family’s request held a press<br />
conference with the media many<br />
hours later. After several surgeries<br />
in just the first few days we knew<br />
that the doctors, medicine and science<br />
had taken Liam as far as they<br />
could. Liam remained in a coma<br />
and we knew that only a miracle<br />
could bring him back to us.<br />
Ironworkers across the nation<br />
hearing of his horrific accident<br />
sent prayers from great distances.<br />
Local 12 ironworkers set up camp<br />
at Albany Medical Center Hospital<br />
taking shifts. Liam remained in a<br />
coma for weeks. During that time<br />
an ironworker named Jeff came<br />
and read to him and prayed with<br />
him, convinced that Liam could<br />
hear him. I believe he did. Danny<br />
B., also from Local 12, was with<br />
Liam from the moment he hit the<br />
ground and has been there ever<br />
since. With his family, friends, and<br />
loved ones keeping a bedside vigil,<br />
Liam was never alone.<br />
Every local Laborers union<br />
across the region, across the state,<br />
had Liam first and foremost in<br />
their thoughts and prayers. I have<br />
heard many references made regarding<br />
miracles; the most convincing<br />
is the ‘power of prayer’ and<br />
‘the will to survive’. Our miracle<br />
is alive and well at Sunnyview<br />
Rehabilitation Hospital awaiting<br />
authorization from his surgeon to<br />
‘bear weight’ so that he may learn<br />
how to walk again.<br />
Last month, when the surgeon<br />
showed Liam his x-rays he said<br />
that he’d not met a man with such<br />
stamina, to which Liam replied,<br />
“Then you haven’t met too many<br />
ironworkers!” With that being<br />
said, I need to acknowledge that I<br />
myself never realized the dangers<br />
an ironworker faces every single<br />
day they go to work. I am the<br />
daughter of an ironworker, the sister<br />
of ironworkers, and the cousin<br />
of ironworkers. It is a Haley family<br />
tradition and yet until Liam fell, I<br />
never knew the danger.<br />
Today, when I pass a construction<br />
site and I see the hard hats,<br />
I bow my head in silent prayer for<br />
their safety. And until my brother<br />
fell, I also didn’t know that he had<br />
another family. A family as loving,<br />
supportive, and protective as<br />
his blood family, a family like no<br />
other. . . the brotherhood of ironworkers!!<br />
There are no words of thanks<br />
that can ever express the gratitude<br />
Liam’s family has. I thought<br />
and thought of how I could thank<br />
everyone and I couldn’t find any<br />
measure of appreciation. I will<br />
spend the rest of my life being<br />
grateful for everything the ironworkers<br />
have done for Liam and<br />
his family. I wish I could name<br />
each of you individually, but there<br />
are just way too many of you!!! I<br />
will never forget the daily phone<br />
calls from Gary Simmons, his care<br />
and concern will always be remembered.<br />
I value his friendship. The<br />
same can be said for Ron Clapper<br />
as well. I am honored and privileged<br />
to have met and befriended<br />
so many of the men (and women<br />
. . . wow) that my ironworking<br />
brothers have been so fortunate to<br />
know. I am so thankful that you<br />
played such an important role in<br />
the blueprint of Liam’s life and<br />
as a consequence in mine as well.<br />
You are the Unsung Heroes!!<br />
As the New Year begins, I look<br />
forward to a new beginning. My life<br />
and my outlook on life has changed<br />
dramatically since August 19, 2009.<br />
I have learned how precious life is,<br />
how it can change forever in the<br />
ring of a telephone. I have learned<br />
to take a moment to say ‘I love you’.<br />
I have learned to smile more, listen<br />
more and most of all I have learned<br />
to take the time to thank God for<br />
all of his gifts.<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 23
Local 155 (Fresno, Calif.) Holds Annual Pinning Ceremony<br />
20 Year Members<br />
25 Year Members<br />
30 Year Members<br />
Front row: Curt Bartlett, Kevin Huffstutler, Wayne Irwin,<br />
Trevor Sanders, Tim Cisneros, and Jim Hill. Back row:<br />
Ed Diaz, president, Don Savory, business manager/FST,<br />
Michael Sterling, and Michael Lehmann, BA.<br />
Front row: David Cash, John Hernandez, Jay Davenport,<br />
and Charles Chandler. Back row: Ed Diaz,<br />
president, Don Savory, business manager/FST, and<br />
Michael Lehmann, BA.<br />
Front row: Narvie Moultrie, Henry Avina, Chip Mc-<br />
Culloch, John White, Dennis Roth, and Michael Mullins.<br />
Back row: Ed Diaz, president, Don Savory, business<br />
manager/FST, and Michael Lehmann, BA.<br />
35 Year Members<br />
40 Year Members<br />
45 Year Members<br />
Front row: Bill Bess, Danny Gaines, and Jack Estes.<br />
Back row: Ed Diaz, president, Don Savory, business<br />
manager/FST, and Michael Lehmann, BA.<br />
Front row: Verlon Tarkington, John Cathey, Richard<br />
Harris, Hector Quintana, Michael Sanders, and<br />
Harold Levesque. Back row: Michael Lehmann, BA,<br />
Ed Diaz, president, Wayne Maddox, Bill Larkin, and<br />
Don Savory, business manager/FST.<br />
Front row: Loyd Mathews, Paul Schucker, Paul Dietz,<br />
and Bruce Miller. Back row: Michael Lehmann,<br />
BA, Don Savory, business manager/FST, and Ed<br />
Diaz, president.<br />
50 Year Members<br />
55 and 65 Year Members<br />
Front row: Charlie Anhorn and Ray Ables<br />
Front row: Dossie Norris, 65 year member and Thirman<br />
Back row: Ed Diaz, president, Don Savory, business<br />
Pugh, 55 year member. Back row: Ed Diaz,<br />
manager/FST, and Michael Lehmann, BA.<br />
president, Don Savory, business manager/FST, and<br />
24 Michael Lehmann, BA.<br />
THE IRONWORKER
70 Year Member Honored<br />
Arthur “Buzz” Bickerton, Book # 166903, began his career as an ironworker on April 1, 1938 in Local Union<br />
97 with his many family members. On July 1, 1943, Buzz transferred to Local Union 433 (Los Angeles). Shortly<br />
after that in 1944, Buzz went into the military serving until 1945. Upon competition of his patriotic duties,<br />
Buzz returned to Local 433. Buzz later became a good union contractor providing many jobs for union ironworkers<br />
around the world. Both of Buzz’s sons, Brain and Ross, became ironworkers with Local 433. In 1977,<br />
Buzz retired from Local 433, but has remained involved in the business of employing ironworkers through<br />
Bickerton Iron Workers with his sons Brian and Ross. Buzz received his 70-year pin with his son Ross behind<br />
him from Robbie Hunter, president of Local 433.<br />
Apprentice Graduation 2009, Pin Ceremony 2009 of Local 387 (Atlanta)<br />
Graduating Apprentices Pin Recipients<br />
60 Year Member<br />
Apprenticeship Coordinator Matthew Rivers, Jarvis<br />
Clark, Anthony Vasquez, Luis DeLeon, Michaja<br />
Andose, Matt Sisk, Randy Howard, Terry Brackin,<br />
Jeremy Fisher, Weston Prewett, Kong Sendara, Instructor<br />
Sean Cody and Instructor and Vice President<br />
Robert Duffi eld.<br />
Richard Cronier, Harry Goodman, Rholan Clifton, Phil Donald, Randy<br />
Harden, Billy Bass, John Batson, Jerry Zickafoose, Billy Braswell, Freddy<br />
Stewart, Benjamin Willis, James Lynch, Randy Lister, William Harvey, BA<br />
Billy Watts, Kevin Lyttle, Business Manager Eddie Albritton, Russell Vincent,<br />
John Funderburk, Matt Manecke, Kenny Dunn, Grady Lockhart, Allen<br />
Alexander, Terry Miller, Dick Grey, Allen Roelkey, Willard Davis, Pete<br />
Corbin, Clay Rogers, Steven Odom, and Mark Barker.<br />
The 60-year service pin recipient<br />
Harry Goodman with BM/FST<br />
Eddie Albritton.<br />
Local 92 (Birmingham, Ala.) Graduates Apprentices 2009<br />
Apprentice Graduates<br />
Apprentice of the Year<br />
Top row: Aaron Love, Kenneth Lusher, Daniel Phillips, Lewis Brown, Steven Smith,<br />
Thomas Mathis, Justin Worthington, Phillip Sprayberry, Hunter Cameron Bryan,<br />
and Robert McDaniel. Bottom row: Steven Wallace, Jeremy Helms, Dewayne<br />
White, Andrew Kafda, Taylor Braddy, Christopher Lankford, Timothy Stringer Jr.,<br />
Joe Ramey, and Dagon Bowlen.<br />
Top row: Bobby Rushen, president, G.R. Maintenance; R.P. Nix, FST/BM; Larry<br />
Smith, president/BA; Randy Whisonant, president, Birmingham Steel Erectors;<br />
and Roy Jones, committee member. Bottom row: Ed Scott, instructor; Donnie<br />
Perry, vice president/instructor; Jeremy Helms, Apprentice of the Year 2009; John<br />
Clement, director/consultant; Bart Maddox, instructor; and Tim Turner, instructor.<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 25
Apprenticeship Competition<br />
The Ironworkers District<br />
Council of the State of<br />
Texas and the Mid-South<br />
held its annual district<br />
wide apprenticeship<br />
competition in Houston.<br />
Apprentices from nine locals<br />
in the District Council<br />
competed - fi ve from Texas,<br />
two from Oklahoma,<br />
and two from Louisiana.<br />
William Martin, Local 135, Wesley Matlock, Local 584, Wesley Lopez, Local 482, Aldo Duron Jr., Local 58, Joe Borders Jr., Local 84, who<br />
fi nished 1st in the column climb and 3rd overall, Abad Aguilar, Local 263, who fi nished 2nd overall, and Kyle George, Local 48, who<br />
fi nished 1st in the competition. Not pictured: David Gibson, Local 66 and Carlos Douglas, Local 623.<br />
Local 808 Honors Longstanding Members at Annual Picnic<br />
30 Year Members<br />
35 Year Members<br />
40 Year Members<br />
Wes Kendrick, business manager; Harold Lacoste;<br />
Paula Hill; Jess Severinghaus; Elton Buettner; Ronald<br />
Gallant; Ronald Jones Jr.; and Ben Schmitz,<br />
president. Not pictured: Steve Lane, Jerry Quinn, and<br />
Richard Wood.<br />
45 Year Members<br />
Wes Kendrick, business manager; Michael Hale;<br />
and Ben Schmitz, president. Not pictured: Douglas<br />
Crews, Jeffrey Heck, Nathan Jutson, William Parsons,<br />
Stanley Price, Karl Schneider, and Robert Whitaker.<br />
55 Year Members<br />
Wes Kendrick, business manager; John Esperas;<br />
Frank Mula; James Hawk, and Ben Schmitz, president.<br />
Not pictured: Robert Corron Jr., Vincent Bowman,<br />
James Kendrick, and William Kenny.<br />
Wes Kendrick, business manager; Thomas Peake; Wes Kendrick, business manager; Harry Conklin, and<br />
John Thompson Jr.; Carlton Kitchens; Thomas Northcutt;<br />
Ben Schmitz, president.<br />
Carmen Vickers; and Ben Schmitz, president.<br />
Not pictured: Billy Baker, James Bolton, Newsome<br />
Corbitt, James Ellis, Ronald Kucera, William Lee, Stephen<br />
26 Richardson Jr., and William Womack.<br />
THE IRONWORKER
Local 392 (East St. Louis, Ill.) Apprenticeship Graduation<br />
Apprentice Graduates<br />
Outstanding<br />
Apprentice<br />
Local 89 (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)<br />
Graduates Apprentices 2008<br />
Class of 2008 Outstanding<br />
Apprentice<br />
David Beard, business manager; Paul Wood; Adam Howell; Larry<br />
Deutschmann; Jason Peebles; Kyle Granger; Craig McCalla; Adam<br />
Kempfer; Bill Leonard, apprenticeship coordinator and president; and<br />
Tadas Kicielinski, general vice president. Not pictured: Daron Davis<br />
Most Improved<br />
Tadas Kicielinski, general vice president<br />
and David Beard, business manager,<br />
presented Adam Kempfer the “Outstanding<br />
Apprentice” award.<br />
Apprentice Instructors<br />
Robert Surrett, president; Mitch Entwisle, outstanding<br />
apprentice; and Dave Harris, fabricator<br />
of the trophy.<br />
Graduating Class of 2008<br />
David Beard, business manager, presented the<br />
“Most Improved” award to Kyle Granger.<br />
Dan Bauer, Jack Lesko, Bob Radosevich, Jerry Solis,<br />
and Don Koleson.<br />
Local 395 (Hammond, Ind.) Graduating Class of 2009<br />
Back row: Phil Kraft, past FST/BM and past president<br />
of district council; Walt Peikert; Mike Kelley; Jason Juett;<br />
Jeremy Konicek; Ted Reilly; Joe Zahorik; Jeff Urbanek;<br />
Todd Brekke; and Gordy Struss, president, North Central<br />
States District Council. Front row: Nick Klenk; Mike<br />
Conrad; Mitch Entwisle; and Don Knepper, FST/BM.<br />
Back row: Chad Johnson; Maurice Chevalier; Kieth Foor; Ryan Howell; Edgar Altieri; Russell Milton; Joshua<br />
Seydel; Thomas Howard; Charles Hartman; Larone Madkins; and James Sutherland. Fourth row: Nicholas Bickers;<br />
Brian Shipp; Carl Trowbridge; Brian Dagenais; Michael McElroy; Brett Navarro; Damian Mitchell; Matthew<br />
Syrovatka; Anthony Strezo; and Anthony Hernandez. Third row: Vincent Lemus, instructor; Keith Wisniewski;<br />
James Jones; Nicholas Uzelac; Richard Weltzin; Patrick Heely; Charles Szczepanski; Stephen Zemlik; Matthew<br />
Hanft; William Gulley; and Douglas Splitgerber, instructor. Second row: Richard Hertaus, instructor; Shayn Keeton,<br />
2009 Outstanding Apprentice; Brian Boulware; Matthew Helsel; Adam Hoffman; Adam Splitgerber; Anthony<br />
Blaszkiewicz; Jason Mitchell; and Courtney Pramuk. First row: Ann Bowen, JATC secretary; Joe Gericke,<br />
JATC board member; Andrew Thomas, JATC board member; Mike Summers, JATC board member/BM; William<br />
Sopko, JATC board member/president; David Hall, JATC coordinator; and Jessica Reagor, JATC Secretary.<br />
Phil Kraft, past FST/BM and past president of district<br />
council; Todd Brekke, 2008 graduate and grandson of<br />
Phil Kraft; Joe Zahorik, 2008 graduate and nephew of<br />
the late FST/BM Charles Zahorik; and Gordy Struss,<br />
president, North Central States District Council.<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 27
I am Union. I am Sportsman.<br />
I Belong.<br />
The Great Outdoors.<br />
It’s deep inside your bones. Like the blood coursing through<br />
your veins, it’s at the very core of who you are.<br />
Whether it’s fins, fur or feathers that calls you, everything<br />
else takes a back seat when the season opener rolls around.<br />
You’re always ready to gear up, get out and experience the rich<br />
rewards that only you and those who share this special bond<br />
can understand.<br />
At the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance we understand that<br />
connection because our bond with each other runs as deep as<br />
our love of the great outdoors. We are an exclusive community<br />
of hunters and anglers who also share the brotherhood of<br />
being proud Union members. That’s what makes the USA so<br />
special. It is by and for Union members and it comes to you<br />
with the generous and dedicated support of your Union.<br />
But above all, the USA is your club. When you join the<br />
USA, you’re helping to ensure future generations have quality<br />
places to hunt and fish. You’re also making a commitment to<br />
encourage friends and family to participate. More members<br />
means bigger and better benefits, discounts and services. More<br />
members means more USA hunting, shooting and fishing<br />
events. More members means we have a stronger, more unified<br />
voice to preserve our hunting and fishing heritage.<br />
So, join us today and help spread the word about the Union<br />
Sportsmen’s Alliance. Because as a proud member of both<br />
your Union and the USA, you’re more than welcome.<br />
You belong.<br />
Join Today At www.UnionSportsmen.org<br />
Or call us at 1-877-872-2211<br />
Your $25 USA Membership<br />
Comes Loaded With Benefits:<br />
USA-logo Buck knife ($30 value)<br />
12 chances to win in a Gun-a-Month giveaway<br />
1-Year subscription to a top outdoor magazine<br />
Subscription to the USA newspaper,<br />
The Union Sportsmen’s Journal<br />
$25 gift certificate for Beretta field gear<br />
Money-saving discounts on outdoor gear<br />
Personalized USA membership card<br />
Free MyTopo.com online mapping subscription<br />
Chances to win exceptional prizes and trips<br />
Access to “Members-Only” section of the<br />
USA website<br />
Free membership in the TRCP<br />
A $115 Value for just $25!<br />
A Hunting and Fishing Club<br />
28 Exclusively for Union Members, THE IRONWORKER<br />
Retirees and Their Families
Monthly Report of Lifetime Honorary Members<br />
Lifetime Honorary members are published in the magazine according to the application approval date. Members previously<br />
classified as Old Age or Disability Pensioners that were converted to Lifetime Honorary membership effective January 1,<br />
2007 will not be reprinted in the magazine.<br />
Local Name<br />
3 BERNARD, BRUCE A<br />
3 O LEARY, PATRICK<br />
3 ROBERTS III, HARRY E<br />
5 WALKER, BILLY J<br />
8 ABRAHAM, LEE A<br />
8 ARNDT, MICHAEL W<br />
8 OLSON, JOHN O<br />
8 ROUNDTREE, WILLIE E<br />
9 PLATT, DAVID W<br />
10 LONG, CHARLES W<br />
10 O BANNON, GAREY M<br />
12 FOOTE, ROBERT J<br />
17 CROUCH, MICHAEL V<br />
17 MC JUNKINS, DOUGLAS G<br />
17 SEITZ, GLENN K<br />
21 PILANT, WILLIAM M<br />
22 HOH, TERRY L<br />
22 KAYS, HARRY M<br />
24 JONES, BILLY J<br />
24 LEHOTAY, EDWARD<br />
25 MARTOI, HARRY M<br />
25 RIBBY, ROBERT A<br />
25 VASILKO, DALE R<br />
25 WHITEYE, TERENCE<br />
33 FEE, FRANK<br />
40 CHARLES, GREGORY<br />
40 MINNAUGH, WILLIAM<br />
46 ELLIOTT, JOHN R<br />
55 BUDD, EDWARD D<br />
55 DOMBROFF, JOSEPH R<br />
NOVEMBER 2009<br />
55 WITT, JAMES P<br />
58 DAVIS, CHARLES Q<br />
60 CLARKE, PAUL W<br />
60 ELY, WALLACE J<br />
60 GRANHOLM, ERIC H<br />
60 SMITH, RICHARD J<br />
63 KNAPEREK, FRANK<br />
63 MOUDRY, RONALD L<br />
79 MC DONALD, WILLIAM H<br />
84 BAKER, JOSEPH D<br />
84 MC WHORTER, CLIFTON H<br />
86 STEARNS, RICHARD W<br />
92 MOON, DAVID W<br />
97 MOORE, RUSSELL<br />
103 HOUCHIN, RONALD K<br />
103 SUTERS, JOHN R<br />
112 REID, ALEX R<br />
112 ROBERTS, FRANK H<br />
135 HILLS, ROGERS<br />
172 BAXTER, MICHAEL L<br />
201 SULLIVAN, EDWARD<br />
373 NELSON, GEORGE T<br />
377 AHLBORN, JOHN R<br />
378 GROGAN, STEVEN C<br />
378 HENDERSON, MARK A<br />
378 JACQUES, PHILLIP T<br />
378 QUARLE, JEFFREY K<br />
378 RIELLY, JAMES F<br />
384 CHAMBERS, ROBERT L<br />
384 SEALS, ALFRED<br />
395 EWING, KEVIN E<br />
395 FORD, HENRY N<br />
396 HORN, COURTNEY D<br />
396 PARRISH, DOUGLAS G<br />
396 ROGERS, DONALD H<br />
399 FRANKLIN, ALEXANDER<br />
405 MC MAHON, ANTHONY<br />
416 LACNO, MICHAEL J<br />
424 BOURQUE, WILLIAM E<br />
424 SYMANSKI, WALTER R<br />
451 TAYLOR, CLARENCE R<br />
483 JOHANNS, WILLIAM R<br />
625 CUI, STEPHEN M<br />
625 HAMABATA, GLENN M<br />
625 HUEU III, JAMES K<br />
625 KALAKAU, ALBERT N<br />
625 LEE, MARVIN K<br />
625 WHITE, HARVEY R<br />
704 ADAMS, CHARLES R<br />
709 SIMS, DEWEY F<br />
720 BORUTSKI, KEVIN J<br />
720 CUPELLI, RAFFAELE<br />
721 BAKER, RICHARD E<br />
721 BRANT, ROY<br />
728 DEMERIA, KEITH<br />
728 FROBISHER, GARY<br />
765 BRUNET, JEAN R<br />
786 RAINVILLE, LUCIEN<br />
798 THOMPSON, ROBERT L<br />
842 LEVESQUE, LUC L<br />
Article Information<br />
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Ironworker Magazine<br />
1750 New York Ave., Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006 or email to: iwmagazine@iwintl.org<br />
We will publish all photos on a first-received, first printed basis. It is not unusual for a Local News article such as Hunting and<br />
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FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 29
OFFICIAL MONTHLY<br />
RECORD<br />
L.U.<br />
No.<br />
Member<br />
Number<br />
Name Claim<br />
Number<br />
1 596626 CHRISTIANSON, LOUIS 98471 2,200.00<br />
1 712826 FISCHER, ROBERT E. 98433 2,200.00<br />
3 589607 LONDON, WILLIAM G. 98434 2,200.00<br />
8 773108 LECKER, ROY E. 98436 2,200.00<br />
8 448170 MASHAK, PHILIP T. 98435 2,200.00<br />
15 777042 PERKINS, BRIAN A. 98472 2,200.00<br />
17 349977 MOORE, JAMES C. 98473 2,200.00<br />
21 830448 THOMPSON, EDWARD A. 98474 2,200.00<br />
22 864655 DYKES, BENNIE J. 98437 2,200.00<br />
25 710672 DEVOE, FLOYD D. 98475 2,200.00<br />
25 756687 GRIBBONS, DONALD H. 98441 2,000.00<br />
25 807543 LA CLAIR, JOHN H. 98440 2,000.00<br />
25 746816 LA POINTE, DUANE E. 98439 2,200.00<br />
25 1141164 MORGAN, TODD L. 98476 1,750.00<br />
25 974333 OTTER, MICHAEL M. 98438 2,000.00<br />
25 710683 OWENS, RICHARD G. 98477 2,200.00<br />
25 341328 SPOHN, WALLACE A. 98478 2,200.00<br />
29 543589 DRISKELL, THOMAS B. 98479 2,200.00<br />
29 651<strong>02</strong>6 KELLY, PAUL Z. 98442 2,000.00<br />
36 1392779 WERLEY, ROBERT W. 98480 800.00<br />
37 281698 WATSON, LESLIE A. 98443 2,200.00<br />
44 6<strong>02</strong>628 MILLER, EUGENE 98481 2,200.00<br />
48 803825 BROWN, JAMES H. 98444 2,200.00<br />
55 591369 CLARK, BILLY C. 98445 2,200.00<br />
58 941497 SCHAUBHUT, ROBERT J. 98446 2,000.00<br />
63 797811 AHRENDT, ALAN E. 98482 2,000.00<br />
63 1311163 BROWN, JAMES G. 98483 1,750.00<br />
79 848630 BAKER, RONALD M. 98484 2,000.00<br />
84 692616 HANCOCK, CHARLES T. 98485 2,000.00<br />
84 759558 SEALES, JAMES H. 98486 2,000.00<br />
86 412<strong>02</strong>2 BUSH, EDWIN W. 98447 2,200.00<br />
APPROVED DEATH CLAIMS FOR NOVEMBER 2009<br />
Amount<br />
86 881252 COLVIN, ALLAN J. 98487 2,200.00<br />
92 4664<strong>02</strong> SVETLAY, GEORGE E. 98488 2,200.00<br />
103 350558 DAVIS, RICHARD 98448 2,200.00<br />
112 751981 HARMS, GEORGE C. 98489 2,200.00<br />
118 1174040 JAY, JAMES W. 98490 1,750.00<br />
135 536628 MILLSAP, BRUCE E. 98450 2,200.00<br />
135 665198 WANINGER, ERNEST H. 98449 2,200.00<br />
228 1107875 BROWN, RUTH G. 98491 2,000.00<br />
373 630142 MILLER, CLARENCE G. 98492 2,200.00<br />
377 1082165 TERVEER, SCOTT C. 98493 2,000.00<br />
383 512265 KRAUSE, LAVERN 98451 2,200.00<br />
387 1299837 BOLAN, WAYNE D. 98452 1,750.00<br />
387 823504 MC CULLERS, GRADY G. 98494 2,200.00<br />
387 1218737 SUMERLIN, ARTHUR 98454 1,750.00<br />
387 750916 TROTMAN, BERNARD H. 98453 2,200.00<br />
396 823563 FUNSTON, WALTER J. 98495 2,000.00<br />
401 427824 DUGAN, JAMES M. 98455 2,200.00<br />
420 589810 LIBER, LEWIS J. 98496 2,200.00<br />
469 699710 GRAY, ERNEST M. 98456 2,200.00<br />
477 534922 BOYD, MAYNARD C. 98497 2,200.00<br />
480 953559 VALENTINE, ARTHUR 98457 2,200.00<br />
489 784015 OBES, JAMES J. 98498 2,200.00<br />
492 583869 BRYANT, JAMES B. 98499 2,200.00<br />
492 397265 COLE, LOUIS H. 98500 2,200.00<br />
501 433<strong>02</strong>0 CLANCY, FELIX T. 98501 2,000.00<br />
5<strong>02</strong> 1128613 KLEIN, EDWARD 985<strong>02</strong> 2,000.00<br />
506 255696 DOUVIER, FRANK J. 98459 2,000.00<br />
506 728184 SCHMIDT, DANIEL C. 98458 1,750.00<br />
512 645064 RASMUSSEN, WALLACE E. 98503 2,200.00<br />
512 665099 WENZINGER, THOMAS L. 98504 2,200.00<br />
516 564215 ST SURE, ROBERT E. 98505 2,000.00<br />
527 729558 WINZEK, LEONARD J. 98506 2,000.00<br />
549 789957 SWEENEY, MORRIS D. 98507 2,200.00<br />
549 1097478 YOUNG, ROCKY 98508 7,000.00<br />
580S 521216 SERIPIERO, GIACOMO 98509 2,000.00<br />
623 809078 ARDOIN, J H. 98510 2,200.00<br />
623 381563 LINN, WILLIAM A. 98460 2,200.00<br />
624 640364 POWELL, EDGAR 98511 2,000.00<br />
700 985059 HANES, DONALD D. 98515 2,200.00<br />
711 692838 DELORMIER, JOHN 98516 2,000.00<br />
721 618180 HASSLER, KURT 98517 2,200.00<br />
721 437<strong>02</strong>8 HOOKEY, STERLING 98464 2,200.00<br />
721 1249206 MARTIN, ROCKY J. 98463 1,750.00<br />
721 1017095 SCIULLI, GIUSEPPE 98465 2,200.00<br />
736 1267412 SMOKE, GARY E. 98466 1,750.00<br />
745 1410097 ALLEN, JONATHAN D. 98461 500.00<br />
745 508659 TOUSSAINT, REGINALD L. 98462 2,000.00<br />
759 646977 GIBSON, MARK 98468 2,200.00<br />
759 1136813 PETERSON, D WAYNE 98467 1,750.00<br />
771 1242718 CLARK, ROBERT G. 98518 1,750.00<br />
782 532140 HILL, WILLIAM E. 98512 2,200.00<br />
786 684952 MOORE, ALLEN 98469 2,200.00<br />
787 722620 CRONE, WILLIAM E. 98513 2,200.00<br />
848 1199541 TUCKER, ROGER J. 98514 1,750.00<br />
TOTAL DEATH BENEFITS PAID:..................179,550.00<br />
DISAPPROVED DEATH CLAIMS FOR NOVEMBER 2009<br />
424 1278390 SHEEHAN, MICHAEL F. 98519 IN ARREARS<br />
501 1142549 DURAND, GERALD 98520 SUSPENDED<br />
798 1117667 KING, JAMES H. 98470 SUSPENDED<br />
“IRONWORKERS’ JOB LINE”<br />
New Number 877- 884 - 4766<br />
(877- 884 - IRON)<br />
or visit www.ironworkers.org<br />
to find out which locals need workers, type<br />
of work, and who to contact.<br />
30 THE IRONWORKER
Union Solidarity – A Family Tradition<br />
Showcased During Times of Need<br />
Hardship Grants Available from Union Plus Benefits<br />
Over the span of three generations,<br />
the men of the Hopkins family<br />
have pulled up their steel-toed boots,<br />
grabbed their gearboxes, and set off to<br />
work as ironworkers in southern Illinois.<br />
That legacy came to an abrupt<br />
end when the last family member to<br />
work in the thriving industry, James<br />
Hopkins of Local 392 in East St. Louis,<br />
IL, was forced to put his tools aside<br />
to battle illness. Helping him to fight<br />
pressing financial concerns was his<br />
union – the International Association<br />
of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental<br />
and Reinforcing Iron Workers.<br />
As a union member and a holder<br />
of a Union Plus Credit Card, Hopkins<br />
was eligible for Union Plus Disability<br />
Grants. The grants, which never<br />
need to be repaid, are designed to<br />
help cardholders who experience a<br />
significant loss of household income<br />
due to a recent long-term illness, or<br />
prolonged disability. The grants are<br />
part of a comprehensive package of<br />
safety net programs called Union<br />
SAFE. Union SAFE is aimed at helping<br />
union members cope with financial<br />
challenges during today’s tough<br />
economic times.<br />
Just weeks after applying for the<br />
grant, Hopkins received a check in<br />
the mail for $2,000. In addition, a<br />
$250 payment was made to his Union<br />
Plus Credit Card. Hopkins, who has<br />
been a member of the Iron Workers<br />
since 1974, says the check went “a<br />
long way financially and a long way<br />
as an example to my children of union<br />
brotherhood and solidarity.”<br />
The financial support helped Hopkins<br />
pay for needed repairs to the<br />
family vehicle, as well as cover educational<br />
costs for a daughter attending<br />
college and twins in high school.<br />
“The Union Plus Disability Grant<br />
offers meaningful help with no ties or<br />
red tape,” says Hopkins.<br />
In addition to the Union Plus Disability<br />
Grant, other assistance is available<br />
to union members participating in<br />
the Union Plus Credit Card, Insurance,<br />
or the Union Plus Mortgage Program.<br />
The grants help union members cope<br />
with the soaring cost of hospital care<br />
and the devastating financial impact<br />
of job loss and natural disasters. Mortgage<br />
assistance is available to Union<br />
Plus Mortgage holders who become<br />
unemployed, disabled, or go on strike,<br />
make their mortgage payments.<br />
Even if you do not participate in a<br />
Union Plus program, help may still be<br />
available through education grants,<br />
free home and credit counseling and<br />
a free medical bill negotiation service.<br />
Visit UnionPlus.org/UnionSAFE for<br />
more information.<br />
Despite tackling a major health<br />
challenge, Hopkins is grateful that<br />
he has his home and that he is able<br />
to make ends meet. Importantly,<br />
he also credits the labor movement<br />
and the Iron Workers, specifically,<br />
for standing beside him during good<br />
times and bad.<br />
“The union has always looked out<br />
for its members. I saw that as a child<br />
and as a parent. I’m grateful to the<br />
union for being there,” says Hopkins.<br />
If you have been a Union Plus<br />
Credit Card holder for at least 12<br />
months, you may be eligible for the<br />
Union Plus Disability Grant program.<br />
In addition, you must:<br />
• Have opened the account prior to<br />
onset of the illness or disability.<br />
• Be a cardholder in good<br />
standing.<br />
• Experienced an illness or<br />
disability within the last 12<br />
months that has kept you out<br />
of work for at least 90 days.<br />
• Suffered a significant income loss.<br />
• Document your circumstance<br />
and income loss.<br />
Union Plus Credit Card holders<br />
can apply for a grant by calling<br />
1-877-761-5<strong>02</strong>8. To apply for a credit<br />
card, call 1-80-522-4000. Visit Union-<br />
Plus.org for information on all the<br />
benefits, including scholarships, everyday<br />
savings, and programs to help<br />
members buy and keep their homes.<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2010</strong> 31
1750 New York Ave., N.W.<br />
Suite 400<br />
Washington, D.C. 20006<br />
Local 12 (Albany, N.Y.)<br />
Tops Out at<br />
Price Chopper<br />
Corporate Headquarters Facility<br />
Gogi Gwardschaladse, foreman; Garry Simmons, business manager; Bryan Magee; Robert Kennar;<br />
Todd Dayton; Jason Chapman; Christopher Amedio, foreman; George Audi Sr; Christina Audi,<br />
Christina Steel owner; George Audi Jr., Christina Steel owner; Michael Cossart; Brian Gettings; Todd<br />
Jensen; Michael Martin; Norman Paulson; Jesse Countermine; John Bissaillon; Mark Mannarino; Eric<br />
Brugeman; Robert Monaghan; and Robert Claus.