2012 Iron Workers/IMPACT North American Labor-Management ...

President’s
Page
walter wise
General President
“ Today, the technology of
the Internet allows every
member to stay current
on union activities, both
local and throughout
North America.”
An Informed Ironworker Makes
a Better Ironworker
Throughout my time as a local union,
district council and International officer,
I have always believed in the simple
truth that the better our members
understand the workings of their union,
the stronger we become; the more
knowledge you have of our industry,
the stronger we become; and the more
transparency we have with input from
our members, the stronger we become.
Today, the technology of the Internet
allows every member to stay
current on union activities, both local
and throughout North America. The
marvel of handheld devices capable of
accessing videos on YouTube, status
updates on Facebook, online content
through Twitter, and images on Flickr,
is that they provide a virtually limitless
access to social media, allowing
each member and their union to have
input and their voice heard. Our ability
to reach out to members, employers,
users, and the public, and to provide
marketing opportunities to educate and
promote the safety, productivity and
quality of union ironworkers increases
significantly. A successful leverage is
provided by the use of press releases to
members, industry partners, and news
and media organizations, garnering
more than 1.17 million reads since its
initiation in August 2011.
Our commitments to safety, organizing,
and labor-management cooperation
via IMPACT from the 42nd Convention
collected over 122,000 views, while your
rallies in support of good jobs and investments
in America’s roads attracted
nearly 100,000 visitors. IMPACT’s
Management Co-Chair Bill Brown’s
response to an op-ed piece on “How to
Close the Skills Gap” in the Wall Street
Journal circulated to more than 2.1 million
readers in print and online.
Over 80 videos are now available
at http://www.youtube.com/user/
IronworkersIMPACT and have been
viewed by over 20,000 people. While we
continue to roll out and develop our po-
tential through social media, it is evident
the opportunity it creates to promote the
use of union ironworkers and their contractors
is endless.
Whereas roughly ten percent of our
membership attend local union meetings,
participation on the Union Ironworkers
Facebook page, http://www.facebook.
com/unionironworkers, increased
about 9000 percent during the last six
months of 2011. During the past 30 days,
our posts have garnered more than
100,000 views.
Our new website, www.ironworkers.
org, is growing rapidly to provide members
and the public valuable news regarding
our union, its mission, programs
and news about Zero 2012 safety,
projects, manpower demands, and
political activism. Daily posts provide
the most up-to-date account of issues
that can affect your livelihood. While
The Ironworker magazine continues
to be our foremost tool for member communication,
its interaction with the
website and social media will expand
many of the features our members find
most appealing.
And why is all of this important to
our union and its future?
Because we cannot afford to remain
the best-kept secret. If we do not tell our
story, brag on our accomplishments and
promote you as the most skilled, best
value in the ironworking industry, then
who will? Because our unorganized
brethren need to know that they have
the rights and means to a better life.
Because our solidarity depends on an
informed and knowledgeable membership.
And because it is all about getting
more work, more customers and more
contractors. It is with your input, ideas,
feedback and support that we will meet
the challenges of the future. Tell us your
story and get active now!
Thank you for helping to build our
great union.