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

41% said that
ironworker training
materials are good—
but they could be
even better.
political ruminations and predictions
as the nation gears up for the presidential
election later this year. “Republicans,”
Cook said, “are looking
for the most passionate conservative
they can find to challenge Obama.
None match up.” Anirban Basu, CEO
of the Sage Policy Group, livened the
mood as he delivered a positive economic
outlook, citing a strong showing
in manufacturing, commercial,
power and education construction.
He added that construction gained
more than 46,000 jobs last year in
the midst of a bumpy recovery.
More of the day’s highlights included
Executive Director of Apprenticeship
and Training Lee Worley’s
Two-thirds
of conference attendees
said that our superior
training materials
are a major differentiator
from our non-union competition.
presentation on training material
innovation. He cited exploration of
virtual-reality crane signaling and elearning
as new, tech-inspired forms
of training and upgrading.
Later, Walter Wise, William Brown,
and Walter Bazan, 2011–2012 vice
president of the American Subcontractors
Association (ASA), signed a
much-anticipated partnering agreement
between the Iron Workers Union
and the ASA, which opens the door to
improving communication and information
sharing between the two organizations.
The partnership aims to
increase productivity in the construction
industry and benefit ironworkers
and contractors.
IMPACT Co-Chairs Walter Wise and William Brown sign a
much-anticipated strategic partnership with the ASA, alongside
Walter Bazan (left), 2011-2012 ASA vice president.
“When you look at our contractors,
the bulk of them are small contractors
and subcontractors,” Wise said.
“The association we have is beneficial
so we speak with a common voice. It
gives us great opportunities to get
more subcontractors.”
During a lunchtime speech on
the Iron Workers’ Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs), General Secretary
Eric Dean recognized Local
172 (Columbus, Ohio) and Local 769
(Ashland, Ky.), for KPI excellence
in 2010, and Local 12 (Albany, N.Y.)
and Local 700 (Windsor, Ontario) for
KPI excellence in 2011.
The afternoon breakout sessions
included a packed house at “A Frank
Executive Director of Apprenticeship and Training Lee Worley.
6 THE IRONWORKER