Operating Engineer - Summer 2013

IUOE Family Members Awarded
Union Plus Scholarships
Winners Honored for Achievement and Union Values
Union Plus has recently awarded $150,000 in scholarships
to 115 students representing 36 unions, including eight
winners representing the International Union of Operating
Engineers (IUOE), in the 2013 Union Plus Scholarship
Program.
“The union movement believes strongly in education, which
for generations has helped working people to advance their
own careers and improve the lives of their children,” says
Leslie Tolf, president of Union Privilege, the organization
that provides Union Plus benefits for union families. “These
days, however, rising tuitions and expensive student loans
are putting higher education out of reach for many working
families. That’s why we continue our long commitment to
funding college scholarships to help union families achieve
their dreams.”
Learn More About the Union Plus Scholarship Program
Union Plus Scholarship awards are granted to students
attending a two-year college, four-year college, graduate
school or a recognized technical or trade school. Since
starting the program in 1991, Union Plus has awarded more
than $3.5 million in educational funding to more than 2,300
union members, spouses and dependent children. Recipients
are selected based on academic ability, social awareness,
financial need and appreciation of labor.
Visit UnionPlus.org/Education for applications and benefit
eligibility.
Meet the 2013 IUOE Honorees
IUOE Local 3—Andrew Gonzales
Andrew Gonzales of Winters, CA, whose father Ralph Gonzales Jr. is a member of IUOE Local 3, has been awarded a $500
scholarship. Raising and showing livestock is one of Andrew’s great passions. Another is the small town he calls home and
where he volunteers his time serving others. He is grateful for the union wages that help keep his family strong, saying “We
are an example of a middle-class family who works hard to be successful community
members.”
IUOE Local 12—Bansari Patel
Bansari Patel of Westminster, CA, whose father Ashokbhai Patel is a member
of IUOE Local 12, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship. People sometimes
ask Bansari if his parents have pressured him to become a doctor. No, he tells
them, “This has been entirely my choice.” His father’s union membership, on
the other hand, has strongly affected the way Bansari sees the world. Unions
create hope for working people, he says, and “I want to be able to do the same.”
IUOE Local 18—Rachel Whynott
Rachel Whynott of Northfield, OH, whose father Kevin Whynott is a member of
IUOE Local 18, has been awarded a $750 scholarship. When it comes to service,
Rachel not only talks the talk, but also walks the walk with genuine commitment
and compassion. The third-year medical student volunteers her time at a
free clinic, has gone on a medical mission to Honduras and helped to educate
people about breast cancer. “As a physician,” she promises, “I hope to continue
to give my time to the underserved both at home and abroad.”
22 international operating engineer
Bansari Patel