Operating Engineer - International Union of Operating Engineers

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International Operating Engineer (ISSN 0020-8159) is published by the: International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL-CIO 1125 17 th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 Subscription Terms - $5 per year Change of Address - Requests must be submitted in writing to the IUOE Membership Department (address above). Include your new address, registration and local union number. POSTMASTERS – ATTENTION: Change of address on Form 3579 should be sent to: International Operating Engineer Mailing List Dept. 1125 17th St., NW, 3rd Floor Washington, DC 20036 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40843045 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 2835 Kew Drive Windsor, ON N8T3B7 Printed in the U.S.A. International Union of Operating Engineers AFL-CIO general officers James T. Callahan, General President Brian E. Hickey, General Secretary-Treasurer William C. Waggoner, First Vice President Patrick L. Sink, Second Vice President Jerry Kalmar, Third Vice President Russell E. Burns, Fourth Vice President Rodger Kaminska, Fifth Vice President James M. Sweeney, Sixth Vice President Robert T. Heenan, Seventh Vice President Daniel J. McGraw, Eighth Vice President Daren Konopaski, Ninth Vice President Michael Gallagher, Tenth Vice President Greg Lalevee, Eleventh Vice President Terrance E. McGowan, Twelfth Vice President Louis G. Rasetta, Thirteenth Vice President Mark Maierle, Fourteenth Vice President trustees John T. Ahern, Chairman Kuba J. Brown, Trustee Bruce Moffatt, Trustee James T. Kunz, Jr., Trustee Joseph F. Shanahan, Trustee engineers action resPonse netWorK Because elections matter Make your voice heard • Register for EARN today www.iuoe.org 4 international operating engineer
From the General President [James T. Callahan] Shaping the Future Together Strength in unity propels us forward As General President, my guiding principle each and every day has been “the members are the union.” Along with General Secretary- Treasurer Hickey and the Executive Board, we work with purpose to grow and secure opportunities for all our members and to build inroads for the next generation of Operating Engineers. I was honored to receive the unanimous support by the delegates to the 38th General Convention to serve as General President for a full term. The delegates in attendance—over 600 strong—took to heart our theme “Honor the Past, Shape the Future” and conducted the important work of our union diligently. There is an old saying, “May you live in interesting times.” Some say it’s a curse, but like it or not, we do live in very interesting times. In the five years since the last convention, our union, our two nations and the entire world, witnessed significant changes—a global financial crisis not seen since the Great Depression; soaring unemployment in the construction industry; the winding down of two very long and costly wars; and two presidential elections marked by extreme political polarization – to name just a few. Make no mistake, like many unions, we took our hits and many members have faced difficult times. But despite these challenges, the state of our union remains strong and is growing stronger every day. More jobs are being created, membership is climbing and our pension funds are realizing concrete gains with an improving stock market. The improving economy is welcome news, but serious threats remain to our union and the broader labor movement. These attacks come disguised in the cleverly deceptive turn of phrase: “Right-to-Work.” Let’s be clear. So called “right-towork” is a lie. Under these laws workers lose rights and no work gets created— it’s a political trick to cripple unions and dismantle collective bargaining. These laws drive down wages for every worker, union and non-union, and damage the overall economy. What started in Wisconsin quickly spread to Indiana and Michigan last year, where we fought alongside our allies to defend collective bargaining rights. Today, this “right-to-work” virus continues to spread through other states and some Canadian provinces as well. I pledged then and I pledge again now—we will spend whatever resources are necessary to confront and combat these attacks wherever they occur. We didn’t ask for this fight, but you can be sure we will bring the fight to them! We will educate and we will mobilize. We will never surrender to collectively bargain for our members. Our best defense against the increased anti-labor activity we are seeing is to have a better offense— and organizing is a major part of that strategy. We must re-double our efforts to educate, motivate and organize new members at every turn. We have instituted a more aggressive organizing model to increase and enhance our market share within both H&P and Stationary. We are leveraging technology and strategic research to undertake comprehensive campaigns. We are building density and beginning to organize our core jurisdictions in less labor friendly markets. These efforts are finding success—from stationary engineers on the Las Vegas Strip, to petro-chemical workers in Texas, to crane operators in Florida. Right now, as our economy begins to grow again and as we welcome home thousands of military veterans, we must seize the opportunity to reintroduce the Operating Engineers to a new generation. One way to do this is by showcasing our training programs. Training is what sets us apart and enables our members to stand out as the most productive and safest workers in both H&P and Stationary. Our training programs have set the gold standard within the crafts we work and, moving forward, we will continue to prioritize training throughout every level of our union. Each time we gather together, whether at a local membership meeting or a general convention, we are reminded that our strength as a union lies in our unity. We have found that no matter where we come from or what work we dedicate our lives to, we have a common bond. And that bond will propel us forward in the years ahead. Our union has been tested under extremely difficult circumstances. However, by working together, we have shown that our union can turn challenges into opportunities and advance the interests of our members and their families. Moving forward, we will shape a better future for Operating Engineers and we will do it together. Of that, I have no doubt. spring 2013 5
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Operating Engineer - International Union of Operating Engineers

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