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SoCal Trojan Battery workers vote yes to unionize After a hard-fought organizing campaign, workers at two Santa Fe Springs, California, Trojan Battery facilities voted Aug. 20 in favor of unionizing with the Boilermakers. Out of 306 workers in the facilities, 282 voted, with a final of 151 to 131 for unionization. The victory was the second to take place on the same day for Western States organizers, who also celebrated a favorable vote at Mountain Cement Company in Laramie, Wyoming. Trojan Battery has existed for 100 years, operating nonunion for a full century—until now. Before the Boilermaker win, there were four prior unsuccessful organizing attempts by other unions. “As a union, this really plants a flag in the West for the Boilermakers, with our wins at NASSCO last year, at Mountain Cement Co. and now this,” said Western States Director of Organizing Manny Valenzuela. “It’s just really good for all Boilermaker members and for organized labor.” Valenzuela noted that in addition to combating employer tactics to undermine the union, organizers faced an especially steep uphill battle to build trust and win over workers. For starters, workers who weathered the previous failed organizing attempts had a bad taste for unions due to circumstances surrounding those initiatives. Trojan Battery worker Cesar Lopez was among those who were skeptical of the Boilermakers—at first. Lopez, who is a burner and machine operator, has worked for Trojan for over 24 years. Before signing his card, he asked his son to research the union for him. His son came back with his research and advised his dad to sign on, citing the good work Boilermakers do throughout the U.S. and Canada. He noted the issues the union faced in addressing past leadership corruption; but, he told Lopez, “they resolved the problems, and they’re doing good things.” Lopez said that motivated his decision to sign his card and get involved with the campaign. Another challenge organizers fought against was heightened U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity. With much of the Trojan Battery worker population being Latino and a surge in I.C.E. activity in the area and nationwide, the vital door-knock visits from organizers to speak one-on-one with workers were especially hard to come by. Legally authorized workers and U.S.-born citizens alike were afraid to open their doors to strangers, fearful that I.C.E. agents, detainment or other consequences might be on the other side. “It took a lot of extra work to get this campaign done,” said Valenzuela. Organizers began in March, along with several other Southern California facilities. In June, the team decided to focus solely on Trojan Batteries. Western States organizers, plus several Local 92 (Los Angeles) Boilermakers from NASSCO shipyard stepped up efforts together. While the L-92 members lent a hand they also learned valuable organizing skills that will benefit their internal organizing efforts at NASSCO, which is an open shop. Those skills will also transfer to prepare them for upcoming contract negotiations. “You can put someone in classroom setting to learn about organizing—and that teaches a lot, but getting out and working alongside seasoned organizers is a whole different level of learning,” Valenzuela said. “Plus, the Trojan workers got to interact with Boilermakers. So it wasn’t just professional organizers, but real rank-and-file Boilermakers speaking with them. That made a difference in earning their trust. In the end it was close, but we got it done.” L-92 BM-ST Nick Garcia said it was gratifying to work on the campaign, learn and witness the movement grow in favor of the union. “It’s a huge win for us and a step in the right direction. Three hundred members is a great step forward for our local,” he said. “It was a joy to see the workers and organizers fight for the union and convince people—really up to the minute.” Garcia noted that Lopez, the worker whose son researched the Boilermakers union for him, became so enthusiastic about unionizing, his zeal rubbed off on his daughter, who is in a completely unrelated line of work. She joined her dad to help the cause. “This means a lot to me,” Lopez said of the unionization victory. “Finally, my co-workers and I will be able to negotiate for the working conditions we deserve.” Valenzuela said the Western States wins set the tempo in the area and for Boilermaker organizing across the U.S. and Canada. “The time is now,” he said. “If you don’t organize, you die.” — Aug 29
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L-105 retirees volunteer at VA Cincinnati Retirees from Local 105 (Cincinnati, Ohio) spent a day volunteering at the VA Cincinnati Healthcare System to provide donuts and a little good cheer to veterans. Each month, the Cincinnati Building Trades seeks a craft to volunteer, and Boilermakers answered the call in August. “The same group of Boilermakers have been doing this for many years and are proud to be a part of it,” says L-105 retiree Steve Maupin. “Offering a cup of coffee, snack and quick conversation makes a veteran’s trip to the hospital less stressful.” It’s a simple and easy way to give back, but it’s not just about handing out donuts, fruit, coffee and juice. Each Boilermaker volunteer has family members who served in the military, and they understand the importance of doing something to help veterans get through their day a little easier. “The volunteers say it’s very rewarding and a feeling that’s hard to describe,” adds Joseph Ledford, L-105 Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer. It’s also good public relations for the lodge and the Boilermakers trade. Volunteering, Ledford points out, is a great way for lodges to show they care about the communities in which they live and work. “Not many people know what a Boilermaker is, and community service or volunteering is a good way to educate them on who we are and what we do.” — Aug 28
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Local 433 wins top MOST safety award Local 433 (Tampa, Florida) was presented with the 2024 Charles W. Jones Award during the 2025 MOST National Tripartite Alliance conference, Aug. 27 in Coronado Bay, California. The award honors the local lodge demonstrating the highest use of specified MOST Programs during the preceding year. “It was certainly a surprise,” said L-433 Business Manager Derin Hunt. “We push training as the number one item on our agenda. Without safety, we don’t have a product.” MOST Programs factoring into the honor include OSHA 10/30, Common Arc, Substance Abuse, Scaffolding, Steel Erection, Rigging, Field Leadership and the Boilermaker Code. The award was created to encourage local lodges to stay involved and to best prepare apprentices for safety on the job. MOST Program Administrator Mark Garrett said participation has increased every year since the award’s inception. The size of a local does not influence the award outcome. — Aug 27
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Data-center energy demands, recruitment top Ohio Valley agenda The energy demand driven by data centers’ power-supply grab continues to dominate conversations among Boilermakers, contractors and employers in Construction Sector Operations. It was a key topic at the Ohio Valley Tripartite in Lexington, Kentucky, July 16, as participants addressed construction growth and the need for reliable Boilermaker manpower. Attendance at the conference increased by about a third over the previous year. According to Matt Faulkner, Director of Labor Relations for the Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA alone will need to double its energy output. TVA has myriad construction projects in process or in the wings, and they need Boilermakers, pronto. Mike Murphy, a consultant with Murphy Business Solutions, said the energy-demand increase is so pervasive, one could throw a dart toward a map of the U.S. and be guaranteed to hit an area in need of 25%, 50% or more in increased energy output. “Demand growth is increasing, and it’s increasing significantly,” he said. “We know the work that’s coming in the next 10 years. We know that what we did in 60 years building electrification, we are going to need to double in the next 30 years,” Faulkner said. “We’re on the precipice of a changing energy environment.” That’s good news for the energy industry—if there are enough skilled trades workers to man the work needed to achieve it. Faulkner noted that with abundant work and with 71% of people under age 35 showing favor toward unions, the time is ripe for trade union careers. TVA is exploring solutions with all trades. For one, they are pushing for a more aggressive use of apprentices, encouraging contractors to use more apprentices. Faulkner pointed out that TVA has run for too long relying on older journey-level workers. They’re also working on a pilot program with North America's Building Trades Union that will help young adults aging out of America’s foster care system enter apprenticeship programs. And, they’re focusing on retaining workers at TVA by ensuring jobsites are good environments, workers are taken care of on the job and pride is purposefully instilled—so the workers they attract to the job and the career path want to stay. “It’s hard work. We have an opportunity in the generation coming up. We need to explain that the work they perform and that TVA represents is the work their grandparents and great-grandparents did and their family was built on,” he said. “It’s a good honest day’s work.” Faulkner gave credit to the multiple-decades-long relationship between TVA and the Boilermakers for the utility’s success. Brandon Buckle, Site Construction Manager for American Electric Power, also addressed the issue of manpower. He noted that AEP is more engaged with the building trades than ever before. He said talking at Vocational Technical schools about what the trades actually do is vital to recruitment, as is showing students what jobs really look like inside power plants and what these jobs ultimately provide for them in their own homes—lights, heat and air conditioning. His own career path began as a construction sector Boilermaker. “It was the best decision I ever made,” he said. “I got to where I am today because of the Boilermakers. I’d influence any kid to explore that opportunity.” Buckle is working with Enerfab on presentations he can take to Vo-Tech schools and on opportunities to bring students onto plant sites and projects to see firsthand what a contractor does and how they utilize different crafts. He wants students to visualize the future they can have working in the trades. “We’re getting buy-in to bring Vo-Tech kids into power plants, get them out on the 19th floor and show them what the heat feels like in there,” he said. “We want to show them what goes on on a day-to-day basis. The craft is the future.” Mark Wertz, National Coordinator for the Boilermakers National Apprenticeship Program, stressed BNAP’s focus on recruitment. BNAP has updated its curriculum and created short videos breaking down Boilermaker skills. They’ve also set up exhibit booths to put the union Boilermaker career in front of good apprenticeship leads at major events, including the SkillsUSA national competition, FFA’s national convention and the American School Counselors Association’s annual conference. At ASCA, Wertz handed out pennants advertising the Boilermakers union and with a QR code linking to the BNAP program—a pennant high school guidance counselors can display on their walls along with pennants from colleges and universities. IVP-Canada Arnie Stadnick gave an overview of recruitment in Canada, noting that local lodge tactics are key and allow locals to address nuances unique to their areas. He said technology, such as geofencing, is being used at the local lodge and national levels to promote the Boilermaker trade. “Obviously, the theme here is recruitment,” quipped Ohio Valley Tripartite conference organizer and International Rep Dan DeCarlo. Additionally, Nathan Hyrne, Director of ClimateBright US-East for B&W, gave an update on clean energy strategies and the current state of regulations. He said that with the new Environmental Protection Agency killing regulations and the previous administration’s clean energy programs, incentives will be the only industry drivers. B&W has several ClimateBright initiatives in production or on tap, including a BrightLoop Hydrogen production facility in Massillon, Ohio, and projects in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Gillette, Wyoming. International President Timothy Simmons addressed the issue of recruitment, the union’s future and the tripartite concept. “We are committed to working with you,” he said, addressing owners and contractors specifically. “Every job opportunity—every hour a Boilermaker is able to work—that’s somebody out there working to put their kid through college, make a car payment or a mortgage payment. We are truly committed to bettering our craft, to developing new programs and to growing our union. We know there are contractors who would bid more work if they knew we could staff it. “We need to know what you’re seeing so we can better service this industry. If you don’t have work, we don’t have work.” — Aug 27
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Boilermakers help win asbestos-safe working conditions For decades, asbestos was hailed as a miracle material. Cheap, durable and nearly fireproof, it became the go-to insulator for boilers, steam pipes, shipbuilding, cement and power plants. Boilermakers worked with it daily, their hands and lungs exposed to its fine dust, never realizing that the very substance that made their work possible was slowly killing them. They wouldn’t know because asbestos manufacturers hid the truth. But the dangers of asbestos weren’t unknown. As early as the 1920s, researchers suspected that prolonged exposure could be deadly. In 1929, the first workers’ compensation claim was filed against an asbestos manufacturer. Just four years later, Johns-Manville, one of the nation’s largest asbestos producers, secretly settled with 11 employees who had incurable lung disease. That settlement was kept under wraps for nearly half a century while workers continued to inhale toxic fibers. By the 1970s, the truth could no longer be contained. A massive class-action lawsuit in Los Angeles, representing thousands of shipyard workers who had been exposed, claimed 15 manufacturers were suppressing information about asbestos’s dangers. By the ’70s, workers knew firsthand what the science was proving: that breathing in asbestos dust led to devastating illnesses, such as asbestosis, lung cancer, stomach and colon cancers, and the cruel disease of mesothelioma, a fatal cancer of the lung lining tied exclusively to asbestos exposure. The toll was staggering. Between 1940 and 1980, more than 27 million American workers were exposed. For some, cancer appeared where the sweatband of a hard hat had pressed asbestos fibers into their skin. Others developed lung tissue that hardened into something resembling leather, making each breath a struggle. Boilermakers, alongside other unions and health advocates, refused to remain silent. Partnering with researchers at the University of Southern California, they demonstrated that any level of exposure posed a risk. Their persistence helped push the federal government into action. In 1986, OSHA set its first workplace limit on asbestos exposure—0.2 fibers per cubic centimeter of air in an eight-hour shift. Nearly two decades later, the standard was cut to 0.1 fibers. Progress had been made, but only after years of relentless pressure from labor unions, including the Boilermakers. The legal battles were intense. By the early 1980s, Johns-Manville faced more than 16,000 lawsuits and filed for bankruptcy. Trust funds were eventually created to provide some compensation to victims, but court delays meant many died before ever seeing justice. In 1990, Boilermakers out of Local 920 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, helped secure the largest asbestos settlement in federal shipyard history, winning millions for workers. The story of asbestos is a reminder of what happens when corporations put profit before people and how hard workers must fight to protect themselves. Every safeguard in place today exists because unions like the Boilermakers raised their voices, demanded accountability and refused to let the truth stay buried. Even today, labor unions must remain vigilant. Very recent attempts that threatened to walk back asbestos protections were only halted by a loud outcry from worker advocates. As in the past, change comes when working people stand together. — Aug 26