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Our work begins now As I look back on the 35th Consolidated Convention, I’m filled with hope for the future. The Convention gave us an opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been and look at the challenges we have overcome. But even more, it gave us the opportunity to decide where we are going. When I stood before our delegates, I spoke about a vision for this Brotherhood—a union united in purpose with expanding opportunities for every member. I see our union preparing the next generation of Boilermakers for the next generation of work. That vision did not end when the Convention adjourned. The Convention’s theme—United in Purpose, Unstoppable in Progress—encapsulates my vision for this union. We’ve spent the past two years rebuilding and strengthening this organization. We have invested in organizing, recruiting and training. We’re working to rebuild relationships with our allies in the labor movement. We’ve also expanded our legislative efforts to ensure the Boilermakers have a voice whenever decisions affecting our work are being made. We’ve modernized the way we organize and recruit, making it easier for workers to become Boilermakers. We put organizers in the field and recruiters to work, helping us meet the growing demand for skilled craftsmen and women. Those efforts are producing results. But we don’t look at those accomplishments and say that our work is done. No, it’s quite the opposite. The future of this Brotherhood will be determined by what we do next. There are nonunion workers who earn poverty wages and lack the benefits and security that come from having union representation. They are the Boilermakers of tomorrow. And make no mistake, we have an obligation to reach them. We have a responsibility to lift the working class out of the prison of low wages and unsafe working conditions. Remember—before you joined the union, someone showed you the way. That means every one of us has a role in organizing and recruiting. Talk to a young person you know and explain the benefits of working in a union trade. Show a worker who has never experienced union solidarity what that means in practical terms. Make sure the next generation understands that being a Boilermaker is more than having a job. It means they’re not out there fighting the boss alone. We also must prepare for the work ahead. The industries we serve are changing. New manufacturing facilities, power projects, energy infrastructure, data centers and other major projects are creating opportunities. But opportunities do not automatically become Boilermaker work. We must be at the table, protecting our jurisdiction while building relationships. We need to be loud and proud, reminding employers that when they need skilled craftsmen and women, Boilermakers are the answer. That requires continued investment in training. We need to make sure our apprentices have the skills they need today while preparing them for the work of tomorrow. Because our greatest asset has never been a building, a bank or a piece of equipment. The union’s greatest assets are the skilled men and women working in shipbuilding, railroads, cement plants, manufacturing and field construction. Without you, we perish. When we were at Convention, we were one Brotherhood. And that can’t change now that we’re home. What happens in the years ahead will not be determined by what one person does at International Headquarters. It will not be determined by what one local does or what one area accomplishes. It will be determined by what all of us do together. We must be committed to training, protecting our work and supporting our local lodges. The generations before us built this Brotherhood one job at a time, one apprentice at a time and one local at a time. They sacrificed so that we could have good jobs, support our families and retire with dignity. Now it is our turn. Convention has given us the direction, mandate and opportunity to sow a bright future for the generations to come. Our best days are not behind us; they’re ahead of us. Now let's get to work. — Oct 1
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L-454 Boilermakers back proposed Project River campus A massive new energy campus proposed for Cleveland and Bradley County, Tennessee, could bring billions of dollars in investments and thousands of construction jobs to the area. Project River is an $11.3 billion industrial energy campus that would include a natural gas plant and a biomass plant that would potentially provide power to a data center, robotics development, battery production or any energy-intensive industry. The 850-acre development along the Hiwassee River will take an estimated 60 months to build and create 900 permanent jobs. Because this is Boilermaker work, members from Local 454 (Chattanooga, Tennessee) came out in support of the project at a Project River public information meeting on Saturday, Sept. 12, at PIE Innovation Center in Cleveland. Local 454 BM-ST Lee Lunsford spoke at the meeting and to the press in favor of the new power plant and potential data center project. He spoke with News 9 WTVC (ABC), News 12 WDEF (CBS affiliate), and the Cleveland Banner. “If this moves forward, the jobs that come with it matter as much as the investment,” said Lunsford. “Skilled, certified, local craft, or whoever comes in cheapest from out of state. That part isn't decided by the market. It gets decided early, by the people at this table and the people at the top of this project.” “Our members go through a four-year apprenticeship before they ever work unsupervised. That's not just about wages. It's about a plant that gets built right, inspected right, and runs safe for 40 years next to this community.” The project can’t move forward without approval for annexation and land use. — Sep 16
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Ohio Valley discussion focuses on data center power push As the 2026 Ohio Valley Tripartite Conference met Aug. 11-12 in Lexington, Kentucky, the area’s fast-growing need for amped up energy production prompted some familiar discussion: Data centers are expanding rapidly across America, and each one requires an incredible amount of power to run, which puts more strain on already thinly stretched grids. Many plans to retire reliable fossil power generation, such as coal, have halted, and there’s an increased demand for new power generation sources, including nuclear and gas, to be built or retrofit. It all needs to be constructed or maintained by a skilled and trained workforce—and a lot of that work is Boilermaker work. “You can’t wake up these days and not hear about data centers,” said Mike Dorsey, Chief Operating Officer, The Association of Union Constructors & National Maintenance Agreements Policy Committee. Dorsey said he describes this as an “era of mega jobs,” and he defined a mega job as a project that’s over $1 billion in project value. He said 20 years ago, there were few jobs like that. When there was a $1 billion job, it was major news. “Now, across the country, we’re tracking 150 different $1 billion-plus jobs,” he said. “What does that mean for manpower in my mind? I’ve started using the phrase ‘unprecedented labor demand.’ I’ve stopped using ‘manpower shortage.’” International Rep and conference organizer Dan DeCarlo knows recruitment is the key to enable Boilermakers to perform this workload. “It’s going to take all three tripartite partners to accomplish finding enough people. International President Simmons was correct in his statement that all local lodges need to double or triple their membership in the next five years,” he said. “The Ohio Valley Tripartite Conference was not only the first of its kind but a true tripartite effort. Multiple owners and contractors have offered to assist us any way they can to recruit and thus ensure success for all partners.” Chad Southall, Tennessee Valley Authority Manager Project Agreements, said the Boilermakers union was the only trade that participated with TVA at a local event promoting a career in the trades. He estimated between 700-800 students attended the event and ranged from middle school age to recent high school graduates. “If we don’t utilize the resources and grow the workforce, it’s going to be a problem,” he said. “We need to adapt with each other on how to make this successful.” TVA mandates 33% apprentice utilization on jobsites, so taking advantage of recruitment opportunities is especially critical. Mike Tussey, Construction Manager at American Electric Power, echoed the importance of attracting the next skilled and trained workforce into apprenticeship, and he added another layer of concern: training leaders, such as superintendents, among the current workforce. “The market is being depleted of leadership,” he said. “I’ve had contractors say they weren’t interested in bidding work, because they didn’t feel like they had the management team to support that work.” While Tussey acknowledged it’s easy to continue utilizing the veteran tried-and-true leaders to run jobs, he encouraged everyone in the building trades to look for opportunities to train new people, develop their leadership skills and prepare them to replace those who are retiring. “We’re looking for innovation and skilled craftspeople,” he said. “There’s going to be a plethora of work opportunities between 2027 and 2032.” While he could not disclose the number of megawatts AEP plans to build in those five years, most of which will be gas plants, “Suffice it to say, it’s going to be enough to keep every Boilermaker we can find working.” He said AEP plans to continue maintaining its existing coal-fired units and is investing millions of dollars to keep them running. Many of them are in West Viriginia. “You need that reliable coal generation,” said Nathan Hyrne, Director of Business Development at Enerfab. “There’s still a benefit to owners to maintain those existing coal assets for the long term. Across the fleet, owners are trying to not only build new gas generation but maintain the coal fleet and start investing in the future of nuclear programs.” Hyrne said gas continues to increase in demand and more nuclear is in the future, as small modular reactors could become viable with additional testing. For now, owners are building combined cycle gas across the board and nuclear retrofits and rebuilds are a top priority. John Larson, Director of Public Policy and Economic Development for Dominion Energy, said Dominion also would not be retiring any coal-fired assets in the near term. “We just can’t afford to do it. We have to have that capacity available and online,” he said. Dominion is planning nearly $55 billion in investment over the next five years in combined cycle, simple cycle and transmission projects. They’re also renewing licenses at their existing nuclear facilities. “There’s a tremendous amount of work that’s going to be coming about, both at our Surry and North Anna Power Station as we look at that,” Larson said. “It’s going to be a massive, massive infrastructure increase but we can spend about $5 billion on each of those sites and basically have units that can run for another 60 years.” Far more cost and time effective, he explained, than building new. Data centers, he said, are the biggest demand driver for increased power generation. He pointed out that data storage has skyrocketed 700% since the COVID-19 pandemic. Data centers will continue to expand. “We need every single kilowatt we can get; not just every megawatt,” he said. — Sep 11
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Labor Day highlights the power of unified workers When thousands of workers marched together in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882, they sent a message that still resonates today: organized workers have power. This Labor Day, we’re celebrating that power by looking at recent Boilermaker organizing victories and the workers who stood together to win them. In a notoriously anti-union and right-to-work state, workers at Ash Grove Cement in Midlothian, Texas, voted in favor of joining the Boilermakers. With a landslide victory, workers at Trojan Battery in Sandersville, Georgia, won with an 89-23 vote to join the Boilermakers. Only three months after a formal organizing campaign, workers at General Dynamics NASSCO in Bremerton, Washington, voted to join the Boilermakers. The state of Wyoming had not had a union election or a union win in the last 15 years, until workers at Mountain Cement Company in Laramie, Wyoming, stood together and won with a 63% vote. Despite four previous failed union drives at the facility—none of them Boilermakers’ attempts—the workers at Dometic in Litchfield, Illinois, stood together and won with a 55-43 vote. Union laborers fought and died for the right to organize the nonunion into a better way of life. This Labor Day, we honor their memories through organizing. If you know a workplace that isn't organized yet, the Organizing Our Future Incentive Program rewards Boilermakers and local lodges for identifying workplaces that are ripe ground for organizing campaigns. For more information on the program, visit www.joinibb.com/incentive-program. — Sep 7
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Chuck Hancock elected Northeast International Vice President On Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, the International Executive Council of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers unanimously elected Charles “Chuck” Hancock to the position of International Vice President of the Northeast region. The position was left vacant after the unexpected passing of IVP John T. Fultz, who served tirelessly in advancing the goals and opportunities of union Boilermakers. Hancock is a lifelong Boilermaker with a career that’s spanned over three decades, demonstrating his dedication to the craft and community of the Boilermakers. Since starting as a Boilermaker in 1991, he’s worked numerous industrial construction sites and nuclear plants across the United States. That extensive field experience has given him a firsthand understanding of both the challenges and rewards Boilermakers face on the job. Hancock’s commitment to the Brotherhood led him to leadership roles within Boilermakers Local 29 (Boston, Massachusetts). He was elected Business Manager, L-29 in 2014, after serving as its President since 2008. Prior to being elected to International Vice President - Northeast, he served as International Representative - Construction Sector Operations and M.O.R.E. Work Council Coordinator since 2025. “Brother Hancock has demonstrated his commitment to the union throughout his three decades in the Boilermakers. We look forward to working with him as he continues his service to the membership,” said International President Timothy Simmons. — Sep 4