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ISO Conference set for July in Las Vegas Local lodges planning to send representatives to the 2025 Industrial Sector Operations Conference in Las Vegas have until June 13 to register for the event and for hotel rooms at the group negotiated rate. The conference is set for July 30 to Aug. 1 at Caesars Palace and will include plenary sessions, workshops, industry caucuses, special training sessions and an exhibit area. Registration for the conference must be made online at boilermakers.org/iso2025. Each person attending the conference must complete an individual registration. A link to the group hotel reservation is provided on the conference website as well, but hotel rooms can also be reserved in the Boilermakers’ room block by calling 1-866-277-5944 and using reference “2025 Industrial Sector Operations (ISO) Conference,” group code SCISO5. IBB requests that hotel reservations in this block be limited to one reservation per delegate, to ensure all delegates have an opportunity to book at the special rate. Local lodges are responsible for all transportation, hotel and per-diem expenses incurred by their conference representatives. All Industrial Sector local lodges and Construction Sector lodges representing members in the Industrial Sector are expected to send at least one representative to the conference unless financial constraints make it impractical. Agenda details will be added to the conference website as break-out topics, instructors and featured speakers are confirmed. Tentative session topics include local lodge representation, external and internal organizing, bookkeeping, pension, safety, legislative issues and industry-specific topics. Hotel Reservations Click here ISO Conference Registration Click here — Mar 27
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MOST Programs hosts project management training Boilermakers from nine United States local lodges met in Kansas City, Missouri, in early February along with instructors and staff for a weeklong project management training sponsored by MOST Programs. The project management class teaches Boilermakers how to conduct construction projects, make decisions that positively impact project goals and provide an overall benefit to the owner, contractor and union. Read about Jess Mendenhall, the second woman to complete the MOST Project Management Course. Read — Mar 27
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Powers leads new compliance and training initiatives International President Tim Simmons has named Gary Powers as Director of Compliance and Training. The new role is part of measures to ensure U.S. International Reps and local lodges have the information and support they need to properly conduct local lodge business in compliance with the Office of Labor-Management Standards recordkeeping and reporting requirements, the Boilermakers’ Constitution and general best practices. “The purpose was to create a department that works directly with local lodges in compliance with government reporting and International bylaws and provide training, guidance and tools so lodge leaders and those who support them can fulfill their duties,” Powers said. Through the new Compliance and Training Department, IBB has hosted several training sessions for International Reps and lodge leaders. The sessions, which have taken place at IBB headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri, the Great Lakes and Southeast Sections and online, have been conducted by Dr. John Lund, professor emeritus of the University of Wisconsin School for Workers, former Director of the Office of Labor-Management Standards for the U.S. Department of Labor and author of “Auditing Local Union Financial Records: A Guide for Local Union Trustees”. “The OLMS training was eye opening and game changing for me. I was glued to the screen,” said Scott Widdicombe, BM-ST for Local 242 (Spokane, Washington), who attended a virtual session. “There are things I just didn’t know I should be doing or shouldn’t be doing.” In the past, much information on how to conduct lodge business was passed down from lodge leader to lodge leader; and sometimes, the information was incorrect. That, said Powers, has been a problem. With no formal training, lodge leaders only learned how their predecessors' handled things, for good or bad. “There’s a lot I wasn’t aware of, because no one ever told me, and I don’t know any different if no one tells me,” Widdicombe said. He said he's grateful for the training and plans to attend any time it’s offered, and he added that L-242’s office assistant attended the session with him—something he and Powers recommend to other lodges. “We recommend lodges have their clerical staff participate as well, because they’re going to be helping fulfill duties,” Powers said. “They’re often the ones handling the day-to-day. It’s important they know proper record keeping, how to handle credit cards, etc.” In addition to the compliance training sessions with Lund, Powers and staff from IBB’s Auditing Department are conducting in-person audits at local lodges. The audits are an overall look at how locals operate. The auditors examine finances, meeting minutes, union meeting practices and more, as well as compare lodge bylaws with the Boilermakers Constitution. “This is not meant to be authoritarian,” Powers said, noting the audits—and their findings—have been overwhelmingly met with gratitude from lodge leaders like Widdicombe. “We’ve had nothing but good feedback. It’s a chance to work with local lodge leaders, take a closer look at locals’ financial records and see where they can improve processes or put new policies in place to better manage in a positive way.” When the audits are complete, a report is provided to the local lodge recommending possible improvements to practices. When the team finds something egregious, they strongly recommend changes. The team also provides tools to help make lodge leadership and compliance a little easier and more consistent, and Powers has plans for templates to make financial record-keeping reporting consistent for everyone. “Our job is to keep everyone complying with the law and our Constitution and following best practices. Our job is to help locals,” said Powers. “Everyone’s been very open to this. They’re not pushing back, and most say they wish we’d had this when they first became lodge leaders.” Widdicombe agreed: “I thought I was doing everything right, and now I know what I have to do and what I can’t do. I look at my local and what I’m doing now in a different light. I’m more aware now, and I’m looking at everything.” — Mar 27
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CSX Corporation announces agreement with the Boilermakers CSX Corporation announced they’ve reached a tentative five-year collective bargaining agreement with the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. The agreement, which covers 59 union members at CSX, is subject to ratification. CSX has already ratified agreements with 11 labor unions, covering 14 work groups and representing 47% of its unionized employees. These agreements provide improvements in wages, healthcare and paid time off. The company said it remains committed to reaching similar agreements with other unions. — Mar 26
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Urgent: Boilermaker action needed to defeat anti-union bill The Boilermakers union is calling on all Boilermakers, especially those who live or work in Mississippi, to help defeat an anti-union bill. In its current iteration, Mississippi SB 2849 would deny funding to businesses that voluntarily recognize unions. Known as the "anti-voluntary recognition bill," SB 2849 is now in a joint conference committee. S.B. 2849 would ban any businesses receiving state funding from voluntarily recognizing a union that has demonstrated majority support in their workplace. A union contract with good wages and quality benefits provides families in Mississippi with a pathway to the middle class, but lawmakers are trying to make it more difficult for working people to achieve this. This legislation strips workers of essential freedoms, takes away the rights of Mississippi business owners to make their own workforce decisions, and violates federal labor law. To ensure that harmful labor provisions are not passed in the state, the Mississippi State AFL-CIO urges union members and allies to contact conference committee members immediately and urge them to defeat the bill entirely or to support a House-amended version. The Senate initially passed SB 2849 with language that barred companies receiving state funds from agreeing to neutrality or card check with labor unions, but the House removed this language. The Senate rejected those changes, and now a six-member conference committee will decide the bill’s final version. Take a moment to call the following legislators ask them to vote to defeat SB 2849 in committee or keep the House-amended version: Senate Conferees: Sen. Robin Robinson (Forrest) – (601) 359-2220 Sen. Brice Wiggins (Pascagoula) – (601) 359-3237 Sen. Chris Johnson (Forrest) – (601) 359-2220 House Conferees: Rep. Lee Yancey (Rankin) – (601) 359-4000 Rep. Billy Calvert (Meridian) – (601) 490-0652 Rep. Trey Lamar (Lafayette) – (601) 359-3343 Please share this message especially with your contacts who live or work in Mississippi. — Mar 26