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Pete Niederauer, Joe Stivale, Darby Dent and John Menville
Pictured below are Billy "Blackjack Wallace" and Guy "Geezer" Cerbone.
The outing would not be the same without them.
I received the following picture from Brothers John Doryk and Bernard McLaughlin who were working on the North Pier of Jersey City.
We will always remember.
Safety: In October, a scaffold collapsed killing five construction workers and injuring four others. Manslaughter and assault charges were filed against the employer, Tri State Scaffold. The workers were $7.00 cash per hour day laborers. With over 7 million work sites and only 2,324 OSHA inspectors we have to be the eyes on the street. This is another example of a rat contractor, not only taking advantage of the workers, but all of us as well. How hard it is to figure out that no taxes, unemployment insurance or workers compensation is being paid by these types of employers? In the end we are the ones who pay.
Politics: In October, we lost a good friend to labor, Senator Paul Wellstone (D-Minn), chairman of the subcommittee on employment, safety and training. Before his death, Senator Wellstone, along with Senator Kennedy requested the General Accounting Office to conduct a study of how many workers had the legal right to organize and collectively bargain with their employer. I was surprised to learn that there is a minimum amount of $50,000 of sales volume in order to come under the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board. I was also surprised to learn that over 80,000 construction workers do not qualify for the legal right to organize. Both Senators believe that all Americans should have the right to organize and bargain collectively. Hopefully, Senator Kennedy will find an ally with the same values as Paul Wellstone.
Organizing: The subject that can not get enough attention. I am not sure how many elevators are in our area, but it is well over 100,000 units. There are over 65,000 units in the five Boroughs of New York alone. When things slow down the non-union shop will be taking pay cuts and taking our jobs. I hear people say, they can't do our job, or they will never get the big jobs. That's what they said 50 years ago when the IBEW E.E. division started. They grew to a size as large as us. If it were not for cooperate mergers, they would have continued to grow instead of cutting their numbers in half. If we wait to make this a number one priority it will become almost impossible to turn it around. By the time the politicians get through, we'll be lucky if it's legal to organize. Are we working on the problem, yes. Are we doing enough, not nearly.
Retirees Corner: I received the following picture from retired Brother Gerry Matawan. Pictured are Gerry and Retired Brother Frank O'Conner, who is now a full time resident of Tralee, County Kerry. Gerry was in a local pub to celebrate the marriage of his niece Marisa Spellman to David Mannion.
Sick: Brother Charlie Wilson was injured while working on a modernization job. Keep Charlie and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Local One extends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the following departed Brothers: Fred Engels (retired), Einar Gregoriussi (retired) and George Lucia (retired).
Quote of the Month: Do you know the difference between education and experience? Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't. - Pete Seeger
Fraternally,
Mike Duffy
Posted Online November 6, 2002
