Boland, Smith Join Executive Council
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The AFL-CIO Executive Council welcomed two new members at its meeting in Orlando today: Bricklayers (BAC) President James Boland and Bruce Smith, president of the Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers (GMP).
The council also honored retiring council members John Ryan,, John Flynn and UAW Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Bunn.
New council member Boland served as BAC’s secretary-treasurer before taking over from Flynn, who recently retired. In its statement honoring Flynn’s service, the council says;
Organizing heads up Flynn’s legacies to the BAC, but there are many others-stewards training, new member orientation, labor-management craft committees, the National Training Center, health care purchasing coalitions and much more.
Smith joined GMP in 1972 and held various offices until he was elected as secretary-treasurer in 2004. He was sworn in as GMP president in January, taking over for Ryan, who now serves as assistant to the president.
The council statement said one of Ryan’s most important accomplishments is the contracts he helped win for his members.
In 2008 alone, GMP negotiated contracts with three giant glass companies-Owens Illinois, St. Gobain and Anchor Glass-that actually improved on earlier contracts despite overwhelming pressure to make concessions.
Bunn, the highest ranking woman in her union’s history, was honored in the council statement as “a pioneer in the organizing of graduate employees and other white-collar workers.”
Her strategic vision and creativity are credited with helping tens of thousands of people win better lives.
Bunn has been named AFL-CIO Organizing Director.
BAC’s Flynn, AFSCME’s Lucy Announce Retirements
Two major union leaders announced their retirement this week. On Monday, the Bricklayers (BAC) Executive Council elected James Boland as the union’s new president succeeding John Flynn, who retired after more than 10 years. Boland previously served as BAC’s secretary-treasurer.
Yesterday, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer William Lucy announced he will retire, after serving 38 years in that post. His retirement is effective June 25. Delegates to the AFSCME convention on June 28-July 2 in Boston will choose his successor.
National Memorial Dedicated to Fallen Workers
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| On Workers Memorial Day, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka take part in a dedication for a national workers memorial at the National Labor College. |
The names were repeated in a chorus of tragedy. Conrad Johnson, a bus driver killed by a sniper while taking a rest break. Linda Redman, a factory worker who died a slow, painful death from “popcorn lung” disease. An elevator operator killed when an elaveator crushed him on the job. Thirteen coal miners killed by an explosion when they went into a mine to rescue injured co-workers.
Today, on Workers Memorial Day, these and dozens more workers were remembered by their co-workers, family and friends who placed bricks in their memory as part of the groundbreaking ceremonies for the new national workers memorial at the National Labor College (NLC) in Silver Spring, Md.
Hundreds of people who lost a loved one who was killed on the job have sponsored bricks for the memorial, which will be constructed in the center of the NLC campus.
New Job Safety Bill, Workers Memorial Day Events at Labor Dept., Labor College
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Fantastic news from Congress this week as we move closer to commemorating Workers Memorial Day on April 28. A new bill, the Protecting America’s Workers Act (H.R. 2067), introduced yesterday, will strengthen and modernize the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
How great it is to see the strong commitment by the Obama administration and the new Congress to worker safety and health after eight years of neglect and scorn for worker safety by the Bush White House.
This Workers Memorial Day, family members of workers killed on the job will join with safety and health activists in Washington, D.C., to attend two congressional hearings on workplace safety and health and gather for a Workers Memorial Day observance and rally at 8 a.m. on the front steps of the Department of Labor. Later that day, at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Md., we will join with Labor Secretary Hilda Solis for a groundbreaking of a new national workers memorial.
