Thought-Provoking Speakers Kick Off Convention
BAC President John J. Flynn’s keynote address set the tone for the opening day of the Convention by stressing the Union’s future-oriented strategies. This emphasis was echoed by the guest speakers who followed on subjects ranging from innovation in sustainable architecture to organizing to political action.
 |
| World renowned architect William McDonough describes his “Cradle to Cradle” approach to design and building. |
In his remarks, President Flynn underscored the Convention’s theme, “A Heritage of Independence, A Future of Innovation.” Acknowledging the Union’s proud traditions, he praised BAC as “A union that’s not afraid to respond to changes in the industry, the economy, and the labor movement.
“When others have thrown in the towel or taken an easy path instead of the right path,” Flynn said, “our members and leaders have stepped back and developed new, innovative solutions. When other unions have lost sight of what the labor movement is all about, our Union’s leaders have remained unified and focused on the needs of our members. That’s why we proudly lay claim to the title of oldest continuous Union in North America.”
Flynn, as well as the guest speakers, singled out the Millennium Morning Project as an example of BAC’s forward-looking approach. The Union and its Locals are now positioned “to respond positively to change, create new opportunities for our members, attract the best craftworkers of the future, and ensure that our members – the most skilled craftworkers in the construction industry – play an even greater role in the building of North America today and in the future,” said Flynn.
William McDonough, a world-renowned architect and designer and revolutionary thinker on environmental sustainability, addressed the Convention. His new approach, “Cradle to Cradle” – the opposite of “cradle to grave” – completely eliminates waste by ensuring that every material used in a structure or product either returns safely to the earth as a “biological nutrient” or is reused in other buildings or products as a “technical nutrient.”
McDonough embraced masonry as central to his philosophy, noting, “I decided before I became an architect that I better learn how to lay brick before I tell someone else how to do it.” He praised BAC’s initiatives to promote new environmentally friendly masonry materials, and applauded the Union’s leadership role in encouraging their use, saying, “It is fundamental, it is necessary, it is desired, and hopefully it will become very profitable for you.”
 |
| U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) fires up the BAC Convention. |
Delegates also heard a rousing speech from longtime BAC ally, Representative Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii). Calling himself a “proud labor Democrat,” Abercrombie encouraged BAC members to help elect a pro-working family Congress in 2006.
Abercrombie blasted the Bush administration for suspending Davis-Bacon prevailing wage protections in the post-Hurricane Katrina reconstruction. “It is unconscionable that the President of the United States can drive wages down in the midst of the worst disaster that has ever happened in this country ... If they drive the wages down, the difference between the Davis-Bacon wage and the minimum wage is going into the pocket of the contractor.”
Abercrombie was interrupted many times by applause. At the end of his speech, President Flynn made him an honorary BAC member.
: Thanks to the efforts by BAC members, Local officers, the IU, along with other building trades and fair-minded members of Congress, the Bush Administration reinstated Davis-Bacon on October 26, 2005.
|