[ En Español ]

JOHN J. FLYNN President International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers .............................

Our Union’s strength in the past, today, and in the future depends on our members. The founders of our Union recognized this. They were a diverse group of immigrant workers who understood the importance of welcoming all qualified craftworkers into our Union. As our Constitution states:

“No person shall be denied membership on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, age or national origin… No person shall be denied admission to a Local if an individual has demonstrated that individual’s ability to command the negotiated scale of wages…”

Old issues of the Journal and other Union documents reflect BAC’s diverse roots. To ensure that language was not a barrier to staying informed about and participating in the Union, sections of the Journal were printed into other languages, such as German, that were common to the membership. As these early members were absorbed into our Union and learned English, the need for translating publications in more than one language lessened.

Today, the demographics of our industry and our Union are once again changing. New waves of immigrant workers are joining our ranks. And just as our early leaders welcomed our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers and helped them overcome language barriers, we have a moral obligation to do the same for these new members and potential members. We need to make sure that they have access to information so that they have the opportunity to stay informed and involved in Union activities.

Toward that end, we are expanding the availability of articles and other documents in Spanish and French. Our goal is to strengthen our Union, our members, and our industry by representing all skilled masonry workers. Effective communication is key to reaching that goal.

If you have ideas for stories or issues of concern, let us know by emailing us at askbac@bacweb.org or writing to:

International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
Attention: Communications Department
1776 Eye Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006