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

Distinguishing BAC from the Rest
November - December 2005

As we look back over the past year and begin to look forward to 2006, it’s important to consider what we’ve done well and what has differentiated our Union and members from the rest. Today, builders, consumers, architects, and developers have more building material options than ever, and more options in terms of the trades they elect to use on their projects. When builders choose hardwood over tile for floors, or glass and steel over masonry for a building exterior – our members and industry lose.

As a result, our Union as a whole, and each member individually, must always make an extra effort to demonstrate to the building community that masonry products installed by BAC members are the best choice for their projects.

At the 2005 Convention, delegates approved a Code of Conduct for our members to ensure that those factors that distinguished BAC members from the rest in the past will continue to do so in the future. Each of us only needs to think of our Union’s acronym – IUBAC – to remember this Code:

• Individuals who come to work prepared to give our employer a fair day’s work for a fair wage, and to work to the highest standards.
• Union through and through – loyal to, and respectful of, our brothers and sisters in the trade and the labor movement.
• Better because we receive the finest, most comprehensive masonry training in North America.
• Accept responsibility for the quality of our work and behavior on the job.
• Committed to growing the unionized masonry industry for current and future generations.

We must always make an extra effort to demonstrate to the building community that masonry products installed by BAC members are the best choice for their projects.

We know that no other building product can match the quality, durability, and natural beauty of masonry materials when installed by skilled, BAC/IMI trained craftworkers. Our goal is to make sure that those outside of our ranks understand this as well. One way we can get the word out is by implementing the Millennium Morning Project’s recommendations and Convention resolutions that relate to fully supporting and using IMI’s market development, promotion and training programs. Another is through the public image we portray on and off the job. When a member arrives on the job ready and able to produce work of the highest quality, and when we stand in solidarity, committed to advancing our Union’s causes and promoting the unionized masonry industry, we send a very visible message to the building community and the public that “BAC” and “quality” are one and the same.

On behalf of the IU Executive Board, we wish all of you a safe and prosperous New Year.

FeedBac

Passing it On

Just as the preservation of our trade relies on the transfer of skill from one generation to the next, our Union’s history, from the perspective of our members, relies on a similar dynamic – handing down BAC-related artifacts and documents from one family member to another.

The International Union appreciates whenever members and their families take the time to honor and remember our past by alerting us to the whereabouts of such keepsakes.

A few months ago, we received an email from Thomas Foss, whose lineage as a member of the Reid family numbers many a bricklayer and BAC member. He offered to send us a copy of the May 1917 edition of the Journal that his family had held onto all these years. We accepted his gracious offer, and have added it to our Union’s archives.

The Reid family’s ties to bricklaying dates back to 18th century Belfast, Ireland, with subsequent generations of Reids carrying on that tradition by becoming BAC members.

We would like to extend a warm thank-you to Thomas Reid Foss and the entire Reid family for their kindness and Union service.

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