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

BAC to Basics
Issue 1 - 2006

There are growing signs that working families are getting tired of being attacked for wanting such basics as safe working conditions, decent wages, and benefits. Last fall, in New Jersey and Virginia, union families used their voting strength to elect new governors who understand the connection between a strong middle class and a strong economy. In California, unions and community groups joined forces to stop Governor Schwarzenegger from silencing the political voice of our brothers and sisters who work in the public sector. And across the country, more and more citizens are telling Wal-Mart to either act responsibly towards their employees or stay out of their communities.

In response, big business and their allies in the Bush Administration have renewed efforts to weaken unions and by so doing, workers’ rights. The most recent is a multi-million dollar media campaign blaming unions for all the bankruptcies that have resulted from corporate misdeeds and mismanagement. They have conveniently forgotten that it was corporate leaders at Enron, Tyco and other companies, not unions, that destroyed the financial health of those corporations, as well as millions of workers’ pensions and jobs.

Within the labor movement, there have also been shake-ups with some unions electing to join forces under new banners such as “Change to Win” and the “National Construction Alliance.”

BAC has participated in the victories mentioned earlier, responded to the Bush Administration’s attacks on labor, and closely monitored and weighed the pros and cons of the changes taking place within the labor movement.

On the last item, some of you may have read one of the recent articles in the press stating that we have left or are considering leaving the Building Trades in order to affiliate with the newly formed National Construction Alliance. As of this writing we haven’t made a final decision. What the Executive Board has decided is to align ourselves with those organizations that can help us best represent our members. In fact, delegates to the Convention, aware that changes were taking place, directed the Board to “continue to evaluate all of the issues and opportunities presented by the changes taking place in the labor movement” and authorized us to use our “discretion to affiliate with, or disaffiliate from, any organization for the betterment of the Union.”

For now, your Executive Board remains committed to maintaining the basic rights that generations of our members fought for:

• The right to be treated with respect and dignity in the workplace.
• The right to a fair wage.
• The right to work to live; not live to work.
• The right to retire healthy enough to enjoy the fruits of years of hard work.

These rights sound basic, but sadly, are increasingly under attack. Now is the time for all of us to remember what we stand for and why unions are important to our society. As President John F. Kennedy once said:

“Our labor unions are not narrow, self-seeking groups. They have raised wages, shortened hours, and provided supplemental benefits. Through collective bargaining and grievance procedures, they have brought justice and democracy to the shop floor.”

FeedBAC

Mr. John Flynn,

I am writing to thank you for the opportunity afforded me when I was invited to attend the 2005 Convention [as part of a delegation of apprentices]. I consider it a great honor to have been invited. It was a 100 percent positive experience.
Enjoying Hawaii and its myriad charms is, of course, very easy to do. However, I believe that the best part of the trip is what I got out of the Convention itself. A brief summary is as follows:

1. I met some truly fantastic people. Notably Roland Collins of Local 1 Alabama and Joe Solis of Local 4 California. These two men are archetypical of the fine men and women who make up our Union. They reflect great credit upon their respective Locals and our entire Union.
2. I got a firsthand look at how Union policy is made on the International level. This not only satisfied my natural curiosity, it also enabled me to explain to my Local brothers exactly what happens in the Convention hall, at committee meetings and at the workshops. On the job, I was able to inform, as well as dispel some myths.
3. I saw the full breadth of what IMI does for our trade and us. Taken as a whole, IMI is a staggering force in the construction industry. IMI must be the envy of every other construction union.

In closing, I would again like to express my thanks to you for such a fantastic opportunity.

George Clini
Local 1 Connecticut

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