International Operating Engineer (ISSN 0020-8159) is published by the: International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL-CIO 1125 17 th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 Subscription Terms - per year Change of Address - Requests must be submitted in writing to the IUOE Membership Department (address above). Include your new address, registration and local union number. POSTMASTERS – ATTENTION: Change of address on Form 3579 should be sent to: International Operating Engineer Mailing List Dept. 1125 17th St., NW, 3rd Floor Washington, DC 20036 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40843045 Canada Post: Return undeliverables to P.O. Box 2601, 6915 Dixie Rd, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A9 Printed in the U.S.A. International Union of Operating Engineers AFL-CIO general officers James T. Callahan, General President Brian E. Hickey, General Secretary-Treasurer Jerry Kalmar, First Vice President Russell E. Burns, Second Vice President James M. Sweeney, Third Vice President Robert T. Heenan, Fourth Vice President Daniel J. McGraw, Fifth Vice President Daren Konopaski, Sixth Vice President Michael Gallagher, Seventh Vice President Greg Lalevee, Eighth Vice President Terrance E. McGowan, Ninth Vice President Louis G. Rasetta, Tenth Vice President Mark Maierle, Eleventh Vice President Randy Griffin, Twelfth Vice President Douglas W. Stockwell, Thirteenth Vice President Ronald J. Sikorski, Fourteenth Vice President Got Big News ? from Your Local We want to hear about it. trustees Kuba J. Brown, Chairman Bruce Moffatt, Trustee James T. Kunz, Jr., Trustee Joseph F. Shanahan, Trustee Edward J. Curly, Trustee International Operating Engineer appreciates the stories and photos we receive from local affiliates throughout North America. Send us your submissions or ideas for stories you would like us to consider. Send your submissions, plus photos (digital images are preferred), to Jay Lederer at jlederer@iuoe.org, or mail 1125 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20036 From the General President Facts Trump Fiction Everytime Don’t be distracted by Donald’s three-ring circus IT’S BEEN SAID that just because you don’t take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you. This is absolutely true for the members of this union and the millions of other working families in this country. In a few short months, someone new will occupy the most powerful position in our democracy and we all have a stake in the outcome. That is why I feel so strongly that the men and women of the Operating Engineers must play an active role in this election. The stakes couldn’t be higher. We have been fighting against the rollback of our collective bargaining rights and the repeal of prevailing wages in the states and in Congress for many years now. Some of these fights have made their way into the courts and will likely be decided by the Supreme Court. At the same time, the National Labor Relations Board has been working diligently to level the playing field between workers and employers after years of one-sided decisions that put working people at a disadvantage. Many of these decisions may also find their way into the courts or be overturned by a new administration. That is why Senate Republicans have made it clear that they will do anything— mainly by not doing their jobs— to block any new judges from being named to the court. They know that having the power to appoint federal judges and Supreme Court justices is one of the most powerful tools a President possesses. And the decisions those judges make can last for generations— greatly affecting our rights on the job, our wages and benefits, and our retirement security. The power to appoint judges that have so much influence over our rights is only one consideration for evaluating Presidential candidates, but it’s a big one. The next President will probably appoint two, maybe three new Supreme Court justices. Clearly, the Senate Republicans are betting on Donald Trump. They know that Trump will appoint extreme conservatives who will side with big business over the interests of unionized workers. With Trump, they will continue their assault on working people and union rights, move forward with a national Right-to-Work law and repeal Davis-Bacon prevailing wages. The circus that is Trump’s campaign this year has been quite a show so far—noisy, rowdy, full of comedy and tragedy— but mostly mindless entertainment. And like any circus parade, after the elephants have passed by, all that’s left is a big mess. Trump claims to be on the side of blue-collar workers. That he’s the only one who can create jobs and make the middle-class strong. That he knows how “to build things.” But what the former “reality TV” star fails to mention is the actual reality behind his bogus claims and empty promises. On being a so-called friend to the working class, the truth is that he fights unions and tries to stop workers from organizing. Workers at his Las Vegas hotel voted to join a union despite Trump’s company spending over 0,000 on union-busters. When Trump visits a “Right-to- Work” state, he tells audiences that he “loves the right-to-work” and that, “my position on right-to-work is 100 percent.” When he holds a press conference at the site of his new hotel in D.C., he trots out a non-union laborer, who is not being paid the prevailing wage, as a prop to claim his solidarity with workers. And what about those buildings [James T. Callahan] with “Trump” on the side of them? When he was developing condos and hotels in New York and Atlantic City in the ’80’s, we were on the job. Because our market share in those areas is so strong, he had no choice. But what about when Trump has a choice? A report by the IBEW found that for every union-built development outside of New York and Atlantic City, Trump built nearly two non-union. If there is no PLA, Trump hires union workers once for every four projects that go non-union. Our choice this year is very clear. In Hillary Clinton, we have a proven champion for Operating Engineers and working families. She is a strong supporter of the labor movement and understands how important unions are in building a strong middle class in America. Hillary has stood with us on prevailing wage, collective bargaining and project labor agreements. She has a plan to invest heavily on infrastructure and has made it a priority for her first 100 days in office. So let’s not get distracted by the sights and sounds of the three-ring circus. Let’s stay focused on what’s best for Operating Engineers and our families. Let’s turn out, work on behalf of pro-labor candidates and then cast our vote. Have a great summer and work safe. 4 INTERNATIONAL OPERATING ENGINEER SUMMER 2016 5
