FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brennan Gamwell, Communications Specialist, (800) 545-4921
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Aug. 15, 2011, local union delegates elected by rank-and-file members from across the United States and Canada will arrive at the Iron Worker Convention in Chicago, Ill., to evaluate their union’s progress, voice their opinions, vote on resolutions and map out their next five years. The Iron Workers International Union has spent the last five years investing in state-of-the-art training centers and programs, raising accountability through Key Performance Indicators, ensuring transparency for their members and preparing to reap the opportunities of an economic recovery.
“It is common knowledge that our members are the best trained, hardest-working, and highly skilled workers in our industry,” said Eric Dean, general secretary of the Iron Workers Union. “Besides, there is no better way to engage the general public than by sharing our accomplishments and our support of the communities where we live and work. Many of these people are unaware that, each year, we invest $50 million in training. We don’t offer young men and women a job—we offer them a proud and honorable career choice.”
The convention is a chance for the elected delegates to help determine, through a democratic process, policy and procedures that govern the 125,000 Union Ironworkers throughout the United States and Canada. Agenda items will focus on doubling the Union Ironworkers’ market share, eliminating job-site fatalities and expanding transparency through membership engagement utilizing a new website with feeds from Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Flickr as a means to listen, interact and engage rank-and-file members.
“It is an immense honor to serve as the general president of this great union as we consider ideas on how to best serve our members, our contractor partners, and enhance our presence in meeting the ever-evolving demands of the construction industry,” said Walter W. Wise, general president of the Iron Workers International Union. “It is the Ironworkers’ professionalism and work ethic that is needed to rebuild the infrastructure of North America to meet the demands of its citizens. And we will deliver.”
About the Iron Workers International: The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers (IABSO&RIW) was founded in 1896 in Pittsburgh, Penn. They now represent more than 125,000 Ironworkers throughout the United States and Canada. The IABSO&RIW’s mission is to improve the working conditions of its members while promoting constructive relationships with their employers to increase work opportunities.
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