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Local 7 held its annual Boston Harbor cruise to reward the three years of hard work by their graduating apprentices. Shannon Cook (pictured above) topped the ticket as the Apprentice-of-the-Year and deserves our congratulations, as she is a great young (2nd generation - her dad is Larry Cook) iron worker.

To see a large slide show of the Cruise (129 pictures) JH

NOTE: The slide show will change pictures every 10 seconds, or you can click on any picture on the left side to bring it up.

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Local 7 Ironmen Motorcycle Club news and updates...

We heard from Arny Krane with some updates on upcoming runs and some answers to FAQ's (frequently asked questions), such as "Do I have to have a Harley to ride?" For those answers, and more, visit the link below...

To retrieve the pertinent information JH

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We are proud to announce that our brother and friend, LU37 Business Manager Mike Ruggieri, was elected by his peers as the next President of the Rhode Island Building Trades Council. Congratulations to Mike, who has long exemplified what being a true leader is all about within our council with his words and actions.

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During the construction of a Hampton Inn Hotel in Bennington, Vermont, a contractor from Pennsylvania decided not to pay a group of workers for services rendered during the construction process. In jumped NEDC attorney Mickey Long and LU474 BM Pat Long, President Dave Paquette and Industry Analyst Dave Kaczynski; FIore Grassetti of Local 7, and the Vermont Workers Center...

To read a Bennington Banner story about this incident JH

To see pictures of a rally to aid these workers JH

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The training programs of our Council's local unions were once again recognized when Maine Governor John Baldacci appointed Local 496's President/Apprentice Coordinator John Evans to the Maine Job Council's Apprenticeship Committee. Congratulations to John for all his hard work being rewarded.  JH

The Friends of the DiChiaro Family invite you to join them on Friday, June 24, 2005 @ 7 PM Don Orione Madonna Hall 111 Orient Avenue East Boston, MA Buffet - Dancing - Raffles - Prizes - Music

Tony DiChiaro is a well liked and highly respected Local 7 member and apprenticeship instructor who is currently facing a health problem. Friends of Tony have gotten together and are planning a night for him and his family. We hope you can mark your calendar now so you'll be able to participate on Friday, June 24th. If you have any questions, please call the hall @ 617-268-4777. JH

For a MapQuest Map to Don Orione Madonna Hall JH

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We just received word from General President Joe Hunt that out of over 200 applicants for the 2005-2006 John H. Lyons Scholarship, the two above named individuals were each awarded $2,500.00. Congratulations and best of luck to Anthony and Raphael, both of whom previously received scholarships from Local 7 through the Mass AFL-CIO Scholarship Program.  Congratulations are also in order for Mike Scibelli, Danny Guiod and their families, all of whom have a lot to be proud of. JH

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Convention Center's Westin Hotel Tops-Off... "Milk Crate" Dan Morganelli, the former "Sexiest Man in Local 7," is shown signing the topping off beam in this photo that appeared in the BOSTON HERALD today. If you see the sexiest man in your travels, ask him about the milk crate story back in 1989!   JH

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Local 474 had an active meeting last Saturday. They swore in their new officers. They awarded service pins to all present members with 25 or more years of experience. They had a union meeting and they announced the candidacy of LU474 BM Pat Long for Alderman in Ward 3 in Manchester, NH. Despite all these positive things, the most stirring moment was when LU474 member George Treantafel (pictured above right) who has long suffered the ravages of diabetes and is wheelchair bound as a result, gave a stirring speech about the importance of iron workers being provided with health insurance and how horrific it is that so many non-union workers lack this protection.

To see a slide show presentation of the event JH

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For a MapQuest map to the West Haven Funeral Home JH

Large group of Local 37 members get OSHA 500 Training from International staff members...

While the ABC sits idly by, the Iron Workers union continues to train 99.6% of the workers in our industry...here's just another example!

I had a conversation the other day with a highly successful non-union owner. During the course of my trying to convince him of the positive aspects of being affiliated with our organization, the talk got around to training. I was appalled when he asked me if our members "...really did the training," or were they "...just given the (certification) cards?" Anyone affiliated with our council knows the pride we take in legitimate and challenging training to meet today's needs in our industry, not to mention the enormous sums of money we spend to make it happen. Today, I had the opportunity to watch a brief portion of the four-day OSHA 500 Train-the-Trainer session being put on by our International's staff in Providence, RI, and it represents our walking the walk, and not just talking the talk. It should be noted that, upon successful completion of this course tomorrow, all of these participants will be certified to teach OSHA 10 Hour courses. Our thanks go out to every member who took the time to participate and make our council stronger through the acquired knowledge, and to our International for offering this upgrading opportunity.  JH

To see some photos of this training session JH

For a MapQuest map to the Washington Memorial Funeral Home JH

When Local 7 apprentices show up for their first day of work in the field, they have already completed the following courses: OSHA 10 Hour - Sub Part R - Scaffolding Training - Sexual Harassment in the Work Place and First Aid/CPR and Defribrillator Training.

For a look at the OSHA 10 HOUR Class held today JH

Thanks to companies like Aztec Steel, Builders Resource and Weld Design, the Malden YMCA proudly bears the UNION label!

To see a few pictures of Builders' guys in action JH
 

For a MapQuest map to the Alfred Thomas Funeral Home JH

Don't miss this! One of the most entertaining stories about being an iron worker that we've come across in quite a while!

Bobby Banks passed this story on to me this morning. All I could think about was sitting with our new General Treasurer Walt Wise several years ago, when he was DC President in the Mid-Atlantic States and he was aggressively chasing this job. Some extraordinary people make up our membership and if you take the time to read this story, you'll meet a several of them. NOTE: It is a lengthy story as it ran in a Sunday Magazine in the Washington Post. It is well worth your time. JH

To read the story JH

The Boston Children's Museum got the green light from the Boston Redevelopment Authority to build a three-story 22,000-square-foot addition to its existing building along Boston's Fort Point Channel.

To see the entire BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL story JH

Take a peek at The Residences at Kendall Square...

Daniel Marr & Son setting the iron and precast. Ipswich Bay Glass setting windows and curtainwall...

The Residences at Kendall Square is the latest addition to that area's revitalization. This 1.3 million square foot mixed-development is a 24-story building that will contain 321 apartments, a 15,000 square foot health club and 10,000 square feet of retail space. Bovis is the GC and they recently commended the Local 7 members for their exemplary safety practices. On a recent visit to the site, we caught workers from Daniel Marr & Sons and Ipswich Bay Glass in action.

To see a few of these pictures JH

To see more over 50 pictures of the job in progress JH

Update on recent DC retirees and injured or ill members...

To see the list JH

Gary Brown - Local 399 Executive Board member and apprentice instructor and his son, Bob, paid a visit to Local 7 while in Boston recently.

To see a larger view of the picture JH

The HOLYOKE GIANTS are offering free tickets to future games. If you live in the Holyoke area (or want to make the drive) call Ellen Longtin of Ironworkers Local 7 (Springfield office) @ 413-735-1767 to arrange for your tickets.

To visit the Holyoke Giants website JH

For a MapQuest map to the Clancy Funeral Home JH

It was a composite of talented but worried shipyard workers and their families; national and local politicians; tradespeople from a variety of supporting unions; local entrepreneurs who depend on the shipyard workers' revenues; local, regional and national labor leaders and plenty of others who were there to greet the Commission who will make the final decision on this proud, productive and patriotic shipyard. 

ONE THOUGHT: If you think voting for Bush and his cronies was a wise idea, consider this - Of the expected 58,000 lost jobs that will result from these cutbacks at the various bases around the nation, 50%, or 29,000 jobs, are currently slated to be cut in NEW ENGLAND. Isn't it ironic that Bush didn't carry a single New England state. This is the punishment! The sad reality is that this is playing out throughout New England. Oh yeah, Texas's numbers may rise despite the cutbacks...go figure!

To see a slideshow of the rally to SAVE OUR SHIPYARD JH

To see larger photos of these guys JH