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UPDATE!
11/29/04: We regret to inform the
members of the District Council of the death of Jane Byrne,
wife of Marty Byrne (former Local 37 Business Agent and
former longtime Assistant to the General President and Editor of The
IRONWORKER at our International Headquarters). A Mass of
Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, November 30th at 10 AM at
St. Pius V Church on Eaton Street in Providence, RI. All other
aspects of Mrs. Byrne's passing (i.e., wake, burial, etc.) are
private, pursuant to the family's wishes. Please remember the Byrne
family in your thoughts and prayers.
For a list of District Council members who have
recently passed on
JH
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UPDATE!
11/29/04: A letter arrived from
General President Joe Hunt re: the JOHN H. LYONS SR.
SCHOLARSHIP. He is concerned that not all of the members whose
kids are eligible (high school seniors) are taking the time to apply
for this prestigious award.
For more information, or to download a PDF
application
JH
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UPDATE!
11/22/04: Monday's edition of the
BOSTON HERALD carried the thoughts of Local 7 member and US
Congressman Stephen Lynch, relative to the recent election
cycle.
For a Capitol Hill participant's view of the
bigger picture
JH
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UPDATE!
11/17/04:Gary "The Road
Warrior" DeSousa, a well known and
highly regarded Local 7 member, suffered a life-threatening injury
when he fell while working on a Big Dig project in April of 1999.
His long and arduous recovery, which continues to this day, combined
with the unconditional love of his family, was featured in a story
in his hometown newspaper, the Malden Observer, on
November 11th.
To read that story and see a recent photo of
Gary,
JH
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UPDATE!
11/16/04:Lelio ''Les" Marino,
who emigrated from Italy with $30 in his pocket and built one of the
largest construction firms in the entire country, died on November
12th. The owner of Modern Continental, a company that provided an
abundance of work opportunities for our members throughout the
council, was 69 years-old. The Iron Workers District Council of New
England extends our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the Marino
family for their loss.
To read a story that ran about Les and his many
accomplishments in November 13th's edition of
The Boston Globe.
JH
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UPDATE!
11/14/04:When
we back political candidates,
or urge our members to back certain candidates, we do so based on
their voting record and advocacy
on working issues only.
We back candidates whose social philosophies and policies often vary
greatly in relation to each other, with their willingness to support
middle class workers and their families being one of the few areas
in which they may universally agree. One of the most powerful tasks
that certain politicians are endowed with is the ability to appoint
judges at a variety of levels. Why does this matter?
JH
to read a story that ran in November 13's
Boston Globe
about US Airways and their wish to
"...cancel labor contracts with three of its unions so it can move
ahead with its plan to permanently cut costs...to reposition itself
as a low cost carrier...."
Many of our members gloss over these stories each day, figuring that
it has no effect on them. Unfortunately, this issue, as well as the
myriad of other anti-worker, anti-middle-class based issues,
ultimately land in front of a judge. If the people who appoint these
judges are the same politicians who have made it their life's
business to attack workers, workers' rights, and the country's
middle class at every available opportunity, what type of judges do
you think they will appoint? BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER! Good
luck to the US Airways' workers who now find themselves in the
crosshairs of people like US Bankruptcy Judge Stephen Mitchell, who
is presiding over this case. Judge Mitchell has already allowed the
airline to impose 21% pay cuts on workers represented by the
machinists, flight attendants and CWA unions. It should also be
noted that despite the after-effects of 9/11, 2003 proved to be the
busiest year in the history of commercial aviation.
JH
(The lesson here is simple, and this is just the beginning: Sign a
contract when it's in your best interests. If you don't like it
later on, find a sympathetic judge to rule that the contract isn't
worth the paper it's written on. The votes we cast each election
cycle is the most effective way to fight back! As we move forward,
we must be ever-mindful of this fact.)
JH
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