News

PUTTING UNION IRONWORKERS BACK TO WORK
A joint message from Ironworkers Locals 40 & 361 and The Steel Institute of New York

Dear Colleagues, Brothers and Sisters,
Unemployment today among unionized Ironworkers is unusually high.  Today, we face the most critical threat in our history and we do not know what the future will bring.  Why?
1)    This economic crisis has permanently changed the cost structure of what It takes to build  in New York City
•    If the economy turned around today, many of the projects with building permits that are stalled are held by Non-Union Contractors
2)    Non-Union contractors are building the projects we used to build
•    Over the past few years, numerous projects built 10 stories or more were built by Non-Union Contractors
As Union Contractors and members of the Iron Worker locals we must now ask ourselves:
How Do We Reverse This Situation?

This challenge is real!  These are the facts!  This is no idle threat.
We can win this fight—IF AND ONLY IF—union contractors and the local unions work together and share in the sacrifices that need to be made to save what we have worked for our whole lives—and to defeat our non-union competition.
Join us for a critical meeting about our future on THURSDAY OCTOBER 14TH 2010 

We are pleased to invite you to participate in a Special Meeting to discuss ways to preserve our market share and expand our work opportunities. Our speaker will be Mark Breslin who has spoken to tens of thousands of unionized Iron Workers across the United States as well as numerous General Presidents, including General President Hunt, about these issues.
 
Please come on THURSDAY October 14th 2010 at Manhattan Center Studios located 311 West 34th Street between 8th & 9th Avenues at 5:00 p.m.  Refreshments will be served.

We want to thank you for your skill, dedication and commitment to the unionized construction industry.  With this crisis we have a unique opportunity.  If we are willing to make the difficult changes needed to defeat our non-union competitors, we will create more union jobs.
Richard O’Kane   Robert Walsh            William Shuzman
Local 361              Local 40            The Steel  Institute of NY