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Recently elected to his position as business manager, Dodson acknowledged both the membership and his predecessor for this national achievement. “This award is a celebration of all the training our entire membership has done over the past year. I stand here today because of their commitment to our craft and the foresight of our former business manager Casey Tibbs, and our office manager, Berdi McCabe, who made that training available.”

The Charles W. Jones Award honors the local lodge demonstrating the highest use of specified MOST programs during the preceding year. According to MOST Administrator Dale “Skipper” Branscum, the award “encourages participation in the MOST programs, actively educating Boilermaker members to continue achieving the highest levels of safety, leadership and training in the industry.”

Award recipients lead the nation in percentage of members participating in eight of the 17 MOST programs: The Boilermaker Code, OSHA 10/30 Program, Common Arc Program, Substance Abuse Program, Scaffolding Program, Steel Erection Program, Rigging Program, and Leadership Program.

The award is named after the late Boilermakers’ International President Emeritus, Charles W. Jones, who led the effort to establish the national MOST labor-management trust fund in 1989. In addition to the recognition, the winning local receives a cast silicon bronze statue depicting a 1930s-era Boilermaker holding a rivet gun.

Chartered in 1998, Local 4 represents approximately 400 members covering all of Utah and portions of New Mexico, Idaho and Wyoming. Local 4 is the seventh Boilermaker lodge to receive the award and recognition. For a listing of previous winners, please visit our Award information page.

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Information that was previously accessible via the IVR — including the Employee Verification System (800-432-5765) and MOST Jobline (800-522-6678) — remains available via MOSTPrograms.com.  The current use of username, password or PIN will provide access to the information online.  For information, read more here.

Should you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the MOST office at 1-800-395-1089.

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The Boilermaker Code is the newest program of the MOST trust and is aimed at educating and inspiring members to work with absolute professionalism on every project. The program stresses the importance of “living the Code” to build trust and earn opportunities for more work.

MOST Code trainers Ernie Dorsey and Steve Speed presented the class, which includes 10 teaching modules that incorporate video interviews and situational re-creations of unprofessional behavior. MOST Representative Jay Brophy provided technical support.

Jacob Evenson, L-627 BM-ST, said he was pleased with member participation and noted that owners and contractors also sat in on the class. “We had plant managers from Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) and Arizona Public Service (APS) as well as representatives from several contractor companies,” he said. “They interacted very well with our members and brought their own perspectives and insights, which are important for our members to hear. Our members also shared their own experiences and viewpoints.”

Local 627 members attending the class included Daniel Anaya, Allison Beyale, Fred Canyon, Ashley Cly, Vernon Davis, Ike Dugi, Darrell Goldtooth, Edison Gordo, Lynn Harris, Anthony Harrison, Lester Henry, Ben Joey, Daniel John, Delbert John, Filbert King, Monty Kinlicheenie, Craig Lane, Philbert Laughter, Ames Meyers, Melvin Mike, Preston Mitchell, James Presley, Ray Rentz, Karlyn Smallcanyon, Chanell Thompson, Vanson Tapaha, Aaron White, Aaron Wood and Stanley Young. Local 4 members attending included Ray John, Trina Salazar, Garrison Smith, Lorinda Smith and Virginia Tsinnijinnie.

Also attending were Tom Fallgren, PNM plant manager, San Juan generating station; Tom Livingston, APS plant manager, Four Corners generating station; Chicago Bridge & Iron (CB&I) representatives David Bittner, director of operations, APS fossil fleet; Steve Skidd, director of business development; Charlie Hughart, site manager Four Corners generating station; and from Babcock & Wilcox Construction Co. (BWCC), Brian Talcott, construction manager, and Kris Pincock, district construction manager.

Originally published on www.Boilermakers.org.

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Tim Simmons, business manager/secretary-treasurer for Local Lodge 108, accepted the award on behalf of the lodge. “I am very proud of what Local 108 has accomplished and I credit everything to our members. It is because of their dedication, craftsmanship and desire to excel in training that we have achieved this recognition.”

Chartered in 1984, Local 108 represents approximately 510 members covering the southern 56 counties of Alabama and the 10 panhandle counties of Florida. Local 108 is also a member of the Southeast District Lodge 3.

The Charles W. Jones Award honors the local lodge demonstrating the leading use of specified MOST programs during the preceding year. According to MOST Administrator Dale “Skipper” Branscum, the award “encourages participation in the MOST programs, actively educating Boilermaker members to continue achieving the highest levels of safety, leadership and training in the industry.”

Award recipients have the highest percentage of members participating in seven of the 17 MOST programs: OSHA 10/30 Program, Common Arc Program, Substance Abuse Program, Scaffolding Program, Steel Erection Program, Rigging Program and Leadership Program.

The award is named after the late Boilermakers’ International President Emeritus, Charles W. Jones, who led the effort to establish the national MOST labor-management trust fund in 1989. In addition to the recognition, the winning local receives a cast silicon bronze statue depicting a 1930s-era Boilermaker holding a rivet gun.

Local 108 is the sixth Boilermaker lodge to receive the award and recognition. Other recipients have included Local 154 (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 2011; Local 85 (Toledo, Ohio), 2012; Local 433 (Tampa, Fla.), 2013; Local 11 (Helena, Mont.), 2014 and Local 29 (Quincy, Mass.), 2015.

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In addition the Boilermaker and Contractor participants, MOST welcomed Chad Jones, a First Energy representative, who observed the training and offered points of view from an owner’s perspective.  All individuals interested in obtaining this training should contact their Local Lodge to see when the next class is scheduled or visit our training page.

Pictured above: TOP: Scott Baines, L45; Chad Jones, First Energy; Daniel Brown, L45; Timothy Squire, L502; Tony Smarra, MOST; Gerald Calvert, L83; Christopher Mills, L647  MIDDLE: Tom Burgess, L83; Robert Simmons, L108; Christopher Wicks, Barton-Malow; Jay Brophy Jr., Shelby Mechanical/L28; Stacey Bendish, L647; Scott Whittemore, CB&I/L647; Bryon Bistodeau, L647; Royce Schiller Olson, L647; Dave Englund, L11; Tim Rollins, L433  BOTTOM: Cranford Kemp, L433; Luke Lafley, L242; Don Fajardo, L169; Matthew Fink, L13; Matt Champion, L108; Dave King, L242; Ron Hammond, L85; Mike Moreno, L627; Jay Brophy Sr., MOST

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Of course, codes of excellence are nothing new; organizations of all types use them, and they can and do have a positive impact.

But when Boilermakers International President Newton B. Jones expressed his vision of a new code, it quickly became clear that the program would not only encourage the highest values of our trade, it would also dig deep into the roots of negative behavior from the past. This meant going back in time, to the 1970s and 1980s in particular, when union construction workers dominated the industry and, too often, behaved in arrogant and unprofessional ways.

To do this right, President Jones commissioned a documentary-style video to explore not only various types of negative behavior, but more importantly, the cost of such behavior: to the contractor trying to earn a profit, to the owner trying to complete a project on schedule and on budget, and to the Boilermaker whose ability to get future work depends on a solid reputation.

The decision to develop a code of excellence was welcomed by owners and contractors. Our partners in the owner community, especially, had encouraged the initiative at various tripartite meetings with the union.

Making the “Red Ass” Film

President Jones didn’t want to sugarcoat the parts of our history that we’d just as soon forget. He made it clear from the start that the story would be told by those who experienced it firsthand, and if the language got a little rough, well, at least it would be authentic — and nothing our field construction members hadn’t heard before.

Over a period of some 15 months, a professional film crew and Boilermaker staff traveled across the United States and Canada interviewing veteran Boilermakers, including retirees, as well as contractors and owners. Many of those interviewed had lived through or even participated in job walk-offs and other negative acts, sometimes without much provocation — a frame of mind back then known as getting “the red ass.” Those being filmed were told to be frank about their experiences and memories, and they were. They were also frank about the high cost to the Boilermakers union in lost market share when owners and contractors had had enough of misbehavior on the job.

Those being filmed were told to be frank about their experiences and memories, and they were. They were also frank about the high cost to the Boilermakers union in lost market share when owners and contractors had had enough of misbehavior on the job.

Today that film, which won a Silver Telly award in 2015, is a central part of our one-day Boilermaker Code training program. It sets the stage for a 10-part presentation focusing on negative behavior such as late starts and early quits, job-hopping and absenteeism.

For each such behavior, the trainers (drawn primarily from a pool of highly-respected retired business managers) discuss the consequences in terms of lost work opportunities and lost revenue. Realistic dollar estimates are examined for owners whose jobs are delayed, contractors whose eventual costs exceed their bids, and members who are not invited back. Trainers stress to their classes that the penalty to Boilermakers involves not only lost wages, but it also means lost contributions to pension and health and welfare funds.

Designing the Code and Creed

To develop the Boilermaker Code and Creed, President Jones reached out to dozens of leaders in the Boilermakers union and to industry partners. A decision was made that each element of the code would be represented by one of the letters in the word, “boilermakers” to ensure familiarity and to remind members of what it means to be a union Boilermaker. For example, B stands for Brotherhood, R for responsibility and O for opportunity.

An accompanying 19-line creed builds on the code with statements that can be read at union meetings and other events, including training sessions.

The code and creed are reproduced on banners, t-shirts and other items for distribution to local lodges and for use as signage at conferences. A new logo with the tagline “Live the Code” reinforces the messaging.

But recognizing that initial enthusiasm for a program of this nature can dissipate over time, President Jones reasoned that much more is required to make the code and creed part of the very fabric of our organization and to instill in each member its guiding principles.

To achieve that, the union, through the MOST trust, will require that every construction Boilermaker complete the one-day training in order to be eligible for an out-of-work list. Any member committing a serious infraction that violates the code will be required to take remedial training.

Evaluation and Feedback

The Boilermaker Code program is still in its infancy. However, early feedback points to a positive reception by our members — both apprentices and journeymen — and the contractor and owner communities.

Last fall, signatory contractor Kiewit, in an unprecedented, proactive move, brought 80 Boilermakers off the job, with pay, to attend a half-day training session at the TVA Paradise, Ky., IGCC project (pictured above). Kiewit Operations Manager Glenn Miltenberger and TVA Senior Program Manager for Industrial Relations Jerry Payton both participated in the training discussion.

KCP&L/Hawthorn Maintenance Superintendent Joe Hegendeffer called the program “revolutionary in how the message is delivered and staged to change the culture of the Boilermaker craft as a whole.”

At a recent training session in Virginia, one journeyman Boilermaker summed up his impression of the Boilermaker Code as follows: “This class was a good thing for me to attend because it showed me my attitude was wrong. I got to thinking about the money I’ve missed out on with the pension and maybe put other hands in a bind for me not being there when I should have been there, much less [the cost to] the contractor on the job.”

Looking to the future, our union leadership is confident that President Jones’ vision — that the Boilermaker Code reside not only on a piece of paper but also in the hearts and minds of every Boilermaker — will be fulfilled. And we Boilermakers, and our industry partners, will be much the better for it.

More information about the Boilermaker Code and Creed can be found at http://boilermakercode.com.

Featured image shows Boilermakers participating in Code training during the Kiewit IGCC project. 

This article was written by Dale “Skipper” Branscum, National MOST Administrator, and was previously published in the Spring edition of TAUC’s The Construction User.

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