Volume 1 First Edition

SOUTH JERSEY TRADES SOUTH JERSEY SOUTH JERSEY TRADES SOUTH TRADES & POLITICS VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 AUGUST 2016 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 AUGUST 2016

TRADES & POLITICS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS – August 2016 Issue Publisher’s Letter P. 2 Decision 2016: Why Trump is Bad for Labor P. 4 Decision 2016: SJ Labor Lifts Hillary to Democratic Nomination P. 8 Photo Highlights: Local Leaders Support DNC Activities in SJ Region P. 10 A New Era Begins at IBEW Local 351: Dan Cosner Sworn in as Business Manager P. 14 Camden Rising: The City Experiences a Rebirth P. 16 Hoopla! Sixers Will Have State-of-The-Art Facility on Camden Waterfront P. 18 Building a Better America: An Op-Ed by Rep. Donald Norcross P. 22 Sweeney, Norcross Fight for Minimum Wage Increase P. 24 College Campus Construction Projects on Display at Rowan and Stockton P. 26 A Life Cut Short: A Tribute to Walter Lenkowski III P. 30 Plumbers Pipefitters Donate to American Legion P. 32 Local 19 Donates to Camden Youth Football P. 34 Sheet Metal Workers Lead the Fight Against Drug Abuse P. 36 Health Tips Article from Virtua Health System P. 38

MEET OUR STAFF Executives: Chris Ferrari -- President, Publisher Bart Mueller -- Chief Strategic Advisor Gus Ostrum – Lead Content Editor Bret Mueller – Sales Manager Photographers: Curt Hudson Joe Warner Mike Plunkett

Journalists: Lynda Hinkle, Esq. Ken Shuttleworth Alexandra Gigantiello Todd Farally David Spector, Legislative & Government Relations Cover Photo: Curt Hudson

Executive Offices Executive offices can be contacted via email at chris@trademediallc.com Volume 1 Issue 1 August 2016 Copyright 2016 Trade Media LLC

WE ARE PROUD TO BRING YOU

THE STORIES OF

MEN AND WOMEN IN THE TRADES!

Welcome to the inaugural edition of South Jersey Trades & Politics. We hope that you will enjoy the coverage and stories that are not being told anywhere else. At South Jersey Trades & Politics we are solely focused on bringing you the stories of the men and women in the trades who build our communities, contribute to our towns in a very generous way and become government leaders to ensure we continue to prosper across the region. Now we have our first edition out and our first networking meeting underway, and we are all proud to be able to tell the story of the apprentices, journeymen and leaders of these fine unions.

Watching them over the past two months do so much in the way of giving back to communities needs to be a story we tell. The way they take pride in their work to ensure a safe and quality building or project should not be taken for granted. Our mission every day is to make sure this no longer goes un-noticed.

There are so many people to thank who saw the vision of this magazine and helped bring it to fruition.

Bart Mueller, my closet advisor. I especially want to thank you for your hours of guidance and advice.

Without you this would not have come to be.

Frank Spencer, you are a true American labor leader and your support is the driving force behind the launch of this project.

Dan Cosner, as the president of the South Jersey Building Trades Council and new leader of IBEW #351, you brought me insight and advice that was invaluable.

Bryan Bush of the Sheet metal Workers Local #19 and Kurt Krueger Jr., UA Plumbers & Pipefitters #322, you are the epitome of true union leadership. Your support and direction will be the backbone of this magazine for years to come.

To my entire staff and team, thank you for all you do to bring all our readers a quality publication. Your professionalism and dedication is unsurpassed.

We have many great editions planned as we continue to bring the news of the trades to all of you. While waiting for our bi-monthly magazine make sure you check in on our website at www.sjunions.com and follow us on Facebook for daily updates on what our building trades are up to.

Chris Ferrari, Publisher

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Trump ‘Wins’ ‘Wins’ Trump By Stacking

By Stacking The Deck Deck The

By Ringsider

By Ringsider If Donald Trump ever writes a sequel to his many people have Iffamous Donaldbook, Trump everlabor writes a sequel toideas his on a title that speaks to his character famous book, many labor people and havebusiness ideas on a ethics “The Art thecharacter Raw Deal!” title that– speaks toofhis and business ethics – “The Art of the Raw Deal!”

His conduct in stiffing numerous contractors hired to work on his four casinoscontractors in Atlantic City His conduct in stiffing numerous in the 70s through the early 90s is hired to work on his four casinos inlegendary Atlantic City members throughout inamong the 70sbuilding throughtrades the early 90s is legendary South building Jersey and beyond. among trades members throughout South Jersey and beyond.

“Maybe that’s his plan for bringing the country out bringing of debt. He won’t “Maybe that’s his plan for thejust country pay the bills,” said Dan out of debt. He just won’t

pay the bills,” said Dan

Cosner, business manager of Local 351, IBEW. Cosner, manager of Local 351, IBEW. on Cosner,business 48, worked as a rank-in-file electrician Cosner, 48, worked as a rank-in-file electrician one of Trump’s casinos, the short lived World’son Fair one of Trump’s casinos, the short lived World’s Fair that briefly replaced the old Playboy casino on The that briefly replaced the old Playboy casino on The Boardwalk in the 90s.

Boardwalk in the 90s.

“I never actually met him but I remember him “Icoming never actually him but remember him through met the work siteIwith his entourage. coming through theentourage,” work site with his entourage.

He always had an recalled Cosner, who He always had an entourage,” Cosner, is also head of the South Jerseyrecalled Building Tradeswho isCouncil. also head of the South Jersey Building Trades Cosner is used to developers playing both Council.

Cosner is used both sides, but Trump’s placetoindevelopers that worldplaying is legendary. sides, but Trump’s place in that world is legendary.

“He bankrupted contractors,” added President Gary “He bankrupted added President Masino of Local contractors,” 19, Sheet Metal Workers.

“It Gary Masino of Local Metal Workers. “It definitely shows19, hisSheet character. definitely shows his character.

“He has probably employed illegal aliens on projects,” Masino employed added, “when thealiens direction “He has probably illegal on should beMasino do it the right way.” projects,” added, “when the direction should be do it the right way.”

Masino, in a joint interview with assistant business managerinBryan said Trump is bad on job Masino, a jointBush, interview with assistant business creation, and that’s why he and colleagues in manager Bryan Bush, said Trump is bad on jobthe buildingand trade unions are supporting creation, that’s why heunanimously and colleagues in the Hillary Clinton and her to make supporting job creation building trade unions arepledge unanimously

Hillary Clinton and her pledge to make job creation

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a top priority of her administration while rebuilding the middle class.

“He put hundreds of contractors in serious financial trouble,” said Jim Kehoe, former leader of Local 322, Plumbers and Pipefitters. “He bankrupted no less than 20 contractors and brought many others to their knees.”

“He’s no pay or slow pay,” Cosner added.

Kehoe knew Trump not only in his role as a labor leader but also as chairman of the New Jersey Casino Reimbursement Development Authority (CRDA), which distributed millions of dollars to fund community projects primarily in Atlantic City but also throughout the state since the first legal casino opened in 1978.

The editorial, in part, read: “In running for President, Donald Trump has offered empty promises, empty threats and startling lack of detail on how he would accomplish any of them….(while arguing) “that in a time of economic uncertainty, America needs a successful businessman at the helm.

After mentioning the casino empire “he built on sand” and the “series of bankruptcies which Trump seems to view as a savvy business move,” the Courier-Post called him out for not knowing what really makes America great.

Presidential candidate’s business tactics in Atlantic City deeply hurt numerous South Jersey contractors

“The Donald only uses union labor when he has to. When nobody is looking, he brings in whoever he wants,” according to Cosner. He and his colleagues say Trump employs undocumented immigrants as construction workers on his projects – when he can get away with it.

Thus, as President, it’s generally believed he would disrespect project labor agreements, one of the hardest won prizes for trade unions. Same goes for the prevailing wage standard in writing project bid specifications.

Cosner and his colleagues are regularly reminded of Trump’s ethical lapses during the campaign as opponents bring up Trump’s now infamous quote to a New York Times reporter in May about his profiteering in Atlantic City. “The money I took out of there was incredible.”

“I see him out for only his own gain,” Cosner said.

“When he promises to do for America what he’s done for his businesses, consider what happened to all the workers who built his casinos and made them run – and the taxpayers who footed the bill.

While Trump made sure he came out on top, they got a raw deal.”

Like all leaders mentioned in this article, Jim Kehoe has a very low opinion of Trump both as a man and an entrepreneur, but he puts blame, too, on state government.

“They showed way too much confidence in him by letting him have four casinos,” he said. (That’s the most of any single operator in the 38-year history of legalized gaming in Atlantic City. – including the heyday when operators had a virtual license to print money).

USA Today is among several newspapers that documented the Trump management style in Atlantic City.

Kehoe met The Trumpster once and will never forget it. “He’s a germaphobe, and would not shake hands with me. I don’t know how he’s running for president without shaking hands.”

In commenting on the newspaper reports, the Cherry Hill-based Courier-Post published an incisive critique of Trump under the headline, “AC got a raw deal from Trump.”

Maybe it’s a good thing he avoids handshakes, because since he does not take legally documented and detailed signed contracts seriously, a so-called “handshake deal” would be a total joke. www.sjunions.com

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SHAME ON THESE BUSINESSES FOR USING UNSKILLED NONUNION LABOR! Contrary to popular belief, unions do not want to strike. This is always a last resort when business owners refuse to negotiate or use skilled licensed labor.

Unfortunately, to protect the rights of workers picketing is often necessary.

And businesses that are built by using unskilled nonunion labor are a threat to the rights of workers and also result in poor construction.

We ask all our supporters and those that care about organized labor to not cross the picket lines. We further ask that you do not support those who refuse to support us. At a very minimum we ask that you be knowledgeable and know who in our region builds in our communities without using licensed, skilled labor.

HILLARY BEST BET FOR TRADES

South Jersey Building Trade Unions see Clinton’s commitment to infrastructure restoration leading to more jobs

By Ringsider Leaders of South Jersey building trade unions are gambling Democrat Hillary Clinton will deliver big wins in the form of thousands of new jobs.

There are many factors in play for endorsing her campaign, but the lead factor is probably her commitment to repairing and restoring infrastructure throughout the nation. In South Jersey, infrastructure projects will cost billions in public investment and generate thousands of jobs for building trades unions for years to come.

Working hand-in-hand with this is the policy commitment she made in July to leaders of the building trades unions to work toward lowering the threshold for federal projects covered by prevailing wage and project labor agreement standards, according to Kurt Krueger Jr., Business Manager, Local 322, Plumbers and Pipe Fitters.

“Right now, it’s anything above $25 million. She wants to decrease it to $20 million,” Krueger said.

Krueger also said Mrs. Clinton favors expansion of nuclear energy, oil and natural gas that rely on pipeline infrastructure that require the skills and talents of pipe

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fitters and plumbers. He said she also supports increasing the minimum wage, among many other policy initiatives supported by organized labor. Plus, he said, she respects the concept of prevailing wage as the gold standard for establishing bidding requirements for public projects.

Krueger is among several union leaders who foresee long-term prosperity in terms of jobs as projects move forward in Camden, especially with regard to infrastructure, with backing from a Clinton White House.

Krueger’s predecessor, Jim Kehoe, estimated redoing the sewer and water pipes and other items in Camden will generate $13 billion.

“We already have guys working at Holtec,” said Rich Sweeney, President of Ironworkers Local 399, referring to the nuclear power plant manufacturing facility under construction on Broadway in South Camden, near the border with Gloucester City.

Sweeney said a number of members are also clocking in and out at the new Philadelphia 76ers headquarters under construction on the Camden waterfront, along with the Rutgers Nursing School dorm on Federal street across from Camden City Hall, plus a major charter school project in the city. Expanding Rowan

University’s Glassboro campus has been yet another source of employment.

Sweeney added that another infrastructure category, bridges, has been a boon to iron workers. Currently, members are working on the Delaware Memorial Bridge and look forward to correcting infrastructure issues on the Delaware River Port Authority’s Walt Whitman, Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross Bridges.

On the horizon is a $1 billion project to jack up the Bayonne Bridge so it can accommodate passage of taller ships, Sweeney added.

Kehoe, now president of Tonio-Borgas, a Manhattan-based government relations firm, said Mrs. Clinton would be more receptive than her opponent to resurrecting the federally funded ARC tunnel between Jersey City and Manhattan, the one that Republican Gov. Chris Christie summarily rejected shortly after his 2009 election because the state would have to come up with significant matching dollars.

Kehoe said he thought a Clinton White House would be supportive of a South Jersey pipeline proposed

by PSE&G, under fire from environmentalists because they say it goes through the protected Pine Barrens. “It’s really the Route 49 pipeline,” Kehoe said, his eyes twinkling at the prospect of hundreds of jobs for union pipe fitters and plumbers. Unions are part of Kehoe’s impressive client list.

What do all these good vibrations mean to the Hillary Clinton campaign?

Major campaign donations that are mostly funded by the “internationals” while the locals support county, municipal and state office seekers who aggressively support job creation such as in Camden County/ Camden City and Gloucester County, home to both Congressman Donald W. Norcross and state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, both former union leaders in South Jersey.

Boots on the ground, in the form of union members who volunteer their time to pound pavements and knock on doors in the fall in pursuit of voters who support Ms. Clinton and other pro-labor candidates.

Dan Cosner, Business Manager for Local 351 IBEW,

said there are three locations – Egg Harbor Township, Cherry Hill and in the Salem/Cumberland Counties area -- where volunteers report for duty over three autumn weekends. Typically, he said, 200 to 300 arrive, get their assignments and street lists, then fan out over the designated area to identify face-to-face those who support Ms. Clinton in particular and Democrats in general.

Likewise, the major unions representing teachers and other school district employees – the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO – provide battalions of troops who grind out supporters as part of the Get Out the Vote (GOTV) effort leading up to and on Election Day. Those unions chose Barak Obama over Ms. Clinton in 2008, then wound up fighting with the President’s Education Secretary, Arne Duncan.

He was not in tune with the NEA’s campaign to reduce emphasis on testing and reinvest the energy in public schools, including social services for the increasing number of students living in poverty.

Clinton scored points earlier this summer with NEA leaders for saying she would listen to the teachers about their concerns if she is elected. “It’s just dead wrong to scapegoat the schools for all of society’s problems,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia summing up the basic concern of educators. She is a former cafeteria worker and classroom aide who worked her way through the University of Utah and became a certified teacher.

The NEA, with three million members, is the largest labor organization in the world. After endorsing Ms. Clinton, the candidate thanked them and provided in her acceptance statement, the reason she enjoys widespread labor support: “My campaign is about making the economy work for everyday Americans, to rebuild the middle class so it means something again. I’m excited about what we can do. I don’t see this campaign as much about me as about us. It starts with listening to each other.”

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SOUTH JERSEY TRADES REPS WERE EVERYWHERE DURING THE DNC Party faithful and labor leaders rallied together in support of the Democratic Presidential ticket

By Ringsider Ironworkers partied under the big guns of the storied USS New Jersey to kick off the DNC events in which South Jersey Trades members seemed to be everywhere on either side of the Delaware River.

The Ironworkers choose the best metaphor for the Nov. 8 election, since it shapes up to be a fight worthy of those big guns.

Lest we forget the next battle beyond the immediate horizon, the one in which Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester County) is expected to run for governor.

The former president of the Ironworkers Union hosted the Sunday night event, and the old battle ship buzzed with exciting dreams of that victory. Between 500 and 1,000 pols, union leaders and members and delegates sipped and snacked in the shadow of the powerful guns that have rumbled and roared in the name of freedom around the globe since WW2.

On the west bank of the river, some of the same revelers mingled a few nights later with hundreds of other Democrats aboard the Moshulu as guests of Manhat-

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tan-based Tonio-Burgis at a welcoming party Wednesday night hosted by Jim Kehoe, former chairman of the South Jersey Building Trades Council, leader of Camden County-based Local 322 of the Plumbers and Pipefitters union.

Kehoe is now president of Tonio-Burgos, a government relations firm. The party was attended by an estimated 500 people, including members of the Kennedy clan.

Also on hand was the fascinating Ben Barnes, 78, former lieutenant governor of Texas, real estate magnate and influential lobbyist.

A number of guests represented Tonio-Burgos’ clients American Airlines, Amtrak and Voorhees-based Concord Engineering, which is doing much of the design work for new businesses popping up on or near the Camden waterfront that insure years of prosperity for trade union members for the next decade and beyond.

“It was the night President Obama gave his great speech about the nominee, so our event ran pretty late,” Kehoe said. Several TVs were carrying the speech while attendees schmoozed and committed their resources to a victory for Mrs. Clinton in November.

The United Brotherhood of Carpenters staged a lavish affair at union headquarters on Spring Garden Street, about a half-mile from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. One of the headliner guests was Kate McGinty, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. Many UBC leaders from throughout the Northeastern region attended the event. continued on page 12

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TRADE REPS DURING THE DNC continued from page 10

On Thursday night, hundreds of Democrats gathered at Local 19, Sheet Metal Workers, to watch the former Secretary of State and U.S. Senator accept the party nomination on a dozen flat screen TVs and with one of the all-time spectacular spreads of food and top shelf liquor to sip while witnessing history unfold on the screens.

Earlier in the day, delegates and other party faithful attended a concert on the Camden Waterfront, near the USS New Jersey to hear Lenny Kravitz rock the vote and a mellow Lady Gaga perform at a free event hosted

by U.S. Rep. Donald W. Norcross (D-Camden), former chairman of the South Jersey Building Trades Council and a leader of Local 351, IBEW, and his brother George, also a DNC super delegate.

Previous page

PHOTO CAPTIONS

• Camden County Democrats gather at The Pub Restaurant in Pennsauken on July 28, the final night of the DNC Convention.

• Carpenters Union Political Director Patricia Mueller (center) hosts (L to R): Bart Mueller, Bret Mueller, David Spector and Lynda Hinkle.

This Page: • Philadelphia Congressman Bob Brady hosts Democrats in Philadelphia.

• Hillary Clinton is seen on the big screen accepting her nomination at the Wells Fargo Center.

• Lenny Kravitz entertains the audience at the B & B Pavilion in Camden on July 28.

• Lady Gaga headlined an All-Star lineup of performers at the B & B Pavilion on July 28.

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Cosner, who resides in Gloucester City with his wife and two children, has also served as President of the South Jersey Building Trades Council since 2013. He graduated Gloucester Catholic High School in 1986 and served a 4-year apprenticeship with Local 439 in Camden immediately following graduation. Local 439 merged with Local 211 of Atlantic City and Local 592 of Vineland into Local 351 in 1994.

Among the 10 specialty areas where Local 351 members find employment are: inside JWs, linemen, CE-CW workers, telecommunication technicians, sign wiremen and fabricators, and lightning rod installers.

Cosner has played a key role through the years in IBEW Local 351’s growth. The organization now has approximately 2300 members and partners with over 200 licensed electrical contractors.

Cosner has been around for many growth periods during Ed Gant’s lengthy tenure.

The 48-year-old Business Manager believes the current growth cycle will continue well past the upcoming Presidential election season.

“Ed Gant did a tremendous job with Local 351, and he will be a tough act to follow,” said Cosner.

“Our top priorities will always be to provide quality training for our members and of course to put them to work. Hopefully, we’re off to a good start.”

“This is an amazing era of growth. From Camden to Atlantic City and up into the Trenton area, our members are involved in jobs all over the region,” Cosner said. “We’ve also seen an increase in new school construction that needs highly skilled workers.”

Photo: Gus Ostrum

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CAMDEN RISING: LABOR, GOVERNMENT LEADERS WORK IN TANDEM TO CHANGE LANDSCAPE Local union workers, South Jersey residents play key roles in resurgence of the city

By Gus Ostrum, SJ Trades

CAMDEN, NJ – All across the city of Camden, there is hope – and plenty of it!

Thanks to a coordinated effort known as “Camden Rising,” new facilities are springing up all across the impoverished city, especially along the waterfront area that already is home to several local iconic institutions such as Adventure Aquarium, Campbell’s Field, and B & B Pavilion.

The “Camden Rising” efforts, spearheaded by Rep. Donald Norcross and local Democratic party officials, have brought several new downtown structures to the region along with more to come.

In progress are the 76ers’ new Training Complex and Holtec International’s new corporate headquarters, with new facilities to come in the future such as Subaru’s new corporate headquarters, Lockheed Martin’s new complex, and a facility for American Water Works. Many other well-known local institutions, such as Cooper Health, Rutgers University, and Rowan University have expanded into the city with plans for additional facilities in the works.

The building expansion has also been a major boom

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for South Jersey Trade Unions, including local ironworkers, plumbers, sheet metal workers, carpenters and many others. The building revolution has created solid local jobs and careers for local Camden City and South Jersey residents, with plenty of training and apprenticeship programs in place to assist prospective candidates to enter the trades.

“There is plenty of work right here in the city, and this has been great for our local economy,” noted Ken Jones, steward with Roma Steel in Camden. “As labor unions we have all benefited from putting our people to work on a steady basis. And our workers have always come in on time and on budget with our projects.”

The Philadelphia 76ers’ Training complex is a centerpiece of the recent downtown construction.

The 125,000-square-foot Training Complex will be the largest in the NBA, and will include the Sixers basketball operations facility and business operations offices.

Designed to foster team building and unity, communication, innovation, and the spirit of competition, the basketball operations facility includes two NBA regulation-size basketball courts, a 2,800-square-foot

player locker room, and state-of-the-art performance, wellness, recovery, and hydrotherapy rooms.

The basketball training facility, which is close to completion, was conceived to be a 24/7 destination for elite NBA and front office talent with amenities including a player restaurant, private balcony, film, and press room.

Also nearing completion is Holtec Technology’s headquarters near the waterfront.

Derric Giles, steward on the project since June, is a Camden city resident who received training through the Local 399 Ironworkers’ apprenticeship program before rising to become steward of several major construction projects in the city.

Giles jumped at the opportunity to learn the trades when Camden city construction projects were first advertised several years ago.

“I saw an advertisement that the unions wanted Camden City residents to apply for the construction jobs and I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I took this very seriously from a career path. I looked into all the training and apprenticeship programs so I could make this a real career.”

The Holtec Technology Campus (HTC) campus will occupy approximately 50 acres of the land on the left bank of the Delaware river in south Camden where the famed New York Shipyard (now a major cargo port operated by the South Jersey Port Authority) once stood.

The site is framed by the Ben Franklin Bridge to the north, the Walt Whitman Bridge to the south, and the Philadelphia center city skyline to the west.

The Holtec Technology Campus will consist of two large manufacturing plants, a seven-story corporate engineering center, a system test facility (without nuclear fuel), and support installations like a training center, non-destructive testing laboratory, and corporate apartments. All shops, laboratories and facilities within HTC are envisaged to be state-of-the-art. In particular, the manufacturing plant is being configured to incorporate the latest in fabrication machinery and information management software to enable precision manufacturing of large and complex weldments such as those that will be required to assemble

Holtec’s small modular reactor, SMR-160, currently under development by the Company.

Meanwhile, plans for 2017 openings continue to move forward. Subaru is the first tenant for Knights Crossing, an office park expected to rise adjacent to the home of Campbell Soup Co. The automaker expects to occupy about 330,000 square feet in two buildings, to be completed by the end of 2017.

Knights Crossing eventually will hold up to 1.4 million square feet of commercial space in five buildings, according to Brandywine Realty Trust, the project’s master developer. The developer has set a time frame of years to get tenants in all five buildings.

Local and state representatives expect to attract tenants thanks to its waterfront location and proximity to the Philadelphia skyline, along with tax incentives from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

“All in all, Camden is a city on the move, and we are proud that our trade unions and city residents have gotten to play a key role in its resurgence,” said Rich Sweeney, president of Ironworkers Local 399. “The work in progress and the projects yet to come will keep our local economy moving forward.”

Photos by Curt Hudson

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Many local union workers helped to build state-of-art 76ers’ facility

South Jersey Labor Brings Pro Sports to Camden 18

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By Gus Ostrum, SJ Trades CAMDEN -- These are exciting times for the Camden waterfront development, and at the center of all the buzz is the Philadelphia 76ers' new training complex that is being constructed with plenty of hard work from contracted union workers representing the carpenters, roofers, iron workers, masons, plumbers, painters, tile setters and more.

And one individual who has played a key role in the project is steward Derric Giles, a former basketball player himself at both Camden and Woodrow Wilson high schools. Giles, a 1992 Wilson graduate, is now a married father of four children who spent several months on the Sixers’ new training complex on the waterfront.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to give back to my home town of Camden,” said Giles, a former Local 399 Ironworkers member who works for an industrial contracting firm in Delaware. “I’ve had a chance to work on this complex and others all around the city. It’s absolutely awesome to play a role in the comeback of Camden.”

The 125,000-square-foot Training Complex will be the largest in the NBA, and will include the Sixers basketball operations facility and business operations offices. Designed to foster team building and unity, communication, innovation, and the spirit of competition, the basketball operations facility includes two NBA regulation-size

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basketball courts, a 2,800-square-foot player locker room, and state-of-the-art performance, wellness, recovery, and hydrotherapy rooms.

be completed until early October, will include a media production studio, 7,000-square-foot roof deck, 10,000 square feet of mixed-use commercial space, and more.

The basketball training facility, which is close to completion, was conceived to be a 24/7 destination for elite NBA and front office talent with amenities including a player restaurant, private balcony, film, and press room.

Ken Jones, a steward with Roma Steel in Camden, says the whole project is on time and hopefully will be operational through most of the upcoming NBA season. He currently has about 100 iron workers on the project.

Quite frankly, this new complex will be the showcase of NBA training facilities – and it is sitting right here in Giles’ hometown.

“The iron workers and other union workers have been kept busy with the 76ers’ facility and the other Camden projects we are working on,” he said. “We are all excited to see the opening of the 76ers new facility – we’re all great fans as well as proud workers! Our crews have done a great job with everything on site.”

“Everything about this practice site has big time written all over it. Wish I had the chance to be a part of this when I was a player,” admitted Giles, a basketball junkie who played briefly at West Virginia University in the 1990s.

From a family and history outlook, Giles is glad he gets to work right here at home.

“My mom and dad worked at Campbell’s Soup Company for over 40 years and provided my family with a great home and learning environment. It’d been great being able to raise my family here by living and working here.”

This new practice site will indeed be one of the jewels of the Camden waterfront. The enormous first-floor practice area will feature two regulation courts, a huge weight room, a lap pool that will sit next to a hot tub and a cold tub, an oversized locker room, and hydration stations.

There will also be offices for coach Brett Brown, his staff and for general manager Bryan Colangelo along with a video room.

The second floor consists of a restaurant that will specialize in healthy food, a chef on duty for 12 hours a day, and a patio that overlooks the Camden waterfront with the Philadelphia skyline behind it. The second floor also features a game room in which the players can shoot pool, watch television and play video games.

The adjoining business operations offices, which may not

And the 76ers training complex has indeed been a cornerstone of the “Camden Rising” revival boom undertaken by local politicians, including Rep. Donald Norcross. The beneficiaries have been local union workers, including many Camden City residents like Giles who have taken part in apprenticeship training programs offered by local unions to help provide them careers they never dreamed of attaining.

Giles, who has moved on to become steward at the Holtec Technology building site since June, jumped at the opportunity to learn the trades when Camden city construction projects were first advertised several years ago.

“I saw an advertisement that the unions wanted Camden City residents to apply for the construction jobs and I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I took this very seriously from a career path. I looked into all the training and apprenticeship programs so I could make this a real career.

“And now I‘m directly working with at least a half dozen city residents who did exactly what I did. We made great careers out of this. Plus there are dozens more city residents enrolled in the same programs we were. This is all a real boost for the city.”

Photos by Mike Plunkett Photos by Curt Hudson

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Welcome to the Union League Club! The Building Trades & Welcome to the Union League Club! The Building Trades & Politics have been working in tandem for years to create a better South Politics have been working in tandem for years to create a better South Jersey. Supported by local businesses, South Jersey has prospered.

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TheUnion UnionLeague LeagueClub Club will will meet meet bi-monthly bi-monthly upon The uponthe therelease releaseofofthe thenewest newest editionofofSouth SouthJersey JerseyTrades Trades & & Politics Magazine. edition Magazine. Meetings Meetingswill willbe beheld heldthe the second Thursday of every month starting in August 2016. second Thursday of every month starting in August 2016.

GoldClub Club Member Member -- $1,800.00 Gold $1,800.00 s Accesstotoall allnetworking networking events events with with 11 guest Access guest of of your yourchoice. choice. s s 1\2 page ad in 3 editions of South Jersey Trades & Politics. s s 1\2 page ad in 3 editions of South Jersey Trades & Politics. s s Inclusion on the Union League Club Facebook page s s Inclusion on the Union League Club Facebook page s and the ability to post items about your business or projects. and the ability to post items about your business or projects. s Inclusion in our Bi-Monthly email newsletter. s s Inclusion in our Bi-Monthly email newsletter. s s Access to our members’ and advertisers’ data base. s s Access to our members’ and advertisers’ data base. s

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Platinum Club Member - $3,800.00 Platinum Club Member - $3,800.00 T Access to all network events, up to 6 guests. T T Access to all network events, up to 6 guests. T T Platinum Club Member ID name badges. T T Platinum Club Member ID name badges. T T 6 Full page ads in 6 editions of South Jersey Trades & Politics T T 6 Full page ads in 6 editions of South Jersey Trades & Politics T T Exclusive small-dinner networking gathering after the general networking event T T Exclusive small-dinner networking gathering after the general (you and 1 guest only).

Each dinner will host a different buildnetworking trade local.event T (you and guest only).

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T 1Inclusion on our Facebook witha posting privileges.

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BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA

By Reps. Donald Norcross and David McKinley As we look around our country every day, we see symbols of what makes us great. Towering skyscrapers, highways, bridges, power plants and monuments stand as proud and silent witnesses to the resolve of American workers.

They literally built the United States from the ground up.

As members of Congress representing different parties, we’re building something, too: a new and unique alliance to support the Congressional Building Trades Caucus, a bipartisan collaboration in the House that will advance the agenda of all hardworking Americans.

The 6.6 million Americans across our nation who work in construction need strong partners who are working on their behalf. In Congress, as we follow this new and united blueprint for the future, we’re also tearing something down: the traditional labels associated with labor and business. Neither should be claimed as a value solely of the Republican or Democratic parties. These are core American issues. We know that.

So now that we have our own foundation, we can build.

Who better to lead that effort than us? Together, we represent decades of hands-on experience in our respective fields. I, Rep. McKinley, bring 50 years of construction know-how to the Building Trades Caucus. I, Rep. Norcross, am plugged in more than most on these issues after spending years installing power lines in refineries and on the tops of bridges as a union electrician in New Jersey.

Our combined backgrounds give us the unique understanding of what America needs and where we need to go. That will help us open minds to educate fellow members on the necessity of cultivating the next generation of workers to rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure and set new benchmarks for greatness.

Together, we’ll rally members from our respective parties to exchange ideas and facilitate policies that will help us energize the building trades industry to create new opportunities for the over 6.6 million men and women who build and repair America.

As always, an educated and skilled workforce is a critical

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component to our success. For us as lawmakers, that means thinking outside the traditional classroom setting to promote and support ideas like skilled apprenticeships, which are the avenues to the very jobs that are the engine to our nation’s success.

Together, we will advocate for the building trades, a trusted and reliable source of labor for businesses, big and small. The trades represent diverse individuals from across the United States, our family and friends, who apply their talents using their hands and minds in a variety of fields, whether carpenters or pipefitters, electricians or ironworkers. The jobs they report to every day are what put America to work and keep America working.

We will be the voice for the trades, which have long been a proven pathway to success for middle-class American families who deserve to earn a living wage and enjoy the dignity of work.

and the business community to foster a clearer understanding of our nation’s most essential needs.

The very visions that go from the drawing board to reality are the proud achievements of the men and women in the construction arena. Our caucus will be their voice in the deliberations of Congress.

The Building Trades Caucus will mirror that spirit as a critical building block and important first step to achieving the kind of understanding we need to get the job done for America.

Rep. Donald Norcross has represented New Jersey’s 1st Congressional District since 2014. He sits on the Armed Services and the Budget committees. Rep. David McKinley has represented West Virginia’s 1st Congressional District since 2011. He sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

As our workforce wakes each day to build a better and stronger America, we as members of Congress must renew efforts to forge relationships among one another

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NEW TEST

Norcross, Sweeney go to war to increase minimum wage to $15 per hour

By Lynda L. Hinkle Combining forces at the state and federal level, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Rep. Donald Norcross have been battling to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour at all levels of government. The bills introduced earlier this term at both levels are nearly identical in the main points, raising the state and federal minimum wage in increments culminating in reaching $15 an hour by 2024.

will have a negative impact on small business, the New Jersey economy, and the exact workers that the proponents of this policy are trying to help.”

However, as Congressman Norcross argues, “The profits are there, the revenues are there, it’s how it’s being distributed here in America that has made a significant change. Work hard, play by the rules, and you can make it in America. Frankly, the deck is stacked against those American workers who are doing exactly what they are supposed to.”

Nationally, Unions have not universally endorsed The incremental raise is a nod to the concerns of the minimum wage hike, and some have sought exbusiness owners and business organizations, many who have opposed the rise indicating that it creates an emptions from the minimum wage in order to peronerous burden on their budgets. The New Jersey Busi- mit increased bargaining potential for unions in job ness and Industry Association, for example, has been a acquisition. These exemptions have been put into effect in a number of jurisdictions, including, for example, vehement opponent. Their president and CEO Michele Siekerka says, “Increasing the minimum wage to San Jose whose Minimum Wage Ordinance contains a waiver through collective bargaining, as follows: ““… $15 an hour, an unprecedented increase of 79 percent,

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all or any portion of the applicable requirements of this Chapter may be waived in a bona fide collective bargaining agreement, provided that such waiver is explicitly set forth in such agreement in clear and unambiguous terms.”

The United States Chamber of Commerce put out a white paper on collective bargaining exemptions to minimum wage increases that criticizes the impact of the exemption, giving examples of local workers who failed to reap the benefits shared by non-union workers, stating, ”For example, in Los Angeles, unionized hotels were granted an exemption under the city’s hotel-specific wage law, and the influential hotel workers union UNITE-HERE negotiated a contract that included wages for its members that were just two-thirds of those at non-unionized hotels nearby.” These concerns darken the fervor of some unions for exemptions.

The Sweeney and Norcross bills do not include a collective bargaining exemption, but the federal version does contain tax credits for some employers who are paying greater than the minimum wage.

In New Jersey, many of the unions have either come out in support of the minimum wage increase or are tacitly accepting of it despite some concerns. Many have not issued any official position. IBEW 1820 in New Jersey put out a a statement asking their members to contact their legislators in support of the state bill in

early June, arguing that, “Raising New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15 per hour would help lift hundreds of thousands of women, children and families out of poverty and would stimulate the state economy by giving our lowest wage earners additional spending power.”

Senator Sweeney declares that it’s an issue of fairness to middle class and lower income workers, saying, “We know New Jersey voters recognize the growing income inequality that has put more and more of the nation’s wealth in the pockets of the top 1 percent and are confident that a phased-in $15 minimum wage would pass overwhelmingly, as did the constitutional amendment I introduced in 2013 that raised New Jersey’s minimum wage from the federal $7.25 minimum to $8.25 with a cost-of-living adjustment added in. [This bill] will put New Jersey in the forefront of what has become a national movement to create a high-wage society that guarantees prosperity for all Americans.”

The New Jersey bill has passed the legislature and is on Governor Christie’s desk where it is expected to be vetoed. Lawmakers have threatened a voter referendum in the event of that veto, and Sen. Sweeney threatens that ““I’ve got an army behind me and I expect to pass it.”

The federal Fair Wage Act is in committee.

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COLLEGE CAMPUSES REACH OUT TO SOUTH JERSEY UNIONS TO EXPAND FACILITIES Rowan, Stockton embark on expansion; union workers reap benefits

By Gus Ostrum, SJ Trades

At local college campuses all over South Jersey, a building boom is in progress. Nowhere is this more evident than at Rowan and Stockton universities, where enrollment and new facilities to match are growing at a fast rate.

And at both state colleges, local labor unions are right in the thick of the action, providing ongoing work for their members and ultimately new facilities for local college students.

Louis Jonasz, president of Jonasz Precast of Westville, NJ, knows first hand how well business has been in the construction field. At Rowan University, his firm has contracted with Ironworkers Local 399 to build a parking garage that will ultimately hold several hundred student vehicles.

“We have employed about 30 to 40 workers on a steady basis on this and other projects at Rowan,” said Jonasz.

“The need for parking here at Rowan is pretty evident,

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and this structure is a much-needed facility.”

And Jonasz sees no signs of the building boom slowing down.

“In the past several years there has been ongoing work on our local college campuses, and we don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

Other projects in progress at Rowan that have provided steady work for unions in all of the trades include: * Construction of Rowan College of Engineering Building This project consists of the construction of a new building across from Rowan Hall Engineering Building. The new facility is approximately 88,000 square feet. * Construction of Student Housing Village This facility will provide 1400 beds of student housing to accommodate the growth of undergraduate programs at Rowan. *Construction of new Rohrer College of Business

This project consists of constructing a new four-story 98,000-square foot academic building to support the growth of the Rohrer College of Business.

The projects in progress are seemingly endless, said Donald Moore, senior vice president of facilities planning and operations at Rowan University. He points to the growing enrollment at RU’s Glassboro campus as well as nearby satellite campuses in Camden and Stratford.

“Over the next four to five years, we expect about $500 million worth of construction and project development to occur to accommodate the enrollment increases that are expected at the university,” Moore said in a statement provided by the university.

At Stockton University, South Jersey college students looking for a true resort campus -- with the beach, boardwalk and ocean right at their disposal -- need to look no further than their local university.

A residential campus known as “The Island Campus” is planned to expand Stockton University’s presence in Atlantic City, benefitting students and contributing to the city’s renaissance. The University plans to open the Atlantic City campus in 2018 with about 1,000 students.

The campus will be located at the site of the old Atlantic City High School at the intersection of Atlantic, Albany and Pacific avenues, with student residences overlooking the beach and Boardwalk.

Construction is set to begin this month, and several unions are reportedly involved in the project, including UA Local 322, the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union based in Hammonton, Atlantic County.

The project is a public-private partnership with Atlantic City Development Corp., or AC Devco. Funding sources for the Atlantic City campus include $50.4 million in bonds from the Atlantic County Improvement

Construction in progress at Rowan University

Photos by Curt Hudson

Construction in progress at Rowan University Authority from proceeds of almost $70 million in tax credits issued by the N.J. Economic Development Authority; $17 million from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA); state bond funds for higher education construction; and $18 million from Stockton University.

The campus will include: a housing and student center on the Boardwalk for about 520 students; a parking garage topped by new offices for South Jersey Gas, with 879 parking spaces for use by the University and the public; and an academic building that can accommodate up to 1,800 students.

Stockton University President Harvey Kesselman noted recently that the university is looking forward to the new housing, since the main Galloway campus has had to house students in rental hotels along White Horse Pike.

Regarding local union involvement in construction, Local 322 will continue a long history of service within the Atlantic City area. Since December of 1912 U.A. Local 322 has provided skilled Plumbers, Pipefitters and HVAC Service Technicians to the Southern New Jersey Counties including Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean and Salem Counties. www.sjunions.com

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WHY UNION LABOR?

HIGHLY TRAINED, SKILLED, LICENSED, ORGANIZED AND SAFE - THAT’S WHY!

WHY USE UNION LABOR? This is one of the most common asked questions. Why should I pay a few dollars an hour more for a union contractor when all these contractors are the same? There are many answers to this question, but one of the most important deals with the value you get from union labor. Union labor consisting of the building trades are simply the best trained, most highly skilled people working in the building trades today. When a building trade member is doing the job, you know that you are getting the highest quality work. In addition, our contractors are all fully licensed and insured and they stand behind their work. You get the piece of mind of knowing that you are dealing with a contractor that will be here in the future, not a fly-by-night “mr fix-it” who may seem cheap in the beginning but will end up costing you much more in the long run.

APPRENTICESHIPS Unlike nonunion labor, union members are mandated to serve as an apprentice where they are trained by high skilled tradesmen. During this period they are trained on the craft itself, best safety practices, precision and performance.

No union members are able to rise to the next step without successfully completing his/her apprenticeship program.

Each apprentice must be proficient in all phases of the building trade before advancing to journeyman status. The Trades not only train their apprentices, they also offer upgrading classes to journeyman. Any of their members who wish to improve their basic skills or update their proficiency can do so by registering for any of the skill-enhancement classes they offer.

By training their apprentices and journeyman in all of the latest construction technologies and applications they are able to provide our employers with the finest most competitive carpenters in the trade.

WORLD CLASS TRAINING CENTERS The building trades all offer state of the art training centers where apprentices can learn a craft, and journeymen can sharpen their skills and obtain furthering education.

The training centers provide union members with the highest level of training that raises skill levels to new peaks.

All aspects of the trade are taught giving customers an unsurpassed finished product. The building trades operate these training centers to provide a pathway for individuals who desire to learn a skilled craft, obtain a valuable job and become a licensed member of the trades.

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Former Ironworkers Local 399 Member Recalled Fondly Walter Lenkowski III

was a Reliable Worker and a Former Star Athlete

By Gus Ostrum, SJ Trades SEWELL – A good life cut short much too early.

This sentiment echoed loud and clear during the June10th funeral for Walter Lenkowski III, a former Clearview Regional wrestler who died in a tragic work-related accident on June 5.

A fourth-generation ironworker with Local 399, Lenkowski III, 25, was killed while working on the Delair Memorial Railroad Drawbridge near Pennsauken.

More than 700 mourners paid their respects to family members during the viewing and funeral held on June 9-10. There is no question those mourners recalled a young man who touched many in a dramatic way during his brief life.

Paul Lenkowski, uncle to Walter Lenkowski III and Secretary-Treasurer of Ironworkers Local 399, may have expressed it best when recalling the soon-to-be father who was taken away much too soon.

“You don’t find many young men who displayed the sense of responsibility that Walt had, along with the genuine interest in helping people, especially his family and fellow workers,” said

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Paul Lenkowski.

“He loved his family and was looking forward to being a father. At work, he always acted like a mentor. Many younger co-workers would always ask his opinions on the job and he never hesitated to offer advice.”

Lenkowski was employed with Ironworkers Local 399. A graduate of Clearview Regional High School Class of 2009, he also graduated from the Nuclear Energy Technology Program at Salem County Community College.

He completed a three-year apprenticeship with the Ironworkers Union in August 2015 and was selected “Apprentice of the Year,” according to Richard Sweeney, President and Business Manager for Ironwokers Local 399. He received this honor in August 2015 after completing multiple projects during his apprenticeship, and he later continued finding steady employment for nearly a year afterwards.

Iron workers Local Union 399, which was formed in 1925, currently has 800 members and supplies qualified Journeyman Iron Workers and

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Apprentices to affiliated contractors for projects in the Southern New Jersey area. Union members are also members of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron workers “Walt was always so reliable and hard-working, and never had a problem finding work on our projects,” said Sweeney. “Everyone asked for him specifically for their jobs. He was a great young man, and we are all absolutely devastated by this news. “ Lenkowski hailed from a family of well-known athletes who played in the Clearview Regional High School sports programs. His brother Ed helped the Pioneers to a Group 3 state wrestling championship in 2013, the first in the school’s history.

Walt Lenkowski III collected 57 wins in the upper weights during his career, including a 24-11 record at 171 pounds as a senior during the 20082009 campaign. He would frequently switch back and forth between weight classes during individual bouts in order to help his Pioneer teammates obtain the best match ups during clashes against top-ranked opponents.

tougher opponents, and he always jumped in to help out – whatever we needed for the team was fine with him. He had a winning attitude all the way!”

According to a posting on the Clearview Regional Wresting Facebook web site, the Lenkowski family – including Walter – were a big part of the recent wrestling success at the school, which included a group 3 state championship in 2013 and a recent victory over state powerhouse Paulsboro.

Walter continued to help out both the Clearview Youth Wrestling Program and Clearview Regional High School team as a volunteer. He loved his job and enjoyed surfing, work and his truck.

Walter is survived by his mother Marie I. Lenkowski; father Walter F. Lenkowski Jr. (Denise); girlfriend Christina Dwyer, and soon-tobe daughter Grace Lenkowski; sisters Tina Lenkowski Barber (Leon) and Cassandra Lenkowski; brother Edward B. Lenkowski; and nieces Emily, Lilly, and Anna, along with aunts, uncles and cousins.

Ironworkers Local #399 will be accepting “That’s just the way Walter was,” said his former donations for the benefit of the unborn child of wrestling coach John Marinelli.

“He would Walter with Christina Dwyer. The funds collected Bryan Bush, Assistant Business Manager for Sheet Metal Workers Local 19, greets players sacrifice anything for the team, and he always will provide for his expected daughter "Grace worked hard at improving from the Camden Bulldogs football team his skills.

Lenkowski" as he wanted her named. If you would like to contribute, donations can be sent to: “During his senior year, I sometimes had him Ironworkers Local #399 wrestling as high as 189 pounds against some 409 Crown Point Road

Westville, NJ 08093 Please make checks payable to the Walter F. Lenkowski, III Memorial Benefit Fund.

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PLUMBERS LOCAL 322 SUPPORTS LOCAL VETS Apprentices gain experience while helping to finish Morvay-Miley Post 524 new home SJ Trades Staff OCEAN CITY – The South Jersey Mechanical Contractors Association and apprentices from Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 322 have stepped up to help American Legion Morvay-Miley Post 524 finish construction on its new home.

Work on the new, larger building being built on city-owned land at 46th and West Avenue has been financed through fund-raising activities by Morvay-Miley Post 524 and with the help of volunteers since ground was broken in 2014.

Enter, now, the SJMCA and Local 322. The former has donated the materials for the inside plumbing work the apprentices, who are all volunteers, are performing.

“We are there,” said Fred Green, business agent for Local 322. “The mechanical contractors are helping with the materials and the apprentices are going to be doing a majority of the plumbing work. The mechanical contractors donated the materials for the project as a way to help the Legion gets its building finished.”

Local 322 has over 1,700 members and it counts many veterans among its membership so stepping up to lend a helping hand is a natural fit.

Having the apprentices volunteer their time to do the

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work is a win-win situation. They get valuable onthe-job experience and the Post 524 moves closer to getting its building completed.

Jeff Berger, training coordinator for Local 322, is supervising the apprentices on site. Wednesday, June 29, was their first day and Berger said he had eight or nine men working. They returned the following week and the number of apprentices working on any given day varies. There was no timeline for how long they would be there.

“It is good, on-the-job experience for them,” Berger explained. “They would be out in the field anyway. Our program is nine days in the field and one day in the classroom. They started out with the sanitation plumbing and they will be doing whatever needs to be done.

They get good field experience and it’s for a good cause.”

Bob Marzulli, who chairs the building committee for Morvay-Miley Post 524, said they were having trouble finding someone to complete the work, but Local 322 answered the call.

“We tried to get someone but they told us they’d get back to us in October,” Marzulli explained. “I talked to (Local 322 Business Manager) Kurt Krueger and he said it wouldn’t be a problem at all.”

The combination of the generosity of the South Jersey Mechanical Contractors Association and Plumbers

Local 322 has saved Morvay-Miley Post 524 approximately $75,000 and moved up the time frame for completing the building by three-to-six months according to Marzulli.

“They are doing all the inside work,” Marzulli said.

“They’re doing all the drain lines, water and gas lines for all our service appliances.

“The guys have all been great. They’re courteous,

friendly; they can’t do enough for us. They’re always asking, ‘anything else we can do for you.’ It’s unbelievable the amount they’ve done.”

Local 322 and Morvay-Miley Post 524 - a perfect match. A group of apprentices who needed on-the-job training and a project that needed help getting to the finish line. Call it a positive experience for both sides.

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Sheet Metal Workers Union sees donation as a means of giving back to the community

Bryan Bush, Assistant Business Manager for

Sheet Metal Workers Local 19, greets players from the Camden Bulldogs football team

Camden City Bulldogs Football Team Gets Boost From Local 19

By SJ Trades Staff CAMDEN – Anton Dyer, president of the Camden City Bulldogs youth football program, was standing on the team’s home field in East Camden on June 23rd talking about one of the main struggles the team experiences annually.

“Every year it’s a struggle to get uniforms and equipment,” Dyer said. “We give kids equipment every year and then we have to go knocking on doors to get it back. Parents don’t want to give it back. Last year we only had 200 kids because that

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was all we could fit. We didn’t have enough uniforms and equipment.”

Thanks to Sheet Metal Workers Local Union No. 19, that shouldn’t be a problem this year. In a presentation on the field Thursday night, Assistant Business Manager Bryan Bush presented Dyer and Jade Fladger, a member of Local 19 for 29 years and a volunteer coach with the Bulldogs, with a $2,000 check.

For Bush the donation was a way for Local 19 to give back to the community.

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“We’re trying to get more involved over here in Camden,” Bush explained. “We are doing a lot of different things. Jade is one of our members and he volunteers his time with these kids. It’s all about opportunity and our local is all about doing whatever we can to help out to make things better for everybody.

“It comes down to the kids. You drive over to Camden and you don’t see a lot of good things, but we want to be able to help with that. It’s just like on a job site, you want the job site to look good for everybody. Well, we want the playgrounds and fields to look good for the kids as well.

“Some of our members live here in Camden.

Some of their kids are in this program. We want to give back to them. All I can say is we want more opportunity for our members and their kids.”

The Camden Bulldogs field teams in four age brackets – 5 to 7, 8-9, 10-11 and 12 to 14 and a half – and play in the Tri-County Midget Football

League. They charge a modest registration fee and rely on fund raising to cover costs of uniforms, equipment, referees fees ($700-800 for four games on each of five home dates), lights and maintenance on the turf field. Dyer said they’ve had to turn kids away on more than once occasion, but that won’t be the case this year.

“Not at all,” he said. “I’ll start looking for uniforms tonight. With this $2000 check we’ll be able to take all the kids we can get.”

As for Fladger, known simply as Coach Jade, the generosity of the union was more than he had expected.

“I am very grateful,” Fladger said. “I went to Gary (Masino, the local’s president) a couple of months ago and asked him if he could help out and he said he would, but I didn’t expect this, not in the least bit.”

With the first of two minicamps coming up next week, the season’s prospects are already looking much brighter for the Camden City Bulldogs.

Photos: Chris Ferrari

Bryan Bush, Assistant Business Manager for Sheet Metal Workers other local union officials Local 19 (back row, 3rd from left) and pose with players from the Camden Bulldogs football team.

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SHEET METAL WORKERS LOCAL 19 TAKES THE FIGHT AGAINST DRUG ADDICTION TO THE STREETS

Sheet Metal Workers take the fight against drugs to the streets

By Todd Farally, SJ Trades BELLMAWR --Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 recently joined community activists outside Johnie’s Liquors and the Bellmawr Laundromat on Browning Road in Bellmawr, NJ to protest the sale of heroin to the community out of those establishments. Arrests were made at both businesses which are situated directly within a residential neighborhood.

The protest lasted roughly two hours with large support from the community with passersby honking horns and giving a thumbs up. Several of the protesters have lost family (particularly children) to this growing scourge in communities around the region.

Bellmawr Councilman, David Spector, has been quoted as saying: “This is in everyone’s backyard, something has to be done in our communities.”

He’s absolutely correct, this isn’t a big city issue anymore. There are no safe areas that these drugs don’t reach.

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Some people may be asking: “Why would a labor union involve themselves in a drug awareness protest, what’s in it for them?” Helping the people that live in the communities they serve is the reward. These are our family, friends, and neighbors. If just one life is saved from getting the information out to prevent people from using or helping someone conquer this terrible disease, that is what’s in it for them.

The protest in June was the fourth drug awareness action that Local 19 participated in throughout South Jersey. The other three were drug awareness walks with community activists and Camden County Police through some of the toughest neighborhoods in Camden, NJ. Through these walks, activists show those in the community that people do care about them, they aren’t forgotten, and there is help available.

Other reasons for these walks is to inform the community about the “Good Samaritan Law” which gives protection to people who call emergency services for an overdose even if they, themselves, are currently under

the influence of drugs. This law also gives protection to the person who is overdosing.

Also, the other information the police and activists wanted to spread to the public is of a drug called Narcan (Naloxne Hydrochloride), which can aid in reversing an overdose caused by opioids.

So how did Local 19 get involved with these drug awareness actions in the first place?

I had the opportunity to speak with Local 19’s Assistant Business Manager Bryan Bush on how exactly the local started their involvement. As in many other cases where people become involved with this sort of activism, this stems back to very painful events. Over the past few years there have been several children of Local 19 members die from drug overdose and finally enough was enough.

Bush and Local 19 Organizer Luke Gordon reached out to former Freeholder Tom Gurrick to see if there was a way Local 19 could help Camden Police with this issue. Within a week, there was a meeting set up between Bush, Gordon, and Camden Police Chief Scott Thomson. Chief Thomson said in the meeting the police were taking great effort to reach out to the community and work their way back into the neighborhoods as public servants.

Bush said, “This fight needs to be brought to the streets. Show these drug dealers that we aren’t afraid to go into their stomping grounds.”

The next step was to have a meeting with Patty DiRenzo of the Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force and James Bruno, Chief of Staff for the Camden

County Police. At this meeting Local 19 learned about the “Good Samaritan Law” and Narcan. Within the first year of the new law, 300 people were saved that otherwise could very well have died due to an overdose. Also, within the first year, there were 130 documented cases of lives saved from overdose with the use of Narcan. These numbers are staggering, yet encouraging.

Out of this meeting Local 19, the Camden Police and other activists planned their first drug awareness walk through the city. This first action comprised of roughly 50 people, half of which were Local 19 members and officials. In Bush’s words, “they took it to the streets” and were surprised at the positive response from the neighborhood.”

They gave out information about the “Good Samaritan Law” and Narcan and information on how drugs will negatively affect your life and the lives of everyone around you. The hope is to save lives from an overdose and then make sure people can kick these terrible addictive substances that have ravaged our communities.

These walks are also a way of telling the drug dealers that the good people in our cities and towns are not going to allow them to peddle their poison to those we love. We’re not going to make it easy on them anymore.

This isn’t an abstract issue that people can just ignore anymore. This epidemic has grown to an extent that you can walk down any street in any town throughout the region and you will notice it on some people’s faces.

The signs are there and we must fight for our children, our neighbors and our very way of life.

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