Iron Workers Local 396 Family Picnic draws large crowd Page 3
Laborers Local 110 swears in Executive Board officers Page 4
Teamsters Local 618 hosts Annual Member Barbecue Page 6
Iron Workers Local 392 members recognized in St. Louis apprenticeship contest Page 7
IBEW Local 2 holding fundraising raffle for late member’s family Page 12
By SHERI GASSAWAY Missouri Correspondent
With the warmer weather, road construction work is heating up, and the Missouri-Kansas Laborers District Council has a message for drivers: Slow down in work zones. That important message is underscored in a new 30-second video on social media highlighting the work Laborers do on the state’s roadways and bridges. The video is narrated by Brandon Flinn, business manager of the MissouriKansas Laborers District Council. “Over the course
of the next few years, thousands of workers like the workers behind me are going to be rebuilding roads and bridges across Missouri,” Flinn says in the video. “That means no matter where you’re driving in the state, you’re likely driving through a work zone which means these workers are putting their lives in your hands.”
‘SLOW DOWN’
Call for $500 million investment in Granite City Works
“Do your part to keep them safe,” Flinn continues in the video. “Slow down. Pay attention. Don’t tailgate and stay off the phone. These workers want the same thing as any other worker, and that’s to come home
By TIM ROWDEN Editor-in-Chief
Granite City, IL — Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) and local United Steelworkers leaders are demanding greater transparency and stronger investment commitments for the Granite City steel plant in the proposed deal between President Donald Trump and Nippon Steel.
In a press conference June 21, Budzinski, along with Local 1899
President Craig McKey, Vice President Terry Biggs and Sub-District 7 Director Jason Chism, emphasized that Granite City Works employees have been excluded from the negotiation process and have yet to receive any firm assurances regarding the future of the facility.
“Granite City has been producing steel for 128 years — that’s 128 years of sweat, strength, and skill passed down through generations,” Budzinski said. “And what have these workers gotten in return? Mass layoffs, idled blast furnaces, and growing uncertainty. They deserve better.”
Lack of regulation, education partially to blame, one union expert says
St. Louis ranks fourth in the nation for dog attacks on postal carriers with 47 attacks reported in 2024, according to new data released by the U.S. Postal Service.
Dog attacks on letter carriers reached a new seven-year high in 2024 with 6,088 postal employees attacked by dogs. The incidents, which were mostly self-reported by employees, include chases, bites, assaults and deaths.
Across major markets, Los Angeles ranked first with 77 inci-
dents, followed by Houston with 65 attacks and Chicago with 57 incidents. Among states, Illinois ranked fourth with 344 dog bites last year while Missouri came in ninth with 207.
Richard Thurman, safety coordinator for the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 343 Region 5, wasn’t surprised to hear the numbers, but said dog incidents with mail carriers are likely much higher.
“The recent numbers only reflect the number of incidents reported,” Thurman said. “There’s a lot of
Follow Us
labortribune.com
facebook.com/labortribune
twitter.com/STLLaborTribune
linkedin.com/company/st-louissouthern-illinois-labor-tribune
News: (314) 535-9660
close calls that go unreported. It’s easy for mail carriers to hurt their arms, legs and backs running from a dog or even pepper spray themselves. We had one carrier mauled by a dog on her first day.” Thurman said all mail carriers are required to identify animal hazards on their route and obtain an
See DOG ATTACKS page 12
Members of the following unions and councils see page 5 for changes in your notices
By JIMMY WILLIAMS JR. General President International Union of Painters and Allied Trades
As the general president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), I represent 140,000 proud workers across the finishing trades. Our vital work includes our country’s industrial, commercial and decorative painters. Because we spend our careers ensuring that our vital infrastructure works well and looks good, we know a thing or two about making things beautiful.
Right now, Republican senators are working overtime to pass Trump’s budget bill by July 4. As it stands, this bill is an outright attack on every family in this country. It would slash critical funding for programs like Medicaid and SNAP, ripping health care away from millions of people, and denying food assistance to millions of children and families in need—all to hand massive tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans.
And if that’s not enough, the bill also attacks clean energy tax credits, which would jeopardize hundreds of thousands of union jobs across the country and push the American energy sector into crisis.
Since 2022, America has seen a manufacturing and construction boom. Federal energy tax credits and investments are driving energy innovation, bringing new sources of affordable and domesticallyproduced electricity online, and allowing cities and states to upgrade dilapidated schools—all good things on their own—but these credits and investments also create thousands of good, family-sustaining jobs for members of unions like mine.
Yet, ever since that first dollar was invested, there are politicians who have done everything they can to get those investments reversed.
Take it from someone who’s worked with the tools: workers want reliable jobs that allow them to take care of their families, invest in their future, and come home safely after the workday.
Whether the project they’re on is “green” or not matters a lot less than if it’s safe and reliable. Any bill that halts billions of dollars of infrastructure and energy investments is a direct threat to the futures and livelihoods of workers across the country.
Anyone who is willing to wake up in the morning and put in a hard day’s work deserves to know that their job is secure, that they’ll earn enough money to support their family, and that their workplace is safe. I’ve spent almost 30 years in the IUPAT, fighting for the promise that all my union brothers and sisters will be able to work a stable job that pays them what they’re due.
That security is now threatened because some members of Congress are fighting to take away the funding and the incentives to create good jobs in the energy sector. This administration constantly talks about supporting workers and being independent from China, yet this bill does the exact opposite. It pulls billions of dollars of investment out of the American economy,
and Allied Trades (IUPAT), speaks during the Nationwide May Day Strong Rally on May 1, 2025, in Philadelphia, Pa.
Lisa Lake/Getty Images for May Day Strong
takes jobs away from hundreds of thousands of American workers, and ensures that we will continue to lag behind China in technological advancements.
As the Senate decides whether to push through the job-killing cuts that some House members already regret voting for, there are some easy ways they can protect American energy jobs and lower bills:
• First, Congress must revise the bill’s unrealistic timelines for project development. Currently, the bill phases out tax credits for wind and solar projects almost immediately. In practice, this functionally ends the credit for all projects except those that are near completion at this current moment.
By MARGARET POYDOCK Senior Policy Analyst Economic Policy Institute
In just a few months, the Trump administration has demonstrated its willingness to abandon workers and undermine their wages and working conditions. This includes repeated attacks to the Department of Labor (DOL) – the federal agency that oversees federal wage and hour laws, worker safety, workforce development and employee benefits protection programs.
Anti-worker nominations to key DOL positions — currently under Senate consideration — pose future risk to workers’ rights.
In January, Trump rescinded Executive Order 11246, which enforced anti-discrimination protections and equal employment opportunity requirements in federal contracting — effectively halting the work of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
In March, Trump rescinded an executive order that raised the minimum wage for federal contractors, which could cut these workers’ wages anywhere from 25 to 60 percent.
In early April, the Mine Safety and Health Administration — a DOL subagency — announced they were delaying the enforcement of the Biden-era silica rule for coal miners, increasing the risk of coal miners being exposed to silica dust.
made it harder for employers to misclassify workers as independent contractors, potentially costing workers thousands of dollars each year.
In addition to policy changes, Trump has put forward nominations that could impact workers’ rights. Trump nominated Jonathan Berry as the Solicitor of Labor, who is now awaiting his Senate confirmation hearing.
Berry authored the Project 2025 section on the Department of Labor, which dangerously calls for weakening the federal minimum wage, limiting overtime eligibility, and repealing prevailing wage requirements for federally funded construction projects. If confirmed, Berry will be DOL’s chief legal officer with independent authority to initiate lawsuits enforcing federal labor laws.
But that’s not all. Reports suggest that roughly 20 percent of DOL’s workforce has taken some form of retirement or buyout since Trump took office. This “voluntary” reduction in DOL staff will negatively impact the agency’s services, including enforcement of Labor laws, funding of workforce development, and publication of credible labor market data.
• Similarly, Congress should fix the overly strict “foreign entity of concern” limits on where essential project components must be manufactured. This may make for a good talking point, but as written, the limits only pay lip service to national security and would do nothing to move manufacturing jobs onshore.
Now is the moment for our elected officials to stand up for our workers, our families, and our energy future.
Working-class Americans want our leaders to let commonsense prevail against the partisan talking points and the political gamesmanship that has gripped Washington for far too long. And one way to do that is to pass a budget that continues to support the creation of good-paying union jobs in our hometowns.
Regardless of what happens with the budget fight this summer, it’s clear that cities and states must take up the mantle and continue to go big on clean energy and union job creation. We will always have the power to invest in clean energy—and workers across the country are ready to continue building this critical new infrastructure.
Long after this fight is over, unions like ours will continue to build this country—and fight for workers, their families, and their futures.
(Jimmy Williams Jr. is a fourth-generation glazier, the general president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), and the proud father of three sons. This article was originally published in Newsweek.)
Most recently, Trump’s DOL asked to pause litigation on the Biden-era overtime pay rule, seemingly indicating that the department plans to rescind the rule that expanded the right to overtime pay for 4.3 million workers. DOL also announced it would stop enforcing a Biden-era rule that
Trump continues to advance an antiworker agenda by proposing a 35 percent cut to DOL’s budget in the administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget request. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) is monitoring, and will continue to monitor, actions from the Trump administration, Congress, and the courts that impact workers at Federal Policy Watch at epi. org/policywatch (Margaret Poydock joined EPI in 2016. As a senior policy analyst, she works on issues of unions, labor standards and strikes. She also helps manage EPI’s legislative and policy initiatives to build a more just economy.)
On Juneteenth, Labor Movement reaffirms its fight against economic and legal disparities
Last Thursday was Juneteenth, which commemorates the freeing of the last enslaved Black people in our country as news of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached Galveston, Texas, in 1865.
The holiday was created to celebrate emancipation from forced labor — a profound moment in the history of this country that every worker should observe as a reminder that all people are inherently deserving of dignity, freedom and the right to self-determination.
In observation of Juneteenth, the Labor Movement reaffirms our fight against the economic and legal disparities that persist for Black Americans as part of the lasting legacy of chattel slavery.
This is especially important in the context of the Trump administration’s attacks on initiatives that encourage diversity and equity, attempts to censor the history of discrimination that Black Americans face, and threats against Department of Education funding for historically Black colleges and universities. We have many miles to go before reaching true equity in our nation, and the Labor Movement will not stand idly by as extremist lawmakers try to roll back hard-fought progress we’ve made toward racial justice.
LIZ SHULER President AFL-CIO
Imperial, MO – The Iron Workers Local 396 Family picnic was a huge success drawing about 300 members and their families to Turner Camp here at 1700 Turner Camp Road on June 14. The event featured a skills competition, pony rides, face painting, barbecue, drinks, snow cones and of course, union comradery. – Labor Tribune photos
ST. LOUIS – Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 recently welcomed seven members to the ranks of journeymen (from left) Chad McConnell, Ryan Menner, Joseph Tubbs Jr., Steven Brunk, Zachary Schuler, Alan DeClue and Zachary Dillion. “Earning your journeyman status is a testament to your skill, dedication and commitment to the trade,” the union shared on social media. “Welcome to the next chapter of your career, we’re proud to have you representing Local 36!” – Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 photo
Read the Labor Tribune
In addition to the print edition, the Labor Tribune is available at labortribune.com For breaking news, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. To subscribe, visit labortribune.com
Councils in
Tim Rowden Editor-in-Chief (314) 256-4138 tim@labortribune.com
Ed Finkelstein Publisher Emeritus edf@labortribune.com
Sheri Gassaway Missouri Correspondent sheri@labortribune.com
Robert Kelly Correspondent Linda Jarrett Correspondent Dan Braun Marketing Director Lauren Marshall Advertising Representative
Elizabeth Donald Illinois Correspondent
Lynn Alpert Production Manager/ Graphic Designer
Kathy Crowe Graphic Designer
SUNSET HILLS,
New AFL-CIO report shows Medicaid cuts will spike health care costs for everyone
Washington – The AFL-CIO released a new analysis last week showing that the Medicaid cuts Senate Republican leaders are pushing through the budget reconciliation process would raise health care costs for everyone, including an estimation of up to $485 a year for the 179 million people with employment-based insurance.
On May 22, the House of Representatives passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) on a close party-line vote of 215-214. This Republican-led legislation is now before the Senate, and the AFLCIO with its affiliated unions are advocating against the $1.3 trillion reduction in medical services that is included in the Republicans’ budget reconciliation policy.
The AFL-CIO’s research shows that if it becomes law, the bill would result in higher premiums, less access to emergency rooms and fewer providers available to provide care—not only for people who use Medicaid, but for millions more working people across the country.
“This budget reconciliation bill
makes it seem like cutting Medicaid is going to save taxpayers money when it’s really going to cost all of us more—all to give tax breaks to the rich,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “We’re not going to let the Republican-controlled Congress make our health care more expensive and less accessible for working people.”
The AFL-CIO’s new analysis finds that if the reconciliation bill under consideration in the Senate becomes law:
• For the 179 million workers with job-based insurance, premiums could soar by nearly $500 a year for each person covered and nearly $2,000 annually for a family of four.
• 16 million people would lose health coverage entirely, pushing more patients into urgent care and emergency rooms—driving up costs for everyone across the health care system.
• States would be forced to gut other vital services to close the gap left by federal cuts. Funding for schools, fire departments and infrastructure
projects will be jeopardized, putting state and city essential workers’ jobs on the chopping block.
• Hospitals and health care providers will be forced to absorb billions in uncompensated care costs, which will then be passed on to patients through higher premiums and reduced access to care, as facilities will be forced to shutter under financial strain.
• More than 600,000 front-line health care workers would be fired, tossing the people who would care for our parents as they get older and our kids when they get sick out of their jobs.
• More than 330 rural hospitals across the country, from Alaska to Alabama and particularly in the South, would be forced to close if these Medicaid cuts become law. These hospital closures would strip entire communities of access to emergency rooms, ambulances and maternity wards, forcing those in rural and lower-income communities to travel farther and wait longer for care.
For more information, visit DeptOfPeopleWhoWork.org
JUNE 23
1914 – Charles Moyer, president of the Western Federation of Miners, goes to Butte, Mont. in an attempt to mediate a conflict between factions of the miner’s local there. It didn’t go well. Gunfight in the union hall killed one man; Moyer and other union officers left the building, which was then leveled in a dynamite blast.
1947 – Congress overrides President Harry Truman’s veto of the anti-worker Taft-Hartley Act. The law weakened unions and let states exempt themselves from union requirements. Twenty states immediately enacted open shop laws and more followed.
1978 – OSHA issues standard on cotton dust to protect 600,000 workers from byssinosis, also known as “brown lung.”
1999 – A majority of the 5,000 textile workers at six Fieldcrest textile plants in Kannapolis, N.C., vote for union representation after an historic 25-year fight.
JUNE 24
1971 – Seventeen workers are
killed as methane explodes in a water tunnel under construction in Sylmar, Calif.
JUNE 25
1893 – More than 8,000 people attend the dedication ceremony for The Haymarket Martyrs Monument in Chicago, honoring those framed and executed for the bombing at Haymarket Square on May 4, 1886.
1985 – A total of 21 workers are killed when a fireworks factory near Hallett, Okla., explodes.
1994 – Decatur, Ill., police peppergas workers at A.E. Staley plant gate one year into the company’s two-and-a-half-year lockout of Paperworkers Local 7837.
JUNE 26
1894 – Members of the American Railway Union, led by Eugene V. Debs, refuse to handle Pullman cars, in solidarity with Pullman strikers. Two dozen strikers were killed over the course of the strike.
1959 – The 189-mile-long St. Lawrence Seaway opens, making the Great Lakes accessible to Atlantic shipping. Thousands of laborers toiled for decades to make it happen; indirectly and directly, the Seaway today supports 75,000 jobs in Canada and 150,000 in the U.S.
JUNE 27
1905 – The Industrial Workers of the World, also known as the “Wobblies,” is founded at a 12-day-long convention in Chicago. The Wobbly motto: “An injury to one is an injury to all.”
1935 – Congress passes the National Labor Relations Act, creating the structure for collective bargaining in the United States.
1985 – A 26-day strike of New York City hotels by 26,000 workers — the first such walkout in 50 years — ends with a five-year contract calling for big wage and benefit gains.
1993 – A.E. Staley locks out 763 workers in Decatur, Ill. The lockout was to last two and one-half years.
JUNE 28
1850 – Birthday of machinist Matthew Maguire, who many believe first suggested Labor Day. Others believe it was Peter McGuire, a carpenter. 1894 – President Grover Cleveland signs legislation declaring Labor Day an official U.S. holiday.
1944 – A Liberty Ship named after the founding president of the American Federation of Labor, Samuel Gompers, is launched in Sausalito, Calif. She replaced a cargo steamship bearing Gompers’ name which had been torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese sub in the South Pacific the previous year.
1988 – The federal government sues the Teamsters to force reforms on the union, the nation’s largest. The following March, the government and the union sign a consent decree requiring direct election of
Trump claims migrants kidnapped everyone who was coming to his parade
of kidnapping “millions of real Americans” who were planning to attend.
“They grabbed them off the street like they were cats and dogs,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Then they forced them to march in those far left lunatic No Kings protests.”
According to White House sources, Trump is considering a variety of options to distract people from the failure of his parade, including releasing the Epstein files.
the
JUNE 29
1936 – IWW strikes Weyerhauser and other Idaho lumber camps.
1936 – Jesus Pallares, founder of the 8,000-member coal miners’ union, Liga Obrera de Habla Espanola, is deported as an “undesirable alien.” The union operated in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
1987 – The newly-formed Jobs with Justice stages its first big support action, backing 3,000 picketing Eastern Airlines mechanics at Miami Airport.
1988 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in CWA v. Beck that, in a union security agreement, a union can collect as dues from non-members only
that money necessary to perform its duties as a collective bargaining representative. (Compiled by David Prosten, founder Union Communication Services)
Save the Date
JUNE
June 26 – Missouri Senate Democrats Post Session
Reception with state Senate candidates Sen. Tracy McCreery and Rep. Bets Fogle 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at Bartolino’s Osteria, 2103 Sulphur Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63139. Caucus contributions can be made to Senate Democratic Campaign Committee, P.O. Box 410105, Kansas City, Mo. 64108. Candidate contributions can be made to McCreery for MO, 41 Rye Lane, St. Louis, Mo. 63132 or Fogle for Missouri, 1325 E. University, Springfield, Mo. 65804.
July 10 – Retirement celebration for Missouri AFL-CIO
Secretary-Treasurer Merri Berry, at IBEW Local 1 union hall, 5850 Elizabeth Ave. in St. Louis. The evening will start with cocktails from 5 to 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the program from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $600 for a table of eight. Advertising space in the program book is $500 for a half page (5.5 inches wide x 4.25 inches long) or $1,000 for a full page (5.5 inches wide x 8.5 inches long). Upload your ad to: Juliedominique@moaflcio.org
Make checks payable to Missouri AFL-CIO, 131 E. High Street, Ste. 100, Jefferson City, Mo. 65101.
July 17 – Missouri Women in Trades (MOWIT) Meetup for tradeswomen and women interested in joining the building trades, 4 to 6 p.m. at the AGC Training Center, 6301 Knox Industrial Ave. in St. Louis. RS-
VPs are required and food will be provided. Register at mowit.org or call 636-926-6948.
Aug. 21 – Missouri Women in Trades (MOWIT) Meetup for tradeswomen and women interested in joining the building trades, 4 to 6 p.m. at the AGC Training Center, 6301 Knox Industrial Ave. in St. Louis. RSVPs are required and food will be provided. Register at mowit.org or call 636-926-6948.
Aug. 21 – St. Louis Faith Labor Alliance Breakfast, hosted by Missouri Jobs with Justice (MOJWJ), will be held at the Painters District Council 58 union hall at 2501 59th St. in St. Louis from 7:30 to 9 a.m. For more information, contact The Rev. Teresa Danieley, of MOJWJ, at teresa@mojwj. org or call her at 314-503-7415. To register, visit mojwj.org/action/join-a-st-louis-faith-laboralliance-breakfast
Aug. 24 – St. Louis Labor Council’s 2025 Labor Parade and Festival. The parade will
start at 9 a.m., beginning at the Eagan Center at 1 James J. Eagan Drive, Florissant, Mo. and ending at the Knights of Columbus Park, where the 2025 Labor Festival will be held. Many events are planned for both young and old!
OCTOBER
Oct. 4 – IBEW Local 1455
Chris Eisle/Mike Datillo Memorial Trivia Night to benefit the American Cancer Society at Local 1455 Union Hall, 2121 59th Street, St. Louis, Mo. 63110. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Trivia starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person. Tables of eight to 10 are available. Individual and small groups are welcome. Beer, water and soda are provided. Bring your own snacks. Make checks payable to IBEW Local 1455 and bring the night of the event. RSVP by Sept. 12 to President@ibewlocal1455.org.
GET LISTED
Have something for the Calendar? Send it to Managing Editor Sheri Gassaway at Labor Tribune, 301 S. Ewing Ave. St. Louis, MO 63101 or email sheri@labortribune.com
Mark your calendars! The 15th Annual Tradeswomen Build Nations conference is scheduled for Sept. 19-21 in Chicago.
The convention, sponsored in part by the North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), is the largest yearly event of its kind for women of all ages and skill levels
who work or aspire to work in the unionized construction trades. It attracts about 3,000 women from the building trades each year, including several from the St. Louis area.
The lively conference provides opportunities for networking, learning, and leadership develop-
City From page 1
Japan-based Nippon Steel announced June 18 it had acquired Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion.
Budzinski accused Trump of cutting a backroom deal in approving the sale, leaving local steel workers and their futures out of the equation.
“On the campaign trail, President Trump promised to stand up for the steel workers and to bring American manufacturing back to American soil,” Budzinski said.
“Instead, all it took was for Nippon to offer this administration a golden
share of U.S. Steel for him to sell out steelworkers and approve this sale.”
That “golden share” gives the White House veto power over a wide array of company actions, including production and trade matters.
Budzinski, whose district includes Granite City Works, noted that Trump did not mention the Granite City mill at a May 30 rally in Pennsylvania where he outlined $14 billion in investments that Nippon Steel agreed to make as part of the transaction.
Those investments include $7 billion to modernize steel mills, expand ore mining and build fa-
cilities across Indiana, Minnesota, Alabama and Arkansas according to the St. Louis Business Journal
“In that speech, he failed to mention Illinois; he failed to mention Granite City; and most of all he failed to consult the hundreds of workers who built this industry as a bedrock of our community” Budzinski said. “He cut a backroom deal that leaves Granite City behind.”
Although Nippon has promised to keep the Granite City mill open for the next two years, Budzinski and local Steelworkers say more is needed.
“Right now, that is just empty words,” Budzinski said. “What these
ment for all attendees, whether they are a pre-apprentice or a seasoned journeyperson. The event speaks to every tradeswoman’s needs, offering workshops and plenary sessions facilitated by tradeswomen and featuring union leaders, apprenticeship and training coordinators, community
workers need is communication, transparency and assurances. They have worked too hard, and for too long, to be sidelined.”
Budzinski said $500 million of Nippon’s investment should go toward upgrading the Granite City facility.
“That funding must be toward modernizing this facility so that our workers can continue doing what they do best, producing world class American steel,” Budzinski said. “Keeping a facility open means nothing if they don’t have the equipment to stay competitive.”
Budzinski has been a steadfast advocate for continued investment in the Granite City Works and protecting the future of Granite City
and industry partners, and local, state and federal advocates and lawmakers.
Additional information on the conference will be released in upcoming weeks. Visit tradesfutures.org/initiatives/tradeswomen-build-nations to lean more.
community since taking office in 2023. In December 2023, she joined Illinois senators in sending a letter to Nippon Steel, pressing the company for transparency regarding its plans for existing operations and facilities in Illinois — including details on worker retention, potential layoffs, and the future of Granite City Works. Last month, she criticized the proposal for dismissing the existing collective bargaining agreement, failing to include essential investment in Granite City, and excluding workers from having a voice in the negotiation process.
“This city is more than just a dot on a map; it’s a community built by generations of steelworkers, by families who poured their blood, sweat and tears into an industry that not only forged steel, but forged the American middle class,” Budzinski said. “We gather here to demand that this community have a seat at the table in the deal brokered between President Trump and Nippon Steel.”
‘TRYING
McKey, the Local 1899 president, said the union currently has about 900 members at Granite City Works –down from about 1,300 in 2013 – with about 150 on layoff full-time who will lose health care benefits in October and about 750 working, including 60 in the Hot Strip Mill who go on layoff every other week. McKey said workers currently are processing slabs from U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works in suburban Pittsburgh.
Nippon Steel has not said whether it will move forward with U.S. Steel’s announcement in 2022 that it would sell the two blast furnaces at Granite City Works to Illinois-based SunCoke Energy Inc.
“We’d just like to know something about what’s going on here with this facility,” McVey said. “We’re trying to remain optimistic that maybe Nippon will come in and have a different future for us than U.S. Steel did in 2022, which was pretty much telling us over a couple years that they were going to shut this facility down. But we truly don’t know right now. We still don’t know what our future is.”
Chism, the sub-district director for United Steelworkers District 7, and a 29-year employee at the Granite City Works, said union members at the mill have endured whipsaw uncertainty for 18 months since U.S. Steel said it would be acquired by Nippon Steel.
“This is people’s lives. This is people’s careers, their benefits, the stuff that we’ve worked hard for through collective bargaining to be able to achieve,” Chism said.
“Our message (to President Trump) moving forward is really simple: invest in this mill…. Don’t forget about us hard-working steelworkers here in Granite City, Ill.”
Steamfitters Local 439
Meets first Wednesday of each month, 7:30 p.m. in the Donald Bailey Building, 1220 Donald Bailey Dr., Caseyville, Ill. 62232-2061.
Greater St. Louis Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Boilermakers Local 27 The monthly membership meetings are at 8 p.m. the first Monday at the Boilermakers Hall, 1547 S. Broadway. Applications for Construction Boilermakers Apprentice will be accepted by the Boilermakers Joint Apprenticeship Committee on the second Monday of each month at the Local 27 hall, 1547 South Broadway, St. Louis, Missouri 63104, from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The recruitment, selection, employment and training of apprentices during their apprenticeship shall be without discrimination because of race, religion, national origin, age or sex. Every applicant must supply a copy of their BIRTH CERTIFICATE and High School DIPLOMA/G.E.D. that the Committee can keep at the time of filing application for apprenticeship. WELDING QUALIFICATION: Applicants that have a welding certification or welding training qualifications will have priority selection over applicants with no welding qualifications. Applicants must provide a copy and proof of welding certification or welding training qualifications at the time of application.
Bricklayers Local 1 Meets at 5:30 p.m. the first Thursday at Bricklayers’ Local No. 1 Union Hall, 1670 Fenpark, Fenton, MO 63026. To register for a course, contact Dale Jennewein at the Bricklayers Local 1 MO JATC at 314-770-1066.
Cement Masons Local 527
3341 Hollenberg Dr, Bridgeton, MO 63044
Elevator Constructors Local 3 5916 Wilson Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110
Glaziers Local 513 5916 Wilson Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110
IBEW Local 1 Union meetings are held the First Wednesday and the Third Friday of each Month at the IBEW, Local 1 Union Hall located at 5850 Elizabeth Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63110. Meetings begin promptly at 5 p.m. Please make every effort to attend.
IBEW Local 1 Apprentices Meeting on the first and third Friday of each month, 7 p.m. at the Training Center, 2300 Hampton.
IBEW Local 4 5850 Elizabeth Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110
Insulators and Asbestos Workers Local 1 First Friday, 7 p.m. at the Hoisting Engineers Hall, 3449 Hollenberg. Executive Board meets at 3325 Hollenberg on first Friday at 10 a.m. Ironworkers Local 396 Union meetings on the last Friday of each month at 8 p.m. at the Union Hall, 2500 59th St., St. Louis, MO 63110. Laborers Local 110 4532 S Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis, MO
940 California Ave. Collinsville, IL 62234 618-345-6646 2501 59th Street St. Louis, MO 63110 314-647-3327
Augustin Tellez, Executive VP Tommy Orzechowski Secretary Treasurer George Tricker VP Contracts Bryan Powell VP Lakes & Inland Waters 4581 Gravois Ave. St. Louis, MO 63116 (314) 752-6500 Headquarters: (301) 899-0675 PROFESSIONAL FIRE
A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction last week in a union-filed lawsuit to prevent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem from terminating the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) covering Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) workers.
Plaintiffs in the complaint include AFGE, AFGE TSA Local 1121, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the Association of Flight AttendantsCWA (AFA-CWA). Last May, AFGE entered into a new, seven-year contract with the TSA, but Noem
safe to their family.”
The video, which was shot at the Interstate 270 and Chain of Rocks Bridge in North County – a project underway by Keeley & Sons and Walsh Construction, was put together as part of Work Zone Safety Awareness Week, which was April 21 to April 25. But Flinn says the message applies year-round.
issued a memo in late February rescinding that agreement. The unions filed the lawsuit after the agency told members that their agreement and all pending grievances were terminated.
“Today’s court decision is a crucial victory for federal workers and
From page 1
the rule of law,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley in a joint press release. “The preliminary injunction underscores the unconstitutional nature of DHS’s attack on TSA officers’ First Amendment rights. We remain committed to ensuring our members’ rights and dignity are protected, and we will
not back down from defending our members’ rights against unlawful union busting.”
ESSENTIAL
“A collective bargaining agreement provides essential protection for TSA officers so that they can do their job effectively,” said CWA
President Claude Cummings Jr.
“Today’s court action reverses DHS Secretary Noem’s unlawful union busting that put the safety of CWA Passenger Service Agents and Flight Attendants at risk.”
IT’S PERSONAL
“Security is personal to us. We
lost our friends. Our profession changed forever. The whole country suffered when airport security was private, went to the lowest bidder, failed to connect to national intelligence and disrespected the people who worked the check points,” said Sara Nelson, international president of AFA-CWA. “Our security improved with a professional, federalized workforce…. This win matters for workers everywhere. But it also matters for every person who believes we should protect the freedom to fly and the backbone of our economy.”
(AFL-CIO)
work zones. You will be in the work zone quicker than you think.
“They’re there for a reason. Our workers want the same thing as any other worker, and that is to come home safely at the end of the day.”
According to the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), 23 people were killed in Missouri work zone crashes in 2024. The agency did not specify whether those killed were workers or drivers.
“The biggest indicator that you are approaching a work zone are the signs, and so many motorists disregard those signs,” Flinn said.
Distracted driving contributed to at least four of those fatalities as well as more than 350 work zone crashes overall, the organization reports. Distracted driving and driving too fast for the conditions remain the top contributors to work zone crashes.
According to MoDOT, there are three “S’s” of managing work zones safely: Speed, Space and Stress. Handle these three factors, and you’re almost home free.
• Slow down when approaching all
• Follow posted speed limits, especially within construction zones, and try to maintain a consistent speed with the traffic flow. And adjust your speed for weather conditions.
• Don’t resume normal speed until you see roadway signs indicating it’s safe to do so.
• Leave room. Leave adequate braking room between your vehicle and the one ahead of you. Count out at
least two seconds from the time the car ahead of you passes an object and the time your own car passes that object. Also, keep a safe distance between your vehicle and traffic barriers, trucks, construction equipment and workers.
• Wait to merge. Take turns. In heavily congested work zones, use all open lanes until you reach the merge point. Then take turns every other car to merge together. It’s not rude. It’s safer and reduces your wait time 40 percent.
• Don’t pass on the shoulder. Don’t drive across the median. This creates a very dangerous situation for you, construction workers and other motorists – not to mention the steep fine.
• Leave yourself an out. When stopped in traffic, leave a safety zone between you and the vehicle in front of you. A good rule of thumb is that when stopped in traffic you should be able to see the bottom of the tires of the vehicle in front of you.
• Watch out for tailgaters. Do not force tailgaters to back off by slamming on your brakes or reducing your speed significantly. This practice can lead to road rage and increases the chances of a collision. When possible, pull over and let them pass. If this is not possible, turn your headlights on and off several times during daylight hours to illuminate your taillights and warn tailgaters they are too close. If at night, lightly tap your brake pedal to illuminate your brake lights.
• Keep your cool. Calm down and don›t rush. Remember, the temporary inconvenience of a construction zone will pay off with greatly improved roads soon.
• Pay attention. Avoid cell phone or radio distractions, as well as those of other stopped cars or construction.
• Expect delays. Use the MoDOT traveler map at https://traveler. modot.org/map/ and other available information to keep yourself informed about construction on your route. Leave a bit earlier, if necessary, to arrive at your destination on time. Consider using an alternate route that bypasses the construction zones.
To watch the council’s video, visit facebook.com/ reel/1711280859509102
Coming to Your Area
Area unions and union-friendly organizations are hosting the following fundraising and charity golf tournaments. To have your tournament listed, contact Editorin-Chief Tim Rowden at tim@ labortribune.com, or mail your information to Labor Tribune, 301 S. Ewing Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63103.
June 27 – 3rd Annual Suicide Awareness Golf Tournament, sponsored by The Irish Gypsy, a UNITE HERE Local 74 house, begins with a noon registration and 1 p.m. shotgun start at The Falls Golf Course at 1170 Turtle Creek Drive in O’Fallon. Prizes for three flights, closest to the pin, longest drive and longest putt. Lunch, dinner and beverages are included. Sponsorships range from $100 to $300. Checks and cash may be accepted at the Irish Gypsy at 1250 Bryan Road in O’Fallon or via Venmo at @Amy-Corrigan-2
July 14 – St. Louis Building & Construction Trades 3rd Annual Golf Tournament, honoring St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer, Missouri State Senator Steve Roberts and St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy, will be held at Glen Echo Country Club, 3401 Lucas & Hunt Road, St. Louis, Mo. 63121. Entry fee is $1,000 per foursome. Hole sponsorships are $150. Non-golfer dinner guest tickets are $50. Registration deadline is July 1. Make checks payable to Building & Construction Trades PAC Fund and mail to Attn: Gina Knoll, 2300 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63139.
Aug. 2 – 28th Annual United Way Charity Golf Tournament, hosted by CWA Local 6300 and AT&T Business Services will be held at Norman K. Probstein Golf Course at Forest Park. Entry fee of $100 per player includes green fees, car, refreshments and lunch. Field is limited to 144 golfers. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. with a 7:30 a.m. shotgun start. Prizes will be awarded for longest drive and closest to the pin. An optional skins game will also be available. Proceeds will benefit the United Way. Make checks payable to Mark Reinghausen and mail with entry form to 32 Lemhi Pass Court, O’Fallon, Mo. 63368. Entry fees are due by Friday, July 18. For more information, contact Mark Reinghausen at 314-603-2467 or email mr3212@ att.com, or Mike Brennecke at 314-239-5546 or email mb1836@ att.com
Aug. 23 – Glaziers Local 513 Charity Fund Golf Tournament to benefit St. Crisis Nursery will tee-off with an 8 a.m. four-person scramble shotgun start at Florissant Golf Club, 50 Country Club Lane,
Florissant, Mo. 63033. Entry fee of $450 per team includes lunch, cart, green fees, beer, soda and water. Lunch-only tickets are $25. Skins can be purchased for $20 per team. There will also be raffles and a 50/50 drawing as well as prizes awarded for closest to the pin for both men and women and prizes for A, B and C flight winners. Hole sponsorships are $150. Beverage cart sponsorships are $350. Lunch sponsorship is $700. Interested sponsors should email admin@glaziers513.org Make checks payable to Glaziers Charity Golf Classic, 5916 Wilson Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63110.
Sept. 13 – Machinists Lodge 41 Charity Golf Tournament supporting IAM Veterans Service Program will begin with a four-person scramble shotgun start at 10 a.m. at Lockhaven Golf Club, 10872 Lawrence Keller Drive, Godfrey, Ill. 62035. Checkin begins at 8:30 a.m. Entry fee is $450 per team and includes lunch, dinner and beer provided, and a $10,000 hole-in-one contest. Hole sponsorships are available for $100 on the box or $150 on the box and green. Make checks payable to IAMAW Veterans L 41 and mail to Mark Grzechowiak, treasurer, 12365 St. Charles Rock Road, Bridgeton, Mo. 63044. The deadline to enter is Sept. 6. For more information, Contact Mark Grzechowiak at 636-293-8213 or email iamprogressivelodge41@ gmail.com
Sept. 18 – Missouri AFL-CIO Golf Tournament will begin with a 9 a.m. registration and 10 a.m. tee-off at Oak Hills Golf Center in Jefferson City Mo. Entry fee for a Silver Sponsorship is $600 and includes golf for four with a cart, a chance to win closest to the pin and longest drive, as well as attendance prizes, food and beverages. Other sponsorships range from $300 to $2,500. All proceeds go toward member education. Deadline for entries is Sept. 1. Make checks payable to Missouri AFL-CIO and mail to Attn: Jake Hummel, 131 E. High Street, Suite 100, Jefferson City, Mo. 65101. For more information call Matt Troesser at 573-634-2115.
Sept. 27 – AFSCME Local 799 Golf Tournament will tee off with an 8 a.m. fourperson scramble shotgun start at Arlington Greens Golf Course, 200 Arlington Dr., Granite City, Ill. 62040. Entry donation of $90 per person or $360 per team includes golf, food, beverages and prizes. Sponsorships range from $100 to $1,000. Make checks payable to AFSCME Local 799 and mail to AFSCME, P.O. Box 125 Edwardsville, Ill. 62025. For more information, contact Bruce at 618-301-2496 or Mike at 618-550-4321.
Oct. 18 – CWA Local 6300 Golf Tournament to benefit The BackStoppers will be held at Old Florissant Golf Club, 50 Country Club Lane, Florissant, Mo. 63033 beginning with 8 a.m. registration and a 9 a.m. shotgun start. Entry fee is $500 per team. Hole sponsorships are $150. Tournament sponsorships are $1,000. All other donations are welcome and tax deductible. Make checks payable to CWA Local 6300 or BackStoppers. Donations and sponsorships should be directed to Joe Klenc at CWA 6300, 2258 Grisson Drive, St. Louis, Mo. 63146. For more information, contact Joe at 314-825-8801 or email jklenc@cwa6300.org
IBEW Local 2 is hold a fundraising raffle to benefit the family of a member who recently passed away.
Brother Jeffrey Rea Jr., of Barnhart, Mo., died May 9 after a dirt bike accident in Jefferson County
when he struck another vehicle, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. He leaves behind a wife and young daughter.
Prizes include a journeyman’s edge tool board for the first drawing, a Milwaukee impact wrench and battery for the second drawing, and a Bosch impact wrench and battery for third drawing as well as three REA
other items.
All proceeds will be donated directly to Brother Rea’s family. Raffle tickets can be purchased by July 7 at the union hall at 940 Biltmore Drive in Fenton or through Venmo at @ Megan-Cartwight-13. The drawing will be held July 14.
For more information, call Jerry Cartwright at 636-744-2886.
animal control agreement signed by the customer. But, Thurman said, that’s easier said than done since Missouri doesn’t have a statewide dangerous dog law – instead, local governments regulate based on individual behavior.
“There are 84-plus municipalities in the St. Louis area, and they all have different dangerous dog laws,” Thurman said. “And often times people don’t read the ordinances or even register their dogs with the local authorities. Also, many municipalities are short-staffed or have less than three trucks, so enforcing local laws is an issue.”
Thurman also noted that as of Jan. 1, 2024, Missouri state law nullified all local breed-specific ordinances, meaning cities cannot single out specific breeds anymore. He said now, localities must regulate based on each dog’s actions, not its appearance.
Thurman said most Missouri municipalities now use behaviorbased ordinances, and common triggers include:
• Unprovoked attacks or bites on humans or animals.
• Menacing behavior like chasing or growling.
• A pattern or evidence of aggressive disposition.
According to the U.S. Census
From page 1
Bureau, more than one in three American households owns dogs, which presents a real potential danger for mail carriers. To combat the problem, the Postal Service continues its tradition of calling attention to this important public health issue each June with its National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign.
“It’s a real problem,” Postal Service spokesperson David Coleman told NBC news. “Dogs are animals, they act instinctively and can bite for any number of reasons. All it takes is just one wrong interaction/movement for our carriers to be injured.”
To help minimize the risk of attacks, the Postal Service has instituted guidelines for interacting with dogs on routes and ways to protect against harm, including carrying dog repellant and using mail satchels to create distance from dogs.
“The best way to keep safe from dog bites and attacks is to recognize and promote responsible pet ownership,” Coleman told NBC News. “Teach your dog appropriate behavior and commands and don’t allow a dog to roam freely.”
While the National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign takes place the month of June 2025, the Postal Service notes this important safety initiative should be practiced year-round. The theme this year is “Secure Your Dog, Keep Deliveries on Track.”
During June’s National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign, the Postal Service offers the following tips for dog owners to protect mail carriers while making their rounds:
• If a carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. Some dogs burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to attack visitors. Dog owners should keep the family pet secured.
• Parents should remind their children and other family members not to take mail directly from carriers in the presence of the family pet, as the dog may view the person handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.
• The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority. If a carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a Post Office until the carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If a dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors also may be asked to pick up their mail at the area’s Post Office.
• Sign up for Informed Delivery by visiting https://www.usps.com/ manage/informed-delivery.htm. You’ll know when parcels are being delivered in advance of the actual delivery and can take precautions to keep your carrier safe.
