Family of Sheet Metal Workers’ 119-year dynasty Page 3
Operating Engineers
Local 513 members raise over $10K for fellow member diagnosed with cancer Page 3
Five IBEW/NECA projects earn honors in the AGC Keystone Awards Page 4
IBEW 309 hosts Gateway Grizzlies Night at the Ballpark for members Page 10
Union and workerfriendly golf tournaments Page 11
‘You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.’
By TIM ROWDEN Editor-in-Chief
The AFL-CIO’s “It’s Better in a Union” bus tour came through St. Louis last week, stopping on July 25 for a rally at UFCW Local 655’s union hall in Ballwin, where local and national speakers called out President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” – now a big, ugly law – and Republican U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, in whose district the rally was held.
Speaker after speaker criticized Wagner for her complicity in passing the bill, and her failure to stand up for Missouri workers and working families who will be hurt by the law’s cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as Trump’s attacks on unions, union rights and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
BETTER IN A UNION: The AFL-CIO’s “It’s Better in a Union” bus tour came through St. Louis July 25 with a clear message for President Trump and Republican U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner that Organized Labor will not be swayed in the face of ongoing GOP attacks on working families.
A cardboard cutout of Wagner stood in front of the bus near the rally podium, prompting laughter and cheers when it fell face down on the parking lot.
“Yeah, you oughta be facedown, it couldn’t be more appropriate than that,” Local 655 President David
Cook quipped when the cutout fell during his remarks.
Cook, who is retiring this week, questioned how Wagner can sleep at night knowing she has failed to represent Missouri’s working families.
“I have always tormented with how somebody like Ann Wagner, the lady with her face down right now, can lay her head down at night and get any good rest,” Cook said. “How can you know that in this big, beautiful, ugly bill that just passed that you didn’t advocate for any changes for the workers in your district or the workers of your state, or the workers of this great country that we live in? She knew that by passing this we’d have tens and hundreds of thousands of Missourians losing medical coverage. Those that need it the most are going to lose medical
See AFL-CIO BUS TOUR page 7
Sixteen members of Laborers Local 110 remain on strike at Central Stone Company over wages.
Members picketing at the company’s Jefferson Barracks location at 5000 Bussen Road were joined on the strike line Monday, July 28, by St. Louis Labor Council President Pat Kellett, Missouri State Senator
Doug Beck, president of the Missouri State Building & Construction Trades Council, and representatives from Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562, IBEW Local 1 and Sheet Metal Workers Local 36.
Local 110 Vice President Brad Wilfong said members are fighting
for fair and competitive wages in their new contract. Their previous contract expired March 15. Workers had been working on extensions prior to going on strike.
“Most our wages are at the area standard,” Wilfong said. “We’re just asking them to give us equal to or competitive wages to what we’re getting with the other quarries. They just don’t want to do it.”
See STRIKE page 6
Model watercraft to be displayed at the National Museum of Transportation
By SHERI GASSAWAY Missouri Correspondent
A group of dedicated retirees from Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 is bringing a piece of history back to life by restoring a 1980 replica of the historic SS Admiral.
Originally built in 1907 as The Albatross (a railroad transfer vessel), it was purchased for its metal hull and rebuilt in 1937 as the Admiral, an excursion steamboat that
operated on the Mississippi River in St. Louis from 1940 to 1978. The ship was briefly re-purposed as an amusement center in 1987 and converted to a gambling venue called President Casino in the 1990s. It was
(314) 535-9660 89 YEARS Members
HISTORICAL RESTORATION – Sheet
Metal Workers Local 36 retirees (from left)
Ed Hoganson, Kevin Ferguson and Tracy Pruitt work on restoring the 1980 replica of the historic SS Admiral, using original blueprints from the excursion steamboat. Once complete, the model will be displayed at the National Museum of Transportation next year as part of the 100th anniversary of Route 66. – Labor Tribune photo
dismantled for scrap in 2011.
‘COUNTLESS HOURS’
“Our retirees with the coordination skills of Brother Ed Hoganson See ADMIRAL page 12
James “Jim”
Michael Kavanaugh, former business manager of Bricklayers Local 1, passed away peacefully on July 10, 2025 at age 87.
Brother Kavanaugh began his career as a bricklayer at just 16 years old. Over the next 45 years, he became not only a skilled tradesman but also a respected leader, serving as business manager of Bricklayers Local 1 until he retired in 1999.
‘REALLY SMART, WELL READ’
“We were tighter than bark on a tree,” said Joe Scholau, former Bricklayers Local 1 secretary-treasurer, who worked side-by-side with Kavanaugh for 14 years. “Jim was really smart and very well read. He always said what was on his mind.”
Brother Kavanaugh was a ferocious fighter on behalf of all Local 1 Bricklayers and is credited with founding the Local 1 Supplemental Pension Fund in 1991, an asset that still exists to this day.
‘TAUGHT ME A LOT’
“He was a great guy who taught me a lot,” said Don Brown, former director of the Bricklayers and Allied Craft Administrative District Council (BAC ADC) of Eastern Missouri. “It was a pleasure working under Jim, and I have a ton of respect for him.”
BAC ADC Director Brian Jennewein said Brother Kavanaugh was respected industry-wide.
“Past, present and future members owe Jim a debt of gratitude,” Jennewein said. “Because of his leadership and determination to improve our benefits, our members and their families are better off today.”
FAMILY
Born on Sept. 12, 1937, Brother Kavanaugh lived a full and purposedriven life. On Aug.1, 1959, he married his best friend and the love of his life, Mary Ann (Haag) Kava-
KAVVANAUGH page 11
following unions and councils see page 5 for changes in your notices
By SARAH ANDERSON and LINDSAY KOSHGARIAN
The GOP’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” passed by the narrowest of margins in Congress and signed into law by President Trump, represents the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich since chattel slavery. The slashing of vital services will cause a surge of economic insecurity and preventable deaths while massive hikes in military and deportation funding will serve to perpetuate endless wars and the senseless destruction of immigrant families and their communities.
1. Death by denial of healthcare
Cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, combined with new administrative hurdles to accessing benefits, could result in an estimated 51,000 preventable deaths per year. Overall, the new law and other policy changes from the Trump administration will likely strip health insurance from about 17 million people. Research shows that the rigid, red tape-laden work requirements in the bill are unlikely to actually increase employment. Most Medicaid enrollees already work, and even those who do work can end up without healthcare if red tape trips up their ability to prove it. Those who do not work are often caring for family members or attending school or have a disability. Formerly incarcerated people also face particularly high barriers to employment.
2. Hospital apocalypse
The budget reduces the allowable Medicaid provider taxes that many states use to fund this vital program. The threat is particularly severe for rural hospitals because they rely more heavily on Medicaid revenue than urban facilities. More than 700 rural hospitals are already at risk of closure, and at least 338 rural hospitals, including hospitals in nearly every state, are at increased risk due to changes in this budget. To buy off critics, Republicans included a rural health fund that is expected to cover less than a third of projected rural Medicaid losses.
3. Taking food from the mouths of hungry people
New work requirements for SNAP benefits will take food assistance from millions of people, including children and veterans. As with Medicaid, new work requirements for SNAP would have little effect on employment but would cause more children to go hungry.
4. Squeezing states on SNAP
This vital food program has always been fully federally funded, but the newly passed budget will require states to take on a significant share of the costs. This unprecedented burden shift will likely lead many states to cut enrollees or even terminate food aid programs for the first time since their inception, causing even more people to go hungry.
5. Barring lawfully present immigrants from aid
Hundreds of thousands of lawfully present immigrants, including children, who’ve fled persecution and violence in their home countries in search of safety in the United States (refugees, asylum seekers, some victims of sex or labor trafficking, some victims of domestic violence, and people with temporary protected status) will lose access to Medicaid, the Childrens’ Health Insurance Program, Medicare, ACA tax
credits, and SNAP benefits. And 2.6 million U.S. citizen children who live with only an undocumented adult are expected to lose their Child Tax Credit.
6. Terrorizing immigrant families
The GOP budget provides roughly another $170 billion to arrest, detain, and deport immigrants, and for a border wall and militarization in the next few years. That includes $45 billion for building new immigration detention centers, including family detention facilities — a 265 percent increase on an annual basis that would primarily benefit private companies contracted to build and run detention facilities. It includes an additional $29.9 billion for deportation operations and $46.6 billion for border wall construction.
7. Takes from the poor to give to the rich New tax policies would overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest households. Cuts to health care, student loans, and other vital services would wipe out the minor tax benefits for working families. A Yale analysis of the bill’s combined tax and spending policies finds that the poorest 20 percent of households would suffer a net income loss of $700 per year on average while the top one percent would receive a $30,000 increase.
Other tax changes benefit the wealthiest while leaving the poorest without help. Despite modest increases in the maximum Child Tax Credit, the budget will still deny benefits to an estimated 17 million children whose parents earn too little to receive the full credit. For the wealthy, changes to the estate tax mean that wealthy heirs will enjoy a one-time tax savings of $6.4 million while 99.8 percent of American families would not get a single penny from this tax cut.
8. Leaving corporations to enjoy their spoils
The budget keeps the corporate tax rate at 21 percent, a drastic reduction from the 35 percent pre-2018 rate – despite the fact that ordinary workers have not benefited from this rate reduction. The budget also includes more than $1 billion in new tax breaks and subsidies for the fossil fuel industry – on top of existing subsidies for the industry that accelerate climate change while costing taxpayers an estimated $17 billion per year.
9. Rewarding polluters while raising energy costs
The budget allows oil and gas companies to avoid paying fees for polluting methane leaks that are a major cause of climate change, while cuts to clean energy subsidies could mean that household energy bills could spike by $415 a year over the next decade.
10. Funding war and enriching war profiteers
President Trump is requesting a recordhigh $1.011 trillion for the Pentagon and war for FY 2026. Because regular appropriations bills require a 60-vote Senate majority, the GOP included a $150 billion boost for the Pentagon through the reconciliation bill, which requires only a straight majority. They included $25 billion to begin building the “Golden Dome,” a missile defense system that is economically and physically impossible and would only drain more money from social programs to enrich wealthy Pentagon contractors, including Elon Musk; as well as $14 billion for new artificial-intelligencedriven weapons that will further enrich tech companies while making wars more deadly.
Instead of inflicting policy violence on the most vulnerable, Congress should harness America’s abundant wealth to create a moral economy that works for all of us. By fairly taxing the wealthy and big corporations, reducing our bloated military budget, and de-militarizing immigration policy, we could free up more than enough public funds to en-
By JACKSON DIIANNI Common Dreams
Following the recent passage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s domestic policy agenda, there’s been a lot of discussion about how the bill will affect average Americans. One provision which has received a lot of attention in particular has been the proposed cuts to Medicaid.
Medicaid represents a crucial stopgap for working Americans, one of the few things keeping our healthcare system afloat as costs have skyrocketed. Cuts to the program could have devastating effects. For instance, many of the country’s rural hospitals (as well as nursing homes and community health clinics) rely heavily on Medicaid payments and could be forced to shut their doors without them. It’s estimated this could lead to thousands of deaths.
The Democratic Party has yet to come up with a viable alternative to this. Fortunately, there’s a solution. And it happens to be supported by the majority of Americans — embrace Medicare for All.
America is the only country in the developed world without a universal healthcare system. Our current model for care is bloated, wasteful, inhumane, and driven by corporate greed. According to a 2024 report by the Commonwealth Fund, the U.S. ranked last when compared with 10 other wealthy, industrialized nations on metrics such as life expectancy, preventable deaths, and access to care, despite spending by far the most on healthcare.
It’s essential that we transition to a system that prioritizes patient care over profit.
There are several reasons why America’s
system is so expensive (high administrative costs, the government’s inability to negotiate drug prices), but one crucial reason is that we’ve opted for a patchwork system. America has four models for healthcare — one system for the workforce, one system for people over 65, one system for veterans, and no system at all for the roughly eight percent of the country that remains uninsured.
Pretty much every other country has settled on one model for everyone, because it’s cheaper and less convoluted. That’s the sensible way of doing things. In 2020, a comparative analysis of 22 separate studies found that Medicare for All would save billions, if not trillions of dollars, for Americans.
Medicare For All is broadly popular, supported by the majority of the population, and affects everyone in the country. We know that it works and would do an enormous amount to relieve people’s financial burdens. The top cause of bankruptcy in America is medical debt. This program would also save tens of thousands of lives every year. If it were to pass, it might secure a voting base for the Democratic Party for at least a generation, the way Social Security and the original Medicare bill did.
It’s essential that we transition to a system that prioritizes patient care over profit. We must follow the example of every other developed country and guarantee healthcare coverage to all our citizens as a basic human right.
(Jackson Diianni is a freelance writer who has published political essays in Salon. com, as well as cultural criticism in Passion of the Weiss and Culture Catch. Reprinted from Common Dreams.)
Speak Out
Opinions expressed are those of
not
Teamsters Local 688 wants to acknowledge the following for their help in showing workers at Motors and Armatures what a union family looks like. Your help on July 17, 18 and 21 was incredible. The way you chanted “Vote Yes!” for 20 minutes helped not only us in the heat but brought some honks and smiles to the core of these workers. So a big thanks to:
• Teamsters Joint Council 13’s Locals 600, 610 and 833.
• Teamsters Local 688 Retirees Club.
• Teamsters Horsemen Chapter 13.
• Coalition of Black Trade Unionists St. Louis
Chapter (CBTU).
• Missouri Jobs with Justice (JWJ).
• Painters District Council 58.
• American Federation ofTeachers (AFT) Local 420.
• Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 retiree Don Moushey.
• United Autoworkers’ (UAW) John Bowman, president of the St. Louis County NAACP.
• And my Local 688 Volunteer Committee. Thank you all!
MIKE MARQUARDT
Teamsters Local 688 Organizer
With a digital subscription, get the Labor Tribune delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning.
• FOR UNION MEMBERS – If you receive the Labor Tribune through your union, ask them about switching to the digital edition at a considerable savings to your union NOTE: This is the best way for union members to get a subscription.
• FOR ALL OTHERS wanting to purchase a digital subscription, sign up at labortribune.com/ signup or contact our circulation department at circulation@labortribune.com For more information, email Editor-in-Chief Tim Rowden at tim@labortribune.com or call 314-256-4138.
St. Louis – Five projects by IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection contractors are finalists in the prestigious Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO) Keystone Awards.
Guarantee Electrical and PayneCrest Electric are being saluted for project excellence in the annual award program.
Since 1997, 115 IBEW/NECA projects have been honored in the AGC Keystone Awards. The Electrical Connection is a partnership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractor Association (NECA).
The honored projects span healthcare, office, aviation, solar and agriculture industries. NECA contractor Guarantee is being honored for four projects including:
• USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service Lab in Normandy, Mo. – The 18-month project tasked Guarantee with helping to engineer and install power, safety, and communications
Scripts campus into Clayco’s dynamic new St. Louis headquarters with numerous amenities.
technology at the lab, all within strict federal guidelines. As one of only three such facilities in the country, the project represented both a technical achievement and a new cornerstone of the nation’s food security system.
• Gary C.Werths Building at Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis – An al-
ready unforgiving 47-month schedule for Guarantee was condensed to just 36 months due to the Covid pandemic. Guarantee prioritized prefabrication, communication, and flexible problem-solving to accommodate last-minute changes even on a shortened timeline.
• East St. Louis Energy Center II – A community-based 1.8 MW solar array tasked Guarantee to build Ameren Illinois’ first solar energy project with battery storage capabilities. The project created new purpose in an East St. Louis brownfield site, replacing disused buildings with a more-than-3,000panel array providing renewable energy to 650 homes.
• Gulfstream in Cahokia, Ill. – Guarantee met meticulous technical, aesthetic, and service standards in the renovation of three hangars and two workshop areas. It collaborated closely with Gulfstream stakeholders to deliver customized monitor rigs and lighting systems, among other specialized installs, while working seamlessly around set plant production schedules.
NECA contractor PayneCrest was honored for delivering with meticulous attention to detail to transform open office space on the Express Scripts campus into Clayco’s dynamic new St. Louis
BuckUp what you can.
headquarters with numerous amenities. PayneCrest adroitly managed a shifting schedule and budget priorities, meeting all expectations in an unforgiving 13-month project.
The AGC Keystone Awards salute projects for safety, proficiency in overcoming challenges and the quality of delivery, including maintaining budget and schedule. Winners of the 27th Annual Keystone Awards will be announced and celebrated at the AGCMO’s Construction Awards Gala this fall. Learn more about the Electrical Connection at www.electricalconnection.org
sure we can all survive and thrive. As our country approaches its 250th anniversary, we have no excuse for not investing our national resources in ways that reflect our Constitutional values: to establish justice, domestic tranquility, real security, and the general welfare for all.
(Sarah Anderson directs the Global Economy Project and coedits Inequality.org at the Institute for Policy Studies. Lindsay Koshgarian is the program director of the National Priorities Project (NPP) at the Institute for Policy Studies. Reprinted from Inequality.org.)
Strike From page 1
STILL ON STRIKE – Laborers Local 110 members remain on strike at Central Stone Company over wages. Taking part in the picket at the company’s Jefferson Barracks (Oakville) location on July 28 were (front row center, holding signs) Local 110 members and Central Stone employees Luke Goodwin, Buck Wieda and Adam Hofstetter and (back row, from left) Missouri State Senator Doug Beck (Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562), Local 562’s Frank Schuette, Local 110 Vice President Brad Wilfong, IBEW Local 1 member and candidate for 81st House Jimmy Lappe, St. Louis Labor Council President Pat Kellett, Local 110 Government Affairs Director Clint McBride and Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 retiree Don Moushey. – Labor Tribune photo
Wilfong said the Laborers are on strike at four of the company’s quarries, including the Jefferson Barracks, Imperial, Pevely and Eureka locations.
Local 110 is asking the public to call the Central Stone at 314-8309000 to ask the company to do the right thing and give the Laborers the fair wages they deserve.
Aug. 20-23 – James Stanley Memorial Charity Softball Tournament , sponsored by the Greater Madison County Federation of Labor. All affiliated and non-affiliated union members from St. Louis, the Metro East and surrounding areas are invited to participate. This year’s fee of $400 per team is due before the captains’ meeting to be held at 6 p.m. on Aug. 13 at the Machinists Center, 161 N. Shamrock St., East Alton, Ill. 62024. All participating teams are asked to have someone at the meeting for tournament rules and selection of brackets. The winning team will be awarded the privilege of selecting the recipient of the prize money – traditionally awarded to legitimate and worthy community organizations and causes – and will receive the traveling trophy to display in their union hall. For more information, call B. Dean Webb at 618-259-8558 or 618-604-0858.
Aug. 21 – Suicide Postvention in the Construction Industry Seminar, sponsored by Aetna and co-produced by the Missouri Works Initiative
and the Construction Forum, will be held from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562 Training Center, 3755 Corporate Trail Drive in Earth City. The free seminar, open to all union members and representatives, includes a complimentary breakfast. To register, visit constructforstl.org/ upcoming-events/mental-healthin-the-public-labor-industry/
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 314-5037415. To register, visit mojwj.
org/action/join-a-st-louis-faithlabor-alliance-breakfast
Aug. 23 – Alton/Wood River Union Family Parade and Picnic, sponsored by the Greater Madison County Federation of Labor. Parade assembly begins at 8 a.m. at the Emerick Sports Complex parking lot, and the parade will step off at 10 a.m., running south on Sixth Street, west on Ferguson and ending at N. Haller Street. The picnic will be held at Gordon Moore Park in Alton following the parade. For more information, call B. Dean Webb at 618259-8558 or Mike Fultz at 618-409-4314.
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! Aug. 26 – United Way Annual Night at the Ballpark begins at 6:45 p.m. at Busch Stadium, 700 Clark Ave. in St. Louis between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburg Pirates. A $23 ticket includes a jumbo hot dog and soda, and a portion of each ticket will benefit the United Way of Greater St. Louis Community Campaign. To buy tickets, visit mlb.com/cardinals/ tickets/specials/united-way
Sept. 1 – 45th AnnualTri-City Labor Day Parade will step off at 10 a.m. in downtown Granite City for a one-mile march to Wilson Park for the union family and friends picnic. Participants will enjoy music, speeches, food, refreshments and kids activities. Madison County Transit will provide free shuttle service starting at 8 a.m. at the park and run every 15 minutes to the start of the parade route. After the parade and picnic, the transit service will take riders back downtown as needed. For more information, contact B. Dean Webb at 618-259-8558 or Eric Borg at 618-600-2094.
Sept. 1 – Southwestern Illinois Central Labor Council Parade in downtown Belleville will step off at 10 a.m. in the fourth block of South 1st Street and end at Hough Park with the annual picnic. Lineup will begin at 8 a.m. The parade and picnic are open to union members and their families. An assortment of food, beverages, rides and games for kids will be available at the picnic. No animals of any kind are allowed at the parade or picnic. For more information, contact Southwestern Illinois Central Labor Council President Scot Luchtefeld at 618-340-8300.
coverage because of her freakin’ in-action. She knew that children in need are going to go without because of the cuts to SNAP. Please explain to me. I’d love to ask her, but she’s sleeping again like she does in Congress, facedown, unconscious, voiceless for the people.”
St. Louis Labor Council President Pat Kellett (Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562) outlined the impact of the big, ugly bill.
“Two-hundredten-thousand Missourians will lose their health insurance in the Medicaid cuts. That’s a lot of people, and it’s just the beginning,” Kellett said.
“One-hundred-sixty-thousand people, especially children, will be affected by the SNAP cuts. That’s nutrition, it’s school programs. It’s absolutely disgusting.
“Nearly 5,000 jobs will be eliminated as a result of the cuts to the clean energy tax credits. And who knows how many other state programs will be cut due now to the strain on our state’s budget?
“The effects are loud and clear.”
UFCW Local 655’s union hall is located right around the corner from Wagner’s Ballwin office and union members used the occasion to sign an oversized letter to Wagner as the rally ended and marched it to her office. Wagner, it should be noted, wasn’t there.
One man in an adjacent office said she never is.
‘ALL
Diana Hicks, national vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) District 9, called out Trump’s attacks on the federal workforce which has borne the brunt of his anti-union efforts with layoffs, forced resignations and attempts to bust federal employee unions.
to have rules and regulations that don’t even look normal to the basic American human being.
“It’s been six months and five days since No. 47 took office, and in that time his administration has launched an all out war on our federal workforce and Labor itself,” Hicks said. “They’ve used forced resignations, created hostile work environments and every trick in the book to try to break us. Their goal: to eliminate the critical role government workers play in defending this country and serving the American people.”
Hicks said the big, beautiful bill is a direct attack on federal workers’ rights, pay and benefits.
“Thanks to our collective fight, many of those destructive proposals were stopped under the Byrd Rule (a Senate rule that restricts the inclusion of non-budgetary provisions in reconciliation bills, named after former Senator Robert C. Byrd), because law cannot be rewritten through budget cuts alone,” Hicks said. “But this victory is only temporary. They will come
Being the best means we always look out for
SENDING A MESSAGE to U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) union members and their families signed a letter to the congresswoman calling out her failure to stand up for Missouri’s working families in her support for the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Rally goers then marched to Wagner’s office to deliver the letter in person. Wagner, it should be noted, wasn’t there. – Labor Tribune photo
back. They’ve come back before with new schemes, new lies and a new attempt to crush us. Let me tell you, they will not succeed. We will not be broken. We are AFGE. And we fight harder than they can ever imagine,” Hicks said.
One of the keys to winning that fight, Hicks said, will be electing worker-friendly candidates.
“We’re not just fighting for today; we’re fighting for the future of every worker who dares to stand up and demand respect. But we must act now. We need to flip these seats in Congress and our state legislatures, places where we can elect leaders who will stand with us, fight for us, and protect the real American dream – our freedoms, safe workplaces, fair wages and the security to support a family.”
Local 655’s incoming president Laura Kelley called for solidarity,
invoking the Labor truism “An injury to one is an injury to all.”
“Whenever they come after AFGE, they’re coming after UFCW. If they come after the UAW, they are coming after the Teamsters,” Kelley said.
“That is what this political nightmare of a political party needs to understand about St. Louis Labor. We are one,” she said. “If you’re going to come after my other union family, you’re coming after me…. At the end of the day, they’re not going to stop with AFGE, they’re not going to stop with UFCW. They want to terminate your voice, the most important thing you have in your workplace. They want to terminate it by making sure that they’ve dismantled the NLRB and that the DOL is in their back pocket, and before you know it, we’re going
“We find ourselves at a crossroads today, not just in policy but in trust,” Kelley said. “Trust of our local leaders, trust of our international leaders that they are doing the right thing for all the people. I have to tell you, Rep. Wagner, someone elected to represent the interests of the people, has made a choice that speaks volumes not in our favor. By voting in support of that so-called big, ugly bill, she turned her back on the very people who put her into office... We are going to have tens of hundreds of thousands of people affected by this.
“This bill is wrapped in glossy language and empty promises. It does nothing for the working families that we represent, the struggling communities that we’re all a part of, or our long-term future as Labor. Instead, if favors the special interests, outsized corporations and those already seated at the table with too much influence and unchecked power.”
Missouri State Senator Doug Beck (D-Affton), a 29-year member of Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562 and president of the Missouri State Building and Construction Trades Council, said what’s going on in Washington and Missouri is the culmination of years of Republican attacks on Labor and working families.
See AFL-CIO BUS TOUR page 8
At Midwest BankCentre, we don’t just offer great rates. We provide the tools, guidance
That includes this year’s action in Missouri where the Republicancontrolled House and Senate passed, and Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed, a repeal of Proposition A, an initiative which 58 percent of voters approved, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and giving earned paid sick time to Missouri workers. Republican’s HB 567 repealed the earned paid sick leave portion of the petition
From page 7
and eliminated the provision tying future minimum wage increases to the Consumer Price Index.
“I am a person that believes that a rising tide lifts all boats,” Beck said.
“And what we’ve got going on in this state and across this country is opposite of that.
“I’ve seen this in
the state. And I’ve seen this since 2016 when I was first elected, and we were fighting so-called “rightto-work” (RTW). We fought RTW, we fought paycheck deception, we fought lowering prevailing wage. And guess what, not one Democrat introduced any of those bills. Those were all Republican-introduced bills – RTW, paycheck deception, getting rid of prevailing wage, lowering unemployment. That’s
Get your nature night moves on . . .
Discover the fascinating world of wildlife and nature at night!
Saturday, August 9
7:00-10:00 p.m.
August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area
• Explore an inflatable cave
• Dissect owl pellets
• Learn about bats, frogs, owls, and moths
• Nocturnal mammal touch tables
• Live owl program by Raptor Rehab
• Telescope viewing with the StL Astronomical Society
• See night insects attracted to a lighted sheet
• Perseid Meteor Shower Viewing
• Guided night hikes
• Be a bat biologist
• Visit with Dark Sky Missouri
• Free snow cones
• Ask an Agent table
what they’ve been doing up there (in Jefferson City). They’re constantly attacking workers. And the culmination of that was this year.
“These same people that tell me on a daily basis they’re working for working people, this is all lip service,” Beck said. “When this president, who ran his election on saying he’s going to help working people – everything he’s done has hurt working people.
“And it’s a shame and Ann Wagner is just as much a part of it as everyone else,” he said. “That’s what they do. Whatever the president says they do.”
‘FREEDOM
Robbie Robertson, secretarytreasurer of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) St. Louis Gateway District Local 8 and recently elected secretary-treasurer of the St. Louis Labor Council, reiterated the call for solidarity in the face of Republicans’ withering attacks.
“We are here today to stand in agreement to fight for the freedom to fight for fairness and to fight for
security for our union brothers and sisters,” she said. “The purpose of this solidarity event today is to ensure better working conditions, higher wages and stronger protections through the collective bargaining unit and organizing.
“The unions are here to fight for the freedom of the workers to organize and to join together while amplifying their voice and advocating for our people. Our union our strength.
“We are here to advocate for safe workspaces, comprehensive benefits and job security for working people – a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.”
Or, as Local 8 President Bill Brady put it after calling out Trump’s efforts to privatize the U.S. Postal Service, eliminating some 600,000 union jobs, “You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.”
ST. LOUIS – The Home Builders Association (HBA), on behalf of the Home Builders Charitable Foundation (HBCF), recently presented a $20,000 donation to Rebuilding Together Saint Louis Executive Director Elaine Powers and Board Member Ken Van Bree of RubinBrown LLP. The donation will be used toward Rebuilding Together Saint Louis’ Rebuilding Day Program.
Rebuilding Together revitalizes neighborhoods in partnership with the community by rehabilitating the houses of low-income homeowners, particularly the elderly and the disabled, so that they may continue to live independently in comfort and safety.
Rebuilding Day is the organization’s annual one-day blitz where volunteers from several unions and other community volunteers make home repairs and a lasting impact on homeowners in the St. Louis Metro area.
The HBA is a local trade association of nearly 600 member firms representing the residential construction industry.The Home Builders Charitable Foundation, the HBA’s charitable arm, is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing housing assistance to people or organizations with special shelter needs.
California Ave. Collinsville, IL 62234 618-345-6646
59th Street St. Louis, MO 63110 314-647-3327
ST. LOUIS FIRE FIGHTERS ASSOCIATION Local 73
Ph. 314/352-8340 Dan Clark President David Rodriguez, Secretary-Treasurer Dave Reinecke Financial Officer 4271 Delor St. St. Louis, MO 63116
Area unions and union-friendly organizations are hosting the following fundraising and charity golf tournaments. To have your tournament listed, contact Editor-in-Chief Tim Rowden a tim@labortribune.com , or mail your information to Labor Tribune, 301 S. Ewing Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63103.
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, cart, 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.
From page 1
naugh. Their remarkable 65-year marriage was built on loyalty, love and faith, forming the foundation of a family that meant everything to him.
In addition to his wife Mary Ann, he is survived by three children: Michael James; James Patrick; and Peggy Ann (Tom) Gain; eight grandchildren; and five great grandchildren. He was the beloved older brother of the late Jack Kavanaugh and brother-in-law to the late Kathy Kavanaugh.
Known for his hard-nosed work ethic throughout the years, his motto was simple and clear: “If you don’t show up, don’t come back.” He retired in 1999 but never lost the pride and discipline that defined his life.
Brother Kavanaugh was a man of few words—but when he spoke, people listened. He taught by example, leading with strength, humor and unwavering devotion to his family and friends. Jim cherished every moment with Mary Ann, whether sharing stories, lending advice or simply sitting quietly with his family. He always reminded those around him to take care of themselves, work hard, and enjoy life.
DEEPLY MISSED
He will be deeply missed but never forgotten. His legacy lives on through the love, wisdom and values he passed on to those fortunate enough to know him.
There are no services planned. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society in his name by visiting https:// donate.cancer.org.
63368. 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 spon-
sorship 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. 11 – Laborers Local 42 Veterans Committee Top Golf Tournament to support veterans’ groups will take place between 12 and 3 p.m. at Top Golf, 16851 N. Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield, Mo. 63005. Support levels range from $300 to $4,000. Donations support Local 42 Veterans Committee, The Kaufman Fund, Focus Marines, Memorial Gardens, Wounded Warrior Project and others. All donations are tax deductible based on the fair market value of attendance. Registration deadline is Aug. 15. Make checks payable and mail to: Local 42, Attn. Veterans Committee Top Golf Event, 301 S. Ewing, St. Louis, Mo. 63103. For more information, call 314-531-1187.
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 Dr., Godfrey, Ill. 62035. Check-in 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. 13 – IBEW Local 1439’s 29th Annual Tom Kraus Memorial Golf Tournament begins with a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start, four-person scramble at Forest Park Golf Course, 5595 Grand Drive in St. Louis. The entry fee is $125 per individual or $500 for a four-person team and includes the cart, green fees, donuts, juice, coffee and lunch. Skins and mulligans will be available. Prizes awarded for closest to the hole and first and second place in A, B and C flights. Sponsorships range from $100 to $5,000. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Super Sam Foundation – Fighting Childhood Cancer. Make checks payable to IBEW Local 1439 and mail with entry form to IBEW Local 1439, 2121 59th St., St. Louis, Mo. 63110. For more information, call 314-644-6111.
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. 19 – Monroe County Democratic Party’s Golf Classic will begin with a 6:30 a.m. registration and 7:30 a.m. four-person scramble shotgun start at Acorns Golf Course in Waterloo, Ill. Entry fee is $85 per golfer or $340 per team. Hole sponsorships are $150 and event sponsorships are $400. Prizes awarded for attendance, longest drive and closest to the pin. Event limited to the first 36 teams to pay. Make checks payable to Monroe County Democratic Central Committee and mail to Central Committee, P.O. Box 294, Columbia, Ill. 62236. For more information, call 618-616-4590 or 618-550-9623.
See AFL-CIO BUS TOUR page 11
From page 1
have already put in countless hours in this restoration project,” said Local 36 Business Manager Ray Reasons. “The years of dedicated service and skill sets they possess will be key in the restoration of this highly complicated project. Our retirees always amaze me with their willingness to give back to our organization and worthy causes.”
The 20-foot scaled replica from 1980 was the brainchild of the late Wayne Lavanchy, a Local 36 instructor, said Hoganson, a retiree and former Local 36 marketing director. His original idea was to build a Regatta race boat that could run on the Meramec River. After winning the Meramec Regatta race, the replica was repurposed as a Labor Day Parade float, and it later
THE ADMIRAL, built in 1907, was an excursion steamboat that operated on the Mississippi River in St. Louis from 1940 to 1978. The ship, shown here in 2006, was briefly re-purposed as an amusement center in 1987 and converted to a gambling venue called President Casino in the 1990s. It was eventually dismantled for scrap in 2011. – Wikipedia photo turned into a replica of the Admiral.
“It was a project he wanted to do with the apprentices, and they could learn layout and welding skills, and it would also be a good promotional thing for the union and the training school,” said Hoganson. “It was a two-year project with him and the apprentices.”
Around 1990, Local 36 sold the
replica to the owners of the Admiral.
“They took ownership of it, and at that point we lost all contact with the boat,” Hoganson said. “Then the admiral itself changed hands several times. When I heard that the admiral was going to be scrapped in 2011, I wondered where our boat was and whether it was still in existence.”
Hoganson did several internet searches over the years and eventually found out that it was in a St. Louis-area museum called Antique Warehouse – the collection could only be viewed online. After the museum’s owner passed away, Hoganson asked if Local 36 could have the replica back.
“I thought we would restore it to museum quality, and then we would find a use for it to promote the union and our trade,” he said. “This thing was beat like a demolition derby.
I thought ‘How are we going to restore this?’ The apprentices can’t do it, but the retirees might be
able to do it because they had they knowledge and the actual feelings associated with the Admiral.”
Hoganson said there are about 20 retirees working on the project. They started working on the restoration in March, and the goal is to have it complete by March 2026. He said the National Museum of Transportation in Kirkwood, Mo. has agreed to put it in their display as part of the 100th anniversary of Route 66.
“The admiral was a featured attraction when you travelled Route 66,” Hoganson said. “I’m really proud of the work our members are doing. We’ll have hundreds of hours wrapped up in the project when it is complete in March.”
Stay up-to-date on the project’s progress by following Sheet Metal Workers Local 36’s Facebook page at facebook.com/sheetmetal36
