VOLUME 90 No. 3 ® ★
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Thursday, August 13 2026
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What’s Inside
90
YEARS
Three days of Mother Jones celebrations planned for Labor Day weekend Page 3
Landslide defeat: Missouri voters overwhelmingly reject Amendments 4 and 5 Labor candidates fare well in August primary election
that revenue with increases in sales and use taxes, essentially shifting the tax burden from the wealthy to those who can least afford it. The Missouri AFL-CIO called it an “everything tax” because it would have allowed citizens to be taxed on everything from real estate to healthcare.
By SHERI GASSAWAY Missouri Correspondent
IBEW Local 1439 welcomes five new journeymen Page 4
Missouri voters overwhelmingly rejected Amendments 4 and 5 on the Aug. 4 ballot, sending a clear message to Republican lawmakers: we’re not giving up our power and no new taxes. Amendment 4, which voters defeated by 80 percent, would have made it almost impossible to pass citizen-led initiative petitions. It would have required any constitutional amendment placed on the ballot through the citizen-led initiative petition process to pass in all eight of Missouri’s congressional districts. Currently, those amendments, and amendments proposed by state legislators, need only a
‘RESOUNDING VICTORY’
PUTTING IN THE WORK – Missouri voters overwhelmingly rejected Amendments 4 and 5 at the ballot box Aug. 4. Prior to the vote, hundreds of Missouri union members hit the phones and the streets to educate voters about the negative effect the measures would have on Missouri’s working families. – Missouri AFL-CIO photo
statewide majority to pass. Amendment 5, rejected by 83 percent of Missourians, would have
phased out the state’s 4.7 percent income tax. It would have given legislators new power to replace
Missouri AFL-CIO President Jake Hummel said while the Missouri Association of Realtors did a lot of the heavy lifting in the campaign to defeat the measures, hundreds of Missouri union members hit the streets to educate voters about the negative impact the measures would have on Missouri’s working families. “I want to personally thank each See LANDSLIDE page 7
Secretary of State Denny Hoskins without legal authority, declares two citizen initiative petitions unconstitutional; lawsuits filed Keystone Awards
Page 7
Union BBQ Competition draws 20 teams in its first year Page 9
Critics sue, calling Hoskin’s actions an ‘unprecedented abuse of power’ Just hours before the polls closed on Election Day, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins announced that he has determined two coalitions’ citizen initiative petition referendums were unconstitutional and refused to certify them for the November ballot. The Respect Missouri Voters referendum, which was signed by more than 367,000 Missourians, would require ballot summaries to
‘HAS NO LEGAL AUTHORITY’ “Denny Hoskins has no legal authority to decide what is and is not constitutional,” said Jake Hummel, president of the Missouri AFL-CIO. “That is a power reserved solely for the judiciary of the state, and we will be filing a lawsuit. Missourians have the right to amend our constitution See HOSKINS page 8
RESPECT MISSOURI VOTERS held a rally Aug. 7 outside Secretary of State Denny Hoskin’s office in Jefferson City in response to Hoskins announcement on Election Day that he has determined the coalition’s citizen initiative petition referendum was unconstitutional. Respect Missouri Voters has sued, calling Hoskin’s action an “unprecedented abuse of power.” – Respect Missouri Voters screenshot
Trouble already brewing as Steelworkers begin negotiations with U.S. Steel By ELIZABETH DONALD Illinois Correspondent
Outdoor Guide Pages 10-14
be clear, unbiased, accurate and easy to understand and would prohibit lawmakers from changing voterapproved initiatives unless 80 percent of both legislative chambers agreed.
United Steelworkers’ negotiations with the new owners of U.S. Steel have just begun, but already there has been conflict at the bargaining table. The negotiations committee issued an open letter to USW members after only one week after beginning negotiations with U.S. Steel, newly acquired by Nippon Steel. The letter was signed by bargaining chair Bernie Hall and USW
Periodicals Publication
Basic Steel Industry Conference Chair Mike Millsap. “Ordinarily, we would allow negotiations more time to develop before communicating in detail about company proposals,” the letter began. “But we would be doing a disservice to the members we represent if we did not call out what U.S. Steel is doing.”
HEALTHCARE One of the key points is an apparent reversal on U.S. Steel’s promise that there would be no radical changes to healthcare plans. But
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U.S. Steel leaders have proposed a plan that USW leaders say will shift substantial healthcare costs onto employees. The plan was preceded by a fiveyear proposal on wages and a $4,000 bonus totaling more than 18 percent in salary increases, according to Northwest Indiana Times. But USW says the company saved the changes to healthcare plans for the second day. The USW letter called it an intentional attempt to mislead them about intentions. See STEELWORKERS page 6
CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS have just begun, but there is already trouble brewing between with U.S. Steel’s new owners Nippon Steel, the United Steelworkers say.
Members of the following unions and councils see page 5 for changes in your notices ILLINOIS
• Southwestern Illinois Central Labor Council
MISSOURI
• St. Louis Labor Council
2 • LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026
They’re not voting for Karl Marx, they’re voting for a damn raise Americans aren’t embracing socialism — they’re rejecting 45 years of Reaganomics, billionaire rule, and an economy rigged against the middle class By THOM HARTMANN Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michiganseems to have broken the brains of Republicans and the chattering class. Donald Trump’s pathetHARTMANN ic bleats notwithstanding, people voting for progressive Democrats and “democratic socialists” aren’t voting for communism or even socialism; they’re trying to get America to the same sort of economy and form of government that works for everybody — a system somewhat like the one a majority of us had before Reaganism — that most other developed countries enjoy right now. That includes: • A healthcare system that covers every American as a right of citizenship, where injury or illness won’t break a family. A half-million of our families lost everything to bankruptcy last year just because somebody got sick; that literally does not happen in any other developed country on earth, just America. And wanting to free us all of that fear isn’t “communism.” • An education system that really works for young people, instead of barely maintaining 70-year-old schoolhouses and slapping the Ten Commandments on the wall as if “Thou shalt have no other gods before me … for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” is going to incentivize students (it won’t). • A college system like in every other developed democracy in the world where everybody, if they’re capable of handling the work, can get an education and graduate into the working world without debt. And an end to the existing $2 trillion in student debt, a crime visited on the generations coming up today by a handful of rich bankers and their Republican buddies. • A political system where a foreign government, massive corporation, or a greedy billionaire can’t simply buy elections, legislators, and judges. Where citizens can easily vote without having to jump through a million hoops designed to drive down the participation of low-income people and women. Where people can trust that the government and its spokespeople are telling the truth under all circumstances. • An environment where we can breathe the air and drink the water, the food is safe, and our collective actions have reduced the methane and CO2 that are driving climate change. • An immigration system that reflects America’s embrace of diversity as “the great melting pot,” a phrase that was popular in the mid-20th century and is now derisively called “DEI.” No more masked secret police, no more concentration camps that lock up children and brutalize people who’ve never committed a crime (immigration violations are civil, not criminal). No more violations of the 4th and 5th Amendments, no more killing Americans for protesting, and no more arrests based on the color of a person’s skin. • A tax system where the morbidly rich pay their fair share, instead of throwing that burden on working class people and the upper middle class — who often are now seeing their combined federal, state, and local tax rates run over 50 percent — while billionaires pay a fraction of four percent and absolutely nothing on literally trillions
in unrealized wealth gains. • Respect for international law, particularly the laws against violently attacking countries like Iran, Venezuela, or individuals in boats in the Caribbean who haven’t attacked us first. Defense of those countries who are under attack by Trump’s owner, Vladimir Putin, and his buddy President Xi. And respect for the human rights of Palestinians and acknowledgement of the criminal, genocidal slaughter they’ve faced under international war criminal Netanyahu. • An economy where at least two-thirds of all American families can have what they had in 1981: the ability to buy a home, a car, take an annual vacation, put their kids through school, and have enough for a comfortable retirement. Instead, as Robert Reich points out: “Household electricity costs are up 18 percent, ground beef prices are up 22 percent, gas prices are up 40 percent, ACA out-of-pocket premiums are up 58 percent, [and] inflation is at a three-year high.”
NOT ASKING FOR MUCH
This is how we take back what’s ours Tripling union membership would level the playing field for working people By ROXANNE D. BROWN International President United Steelworkers My mom was a single parent. She raised my brother and me, paid every bill on time, and bought a house of BROWN her own, breaking into the middle class with hard work and a union job. She also showed me how to make my own way in the world, and now she’s preparing for a retirement she spent decades earning. It’s the vaunted American success story. Or at least it used to be. We know all too well that the same mobility and security my mom has achieved are eluding countless others today because of a system stacked in favor of the rich. Working people struggle to buy groceries, pay utilities, and purchase homes while the wealthy fritter away obscene sums just because they can. Here’s the good news: It isn’t too late to take back what’s ours.
Americans aren’t really asking for that much: Canada has it all. England has it all. GROW THE UNION WORKFORCE France has it all. Germany has it all. Spain has it all. As do dozens of other countries, all Tripling the percentage of union the way down to little Costa Rica. workers nationwide is exactly This isn’t rocket science. People simply what’s needed to reset the want a government that scales, rebuild the middle will help them and their class, and reverse much children achieve their of the inequality that’s highest potential, an econdivided America into haves omy that’s not rigged by and have-nots. and for the morbidly rich, That’s the key finding of and a job that pays enough a new study by the Economto sustain a middle-class Views from Near and Far ic Policy Institute (EPI), a lifestyle. think tank in Washington, The problem we face today is that a large DC, that’s long worked alongside the United cohort of our billionaire and CEO class are Steelworkers (USW) to deliver justice and suffering from the mental illness commonly opportunities for working people. known as hoarding syndrome, a subset of The study found that increasing the union obsessive-compulsive disorder. There’s never membership rate to 30 percent would unenough for them, no matter how much they leash a new era of collective power, forcing have, so they don’t care how many people employers to come to the bargaining table must die or live in poverty for them to main- and raise median wages by 14.5 percent. tain their (tax-deductible) islands, palaces, That works out to about $7,700 more anbunkers, yachts, and private jets. nually in a worker’s paycheck, or nearly It’s like that popular meme you find these $270,000 over the course of a 35-year career, days all over the Internet: enough to weather inflation, take vacations, “If a monkey hoarded more bananas than buy a home, and still sock something away it could eat while most of the other monkeys for retirement. starved, scientists would study that monkey ORDINARY AMERICANS to figure out what was wrong with it. When CREATE WEALTH humans do it, we put them on the cover of Let’s remember that ordinary Americans Forbes.” create wealth. POLITICAL BRIBERY But the rich — CEOs, do-nothing shareThose billionaires and CEOs, following holders, and the rest of the billionaire the 1971 advice of notorious tobacco lawyer class — siphon it away. Ten percent of and sociopath Lewis Powell, built out a mas- Americans control nearly 70 percent of the sive think tank and media infrastructure to transform America from a middle-class nation into a full-blown oligarchy, where every decision made by the Supreme Court, Congress, and most state legislatures would take care of their wants and desires before those of anybody else. Nixon put Powell on the Supreme Court in 1972 and in 1978 he authored the Bellotti decision, saying that corporations are “persons” and money is the “free speech.” That let Reagan float into the presidency two years later on a tsunami of oil industry money (along with the treasonous deal he cut with Iran’s Mullah’s to hold the American hostages until after the election), remove Jimmy Carter’s solar panels from the roof of the White House, and kill his plans for solarizing America. Billionaires began immediately spiffing and sucking up to the Republican appointees on the Supreme Court, who returned the favor in 2010 by doubling down on Bellotti
Guest
Opinions
nation’s wealth, and believe me, these aren’t the folks showing up every day to do the tough, important jobs that keep America running. Reclaiming our fair share of wealth is a first step. But a surge in unionization promises other sweeping gains, as EPI’s study points out.
COLLECTIVE CLOUT For example, union members use our collective clout to win better working conditions. We fight discrimination and other unfair treatment on the job because solidarity, the source of our strength, renders an injury to one an injury to all. We also wield our power to win paid sick leave, quality health care coverage, and other essentials that corporations and their cronies deny to other families. Access to doctors is a basic need. Yet anti-worker members of Congress in 2025 gave billions in tax cuts to the wealthy, bloating their coffers even more, while simultaneously stripping struggling families of affordable health plans. It’s within our means to end this kind of injustice once and for all. A tripling of union membership would force employers to provide health care to many more workers, cutting the ranks of the uninsured by about 25 percent, according to EPI’s estimate. That means millions of people living better and longer.
STRONGER TOGETHER Just as important, these kinds of changes pave the way to a bigger, stronger middle class with corresponding political power, seized from the rich. This rebalancing is the best way to keep Congress in check, ensuring it focuses on the common good and never again lines the pockets of the wealthy on the backs of everyone else. Who, apart from the billionaires, would take issue with that? Record numbers of Americans support unions and want to join one, signaling that the wave championed in the EPI study is already underway. About 140 sawmill workers in Mississippi joined the USW in June, coming together despite the company’s nasty anti-union campaign, to fight for brighter futures. Manufacturing workers, chemical workers, oil workers, library workers, animal rescue workers, and many others also joined our ranks over the past year, eager to realize the union difference. Which boils down to this: We’re stronger together. (This article was produced by the Independent Media Institute.)
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LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026 • 3
Three days of Mother Jones celebrations planned for Labor Day weekend Mt. Olive, IL – The Labor Day celebrations of Mother Jones will take place over the entire weekend this year. Mary Harris “Mother” Jones was an Irish immigrant Labor activist who worked on behalf of children and mine and factory workers across America. She dedicated herself to the Labor Movement after she lost her husband and all her children to yellow fever, and then lost her seamstress business to the great Chicago Fire. Her nickname stuck when mineworkers sent her into the coal mines in 1897 to sign up workers for the union, one of many instances where she advocated for unions. Mother Jones chose to be buried in the Union Miners Cemetery in Mt. Olive, Ill., the only unionowned cemetery in the U.S., with the miners who were killed in the Battle of Virden, calling them her “brave boys.”
SEPT. 5 HOMECOMING PARADE The Friends of the Mother Jones Museum in Mt. Olive, Ill. plan to celebrate beginning with the Mt. Olive Homecoming Parade on Saturday, Sept. 5, with miners and other union friends, as well as actor Loretta Williams, who frequently portrays Mother Jones at historical events and reenactments. The parade will begin at 5 p.m.
SEPT. 6 EDWARDSVILLE Next, they will dedicate a historic
MARY HARRIS ‘MOTHER’ JONES
presented by Casting Runes, Williams’ speech as Mother Jones, and a presentation on union banners. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 7 at the theater, 2525 S. Jefferson in St. Louis. Mt. Olive has a small museum to Mother Jones and the Virden incident in its city hall, displaying old coal-miner equipment, newspapers and historical explanations of Mother Jones and her connection to southern Illinois. She is celebrated and remembered in Mt. Olive in early May each year.
plaque at the gravesite of Ernest F. Long in Woodlawn Cemetery in Edwardsville. Long was a coal miner from Edwardsville, who lived in Mt. Olive. He was 19 when he died fighting for the union in the 1898 Battle of Virden, in which a coal company sent armed guards to their mine in Virden, Ill. to restart production with scab workers during a strike. Long was one of those striking workers, one of seven who died in the battle. The Woodlawn Cemetery Board will present the program at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6.
ST. LOUIS – Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 recently welcomed Wyatt Indelicato to the ranks of journeyman. “Congrats on completing your apprenticeship and earning your journeyman title,” the union shared on social media. “Your hard work, skill, and dedication have paid off. May this achievement be just the beginning of a long, successful, and rewarding career.” – Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 photo
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LABOR DAY – ST. LOUIS Finally, a celebration of Mother Jones and Labor’s contributions to America will take place at the Greenfinch Theater and Dive in St. Louis on Labor Day itself. The program will include the Bread and Roses Choir, Unseen St. Louis, May Day Orchestra, Labor songs
Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 welcomes new journeyman
THE MOTHER JONES MONUMENT at Union Miners Cemetery in Mt. Olive, Ill.
4 • LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026
IBEW Local 1439 welcomes five new journeymen
Madison County Federation of Labor hears from candidates Several candidates spoke before the Greater Madison County Federation of Labor in July, asking for their endorsement in the coming elections. Candidates must be endorsed by the Illinois AFL-CIO or the Madison County Federation in order to walk in their Labor Day parades.
MARSIE GELDERT-MURPHEY
ST. LOUIS – IBEW Local 1439 recently welcomed five members to the ranks of journeymen. They include (second from left) Daniel Theiss, Dan Otten, Steven Petty, Jake Schodrowski and Greg Tall. Congratulating the new journeymen is Local 1439 Business Manager Jeremy Pour (left) and Local 1439 President Chad Fletcher (right). – IBEW Local 1439 photo
Please BuckUp what you can. Every dollar counts to help union families in need. 100% of your donation goes into the “Fight Fund” and is now tax-deductible.
State Senate candidate Marsie Geldert-Murphey has already been endorsed by the state AFL-CIO. “I come from a union family, and I truly believe the only way we will turn things around in this country is if we have strong unions,” she said. Geldert-Murphey is a civil engineer who has worked on construction projects for bridges and roads for more than 30 years, married to a Teamster and granddaughter of a union plasterer. She said we need someone in Springfield who understands Labor. Geldert-Murphey is running in State Senate District 56 opposite incumbent Republican State Sen. Erica Harriss.
RACHEL BAUERLE
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Rachel Bauerle is running for county clerk/recorder and also grew up in a union household. She said she was 13 when her father joined the carpenters’ union, and suddenly the family had better healthcare and a higher standard of living. She said her father’s union job meant she was able to go to college without debt. “I’m always going to be an advocate for being in a union,” she said. Her father’s union membership also got him into political activism as a civic duty. She said she chose to run for clerk/recorder after working as an election judge under the current clerk/recorder as well as her Democratic predecessor, Debbie
Ming-Mendoza.
MARC PARKER Marc Parker is running for circuit judge in Madison County’s 3rd Judicial Circuit after 25 years representing injured workers and seven years as one of nine worker’s compensation coordinators in Illinois. He is a graduate of Collinsville High School and St. Louis University School of Law. “I’ve been for workers my whole life,” he said. “Now we need someone (in that job) who knows what they’re doing.”
COUNTY BOARD RACES With the current Republican supermajority in Madison County, a
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lot of attention is paid to the county board races. Currently only six of the 27 board members are Democrats, and no countywide officers are held by Democrats. Jeff Hurst, running in District 3, said that puts the county out of balance. “God bless Organized Labor,” he said, citing his experience working for the county and 24 years as mayor of Alhambra. He passed out flyswatters marked with his campaign, for “swatting” away higher taxes. Rob Hubbard, running in District 4, agreed. He said he is “really frustrated” with how politics are going at the national level. While he is new to running for office, he wants to change how people view the county board. “I see what we can do with a little bit of work,” he said. Jeremy Haston, running in District 21, is currently trying to unionize the call center workers at his job. “People are tired of being taken advantage of,” he said. He wants to see more programs to feed kids when not in school and investment in solar panel farms and drainage infrastructure. Decisions on endorsements by the Madison County Federation of Labor will be made at a later date, according to Federation President B. Dean Webb.
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LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026 • 5 down in their successful fight for union recognition.
This Week In
Labor History AUGUST 10 1939 – President Roosevelt signs amendments to the 1935 Social Security Act, broadening the program to include dependents and survivors’ benefits. 1954 – Construction on the St. Lawrence Seaway begins. Ultimately 22,000 workers spent five years building the 2,342-mile route from the Atlantic to the northernmost part of the Great Lakes. 2010 – President Barack Obama signs a $26 billion bill designed to protect 300,000 teachers, police and others from layoffs spurred by budgetary crises in states hard-hit by the Great Recession.
AUGUST 11 1884 – Federal troops drive some 1,200 jobless workers from Washington D.C. Led by unemployed activist Charles “Hobo” Kelley, the group’s “soldiers” include young journalist Jack London and William Haywood, a young miner-cowboy called “Big Bill.”
a local of the Machinists union as they face a 40-year low price for their catches, and other issues.
AUGUST 12 1955 – Teamsters official William Grami is kidnapped, bound and beaten near Sebastopol, Calif. He was leading a drive to organize apple plant workers in the area. 1992 – The North American Free Trade Agreement — NAFTA — is concluded between the United States, Canada and Mexico, to take effect in January 1994, despite protests from Labor, environmental and human rights groups. 1994 – What was to become a 232day strike by major league baseball players over owners’ demands for team salary caps began on this day; 938 games were cancelled.
AUGUST 13
Striking convict miners in Tracy City, Tenn., 1892
Strikers protesting United Railroads abandon their streetcars, 1917
1917 – One hundred “platform men” employed by the privately owned United Railroads streetcar service in San Francisco abandon their streetcars, tying up many of the main lines in and out of the city center. 2013 – Maine lobster fishers form
AUGUST 14
1892 – Striking miners at Tracy City, Tenn., capture their mines and free 300 state convict strikebreakers. The convicts had been “leased” to mineowners by officials in an effort to make prisons selfsupporting and make a few bucks for the state. The practice started in 1866 and lasted for 30 years. 1936 – Newspaper Guild members begin three-month strike of Hearst-owned Seattle Post-Intelligencer, shutting the publication
President Roosevelt signs Social Security Act, 1935
1935 – President Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act, providing, for the first time ever, guaranteed income for retirees and creating a system of unemployment benefits. 1980 – Members of the upstart Polish union Solidarity seize the Lenin shipyard in Gdansk. Sixteen days later the government officially recognizes the union. Many consider the event the beginning of the end for the Iron Curtain.
AUGUST 15 1914 – The Panama Canal opens after 33 years of construction and an estimated 22,000 worker deaths, mostly caused by malaria and yellow fever. The 51-mile canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 1935 – Populist social commentator Will Rogers killed in a plane crash, Point Barrow, Alaska. One of his many classic lines: “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” 1971 – President Richard M. Nixon announces a 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents in an attempt to combat inflation. 1989 – Gerry Horgan, chief steward of CWA Local 1103 and NYNEX striker in Valhalla, N.Y., is struck on the picket line by a car driven by the daughter of a plant manager and dies the following day. What was to become a four-month strike over healthcare benefits was in its second week.
AUGUST 16 1894 – George Meany, plumber,
Notices
Important Information From Your Union
ILLINOIS CENTRAL BODIES Southwestern Illinois Central Labor Council
Operators Local 399
Third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at 24 East Ferguson, Wood River, Ill.
Painters District Council 58 Plumbers & Gasfitters Local 360
Third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Laborers’ Local 459 Hall, 100 N. 17th St., Belleville, Ill.
Union meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at the Knights of Columbus Council 1712, One Columbus Plaza, Collinsville, IL 62234.
Greater Madison County Federation of Labor
Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 101
Fourth Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Machinists Center, 161 N. Shamrock, East Alton.
Southwestern Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council
DELEGATES meet the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m., at Steamfitters Local 439 hall, 1220 Donald Bailey Drive, Caseyville, Ill. BOARD OF BUSINESS AGENTS meets the second Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. at IBEW Local 309 Hall. Office Address: 2A Meadow Heights, Professional Park Collinsville, Ill. 62234.
Egyptian Building and Construction Trades Council
Second Wednesday, 10 a.m. (unless notified) at IBEW Local 702 at 106 N. Monroe St., West Frankfort, Ill.
LOCAL UNIONS IBEW Local 309
Regular union meetings are held on first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at Local Union Hall, 2000 Mall Street, Route 157, Collinsville, Ill. Executive Board — Executive board meetings are held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday preceding each regular union meeting at the IBEW Local 309 Hall, 2000A Mall St., Collinsville.
Iron Workers 392
Meets the last Friday of the month at 7 p.m. at 2995 Kingshighway, East St. Louis.
Operating Engineers 520
Meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the second Friday of the month at the IUOE Local 520 Hall, 520 Engineer Rd., Granite City, IL 62040.
Union Meetings will be held on the 4th Wednesday of the month except December, which will be held on the 3rd Wednesday. The meetings will be held at the Local 101 Hall located at 8 Premier Drive in Belleville, IL 62220 at 7:30 p.m.
Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 160
Union meetings are on the second Friday of the month at 8 p.m. at the hall, 901 Mulberry Street, Murphysboro, Ill. 62966.
Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 553
First Tuesday of each month September through May, 7 p.m., 967 East Airline Dr., East Alton, IL 62024.
Sheet Metal Workers Local 268
Caseyville Meetings: Fourth Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Sheet Metal Workers’ Hall, 2701 N. 89th Street, Caseyville, Ill. 62232. Southern counties: Meetings will be held at 6 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month at the training center, 13963 Route 37, Johnston 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.
MISSOURI CENTRAL BODIES Greater St. Louis Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Third Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., IBEW Local 1 Hall, 5850 Elizabeth Ave., St. Louis.
St. Louis Building & Construction Trades Council
First Wednesday, 10 a.m., Electricians’ Industry Training Center Auditorium, 2300 Hampton.
Worm leaves scathing Yelp review of RFK Jr.’s brain
St. Louis Union Label & Service Trades Council
Meetings third Monday at 5 p.m., IBEW Local 1, 5850 Elizabeth Ave., 63110. John Schepers, president. Information: fritz@ unionlabel.info 314-779-9959
LOCAL UNIONS 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
1525 South Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63104. Email: iuec3@ iueclocal3.org.
Glaziers Local 513
Washington (Satire from The Borowitz Report) – In the latest rebuke to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s tenure as Health Secretary, on Wednesday a worm who dined in the candidate’s brain posted a brutal review on Yelp. The worm’s review began on a discouraging note, claiming that Kennedy’s brain was “almost impossible to find.” “Once I managed to get there, I couldn’t believe how cramped it was,” the worm continued. “I’m all for intimate dining but this place was ridiculously tiny.” The worm also slammed the noise level in the candidate’s brain, complaining, “I couldn’t hear myself think with all the different voices in there.” With one star, Kennedy’s brain ranks last in Yelp’s “Worm Dining” category, tied with Senator Ron Johnson’s brain.
first AFL-CIO president, born in City Island, Bronx. 1937 – Congress passes the National Apprenticeship Act, establishing a national advisory committee to research and draft regulations establishing minimum standards for apprenticeship pro-
grams. It was later amended to permit the Labor Department to issue regulations protecting the health, safety and general welfare of apprentices, and to encourage the use of contracts in their hiring and employment.
Insulators and Asbestos Workers Local 1
Sprinkler Fitters and Apprentices Local 268
Ironworkers Local 396
St. Louis Theatrical Brotherhood Local 6 I.A.T.S.E.
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. 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
(Compiled by David Prosten, founder Union Communication Services)
Regular meetings at 5 p.m. second Thursday of month at the Union Hall, 1544 S. Third St., St. Louis, MO 63104.
Regular monthly meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. at 1611 S. Broadway.
4532 S Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63127. Meetings are the second Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m.
Teamsters Joint Council 13
Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562
4349 Woodson Rd, St. Louis, MO 63134
Second Wednesday of each month, 5 p.m. at Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562 Training Center, 3755 Corporate Trail Dr., Earth City, MO 63045.
Roofers Local 2
The regular meetings of Roofers’ Local 2 are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Roofers’ Hall, 45 Worthington Access Drive, Maryland Heights, MO 63043. The Executive Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday before the regular monthly meeting.
Teamsters Local 688
Tile-Marble Setters & Finishers, Mosaic & Terrazzo Workers & Finishers Local 18 MO
Meets at 5:00 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month at ADC Union Hall, 1670 Fenpark, Fenton, MO 63026.
Utility Workers Local 335
74 Woodstream, Moscow Mills, MO 63362
5916 Wilson Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110
IBEW Local 1
Joe knows BBQ!
IBEW Local 1 Apprentices
We proudly employ union Meat Cutters!
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. 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
Read the Labor Tribune The Labor Tribune is also available at labortribune.com. For breaking news, like us on Facebook and follow us on LinkedIn. To subscribe, visit labortribune.com
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6 • LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026
IBEW Local 1439 celebrates member service awards
Illinois workforce training Pell grants available under new program By ELIZABETH DONALD Illinois Correspondent
ST. LOUIS – IBEW Local 1439 recently celebrated three members who received service awards. They included Kevin Northcott (right) with 40 years shown here with Local 1439 President Chad Fletcher. Also honored were Timothy Radford with 20 years and Jerry Butler with five years. – IBEW Local 1439 photo
People considering a short-term workforce training program can now seek federal Pell grants under a new program being expanded in Illinois. The Illinois Workforce Pell program is for eligible students to use federal grants for short-term workforce training programs aligned with in-demand occupations. The qualifying programs are eight-14 weeks in length and offer students a path to a recognized credential tied to high-skill jobs across the state. “The Illinois Workforce Pell program is opening the door for more students to gain affordable and high-quality training for highpaying, reliable careers,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “By adding new opportunities, the expanded Pell Grant is helping colleges and universities across the state strengthen the talent pipeline, attract new employers and bring broader economic development to those regions.”
ABOUT PELL GRANTS Federal Pell grants are incomebased and do not have to be repaid. Programs authorized for
Workforce Pell had to demonstrate strong completion and job placement outcomes, employervalidated demand and reasonable tuition as compared to the graduates’ expected earnings. Many of the occupations on the eligible list include heavily unionized professions, including electrical technician, aircraft mechanics, machinery maintenance workers, boiler operators, electrical power line installers, pharmacy aides, water plant operators and many more. The first round of approvals closes Aug. 31. Illinois community colleges and approved private business and vocational schools can submit applications for their programs through the state to the
Steelworkers From page 1 “The company is using words like ‘partnership’ and ‘shared responsibility,’” it read. “But the choice they are offering is simple: agree to steep cuts in coverage and/or pay significantly more for the benefits you already have.” USW states that a raise swallowed by higher deductibles, copays and premiums with reduced coverage is “not the deal U.S. Steel wants you to believe it is.”
TEXTING EMPLOYEES’ PHONES USW also accused U.S. Steel of sending text messages to employees’ personal cell phones without their permission. “We expect the company to continue flooding members with dishonest videos, deceptive numbers and misleading updates,” they wrote. “Your bargaining committee will not be distracted or fooled… This is not business as usual.”
U.S. Department of Education. At least 70 percent of students beginning the program must complete it and at least 70 percent of graduates must be employed for a program to qualify, among other requirements. Union apprenticeship programs can partner with Workforce Pell if the school itself is approved for the program and the candidate meets the Pell requirements. More information can be found from the Illinois Community College Board. Students should fill out the free application for federal student aid, which determines eligibility for all kinds of financial aid, including the Workforce Pell. The FAFSA for next year will be available beginning Oct. 1. In a text to members, USW leaders said they offered to meet in person all the way through the contract expiration, but U.S. Steel declined. The company offered virtual bargaining, but USW leaders said this is far too important a negotiation to do over the internet. Other offers from U.S. Steel include no changes to holiday and vacation benefits, profit sharing calculations and pension plans. Northwest Indiana Times reported that retiree benefits and healthcare will be two of the major issues.
LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026 • 7
Three IBEW/NECA projects earn honors in the AGC Keystone Awards Three 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, including one that they worked on jointly. Since 1997, 118 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).
AMERICA’S HEARTLAND PACKING The honored projects span insti-
tutional, retail and food processing industries. NECA contractors Guarantee and PayneCrest par tnered on the America’s Heartland Packing, A.K.A. “Project Groot” in Wright City, Mo. The 775,000-square-foot beef harvesting and processing facility is both the largest design-build project in Missouri history and the world’s first LEED-certified beef harvest facility. Guarantee and PayneCrest completed the turnkey design, procurement, installation, testing and commissioning of all medium- and low-voltage electrical systems, including switchgear, transformers, MCCs, panel boards and fire and security systems, all with constant attention to the owner’s rigorous food safety standards. The success of the project has already grown
the regional economy, and a new wastewater treatment plant — built in tandem with America’s Heartland Packing, also by Guarantee and PayneCrest — positions Wright City to welcome even more development and opportunity.
POWELL HALL, ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Guarantee is also saluted for its work on the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Powell Hall Transformation and Jack C. Taylor Music Center in St. Louis. The transformation of Powell Hall and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra consisted of two equally challenging parts. First were the ground-up design and installation of all electrical systems across the newly constructed 64,000-square-foot Jack
C. Taylor Music Center. The other component included the ceiling-down retrofit of lighting and controls systems within the historic Powell Hall which required restoration-quality work.
UNIVERSITY CITY DIERBERGS Meanwhile, NECA contractor PayneCrest is honored for delivering the Dierbergs #28 in University City, a 75,000 square foot design-build grocery store. PayneCrest Electric served as engineer of record. PayneCrest navigated significant mid-project challenges — including a complete refrigeration system redesign and an 18-month owner delay — delivering all electrical work on time and on budget before the store’s grand opening. The AGC Keystone Awards salute
projects for safety and proficiency in overcoming challenges and the quality of delivery, including maintaining budget and schedule. Winners of the 28th Annual Keystone Awards will be announced and celebrated at the AGCMO’s Construction Awards Gala this fall.
including former state Rep. Bill Eigel, Jason Law and Arnie Dienoff. He won with almost 48 percent of the vote. St. Charles County voters
typically lean Republican. For a complete list of unofficial election results, visit https://enr. sos.mo.gov.
NECA CONTRACTORS Guarantee and PayneCrest partnered on the America’s Heartland Packing, A.K.A. “Project Groot” in Wright City, Mo. – Electrical Connection photo
Landslide From page 1 and every union volunteer who knocked doors and phone banked,” Hummel said. “It was a resounding victory, and I cannot think of anything that Missourians agree on 80-83 percent. We can’t agree on how to say the word Missouri. We can’t agree that the sky is blue. So, this was a spectacular defeat.”
REPUBLICAN SUPERMAJORITY OUT OF CONTROL Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, a member of Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562, said the Republican supermajority, which placed Amendments 4 and 5 on the ballot, is “out of control and out of touch” with what voters want. “On Aug. 4, voters resoundingly rejected the Republican plan to steal power and raise taxes,” said Beck, who also serves as president of the Missouri State Building & Construction Trades Council. “Now, it will be up to all of us to remind voters that defeating bad ballot language items isn’t enough; we must defeat the Republican politicians who supported those horrible amendments.”
CONGRESSIONAL RACE Labor candidates fared well in the primary races. Freshman Congressman Wesley Bell defeated Cori Bush and three other candidates to retain his First District seat in a contentious race in St. Louis city and county. Bell won the race with 58 percent of the vote. “I am honored and grateful that the people of Missouri’s First Congressional District have continued to put their trust in me to represent them in Congress,” Bell said in a statement. “Two years ago, St. Louis voted for better and more accountable representation. We have kept that promise, whether it’s bringing federal resources home to our neighborhoods, standing with working folks when they needed someone in their corner, or helping families cut through red tape. That work does not stop tonight.” Democrats nominated Laborendorsed Fred Wellman to run against U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner for Missouri’s 2nd Congressional Dis-
trict in November. Wellman won out over Joan VonDras and Timothy Bilash in the primary.
COUNTY EXECUTIVE RACES In the Democratic primary for St. Louis County executive, St. Louis County Assessor Labor-endorsed Jake Zimmerman won against former Senators Brian Williams
and Angela Walton Mosley with 46 percent of the vote. Zimmerman will face Republican Dennis Hancock, former Fenton mayor and a first-term St. Louis County councilman, in the general election. St. Louis County voters lean Democrat. In the St. Charles County Republican primary, Steve Ehlman, who is seeking his sixth term as county executive, defeated challengers
Online
LABOR STUDIES
Certificate Program Register today! Classes start Aug. 24 The Labor Studies Certificate Program consists of six courses, each originated to provide current and future union leaders, activists and representatives the skills needed in dealing with workplace issues, changes and the economy. Today many students and workers wishing to improve their understanding of workers’ rights and develop an understanding of workplace culture also find the courses of great value. The courses have their roots in political science, history, law and economics providing students the opportunity to improve their skills in leadership by providing them with a foundation in how business and political organizational and corporate culture function. The program is 100 percent online allowing students who are working to fit their studies in around their professional and personal lives.
Courses Offered this Fall: • Pol Sci 3220: Labor and Employment Law. • Hist 2219: Working Peoples’ History. For more information on how to register, please contact Doug Swanson, the UMSL Labor Studies coordinator at (314) 516-6698 or swansondj@missouri.edu.
Register Now!
The University of Missouri—St. Louis is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer commiteed to excellence through diversity.
8 • LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026
Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562 graduates largest class ever
EARTH CITY, MO – Nearly 170 members graduated from Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 56’s apprenticeship program last week, a record for the growing union. “They spent the last five to six years learning, growing, making 562 stronger and spending countless hours making sure they were ready for this next chapter of their careers,” the union shared on social media. “We are proud of these men and women and can’t wait to see what they bring to the table the next five to 10 years and beyond.” – Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562 photo
Hoskins From page 1 by initiative petition, and the Respect Missouri Voters Amendment is limited to one subject and one article.” Respect Missouri Voters officials also filed a lawsuit last week seeking to overturn the secretary of state’s decision. The group held a rally Aug. 7 outside Hoskin’s office in Jefferson City to defend the citizen initiative process and ensure that the voices of voters are respected.
‘UNPRECEDENTED ABUSE OF POWER’ “Hundreds of thousands of citizens, far more than required, signed to demand that the Respect Missouri Voters Amendment appear on the ballot,” said Toni Easter, co-founder of Respect Missouri Voters. “This is an unprecedented abuse of power that goes beyond the substance of this petition and attacks the century-old constitutional freedom of citizens to
exercise our voice by direct democracy, independent of the legislature.” Hoskins’ effort to block that initiative was announced just before Missourians voted by 80 percent to defeat Amendment 4 that would have weakened the citizen initiative process. His rejection of the Respect Missouri Voters Amendment was one of two referendums he declared unconstitutional on Aug. 4. The other was a referendum by People Not Politicians, which is dedicated to defeating a gerrymandered map
Revised 7-26-26
that would allow D.C. insiders and politicians to rig elections and avoid voter accountability. The new map, approved by Republican legislators, would shift the state from an existing 6-2 Republican majority to a 7-1 Republican majority. The main purpose of the redistricting plan was to carve-up Kansas City’s Democratic-leaning 5th District and spread its voters among three other conservative districts.
constitutional right to a referendum against House Bill 1, the gerrymandered map passed by politicians in a special session last September,” said Richard Von Glahn, People Not Politicians executive director. “We have filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Hoskins,” Von Glahn continued. “Hoskins is attempting to violate Article III Section 49 which reads ‘the people... reserve power to approve or reject by referendum any act of the general assembly.’ Hoskins is trying to cancel our democracy and constitution.”
‘CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT’ “We are seeking to exercise our
LOOK FOR THEM — THEY’RE EVERYWHERE
THE DISTINCTIVE CONSUMER EMBLEMS of Organized Labor have played leading roles in our economic society. Every success story has its supporters . . . the millions of union members and the general public have recognized the importance of these emblems by looking for them when purchasing products and services. Revised 7-26-26
ELECTRICAL WORKERS LOCAL UNION #309, AFL-CIO Collinsville, Illinois and Vicinity Office: 2000 Mall Street (Route 157) Collinsville, Ill. 62234
John Garrett, President Tyler Mueth, Vice President David Rhymer, Recording Secretary Jason McIntyre, Treasurer Chris Hankins, Business Manager Dustin Grice, Organizer
Steve Duft, Mark Link, Carlos Perez
Executive Board Members Jacob Albers, Adam Biagi, Stephen Erspamer, Brian Hutson, Steve Lodes, Michael Meinhardt, Andrew Reibold, Ron Scott
Examining Board Members Jeremy Carron Josh Jenkins Josh Stewart Joe Varvera
Take Stock in America . . .
Buy United States Savings Bonds
SHEET METAL WORKERS
Local #363, AFL-CIO
Asst. Business Managers
I.B.E.W. Local #702 AFL-CIO
Charles Bailey, Jr. John Passiglia
618/234-2704 FAX: 618/234-2721 19 Gateway Drive, Collinsville, Ill. 62234
Asst. Business Manager/Vice President
Mack Schmitt
JOSHUA RATERMAN
President
PAUL UNDERHILL
Steve Kohlberg,
President-Asst. Business Agent
Local #649, AFL-CIO
CHAD VERBLE
Recording Secretary
Vice President-Asst. Business Agent
Steve Marshall,
RYAN MOUSER
Recording Sec.-Asst. Bus. Agent Local 363
COREY DODSON, President (618) 462-1627
2358 Mascoutah Ave. Belleville, Ill. 62220
ELECTRICAL WORKERS Business Manager
3945 Humbert Road, Alton, Ill. 62002
When Unions are STRONG America is STRONG
STEVE HUGHART Business Manager and Financial Secretary
(618) 932-2102
106 N. Monroe West Frankfort, Ill. 62896
Local Union #101, AFL-CIO
PLASTERERS’ & CEMENT MASONS Local No. 90 AFL-CIO
(618) 667-2562
Troy, Illinois 62294
Ryan Gross, Business Manager Sean Foley, President
Matt Biekert Business Agent
(618) 234-5504
8 Premier Dr. Belleville, Ill. 62220
Mark Johnson, Business Manager Chad Goldschmidt, President Donnie Ferrari, Vice President David "Kelly" Brown, Treasurer Bob Schmidt, Recording Secretary Rusty Redman, JATC Administrator (618)
931-0500
520 Engineer Road, Granite City, Ill. 62040
Inside Guard
(618) 624-6096
(618) 234-8843
1220 Donald Bailey Drive Caseyville, Illinois 62232-2061
Bridge & Structural
Always buy American-Made products. The job that you help save in the USA may turn out to be your own. Now think about that.
IRON WORKERS Local No. 392 AFL-CIO John E. Schmitt Business Manager & Financial Secretary
John Herrington President & Business Agent
Kyle Rist
International Union — Operating Engineers Local #520 AFL-CIO
Business Manager
MICHAEL DINAN
Vice President
820 Lions Drive
PLUMBERS & PIPEFITTERS
STEAMFITTERS Local 439, AFL-CIO Bus. Mgr., Fin. Sec'y and Treas.
Business Manager-Secretary Treasurer
Daniel McKenna
2727 North 89th Street Caseyville, Ill. 62232
BOILERMAKERS’ UNION
Dustin Ramage, Business Manager Greg Stimac, Secretary-Treasurer www.downstatelaborers.org
Union Local 268, AFL-CIO
(618) 397-1443
Downstate Illinois Laborers' District Council
Kyle Johnson Recording Secretary
Greg Kapp Business Agent
618-874-0313
2995 Kingshighway East St. Louis, Ill. 62201
GREATER MADISON COUNTY FEDERATION OF LABOR, AFL-CIO PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
TRUSTEE
B. Dean Webb
Mke Fultz Paul Schaefer Kirk Krabbe Bill Eickleberry
Tim Young Logan Sims Mike Roberts
TREASURER Gregg Kapp
SERGEANT AT ARMS Terry Biggs Nick Dodson
RECORDING SECRETARY
RETIREES David W. Hayes Gene Hudson
Rick Stamer
MACHINISTS’ CENTER
161 Shamrock Street
East Alton, Ill. 62024
LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026 • 9
Union BBQ Competition draws 20 teams in its first year St. Louis – Twenty teams participated in the Inaugural Ryan Dintleman Classic BBQ Competition here at the IBEW Local 1 union hall Aug. 1. It was a pro-series charity cookoff that brought pitmasters together for great food, friendly competition and family fun while honoring the late Ryan Dintleman, a Local 1 electrician. The event included live music, games, a bounce house and several food trucks. The top three winners in the competition were The Burnt Cow (Pitmaster Jeff Budde), which came in first place; Dr. Smoke (Pitmaster Dustin Crane), which came in second; and Eleven Thirteen Barbecue (pitmaster Keven Suttles), which
placed third. Six union teams competed in the contest including IBEW Local 1, Painters District Council 58, Teamsters Local 525, Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 562, Sprinkler Fitters Local 268 and Steelworkers Local 1899. IBEW Local 1 Journeyman Jon Hendrix, founder of the competition, said the event raised about $3,000 for three charities: the IBEW Local 1 Relief Fund, the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus Coats for Kids campaign and the St. Louis Building Trades Wellness Coalition. “Hopefully, with enough union support, we’ll bring in more than 10 times that next year,” Hendrix said. – Labor Tribune photos
Hartmann From page 2 with Citizens United. Now fortunes are spent on every election cycle, including tens of millions from groups representing the interests of foreign countries. A few hundred billionaire families, representing considerably less than one ten-thousandth of 1 percent of the American population, supplied roughly one-sixth of all the money spent on the 2024 federal elections and, in the presidential race, put down 44.5 percent of all the money spent by outside groups, virtually
all of it for fellow billionaire Trump. As Jimmy Carter told me almost a decade ago, America is no longer a democracy: “Now it’s just an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery...” This is what Americans are voting against this year in massive numbers, and no amount of namecalling and red-scare tactics by onthe-take Republicans and corporate Democrats, or hand-wringing by TV pundits and podcasters, is going to stop it.
STEALING OUR DEMOCRACY BACK Voters want fighters, and ElSayed is a fighter. As are so many others in the Progressive Caucus and among the Zoomers, Millennials, and Gen X’ers now coming up into politics. Americans know they’ve been screwed over the past 45 years since the GOP’s Reagan Revolution stopped seriously taxing the morbidly rich, killed off our
unions, and sent our jobs overseas. And they’re rapidly waking up to exactly who it is who screwed them. As my dear old friend Dick Gregory told me one brutally hot afternoon in Kampala as the two of us were touring Africa together in 1981 and discussing progressive change and U.S. foreign policy: “When you’ve got something really good, you don’t have to force it on people. They will steal it!” American voters are in the
process of stealing back their democracy and their middle class. Call it what you want, but it won’t be stopped. Pass it along. (Thom Hartmann is an American radio personality, author, businessman, and progressive political commentator. Excerpted from his book “The Hidden History of the American Dream: The Demise of the Middle Class – And How to Rescue Our Future.” Reprinted from The Hartmann Report.)
10 • LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026
Outdoor Guide Hunting, Fishing, Camping, Boating, Outdoor Travel
American manufacturing industrialist from ammunition industry leaves philanthropic legacy By BRANDON BUTLER Driftwood Outdoors Robert D. “Bob” Hayden was a stalwart of the ammunition industry. He died peacefully at his home at Wood Dale Farm near Sedalia, Mo., on July 20, 2026, at the age of 88. Bob and his late wife, Barbara, were incredibly giving people who opened their land to field trial enthusiasts and their pocketbooks to countless causes that aligned with their passions for children, veterans, the Missouri State Fair, and many other philanthropic causes. I was fortunate to know both Bob and Barbara, and they were the main reason I took my current role as CEO of Retrieving Freedom, Inc. Their generosity continues to change lives every day.
I first met Bob back in 2014 while doing marketing work for his company, Starline Brass. I quickly came to appreciate the throwback American industrialism Starline represents. When you walk through the factory, you see, hear, and smell machines stamping raw materials into precisely shaped rifle and handgun ammunition brass. The hard work ethic he embodied throughout his entire career resonates with the philanthropic legacy he leaves behind.
A MAN AND HIS DOGS My first experience with Bob’s generosity came when I let him know I hoped to someday have a duck hunting dog that could do well in the marsh while doubling as a family dog that would be spoiled by
A St. Louis Company Since 1981
ROBERT D. ‘BOB’ HAYDEN cuts the ribbon for the opening of the Hayden Home for Retrieving Freedom.
two little girls. He sold me a fouryear-old black Lab named Junior from his personal kennels for way less money than he could have. Junior was an incredible hunter and an even better family dog. Sadly, he didn’t live long, succumbing to kidney disease. Bob felt bad and tried to gift me another dog, but we weren’t ready, so I asked if the second dog could go to an old man who loved Golden Retrievers but couldn’t afford to buy one. Bob agreed and gave Doc to Ron Kruger. It was a fairytale relationship for the man and dog.
RETRIEVING FREEDOM When offered the opportunity to take the helm of Retrieving Freedom, a big part of the reason I said yes was to be close to Bob and Barbara again. Right after I began, Barbara passed away. Life was never the same for Bob without his life partner and best friend. You could just tell the light in him had been dimmed. He began dealing with health concerns of his own, and the grim path forward was that it would never light up again. Bob’s connection to Retrieving Freedom was a natural extension of a life spent outdoors alongside his beloved Golden and Labrador Retrievers. In retirement, he actively trained and competed in field trial competitions, many of them hosted at Wood Dale Farm. His deep love for these dogs, along with a lifelong commitment to veterans that began with his early career at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant and his service in the Army National Guard Reserves, came together in his vision for Retrieving Freedom’s Sedalia campus. Retrieving Freedom’s Missouri campus was built and currently operates on a 20-acre parcel of land the Haydens donated. It sits adjacent to Wood Dale Farm and overlooks their beautiful private lake. This makes for a peaceful expe-
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rience in a serene setting for visiting clients. Service dogs are raised and trained onsite to serve veterans with disabilities and children with autism. The mission aligns perfectly with so much of what mattered most to Bob. His love of dogs, his devotion to his country, and his belief in giving back never wavered.
A PILLAR OF AMERICAN MANUFACTURING Bob was a pillar of American manufacturing, leading Sierra Bullets for 43 years and co-founding Starline Brass with Barbara, bringing both companies and hundreds of jobs to Sedalia in the early 1990s. But those who knew him best will remember his kindness, his humor, and his giving heart. Bob’s legacy will live on in every service dog trained on the campus and then placed with a veteran with disabilities or a child with autism. These placements are made possible by his and Barbara’s generosity. Therefore, the Hayden family suggests memorial contributions in Bob’s honor be made to Retrieving Freedom, 20360 Tangle Nook Road, Sedalia, Mo. 65301. Contributions can be made at retrievingfreedom. org/donate. Even in death, Bob remains an inspiration for how to live. His love of family and friends, passion for animals, appreciation of the natural world, deep generosity, and unyielding patriotism all set examples to follow. What he has done to help veterans with disabilities and children with autism through Retrieving Freedom is truly remarkable. He has changed many lives. God bless Mr. Hayden, the rest of the Hayden family, and his entire Starline Brass family. See you down the trail… (For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast on www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or anywhere podcasts are streamed.)
To the Labor Tribune Weekly. You Don’t Know What You Are Missing!
LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026 • 11
Outdoor Guide Hunting, Fishing, Camping, Boating, Outdoor Travel
Bobbers! By LARRY DABLEMONT If I were ever asked to list the 10 things I have enjoyed the most in my life as a fisherman, not too far down the line I would list, “watching a bobber.” It was one of life’s greatest pleasures in my youth. You too have likely done that if you grew up in the country. If so, you know what I mean. Grandma McNew and I watched bobbers on my Uncle Roy’s pond, which he allowed no one else to fish except my cousins and me and Grandma and Grandpa. Back then, summer ponds weren’t all filled with the scum and algae you see today. The water there in the shade of a big oak tree was dark and deep, full of bluegill and bass and a few small catfish. And in the summer, Grandma and I often sat there in the shade watching a bobber sit stone-still on a smooth surface. The fascination I felt was something I still feel, watching that bobber knowing that any moment it might dance a little, throwing out little ringlets on the water, then dive out of sight in a flash, the braided line cutting through the depths. It only took a jerk on the cane pole to know what you had. But no matter, it would be dinner the following day; not filets in a skillet but whole fried fish with the head and fins cut off, just scaled and gutted. Usually that disappearing bobber meant only a hand-sized bluegill, but sometimes a bass 12 or 14 inches long would pull it under. Once or twice in every few hours of fishing, it would be a 15-to-18-inch bass or maybe even a catfish, and if you weren’t careful, you might break the end off the old cane pole by jerking too hard. You landed a bigger fish by walking backwards and dragging it up the bank.
DAD’S JOHNBOAT Just out of college at the age of 22, I took a job as the outdoor editor for the Arkansas Democrat,
bobber with such concentration and enjoyment, I scarcely noticed the fishing boats that would pass, staring at the wooden boat I had paddled out there to the hot spot in the middle of the creek. Every now and then I would reel in a huge crappie and in short order I had a limit. A day or so later Mr. Yarbrough took me fishing for bass out at the mouth of Spadra, in a fiberglass bass boat, just becoming popular at that time. He showed me that crappie could be caught without
bobbers, but it wasn’t any more rewarding than the fishing I had a few days before in Spadra Creek.
A COMMON BEGINNING The Democrat had one of the best writers I ever knew working at a desk across from mine. His name was Bob Lancaster. Bob laughed at the idea of doing a story for the Democrat about fishing from a wooden johnboat with a bobber. “Here you are an outdoor reporter for a newspaper with a million readers,” he said, “and you’re out
there paddling around in a wooden boat with no motor, fishing with a bobber!” We both laughed about that, and in a month or so, the newspaper acquired a Mon-Ark fiberglass fishing boat with a 35-horse motor for me to use. But I told Bob that day that if there were indeed a million fishermen out there reading the newspaper the majority of them started out watching a bobber. We all had a common beginning as fishermen.
Learn to Duck Hunt! the state’s largest newspaper in Little Rock. Believe it or not, we got a little home out in the country about 30 miles north of the city, and I brought down from the Big Piney a 15-foot wooden johnboat Dad had built with a sealed marine plywood bottom, which meant it didn’t have to be kept in the water to be “soaked up” as the older ones did. On Dardanelle Lake, about 40 miles west of Little Rock, there was a small arm on the north side of the lake known as Spadra Creek, about 200 yards wide at the most. The owner of a local dock told me the crappie were spawning, big ones. So, I loaded that old wooden johnboat and went there.
FISHING FOR CRAPPIE One of the local guides by the name of Yarbrough, told me where there was a hump coming up in the middle of that long tributary, and if I could find it and anchor just off of it, I could catch crappie beneath a bobber and a yellow jig. The hump was only about 15 feet across and about eight-feet under the water and everything around it was 15- or 20-feet deep. I could find it by lining up three trees on opposite banks as Mr. Yarbrough had showed me. To make a long story short and happy, I took some jigs and a bobber and caught crappie with that bobber setting over that hump, letting the jig settle about halfway up from the bottom. I got to watching that
The Missouri Department of Conservation and the Great Rivers Habitat Alliance are hosting
Free guided Duck Hunts
with experienced mentors this November and December at the Jay and Carolyn Henges Wetland Education and Conservation Center in St. Charles
For youths age 11-15 and first-time adult hunters Must attend one of two free educational clinic at the August A. Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center in Defiance to participate Saturday Oct. 3 from 8 – 11 a.m. or Monday Oct. 5 from 4 – 7 pm.
More information:
Bryant Hertel – bryant.hertel@mdc.mo.gov Scott Boyd – scott.boyd@mdc.mo.gov
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Kiffin Kaiser, grandson of Glenn Biekert, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562
Kayda Kaiser, granddaughter of Glenn Biekert, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562
Colae Kaiser, granddaughter of Glenn Biekert, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562
Ryan Key, grandson of John Key, retired Sheet Metal Workers Local 36
Sydney Feager, daughter of Jeff Feager, retired Bricklayers Local 1
Nathaniel Dell (right), AFT of the AAUP Local 6741 with Don Shipp
Outdoor Guide TROPHY HUNTS! Mo. 63, Springfield, and Insulators Local James “Slick” Byerley Local 1, St. Louis, of Pictured left to right: Business Manager Members of Insulators and to hunt rabbits. Local 1, Gary Payuer Local 1. working together hip Instructor of Business Agent of Met up to discuss Local 1, Jerry McAtee Local 63, and Jesse Frye Apprentices of retired member of Business Manager Local 1, Mike Jenkins
Hunting and Fishing
Gary Payeur, business manager Insulators Local 1
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12 • LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026
Outdoor Guide Hunting, Fishing, Camping, Boating, Outdoor Travel By DAN ZARLENGA Missouri Department of Conservation A largemouth bass makes its way through a clear Missouri stream. A top predator of the waters, the bass glides above the rocky bed, confident, hungry, and unsuspecting. A small fish wiggling just above the gravel bottom catches its eye — perhaps a tasty gizzard shad. The predator sweeps down for the capture. But the hunter becomes
the prey. Suddenly bursting toward the bass come thousands of tiny larvae that surround it, penetrating its gills. The predator is helpless to resist the microscopic attack. This was no attack by a parasite. It was a remarkable reproductive strategy. The largemouth has been coopted by a female plain pocketbook mussel. The fish will now become an unwitting nursery to support her larvae.
August Conservation Corner: Hitchhikers and unsung heroes WIDESPREAD MUSSEL SPECIES The plain pocketbook is among the most widespread mussel species in the Show-Me State. It is typically found within water bodies ranging from creeks to large rivers, especially if there is a gravel bottom and some level of moving current. It’s common throughout most of Missouri except the northwest portion. Pocketbook mussels are freshwater bivalves — the river cousins of the clams most people know. They have two protective shells (the
“valves”), which are built over time by protein and calcium secretions generated by the soft, boneless creature inside. Missouri is one of North America’s freshwater mussel strongholds, with some 70 or so native species still found here. While it may look like brown rock to us, the pocketbook mussel is very much a living animal that can crawl, eat, and sense the presence of light. It will live for decades — for as much as 50 years — but the shells exist long after the inhabitant inside has died and decomposed. So, in a sense mussels are creators of their own immortality.
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Bef itting such an unusual creature is an equally strange reproductive strategy, which begins in August. The female pocketbook has a set of mantle flaps that move to mimic a fish. This is the lure it uses to attract a predatory fish. When close enough, the crafty mussel releases a cloud of larval mussels which attach themselves to their new host. While this may seem a deceptive and parasitic practice, the larval
mussels cause little harm to the fish. They stay as stowaways under the protection of the host just until the tiny mussels develop enough so they can break away and float to the stream bottom. Here they begin a new life and repeat the cycle.
WATER FILTERS The pocketbook certainly does take advantage of unwitting fish hosts, yet it offers something valuable in return. It, and other freshwater mussels, are nature’s ultimate water filters. The pocketbook constantly draws water through an internal siphon where it consumes algae, bacteria, and fine particles of decaying organic matter. As it extracts oxygen and tiny food particles, it returns cleaner water to the stream — filtering many gallons every day. As a population, mussels are quietly and constantly improving the water quality of our streams and rivers. A healthy mussel bed can tirelessly filter thousands of gallons of water daily. They make a better habitat for the rest of their aquatic partners. Perhaps seeking some reproductive assistance from a passing bass isn’t too much to ask after all.
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LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026 • 13
Outdoor Guide Hunting, Fishing, Camping, Boating, Outdoor Travel
A matter of fact By MIKE ROUX Regular or even frequent readers of my articles have no doubt seen dozens of photographs of me holding many nice fish of varying species. Do not worry this is not a Mike Roux ego story. Lately I have come under a bit of scrutiny from some readers and even some friends. It has been said that I have “Honey Holes” and that without them my fishing articles would not exist.
NOW THE FACTS: FACT 1 – Yes, I do have a couple of very special spots where I frequently fish. I use these spots to test lures and methods so I can then pass them along to you to help you improve your fishing. FACT 2 – A major part of my fishing is done on public water. Water and fish that are accessible to anyone who wants to fish there. FACT 3 – The text of this article will be brief. I will give three tips for fishing public water to assist you. The rest of the room will be used for photography of me and few species I caught in public waters. These are the facts.
HERE ARE THE TIPS TIP 1 – Use a map. Not many things are more useful in learning new water than a map. Specifically, use a contour map. Being able to locate creek and river channels, drop-offs and flats, and boat access points is crucial as you approach a new body of water. Maps help you form your plan of attack based upon
terrain, prevailing winds and accessibility. Purchase a map, study it and keep it with you. TIP 2 – Use your electronics. The follow-up to reading your map is the use of your electronics to discover details the map cannot show. The map can show a flat, but your electronics will show a stump field on that flat. Your map might show a bed in the creek channel, but your electronics will show you the brush pile in the bend and the depth of the structure. Your map will show where the power plant is located but your electronics will tell you where the water temperature changes. Your electronics complement the use of the map. Use them both. TIP 3 – Use a guide. I highly recommend cutting right to the chase on a new body of water and hire a good guide on your first trip. A good guide not only knows how to put you on the fish but will take the time to teach you, as well. Always ask a guide for a list of clients as references. Good guides will not hesitate to provide this list. But be specific with your request. It does you no good to get a reference from a client who caught crappie with the guide in April when you plan to fish for musky in October. Use your head and these tips and start catching fish like are pictured here on public waters right now. (For regular and constant outdoor content like and follow Mike Roux Outdoor Enterprises on Facebook. And be sure to subscribe to Mid-MO Reapers on YouTube.)
MUSKY, Lake Kinkaid, Ill. – Colby Simms photo
SMALLMOUTH BASS, Iron Lake, Mich. – Jason Drew photo
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14 • LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026
Outdoor Guide Hunting, Fishing, Camping, Boating, Outdoor Travel By BRANDON BUTLER Driftwood Outdoors Wildlife photographer, Russell Graves, is known to many as Mr. Texas. It’s a fitting name for the lifelong Texan who has spent four decades capturing the spirit of the state’s rural people and places. His photo g raphy adventures haven’t stopped at the state border, though, as Russell’s work has taken him across the globe, and now he’s taking others with him. Graves has built a career around using photography to help people see the significance of wildlife and landscapes too often overlooked. Today, through his company Hackberry Farm Workshops, he leads photography adventure trips to remote regions around the world. Think of these as hunting trips, but instead of bringing a rifle or a bow, you hunt with a camera while being immersed in spectacular outdoors destinations.
SKILLED PHOTOGRAPHER AND TEACHER Graves picked up a camera at 17 years old and never put it down. Over the years he built a professional career photographing wildlife, rural landscapes, and outdoor culture. His work grew alongside his love for the countryside of Texas, where he spent much of his life living and working in rural communities. Graves’ passions for photography and teaching collide on these adventure trips. Before photography became his full-time career, Graves spent years as a successful teacher in Texas. He earned numerous awards for his work in education and could have easily remained in the profession until retirement. Instead, he chose to pursue his growing passion for outdoor photography and storytelling. Graves is skilled at instruction.
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Hunting with a camera on wildlife photography adventure trips So, while you are out in the field with him, he will work with you to ensure you are capturing highquality images. Many people buy expensive cameras, but never really learn how to use them to their potential. After a few days under Graves’ instruction, you’ll be able to use all the functions of your equipment. After working as a publication and corporate photographer for many years, with numerous magazine covers to his credit, Graves discovered the concept of outdoor photography workshops. After attending a few, he became determined to start offering his own photography adventures to clients who appreciate everything you would find on a guided hunting or fishing trip but simply prefer using a camera.
SKILLED GUIDE Graves first honed his skills as a guide for another company that offers photography adventures but soon decided to launch his own venture. Three years ago, he stepped out on his own and created Hackberry Farm Workshops, a photography travel business based on the land where he lives in northeast Texas. “I instantly knew this was something I was good at,” Graves explains. “It combined my love of photography, the outdoors, and teaching people.” Success came quick as Graves’ reputation grew trip after trip. He’s now offering adventures in places like Death Valley, the Netherlands, Alaska, the Smoky Mountains, Costa Rica, Botswana, and more. When visiting these amazing destinations, Graves partners with top-notch lodging, food, and service providers to ensure you have a world-class experience. “Those out-of-the-way places have something special to show the world,” Graves says. “I’ve always loved telling the story of those places.”
AUTHENTICITY
(314) 739-1600 2550 Harley Drive, Maryland Heights, MO 63043
The name of his business reflects Graves’ devotion to authenticity. Hackberry Farm has been in his family for decades and is named for a lone hackberry tree in the middle of a field where an old homestead once stood. Rather
HACKBERRY FARMS nature photography workshops take wildlife photographers of all skill levels on adventures around the world.
than choosing a flashy business name, Graves leaned into his rural roots. “I had a marketing executive tell me not to try to be anyone else,” Graves says. “Just be yourself.” Participants range widely in their photography experience. Some arrive as seasoned photographers who have traveled extensively, while others are newer to the craft and looking to build their skills. Graves designs each trip to accommodate both groups. “Some people just need to be shown where to go,” he says. “Others are still learning their way through photography. The goal is to create trips that work for everyone.”
UNDERSTAND THE PLACE Beyond simply teaching camera techniques, Graves emphasizes immersive storytelling. Each destination is carefully researched so participants understand the cultural and environmental context of the places they photograph. The travelers become part of the local scene. “We don’t just show up and take pictures,” Graves says. “We try to understand the place and the people who live there.”
This immersive approach has helped the business grow rapidly. Because for Graves, the purpose of these trips goes beyond travel and photography. His deeper mission is to connect people from urban or suburban backgrounds to the natural world and to communities that live closest to it. “I get a lot of people who don’t traditionally spend much time outdoors,” he explains. “They live in cities and just want the chance to experience wild places.” Through photography, those travelers begin to see landscapes and rural cultures differently. In the end, Graves hopes participants leave with more than beautiful images. “My goal is simple,” he says. “Introduce people to the outdoors, introduce them to rural places, and get them to care about it.” For Russell Graves, wildlife photography isn’t just about capturing an image. It is about building a deeper appreciation for the land, the people who live there, and the wild places that still exist beyond the edges of the modern world. See you down the trail… (For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast on www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or anywhere podcasts are streamed.)
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LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026 • 15
Calendar of Events Save the Date AUGUST Aug. 15 – Coats for Kids Charity Bingo Night, hosted by the Electrical Workers Minority Council, will be held at the IBEW Local 1 union hall at 5850 Elizabeth Ave. Doors open at 5 p.m. and games begin at 6 p.m. There will be 10 themed rounds. Extra cards and hot word bingo cards are $5 each. Sponsorships are also available. Admission is $30 per person or $200 for a table of eight. For more information, contact Shondra Adams at 314-960-6613 or at greaterstlewmc@gmail.com. Aug. 15 – 3D Archery Tournament, sponsored by the Missouri-Kansas Laborers District Council, will be held at the Laborers Training Center at 35 Opportunity Lane in High Hill, Mo. The event is open to all LIUNA members and their guests. Registration and shooting will begin at 7 a.m., followed by lunch at 11 a.m. and an awards presentation. The entry is fee is $15 for adults, and $10 for children 16 and younger. There will be first-, second- and third-place awards in five categories including bowhunter, traditional, women’s Juniors (13-16 years old) and cubs 12 and under. No range finders, scopes or stabilizers over 12 inches. For more information, visit https:// shorturl.at/B5Mh0. Aug. 20 – 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 636926-6948. Aug. 20 – 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. To register, visit mojwj.org/action/join-a-st-louis-faith-labor-alliance-breakfast. Aug. 20 – Off the Clock 2026: An Evening of Arts & Activism, hosted by Bread and Roses Missouri, will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Leona at 5700 Leona St. in St. Louis. The event will include happy hour with light appetizers and cocktails, a brief program celebrating Bread & Roses and toasting its honorees – the Missouri Workers Center and St. Louis Poet Laureate Pacia Elain Anderson, live music from the Workers’ Choir and a special appearance by local band Space Quaker. Tickets are $75 per person. Several sponsorships are available. To register, visit https:// givebutter.com//offtheclock2026. Aug. 22 – Union Cycle & Hotrod Night, hosted by Chariots of Fire Customs, will be held from 7 to 11 p.m. at American Legion Post 226 at 111 American Legion Drive in Elsberry, Mo. The event will benefit Camp Hope, which is an all-expenses-paid
retreat dedicated to providing recreational, therapeutic, and bonding experiences for veterans wounded in the War on Terror. Entry to the event is a donation of personal care items, like shampoo, body wash and cleaning supplies The first 100 attendees with a donation will receive a commemorative poker chip, and all attendees with a donation will receive 20 percent off any purchase at Chariots of Fire. For more information, call 636-462-1648. Aug. 23 – UAW Local 2250’s Support Our Soldiers Ride/Poker Run will begin and end at the Local 2250 union hall at 1395 E. Pearce Blvd. in Wentzville. Registration is from 8 to 9 a.m., and the ride beings at 9:30 a.m. The entry fee is $15 for the first hand/person and $5 for each additional hand or person. Proceeds benefit Dogs for Our Brave and the Local 2250 Veterans Committee. Make check payable to UAW Local 2250 and put ‘SOS’ in the memo line and mail to 1395 E. Pearce Blvd. Wentzville, Mo. 63385. For more information, call Renate Mosley at 636-385-8492. Aug 26 – James Stanley Memorial Charity Softball Tournament, sponsored by the Greater Madison County Federation of Labor, begins Wednesday, Aug. 26 and concludes on Saturday, Aug. 29 at Gordon Moore Park at 4550 College Ave. in Alton. This year’s fee of $400 per team is due before the coaches/captain’s meeting to be held Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Machinists Center at 161 N. Shamrock St. in East Alton. All participating groups are asked to have someone at this meeting for tournament rules & 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 is honored with the “traveling trophy” for display in their union hall. For more information call 618-259-8558. Aug. 28-30 – IBEW Local 1 RENEW 6th Annual Float Trip will be held at Parks Bluff Campground at 199 Elm Street in Lesterville, Mo. All members of IBEW Local 1 and their families are invited to come out for a great day of fun, relaxation and fellowship on the river. The group will be floating on Aug. 29. To rent rafts, kayaks, canoes or tubes, call the campground at 573-637-2290. For campground reservations, call Donnie at 636-675-0331. Aug. 29 – Madison County Labor Day Parade and Picnic, sponsored by the Greater Madison County Federation of Labor, will begin with parade assembly at 8 a.m. at the Wood River Roundhouse parking lot at 633 N. Wood River Ave. The parade will step off at 10 a.m. and continue south on Wood River Avenue, then east on Ferguson and north on Sixth Street, ending at Emerick Sports Complex. The picnic, along with the conclu-
sion of the James Stanley Memorial Charity Softball Tournament, will follow at Gordon Moore Park in Alton. Food and refreshments will be provided free for all members of affiliated unions, and members should receive wristbands through their union leaders. Madison County Transit will provide a free shuttle service starting at 8 a.m. at Emerson Sporting Complex and will run every 15 minutes down to the start of the parade. Affiliated locals are asked to consider donating to help offset the cost of the event at $1 a member or whatever the local can afford. Contributions should be mailed to Greater Madison County Federation of Labor, care of B. Dean Webb, president, 161 N. Shamrock St., East Alton, Ill. 62024.
SEPTEMBER Sept. 7 – 46th Annual TriCity Labor Day Parade, sponsored by the Greater Madison County Federation of Labor, will step off in downtown Granite City on State Street between Niedringhaus and 18th Street at 10 a.m. for a one-mile march to Wilson Park, where a picnic of family and friends will follow. Participants will enjoy music, speeches, food, refreshments and kids’ activities. Affiliated locals are asked to consider donating to help offset the cost of the event at $1 a member or whatever the local can afford. Contributions should be mailed to Greater Madison County Federation of Labor, care of B. Dean Webb, president, 161 N. Shamrock St., East Alton, Ill. 62024. Sept. 10 – Third Annual Top Golf Tournament, sponsored by the Laborers Local 42 Veterans Committee’s, will be held from noon to 3 p.m. at Top Golf at 16851 N. Outer 40 Road in Chesterfield. Proceeds will support the Laborers Local 42’s Veterans Committee, The Kaufman Fund, Focus Marines, Memorial Gardens, Veterans Crisis Line and other veterans’ groups. Sponsorships range from $300 to $4,000. Donations are tax deductible and should be mailed or delivered with sponsorship information to Laborers Local 42, ATTN: Veterans Committee Top Golf Event at 301 South Ewing Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63103. For more information, contact Local 42 at 314-531-1187. Sept. 12 – 15th Annual Fall Classic Poker Run, sponsored by the Teamsters Horsemen Ch. 13 Motorcycle Association, will start and end at Gettemeier’s at 269 Salt Lick Road in St. Peters. Registration is at 10:30, and kickstands go up at 11:30 a.m. The entry fee is $20 per bike/ vehicle and includes the first hand. Additional hands are $10 each. The grand prize raffle is an M&P9 Shield with carry bag and six magazines or $500. The event will also include raffle baskets, a 50/50 raffle and door prizes. Sponsorships are $100 each. Proceeds will benefit the Butterfly Haven, which helps children, families in foster care who are in crisis. For more information, contact Jay Krueger at jayk611@msn.com.
Sept. 15 – United Way of Greater St. Louis Night at the Ballpark will begin at 6:45 at Busch Stadium at 700 Clark Ave. in St. Louis as the Cardinals take on the San Francisco Giants. A $24 ticket (before fees) includes a jumbo hot dog and soda. A portion of each ticket sold will help benefit the St. Louis region through United Way. For tickets, visit https:// shorturl.at/kHqsz. Sept. 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. RSVPs are required and food will be provided. Register at mowit.org or call 636926-6948. Sept. 17 – 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. To register, visit mojwj.org/action/join-a-st-louis-faith-labor-alliance-breakfast. Sept. 26 – Franklin County Political Labor Committee 3rd Annual Picnic will begin at 1 p.m. at Union Park at 500 West Park Ave. in Union. All Franklin County union members and their families are invited for lunch and to meet their COPE-endorsed political candidates. Hot dogs, chips and refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Club President Dan Kloeppel at 314-7132320 or at frankcolaborcomm@ yahoo.com. Sept. 26 – Star Strangled Banner Murder Mystery Night, sponsored by the IBEW Local 1 Electrical Workers Riding Club, will be held at the Local 1 union hall at 5850 Elizabeth Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Gather a table of friends, dress in your patriotic best and settle in for a night of mystery, laughs and good company. There’s a cash and prize side to the evening too, with a 50/50 drawing and raffles running throughout. Tables are of eight are $320 each. To reserve a table or for more information, contact Mike Crocker at 636-275-8768. Sept. 26 – Comedy Night, sponsored by the Jefferson County Main Event Charitable Organization, will be held at the Meramec Elks Lodge at 1515 Miller Road in Imperial. Doors open for cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner will be served at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. Featured comedians are from the STL Comedy Studio and include Tyler the Comic, Josh Reynolds, Matt Wayman, Ebony Starr and Marlon Mac. Tickets, which include dinner and drinks, are $75 a person or $600 for a table of eight. Sponsorships are also available. All proceeds support Jefferson County charities. For tickets, visit https://shorturl.at/CLlUz. For more information, call 314-608-4828.
Sept. 26 – 13th Annual Truman Dinner, sponsored by the Missouri Democratic Party, will be held at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 union hall at 2319 Chouteau Ave. in St. Louis. A VIP reception begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Join your fellow Democrats for a night of community building and special guest speakers. A VIP ticket is $500 and includes the VIP reception. A VIP reception only ticket is $300. Early bird ticket sales run through Aug.31, and the cost is $225 per person. Tickets purchased after that date will be $250. For more information, visit trumandinner. org.
OCTOBER Oct. 2 – 2026 Blue Collar/ Black Tie Tradeswomen Awards Gala, hosted by Missouri Women in Trades (MOWIT) will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the LIUNA Event Center at 4532 S. Lindbergh Blvd. The event includes dinner, an open bar and cash raffles. Tickets are $90 per person, $45 for apprentices or $700 for a table of eight. Sponsorships range between $750 and $3,500. To register, visit https://shorturl.at/3CCt2. Oct. 10 – Veterans Resource Fair, sponsored by the Elks East Central District Veterans Committee, will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Meramec Arnold Elks Lodge at 1515 Miller Road in Imperial. The event, which includes hot dogs and soft drinks, is open to all veterans, Elks members and their guests. Please bring a veteran ID or DD-214 if available. Attendees will receive on-site help with VA enrollment and benefit registration and learn about valuable programs to help you and your family. For more information, contact Rhett Owen at raoweb8301@yahoo.com. Oct. 15 – 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 636926-6948. Oct. 15 – 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. To register, visit mojwj.org/action/join-a-st-louis-faith-labor-alliance-breakfast.
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.
Please BuckUp what you can.
16 • LABOR TRIBUNE • Thursday, August 13 2026
Golf
Tournaments Coming to Your Area
Union and worker-friendly golf tournaments 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. Aug. 22 – Glaziers Local 513’s Charity Fund’s Annual Golf Classic to benefit the St. Louis Crisis Nursery will be held at Florissant Golf Club, start an 8 a.m. with a four-person scramble shotgun start. The St. Louis Crisis Nursery provides a short-term, safe haven for 5,000 children a year, ages birth through 12 years old, whose families face an emergency caused by illness, homelessness, domestic violence of overwhelming parental stress. Entry fee is $450 per foursome, with lunch included. Other sponsorships are available and range from $150 to $700. The event will include raffle items, and a 50/50 drawing. Following the tournament, prizes will be awarded for First Place in A, B and C flights, as well as Long Drive and Closest-to-the-Pin.
Grand Raffle tickets are $20 each or three for $50. Call 314-644-3922 to purchase tickets. Make checks payable to Glaziers Charity Golf Classic and mail to 5916 Wilson Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63110. Aug. 22 – SMART Sheet MetalWorkers Local 36 Members Golf Tournament will begin with a four-person scramble shotgun start 7 a.m. at Country Lake Golf Club, 21309 Country Lake Drive in Warrenton, Mo. Entry fee is $100 per golfer or $400 per foursome. Limited to 36 teams. At least one SMART Union member per team. Prizes awarded for first, second and third place in three flights, along with Longest Drive and Closest-to-th- Pin. Beverages and snacks provided. Dinner served after golf. Prize money checks will be mailed to team captains following the tournament. For more information, call Tournament Chairman Dan Sutter at 314-285-2625. Deadline to register is Aug. 5. Sept. 10 – Laborers Local 42 Veterans Committee Third Annual Golf Fundraiser at Top Golf in Chesterfield, Mo. The event will raise funds for Local 42’s
Veterans Committee, The Kaufman Fund, Focus Marines, Memorial Gardens, Veterans Crisis Line and other veterans’ groups. Sponsorship levels range from $300 to $4,000. Donations are tax deductible and should be mailed or delivered with sponsorship information by Aug. 15 to Laborers Local 42, ATTN: Veterans Committee Top Golf Event at 301 South Ewing Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63103 For more information, contact Local 42 at 314-531-1187. Sept. 12 – IAM Progressive Local 41 Fourth Annual Charity Golf Tournament benefiting the IAM Veterans Service Program will begin with a four-person scramble shotgun start at Lockhaven Golf Club, 10872 Lawrence Keler Drive, Godfrey, Ill. 62035. The event will include a $10,000 Hole-in-One contest. Entry fee for the tournament is $500 per team. Hole sponsorships at $100 and $150. Registration deadline is Sept. 4. Make checks payable to IAMAW Veterans L 42 and mail to Mark Grzechowiak, Local 41 ST, 12365 St. Charles Rock Road, Bridgeton, Mo. 63044. For more information, call Mark Grzechowiak at 636-293-8213 or email iamprogressivelocge41@gmail.com. Sept. 17 – Missouri AFL-CIO GolfTournament will be held at Oak Hills Golf Center at 932 Ellis Blvd. in Jefferson City. Registration begins at 9 a.m., and tee off is at 10 a.m. A silver sponsorship is $800 and includes golf for four with cart, a chance to win Closest-to-the-Pin and longest drive awards, attendance prizes, food and beverages. A gold sponsorship is
$1,000 includes golf for four and a hole sponsor sign, and a platinum sponsorship is $1,250 and includes golf for four, premium sign locations and special recognition during the awards presentation. Other sponsorships range from $300 to $2,500. Proceeds from the tournament will go toward member education. To register, send team/sponsorship information and a check payable to the Missouri AFL-CIO to President Jake Hummel at 131 E. High Street, Ste. 100, Jefferson City, Mo. 65101. Sept. 18 – Monroe County Democratic Party’s Golf Classic will begin with a 7:30 a.m. four-person scramble shotgun start at Acorns Golf Course in Waterloo, Ill. Registration is $95 per person or $380 per four-person team. Hole sponsorships are $150. Event sponsorship is $400. Prizes awarded for attendance, Closest-tothe-Pin and Longest Drive. Skins game available. Make checks payable to Monroe County Democratic Central Committee, c/o P.O. Box 141 Waterloo, Ill. 62298. Sept. 19 – 34th Annual Greg Booth/Jack Van Horn Golf Tournament, sponsored by the Tri-County Labor Club, will begin with a 7:30 a.m. shotgun start at Warrenton Golf Course at 24805 State Hwy. 47 in Warrenton. The cost is $400 per team and includes greens fees, cart, beer, soda and barbecue. Prizes awarded for three flights, Closest-to-the-Hole and Longest drives. Hole sponsorships are $125 per and food and beverage sponsorships are $500. To register, make checks payable to the Tri-County
Labor Legislative Club and mail to 10 Droste Square, St. Charles, Mo. 63301. For more information, call Joe Mueller at 636-698-5424. Sept. 27 – UAW Local 2250 Tee off for Tots Golf Tournament will begin with an 8 a.m. shotgun start four-person scramble at Bear Creek Golf Club at 158 Bear Creek Drive in Wentzville. The cost is $125 per person and includes green fees, cart, prizes and a meal. Skins or team mulligans are $20. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Local 2250 Community Services Adopt-a-Child program and the United Way. Make checks payable to UAW Local 2250 and mail to UAW Local 2250, 1395 E. Pearce Blvd., Wentzville, Mo. 63385. For more information, call 636-327-5796 or email uawtee4tots@gmail.com. Oct. 9 – Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 101 Annual Golf Tournament will be held at The Orchard’s Golf Club at 1499 Golf Course Drive in Belleville, Ill. Registration for the four-man scramble begins at 7 a.m., followed by an 8 a.m. shotgun start. The $120 per golfer fee includes 18 holes of golf with cart, lunch provided on the course, a catered dinner after the tournament and skins and mulligans. Cash prizes will be awarded for Closet-to-the-Hole, and a 50/50 raffle will be held. Tee sponsorships are available for $200. To register, mail payment to Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 101 at 8 Premier Drive, Belleville, Ill. 62220. For more information, call 618-234-5504.
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