Category: humanity

The Plumbing Career

When one thinks of the word career, they usually equate it with a length of time at work. As young people go into the workforce they begin their careers, and if they are lucky its when they are right out of school. That career will have that beginning and an end, which will be over at retirement. At Plumbers Local 12 the career is a life long journey. We celebrate those careers annually at our Service Awards Banquet.

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Proud 30 Year Recipient

Just last week over 80 Plumbers from Local 12 were recognized for their years of membership. The “youngest” of which were celebrating 30 years of service, myself included. But this year had a very special guest, Brother George Cataldo, who celebrated 70 years of membership. Brother Cataldo joined Local 12 in 1946!

George is part of that great generation that after World War 2 helped bring the standards of wages and benefits up so that at the end of a working career a worker could retire with dignity. When I talk to people that inquire about the union I often ask them “Don’t you want to get the most out of your career?”. When they say yes, I refer to men like George who will tell you his career is not over yet. Local 12 is the vehicle for any plumber to get the most out of their career. Health insurance, training, brotherhood and most importantly the ability to retire. George has been collecting a pension since 1988, and he’s not the oldest retiree!

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Brother George Cataldo

We recently started a new tradition that has the most senior award recipient get up and reminisce about THEIR recollections of THEIR time in the business. George did not disappoint. He spoke about 1946 when the union operated out of an office with one creaky chair down on Essex St. downtown to an organization, that he is so proud of, that has grown to having its own building and beautiful training facility. “I can’t believe how far we have come as an organization, I am so happy!”

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Our Service Awards Banquet also serves as our “Class Reunions”. All of us remember the day we started our apprenticeships or the day we came in as new journeyman into Local 12 and its a great night for everyone to catch up. Last week we had over 200 people in attendance.

Over the past few years we have opened our doors and have brought in many new members, apprentices and journeypeople alike, and I know that future memories are being created everyday as time marches forward and there will be plenty of Service Awards Banquets in the years to come. Congratulations All!

 

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2016 Local 12 Service Award Recipients

 

 

 

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You Won’t Read About This!

Dateline 5/13/2016

Location IBEW 103 Union Hall Boston IMG_2288

As I write this post I think about all of the kids across not only the Boston area, but across the country, attending awards nights getting scholarships that will help them with the costs of college. Creating many happy parents as well.

As parents we sit in these awards nights and wonder “where does all this money com from?” Imagine if you went to an award night where they gave out almost $590,000 in one setting. Well one happened today. Given the amazing amount of money given out you would think that maybe the press would be curious.

You see today was the 58th Annual Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship Breakfast and indeed all of that money was given out to hundreds of children of union members. Through the hard work of the fundraising of its members their college “Dream” is a little bit more achievable.

I am happy to say that just my union, Plumbers Local 12, was able to give out over 30,000 dollars to our deserving college bound children. These amazing hard working students are headed to community colleges right up to ivy league institutions.

This is just another way that unions give back. As being part of the solution to give access to college we are helping to keep the middle class dream alive. I think we can all agree that the college dream is becoming harder to achieve because of the crushing debt that these young men and woman are being saddled with.

For many of the proud tradesman and tradeswoman in attendance today college was never part of their plan but being able to send their children to college, the dream of having their next generation do a bit better is very rewarding. Totally Amazing Morning.

 

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Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Steve Tolman with the scholarship awardees in attendence today, Good Luck!
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E. M. K.

Tonight I am going with my wife to the opening of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Dorchester. When I was thinking about writing something I thought back to when the Senator passed away and some of the impressions I had of the time.

As a guy who grew up in a politically involved family Ted Kennedy was already at the top as the Senator from MA. As a matter of fact the Senator was elected the year I was born in 1962. But it was what came out about the Senator after he died that reaffirmed to me what Congress should be about.

All of the members of Congress that spoke about the Senator said a lot of the same things. That outside of being on one side of an issue he genuinely cared about his colleagues and their staff. I remember hearing from Senator Hatch that as much as they fought for position he was always a friend. Shouldn’t that be at least some of the way in Washington. Wouldn’t all Americans be better of if it wasn’t a game of kill or be killed.

I know that he at times frustrated a lot of his own side hear in MA on occasion but maybe it was the cost of compromise for something better for the country as a whole. To really see him in action just you tube “Ted Kennedy Minimum Wage” it is one of the funniest, passionate,and caring clips of him.

I had the chance to be seated with him at a business lunch and he came back to his seat after his remark and asked us “well what do think” about his remarks. I said to him it was great. He promptly looked and replied “Well I could have used some applause with the unemployment comments”. He then laughed and talked to us plumbers and electricians like he was from the neighborhood.

One thing is for sure about him and his family. They probably never had to work but they spent their careers trying to empower many who had none and quite frankly it lives on today. I guess caring is what comes to mind and thats what I will be thinking about tonight at the event.

In my position over the last 15 years I have come to appreciate the man who knew how to work the art of the game.

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