Delegates tackle final issues; Convention ends on high note

Delegates found plenty left to do on the final day of the Convention as committees continued their reports, the assembly acted on amendments and resolutions, and other activities unfolded.

The morning session opened with an address by Edward C. Sullivan, president of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. Representatives from Nooter Construction Company followed, with a formal presentation to the Boilermaker Archives of a Siegfried Reinhardt mural depicting Boilermakers at work. Drawing results were announced, with two delegates winning their choice of a Benelli shotgun or rifle, and a third taking home a Harley Davidson motorcycle customized with the Boilermaker emblem.

Committee reports resumed at mid-morning and continued through most of the day. Two items that triggered extensive debate were an amendment to Article 36, Salary Adjustments, coming out of the Law Committee, and a proposal presented by the Resolution Committee to make Legislative Education Fund contributions mandatory. Before lunch and as the Convention came to a close, the assembly took time to recognize Clay Parton, C.W. Jones, and other Boilermaker leaders for special service to the Brotherhood.

As the day drew to an end, the International Executive Council grasped hands in a show of solidarity and delegates came to their feet. IP Newton B. Jones thanked the delegates “for the confidence you have shown in us and the trust you have placed in us. We will not let you down,” he said.