Good morning.

Thank you, President Jones, for that kind introduction. It is an honor to be here on behalf of the Building and Construction Trades Department, and to extend to you best wishes from Secretary-Treasurer Sean McGarvey and our governing board of presidents.

The Boilermakers have always been in the forefront of advancing the cause of working men and women, and that commitment continues today.

The hard work that Newt Jones and his team are doing sets a high standard for others to follow. The Boilermakers have earned both the attention and respect of your Brothers and Sisters across the U.S. and Canada, and we appreciate your efforts.

One of our most successful programs was accomplished in no small part due to the hard work and persistence of an innovative Boilermaker, the Department's former secretary-treasurer and my friend, Joe Maloney.

I am pleased to report that the Helmets to Hardhats program that he got off the ground continues to open doors of opportunity in our industry to thousands of returning vets.

The Building Trades takes great pride in watching the Helmets to Hardhats program take off across the country. And we thank all of you for helping to bring veterans into the Boilermakers.

I don't need to tell you that these are challenging times for the Labor Movement and the AFL-CIO. But rest assured, the Building Trades continue to move forward to strengthen our industry.

We have always stood for unity within the Construction Labor Movement and we always will.

Over the course of our century-old history, there have been times when a few unions would stray away from affiliation. However, history teaches us that ultimately we reconcile and work together again, because in the final analysis, we all realize that the Building Trades and all the working members that they represent are far better off unified than divided.

Construction is one industry, and it needs one unified construction Labor Movement. I've heard from many labor leaders in our industry — owners, union contractors and labor leaders, they speak with one voice in their desire to sustain operational unity within the unionized construction industry.