Date Posted

A Message from Business Manager Chris Erikson

Thank you to those members who fulfilled their responsibility to vote in the election of officers. Your incumbent officers ran as a team and had the support and confidence from the majority of those who voted, and the slate was re-elected as a team. Your officers are dedicated men and women committed to serving this membership and fulfilling their Constitutional responsibilities, and I am proud to serve with each and every one of them.
 
The challenges we face are monumental including daunting unemployment and developers continuing to support the non-union construction industry to drive down prices and conditions, and as we face those challenges, I know one thing for sure — if we are divided we will fail. Anyone who thinks that it’s easy to make decisions, which may be unpopular but necessary in order to protect our standards, is sadly mistaken. The best way for our membership to face our challenges together is to be informed, to be active, and to support our union. I commit to those members who are all-in and to those who are just along for the ride to continue to be honest with you and to tell you the truth, even what you might not want to hear; to tell you what we can and can’t do as an organization as we address these challenges; and that we will face any threat to weaken us from any adversary from outside of our organization or from within head on.
 
Like anything, social media has its pros and cons. It can help spread information wide and far, particularly in a time like COVID when we were forced to stay apart. However, it can sometimes deteriorate into a forum for misinformation, incorrect answers, and even false accusations that go unchecked. Coming out of this election, facing these challenges, we need to stand together and I am confident that our members will do so. We all know what is at stake.
 
Lastly, I want to thank our Election Judge Joe Magel and the Election Board, along with all of the volunteers who spent over 12 hours on Election Day ensuring it was a smooth operation with no issues. Now let's come together and do what we must to continue to grow and keep our union strong.