Message from John C. Phillips
President and Business Manager

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to our Retiree’s Semi-Annual Luncheon. This event affords us the opportunity to recognize the achievements of our dedicated and loyal membership for their longevity and outstanding service. Today also affords us the chance to remember and reflect on the lives and service of our departed union brothers.
To all of this afternoon’s honorees, I salute you for all of the accomplishments that you have achieved throughout your respective careers. Together we show the loyalty and Union Pride that makes BAC Local Union No. 1 special.

Congratulations!!

We sit at our tables and all reminisce
Of long ago - Though Days, that we sorely miss!
We mourn the passing of those we held dear,
And, who won’t be with us, this time next year?
We always remember those we’ve “Laid to Rest”
With a wink and a nod we say, “Weren’t they the BEST!”

A day to remember, a feast for us all,
A day we all look for - about this time next Fall.
Soon I am south bound on I-95,
Promise to be home sometime before Five.
Now I have the memories, at the end of the day,
I Love Those Old Timers, what more can I say.

By: J. Rudolph

You can have one;
By joining the largest Union representing Plasterers, Cement Masons and all other Trowel Trades Craftworkers…

The International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers (BAC)!

• BAC represents only skilled trowel trades craftworkers:
  • Plasterers * Cement Masons * Bricklayers * Stone Masons * Tile Setters *Tile, Marble and Terrazzo Finishers * Terrazzo Mechanics * Mosaic Workers * and Pointers / Cleaners / Caulkers ( Restoration Workers ).
• With 100,000 members and more than $40 million in assets, BAC fights for what you need.
  

Training & Employment Opportunities

BAC, through the International Masonry Institute (IMI) and its Local Unions, offers free, innovative and accessible training programs to members.

FACILITIES:

• IMI National Training Center; 10 Regional Training Centers; 3 Mobile Training Units that provide job specific training anytime- anywhere.
• More than 100 BAC Local Union training facilities and programs work in cooperation with IMI.

TRAINING:

• IMI Craft Specific, Pre-Job, Cross Craft, Advanced Foreman, Supervisor, Safety- SmartMark, job specific training, and masonry camp.
• National Apprenticeship Standards and locally registered programs serving roughly 10,000 apprentices.
• An Education Assistance Program to advance members’ careers.

BAC & IMI PROMOTE:

• The use of all masonry materials- cement, plaster, EIFS, brick, block, stone, tile, terrazzo and mosaics- with architects, builders, developers and government agencies.
• Excellence through BAC’s Craft Awards Program for contractors, projects, leaders, and craftsmanship.

THAT’S NOT ALL…

• BAC’s Job Information Center , and Construction Workers Incorporated place members willing to travel in the United States and Canada with contractors that need skilled craftworkers.

Better Wages and Working Conditions

• BAC members have excellent wages and working conditions.
• BAC Plasters and Cement Masons earn on average more than double the average non-union wage, *and can earn more than $40 an hour.
• BAC works closely with architects, engineers, developers, and safety experts to improve working conditions.

• Currently valued at more than $1.2 billion.
• Vested participants can retire at age 62 with no penalty, or take early retirement at age 55.
• The disability pension is a full pension available to vested participants when disabled regardless of age.
• Participants may be eligible for up to 24 years of past service credit and there is no cap on years of future service credit.
• BAC members can supplement their retirement income through the IU”s 401(k) Plan or Retirement Savings Annuity Plan.
• Several OP & CMIA Locals are already participating in the International Pension Fund.

• Virtually every BAC member has access to health coverage and more.
  
• BAC offers an International Health Fund, and a Flexible Benefit Program to provide access to other benefits and services, including;
  
  • Child and Elder Care
  • Dental
  • Eye Care and more…

  A Broad Range of Other Benefits

  • Discounts on tools, products, and services you and your family need.
  • Plus a Member Assistance Program, staffed by a licensed social worker, to help members and their families during times of crisis.
  • Mortgage assistance, student loans, and more…
  A Commitment to Preserving and Protecting the Trowel Trades
  • Craft Committees for all crafts- including plastering and cement- responsible for monitoring working conditions, identifying new materials, safety issues, training needs and technologies, and making recommendations to BAC’s President and Executive Council.

  The International Union’s monthly dues are $8 plus and hourly check-off- compared to the OP & CMIA’s $19.50 monthly dues. BAC dues go down when members are out of work or under-employed, because the majority of their dues are based on hours worked.

  ---

  Representing all

  Trowel Trade Workers

  Together…

  We can have a stronger voice in the industry and in the Labor Movement.