Amid a time of significant change within the Boilermakers union, newly elected International President Tim Simmons set the tone for the 37th MOST National Tripartite Alliance conference with a commitment to serving members as priority number one, a message about the union’s perseverance and emphasis on the need to move forward together.

At the beginning of his remarks Simmons announced the resignation of International Secretary-Treasurer Kathy Stapp and subsequent election by the International Executive Council of Clint Penny, a third-generation Boilermaker who served as Business Manager/Secretary Treasurer of Local Lodge 11 in Helena, Montana. Prior to his new role as IST, Penny was elected for three consecutive terms as business manager/secretary treasurer; and, since 2021, he has served as President of the Montana State Building Trades.

Simmons also acknowledged recent news about indictments handed down by the Department of Justice, the federal investigation into the union, as well as the unprecedented changes in the union’s leadership.

“We are taking all the allegations seriously and cooperating fully with the investigation,” he said.  “We have a constitution that directs us…and we have followed the constitution faithfully. We have made other changes, which our members have appreciated, our contractors have applauded and that have strengthened our organization.”

He upheld that the union’s future is secure, while also recognizing that the path forward will likely not be without challenges.

“But the enduring spirit of the members of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers remains the same,” he stressed.

Simmons pointed to the Boilermakers’ history in steam and the doom that lay over the union when the locomotive steam engine was replaced by diesel—eliminating the bread-and-butter work of many Boilermakers.

“It was the dedication and adaptability of union Boilermakers that allowed us as an organization to change course and redirect our resources into new industries and technologies,” he said. “That same determination is alive and well today.”

He also reaffirmed his commitment to working together with the IEC, staff, local lodge leaders and members to press forward and ensure that Boilermakers continue to be the highly trained, skilled craftspeople contractors and owners know and trust to man their projects. And he called for contractors and owners assistance in providing outage schedules in advance, helping to improve communication and in strengthening partnerships among contractors, owners and Boilermakers. That, he said, is the purpose of the MOST National Tripartite Alliance.

“We are here to listen to each other’s concerns and put our heads together to plot a path forward. We owe this to you, and we owe it to our brothers and sisters in the field who want to be able to provide for their families,” Simmons said. “Working together there is no obstacle we cannot overcome, no threat we can’t face and no problem we cannot solve.

“The Boilermakers union has faced storms before, and we will do so again—but we will persevere. We were forged by those generations that came before us and we will build on their foundation to make better the lives of those who come after us.”