When Julian Hernandez left the U.S. Army in 2021, he faced the same uncertainty many service members experience when they transition from military to civilian life. Helmets to Hardhats, a program dedicated to helping veterans enter the building trades, eased Hernandez into a new life in the Boilermakers union.
“A lot of people struggle with getting out because they’re unsure what they want to do or if they’re going to make it,” Hernandez said, noting it’s hard to give up a steady salary for the unknown.— Oct 15
Union camaraderie and the love of the great outdoors made for an exciting weekend at Powder Creek Shooting Park in Lenexa, Kansas. The 16th annual Union Sportsmen’s Alliance Boilermakers Kansas City Sporting Clays Shoot brought 127 competitors on Sept. 20. This year, 27 teams competed. The event raised more than $135,000 to support USA’s mission to “unite the union community through conservation to preserve North America’s outdoor heritage.”
The 2025 Kansas City shoot winners were:
Highest overall team score: Callender Printing— Oct 10
At the Boilermakers’ 38th MOST Tripartite Alliance conference in Coronado, California, Aug. 26 and 27, International President Timothy Simmons greeted attendees with a forward-looking vision built on partnership, innovation and a renewed commitment to workforce excellence. He emphasized that the core purpose of the conference was to build and strengthen the essential relationships between the union and industry partners.— Oct 3
On September 18th at the annual Contra Costa Labor Council's Labor to Labor dinner, Local 549’s Boilermakers Women at Work committee was presented with the Frances Perkins Award.
The award was presented to the committee by State Legislative Coordinator for the Western States, Tim Jefferies, who serves as vice president of the labor council’s executive board.— Oct 1
I grew up poor. I know what it’s like to have less than others, because as a child, I lived with want. I lived with the worry and the fear and the stress that cast their dark shadows over families who don’t know where the money will come from to feed their children.
It is no exaggeration to say the Boilermakers union changed my life and lifted my family out of poverty. Steady, union Boilermaker work provided for us, protected us, set me on my own solid career path as a young adult and, later, gave me the chance to provide for my own family.— Sep 25
