Dave Baker, Business Manager of Ironworkers Local 44, joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the excitement following both a member and the Local being singled out by President Joe Biden during his State of the Union in February.
The jurisdiction of Ironworkers Local 44 includes all or part of eight counties in southwestern Ohio, 16 counties in northern Kentucky and 10 counties in southeast Indiana. The Local is made up of approximately 1,000 total members.
On the night of Feb. 7, Local 44 Sister Saria Gwin-Maye was the special guest of the President, and sat with First Lady Jill Biden during the State of the Union Address. Baker shared his excitement for Gwin-Maye, and added there have been non-stop phone calls and interview requests since Biden spoke about her and the Local during his address.
He then talked about the upcoming Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, and the work to grow the apprenticeship program to prepare the workforce for an expected start date of sometime in 2024. Baker explained that a large number of Ironworkers will likely retire during this project, and in order to ensure constant manpower, the Local needs to train enough apprentices to step in and replace those who retire. Once groundwork is complete on the project, hundreds of Local 44 members will work on the bridge at any given time.
Baker also addressed major design flaws that plague the current bridge and reaffirmed these flaws will be addressed in the this project. The Brent Spence Bridge was built to hold half the daily traffic it now handles. Poor lane design and falling debris pose major safety issues, he pointed out. Baker also emphasized the project will take a long time to complete, however, it will not only fix all the current issues, but be built to handle a greater load than it currently carries.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.
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