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Season 4, Episode 47

Major safety improvements coming with Brent Spence Bridge project

Ironworkers Local 44 Gray

 

Guest Name:

Dave Baker

Guest Website:

https://ironworkers44.com/ 

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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.


America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

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