All for One: IUBAC President Tim Driscoll’s Convention Keynote Expounds Importance of Community

Fifteen-million bricks—more than 70,000 alone in each of the massive 75-foot Corinthian columns that rise to the top of the grandiose Great Hall of the US Pension Bureau. Standing as one of the truest examples of masonry construction, the Bureau, which administered pensions for Union veterans of the Civil War, is housed in the magnificent National Building Museum, which was built by hundreds of masons between 1882 and 1887.

You could not find a more fitting spot for International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) President Tim Driscoll’s keynote address to kick off the BAC 2020 Convention, this year held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scores of BAC Members from across the US and Canada tuned in online for the address, which honed in on the theme of building communities and building lives.

As Driscoll explained, the masons were not just building a government office made of brick, stone and terra cotta, they were laying the foundation for a nation. Over the years, the building has hosted dozens of presidential inaugural balls and dinners, while doubling as the home of the National Building Museum, which educates attendees about every aspect of construction and design.

“For over 13 decades, this product of the sweat and ingenuity of bricklayers has made Washington—and the world—a better place,” Driscoll said. “The men who built it quite literally built community. And what’s more, by building communities—not only the broader community, but their own community of skilled craftworkers—those bricklayers built better lives for themselves and their families. Because these were union bricklayers.”

Their story, as Driscoll noted, remains an important part of the continued plight of BAC. Through the strength of their solidarity, those early craftworkers preserved the wages they fought for and earned by their labor. In doing so, they were able to build better lives—not just for themselves, but for their children and grandchildren, and today’s BAC Members and their families.

“Their triumph—and similar triumphs by craftworkers across North America—made it possible for their successors, over the generations, to build on the standards that they had won, creating the union that we cherish today,” Driscoll said.

The Convention’s virtual platform serves as a testament of the fortitude of BAC and its Members, who for the past six-plus months have battled through the effects of the pandemic. Driven by their will to get the job done as essential workers, local unions and District Councils continue to vigorously represent members on the job, ensuring that safety protocols are followed, while continuing to organize new members and contractors.

Driscoll said that BAC continues to be a vital contributor to communities stricken by the pandemic, donating PPE from its training centers and continuing important charitable projects. “IU has fought hard in Washington for the government help for our members’ needs, from unemployment relief to a commitment to rebuilding our broken infrastructure.”

With a recession on the doorstep in the US and Canada, Driscoll said BAC is committed to its mission to focus on member retention and organizing available work opportunities. “We learned a lot in the last decade about how to best retain members, and how to work with our contractors to win jobs,” Driscoll said. “Now, our organizing committees and our local leaders must apply those lessons to the coming crisis. BAC builds communities, and that starts with building, strengthening, and expanding the bonds of our union.”

Building tomorrow starts at the top

Expressing the fact that the current administration has negatively put unions in its crosshairs, Driscoll stressed the importance of making a change, citing BAC’s backing of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Calling on US delegates to step up their efforts to support a candidate the backs union mentality, he urged BAC members to get involved.

“Politics isn’t the sole determiner of whether we rise or fall, but it’s far easier for unions to grow and win better conditions for workers when the government isn’t actively trying to stop us from building better lives for our members,” Driscoll said. “BAC needs to do its part to make sure that we have a government that works for us.”

Calling the materials installed, repaired and maintained by BAC craftworkers the building blocks of everything the Union does, Driscoll said the fight to keep those materials in the design palette of architects and on jobsites is a continuous mission.

“It’s imperative that we work with our contractors and other industry stakeholders to effectively leverage the resources of IMI, to form a united front—both at the IU level and in every Local across North America—promoting the use of BAC materials. Our active stewardship of BIM for Masonry and our collaborative efforts to promote ACT are examples of the sort of work that we need to continue and expand upon in coming years.”

Battling on the front lines

Along the same lines, our commitment to defending and broadening BAC’s trade jurisdiction is essential to maximizing hours in a recession. Whether it’s actively pursuing BAC’s jurisdiction over plastering and cement masonry, or ensuring that newer products like rain screen systems and evolving flooring systems are installed by BAC craftworkers, we can’t afford to leave any jobs on the table—especially now. And engaged labor-management partnerships are critical to the effort, as we can’t do the work if our contractors don’t bid the work.

Driscoll also stressed the continued importance of labor-management partnerships, citing the Union's joint apprenticeship and training system as a key factor. "Apprenticeship is the cornerstone of the community that we seek to build. That’s where new members learn not only their trade, but what it means to be a union craftworker."

In addition, Driscoll pledged the Union support on the diversity front, stressing the importance of movements like Black Lives Matter. "BAC’s commitment to raising standards for workers in every community is a fundamental goal enshrined in our Constitution. We must forge alliances that ensure that as we build the BAC community, we’re also building Black lives."

In a year of unprecedented challenges, Driscoll said the Union's ability to step into the moment is something every members should cherish, especially moving forward. "As leaders of our Union, we are charged with providing an honest assessment of the challenges we face, and then dedicating the resources and effort equal to the task. Resilience and determination of purpose will, as it has in the past, define BAC’s path forward."