Others include the Arborway Bus Maintenance Facility, Braintree Logan Express, and Logan Airport Terminal B Renovation… with more in the works! These project labor agreements directly benefit Local 7 iron workers by generating new job opportunities for years to come.
Project labor agreements help support large public projects by establishing:
consistent wages
safety requirements
working conditions across contractors and subcontractors
workforce stability
In March, Governor Healey visited the Local 7 Union Hall to announce the $1.2 billion replacement of the Draw One Bridge near North Station. That single project is expected to generate 15,600 jobs and iron workers will play a crucial role in the replacement and expansion of the bridge.
Governor Healey’s actions have produced huge opportunities for us. Don’t forget that when you’re in the voting booth this November.
When two planes hijacked out of Logan International Airport in Boston slammed into the World Trade Center in New York on 9/11, Jimmy Lyons was one of the first ironworkers to head south on Interstate 95 to help in the recovery effort. As we approach the 25th anniversary of the attacks, he reflects on the life-altering experience.
“I just went down on my own,” he remembers. “I’m an American Indian. We ain’t scared of nothing.”
He worked at Ground Zero for several days, helping remove twisted steel and metal from the smoldering pile of wreckage, risking his life along with hundreds of firefighters and other construction workers searching for victims. It was a treacherous job that took a toll, but he’s proud of his work in those days after the attacks.
When the Freedom Tower was built 10 years later, he traveled back to New York and worked on that job, helping rebuild at Ground Zero. He took on both tasks because he’s an ironworker to his core.
“Thank God I was a Local 7 union ironworker,” says Lyons, who retired two years ago. “I absolutely loved it.”
Born and raised in Quincy, he worked for 10 years at the Quincy Shipyard as a burner, using a blowtorch to cut up steel and metal. When the Shipyard closed in 1986, he was one of more than 6,000 workers laid off. A neighbor suggested he look into becoming a union ironworker and he joined Local 7.
He worked for many years as a rod buster, helping build some of Boston’s most iconic buildings. His last job was working on the South Station renovation.
Asked what he loved most about the job, he says: “Always being in shape – doing steel rods will always keep you in shape. You’re going to be fit for life. That’s really important.”
He’s worked at dizzying heights, in elevator shafts, and on beams high above Manhattan, Boston and other cities.
“If you’re afraid of heights, find a new job,” he says.
A former Golden Gloves boxer, he spends most days of his retirement working out at a boxing gym in South Boston. The physical demands of the job were something he always embraced.
“If you’re lazy you can’t fake it,” he said. “You’ve just gotta do the job or go home.”
He bought the Quincy house he grew up in, where he and his wife raised their two daughters. The girls are now studying to be nurses at Michigan State University. He attributes all of it to Local 7.
“Thank god I got the opportunity to buy my own home and retire happy,” he says. “I’ve got a good pension, good annuity and it takes care of my family really well.”
“It’s all because of Local 7,” he adds. “Local 7 will make you amazing.”
The Labor Day parade is BACK for another year! Come join us at St. James Ave. (Copley Square Plaza) in Boston at 8:30 a.m. to march through the streets and celebrate the labor movement. There will be food trucks, speakers, and performances at the end of the parade.
