Brothers and Sisters,
As we enter the holiday season and fondly remember our accomplishments of 2022, I hope that you are able to enjoy some well-deserved time off with your loved ones and feel pride as we enter the new year. We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our members for all that you do. Local 7 is a team and there are no officers without our dedicated membership. In addition, thank you to the officers of Local 7 for your hard work and dedication to our union.
2022 was an exciting year for our union with highlights including the Women Build Boston Conference, Boston Higashi School for Autistic Children donation, historic election victories, and so much more.
In October, we were proud to highlight our union sisters and allies who joined over 700 women in the building trades across New England for the first-ever Women Build Boston conference. Our members heard from U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Governor-Elect Maura Healey, and many other labor leaders including Local 7’s own Gayann Wilkinson. It was an incredible turnout that showcased the many proud and dedicated women working in Local 7 and throughout the building trades.
Recently, the Iron Workers Local 7 Retiree Association donated over $8,000 to the Boston Higashi School for Autistic Children. This money was raised by our dedicated union members during this year’s 18th Annual Golf Tournament and we thank everyone who contributed and supported this event. This donation allowed Local 7 to support the school’s honorable mission of providing critical support and educational services for children with autism. We were thankful for the chance to support this community this giving season.
As we enter the new year, we’ll be doing so with our new Governor, Maura Healey, and Lieutenant Governor, Kim Driscoll, both of whom we were proud to support this election season. Healey and Driscoll have long been allies to organized labor and I’m confident they’ll support robust policies to build strong communities and keep working families thriving in Massachusetts for years to come.
We have several major projects underway that will continue into 2023 including the redevelopment of Suffolk Downs, the largest private-sector Project Labor Agreement ever signed in our region. This union-built project will create 14,000 jobs over 10 years across the building trades and will include more than 10,000 units of new housing.
In addition, our members will be hard at work constructing the new 51-story tower and transportation center at South Station, as well as One Boston Wharf Road, a 17-story tower in the Seaport that will include over 700,000 SF of mixed-use space, two performing arts venues, a park, and retail space. This new project will be home to the city’s largest Net Zero Carbon facility as part of the City of Boston’s pledge to be carbon neutral by 2050. A green wave is coming to Boston and we’re proud to have Local 7 workers on the front lines to create the buildings of the future.
We’re proud to announce our annual Martin Luther King Day event in January complete with a formidable roster of speakers that will include U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, NAACP Boston president Tanisha Sullivan, former state representative and gubernatorial candidate Mel King, and more. More information will be shared as we near the event and we hope to see you there.
As always, thank you all for your hard work and commitment throughout 2022. I wish you all a wonderful and safe holiday season, and look forward to a prosperous 2023.
Fraternally,
Mike Hess
Business Manager