Masonry Magazine December 1970 Page. 12
IMI Promotion Trust
Holds First Meeting
The masonry industry's long-awaited national promotion fund moved significantly closer to reality at the first meeting of the Fund's Trustees and Advisors last month.
On November 18, the Fund's Trustees, representing members of the Mason Contractors Association of America, and the Advisors, representing the BM&PIU, held their initial organizational meeting.
The Trustees took steps to put the Fund into operation at the beginning of the new year and received the first contribution to the Fund, a check for $1,500 from 10 local BM&PIU unions in Canada's Atlantic Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Important actions taken by the Trustees included these:
Donald R. Bidwell, Detroit, was elected Chairman; Charles Velardo, Boston, was elected Secretary; and George Miller, Chicago, was elected Assistant Secretary.
Headquarters for the Fund will be established in Washington, D.C., at Room 1006, 823-15th Street, N.W.
The Fund's Trust Agreement and model collective bargaining clauses for use in incorporating contributions to the Fund in local agreements will be printed and distributed to all local unions of the BM&PIU and members of MCAA.
The Trust Agreement creating the Fund was signed in July (see August Masonry) by representatives of the BM&PIU and MCAA. The Fund is administered by five Trustees appointed by MCAA. Union representatives are prohibited by law from acting as Trustees, but five officials of the BM&PIU serve as Advisors to the Fund.
About Our Cover
Trustees and Advisors of the new IMI Promotion Fund are shown at their organizational meeting in Washington. Standing, left to right, are BM&PIU First Vice President George King and MCAA Regional Vice President Charles Velardo. Seated, left to right, are James Richardson, Research Director of BM&PIU; David Soloff, Jr., MCAA Vice President; BM&PIU President Thomas F. Murphy; George A. Miller, Executive Vice President, Mason Contractors Association of America; Donald Bidwell, MCAA Past President; BM&PIU Treasurer John J. Joyce, and Eugene George, MCAA Regional Vice President from Canada.
BM&PIU President Thomas F. Murphy, left, turns over to Donald Bidwell, Chairman of the IMI Promotion Fund Trustees, a check for $1,500 from 10 local unions in Canada's Atlantic Maritime Provinces. This was the first contribution made to the new promotion fund for the masonry industry.
Trustees of the Fund are: Chairman Donald R. Bidwell; Secretary Charles Velardo; Eugene George, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; David Soloff, Jr. Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Assistant Secretary George Miller.
Advisors are: Thomas F. Murphy, William R. Conners, George W. King, John T. Joyce, and James Richardson.
Also present were Ray Lackey and Robert Denny of Henry J. Kaufman & Associates, Washington, D.C.
The Fund is to be financed by having employers pay into it one cent for each hour worked by a bricklayer.
Accepting the first contribution to the Fund from BM&PIU President Murphy, Chairman Bidwell said: "This is only the first evidence of the wide support that the Fund will attract in the masonry industry. With many more contributions like this, the IMI Promotion Fund can begin its task of informing the general public, architects, engineers, builders, and the financial community of the many advantages of masonry."
President Murphy said: "The masonry industry's promotion fund is now ready to begin its work. There is much to be done, but it is only through this kind of unified industry promotion effort that we will be able to assure more work for members of our union and for masonry contractors.
"I again urge all local unions to get the one-cent-per-hour contribution to the Fund written into their collective bargaining agreements as quickly as they can. The model collective bargaining clauses will help them do this, and the International Union stands ready to assist in whatever ways we can."