GP Meeting Members To Talk, and Listen, In Person  

 
 
A Union president’s job always involves a lot of travel, to meet with contractors, industry leaders, elected officials, and with Union officers, funds staff, and many others across the U.S. and Canada.
But just after the 2016 election, General President Joseph Sellers., Jr., decided that whenever possible, he would add a valuable element to those trips: talking with members to get their input.
These pages cover just a few of these early sessions, in Mississippi, Florida, and Georgia. There have been others, like at Cove Point in Maryland where a number of SM Local 100 members were praised by management at API for their valuable work at the facility. There will be many more.
The reception from members he has spoken with and the input he has brought back from those visits have made Sellers more committed than ever to continue the ongoing gatherings.
His busy travel schedule takes time—but also takes him to place
s where he can connect with members: construction sites, rail yards, fabrication shops, production plants, transit depots, and others.
Sellers, a second-generation sheet metal worker, has felt increasing pride as he speaks with members.
“I am always energized by our members,” Sellers noted. “They show me their professionalism, their union spirit and—what I’m really after—their ideas for making things better on the job, in our Union and in their own communities.
“I look forward to the opportunities I’ll have all year to take a minute with our membership and listen to your thoughts and views. That kind of informed input is what I value most to make our Union work for all of us.”