Rossford, Ohio Boilermakers Local 85 Wins Charles W. Jones Award

Rossford, Ohio Boilermakers Local 85 Wins Charles W. Jones Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kansas City, KS (October 24, 2012) — MOST, the non-profit, national labor-management trust fund dedicated to the safety and training of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, presented the Charles W. Jones award to the members of Local Lodge 85 on October 16, 2012. During the 27th Annual National Tripartite Conference held in Myrtle Beach, SC, International President Newton B. Jones presented the award to Fred Keith, business manager for the Local Lodge 85. The lodge is located in Rossford, Ohio and serves the greater Toledo area.

MOST is a non-profit labor management trust that consists of a balanced representation of the Boilermaker union, its contractors and the owner community. Their combined direction and vision identifies problems and find solutions as it relates to the Boilermaker craft and industry.

MOST, which stands for Mobilization, Optimization, Stabilization and Training, is designed to increase the skill levels of all Boilermakers and provide value to the owners and contractors who employ them. The first-of-its-kind training offered through the MOST Programs continually strives to provide a valued resource to the boilermaker industry. Since its inception, MOST Programs have lead to a 90% reduction in OSHA recordable injuries.

The Charles W. Jones Award, the highest honor bestowed on a Boilermaker Local Lodge, is named after the late Boilermakers’ International President Emeritus, Charles W. Jones, who led the effort to establish the national MOST labor-management trust fund in 1989. It is designed to encourage the use of the MOST programs and is awarded annually to the local lodge who, according to President Jones, “does their very best to use the vital safety and training programs to the betterment of our members.”

Keith accepted the award on behalf of the more than 500 Local 85 shop and field construction boilermakers. He added, “we, as Boilermakers, touch so many lives on a daily basis and it is great to be a part of this organization.”

To win the award, a local must have the highest percentage of members participating in seven of the 17 MOST programs: MOST OSHA 10/30 Program, MOST Common Arc Program, MOST Substance Abuse Program, MOST Scaffolding Program, MOST Steel Erection Program, MOST Rigging Program and MOST Leadership Program. A committee who reviews all local lodge participation numbers, which is compiled by MOST, completes the selection process.

The winning local lodge recipient is presented with a statue depicting a 1930s-era boilermaker holding a rivet gun, cast in silicon bronze. President Newton B. Jones and his brother, Charles A. Jones jointly developed the concept for the statue.