Iron Workers Local 396 swears-in new officers, celebrates completion of new headquarters

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CHANGING OF THE GUARD: Iron Workers Local 396 officers old and new celebrated completion of the Local’s new union hall at 2500 59th in St. Louis and the election of a new slate of officers July 25 with an open house at the newly completed hall. Marking the occasion in front of the new hall are (from left) new President/Business Agent Mike Heibeck, new Business Agents Phil Decker and Jeremiah Bates, retiring Business Agent Mike Butler, new Business Manager/FST Bob Hunt, General President Emeritus Joe Hunt Jr., retiring Business Manager/FST Tom McNeil, retiring President/Business Agent Bill Brennell and Business Agent Travis Barnes. – Labor Tribune photo

By TIM ROWDEN
Managing Editor

Iron Workers Local 396 is welcoming a new diverse slate of officers and celebrating completion of a new headquarters building, built on the site of the Local’s former offices at 2500 59th Street.

“We’ve got a good young diverse team of officers,” newly elected Business Manager/Financial Secretary Treasurer Bob Hunt said. “They’re ready to keep us moving forward with the technology and the way everything is changing. It’s going to be a good team. They have a lot of ideas.”

NEW OFFICERS
Local 396’s new leadership slate includes:

  • Business Manager/Financial Secretary Treasurer – Bob Hunt.
  • President/Business Agent – Mike Heibeck.
  • Vice President – Mark Crow.
  • Recording Secretary – Mark Penrod.
  • Business Agents – Travis Barnes, Phil Decker and Jeremiah Bates.
  • Executive Committee – Bobby Heibeck, Carlos Sanchez, Marvin Duncan, Marty Weir and Jake Pendergrass.
  • Conductor – Scott Barnes.
  • Sergeant at Arms – Tony Martin.
  • Trustees – Dan Walsh, Dan McIntire and Brian Goedde.
  • Examining Committee – Patrick Wolfmeyer, Katie Johnson and Aurora Bihler.
  • Field Steward (Jefferson City/Columbia Mo) – Matt Story.

NEW HEADQUARTERS

THE NEW GLASS-FRONTED building features open spaces, a meeting hall, offices, display space, and an open design inside that shows off the iron work at the building’s heart. – Labor Tribune photos
CHECKING OUT the mural in the meeting hall of Iron Workers Local 396’s new headquarters building are (from left) a 29-year member James Nelson, 19-year member Ron “Chewy” Jarvis and 19-year member Barbie Bock, talk about some of their favorite projects. – Labor Tribune photo

Local 396 held an Open House at its new headquarters building on July 25. The new glass-fronted building features open spaces, a meeting hall, offices, display space, and an open design inside that shows off the iron work at the building’s heart.

The timing of the building’s completion couldn’t have been better.

“Getting the building done at the same time here, we’re getting everything going together in a positive, strong direction, working with our allies – the contractors and the other trades – and moving in a strong direction forward for the future,” Hunt said.

One way Local 396 is moving forward is by utilizing the Dodge Pipeline, an online lead service that connects construction professionals with active public and private construction projects, providing access planning documents, thorough post-bid phases project details, key contacts, bid lists, plans, specs and addenda.

LOCAL 396 RETIREE Marvin Dickerson Sr. looks over some of the past projects Local 396 members have been a part of with his three-year-old grandson Maddox Pendergrass. – Labor Tribune photo

“It gives us an opportunity to get ahead of projects before they get started and get ahead of the game, building good relations with our contractors and the owners,” Hunt said. “If you don’t change with the times, you get left behind, so we’ve got to keep moving forward.”

WORKING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a less dramatic impact on building trades work than most other sectors, which has been fortunate, Hunt says.

“There’s been a few jobs that have been shut down for a couple of days because somebody tested positive for the COVID. They go in and clean the area, then we get back to work.”

Not that the pandemic hasn’t had some impact. Not everyone is working, but the numbers look good, and there are big projects coming down the line.

“We’re about 85 percent employed right now with the COVID being part of it,” Hunt said.

“But the outlook is really good with the NGA (National Geospatial Agency) headquarters, new soccer stadium and Forsythe Pointe (a major office and parking development) in Clayton. That’s three big jobs that we’ve got going.”


 

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