Metro East Labor legend Totsie Bailey stepping down as executive secretary of the Southwestern Illinois Building & Construction Trades Council

By CARL GREEN
Illinois Correspondent

Collinsville, IL – One of the Metro-East’s top Labor leaders, Totsie Bailey, will step aside on May 31 after four years as leader of the Southwestern Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council.

Bailey was the longtime business manager of Steamfitters Local 439 in St. Clair County and was president of the Council’s executive board four years ago when longtime executive secretary-treasurer Dale Stewart retired after a successful 12-year run.

Bailey stepped in to maintain the momentum that Stewart and the Council had built and emerged as one of the region’s most prominent union leaders.

“I enjoyed every minute of it,” he said. “I really don’t want to retire, but I’d be 72 when the term ended, and that’s just not right. It’s these guys’ turn.

“I’m still going to be involved politically,” he added. “Anything that’s got to do with unions, I’ll stay involved in. I’m not dead yet. I may look it but I’m not there.”

BIG SHOES TO FILL
Council President Eric Oller, business manager of Laborers Local 459 in Belleville, spoke for the entire Council in thanking Bailey for his service.

“We appreciate you stepping in and taking the role you did, Tots,” he said. “You’re leaving big shoes to fill – I think you did a hell of a job. See you on the boat!”

The Council’s executive secretary-treasurer brings together Labor members and leaders with public officials, construction companies and economic development professionals to make projects happen and see that they are properly staffed with union workers. He serves as a spokesman and leader for the Labor Movement. He represents trades unions in talks with the construction industry and with public officials. He represents stability, strength and trust as times change and the construction environment evolves.

‘WHENEVER LABOR VOTES TOGETHER, WE WIN’
When the meeting reached the “old business” section, Bailey made a passionate plea for the Labor Movement to unite to support America’s democratic system.

“This is going to be ‘old business’ until Trumpism is gone,” he said. “We just need to talk to our members again. It’s not a Democrat versus Democrat thing, it’s Democrat versus Republican-Trumpism. These guys are on the border line of treason.

“You saw what happened on Jan. 6, and now the Republican Party is saying it was political discourse or something. It was an insurrection!” Bailey said. “We need to get our members to understand that this is a call – it’s about where they want to be remembered in history, either on the right side or on the side of sedition and treason. It’s sad – it’s got families fighting with each other.”

So far, most of Labor has been on the right side of things, he added. “Whenever Labor votes together, we win – all the time,” he said. “We’ve got to change some of their minds.

“Trump and all his baloney is just the same thing as Stalin and Hitler and Kim,” Bailey said. “We’ve got to work hard. We can’t let them take back Congress in 2022. It will destroy us – destroy the country, period.”