OAKVILLE, ON, June 20, 2024 /CNW/ - Mike Gallagher will lead the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793 ("I.U.O.E. Local 793"), for an unprecedented eighth term after he was re-elected unopposed to his position as Business Manager.

"To my knowledge, this is the first time in our history that we have been so united as an organization to elect the entire team unopposed," Gallagher said in a thank you letter to the more than 19,000 members of Local 793. "It is a great privilege to represent you and fight for you and your family for better job site conditions, benefits, training opportunities, jobs, and first-class pension and benefit plans.

"With your support, we will continue to build a better union and future for you and your family."

Each member of the existing leadership team was also re-elected unopposed, including:

Officers
Dave Turple (President), Mike Scott (Vice-President), Rick Kerr (Treasurer), Brian Alexander (Financial Secretary) and Steve Booze (Recording-Corresponding Secretary)

Executive Board
Jordan Glendenning, Jeff Hewitt, John Kelly, Paul Knight, Virgil Nosè and Justin O'Neill 

Trustees
Mike Barons, Kyle Schutte and Martin Tassé 

Auditors
Eric Giroux, Stephen Rubinoff and Andrew Saunders 

Conductor
Gord Vandevenne 

Guard
Shawn McLeary 

Gallagher has been the Business Manager since 1996, when members turned to him and his team to get the Local back on track following a period of turmoil that resulted in its placement under International supervision.

Since then, however, the Local has only gone from strength to strength - exiting International supervision, building up its finances, rapidly increasing membership, expanding training opportunities and bringing its pension and benefits plan in-house.

As the union's new five-year Strategic Plan was recently finalized, his focus will now be on delivering on its ambitious goals, especially in the areas of organizing, training, health and safety, and reaching out to traditionally marginalized groups in construction, such as women and members of Indigenous communities.

"The Team Gallagher commitment is to build on our progress in Ontario and Nunavut. Progress that you know and trust," Gallagher said. "We will continue to improve the lives of members and their families through growing a strong union that provides quality and progressive agreements, world-class training and platinum level life & health benefits and pension plans that you can count on now and depend on in the future."

About I.U.O.E. Local 793: The I.U.O.E. Local 793 is a long-established construction trade union which received its original Charter in 1919. Today, the Union proudly represents more than 19,000 crane and heavy equipment operators and other skilled workers employed in all sectors of the construction industry, industrial and mining sectors across the province of Ontario and the territory of Nunavut. Members of Local 793 operate mobile cranes, tower cranes, concrete pumps, bulldozers, excavators, graders, tractor loader backhoes and many other types of heavy equipment.

SOURCE International Union Of Operating Engineers - Local 793