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THE LADIES OF 798 ARE CALLING UPON ALL RETIREES
TO SUBMIT LETTERS, COMMENTS AND IDEAS.
YOUR INPUT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US. A letter from the Retiree Roundtable, October issue of the "PINK LIGHT". Like many of you, while we were still pipelining, we attended 798 Union Meetings and Steward Schools as often as possible. We have driven hundreds of miles to Tulsa from jobs and from home and have also flown to Tulsa from jobs a few times. Since we retired four years ago, I don't think we've attended a 798 Meeting! Something always seemed to come up---Legitimate reasons why it wasn't convenient for us to make the trip. Now I realize that we may have been looking for excuses not to go to Tulsa for Meetings. As retirees, we thought we would feel out of place and out of the loop. On September 14,2007 we finally decided to drive to Tulsa for the meeting. We might not have come then but we wanted to look for a new Suburban(still looking), and go to Wild Oats (great health food store on 41st St.), and Bass Pro Shop. While Lee Roy attended the Meeting at the Union Hall, with much trepidation, I went to the 798 Ladies Hospitality Room at the Radisson Hotel. In the past forty years, I have been at many of the 798 Ladies Meetings. I have also often stayed in our hotel room or sat outside alone in our vehicle rather than go to the 798 Ladies Meetings! Soon after walking into our Ladies Meeting, I felt a definate change in the atmosphere and attitude of this meeting compared to many of the Ladies Meetings in previous years. Maybe it is a renewed pride in our Local(Yes, Ladies it is OUR Local, too!), along with a brand new sense of purpose and vision in what we Ladies can accomplish and do to help ourselves and others. Difficult to describe, but you could just feel the positive energy in the room. The presentation at the Ladies Meeting on Travel Safety by the Tulsa Police Department was Great! The police officer gave us lots of useful tips and information and answered all our questions with patients and humor. I really like the idea of having a program or presentation at our Ladies Meetings. How wonderful to see friends from our pipelining days and to meet several Ladies of 798 that I didn't know but have been reading about in our newsletters. A special thanks to Margaret for Welcoming me, making introductions, and especially for making me feel a part of our pipeline family again after several years of being away from it. I would like to encourage other retirees to attend the Meetings and show your support for OUR Local Union and for the Ladies of 798! They still need us! Thanks Ladies of 798 for all your new ideas and your hard work---many, many hours of planning, organizing, listening, and communication with each other. Amazing what we can do when we actually work together instead of against each other isn't it!? See you in Tulsa! Betty Ann Warren Wife of Retired Welder Lee Roy Warren Clarksville, Arkansas REACHING OUT ACROSS THE STATES TO HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN COMMUNITIES AND PEOPLE'S LIVES.
As I sit and write this letter, my mind keeps racing from one topic to another! “Don’t forget the September meeting” or “Remember to tell them about the new merchandise” or “Don’t forget the updates”…I actually have to laugh at myself. We have been so busy and I have so much to tell you that I truly don’t know where to start.
The September meeting was amazing! The turn out of ladies that were able to attend was greater than I expected due to the number of families working at this time. We had an informational and fun meeting with the Tulsa Police Department. If you were not able to attend, I urge you to find someone who was there and have them tell you all about it!
As you know we have merchandise out and it’s doing well! I know that there are some ladies that are “lucky” enough to be up North and are ready for sweatshirts and long sleeve t-shirts and please know that we do have them ordered and they should be available by the time that you receive this newsletter. If you get time, check out the website, we have sent the merchandise pictures to Boomer (Sonia Jennings) and she is putting them on the website for everyone to see.
I have had the privilege of meeting many new ladies in the past months and with each introduction there is a smile and one question…”What can I do to help?”. In a world where we all need 30-hours in a day to get done what we “have to” get done, the phone starts ringing at 7:30 a.m., where, if your not taking care of your own children you’re running an errand for an elderly parent or caring for your grandchildren, there is a family of women (and men) who on top of their “organized chaos” we all call life, reaches out a hand and offers themselves (or what is left of them) to our mission!! God Bless each and every one of you! We truly could not make this happen without you!
Take Care of Each Other,
Nicole Barnett It’s Wednesday morning and I am sitting here reflecting over the last seven months. It is amazing to think where we started and what all we have accomplished in such a short period of time. My husband says, “Give a pipeliner a job and they will hurt themselves getting it done.”
I would have to say that statement is true of the pipeline spouses. In these seven months the ladies of 798 have moved mountains. We are now into our third edition of the newsletter, the cookbook is ready for print, and the plans for the Memorial Wall are in full swing. The luncheons that were held on the job site have exemplified great works. Volunteers are calling wanting to help wherever they can be utilized. Through your dedication is how we are able to make differences.
Janie Wallace, Nicole Barnett, and myself had the pleasure of visiting several jobs over the last two months. We have met so many wonderful people. We listened to some great stories of the past and present good works. We even read newspaper articles from the local papers at those job sites that featured stories about some of the great ladies we have in our local.
Ladies, please keep up the good work. You are making the difference. I am so proud of each and every one of you.
Special Thanks To:
Marrietta Monceaux, Betty Ferguson, Debbie Langley, Busta Chapman, Patti Langston, Marty Edwards, Robin Eastwood, Janie White, Connie Hess, and Janice Barnett for arranging the various meetings and luncheons. Also thank you to all the women who came to participate.
Sincerely,
Norma K Hendrix
For What it’s Worth
Stephanie Yates
“Money is not worth a thing unless it’s spread around encouraging things to grow.” The author Thorton Wilder encourages us to ponder, Where are you spending your money and on what? Are you aware of what you are buying? We stroll through the grocery aisles tossing chips, beer, and sugar into the cart. Did you select a union made Domino sugar? Will you be drinking union-made Anheuser Busch products like Michelob, Busch, and Budweiser? Did you buy union made Frito-Lay chip varieties for snacking? Think before you buy because it matters how you shop.
What’s the union difference? As families of Pipeliners Union 798, we should be able to answer this question. Unions fight for what matters: good jobs, working families, safe working conditions, living wages, and health care. When we choose to spend dollars in our communities we are investing in ourselves. The AFL-CIO also encourages the belief in supporting each other through the Union Industries Show, which highlights skilled American union workers. The 69 year-old event is held in a different city each year and open to the public with free admission. The Union Industry Show is an “annual expo of the best products and services America has to offer” and is attended by national labor leaders. Displays range from appliances, household products, food, and clothing to automobiles, boats, and motorcycles. The show raises awareness of the shop union importance. Union products and services are listed by the AFL-CIO at www.shopunionmade.org and The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Int’l Union at www.bctgm.org. Locate next year’s exhibit at www.unionindustriesshow.org or call 202-508-3700.
Unions depend on the decisions people make every day. We can support Union 798 by choosing 100% union made products, services, and jobs. Let’s be conscious consumers and be responsible for what our dollars do. We are worth every penny.
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