The AFL-CIO Maritime Trades Department notes that the NFL’s New Orleans Saints earlier this week played – and won – their first real home game since the 2004 NFL season thanks in part to the hard work of MTD-affiliated union members. Rebuilding the severely damaged Super Dome were members from the Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA), the IBEW, the UA and many more unions. Fifty-six weeks after the stadium was last used as an emergency shelter for Hurricane Katrina, the Super Dome reopened on September 25 to house rabid football fans.The July/August 2006 issue of the Journal, the SMWIA official publication, highlights the remarkable work done by its Local 11 members as they helped restore the hurricane-ravaged sports and entertainment complex.
The project, completed one-and-a-half months ahead of schedule, “can only be described as a miracle construction job done in the finest tradition of trade union craftsmanship and dedication,” as one union spokesperson described the effort.
###
Printer Friendly Page