Brothers and Sisters,

Local 1237 recently had its first retiree luncheon on June 25^th. The guest of honor was Local 1237 retiree Charlie Chaney. Brother Charlie joined the union in 1974 and has been paying full dues for 50 years. The IUPAT has recognized him as a Gold Member. During the luncheon I had the honor of presenting Charlie with a gold watch, gold membership card, and a plaque commemorating his 50-year achievement. In attendance were brothers Fred Carter, Gus Cooksey, Bob Cooksey, Vince Echeverria, Karl Griffiths, Gregg Hansen, Greg Hartwick, Hector Luera, Ed McDonald, and Tim Morgan. Charlie and I both worked at simas Floors in the early 90’s and as his apprentice I was fortunate enough to not only learn our trade from Charlie, but he has been a mentor and friend for over 30 years. Charlie is also currently the only Member Contractor in Local 1237. I would also like to thank Hector Luera, and Vince Echeverria for doing the cooking. I would also like to thank Annette Fejeran, and Junnie Gutierrez for helping with the food and serving the retirees.