We congratulate our brother and friend, Jim Boland, on his recent retirement as president of the Bricklayers (BAC) and from his position on the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO.
Boland, a native of Ireland, became a BAC member in 1977, shortly after immigrating to the United States to find better work for himself and his family. He worked in the San Francisco Bay Area in brick, block, stone and marble, then as a business agent before becoming president of BAC Local 3 California in 1992. He then served the international union as assistant to the vice president for operations overseeing trade jurisdiction and regional director for California and Nevada. Boland became secretary-treasurer in 1999 and president in 2010.
Throughout his incredible career, including nearly a decade as BAC’s president, Boland’s top priority has never faltered: to support, strengthen and serve working people—no matter where they were born. He is an unapologetic champion for a more inclusive and diverse union.
Working people everywhere are better off because of Jim Boland. The AFL-CIO Executive Council sends our congratulations on a well-deserved retirement.