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NEWS BRIEFS

Date Posted: September 19 2003

Trades MOVE into new organizing mode 
The Building Trades Department, AFL-CIO, has announced a new training agenda that will be the successor to the 14-year-old COMET program.

The new program uses the acronym MOVE - Multi-Trade Organizing Volunteer Education, and will soon be available to local unions for inception in their training programs. The program is being formulated in conjunction with Cornell University.

MOVE has three primary objectives: to continue the basic message of COMET (Construction Membership Education Training), to address the increase in immigration and its affect on the construction workforce over the past several years, and to enlist the support of union members in cooperative organizing efforts on mixed job sites.

"Every day," the building trades department notes, "union members work alongside nonunion construction workers on mixed (union-nonunion) job sites, providing an incredible opportunity for organizing. By informing our members of the magnitude of the organizing challenge we face, and by linking the challenge to the opportunities presented to us on mixed job sites, the MOVE program will play a critical role in rebuilding union power in the construction industry."

Walbridge's Rakolta dies at age 80
John Rakolta, chairman-emeritus of construction contractor Walbridge-Aldinger, died of cancer on Sept. 7 at age 80.

Mr. Rakolta became a partial owner of Walbridge in the early 1950s, accumulating his holdings until becoming its sole owner in 1970, when he also became its chairman and chief executive officer.

Mr. Rakolta played an active role as a leader and mentor in the construction and automotive industries throughout his career. He remained chairman and chief executive officer Walbridge until 1993, when his son, John Rakolta, Jr. succeeded him, but he remained active in company affairs until his death.

Among Walbridge's many notable projects are the Daimler Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, The Nissan Research and Development Center, the One Detroit Center tower, the Rouge Steel Hot Strip Mill, and the recently completed Compuware Headquarters in downtown Detroit.

A bombardier-navigator during World War II, Mr. Rakolta was injured when his plane was shot down over Germany. He was held as a POW until he was liberated by Allied troops in 1945.

"My father was an exceedingly generous man, and believed in sharing his good fortune with others," said his son, John Rakolta, Jr. "Dad never forgot his roots, but he was also willing to take risks. He was an excellent judge of people, a tireless worker, and a man respected for his unwavering integrity. He was an entrepreneurial leader, but he also adhered strongly to traditional values throughout his life. His word was his bond, and if he made a commitment, he kept it."

Mr. Rakolta is survived by his wife of 57 years, Mary, his son John Jr., and three daughtrs, Linda, Patricia and Maryann.