International Union of Operating Engineers

Founded in 1865, The International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers represents craft workers in the trowel trades. The union represents craft workers, including bricklayers, stone and marble masons, plasterers, tile setters, mosaic workers and pointers/cleaners/caulkers. It is one of the oldest trade unions in the United States and Canada. Members of the union are encouraged to participate actively in the union by attending local or chapter meetings, asking questions, making suggestions, expressing their concerns and voting in elections. The International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers protects the rights of the workers. Labor and management through collectively bargained contributions jointly fund its training programs.

The Laborers'International Union fights for more opportunities for workers and employers, better wages, good benefits and safe jobsites. Members run the union, electing officers at all levels and participating in the day-to-day affairs of their local unions. Members set priorities for contracts and are key in the union's growth and success. The mission of the Laborers is implemented through nine regions, several district councils and more than 500 local unions. Local unions work together in district councils, which are assisted by regional offices. The Laborers have three affiliated organizations, the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, the National Federation of Independent Unions and the Canadian National Federation of Independent Unions. The union was formed in 1903 and has more than 800,000 members.

The National Academy of Sciences was signed into being by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, at the height of the Civil War. The Academy is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research that is dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. The National Academy of Sciences is governed by a council comprised of 12 members and five officers elected from among its membership. The council is responsible to the membership for the activities undertaken by the organization and for the corporate management of the National Academy of Sciences. The Academy membership is comprised of approximately 2,000 members and nearly 350 foreign associates, of whom more than 190 have won Nobel Prizes.