THE NEXT GENERATION Fall 2019 News
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Fall 2019 news BUILDING Publication Mail Agreement No. 40011378 THE NEXT GENERATION Fall 2019 news LOCAL EXECUTIVE BOARD BUSINESS MANAGER Brian Cochrane Special Features General Membership Meeting Sept 21 ..................................................................................... 5 PRESIDENT IUOE Local 115 Training Association Open House ................................................................. 12 Wayne E. Mills Walco Industries looks to international markets with high-tech solutions ........................ 15 Looking back on the John Hart project labour agreement .................................................... 16 VICE PRESIDENT IUOE Local 115 Members at Site C .......................................................................................... 20 Wayne Kemp RECORDING SECRETARY Reports Josh Towsley Business Manager Moving forward with a new board ........................................................................................... 3 FINANCIAL SECRETARY President Don Swerdan Federal election—Considering the choices ................... ........................................................... 6 TREASURER Assistant Business Manager Frank Carr Looking for the next generation of workers ........................................................................... 7 Organizing: GUARD Doug Allan Reaching out to our friends ...................................................................................................... 8 Dispatch: CONDUCTOR Send in your certificates ............................................................................................................ 8 Doug Fisher District 1 TRUSTEES Significant gains at Rempel Bros. Concrete ........................................................................... 9 Brett Chapman A collaborative project with First Nations ............................................................................... 10 Bryan Salema Working to improve safety in BC mines ................................................................................. 11 Darcy Shearer Lessons from an organizing drive ............................................................................................ 11 Looking forward to positive outcomes ................................................................................... 13 AUDITORS Chelsea French Bargaining with support from members ................................................................................. 13 Leanne Hughf Across Canada—IUOE Locals pull together .......................................................................... 14 Mike Mayo District 2 High-profile work that serves our communities .................................................................... 17 DISTRICT EXECUTIVE BOARD District 3 1 - Al Cooper 2 - Tom Kinnear Launching the Community Benefits Agreement ................................................................... 18 3 - Brian Lefebvre Districts 4 and 5 4 - Matt Baker Progress across the District ...................................................................................................... 19 5 - Dan MacPhee District 6 6 - Rob Foskett Holding to our mandate ............................................................................................................ 21 Publication Committee Training Association Brian Cochrane An international training opportunity for members ............................................................. 22 Lynda Arland-Richards Benefits and Pension Frank Carr Welcoming your feedback ........................................................................................................ 25 Wayne E. Mills Labour History Josh Towsley Beware of Phoney “Unions”… ................................................................................................... 32 Editorial Ian McLeod Fall 2019 On the cover Editorial Support news Regular Features Laura Schubert Mobile Equipment 25 Pensions Awarded Layout Operator Ben Pierre 26 Welcome to our new Members Shane Dyson, CFU Local 2040 at Lehigh Materials, Sechelt. 28 Service Awards IUOE News is the official publication of the Photo: 29 Celebrating our Members International Union of Operating Engineers Oliver Ratonyi-Reisz, Local 115. In View Images BUILDING 33 In Memoriam THE NEXT GENERATION Website: iuoe115.ca 34 District Offices and Meeting Notices Business Manager Brian Cochrane Moving forward with a new Board I want to start this report by appointed, Brothers Gary Kroeker and Allan Bruce, are long thanking our membership for their time IUOE Local 115 members and held positions on the ongoing support and confidence in Executive of 115; these appointments are another tribute to the Executive Board of Local 115. the reputation and success of our Local. 2019 was of course an election We have been engaged with all of the proposed LNG year for the Local Union, and proponents to help bring these investments to British the entire Board was elected by acclamation. I know the Columbia and maximize employment opportunities for our level of dedication that your brothers and sisters have in members. their respective roles on the Board, always working hard Working with IUOE Canadian Director Lionel Railton to advance the interests of Operating Engineers. Your and the International staff, we have also influenced the confidence validates their efforts. Trans Mountain Pipeline project to employ more union General President James T Callahan flew to Vancouver to contractors and Operating Engineers than was originally perform the Installation of Officers ceremony on September planned. 19th. It is the first time in our Local’s history where we Within our union, the investment made in the IUOE have had the honour of the IUOE General We have influenced International Training and Conference President attend to swear in the Board, and center (ITC) under the leadership of it speaks volumes for Local 115 to be held provincial and federal President James T. Callahan, is providing in such regard. governments to increase valuable technical training (as noted on At our General Membership meeting training investments of page 24 of this edition of the OE News), held Saturday September 21st, we focussed and so much more. We have had staff our reports on many of the highlights OE’s, fought to reduce and members take training on how and activities the Local has been involved MSP Premiums, and to support members who are affected with. We have achieved many successes on developed the Community by substance abuse and mental health behalf of the membership. Benefit Agreement issues. Organizing training and political We have influenced provincial and action programs have also been recently federal governments to increase training construction model with delivered which will ultimately help to investments of OE’s, fought to reduce MSP Premier John Horgan’s create a stronger organization and help Premiums, and developed the Community Government us to better support the needs of our Benefit Agreement construction model members. with Premier John Horgan’s Government—creating 100% Our Pension Plan is one of the best multi-employer Union work for three major public projects; with hopefully plans in Canada and with the sheer determination of our more to come. predecessors to make life better for retired OE’s – we are The delivery of community benefits under the agreement now making $60 million per year in pension payments – is the responsibility of a new provincial agency, the BC making life just a little better for the men and women of our Infrastructure Benefits Inc. Two of the seven members organization. One of the newest recipients of our pension is District 4’s outgoing Business Representative, and the immediate past Vice President of Local 115 - Brother Herb Conat. I have worked many years with Herb, often in some pretty challenging circumstances. Herb has been dedicated 24/7 to building the Local and improving the lives of Operating Engineers. He has built some great relationships, and on behalf of all of us; I wish him and his wife Verna a long, happy, healthy and well deserved retirement! With the passing of retired Business Manager Mike Parr and retired IUOE Pension Administrator Bert Brooker this Swearing in of the recently elected IUOE Local 115 E-Board past year, it has been a time to reflect on the great work of Fall 2019 3 the builders of our Local. Both of these men accomplished so much in shaping the future or our organization and have IUOE Canadian locals meet left ongoing legacies for every member of Local 115. Lastly, we have a federal election fast approaching on in Atlantic Canada October 21st, and we have to make sure we elect a government Operating Engineers from locals across Canada that will act in our best interests. The importance of having gathered in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on a government that supports our work as organized Labour August 25-28 to talk about the state of the union, and cannot be overstated. The rules we operate under all stem the social and economic changes that are affecting from legislation and policy that can either helps us, or hurts IUOE members. us. The meeting heard from General President James T. I encourage all of our members to look past the noise. Callaghan and from International Chief of Staff Joe Help elect candidates in your riding that support your Giacin, who focused on the growth of the IUOE Collective Agreements, your Health Care and your Pensions! Training and Conference Center in Texas. We are a large organization; when our members from across Canada’s