Uniting ARCCAW members across Alberta and the Northwest Territories Summer 2011 Innovation helps EllisDon secure major projects across the province A Better Back Tips and stretches to help prevent injury RSAP 101 Skills Canada Everything you need to photos, tool reviews, know about the program kids’ page, Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40063788 Return undeliverable mail to 200-15210 123 Ave Edmonton,AB T5V 0A3 HH_Summer11_p01.indd 1 7/8/11 8:28:47 AM C M Y CM MY CY CMY K DEWALT Power Tools are jobsite tested not just to prove they’re tough, but to make the job easier. All tools are designed from the ground up with the professional contractor in mind. With over 200 DEWALT Power Tools to choose from you can always find the right tool for the job. The full line of DEWALT Power Tools includes drills, saws, nailers, grinders--virtually any tool you need in any configuration you can imagine. Tough, Powerful, Precise, Rugged and Reliable. The tools Pros rely on. Copyright ©2011 DEWALT. The following are examples of trademarks for one or more DEWALT power tools and accessories: The yellow and black color scheme; the “D”-shaped air intake grill; the array of pyramids on the handgrip; the kit box configuration; and the array of lozenge-shaped humps on the surface of the tool. 000HH.DeWalt_DPS_wBL.inddHH_Summer11_p02-03.indd 2 1 7/8/11 8:29:10 AM 6/23/11 10:02:36 AM C M Y CM MY CY CMY K DEWALT Power Tools are jobsite tested not just to prove they’re tough, but to make the job easier. All tools are designed from the ground up with the professional contractor in mind. With over 200 DEWALT Power Tools to choose from you can always find the right tool for the job. The full line of DEWALT Power Tools includes drills, saws, nailers, grinders--virtually any tool you need in any configuration you can imagine. Tough, Powerful, Precise, Rugged and Reliable. The tools Pros rely on. Copyright ©2011 DEWALT. The following are examples of trademarks for one or more DEWALT power tools and accessories: The yellow and black color scheme; the “D”-shaped air intake grill; the array of pyramids on the handgrip; the kit box configuration; and the array of lozenge-shaped humps on the surface of the tool. 000HH.DeWalt_DPS_wBL.indd 1 HH_Summer11_p02-03.indd 3 6/23/117/8/11 10:02:36 8:29:29 AMAM Executive Secretary Treasurer’s REPORT Working Towards Equality Martyn A. Piper ow times change. It was not ous and varied challenges in addition to those related to that many years ago that men gender. In manufacturing and construction industries, women H went to work to bring home a face daily challenges and are often confronted with sexist paycheque and women largely stayed at “pin-ups,” sexual innuendo, jokes, ridiculing, labelling and home, kept house and looked after the other activities or words that have a demeaning and discrimi- kids. I guess that was my era. There have natory effect. been times when women did work out- Much has been attempted over the last number of years to side the home, such as during the war recruit more women into what are called “non-traditional” when there was a shortage of labour. In occupations – construction being one of them. Efforts have these instances, it has often been in hard been met with varying degrees of success. However, if we as labour intensive jobs and in humiliating an industry want to encourage women to enter these work- and adverse conditions. plac es, then we need to eliminate barriers related to gender, The war years involved women in ensure that women are accepted and treated as equals, and that greater numbers participating in the the workplace is welcoming and safe. workforce. During that time women It is because of the women in the workplace to whom I speak made up significant parts of factory that I am pleased to announce a first for Canada in terms of workforces building arms and muni- a construction trades union. I am pleased to announce the tions to support the war effort, but when Regional Council is having a two-day women’s conference on men returned from the war women were October 29 and 30, 2011, in Edmonton. Registration details are returned to “the home.” It also wasn’t online and will be mailed out to every woman member. There that many years ago that suffragettes are also registration forms in this edition of Hard Hat. took to the streets in campaigns for It is our intent to bring 150 of our Sisters together for a week- women’s right to vote. end of information and education. We hope this will be a first Fast forward to the 21st century and step in empowering our women members to play a greater role while the working environment for in the life of our union, provide them with the tools to deal with women has changed somewhat for the difficult situations, the confidence to stand up for their rights better, there is still much to be done. on the job site, in their communities, at home and throughout Women are fighting for seats in the cor- their daily lives. I want to thank the hard work of the Alberta # 40063788 Edmonton, AB T5V 0A3 Email: [email protected] Agreement 200-15210 123 Ave Canadian Publications Mail Product to ARCCAW Undeliverable mail should be directed porate boardroom, women are chal- Regional Council’s Women’s Committee who will be featured lenged with employment and pay equity, further in an upcoming issue of Hard Hat. women of colour, women who have This project is yet another in moving the Regional Council recently immigrated and aboriginal forward in a productive, contemporary and progressive way in women (just to name a few) face numer- order to better serve all of its members. 4 HARDHAT SUMMER 2011 HH_Summer11_p04-05.indd 4 7/8/11 8:29:50 AM Contents FEATURES Summer 11 PUbLIShEd FoR: 12 Creative Construction Alberta Regional Council of EllisDon’s innovative approach helps it Carpenters & Allied Workers secure projects across the province 15210 – 123 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T5V 0A3 By Tricia Radison Tel: (780) 474-8599 / Fax: (780) 474-8910 www.albertacarpenters.com 19 Rapid Access Everything you ever wanted to know PUbLIShEd by: about the RSAP program Venture Publishing Inc. By Annalise Klingbeil 10259 – 105 Street Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1E3 20 fit@work Toll-free: 1-866-227-4276 Got back pain? Try these stretches Phone: (780) 990-0839 20 Fax: (780) 425-4921 By Kim Tannas www.venturepublishing.ca 22 Pride in Performance PUbLIShER Celebrating record safety achievement Ruth Kelly at Imperial Oil’s Strathcona refinery ASSoCIATE PUbLIShER By Cait Wills Joyce Byrne ARCCAW EdIToR 24 Total Alignment Martyn A. Piper Millwrights’ training course provides 22 value for TAMSIL employees EdIToR Kim Tannas ART dIRECToR DEPARTMENTS Charles Burke ASSISTANT ART dIRECToR 4 Note From the Executive Colin Spence Secretary Treasurer PRodUCTIoN MANAGER By Martyn Piper Vanlee Robblee PRodUCTIoN CooRdINAToR 6 Site Lines Betty-Lou Smith Honouring long service; Upcoming CoNTRIbUTING WRITERS Annalise Klingbeil, Tricia Radison, women’s conference; Try-A-Trade; Q&A Robin Schroffel, Cait Wills with the new union education coordinator CoNTRIbUTING PhoToGRAPhERS ANd ILLUSTRAToRS 10 Geared Up 7 3TEN, Buffy Goodman, Joey Podlubny, Chris Tait Tools to help you work better VICE-PRESIdENT, SALES Anita McGillis 25 Local 1460 Millwrights Report AdVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Leah Mawer By Bob Hugh SALES ASSISTANT Julia Ehli 26 Training & Apprenticeship Report By Len Bryden Contents © 2011 by ARCCAW Inc. No part of this publication should be reproduced 27 KidZone without written permission. How many workers does it take to build a house? Undeliverable mail should be directed to ARCCAW 200-15210 123 Ave Edmonton, AB T5V 0A3 Email: [email protected] Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement # 40063788 Edmonton, AB T5V 0A3 Email: [email protected] Agreement 200-15210 123 Ave Canadian Publications Mail Product to ARCCAW Undeliverable mail should be directed Important Phone Numbers 28 Parting Shot Edmonton 780-471-3200 Fort McMurray 780-743-1442 29 Training & Events; In Memoriam Calgary 403-283-0747 Carpenters Training Centre 780-455-6532 Carpenters Health and Welfare 780-477-9131 Carpenters Pension 780-477-9131 Industrial Workers 403-283-0747 Millwright Local 1460 780-430-1460 oN ThE CoVER: Calgary South Health Local Union 1325 and 2103 Dispatch 1-888-944-0818 Campus, Photo: Joey Podlubny hARdhAT SUMMER 2011 5 HH_Summer11_p04-05.indd 5 7/11/11 2:34:12 PM A roundup of news and events Site Lines News in Brief from around the region BY ANNALISE KLINGBEIL Students Try-A-Trade For the second year in a row Alberta Carpenters participated in Carpenters-to-Be the Skills Canada Try-A-Trade event. The two-day event took place May 11-12 at Edmonton’s Expo Centre and saw a total of 1,500 high Compete school students learn about different trades, including carpentry. Alberta Carpenters had a 30-foot long booth set up, with safety Sixteen high school students from Edmonton and area equipment, scroll saws and patterns, so students could get a taste participated in the Skills Canada regional competition on April 9. Chris of the trade. “We guided them through cutting the shapes out and Browton, executive director at Skills Canada, Alberta says the regional then took them over to a spindle sander and they sanded them if competition goes a long way in validating that a particular trade is what they wanted and the drill press to drill holes if they wanted,” says a student wants to continue to pursue.