Construction & Specialized Workers' Union, Local 1611
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Publication Agreement Number 40850545 Return Undeliverable Canadian Mail to: #208 - 3550 Kingsway, Vancouver, B.C. V5R 5X4 Construction & Specialized Workers’ Union, Local 1611 Vol. 37 No. 2 #208 - 3550 Kingsway, Vancouver B.C. V5R 5X4 December 2012 SINCE 1937 BUILDINGBC & &THE SERVICING YUKON Construction and Specialized INDEX Workers Union Local 1611 3 Business Manager/Secretary’s Report – Mark Olsen 4 President’s Report – Bruce Ferguson Executive Board Members BUSINESS MANAGER/SECRETARY-TREASURER 5 Achievements in 2012 Mark Olsen Key Local 1611 Goals for 2013 PRESIDENt 6 Organizing Department Report – Manuel Alvernaz Bruce Ferguson Organize, Organize, Organize VICE PRESIDENT 7 Celebrating Dave Barrett’s Legacy Chuck Chatten 8 BC Building Trades - Ad REcoRDING SECRETARY Shelley Moore 9 Lower Mainland Construction Report – Gary Palmiere & Danny Klein EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS 2012 Monthly General Membership Meeting Schedule Gary Palmiere Medical and Dental Benefits Danny Klein Manuel Alvernaz 10 Vancouver Island Report – Matthew Lust Member Code of Performance & Responsibility EDItoRIAL COMMIttEE Mark Olsen 11 Photos – Membership Meetings, Service Pins, Events & Courses Patrizia Maestrello 17 Dispatch Office – Donna Mansel and Brady Carter CSW UNION LOCAL 1611 HEAD OFFICE Pacific Blue Cross – Ad 3542 Kingsway Important Dispatch Request Vancouver, BC Browse the Web V5R 5X7 18 You Asked Telephone: 604-432-9300 Toll Free: 1-800-663-6588 19 West & East Kootenay Area Report– Chuck Chatten MEMBERSHIP SERVICES OFFICE 20 Okanagan & Interior Area Report – Leroy Vollans 205 - 3550 Kingsway 21 Northern Region Report – Mat McGreish Vancouver, BC Union Scholarship Awarded V5R 5L7 Union Scholarship Available Telephone: 604-437-6889 Toll Free: 1-888-788-2888 22 75th Anniversary Events Around the Province MEDICAL & PENSION PLAN OFFICE 32 Retiree Council – R.L. Mc Donald 208 - 3550 Kingsway 33 Traffic Control and Service Sector Vancouver, BC – Nav Malhotra and Tony Parkinson V5R 5X4 Telephone: 604-437-8598 34 Training Plan and Aboriginal Liaison – Dean Homewood Toll Free: 1-888-964-3666 35 Research – Mark Warrior TRAINING PLAN OFFICE 36 Training Plan – Upcoming Training Courses 216 - 3550 Kingsway Vancouver, BC 37 Training Plan – Course Reimbursements V5R 5X4 Correspondence Courses Available Telephone: 604-433-5523 38 Member & Union Participation Local 1611 in the News in 2012 Toll Free: 1-800-661-3001 39 Photos – Union Members Hard at Work Design and Production by Phil Bayley Printed by union labour 43 WorkSave BC Ad Publication Agreement Number 40850545 44 Health Care Sector – Shelley Moore Local 1611 Supporting Communities ON THE COVER Member Alert WANETA DAM EXPANSION PROJECT 45 Labourers’ Membership Services – Richard Saunders Medical & Pension Plans – Tara Campbell Redpath/Frontier Kemper project at 46 LiUNA Sub-Regional Report – Greg Harris Waneta with CSWU members. 47 In Memoriam – We Honour our Deceased Members EN OLS Report: Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer K AR ‘There’s Fish in the Lake’ M No words have been more true, than those spoken by Federal Canada will sell its natural resources to other Countries, Court of Canada Judge Douglas Campbell, on November 16, but we can’t lose the work to foreign workers. What benefit is 2012. that to BC and Canada? Our Union, along with the Operating Engineers, have Christy Clark’s BC Jobs Plan is Jobbing BC. It has re‑ filed in Federal Court, to invalidate permits given by the sulted in lost work to British Columbian’s and has exploited federal government to H.D. Mining to bring in 201 under‑ foreign workers. Shame on our government. ground miners from China, to work in a proposed mine near We are proud that our Union was founded by immigrants, Tumble Ridge, BC. and foreign born members have continued to be a real source The Department of Justice have sent a battery of lawyers of pride, strength and solidarity. to fight us, and one of them suggested to the Judge that “the However, the government’s TFW Program denies foreign Unions should not use the Court for a fishing expedition.” workers a path to citizenship. Not only are they exploited “There’s fish in the lake,” responded Judge while they work in BC, they are denied permanent Campbell. QUOTED: Canadian citizenship. This is wrong. The Judge is right. There is something fishy, Our Union Our Union will continue to protect all workers in the provincial/federal government approval and support what is right. We also need members to process of Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) will continue contact their local MLA and MP and tell them the in Canada. to protect all current TFW Program must be changed. The new system, put in place by the Federal Included in this Christmas magazine, is a new Conservatives, and supported by the BC Liber‑ workers and section called “You Asked”. We answer questions als, fast tracks the process; with no oversight as support what is that our members have asked around the province. to real need; and no requirement or enforce‑ We hope you enjoy it. ment of a Canadian wage and benefit package right Our Union had a great 2012 and we look for‑ for the workers. ward to continued prosperity and a good job picture Problems have become rampant. Our Union has been to at least 2020. at the forefront in BC, in representing TFW’s who need our On behalf of the Executive Board, I want to express our help, including; deepest thanks and appreciation to the members for their in‑ • Philippino workers on a North Vancouver Project, who put and support. On a personal note I’d like to thank Jennifer were ripped off by a labour broker, with 8 housed in and Donna for their work in assisting me in the work we each apartment and each paying $1,700 for rent. do every day, and to Kevin Blakely our legal counsel for his • Croatian workers on a bridge project, who were left by herculean efforts. the Contractor, high and dry, and without pay after their Special note of concern and condolence to our valued work was done. members who work for Imasco Minerals, at the plant and • South and Central American workers on the RAV/Can‑ mine site near Creston, BC. The Employer has decided to ada Line, who all had been ripped off, with some only re‑ close their business in January 2013 throwing all the work‑ ceiving $3.77 per hour. ers, our members out‑of‑work. Our former local, the Tunnel The latest example, are these miners from China. Based and Rock Workers Union, Local 168 because of the incred‑ upon past experience, there is little doubt about it, they will ible efforts of Roger Bennett and the Imasco employees, was not be paid a Canadian wage, and will be exploited. certified to Imasco in 1994, some 18 years ago. Imasco has International companies want to bring their international been an excellent Employer, and the Union and its members compensation practices to BC, and they do not feel this is il‑ were successful in achieving an excellent first Agreement, legal. Just think about it. Miners in China are paid only $1.00 and several updated Agreements along the way. The Imasco per hour. There is no way that the company H.D. Mining story will be prominent in our history book to be completed (Chinese state owned) will want to pay them more than BC next year. minimum wage at $10.25 per hour at the most. The Union will do its best to find work for all former However, what does this do to our local communities, Imasco workers next year. local businesses, local BC workers, and provincial revenue Once again, thank you to all the Imasco members and we from taxes? All will suffer badly. will do all we can. The main problem with the Federal Conservative and BC In closing, we wish all members and their families the Liberal governments, is that they are blinded by foreign in‑ very best this holiday season. Please stay healthy and work vestment dollars, and so are failing Canadian workers. safe. PAGE 3 N SO Report: President U FERG E E UC Eight is Enough - Final Report BR Let me begin by extending to each and everyone of you my from Local 1070 and not to forget Don Strank, Don Brown, warm fraternal greetings and the hope that everyone enjoys Dal Chernask and Gordon Davidson from then Vancouver a safe and joyous festive season. Island Local 1093. Beginning in May 1980, and over the intervening years, Over the many years your support has allowed me to at‑ the membership has honoured me by electing me as an of‑ tend several International Union Conventions, North West ficer of your Union a total of eight times. Four times with my Regional Conferences, Canadian Conferences, Western home Local 168, and four times with our new Local 1611. Canada Conferences, CLC and BC Federation of Labour Now after thirty‑four years as your employee, and as my Conventions and numerous International Federation of Em‑ current term expires later this spring, it is a good ployee Benefit Conferences (IF). time to announce my retirement. As I think back QUOTED: Certainly one of the highlights of my career was over the course of my time with the Labour‑ The the honour to be twice asked to second the nomi‑ ers’ Union I have had the pleasure of traveling nation of our good brother now retired North to every major region of our province and have membership West Regional Vice President Chuck Barnes. I attended in excess of 1,000 local area Union has honoured have a lot of respect for Brother Chuck, and we meetings not counting the 350 general monthly remain good friends to this day. I would certain‑ Union meetings held in the City of Vancouver.