years Vol. 72, #11/NOVEMBER 2014 Important election information inside! VOTE Nov. 4! California voters: 3YES on Prop. 1 3YES on Measure BB in Alameda County For The Good & Welfare By Russ Burns, business manager A time to reflect We’ve enjoyed a tremendous finesse. Organizers must be prepared year of celebrating, honoring and long before a new company or unit remembering our union’s 75-year signs, since for many potential CONTENTS history, and none of it could have members, signing with Local 3 can been possible without you, the feel like a big leap of faith. Potential Looking at Labor ............................. 4 membership. Thank you for providing members are often met with much News & Notes ................................. 5 our Public Relations Department opposition, sometimes even threats with photos, stories, memorabilia from employers hell-bent on stopping Talking with the Treasurer .................. 5 and live interviews, breathing life the union from taking care of their ATPA ............................................ 6 into a history that is as important employees. A lot of times, it just to our country as it is to our union. takes educating the employees about Fringe .......................................... 7 You rebuilt this nation after the the benefits of union representation. Public Employee News ...................... 8 Great Depression nearly destroyed Once they take that leap and join, it, and you continue to maintain and they rarely look back. This month, Credit Union ................................. 10 upgrade that essential infrastructure, we welcome several new companies. 75 years strong .............................. 11 holding it to the highest safety Please read our District Reports for standards possible. some of the most recent. Election recommendations ................ 12 During this month in particular, As the year comes to an end and Big moves .................................... 16 on account of Veterans Day (Nov. many of us honor the Thanksgiving 11), I want to take this opportunity tradition of giving thanks and eating Fit for the Kingsbury Grade ............... 18 to thank our many military members too much, we can all rest assured that District Reports .............................. 20 for their service – those who served Local 3 seems to have weathered the Meetings and Announcements ............. 28 in the past and those who currently worst of the Great Recession. Since serve. You honor and protect this 2008, we’ve been warriors. Times Health News ................................. 30 great country in ways we can never have been very lean and difficult Swap Shop .................................... 31 fully appreciate. measures have been taken to get At home, members are responding through these rough times, but we all to the call for help with repairs and bucked up, took some hits, changed Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3 very specialized clean-up work after our habits, came together and have Russ Burns Business Manager many natural disasters occurred emerged stronger than before. Not throughout our jurisdiction this year, only Local 3 but our country has Carl Goff President including the Napa Valley earthquake learned not to take good times for Dan Reding Vice President (District 04), the Boles fires in granted. Jim Sullivan Rec. Corres. Secretary Weed (District 70) and the recently Many signs point to the fact Pete Figueiredo Financial Secretary contained King Fire, which may that the construction economy is Steve Ingersoll Treasurer cause major erosion damage in the recovering. Recent dispatch numbers El Dorado County area (District 80). were reported at nearly 9,500 and Some of our members have had to climbing, and we’ve been hot and Engineers News Staff evacuate their homes and have even heavy into residential work again, Russ Burns Editor lost them entirely. Our thoughts are which had all but dried up. For your Carl Goff Editorial Adviser certainly with them and our gratitude willingness to endure this major Mandy McMillen Managing Editor with those who provided aid. Our economic drought by keeping your Jamie Johnston Associate Editor members have also been tasked with eye on the future and your head up, I Dominique Beilke Art Director using their resources wisely to keep thank you. We are all warriors! jobs going that are threatened by Be safe out there, as our Caltrans California’s prolonged drought (see brothers and sisters – our “Winter www.oe3.org this month’s cover story). Warriors” – are often impacted by This has been a great year weather at this time. Engineers News (ISSN 1069-2185) is published monthly by Local 3 of the International Union of Operating for organizing efforts, as we have For those of you who have not Engineers, AFL-CIO; 1620 South Loop Rd., Alameda, signed a total of 56 new Full/ already taken the time to vote, CA 94502. Periodical postage paid at Alameda, CA Master Agreements and 79 Project please do so on Nov. 4. There are and additional mailing offices. Engineers News is sent Agreements as of September, some big ballot measures that without charge to all members of Operating Engineers Local 3 in good standing. Non-member subscription bringing in 396 dispatches as a could promise billions of dollars in price is $6 per year. POSTMASTER: Send address result. I want to remind you that future construction work. See our changes to Address Change, 1620 South Loop Rd., organizing campaigns are never the recommendations on pages 12-14 Alameda, CA 94502. result of one individual’s work but and visit us online at www.oe3.org. the work of the entire Organizing Hope to see you at a District Department. Its staff operates with Meeting this month. And again, have strategic timing, research and a great holiday. 2 | Engineers News Report & Review By Carl Goff, president WWW.OE3.ORG We’re looking out for you Want more Operating Engineers news? Hopefully you’re getting this jurisdiction, they ensured their Visit Local 3’s website at www.oe3.org edition a little sooner than usual, members were the best-trained for some exclusive features we only post and that’s because we’re looking out in the industry and they created online. for you! The big General Election a Pension Fund, which was a very is Nov. 4, so we wanted to give bold move at the time. Volunteers, we thank you! our members who go to the polls a You can ask almost any Retiree chance to take their union’s most who was a member when the updated recommendations with Pension Fund was started in 1958 them via the Engineers News. (For what a difficult time they had when our early voters and Permanent faced with the decision to put a Absentee Voters (PAVs), we printed nickel an hour toward retirement. our recommendations last month.) They had no idea what that Fund Endorsement updates are being would do and how much it would made online right now, so visit our help the membership for so many website (www.oe3.org) for all of the decades. material you need to be ready for Our Retirees will also tell you this election, including a breakdown that it’s important for younger on why California’s Proposition generations to remember how hard 1, otherwise known as the Water our Retirees planned and worked Bond, and Prop. 2, otherwise known so we could enjoy the benefits we as the Rainy Day Fund, are critical currently have. to the state’s survival. (Prop. 1 will It’s fairly common knowledge provide billions of dollars in Local 3 that our benefits are highly coveted Our Voice of the Engineer (VOTE) construction work for many years, by private, for-profit organizations, volunteers have been hard at work and Prop. 2 will stabilize the state’s especially our Pension. This is throughout our jurisdiction. They’ve budget, freeing up more funding because non-union employees don’t been phone banking, precinct walking for essential infrastructure work.) enjoy the retirement security we and rallying in support of labor-friendly Vote YES on Prop. 1 and Prop. 2, do. For non-union companies with candidates like John Garamendi, who and VOTE UNION every time. defined-contribution plans like a is running for Congressional District 03 Studies indicate that there will be 401(k), all of the responsibility of in California and was joined recently by a low voter turnout in this election. investment rests on the shoulders members from the Fairfield District for Therefore, if you vote, we will win. of each employee. While some of us precinct walking on his behalf, above. It’s that easy. may be financial gurus, the majority Visit us online for more photos of our The general theme, we’re of us would much rather watch a VOTE members in action as well as an looking out for you, resonates in so football game than stock-market up-to-the-minute list of our endorsements. many ways in this union, and when trends. But even the best financial We thank you for volunteering your time I say “we,” I don’t just mean myself investors in the world can’t promise to improve the lives of working people. and your other elected officers the kind of retirement we have. It’s Remember, we can’t win an election, if we (even though we are looking out just too difficult for the average don’t VOTE. for you every single day). I mean person to be disciplined enough to Local 3 as an organization has been save on his or her own and know looking out for you since its original when and how to invest in certain Save water, save money founding 75 years ago. portfolios to provide the kind of California is a state of extremes. Those Since our Diamond Anniversary retirement our organization does who live in the Golden State know there are year is nearing an end, I must through a defined-benefit plan.