IUOE News Winter 2013

District Two
continue to shift in the right direction, but there is a lot of
work to still be done. The benefits to the employees and the
city as a whole thanks to the creation of jobs and economic
impact far outweigh the unrealistic individual political
concerns that only a few seem to have. If it comes down to it,
we will be letting the crew know of any lobbying efforts taking
place that require their attendance.
The announcement of the John Hart Dam award came just
days before this article, with SNC Lavalin the successful
proponent to design and build the new dam.
Our local contractors have been working with the team
involved in the bidding process, which should translate into
our membership being part of the build.
The project will construct a replacement water intake at the
John Hart Spillway Dam, replace the three 1.8 kilometre long
penstocks with a 2.1 kilometre long tunnel, construct a
replacement generating station beside the existing station,
and build a new water bypass facility. The existing station may
continue to operate during the construction phase, and then
incrementally transfer operations to the new facility during
the commissioning period.
We have discussed the particulars of jobs at our meetings
and earlier OE News editions, so the we would like to focus
this winter edition on our need to ”organize this Island” by
showing solidarity and educating the workforce.
Organizing is one of the most important parts of our Local,
while the Union is the conduit to make the organizing
campaign come together. We need the support of our
members, supplying key information like contact names and
phone numbers, to assist in our ongoing efforts. This is where
the organizer and our members collaborate to make the organizing
drive easier and more efficient, allowing us to organize
companies faster, and therefore bring about employee
improvements quicker.
Education and empowerment are key to propel our Local
forward in the years to come, as well as demonstrate to our
young current and future members how important the fight
for worker rights still is.
We cannot be complacent, especially now with so many
upcoming projects which can either organize, build up and
support workers for their future, or unfairly oppress and
diminish their worth if not fairly represented.
We do not want to watch our work on Vancouver Island go
to companies that are only concerned with short-term gains
while keeping their employees hungry with nothing for them
to look forward to or enjoy at the end of it all. When we talk to
the “unorganized” we must embrace and educate them on
how to change the conditions they are in.
The greater the number of members
The greater the voice of the membership
The greater the benefits achieved
The greater the benefits received
We would like to welcome Brother Todd Jones, who has
come on board as an Organizer and has already hit the ground
running by putting together the abovementioned organizing
material. Please make an effort to provide Todd with all the
information he needs to make more positive changes in
District 2. He can be reached through the Nanaimo office
contact details.
Thank you to all the members who make an effort to attend
the district meetings. For those of you who have not been able
to make it to one, we ask that in the coming year you come out
and get to know your Brothers and Sisters from other industries.
Networking leads to opportunities and solidarity, so if
you can make it to just one, you are making a difference.
We would like to wish you and your family a very safe and
happy holiday season, and all the best in the New Year.
The paving team in Trail. From
left to right: Devon Simister,
Lukas Robinson, Saun Kovinoff,
Devon Halpin, Lisa Wah,
Brady Zanussi, and Member
Representative Frank Carr.
News December 2013 17