Operating Engineer - Winter 2014

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Canadian News Cochrane Part of Official BC Jobs and Trade Mission to Asia IN A SIGN of respect for the strong advocacy role played by IUOE Local 115 on behalf of its members, Business Manager Brian Cochrane was invited by the province’s Premier, Christy Clark, on a recent Jobs and Trade Mission to China, Korea and Japan. Local 115 has been a strong critic of Clark’s right-of-center BC Liberal government on important issues like unemployment and workers’ rights, but also recognizes that obtaining needed investment to create jobs is best of jobs available to IUOE Local 115 members,” says Cochrane. “We will work with local, provincial or national governments who respect our members’ interests and we will put aside differences to reach common goals of mutual benefit.” The government estimates that up to 70,000 jobs could be created through LNG exports, many of them in LNG plant construction. It is telling that Cochrane has also country to BC while denying jobs to any qualified Canadians who applied. While the Court case was not successful in overturning Temporary Foreign Workers permits, IUOE Local 115 and building trades unions won the most important battle – in the court of public opinion, Cochrane said, which forced government to make positive improvements to the program. “IUOE Local 115 will continue to monitor the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and take action to protect our members’ jobs,” said Cochrane. The new role being played by IUOE Local 115 is an indication that effective public advocacy by the union is being noticed and that the importance of IUOE Local 115 as a key source of skilled workers for key resource sector jobs is being recognized. [L to R] Brian Cochrane (Business Manager, IUOE Local 115), Lee Loftus (President, BC Building Trades), Christy Clark (Premier of British Columbia), Tom Sigurdson (Executive Director, BC Building Trades), Glen Hilton (Business Manager, IBEW Local 993) achieved when labour, business and government can find agreement. So Cochrane joined other private sector labour leaders, business representatives and government cabinet minsters to support Premier Clark’s efforts to bring new jobs to British Columbia through investment in natural resource extraction, especially Liquified Natural Gas exports. “Our union’s most important role is to protect and increase the number played a prominent role in challenging Canada’s use of Temporary Foreign Workers from China to develop coal mining projects in northern British Columbia. Last year Canada’s Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper changed the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to end abuses after IUOE Local 115 and other unions went to Federal Court to fight a government decision allowing HD Mining – a Chineseowned firm – to bring workers from that “Operating Engineers are acknowledged leaders in training workers for skilled jobs across North America,” Cochrane said. “Our union can help employers and governments meet labor market needs but there has to be support for our members and unionized jobs at the end of that process or it doesn’t work.” Cochrane says participating in BC Premier Clark’s Asian mission helped both the government, employers and IUOE Local 115 members, by showing potential investors that despite differences, all parties can work together to create jobs. “The previous Premier either attacked or ignored our union – we are still here and he is long gone,” Cochrane said. “We will work in good faith with governments of any political stripe so long as they respect our union and our members – that’s a bottom line that will never change.” 22 INTERNATIONAL OPERATING ENGINEER
uOttawa Power Plant Engineers Celebrate Long Careers chilled water, natural gas, telephone lines and electrical cable. The building is unique in that the side that faces King Edward Avenue is made entirely of tinted glass and exposes all the power plant’s pipes, wires and machinery to the view of passing motorists and pedestrians. [Back row, L to R] Shawn Casey (20 years), Mike Noonan (2nd Class Relief, Recent Hiree), Bob Guenette (retiree 23 years), Wayne Hedges (retiree 47 years), Henri Major (1971-1996 1st Class Shift Engineer, Plant Chief 1996-2008 - retired), Jean Bordeleau (retiree 43 years), Marc Paul (2nd Class Shift Engineer, 40 years), Julien Bedard (2nd Class day shift, retired 1995) AT A SPECIAL retirement event at the University of Ottawa, Local 772 Power Plant Engineers in attendance celebrated their years of experience and career highlights with great stories of working together and all the changes at the Plant over the years. The Engineers in attendance constituted about 285 years of Power Plant experience. Marking 47 years upon his retirement, Wayne Hedges’ colleagues tried to convince him stay on for another three years so he could hold a record of 50 years working for the university as a Power Engineer, without success. Wayne was anxious to enjoy his well-deserved retirement. The Power Plant is state of the art, built 40 years ago at a cost of $4.5 million and inaugurated in 1973, it is some 20,000 square feet in size. The plant provides controls for all environmental and mechanical systems throughout the campus from one central location. Also located in this complex is a sophisticated computerized “watchdog” network that controls temperature, humidity, clocks and atmospheric conditions in several laboratories, as well as conditions in several other buildings. The building also houses administrative offices, shops, storage areas and two snowmelting pits. Some three kilometres of tunnels link buildings throughout the campus, centralize to meet at the Plant. These tunnels are used to carry steam, [Front row, L to R] Andre Forget (Shift Engineer 2001-2008, Plant Chief 2008-present), Todd Nobert (2nd Class Shift Engineer, 25 years), Paul Lagasi (2nd class Shift Engineer, 26 years), Stephan Berger (3rd class shift Engineer, Recent Hiree) [below] The uOttawa Power Plant WINTER 2014 23
Page 1 and 2: i n t e r n at i o n a l Operating
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Page 5 and 6: From the General President [James T
Page 7 and 8: Training Standard Project Puts Inst
Page 9 and 10: happen, you will be better prepared
Page 11 and 12: U.S. Senate Races to Dominate 2014
Page 13 and 14: Could U.S. Style “Right to Work
Page 15 and 16: Feature IN THE ICY DEPTHS of anothe
Page 17 and 18: [top] Local 478 members taking part
Page 19 and 20: National HAZMAT Program 2014 Traine
Page 21: Virginia Treacy: Dedicated Trade Un
Page 25 and 26: Local 370 Spokane, WA Thomas L. Rei
Page 27: ENJOY • International Union of Op

Operating Engineer - Winter 2014

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