Operating Engineer - Fall 2013

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International Operating Engineer (ISSN 0020-8159) is published by the: International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL-CIO 1125 17 th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 Subscription Terms - $5 per year Change of Address - Requests must be submitted in writing to the IUOE Membership Department (address above). Include your new address, registration and local union number. POSTMASTERS – ATTENTION: Change of address on Form 3579 should be sent to: International Operating Engineer Mailing List Dept. 1125 17th St., NW, 3rd Floor Washington, DC 20036 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40843045 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 2835 Kew Drive Windsor, ON N8T3B7 Printed in the U.S.A. International Union of Operating Engineers AFL-CIO general officers James T. Callahan, General President Brian E. Hickey, General Secretary-Treasurer William C. Waggoner, First Vice President Patrick L. Sink, Second Vice President Jerry Kalmar, Third Vice President Russell E. Burns, Fourth Vice President Rodger Kaminska, Fifth Vice President James M. Sweeney, Sixth Vice President Robert T. Heenan, Seventh Vice President Daniel J. McGraw, Eighth Vice President Daren Konopaski, Ninth Vice President Michael Gallagher, Tenth Vice President Greg Lalevee, Eleventh Vice President Terrance E. McGowan, Twelfth Vice President Louis G. Rasetta, Thirteenth Vice President Mark Maierle, Fourteenth Vice President trustees John T. Ahern, Chairman Kuba J. Brown, Trustee Bruce Moffatt, Trustee James T. Kunz, Jr., Trustee Joseph F. Shanahan, Trustee Got Big News ? from Your Local We want to hear about it. International Operating Engineer appreciates the stories and photos we receive from local affiliates throughout North America. Send us your submissions or ideas for stories you would like us to consider. Send your submissions, plus photos (digital images are preferred), to Jay Lederer at jlederer@iuoe.org, or mail 1125 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20036 4 international operating engineer
From the General President [James T. Callahan] A House Divided Cannot Stand Politicians need to remember who they serve Once again our elected leaders in Washington have let us down and put our economy at risk with a high stakes game of political chicken. Politicians on both sides were complicit in creating the impasse, but it’s the middle-class who has felt its worst effects. When working people and retirees are denied vital services during a government shutdown and face financial uncertainty as retirement investments and interest rates turn negative, we all lose. For Operating Engineers, our safety and rights on the job were also compromised. The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) furloughed more than 2,000 of its inspectors as a result of the federal government shutdown in October. That means regular inspections, responding to complaints, outreach, consultation, preparations for rulemaking—all the ways OSHA prevents injuries and illnesses rather than dealing with them after the fact—didn’t happen. Likewise, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) furloughed 1,600 of its 1,611 employees nationwide. A non-functioning NLRB put collective bargaining enforcement, workplace dispute resolution, discrimination claims and other important worker protections on hold until government funding was restored. The reckless behavior of those we elect to public office should be and will be held to account during next year’s elections. We will remember who put our economy and workplace protections at risk and we will work to elect new voices who will place the priorities of middle-class workers way ahead of partisan gamesmanship. At the same time government agencies were forced to turn out the lights, the health insurance exchanges that are part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) opened for business. Since the Act was passed in 2011, we have identified some unintended, but serious flaws that will have an adverse impact on our multi-employer health and welfare funds. We have asked the Obama Administration for specific changes to lessen the burden these regulations will have on our funds prior to other major pieces of the ACA being implemented over the next year. So far, those requests have not been met. If left unchanged, new taxes will be levied and benefit caps lifted on our health plans, creating new challenges for our funds to operate for the good of all participants. In addition, we are troubled by some employers who are already showing their intention to skirt the health insurance mandate by reducing hours. Under the ACA, companies employing over 50 workers who work more than 30 hours per week are required to subsidize health insurance for their employees. President Obama recently postponed this employer mandate by one year, but if employers decide to cut back hours in order to avoid the regulation, our funds would come under further financial strain in the future. The uncertainty of managing a welfare fund that has no liability caps and potentially less hours paid in puts projected fund surpluses at severe risk. Our Business Managers, Trustees, and Fund Administrators are currently undertaking the difficult task of preparing their plans to comply with the ACA regulations. We continue to work with a coalition of labor unions and respectfully voice our concerns with the White House and federal lawmakers on these unintended, but detrimental, consequences that the ACA will have on our health and welfare funds when fully implemented. Throughout this process, IUOE senior staffers Dave Treanor and Jeff Soth have spearheaded our efforts and I want to commend them on their work. We will continue to update you on this important issue as developments warrant. In closing, it’s important to remember that it was collective bargaining that secured our health benefits long before it was part of the social conscience. It was collective bargaining that brought the workingclass into the middle-class. And it was collective bargaining that made it possible to retire with dignity after a career of hard work. Now, as we are challenged by those who would prefer to see skilled tradesmen and women bow to economic tyranny, it is collective bargaining that continues to secure a fair wage for a fair day’s work and provide quality health benefits for our families. Strength through unity and smart use of our collective bargaining rights will continue to serve us well in the future. FALL 2013 5
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Page 7 and 8: Contractors Report Shortages of Ski
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Page 13 and 14: Deadline to apply 12:00 Noon, Janua
Page 15 and 16: Feature Lying in a massive open pit
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Page 21 and 22: Yuengling Beer Boycott Called After
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Operating Engineer - Fall 2013

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