Operating Engineer - Fall 2012

i n t e r n at i o n a l 

Operating Engineer 

www.iuoe.org • fall 2012 

Election 2012 

Let’s Get to Work 

for Barack Obama 

and Joe Biden

i n t e r n at i o n a l 

Operating Engineer 

Fall 2012 • Volume 155, No. 3 

Brian E. Hickey, Editor 

Jay Lederer, Managing Editor 

10 Local 139’s Bionic Operator 

The first civilian prosthetic Michelangelo hand 

15 Highway Bill Gets Out of Garage 

Congress approves, president signs major jobs bill 

16 Election 2012: Special Series 

Who’s on your side? 

21 Power Aid 

Nuclear energy gets a boost from President Obama 

Departments 

05 From the General President 

06 Education & Training 

08 HAZMAT 

09 Healthcare 

14 Politics & Legislation 

24 Canadian News 

26 Around the Locals 

28 GEB Minutes 

32 In Memorium 

[cover] President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. 

[photo] Larry Downing/Reuters 

[left] One World Trade Center on the skyline of Lower Manhattan 

as people watch the sun set on the city of New York from 

a Pier in Hoboken, New Jersey, on September 9, 2012. 

[photo] Gary Hershorn/Reuters 

2 

international operating engineer 

fall 2012 3

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. 

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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 

John M. Hamilton, Second Vice President 

Patrick L. Sink, Third Vice President 

Jerry Kalmar, Fourth Vice President 

Russell E. Burns, Fifth Vice President 

Rodger Kaminska, Sixth Vice President 

James M. Sweeney, Seventh Vice President 

Robert T. Heenan, Eighth Vice President 

Daniel J. McGraw, Ninth Vice President 

Daren Konopaski, Tenth Vice President 

Michael Gallagher, Eleventh Vice President 

Greg Lalevee, Twelfth Vice President 

Terrance E. McGowan, Thirteenth Vice President 

Louis G. Rasetta, Fourteenth Vice President 

trustees 

John M. Holliday III, Chairman 

John T. Ahern, Trustee 

Kuba J. Brown, Trustee 

Bruce Moffatt, Trustee 

James T. Kunz, Jr., Trustee 

engineers action resPonse netWorK 

Because elections matter 

Make your voice heard • Register for EARN today 

www.iuoe.org 

From the General President 

Stand with those who stand with us 

Obama-Biden best to lead on jobs, worker rights 

It seems today that the fastest 

growing occupation in America is 

political fact checker. Unfortunately, 

their very existence is necessary in an 

age when misinformation and even deliberate 

deception have become part of 

a win-at-all-cost mentality in political 

campaigns and too often seen during 

the so-called “news” on cable television. 

But, I don’t need those folks to tell 

me what’s really going on in America—I 

see it and I hear it every time I 

visit with members on the job or at the 

union hall. It’s in members’ voices— 

that sense of pride in a job well done 

today and the optimism that, if we continue 

to work hard and act with unity of 

purpose, our best days are still to come. 

Those of us in the skilled maintenance 

and heavy construction trades 

understand better than most how deep 

this Great Recession really was. We 

were the first to feel it, with an unemployment 

rate in construction that 

went as high as 27.1%, and we have 

been among the last to enjoy the benefits 

of the recovery. However, the 

economy is mounting a comeback under 

President Obama, evidenced by 29 

consecutive months of private-sector 

job growth and an unemployment rate 

in construction that has fallen back to 

11.3%, which is a four-year low. 

As you will see in the pages of this 

magazine, things like the recent passage 

of the federal transportation bill, 

the ground breaking on the Southern 

segments of the Keystone pipeline and 

the recent approval of two new nuclear 

reactors in Georgia promise to bring 

thousands more jobs online for Operating 

Engineers in the months and 

years ahead. As we get ever closer to 

Election Day, we must use our collective 

voice – and votes – to ensure that 

we keep moving forward on that path 

to prosperity. 

Republican presidential nominee 

Mitt Romney says this election should 

be about jobs and the economy. You 

won’t get an argument on that, but 

that’s where the agreement ends. Romney 

contends that if we just go back— 

back to more tax cuts for millionaires 

and billionaires, less regulation on Wall 

Street, more restrictions on unions, a 

repeal of Davis-Bacon prevailing wage 

and more so-called “right to work” 

laws—then our economy will thrive 

once more. Well, you don’t need a fact 

checker to know that theory is full of 

holes. 

The fact of the matter is, President 

Obama is the one who has worked relentlessly 

to expand job opportunities 

for Operating Engineers and the middle-class—from 

signing an Executive 

Order on Project Labor Agreements 

and pushing through the American Recovery 

Act (better known as “the stimulus”), 

to saving the American auto 

industry and pursuing an aggressive 

strategy on domestic energy production. 

These are real accomplishments 

that spur economic growth and that 

can be felt by working families everywhere. 

President Obama has been steadfast 

in his position that a union wage 

is a fair wage. On the other hand, Mitt 

Romney has been unequivocal in his 

desire to bust unions, strip away collective 

bargaining rights and repeal prevailing 

wage laws. What Romney fails 

to acknowledge is that without labor 

unions, prevailing wages and worker 

safety provisions, millions more Americans 

will be negatively affected too. 

Labor unions, utilizing the collective 

bargaining process, were the 

engine that grew the American middle-class 

during a thirty year period 

following World War II. Since then, the 

decline in overall union membership 

tracks almost exactly with the decline 

in the share of income going to middleclass 

families. Romney’s vision is to tip 

[James T. Callahan] 

the scales even further, concentrating 

more wealth at the very top and creating 

a race to the bottom for low-wage, 

no benefit jobs. 

Brothers and Sisters, I urge you once 

again to look past highly volatile social 

issues and recognize the all out attack 

on organized labor and middle-class 

families. We must defeat the powers 

that conspire with corporate bosses 

to eliminate our collective bargaining 

rights. 

I ask you to imagine a Labor Department 

headed by the likes of Michele 

Bachmann or Sarah Palin, or a shuttered 

NLRB, or a Senate that overturns 

Davis-Bacon protection. These could 

become realities instead of just fears. 

We have entered an era of hostility 

towards labor not seen in nearly a century. 

This is a fight that we must wage 

right now for the survival of our bargained 

defined pension benefits and 

our family healthcare coverage. This is 

a fight that must continue beyond any 

election cycle. This attack is real and 

we must not falter. 

Once again, as an Operating Engineer 

and your General President it is 

my duty and obligation to uphold the 

standards that those before us have 

fought so hard to achieve. 

Let the word go forth that no IUOE 

member’s standard of living will suffer 

due to the stroke of an American president’s 

pen without this union expending 

all its resources to combat those 

who serve at the knee of corporate special 

interests. 

4 



Education & Training 

Local 101 All in with OECP 

All in with the Operating Engineers Certification Program (OECP). That’s 

what Local 101 in Kansas and Missouri decided when they began using the OECP 

exclusively, discontinuing all other crane operating testing. “Certainly any decision 

like this has both potential risks and benefits, but we felt comfortable putting all 

of our crane operator certifications solely in the hands of a program managed 

by fellow Operating Engineers. We have not been disappointed,” says Business 

Manager and International Vice-President Rodger Kaminska. 

One of the first locals to sign with the OECP, members of Local 101 have since 

been issued over 160 OECP certifications. 

Training Director Garry Edmondson states he too is very pleased with the 

program. “One major advantage the OECP has over similar programs is our ability 

as Operating Engineers to direct the process. I also know that all of our efforts to 

support the OECP will only benefit our union and our members.” 

As a recently elected member of the OECP Board of Directors, Garry also 

commented on the cooperative attitude of the signatory contractors. “I cannot 

be more pleased with the backing by the employers. Once they see how the 

program works and the quality of the testing process, they become its most ardent 

supporters.” 

The OECP is only available to members of the IUOE. Any IUOE member in 

good standing meeting the program’s eligibility requirements can participate in 

OECP testing anywhere it is scheduled, even if not a member of the local where the 

testing is being conducted. There are no out-of-pocket expenses for members to 

participate in OECP testing. 

For further information about the program, contact the OECP at 951-351-4001 

or by e-mail at oecp@oecp.org. 

NTF Conferences 

Debut New Format 

Over the past several years, the 

National Training Fund (NTF) has 

sponsored an annual Training, Safety 

and Health Conference with numerous 

workshops and events taking place 

in a multi-day format. NTF tried a 

new approach in 2012, with a series of 

one-day regional training conferences 

hosted by local unions. 

The format was in keeping with the 

NTF’s efforts to provide more regional 

training resources. The seven regional 

locations and craft-focused content 

were designed to make it easier for 

instructors, administrators and fund 

trustees to participate in an event 

closer to home. A total of 163 people 

from 57 different locals participated in 

one of the events. 

The 2012 meetings continued the 

practice of participants sharing upto-date 

information and the latest 

innovations in teaching and learning. 

There were brief reports from 

NTF staff on new courses, teaching 

resources, equipment and simulators 

available to local training programs. 

The setting for meetings created a 

participatory atmosphere with indepth, 

spirited discussions on craft 

training. The focus was on local training 

needs, accomplishments and ideas for 

moving forward so that IUOE members 

can be prepared for the future. 

The NTF thanks the following host 

locals for their assistance in making 

the 2012 training conference meetings 

a success: Locals 3, 68, 150, 286, 369, 

399, and 478. 

Apply Now for a Union Plus Scholarship 

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Phone (202) 293-5330 • Fax (202) 293-5311 

www.UnionPlus.org 

News 

Washington, DC— Applications are now open for the 2013 Union Plus Scholarship Program, 

which provides $150,000 in scholarships to union members, their spouses and dependants. 

To apply, visit UnionPlus.org/Education. This year’s application is entirely online—allowing 

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How the Scholarship Program Works 

In addition to demonstrating academic ability, applicants are required to submit essays of no 

more than 500 words describing their career goals, detailing their relationship with the union 

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Individuals must be accepted into an accredited college or university, community college or 

recognized technical or trade school at the time the award is issued. Graduate school students 

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Since 1991, Union Plus has distributed more than $3.2 million in scholarships to working 

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In addition to the Union Plus Scholarships, the following benefits help union families afford 

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6 



HAZMAT 

Healthcare 

MSHA Improves Working Conditions for Miners and 

Operating Engineers who work under MSHA regulations 

CVS Caremark wins Competition, Continues to Provide 

IUOE Prescription Benefits 

The Assistant Secretary for the 

Mine Safety and Health Administration, 

Joseph Main, occasionally conducts 

meetings with interested labor 

organizations. On August 30, 2012 one 

such meeting was held. Among those 

represented were the International 

Union of Operating Engineers (NTF— 

HAZMAT), United Miner Workers 

of America, Steelworkers, Laborers, 

Change to Win, the Teamsters, and the 

Appalachian Law Center. The purpose 

of this meeting was to update everyone 

regarding MSHA activities taking 

place over recent years. 

Three years ago there was a backlog 

of approximately 80,000 unsettled 

violations contested by mine operators. 

If violators can go unpunished 

regarding their violations of the Mine 

Act, there is little financial incentive 

for them to comply with health and 

safety rules and regulations. Mr. Main 

has increased the number of attorneys 

representing MSHA and while over 

the last three years there have been 

many additional violations issued, the 

backlog has been decreased to approximately 

52,000, a 28,000 caseload 

reduction. 

MSHA has increasingly focused 

on Miners’ Rights and Responsibilities 

under the Act, improving worker 

knowledge of their rights and causing 

a great increase of miners exercising 

these rights. One of the newer items 

now available is a 40-minute Miners’ 

Rights and Responsibilities informational 

DVD for training purposes. 

Additionally, on the MSHA homepage, 

there is a large amount of information 

regarding miners’ rights/protections 

and miners’ representative rights/ 

protections under the Act. There is 

an online miners’ rights program on 

[photo] Tom Barrows 

the MSHA homepage. To access the 

MSHA homepage simply type in www. 

msha.gov. 

The site is relatively easy to navigate 

and will be updated again on 

September 30, 2012. The MSHA 

homepage gets an average of 1,600 

hits per day regarding miners’ rights. 

A guide to miners’ rights for miners’ 

representatives is being developed. 

There are many cases today where 

miners have been returned to work as 

a result of their filing discrimination 

cases against the mine operator for 

firing them unjustly for such things 

as reporting violations, refusing to 

perform work which is hazardous, or 

reporting an on-the-job injury. There 

are cases where mine management 

officials have been punished for violating 

the Mine Act. Once word spreads 

among mine operators that miners are 

availing themselves of this legal right, 

discrimination against miners should 

decline. 

To improve health and safety at 

mines, MSHA has begun to apply the 

“Pattern of Violation” (POV) section 

of the Mine Act to improve safety and 

health at the most dangerous mines. 

Recently, there have been at least 

two mines placed on the POV with 28 

mines listed as potential POV mines. 

The first 14 mines placed on the “potential” 

list improved regarding violations 

and injuries went down by 51 

percent. This is a remarkable improvement 

as a result of the use of this long 

available tool. It has been reported 

that four percent of the mines, mostly 

coal mines, account for 50 percent of 

the paperwork—citations/orders—issued. 

Regarding Metal Nonmetal Mines 

(MNM), the hazard most cited by 

inspectors is the absence of guards on 

equipment, such as belt drives and 

other moving equipment, which could 

The IUOE recently completed a 

competition for the services of a pharmacy 

benefit manager (PBM). Following a rigorous 

three month competition conducted by the 

Burchfield Group, CVS Caremark has been 

selected for a three year pricing PBM contract 

beginning January 1, 2013. This award will be 

the fourth contract between IUOE and CVS 

Caremark. 

Using the purchasing power of 300,000 

members plus their dependents from 44 local 

health funds, this contract will establish a lower 

cost pricing structure for the purchase and 

administration of prescription drug benefits. 

Prescribed drugs represent approximately 30% 

of the total spending on health benefits by IUOE 

local health funds. Negotiating lower drug 

prices helps local funds limit increases to the hourly health & welfare contribution negotiated in employer agreements. 

PBM companies such as CVS Caremark and Express Scripts are the “middleman” between the pharmaceutical companies 

that make drugs and the pharmacy where members and their families purchase prescription drugs. PBM companies also 

provide mail order drugs at lower rates than retail pharmacies on health maintenance drugs. 

The IUOE hired the Burchfield Group, an independent company with expertise in the management of prescription drugs, to 

conduct the competition to select the new PBM contractor, help negotiate a new contract and to annually audit CVS Caremark 

to ensure the lowest pricing is provided. 

The award was unanimously endorsed after full consideration by a selection committee composed of experienced IUOE 

fund administrators. The purchasing power of the IUOE PBM coalition is clearly reflective in the outstanding pricing and 

guarantees achieved through this competition. 

catch and injure miners. 

The MSHA summary of fatalities 

which used to come out annually is 

now coming out quarterly. Reportedly, 

at mid-term this year, the mining 

industry is on its second best year 

ever regarding fatalities. However, Mr. 

Main stated that one fatality is one too 

many. Getting this information to the 

industry sooner gives the opportunity 

for other miners to be trained regarding 

the hazards in a timelier manner. 

In rule making, MSHA is working 

on the following: A Personal Dust 

Monitor (PDM) to give instantaneous 

readouts regarding exposure; a new 

HAZMAT continued 

penalty rule—Part 100; a new fall protection 

policy (this is in effect and provided 

at the end of this article); a high 

voltage rule for underground continuous 

miners; a mine examination rule; 

the incombustible materials in underground 

coal mines now has to be 80 

percent throughout the mine; and, in 

underground coal mines a proximity 

device to prevent crushing injuries in 

close places is being developed which 

shuts down equipment when a miner 

gets within a specified distance of the 

equipment. 

Training of the MSHA inspectors 

and management has improved. 

MSHA has trained near 100 percent 

of all inspectors regarding black lung 

issues and miners’ rights. 

Never before has more emphasis 

been placed on miner health and 

safety by MSHA than during recent 

years. It is up to our own labor force 

and especially our labor representatives 

(miners’ representatives) to keep 

up-to-date with the rules within the 

trades wherein we work regarding new 

training initiatives, worker rights, representative’s 

rights, etc. to ensure that 

our brothers and sisters have a safe 

work environment and are employable 

wherever there is work. 

8 



Member Spotlight 

Local 139’s Bionic Operator 

Matt Razink is first civilian fitted with prosthetic Michelangelo Hand 

Matt Razink earns a living running a rock crusher. 

As part of that job, he repairs broken parts on the machine, 

operates a wheel loader and a skid steer, and repositions a 

moving conveyor belt that the crusher feeds. 

Outside the workplace, Razink can slice a tomato when 

making a sandwich and slip the finished product into a Zip- 

Lock bag, run a lathe, or hold a dinner plate in his left “hand” 

as he navigates the buffet line at a wedding reception. 

Not bad for a guy who lost his left hand and much of his 

left arm six years ago in a crusher accident in Wausau. Razink 

was pulling metal screening from the machine when the 

glove on his left hand entangled in the machine. Doctors had 

no choice but to amputate below the elbow. 

“I really think that things happen for a reason,” the 

journeyman 139er said during a break from operating a 

crusher in August, where Highway 13 is being rebuilt in 

Colby. “My wife says it’s all about finding your new normal. 

We had to find a new normal after my accident. This is what 

it is.” 

While on the clock for Medford-based James Peterson 

Sons Inc., Razink prefers a traditional, “body-powered” 

prosthetic arm, fitted with a swivel that acts somewhat like 

a wrist. The joint holds numerous attachments, from a basic 

hook to any number of wrenches or other tools Razink keeps 

at the ready. 

“There’s nothing out there heavy duty enough to take the 

abuse of running a rock crusher,” he said, explaining why oldschool 

prosthetics work best in his dust-filled environment. 

Off the job, Razink has the option of wearing a state-ofthe-art 

robotic device called the Michelangelo Hand. In 

February, during Anderson Cooper’s live daytime-television 

talk show, Razink became the first civilian to receive the 

battery-operated device. It is the first such prosthetic with an 

electric opposable thumb. 

Wounded soldiers test hand 

Otto Bock HealthCare, a company in Duderstadt, 

Germany, created the hand, then turned over beta-testing 

to Advanced Arm Dynamics of Redondo Beach, Calif. 

The testing lasted for 4.5 years and involved soldiers who 

lost limbs to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Carol 

Sorrels, Advanced Arm’s national director of marketing and 

communications. 

Staff from the Maple Grove, MN, office of Advanced 

Arm fitted and trained Razink to manipulate his new limb. 

Sorrels arranged for the appearance of Razink and his family 

on Anderson Cooper’s program after electronic and print 

media in the Twin Cities reported on his story beginning 

last December. During the “Anderson” show, the Milwaukee 

Brewers invited their fan and the Razink family to the team’s 

spring training camp in Phoenix. They accepted. 

Team officials followed up with another offer to him and 

on June 3, Razink delivered the ceremonial first pitch prior 

to the Brewers-Pittsburgh Pirates game at Miller Park in 

Milwaukee. 

Razink said he tried other robotic limbs, “But before this 

one, a robotic hand was basically just a pinchers. You had to 

raise your arm up at a very high angle to pick up something. 

With this new one I can pick up a 2-liter bottle of pop.” 

[left] Matt Razink runs a crusher using his conventional prosthetic 

arm. [photo] Local 139/Dave Backmann 

[center] Razink shakes hands with television’s Anderson Cooper. 

[photo] Advanced Arm Dynamics 

[right] Razink throws out the first pitch before a Milwaukee Brewers 

home game. [photo] Milwaukee Brewers/Scott Paulus 

Workers’ compensation covered the $100,000 cost of the 

Michelangelo Hand, he said. 

“This hand has a much more natural shape than others 

(previous models) and, after a few seconds of not being 

used, it relaxes into a natural position like your hand would, 

or mine,” Sorrels said. “It’s called the Michelangelo Hand 

because of its beauty and human likeness. Matt wears a glove 

over his that is skin-colored and it protects the hand.” 

10 



Member Spotlight 

A motor in the palm operates the four fingers. A second 

motor engages the thumb. Sensors attached to the upper 

portion of Razink’s left arm detect muscle movements. That 

allows him to work the digits. “I kind of think about how I’m 

going to move the hand, up or down, sideways, or whatever 

and it happens,” he explained. 

Razink is fortunate to be the first civilian to receive the 

hand for a number of reasons. But Sorrel said it helped that, 

“He was in the right place at the right time. 

“He also is a trans-radial prosthetic user (his amputation 

occurred below the elbow) and he has good signals from the 

residual limb,” she said. “And he was very interested and very 

motivated.” 

Razink has a business relationship with Advanced Arm 

as well. Midwest ProCAD LLC, the company he founded to 

manufacture prosthetic custom assistive devices, holds an 

exclusive contract to sell the devices through Advanced Arm. 

Although the near-fatal accident claimed Razink’s arm, it 

also sparked an inventive and entrepreneurial spirit. In the 

wake of that life-altering event he has designed and crafted 

a large inventory of non-robotic prosthetics in the basement 

workshop of his Medford home. ¬ 

He purchased and taught himself how to use Computer- 

Assisted Design software to design the prothestics and a lathe 

to manufacture them. 

Working on his own, Razink developed a two-way 

prothestic “wrist” and a four-way counterpart. They each 

hold numerous attachments. Those range from Vice- 

Grip pliers of varying designs, to box wrenches, Crescent 

wrenches, hammer heads, fishing poles, crossbows and a 

chef’s knife. They can be viewed on his company’s website: 

www.midwestprocad.com 

“A lot of the stuff I make up is geared to the farmer who 

lost his arm in a corn picker and doesn’t have workers’ comp,” 

Razink said. “I make wrenches that he can afford to buy so he 

can go back to work.” 

One of his projects involved retrofitting a 40-year-old 

“farmer’s hook” for use with a robotic arm. 

A Mr. Fix-it 

The husband and father of three children paints himself 

as more of a mechanic than an Operator of heavy equipment. 

Summers, he’s responsible for keeping a crusher running. 

Winters, he repairs equipment in the James Peterson Sons’ 

shop. 

Despite his disability he is almost constantly in motion 

while supervising the crusher operation. He views his work 

environment as a research-and-development laboratory for 

new prosthetics. “I’m always fixing things that break,” he said, 

standing in a workshop adjoining the crusher.” 

Jeff Peterson, vice president of James Peterson Sons, 

12 


[above] Matt Razink runs a rock crusher and wheel loader as part of 

his responsibilities working for James Peterson Sons Inc. 

[photos] Local 139/Dave Backmann 

recognized his employee’s ambition. “He does a great job,” 

Peterson said. “He never lets his handicap slow him down. 

“He is very ingenious on how he can do things without 

his hand.” 

[story by] Dave Backmann, Managing Editor, Local 139 


Politics & Legislation 

Pipeline Update: Construction Work Begins on Gulf Coast Segment 

While Permitting Continues on Keystone XL 

The Obama Administration approved the final permits 

for TransCanada Corp’s Gulf Coast segment of the Keystone XL 

pipeline and construction is underway on the roughly 500-mile 

pipeline from Cushing, OK, to Port Arthur, TX. This segment of 

the project is designed to eliminate the supply glut at the key oil 

hub at Cushing. An environmental review is still underway for 

the Presidential Permit required to build the 1,200-mile section of 

pipeline that will cross the Canadian border, bringing crude from 

Alberta, as well as North Dakota and Montana down to refineries 

in the Midwest and Gulf Coast. 

In January, the State Department delayed a decision on 

the $7.6 billion pipeline application, citing concerns about 

the northern portion of the route near a major aquifer in the 

Sandhills area of Nebraska. TransCanada has been working 

closely with Nebraska officials to develop the new route that will 

avoid sensitive ecological areas and it hopes to have U.S. State 

Department approval for the northern section early next year. 

The alternative route was submitted in 

an environmental report to state officials and 

was developed “based on extensive feedback 

from Nebraskans, and reflects our shared 

desire to minimize the disturbance of land 

and sensitive resources in the state,” said 

Russ Girling, TransCanada’s president and 

chief executive officer. 

TransCanada has signed a Project Labor 

Agreement with the four pipeline unions for 

the bulk of the project, the biggest private 

project on the books in the United States. The 

project expects to create 20,000 high-quality 

jobs during the pipeline’s construction 

phase, including about 4,000 Operating 

Engineer jobs. It’s also estimated to spur 

more than $20 billion in new spending for the 

U.S. economy and stimulate more than $585 

million in new state and local taxes in states 

along the pipeline route during construction. 

Congress Passes and President 

Signs Highway Bill 

Congress approved a $105 billion highway bill that 

will create jobs and guide the nation’s transportation policy 

for the next two years. The bipartisan deal came about one 

day before the ninth short-term funding extension was to 

expire, averting a shutdown of the program. The passage of 

the highway bill clears 

the way for Operating 

Engineers and other 

construction workers 

to get back on the job 

rebuilding the country’s 

vital transportation 

network. 

President Obama 

quickly signed the bill, 

called Moving Ahead 

for Progress in the 21st 

Century Act (MAP- 

21), stating, “This bill 

will keep thousands 

of construction 

workers on the job 

rebuilding our nation’s 

infrastructure. These 

steps will make a real 

difference in the lives of 

millions of Americans… 

But make no mistake 

— we’ve got a lot more 

to do. The construction 

industry, for example, 

was hit brutally hard 

when the housing 

bubble burst. So it’s not 

enough just to keep construction workers on the job doing 

projects that were already underway. There’s work to be 

done building roads and bridges…and there are thousands 

of construction workers ready to do it.” 

IUOE General President Callahan singled out Senator 

Barbara Boxer (D-CA) for her role in enacting the critical 

jobs legislation, saying that “her tenacity and leadership led” 

to MAP-21 becoming law. Boxer, chairman of the Senate 

committee that oversees transportation and infrastructure, 

helped craft the bill and led negotiations between the House 

and the Senate. “Millions of workers were counting on us, 

and thousands of businesses — and we came through,” Sen. 

Boxer told reporters after the vote. 

The federal government funds about 40% of all road 

and highway improvements. MAP-21 basically maintains 

current investment levels, providing $105 billion over two 

years and delivering $13 billion in new revenue for highway 

and transit spending. The bill maintains key priorities for 

the Operating Engineers, including full application of Davis- 

Bacon prevailing wages. It cuts bureaucracies and programs, 

streamlines the environmental permitting process, and 

increases innovative financing for mega-projects. According 

to congressional estimates, the bill would protect roughly 1.8 

million jobs that would have been lost if Congress had not 

acted. Provisions of the bill also would create an estimated 1 

million new jobs, Boxer said. 

Passage of the highway bill was the top legislative 

priority for the IUOE during this congressional session. The 

number of jobs created for heavy equipment operators in 

this legislation dwarfs any other single piece of legislation 

out there. The bill received the strong support of both the 

business and labor communities. 

14 



Election 2012: Special Series 

The Obama Record 

The Romney Record 

As soon as President Obama took office, he issued 

an Executive Order encouraging the use of Project Labor 

Agreements (PLAs), which reversed an earlier prohibition 

executed by George W. Bush. Throughout his first term, 

President Obama has consistently stood up for workers’ 

rights and invested in America’s middle-class. 

President Obama enacted, over nearly unanimous 

Republican opposition, an economic recovery plan 

(commonly called “the stimulus”) that included the largest 

ever, one-time construction investment the nation has 

ever seen. It is no exaggeration to say that the construction 

economy may have completely collapsed if he had not 

invested $100 billion into building roads, bridges, schools, 

water systems, and more. The stimulus contained prevailing 

wages for construction and service workers, and contained 

strong Buy America requirements. 

Still, the severity of the recession caused the 

unemployment rate to reach just over 27% in the 

construction economy by 2010, affecting thousands 

of Operating Engineers. Although the recovery has 

been slow, the economy has posted consistent gains 

and continues to move in a positive direction. While 

the unemployment rate in construction remains too 

high, it has dropped considerably, currently down to 

11.3%, reaching its lowest level in the past four years. 

Even during these difficult times, President Obama has 

delivered major accomplishments to Operating Engineers 

and middle-class workers. In 2010, President Obama signed 

legislation to restore prevailing wages to America’s biggest 

water and wastewater construction program. Because of 

a legal loophole, construction workers had not been paid 

federal prevailing wages on sewer and water projects since 

1995. 

President Obama also signed a two-year, bipartisan 

highway bill called MAP-21. Supported strongly by the 

IUOE, the legislation increases innovative financing and 

streamlines approval processes for quicker project start-up. 

While President Obama has had major legislative 

accomplishments during his first term, Republicans in 

Congress have consistently tried to block his agenda, forcing 

the president to use his executive authority to create jobs for 

Operating Engineers and other construction workers. 

As part of his “We Can’t Wait Initiative,” President 

Obama used his authority to accelerate seven significant 

port projects, 15 major energy projects, and expedited four 

huge bridge and rail projects putting thousands of Operating 

Engineers on jobs all across the country. 

[photo] Pete Souza for the White House 

Who’s on 

The Obama-Biden Agenda 

“I believe our economy is stronger when workers are 

getting paid good wages and good benefits. I believe the 

economy is stronger when collective bargaining rights are 

protected. I believe all of us are better off when we’ve got 

broad-based prosperity that grows outwards from a strong 

middle class. I believe when folks try and take collective 

bargaining rights away by passing so-called “right to work” 

laws that might also be called “right to work for less,” laws -- 

that’s not about economics, that’s about politics.” 

“That’s why we’ve reversed harmful decisions designed 

to undermine those rights. That’s why we passed the Fair 

Pay Act to help stop pay discrimination. That’s why we’ve 

supported Davis-Bacon. That’s why we reversed the ban 

on Project Labor Agreements, because we believe in those 

things as part of a strategy to rebuild America.” 

“And as long as I’m your President, I’m going to keep it 

up. I am going to keep it up -- because the right to organize 

and negotiate fair pay for hard work, that’s the right of every 

American, from the CEO in the corner office all the way to 

the worker who built that office.” [Remarks by President Obama, April 30, 2012] 

The Romney-Ryan Agenda 

“One of the first things that I’ll do actually on Day One 

is I will end the government’s favoritism toward unions on 

contracts and I will fight to repeal Davis-Bacon.” [CNN Republican 

Presidential Debate, 2/22/12] 

The Romney/Ryan budget would slash federal 

transportation funding by 46% [The House Committee on the Budget, 

Democrats, Democratic Amendments to the Republican 2013 Budget Resolution (March 23, 2012) 

at 4.] Their budget proposal would cut at least half a million 

transportation jobs in their first year in office. [Center for American 

Progress, New Ryan Budget Disinvests in America, 3/20/12] 

A former Governor of Massachusetts said the 

Romney transportation legacy was “a wreck.” Romney 

left the Commonwealth with over $10 billion in deferred 

maintenance costs. 

“Romney believes that Right-to-Work legislation is the 

appropriate course for states, and he will use the bully pulpit 

of the presidency to encourage more states to move in that 

direction.” [Believe in America: Mitt Romney’s Plan for Jobs and Economic Growth, page 109] 

[photo] Shannon Stapleton/Reuters 

Mitt Romney’s record demonstrates that he 

doesn’t understand the plight of the middle class. After 

years of manipulating the financial system to create wealth 

for investors as CEO of Bain Capital, Romney continued 

his disregard for middle-class workers as Governor of 

Massachusetts. Governor Romney vetoed legislation to 

increase workers’ rights and tried to undermine construction 

workers’ wages by exempting thousands of projects from the 

state’s prevailing wages laws. 

“[The Romney administration proposed to] exempt 

public construction jobs costing $100,000 or less and those 

in smaller communities from the state’s prevailing wage law.” 

[Elizabeth W. Crowley, “Budget Ax Falls; Local Aid Proposals Outrage Unions, Mayors,” The Boston 

Herald, 1/31/03] 

your side? 

In an opinion column, Romney bragged that he vetoed 

legislation that would make it easier for workers to exercise 

their rights to form a union. [Mitt Romney, Op-Ed, 

“Viewing Unions From The Right: Cautionary Tale Of Card Check,” The 

Washington Times, 3/25/09] 

Romney continued his assault on middleclass 

workers. He proposed reducing 

unemployment benefits for laid-off workers. 

He also proposed increasing eligibility 

requirements for unemployment, making it 

more difficult for laid-off workers to access 

the insurance system that they had paid into. 

[Boston Herald, 6/23/05] 

According to economists at Northeastern University in 

Boston, while Romney was Governor of Massachusetts, the 

state had just about the worst economic performance of any 

state in the nation. During the Romney years, Massachusetts: 

• Ranked 47th in job growth. The state actually lost 

8,500 workers. [Boston Globe, July 29, 2007] 

• Lost 14 percent of its manufacturing job-base. The 

loss was double the rate that the nation as a whole lost 

in manufacturing jobs and the third worst of any state 

in the nation. [Boston Globe, July 29, 2007] 

• Piled on more debt than any other state. Romney left 

Massachusetts residents with the highest per capita 

debt in the nation. [Five Facts about Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts Economy, 

Think Progress, 6/4/12] 

Find more background on both candidates, including 

video, at www.iuoe.org and click on “2012 Elections.” 

16 



TWO VISIONS 

ONE CHOICE 

FOR MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES 

Election 2012: Special Series 

CREATING JOBS BY INVESTING IN Roads, 

Bridges and Highways. 

Obama supports investing in America’s 

crumbling infrastructure. His plan will create 

jobs and make the country more competitive 

in the global economy. 

(New York Times, 10/11/10) 

KILLING JOBS BY SLASHING 

INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS. 

The Romney-Ryan transportation budget 

would cut federal highway spending over 

30% leading to the elimination of more than 

640,000 construction jobs. 

(Washington Post, 3/20/12; American Public Transportation Association, 

10/09; Federal Highway Administration, 2007) 

STANDING UP FOR AMERICAN WORKERS. 

Obama supports the use of PLAs on federal 

projects, backs Davis-Bacon wage laws and 

has fast-tracked major infrastructure projects. 

(Wall Street Journal, 4/13/10) 

FIGHTING FOR FAIR TAXES. 

Obama believes that the richest 2% of 

Americans should pay their fair share of taxes. 

(ABC News, 6/26/12) 

[photo] Mark Cornelison/Lexington Herald-Leader 

[photo] Evan Vucci/AP 

OUTSOURCING AMERICAN JOBS. 

Romney has been called a “pioneer” of 

outsourcing as CEO of Bain Capital, and vows 

to end PLAs, repeal Davis-Bacon and push for 

a national “right-to-work” law. 

(Washington Post, 6/21/12; ABC speech, 2/23/12) 

TAXING THE MIDDLE CLASS. 

The non-partisan Tax Policy Center finds that 

Romney’s plan will actually raise taxes by 

$2,000 for middle-class households while 

cutting taxes for wealthy people like him. 

(CBS News, 8/1/12) 

THE CHOICE IS CLEAR: RE-ELECT PRESIDENT OBAMA 

VOTE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH 

MITT ROMNEY: WRONG FOR WORKING FAMILIES 

VOTE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH 

For more information, visit www.iuoe.org 

18 



Feature 

Power Aid 

Nuclear energy production gets a boost from President Obama 

During President Barack Obama’s first term in 

office, the nuclear power industry has entered what many 

observers are calling “a nuclear renaissance.” President 

Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy is putting 

thousands of Americans back to work -- building wind 

turbines, increasing domestic oil and gas production and reenergizing 

the nuclear industry. 

Not only has the Obama Administration approved the first 

permits to build the first new nuclear reactors in a generation, 

it has also developed a grant program to encourage 

the development of small modular reactors. The grant 

program, administered by the Department of Energy, will 

award two grants, with an eye towards expanding domestic 

manufacturing capacity in order to build and export the key 

components around the globe. 

Prior to Obama Administration approval of two new 

reactors at Plant Vogtle in Georgia this year, no nuclear 

reactors had been permitted in the United States since the 

accidental partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island reactor 

in 1979. 

Just as important as the approval to build the plant, 

President Obama extended a sizable federal loan guarantee 

– over $8 billion – for 

the project to assist 

with financing. Federal 

government support 

was vital as project 

owners were struggling 

to finance the massive 

undertaking on Wall 

Street. In fact, without 

federal financial 

assistance, the Plant 

Vogtle project would not 

be built and about 2,000 construction workers on the job now 

would be looking for other work. 

The International Union of Operating Engineers 

successfully fought in the legislative process to secure Davis- 

Bacon prevailing wages on the federal loan-guarantee 

program. President Obama signed the legislation requiring 

Davis-Bacon prevailing wages, which led Georgia Power, a 

subsidiary of the Southern Company, to manage construction 

of the reactors with a Project Labor Agreement. 

The project is expected to cost nearly $14 billion and the 

construction phase alone is expected to last ten years. Once 

built, the nuclear plant will employ 800 workers and generate 

over 2,200mW of power – enough energy to power 2.3 million 

homes. The project will employ about 4,000 construction 

workers and there are currently about 2,000 workers on site 

today. 

Another aspect of the nuclear renaissance is the 

development of American-made, small modular reactors. 

The White House announced new grant funding totaling 

$450 million to support this first-of-its-kind engineering from 

design certification through licensing for two reactors over 

the next five years. [continued on page 23] 

[left] 

Plant Vogtle in Georgia is 

the first to gain approval 

for construction of new 

reactors since 1979. 

[photo] Southern 

Company 

[right] 

President Barack Obama 

and Secretary of Energy 

Steven Chu. 

[photo] Google Images 

20 



“The Obama Administration and the Energy Department 

are committed to an all-of-the-above energy strategy that 

develops every source of American energy, including nuclear 

power, and strengthens our competitive edge in the global 

clean energy race,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. 

Manufacturing these reactors domestically will offer 

the United States important export opportunities and is 

expected to advance America’s competitive edge in the 

global clean energy race. Small modular reactors, which are 

approximately one-third the size of current nuclear plants, 

have compact, scalable designs that are expected to offer a 

host of safety, construction and economic benefits. 

Companies that employ Operating Engineers are pursuing 

those grant funds and have sought the support of the union. 

The IUOE is proudly supporting a proposal from Ameren 

in Missouri, partnering with Westinghouse, for the grant 

assistance. Members of Local 148 maintain and operate the 

existing Ameren facility in Callaway County, Missouri. In a 

letter to Secretary Chu in support of Ameren’s application, 

General President Callahan said, “The International Union 

of Operating Engineers stands ready to work with our 

energy industry partners in the effort to develop this critical 

technology.” 

[left] 

The 560-foot tall Heavy Lift Derrick (HDL), one of the biggest cranes 

in the world, will be used for the Plant Vogtle project. 

[middle] 

General President Callahan in the cab of this high-tech behemoth. 

[below] 

An IUOE delegation was invited to tour the Plant 

Vogtle project and get a closer look at the HDL. 

Pictured from left to right: Allen Braswell, Business 

Manager, Local 474; Ray Poupore, Executive Vice- 

President, NCA II; IUOE General President James Callahan; 

Dave Hanley, Business Agent, Local 474; Red 

Patterson, IUOE Southern Regional Director; and 

Donnie Blackburn, Local 474. 

[photos] Shaw/Southern Company 

22 


fall 2012 

23

Canadian News 

Diamond Jubilee medal for 

Local 793’s Gallagher 

Local 882 strikes for 

first contract 

Remembering B.C.’s worst industrial disaster 

reinforces need for safety at all times 

Mike Gallagher, Business 

Manager of IUOE Local 793 has been 

awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond 

Jubilee Medal. 

Gallagher was presented with the 

medal by Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn at a 

luncheon on June 29 following the Gary 

O’Neill Memorial Golf Tournament in 

Milton. 

Created to mark the celebration of 

the 60th anniversary of the coronation of 

Queen Elizabeth, the commemorative 

medals are being presented 

throughout 2012 to individuals who 

have made a significant contribution 

to their community, country and 

internationally on behalf of Canada. 

The award recognizes Gallagher’s 

involvement in numerous charitable 

projects in the community and his 

contributions to Canada, including 

two major Local 793 projects — raising 

money to send a bulldozer to help 

rebuild an orphanage in Kenya, and 

raising funds to help the Red Cross 

support victims of the earthquake that 

happened in Haiti earlier this year. 

Gallagher told the crowd at the 

luncheon he was honored to receive 

the medal, but that he couldn’t have 

accomplished it without the support 

of his industry, the union, and Gary 

O’Neill, the late Local 793 president 

— Gallagher dedicated the medal to 

O’Neill, who was also a friend of his. 

“I haven’t done any of this on my 

own,” said Gallagher. “It was done with 

the co-operation of a great many people 

and with the support of the members of 

Local 793.” 

This is the second time that Gallagher 

has been honored with a jubilee medal 

— receiving the Queen’s Jubilee Medal 

in 2002. 

[below] 

International Union of Operating Engingeers 

Local 793 business manager Mike 

Gallagher was presented with a Queen 

Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by 

Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn on June 29. 

IUOE Local 882 went out on strike for a 

first collective bargaining agreement on July 

9. Pickets went up outside the Richmond 

Olympic Oval as a result of Engineers and 

Building Service Workers voting 100 percent 

to strike for job security. Local 882 Business 

Manager Saundra Taylor strategically 

staged the strike to coincide with a world 

class badminton event being staged at the 

Olympic Oval. The strike lasted two days 

and was supported on the picket lines by 

members of Locals 115 and 963. 

[above, left to right] IUOE Local 882 President 

Adrian David, British Columbia Federation of 

Labour Secretary-Treasurer Irene Lanzinger, 

IUOE Local 963 Business Manager Tim DeVivo 

and Local 963 President Tim Chester. 

[below, left to right] IUOE Local 115 Business 

Representative Bob Higgs, IUOE Local 882 

Business Representative Darryl Westfall and 

IUOE Local 115 Business Representative Everett 

Cummings. 

Safety and quality training 

are at the top of Local 115’s priorities. 

The British Columbia local is in the 

forefront of advocating for better 

safety regulations and training for 

the construction industry. “We never 

miss an opportunity to press home the 

message that all workers are entitled to 

return safely home at the end of their 

work day,” said Business Manager Brian 

Cochrane. 

Retired crane operator Brother 

Ed Mills was laid off from work on 

the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge 

in Vancouver just days before its 

catastrophic collapse on June 17, 1958. 

On that day, 79 workers plunged 175 

feet into Burrard Inlet when one of 

the spans collapsed; 18 people died 

instantly. A diver died two days later. 

Over the duration of the project, four 

more workers were killed. 

Construction is a dangerous 

business and that message is reinforced 

every year when ironworkers, their 

friends in organized labour and their 

families gather at the south end of the 

bridge to remember the worst industrial 

disaster in the history of the province. 

This year, Ed and his son (Local 

Union President Wayne Mills), Business 

Manager Brian Cochrane and Financial 

Secretary Don Swerdan were in 

attendance. 

“I lost a lot of friends on that job,” 

recalled Ed. “A lot of those guys were 

already retired. They [the contractor] 

needed their skills, so they brought 

them out of retirement to do the work.” 

With 50 years of crane work to 

his credit, the former World War II 

paratrooper worked on many large 

projects including dry docks, pulp mills 

and bridges. 

“I loved my work,” he said, adding 

that bridges are the most memorable— 

and the most dangerous. “I worked 

on the Port Mann Bridge in 1963. One 

day, a train going along the tracks 

below derailed and headed into the 

river. I helped rescue the engineer and 

fireman.” 

While he enjoyed his work, Mills said 

he’s also seen his share of injuries and 

experienced a few himself. “I got pain in 

my legs and back,” he said. “The doctor 

says it’s from pushing levers all day.” 

So what does he advise new workers 

entering the trade? “Be careful,” he 

stressed. “Don’t take chances just to 

hurry. Be safe.” 

Hard as it is to believe, several years 

ago, the B.C. government removed 

regulations requiring the certification 

of crane operators. “While you had 

to have a licence to drive a scooter, it 

would have been legal for anyone off 

the street to operate a tower crane or 

mobile crane,” said Cochrane. “The 

local union launched into a concerted 

effort with hundreds of hours of 

meetings and a sophisticated public 

information campaign but we forced 

the government to bring back crane 

certification.” 

There are many large industrial and 

infrastructure projects under way in 

the province and a shortage of skilled 

tradespeople in several areas. That 

has led to great pressure on operating 

engineers and all construction workers 

to put in long hours and maintain a 

high level of productivity. Cochrane 

said apprentices and all members are 

being reminded of the importance of 

never putting speed ahead of safety. In 

B.C., workers are protected by law from 

having to undertake unsafe work. 

24 



Around the Locals 

Local 926 

Rex, Georgia 

For the fifth consecutive year, 

IUOE Local 926 members and 

affiliates participated in a Charity 

Sporting Clay Shoot, hosted by 

United Way of Bartow County 

at Barnsley Gardens Shooting 

Grounds in Adairsville, GA. 

[right] 

Dale Wolfe takes aim. 

[below; left to right] 

Front: Tip Pirkle, Phil McEntyre, Johnny 

Spann, Paul Rose, Ray Dameron 

Back: Scott McEntyre, Dale Wolfe, 

Ryan Wolfe 

Local 66 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 

Brother Dick Lightner, a 14- 

year member of IUOE Local 

66, operated a Terex CC2800-1 

crawler crane for JF Lomma for 

the historic lift of the 98-ton 

Space Shuttle Discovery off of 

a Boeing 747 at Dulles Airport. 

The Discovery replaced the 

Space Shuttle Enterprise at the 

Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar- 

Hazy Center’s James S. McDonnell 

Space Hangar. The CC2800-1 

crawler crane was equipped with 

a 177-ft main boom and a 98-ft 

Superlift mast. JF Lomma used 

352,000 lb of main counterweight 

with no central ballasts. Superlift 

counterweight of 275,000 lb was 

added to the tray 50 ft from the 

crane base. 

[photos] Dick Lightner 

26 



protect your right to vote 

Are You 

Registered 

Catch us on the Pursuit Channel 

Direct TV 604, DishNetwork 240, 

or streaming live at: 

www.filmon.com/#Pursuit-channel 

to Vote? 

July -December 2012 air times: 

Monday 9:30 pm EST 

Thursday 9:00 am EST 

Saturday 4:00 pm EST 

Got Big 

News 

? 

from Your 

Local 

We want to 

hear about it. 

www.theamericanwaytv.com 

The 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, 1125 

Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, 

D.C., 20036, (202) 778-2626. 

Are You Sure? 

Sometimes people have their names purged from the voter list by mistake and 

are not informed. Sometimes county clerk’s offices make clerical errors. If this 

happens to you, your ability to vote this year could be compromised. 

If you have any doubts, we recommend that you re-register to vote. 

For more information, contact your IUOE local office or visit: 

www.nonprofitvote.org 

International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL-CIO 

28 

international operating engineer

International Union of Operating Engineers 

1125 17 th Street, NW 


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