IUOE News December 2014
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
District Three<br />
Lots of work means<br />
lots of organizing<br />
opportunities<br />
Brad Gerow, Business Representative<br />
Bryan Railton, Organizer<br />
Gerow<br />
Well Brothers and Sisters, it is the end of another construction<br />
season and winter is now upon us.<br />
<strong>2014</strong> has been another busy year in District 3. During the<br />
season, we have seen the majority of hours coming in from<br />
our paving and crushing contractors. This year we have seen<br />
Dawson, Emil Anderson, Westlake Paving, Vernon Paving<br />
and B.A. Dawson Blacktop picking up a number of paving<br />
projects in the District and keeping the crews busy right<br />
through to the end of the season.<br />
Emil Anderson has been busy in Kelowna with the Sneena<br />
Road project, in Westbank on Highway 97, as well as work on<br />
Westside Road. 672462 BC Ltd had<br />
a very busy year with the two<br />
highway projects east of Kamloops;<br />
these are both twinning the Trans<br />
Canada Hwy. The next section east<br />
of this work, Phase 2 of Hoffman’s Bluff, has been put out for<br />
tender and we are currently waiting for it to close and see who<br />
it is awarded to. Utility work has been busy in the area, with<br />
Conex and CGL picking up a great deal of this work over the<br />
year.<br />
Work at Mica Dam is slowing down with the cement plant<br />
taken out this fall, leaving just a couple of crane operators to<br />
do the lifts for the last phases of the project.<br />
Sterling Crane has had a busy season with shut-downs and<br />
taxi work in the area.<br />
The shops in the area have been keeping very busy this<br />
year. The resource industry that we rely on in this Province is<br />
strong and keeps our members working. We are currently<br />
involved in and have completed bargaining for:<br />
• RJames Western Star Kamloops and Kelowna • Cummins<br />
Western Canada • Grand Forks Sand and Gavel • Kamloops<br />
Augering and Boring • District 3 Road Building Agreement<br />
We are currently working on a new project with the membership,<br />
known as the “Strategy Team” that is serving as another<br />
avenue of membership engagement. These meetings are held<br />
on off days, usually on a weekend, and are meant to be informal<br />
talks about issues we face as workers every day and how we can<br />
collectively seek solutions.<br />
Railton<br />
We must educate our friends<br />
and neighbors on the benefits<br />
of the labour movement.<br />
Currently we are focused around<br />
the Road Building Indus try and the<br />
upcoming negotiations; however we<br />
are opening them up to all members<br />
and non-members as well. The goal<br />
here is to work with our membership<br />
so we can activate and better educate<br />
the general work force on a greater<br />
scale, on a variety of issues that face<br />
the Local Union and the industries we<br />
represent.<br />
We will be setting meeting dates all through the winter, so<br />
if you would like to get involved or you have any question,<br />
please do not hesitate to contact us.<br />
On the Organizing front, we are quickly approaching the<br />
commonly known “raid season” for your Local Union.<br />
Whether we are dealing with CLAC or some other form of<br />
“pretender”, the winter months are usually the most common<br />
time of year when workers can decide to join a Real Trade<br />
Union.<br />
Of course they love to line it up in the slowest time of year,<br />
where workers are less likely to consider such a decision.<br />
However, with combined actions with our<br />
membership, our hope is to reach out to as<br />
many of these workers as possible and re-establish<br />
relationships.<br />
Focusing on that message, we would like to<br />
stress the importance of collective action. There is so much<br />
more to being an Operating Engineer than allowing you to<br />
work for signatory contractors and shops.<br />
We must be leaders in our industries. We must educate our<br />
friends and neighbors on the benefits of the labour movement<br />
because at the end of the day, the division between non-union<br />
and union is our greatest weakness.<br />
It’s not just the wages, benefits or pension plans, but pushing<br />
for higher standards of working conditions as a whole, as<br />
working people. If we do not, then we cannot rely on corporations<br />
or government to do it for us. When we work together,<br />
there is very little that can stop us. However when we are<br />
divided, that’s when we become victims.<br />
So we would challenge you to take that minute to talk to<br />
your friend working non-union, stop by that non-union job<br />
just down from your house and work with your Local Union<br />
to organize together. Every contractor and every shop that<br />
joins means one more job that can be filled with an Operating<br />
Engineer and one less contractor undermining the working<br />
conditions established by our forefathers.<br />
Finally, with Christmas right around the corner, we would<br />
like to take a minute and wish everyone a very safe and Merry<br />
Christmas and Happy Holidays on behalf of Brad, Bryan and<br />
Sherry.<br />
14 <strong>News</strong> <strong>December</strong> <strong>2014</strong>
Change language