IUOE News December 2014

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ON THE COVER Dawson’s Indian Garden Pit out in Savona BC, Brother Scott Reid ripping the mountain in the D8 CAT. IUOE News is the official publication of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115. Local Executive Board Business Manager Brian Cochrane President Wayne E. Mills Vice-President Brad Randall Recording Secretary Brian Lefebvre Financial Secretary Don Swerdan Treasurer Frank Carr Guard Everett Cummings Conductor Doug Fisher Trustees Brett Chapman Brian Moore Curtis Wright Auditors Chip Dhaliwal Goretti Guibault Craig McIntosh District Executive Board 1 - Al Cooper 2 - Curtis Harold 3 - Brad Gerow 4 - Herb Conat 5 - Mike Spiruda 6 - Rob Foskett Publication Committee Brian Cochrane Wayne Mills Lynda Arland Don Swerdan Editorial Services Sarita Stad, COPE 378 Design and Layout www.workingdesign.net Contact Details 4333 Ledger Avenue, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 3T3 Telephone: 604-291-8831 Fax: 604-473-5235 Website: www.iuoe115.com E-mail: iuoe@iuoe115.com Please Recycle Contents Business Manager We must invest time and work now to secure our future................................................................ 1 President Outreach, training and strong skills will make our union grow....................................................... 2 District 1 We need to speak up in support of construction projects.............................................................. 3 Canada must get out in the lead in the production of LNG............................................................. 4 We need to organize, and identify unfair and shady practices ....................................................... 5 Over 140 high-rises under construction in Lower Mainland............................................................ 6 Offering support to our Tumbler Ridge members.......................................................................... 7 Hoping for positive outcome in complex bargaining .................................................................... 8 Union Organizing Sledgehammers and security guards stand between workers and a fair wage................................ 9 Just another hurdle put in place for unions by our federal government........................................ 10 Dispatch Let government know you support Site C................................................................................... 10 District 2 Members can feel proud to be part of our union......................................................................... 12 District 3 Lots of work means lots of organizing opportunities................................................................... 14 District 4 Hoping for some big projects to become reality soon.................................................................. 15 District 5 Oil and gas industry keeping things busy in the Northeast.......................................................... 16 District 6 If you have questions, make sure you ask a real union member.................................................... 17 Benefits Plan Exploring the ins and outs of drug claim reimbursement............................................................. 18 Training Association Report Courses starting up for another year at our Training Site.............................................................. 19 FEATURE NEWS ARTICLE How Important is Liquified Natural Gas?..................................................................................... 24 Regular Features Membership Service Awards...................................................................................................... 27 Welcome to our 260 new Local 115 members............................................................................. 38 Member Service Awards List...................................................................................................... 39 Pensions Awarded..................................................................................................................... 40 Local 115 District Offices and Meeting Notices............................................................................ 41
We must invest time and work now to secure our future Business Manager Brian Cochrane, Business Manager It is hard to believe that we are already in December and 2014 is quickly coming to a close. It is the time of year to do a review of the things that we have completed and celebrate successes. With the completion of the Burnaby office renovation, 2014 gave us an incredible opportunity to reflect back at the amazing 83 years of service Local 115 has brought to our membership, the province of BC and the Yukon. There are so many members who have contributed their lives to serving others for the Local Union, improving standards for our membership in good times and bad; and we owe them all a debt of gratitude. Many of the things we take for granted today including pension plans, training, safety, and benefit programs, as well as good collective agreements have developed and evolved over the decades due to strong leadership and a committed membership. We have a lot to be proud of and have good reason to celebrate these achievements. Continuing to shape the future for our members is a never ending set of tasks. With moving targets and our influence on Government policy at all levels, it is becoming increasingly important to maintain and grow our presence. Meetings in Victoria Recently I and quite a few members of the leadership of the BC Building Trades met several Ministers in Victoria, regarding upcoming major projects and trades training issues. The highlights of our efforts were meetings with Rich Coleman, British Columbia’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Mines; Shirley Bond, the Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour; and John Rustad, the Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation. At the time of writing, and as 2014 comes to a close we are awaiting a few key decisions from both industry and government that will have a huge impact on Operating Engineers. Now that the Province has nailed down its tax structure for LNG development, we are awaiting the Final Investment decision from PETRONAS to give the green light. This project along with the potential for Site C Hydroelectric Dam will be great news for OE’s and all of the Building Trades. We have been spending much time this year to try and maximize our opportunities and secure this work under Project Labour Agreements. Given the projected demand for skilled workers, and to ensure BC gets the value for our resources, there is no doubt that this will be the best model for these projects. Tumbler Ridge shutdown With the continued pressure on coal prices, our members at Peace River Coal in Tumbler Ridge will soon be looking for work as the company has elected to shut the mine down at the end of the year. This is going to be a tough transition for the entire community as the boom from the last few years comes to an end, for now. As some of the major projects start to come on-line, hopefully sooner than later, we will be trying to place as many members as possible into these projects. It is very frustrating to know that our Governments both Provincial and Federal have supported HD Mining to utilize Temporary Foreign Workers from China as they will soon be some of the only people left working in Tumbler Ridge! At the time of writing, and as 2014 comes to a close we are awaiting a few key decisions from both industry and government that will have a huge impact on Operating Engineers. BC Federation of Labour Convention As many will have heard, Brother Jim Sinclair has decided not to run for the President’s position at the BC Federation of Labour this year. The BC Fed Convention is being held November 23rd to 28th so by the time you receive this we will have a new leader for the Federation. Jim has done a very good job advancing the labour movement in BC, and has managed to work with us on a number of issues from Trades training , to LNG development and Temcontinued on next page News December 2014 1
Page 1: News SHAPING THE FUTURE Securing fu
Page 5 and 6: They told the crowd how they wanted
Page 7 and 8: We need to organize, and identify u
Page 9 and 10: Offering support to our Tumbler Rid
Page 11 and 12: Sledgehammers and security guards s
Page 13 and 14: Are you Ready to Lead, Ready to Fol
Page 15 and 16: District Two Brothers Steele Gorosh
Page 17 and 18: Hoping for some big projects to bec
Page 19 and 20: If you have questions, make sure yo
Page 21 and 22: Courses starting up for another yea
Page 23 and 24: Training Association Report Mobile
Page 25 and 26: Training Association Report Mobile
Page 27 and 28: fracking process needed to remove n
Page 29 and 30: Membership Service Awards August 20
Page 31 and 32: Member Service Awards OUR 50-YEAR M
Page 41 and 42: Member Recognition Member Service A
Page 43 and 44: Contact Details Local 115 District

IUOE News December 2014

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