IUOE News December 2014

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President’s Message Text to come. Winter is upon us and we need to remember that the weather can cause us problems, both on and off the job. Winter is enjoyable but you need to be aware of conditions and take the necessary precautions to stay safe. The Kitimat Modernization Project will be wrapping up shortly with “Hot Metal” scheduled for the end of March or early April 2015, and they should be into final cleanup and landscaping in the fall. The IUOE peaked at about 225 people working on this project; this is 30% more than originally scheduled. This project is the largest private sector project that BC has seen so far, with Outreach, training and strong skills will make our union grow Wayne E. Mills, President We believe that the projects in the north are promising and it should be great in the next few years over 3,500 hourly Building Trades people working on site. We hope to hear before the New Year, or shortly thereafter, on one or maybe two of the larger LNG projects getting the go ahead from their respective boards. The Petronas in Prince Rupert, and the LNG Canada (Shell) in Kitimat, seem to be the two that are still in the running. And if/when they get their go-ahead, it will mean the beginning of site development and pipeline work to feed the plants. With a little luck, that would be in the fall just about the time KMP has wrapped up, so it does look promising, but stranger things have happened. The Trades have a PLA (Project Labour Agreement) with one contractor, and Memorandums of Intent with two others regarding LNG projects. If one of those contractors or groups is the successful bidder, there will be a lot of work for OE’s under collective agreement for the next 4 or 5 years in the North-West. At the time of writing, the Tri-Pac (OE’s, Teamsters and Labourers) are still in meetings with Enbridge regarding the NGP. The PLA we are working on covers the Roads, Tunnels and Site Development. The pipeline trades (UA, OE’s, Teamsters and Labourers) have a Memorandum of Understanding regarding that work. In the spring of this year, the Building Trades met with Constructors and had some frank discussions about upcoming work. In late October, we met with a number of owners of these tentatively scheduled projects. The same questions were raised with both groups: “Can we supply skilled Tradespeople?”, “What is our capacity to train apprentices?”, and when it comes to training “What relationship do we have with the First Nations communities?”. The owners and bigger contractors also expect ZERO incidents and anything other than that is unacceptable to them. At a recent Union Management meeting with the KMP contractors, Bechtel said that they had two million hours with no lost time accidents, which is impressive. Always remember—no one wants to get hurt, no one wants anyone to get hurt, and this new safety system is here to stay. Partners in Trades with First Nations In early October, I had the opportunity to participate in the Partners in Trades with a number of the First Nation organizations. We have a number of First Nation groups that speak very highly of the Operating Engineers and our Training Association. Case in point is the Nisga’a Nation who said how they had sent a number of people to various training providers around the province and in comparison, ours had no equal. Business Manager’s Report continued from previous page porary Foreign Workers. He has been tireless and relentless, worked in challenging circumstances balancing both the interests of Public and Private sector unions;, and on behalf of the Operating Engineers I wish him all the best in the next phase of his career. As we look forward into 2015, the Local will be working on developing new Organizing strategies for all sectors of our membership. Even with all of the potential work and opportunities that lie ahead, we must remain strong and at the forefront in maintaining our market share. Our history has given us a great foundation and it is crucial that we continue to train, grow and organize to create a better future for Operating Engineers. On behalf of the Officers, Executive Board and staff of Local 115, I wish you and your families a safe and festive Christmas season along with best wishes for a successful 2015. 2 News December 2014
They told the crowd how they wanted to build a soccer field complex and had spoken with our Training Association and agreed to send 8 people for training plus 2 that would become instructors/mentors. Upon their completion, they started working on the soccer field and within a few days dispatch called and sent one of the people to work on the KMP project. And a few days later, dispatch called and sent another, and again and again. Within the month, all of those that had gone through the training were out working for a signatory contractor, and even though their soccer field is still sitting, waiting to be completed, they were very pleased with the outcome of the training. I got up and spoke to the group about that situation and said I couldn’t really apologize because that is what the Operating Engineers Training Association does—we train to supply our over 250 contractors to fill their needs for safe skilled workers in the industry. I said that we do not train for the sake of training, nor do we make a profit on our training. Our training is at a standard that is higher than what other groups call for because we train to supply our contractors with safe skilled people. In closing, and without sounding like that broken record, we believe that the projects in the north are promising and it should be great in the next few years with the growth and work because of the resource industry. Growing our membership I will say it again now, more than ever, that we need to increase both our membership base (with qualified operators, trainees and tradesmen), and increase the market share for Union contractors. There are a few ways to do this but the key is involvement of our current membership, which means you. If you are working for a non-contributing contractor, organize them. This increases the unionized market share and builds strength in your agreement and your benefits. If you know of someone that is a qualified, skilled operator and has the skills needed to work for our contractors, talk to them, get them into the hall and get them signed up. We will continue to grow and prosper. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year I want to say Merry Christmas to you, your family and friends, and have a happy, safe holiday season. Good health and prosperity for 2015. Also remember to take time for those less fortunate than ourselves, by maybe extending a helping hand. Thank you for the work put in by our Stewards, Safety Reps and Committee members on behalf of the Union and the members you work with. As always, may the best things that happened to you in 2014 be the worst of your problems in 2015 and safe travels. As another year comes to a close, many of the questions we asked at the beginning of the year regarding which major project will be given the green light to start construction still have not been answered. Opposition to all major construction projects in B.C. remains strong, dividing people, organizations and politicians with the economy versus environment debate or “I just don’t want it in my back yard.” As Operating Engineers, construction projects are our livelihood. We must support them, because we have lost support from traditionally labour-friendly politicians and other unions. The Site C dam project in Fort St. John did pass the federal and provincial environmental assessment review process and now awaits provincial government approval to go ahead, along with resolving native land claims. This may be the first of the major projects to start construction. One of the keys for construction of a major project will be its labour force, which will include training and apprentices. We need to speak up in support of construction projects Craig McIntosh, Business Representative District One Opposition to all major construction projects in B.C. remains strong, dividing people, organizations and politicians One component of learning the trade is mentorship. Mentorship comes from on—the—job training from experienced journeypersons. As a mentor you are a teacher who coaches and motivates an apprentice at the same time. The mentor should identify the point of the lesson, demonstrate the skill, provide the opportunity for progress, give feedback and assess progress. Not all journeypersons make good mentors. I was fortunate and did have experienced operators who stepped up and showed me the tricks of the trade. As an apprentice it is important to listen, interact positively with mentors, understand and respond to instructions. In closing—wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas and a healthy prosperous New Year. News December 2014 3
Page 1 and 2: News SHAPING THE FUTURE Securing fu
Page 3: We must invest time and work now to
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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