Getting ready for BC`s megaprojects

News
Getting
ready for BC’s
megaprojects
October 2013
www.iuoe115.com
On the cover: One of the two massive intakes for the Francis turbines being installed on SNC
Lavalin’s $900 million Waneta Dam expansion project for FortisBC.
The project is scheduled for completion in 2015, directly employs 350 people, and will deliver
335 megawatts to 60,000 homes. It also includes building a 10km transmission line, and
excavated rock will be stored nearby and used in highway construction.
IUOE News is the official
publication of the International
Union of Operating Engineers
Local 115.
230,000 cubic metres of overburden and 141,000 of rock were excavated in the powerhouse
area, and another 62,000 cubic metres excavated from the power tunnels and the adit. At the
intake nearly 19,000 of cubic metres of overburden and 78,000 of rock were removed.
Features
President
Wayne Mills
News Updates 4
LNG Workforce Action Plan shows shortage of skilled workers in BC
14
BC Premier meets with labour leaders on LNG workforce20
55th Annual IUOE Canadian Conference
26
Member Profile: Kasper Mayer34
General Membership Meeting update36
Vice-President
Brad Randall
Reports
Local Executive Board
Business Manager
Brian Cochrane
Recording Secretary
Brian Lefebvre
Financial Secretary
Don Swerdan
Treasurer
Frank Carr
Guard
Bob Higgs
Conductor
Dave Hannis
Trustees
Brett Chapman
Brian Moore
Curtis Wright
Auditors
Chip Dhaliwal
Goretti Guibault
Craig McIntosh
District Executive Board
1 - Al Cooper
2 - Tim Cullen
3 - Brad Gerow
4 - Herb Conat
5 - Mike Spiruda
6 - Brian Lefebvre
Publication Committee
Brian Cochrane
Wayne Mills
Lynda Arland
Don Swerdan
Editorial Services
Susan Armstrong, COPE 378
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
Business Manager
Outcome of case disappointing, but key gains made 1
President
Training is key to meet the development demands of northern B.C. projects 3
District 1
What’s really behind the high rise condo boom? 6
Paving industry leads the way 7
Here comes the end-of-season push 8
Challenges from all sides, but our members keep us strong 9
Keeping busy is always a good thing 9
Negotiations forge ahead along with Peace River Coal expansion10
Skilled operators are still needed across North America11
“Right to Work” comes to Canada while TFW changes still need improvement
12
Union Organizing
Operators are in demand, and certification will keep it that way13
Dispatcher’s Report
Work is out there, if your skills and details are up to date
13
District 2
Slow start to the season may be the least of our concerns for 201316
District 3
Paving work still strong while shops are overflowing
18
District 4
Training program up north is the Union and members’ ticket to success
19
District 5
Megaprojects start to gather steam
21
District 6
As work slows, we should count our successes and plan ahead
22
Bargaining becomes a priority as the season changes
23
Benefit Plans
Know your retirement options and plan ahead 24
Training Association
Training takes centre stage at events, and on government agendas29
18th Annual Training Association Open House and Heavy Equipment Rodeo
32
Regulars
Member Service Awards39
Pensions Awarded
43
Deceased Members43
Welcome to our new members44
Contact Information and District Meetings45
Business Manager
Positive negotiations
are taking place on
many levels
Brian Cochrane,
Business Manager
As we begin to enter the fall season, we can look back over
the summer months and confidently say that this has been a
good summer for Operating Engineers from a work
perspective.
Crane operators remain in high demand; our members in
the paving sector have seen excellent hours; and our members
working the Kemano backup tunnel and Kitimat modernization project have reached their peak employment numbers.
We have spent many months this year trying to secure a
new collective agreement for the blacktop industry in the
Lower Mainland. Without a doubt, this has been a frustrating
process, and trying to keep the contractors in this industry all
on the same page has been a challenge. At the time of writing,
we are currently conducting a mail-out ballot to all of our
members to try and ratify a settlement which will give these On September 9th, IUOE Local 115 joined B.C. Premier Christy Clark
and other influential labour organizations to discuss the
members some certainty for the next couple of years.
government’s and unions’ workforce training strategies for LNG
Your bargaining committee is also currently in the process
projects, set to start in the near future.
of trying to ratify the industry-wide settlement agreements
dollars of construction at stake, it was encouraging to see this
that we have with the Construction Labor Relations Associainitiative take place. Hopefully the government will start to
tion (CLR). Although most of our members working under a
place a higher value on the skills of our members and espeheavy construction agreement (or an addendum thereof)
cially the efforts of the IUOE
have been receiving increases for
“Hopefully the government will start Training Association in recent years.
quite some time, this ratification
to place a higher value on the skills With the provincial election behind
process is required by legislation
of our members and especially the
us, we must move forward and try
for all industries and all building
to advance many of these projects
trades.
efforts of the IUOE Training
that are currently being reviewed.
A final ballot count will be held
Association in recent years.“
Along with the LNG projects, Site
in early November, at which time
C, Northern Gateway and the Kinder Morgan Pipeline are all
we hopefully can conclude this round of negotiations and
advancing as well, and we are meeting with a number of
prepare for bargaining again in 2014.
stakeholders regarding all of these projects, to ensure our
On September 9th B.C.’s Premier, Christy Clark, requested
members are engaged in as much of the opportunities they
a meeting with the building trades and other labour leaders in
create as possible. The combined numbers are staggering:
British Columbia. I attended this meeting on behalf of the
over $100 billion of investment with 100,000 jobs created, and
Operating Engineers, and I can say that this is the first time
decades of employment opportunities.
labour has been asked to sit at the same table as a partner in a
Your President, Brother Wayne Mills, and Training Adminvery long time.
istrator, Brother Brad Randall, have been working hard on
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how labour can
developing some training initiatives for First Nations in
participate with business and government in the developnorthern British Columbia.
ment of northern British Colombia’s LNG reserves. This was
First Nations are a key stakeholder in the development of
one of the Liberal’s election promises, and with billions of
News
October 2013
1
Business Manager
all of these projects, and a strong program of skills training organizations that want you to work for third world wages, it
and employment opportunities will be the foundation for the is nice to see a success like the one IUOE Local 150 (Chicago)
success of these projects and the people who work on them.
recently achieved; they stopped the state of Illinois from this
The changes to the TFW program brought about by the anti-union attack on the basis of it being unconstitutional.
Local during our legal challenge with HD Mining are now Congratulations to Sixth Vice President, Brother Sweeney, for
starting to ripple through government, under close scrutiny his success in this battle.
by the media and public. The 15% wage differential, foreign
At the end of August, the 55th Canadian Conference of the
language requirements, and accelerated application process Operating Engineers was held in Nanaimo, British Columbia,
were suspended shortly after the case ruling.
at the Coast Bastion Hotel. It was 25 years ago since the last
On July 31, 2013, more broad amendments to the program conference was held there, and IUOE Locals 115, 882, and
were also formally adopted: TFW applicants now have to 963 hosted delegates and representatives from across the
apply and prove a more extencountry.
“The changes to the TFW program
sive search for Canadian labour
General President James T.
brought
about
by
the
Local
during
our
before looking overseas to fill
Callahan attended, along with
positions; the application forms legal challenge with HD Mining are now several guest speakers who providand process has been revised to
starting to ripple through government” ed information and direction on
try and uncover unnecessary
issues we need to be focused on,
applications earlier; and a $275 processing fee (previously both today and in the years ahead. The conference was wellpaid by taxpayers) will be applied to every application to help organized, enjoyable, and informative. Well done to everyone
discourage the program’s abuse.
involved.
Although the Government still has more work to do in
I would like to welcome aboard Brothers Bryan Railton
protecting the interests of Canadians, our members are proud and Todd Jones who have been hired as staff organizers for
of these achievements ,as Local 115 has helped shape Cana- the Local. With all of the work potential and non-union jobs
da’s future for the better while protecting jobs for Operating currently going on, there is no better time to increase our
Engineers.
market share and I know they will both do an excellent job on
Right to work legislation (otherwise known as anti-union behalf of our members.
legislation) is still being promoted by the merit shops and
To close, I would just like to say thank you for your support
ultra-conservative political groups in the US and Canada.
as we move the Local forward to meet the challenges of today,
While labour is always under attack from these and plan for tomorrow.
Local 115 delegates with General President James T. Callahan and General Secretary Brian Hickey at the 55th Canadian Conference in
Nanaimo, recognizing past President Jack Whittaker’s 50 years of membership with his wife, Hazel, in front.
2
News
October 2013
President’s Message
Training is key to meet
the development
demands of northern
B.C. projects
issue is our ability to supply qualified operators that are ready,
willing and capable of working in the north. This is an ongoing
issue and one that is well covered in this issue.
Work in the north will drive this province for the next few
years; be it pipelines, LNG terminals, or mine. These industries will demand massive investment, and with that comes
Wayne E. Mills,
the repair and maintenance of the equipment needed to build,
President
service, and operate the industries for decades to come.
As the market expands, our contractors and shops will
Hello, and I hope the summer was enjoyable and safe. With
the evenings getting dark earlier, remember to watch out for grow along with our membership. However, we must face the
the kids; they don’t realize they can’t always be seen, while challenges of our baby-boomer workforce looking to retire, so
some drivers think their day time running lights are ok for use we need to develop programs and campaigns that will identify
and attract new members, to fill both the jobs that are availin the evening.
able due to attrition, as well as an increased market.
Shandong Province Federation of Trade Unions
Following the Labour Day weekend, Brother Brad Randall
In mid-August, I had the opportunity, through the B.C. (IUOE Local 115 Vice-president and Training Association
Federation of Labour, to meet with a delegation of Trade Administrator) and I met with some of the major contractors
Unionists from China. The representatives were from the in the north, from Prince George to Prince Rupert, to discuss
14th Congress of Shandong Provincial Trade Unions from what training or upgrading of skills is in demand, as well as
Jinan, Shandong Province. The Shandong Province is about a where new members may be found. We ended up highthird of the size of B.C., south of
centered with the Rupert meetings
Beijing and north of Shanghai, on “Let’s just say that there was a ‘slight and did not have time to get into
the East China Sea. The Chinese
cultural difference’ between the
Kitimat but that should happen later
government mandates the Unions
Chinese’ view on TFWs and us”
this fall.
and as such, there are 22 million
One group we are looking to for
members in the Provincial Federation.
new members is the First Nations of our province; over 35 per
We discussed a variety of topics, ranging from their provin- cent of the First Nations people in B.C. are under 30. So, with
cial economy slowing to 9.6% last year (a problem we wish we the help of Brother Brian Pelletier (Aboriginal Coordinator
had), to Occupational Health and Safety regulations and how from Local 793), Brother Randall and I were introduced to
they are enforced. This subject had their interpreter scram- the Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment & Trainbling, as they seemed to get a little excited and all had ing Association (PGNAETA), and also met with Executive
something to say about it.
Director Karin Hunt and a number of the Board Members to
We also talked about Chinese workers that travel abroad to discuss training opportunities for this potential workforce.
find work in Canada—the Temporary Foreign Workers—
We also participated in the partners in trades’ forum, held
regarding their growing numbers, as well as their treatment by the Industry Training Authority (ITA) Aboriginal Initiaand compensation. Let’s say there was a ‘slight cultural differ- tives and UA Local 170, where we met with a number of First
ence’ between their view on TFWs and us on that one, but Nation Training groups.
overall, it was an interesting and informative few hours, and
Being at these forums are great for gaining valuable expodefinitely worth the exposure.
sure, as we need to let people know who Local 115 is and what
The delegates kindly offered a reciprocal visit, but after the we do. To get a better ‘inside track’ into the proceedings,
TFW court case, we will need to see if there is any value to our IUOE Local 793’s Business Manager Mike Gallagher sent
Local worth considering.
Brother Brian Pelletier to assist us in connecting with the
Northern Work and growing membership
right people; many thanks for this assistance.
Barring another world economic meltdown, when (not if)
Over the last few months, I have had the opportunity to
participate with a few of the other building trades representa- our unionized contractors start picking up the work on the
tives in meetings with the groups of owners for various LNG pipelines, LNG terminals, mines and the utilities needed to
Terminals and the Natural Gas and Oil Pipelines that are support these jobs, we need to be ready with trained people
working their way through the permitting process. There is a who are ready willing and able to work in the North.
In closing, I hope you have a safe and productive fall, and
wide variety of ideas regarding what the Project Labour
Agreements (PLA’s) should contain, while the owners’ main remember, someone wants you to get home safely.
News
October 2013
3
News Updates
News Updates
TFWs still in the news
The Temporary Foreign
Worker issue continues to
appear in headlines every
few weeks.
While the abolishment of
the 15 per cent wage difference allowance between
residents and TFWs has been
largely accepted, there have
been concerns surrounding
the fee that has been placed
on new TFW applications.
While negligible to large
corporations using TFWs,
smaller contractors and businesses that claim to need the
TFW program to operate say
that they will be hit hard,
saying they will not be able
to afford the $275 fee per
application, plus the $150 for
each issued permit.
Their concern raises the
importance of continuously
monitoring any changes that
government makes to the
TFW process,. We must
ensure the changes they
make meet the needs of all
workers, without potentially
harming others, rather than
reacting with one-size-fitsall solutions.
IUOE Local 150 fights
“Right to Work”
Local 150 of the IUOE in
Illinois recently challenged
and won an appeal against
right to work legislation in
the state.
In early September, State
Judge Daniel Sedia ruled in
favour of the Local, declaring
Indiana’s right to work law as
unconstitutional.
An appeal was made
against the ruling, but Local
150’s attorneys presented
arguments exposing right to
work’s fundamental flaws,
which go against the National Labor Relations Act.
Dale Pierson, general
counsel for Local 150, put it
to the Federal Court that
“right to work laws have
operated beyond their jurisdiction essentially unchecked
since 1963”, since it demands
unions provide services
without compensation, even
though federal law allows
workers to opt out of full
dues payment.
Judge Diane P. Wood, who
presided over the appellate
panel, agreed with Piersen’s
argument.
“When people render
services they are entitled to
be paid, and federal law
imposes the obligation,” she
said. “I don’t see how you can
get around that.”
A Supreme Court appeal
has been filed against the
ruling, so Local 150 continues to prepare its case in the
coming months.
OE Pension Plan invests
in dialysis centre
As part of their strategic
portfolio, the Operating
Engineers’ Pension Plan
(OEPP) recently invested
with the Interior Health
Authority to build a dialysis
clinic in a Kamloops strip
mall (also owned by the
OEPP and home to our
District 3 office). Health officials, politicians and patients
attended its opening on
September 13, 2013.
The clinic will provide
IUOE Local 115 Christmas Dance
Saturday, December 14, 2013
IUOE Auditorium, 4333 Ledger Avenue, Burnaby
Tickets go on sale November 1st
$35/person, $30/pensioners
Doors open at 6:00p.m.
Cocktails at 6:30p.m.
Smorgasbord Dinner at 7:30p.m.
Dancing from 8:30p.m. to 1:00a.m.
Call 604-291-8831 to book.
4
News
October 2013
News Updates
News Updates
Kamloops’ new dialysis clinic has opened next door to IUOE Local
115’s District 3 office, thanks in part to an OEPP investment.
hemodialysis services to
nearby kidney patients who
previously had to travel to
Royal Inland Hospital for
their treatment.
The new facility was also
designed and furnished in a
more modern and inviting
manner than usual, something patients say makes a
difference to their healing.
Already, the clinic treats
16 patients every week.
IUOE 115’s new website
and digital strategy
At the end of August,
IUOE 115 launched their
completely rebuilt website
featuring easier navigation,
rich media content, a news
section, online merchandise
store, and other features.
Creating engagement with
our members is a key aspect
towards strengthening and
growing Local 115 and
servicing our members. The
website is the first step in a
revamped digital strategy
which will serve our younger,
technological audience, as
well as make it easy for every
member to access the information (and people) they
need to stay informed,
engaged, and influential
Local 115 members.
The strategy is supported
by a bi-weekly e-mail newsletter (launching in October),
an updated YouTube video
channel, and a Facebook
page to share updates and
news. The online experience
will continue to be expanded
in the future, so please check
back often to see updates.
To visit the new site simply
go to www.iuoe115.com.
Your feedback is welcome.
Federal Canada Jobs
Plan comes under fire
The federal government’s
proposed changes to nationally-funded job programs, as
part of their Canada Jobs
Plan, is drawing concern.
The existing five year old
Labour Market Agreement
between them and B.C.
expires in March 2014, and
delivers around $346 million
every year to assist with
provincial training assistance
programs, managed by the
province. However, the new
plan proposes training assistance (up to $5,000) only
where the amount is matched
by an employer, and a province or territory.
This effectively excludes
anyone who is unemployed
from receiving any benefits
from the plan.
B.C. labour market ministers joined the country’s
premiers stating they could
not support the program in
its current state. While some
agreed that the province’s
training assistance programs
were in need of improvement, removing $600 million
in provincial funding, used
to assist vulnerable workers,
is not the answer.
With the ongoing lack of
public information available
on the successes or failures of
provincial training programs,
many feel the Canada Jobs
Plan is government’s way of
trying regain control of the
way training grant money is
being spent.
But B.C.’s Minister of Jobs,
Tourism and Skills Training,
Shirley Bond, believes that
denying funding to provincial programs could be
devastating.
“There are programs that
have shown a significant
effectiveness, and we don’t
want those programs to be
lost” she said. “If you make
the shift in policy that moves
away from marginalized
Canadians, what happens to
that work group?
115 welcomes a 4th
generation organizer
Bryan Railton has recently
joined Local 115’s ranks as
an organizer.
If the surname sounds
familiar, it’s because Bryan
comes from a long line of
IUOE members and representatives. This includes his
father, past 115 President
and current Canadian International
representative,
Lionel Railton.
We welcome Bryan and
expect him to be a great asset
in the continued growth and
success of Local 115
OE News summer
issue delay
The publication committee apologises for the delay in
sending out the summer
2013 issue of the OE News.
Due to the unforeseen
production, mailing and
printing delays, members
may have received the issue
up to a month later than
expected. For this reason,
this issue has been purposely
staggered into October.
We have also completely
overhauled the magazine’s
publishing processes to bring
the production and layout
in-house, which will save
costs, avoid future delays,
and make the magazine more
up to date in every way.
News
October 2013
5
District One
What’s really behind
the high rise condo
boom?
has brought on the ‘high rise condo boom’ we are experiencing now. But when the Chinese property bubble pops (which
experts say may happen within the next year), and we are
flooded with an excessive amount of inventory built since
2011, prices are likely to drop to 2008-2009 prices.
Craig McIntosh,
This would be good news for many first time buyers trying
Member Representative
to get into the housing market, but bad news for the construction jobs that would be lost while the market once again takes
a few wears to correct itself. Let’s just hope that the Vancouver
condo market has the foresight to smooth the impact of the
There are as many tower cranes up in the Lower Mainland bubble somehow and keep our construction crews busy
now as there were during the Olympic boom prior to the through whatever ups and downs lay ahead.
recession that hit us late in 2008. The majority of these tower
After 24 years of talking about it, Skytrain’s Evergreen Line
cranes are on high rise condo sites.
is being extended from Lougheed Mall in Burnaby to
The main driver of condo sales is international investors, Coquitlam Town Centre. Construction started ramping up in
most from Mainland China, who buy them and then allow July with a number of our contractors and members picking
them to sit empty. In fact, some realtors “Realtors estimate that Mainland up work on the Evergreen line.
estimate that Mainland Chinese buyers
This $1.4 billion project will take
Chinese buyers make up 80 per
make up 80 per cent of the condo sales
approximately three years to construct,
in downtown and west side Vancouver. cent of downtown condo sales” and with it many new developments
So what is wrong with this picture? We’ve got many will be built along the line at each Skytrain station, as has
members digging the excavations and putting in services to happened (and is still happening) along the existing Skytrain
these sites, as well as crane operators and concrete pump lines.
operators working on these sites.
In closing, please remember to keep the Union informed of
The problem is the Chinese economy is faltering and the your current contact information. Too often we get mail sent
wealthy international buyers are drying up. Meanwhile, our back to us marked “return to sender, wrong address”, or
members and our kids who work on these condo sites in Dispatch phones a member about a job only to hear “the
Vancouver cannot afford to buy these units.
number you have called is not in service”.
In late 2008 Vancouver condo market prices dropped 36
Don’t let a simple admin issue stop you from potentially
per cent over a six month period, then recovered over the next landing your dream job!
24 months. By 2011 prices were back to all-time highs, which
Work safe.
Mainland Sand & Gravel
crew Brothers Rick Osborne,
Dave Block, John Townley,
James Mather, Glen Wanek,
and Quentin Mather.
Brothers Dean Hanna and
Patrick Belanger between
two loaders.
6
News
October 2013
District One
Paving industry leads
the way
Everett Cummings,
Member Representative
This has been a busy year for our members working in the
paving industry. B.A. Blacktop is working on Highway 1, and
Imperial has plenty to do on the south perimeter road. We
have not seen paving jobs of this size probably since 1986
during work on the Alex Fraser Bridge, building the HOV
lanes on Highway 1 in 1997, or of course the massive Sea to
Sky highway project.
B.A. Blacktop has been working on the Highway 1 project
for two years now with a night shift crew, milling and paving
sections at a time, opening up those that are ready and diverting traffic as needed.
Imperial has had large sections they could complete on
new grade with the luxury of no traffic to compete with. They
are using two pavers with pick-ups on the front of the hoppers,
while the trucks, using belly dumps, lay out windrows. This
saves the trucks time, as they don’t need to keep backing up
and dumping into the hopper, and instead the paver can
continually keep moving; I talked to some of the crew, and
they said they laid 3,600 tons in a single day.
In Langley the work has been spread around between the
various contractors. Columbia paved a large section of Fraser
Highway’s four lanes, including turning lanes, from 204th
Street across 200th Street. Imperial meanwhile completed a
‘shave and pave’ job on 200th Street, from 74th to about 70th
Avenue. This was also a large four lane job with turning lanes,
as well as a fifth merging lane.
Grandview is also busy paving Fraser Highway and 232,
where B&B Contracting added an extra lane.
Another big job going on around the Langley and Surrey
border this year is B.A. Blacktop on their combo site. This
consists of two overpasses that cross the train tracks on 192nd,
making a new road coming out on 56th that leads to another
overpass crossing the Langley bypass (Highway 10) towards
the Surrey/Langley border. Another large project is the overpass at Mufford Crescent; many contractors have had work on
that site, including Richco, B&B, Columbia, and Fraser River
pile and dredge.
The third overpass is being completed by Martens Asphalt
on the north side of the 232 and Highway 1, also going over
another set of railway tracks.
These are big projects that needed to be done for a long
time now as the trains cut the City of Langley and Township
of Langley in half, due to how long these cargo trains are,
especially with more trains running out of the port. This is
why, on the combo project, the costs are shared between City
of Surrey, Township of Langley, the Port Authority, and the
rail company.
Let’s hope there will be more of these big projects with
shared costs in the future, as it makes it more cost effective
and viable for these projects to kick off, while putting cost
issues and concerns on the back burner.
Work safe!
Brother Enrico Mastrodonato
and the Imperial Paving crew
laying asphalt on the South
Perimeter road
News
October 2013
News 7
July 2013
District One
Here comes the endof-season push
As a journeyman on the job you will more than likely be
seeing a lot more trainees as well as apprentices joining your
team. These men and women are hoping to learn most of their
trades skills from you, and are being massively promoted by
Bob Higgs,
Member Representative
government action plans and trades training associations as
the saviour to B.C.’s impending skilled worker shortage issue.
We need to be patient when dealing with these apprentices
and trainees, and we also need to be clear when giving our
instructions. Remember that the knowledge and understanding you have of your trade came with years of experience, and
Overall the work picture is steady. It seems as if everyone is that they have just started out, so be sure to explain yourself in
trying to get the work finished before the bad weather sets in, a way that they can learn from and help you. The one thing I
creating a push to complete projects.
hear more than any other is “I thought he said…”
This may be a challenge for some contractors, since I have
Make sure a new worker understands what it is he or she is
noticed (as was the case for most of the year) many crews are being asked to do, and if you are a new worker, you must
working with one, and sometimes two men short. In light of ensure you know exactly what it is you’re being asked to do
this, it looks like the skilled worker shortage everyone seems before proceeding. Not doing so will not only create an unproto be talking about is gaining steam.
ductive working relationship and
“For
the
last
two
years,
projects
With the wrap-up of the Highway 1
environment, but an unsafe one too.
in the Lower Mainland have
and South Perimeter road we should be
With all the work being done in the
seeing a number of workers becoming demanded more workers than province, the Operating Engineers have
available within a year or two. By that
been growing at an incredible rate, with
could be supplied”
time there should hopefully be good
a large number of workers looking to us
news surrounding some of the major projects our province’s as their source for stable, well-paying jobs. This is an excellent
leaders announced during the last election.
sign for our current situation and future.
Time will tell which ones will be let, and who knows, with
Just a reminder to all members old and new; if you get mail
some careful planning, they may start just as the other proj- from us, it is most assuredly important; we would not send
ects end and the worker supply is a bit less strained.
you something for the fun of it. Many members have missed
This is not a new concern for us. For the last two years the out on great opportunities because the correspondence from
many projects in the lower mainland have been demanding us was never opened.
more workers than could be supplied, creating pressure on
Similarly, if you receive something you don’t understand or
skilled labour supply across the entire region. Now it looks want further information on, please don’t hesitate to give us a
like the projects in north and northwest B.C. are going to be call. So again, if you receive something in the mail from the
draining our ranks even further. Work in these regions looks Operating Engineers it is in your best interest to not only open
like it will be attracting skilled workers for many years to it but to respond to it as well.
come.
Have a great fall season and remember to work safe.
Blasting operations at Mainland Sand and Gravel’s Jamieson Quarry on Abbotsford’s Sumas Mountain.
8
News
October 2013
District One
Challenges from all
sides, but our
members keep us
strong
should have something for the members to vote on soon.
Clean Harbors has also been an interesting challenge.
Clean Harbors bought a company called Safety Kleen for
$1.25 billion, and both companies have branches all over
North America, and even worldwide.
One of those Safety Kleen branches (non-union of course),
turns
out to be right across the street from Clean Harbors.
Chip Dhaliwal,
Member Representative
Recently, Clean Harbors terminated half of the Union
members, and moved work across the street to the non-union
Safety Kleen facility. Adding insult to injury, they have Operating Engineers from Clean Harbors picking up waste from
Hello Brothers & Sisters:
We will be commencing bargaining with Wastech in the their customers, but delivering it to the non-union employees
first week of October. Wastech has been a challenge as there at Safety Kleen.
The Union has filed our case with the Labour Relations
are three geographical areas—the Lower Mainland, Cache
Creek, and the Thompson Nicola Regional District—that Board, and we will be presenting our case at the end of
October.
each have their own specific issues.
“Adding insult to injury,
In closing, I want to say thanks to all
The Lower Mainland group consists of
they have Operating
my shop stewards without whom there
five transfer stations, the Cache Creek
Engineers delivering to the
wouldn’t be enough hours in the day to
landfill, and the TNRD, which consists of
non-union
employees...”
deal with all the issues that arise. The past
five landfills and 27 transfer stations.
Bargaining will once again be extremely challenging; few months have been extremely busy and made me realize
however I’m sure we can get a deal signed shortly. Shop Stew- what a critical part the Shop Stewards play in ensuring the
ards from each area will be assisting Don Swerdan and I IUOE achieves its goals and grows stronger You are to be
during bargaining, so hopefully we can get all the decision commended for all your work on behalf of your co-workers
and the union itself.
makers and information into a room and put pen to paper.
I am also currently bargaining with Harrigan Rentals, and
Thank you for your support and stay safe.
Keeping busy is
always a good thing
Stewart Miller,
Member Representative
Hello Brothers and Sisters.
Lots has been going on around the collective bargaining
with Coast Mountain Fuels, while Parrish & Heimbecker have
been completed, and fortunately all went well.
Collective bargaining is back on track at Thermo King B.C.
We took a break after agreeing on a cooling-off period for
both sides to re-think what they want from the agreement,
and now we are back at the table again.
Negotiations with Richmond Soil & Fibre (Harvest Power)
went well, especially considering their head office is out of
California. Timelines were kept tight, resulting in a first
Collective Agreement being ratified at the beginning of
September. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but are
moving in the right direction. This is an important agreement
as they could potentially expand their plants and operations
across B.C. in the future.
It’s good to see and hear that during the summer not only
the construction side of things kept busy, but the shops are
also reporting that they are keeping busy at their end too. This
is a clear demonstration of how, by keeping one industry
working and successful, the knock-on effects into other areas,
industries and occupations creates jobs for all of us. In so
many ways, our industries are tied together and depend on
each other to stay busy.
Busy is good; being busy means we are creating and growing
more skilled members, and this makes it easier for us to
compete with non-union contractors and businesses by
signing up new companies and signing new agreements.
In closing, I hope you all had a good summer, although we
look forward to continuing to be busy through the slower fall
and winter months ahead of us.
Remember, Union is a good thing—it’s no secret, and we
need to keep spreading the word that we’re always looking for
good skilled operators. It’s good for the Local, and its good for
our signatory companies.
Work safe.
News
October 2013
9
District One
Negotiations forge
ahead, along with
Peace River Coal
expansion
Rob Lane, and Ray Johns; thank you for all your hard work
and patience during the negotiation process.
As you may know, I also look after Peace River Coal, a coal
mine up north in Tumbler Ridge (and the same area where
Chinese-owned HD Mining set up their operations, which
resulted in the Temporary Foreign Worker court case).
Brett Chapman,
There have been several issues lately that have crept into
Member Representative
Peace River Coal. Most of these have been resolved, but there
are many more to deal with and work through with our
members and the company.
Now is not the time to ignore these issues, as small or
Brothers and sisters it’s that time again; to say hello and
simple as they may seem at first. Negotiations are still a little
update you with progress.
On the bargaining front I am currently in negotiations with over a year off, but we can never afford to sit back and relax;
Pacific Coast Heavy Truck (formally known as Volvo). Pacific we need to stay on top of the issues and iron out the contract
has two locations—one on Annacis Island and one in Surrey— language to ensure we deliver the best possible outcomes for
our members at Peace River Coal.
and I will be negotiating with both at the same time.
Adding to the difficulties is the fact that coal prices are at
Fortunately I don’t anticipate many major problems
an all-time low, which makes it diffithroughout these negotiations as I have
“The
$200
million
dollar
cult for Peace River Coal to reach an
two strong shop stewards to depend
easy agreement, as they will be comparon. These are Brother Rob Coburn expansion at Peace River Coal
ing any proposal to their sales figures
from Volvo on Annacis Island, and
is estimated to create 100
and profit statements. Other mines just
Brother Carl Jaggernath from the
additional job openings”
outside of Tumbler Ridge are also
Surrey location. We all look forward to
a new contract that should satisfy everyone at both of the struggling because of the drop in coal prices.
Luckily for Peace River Coal, they are part of the AngloPacific Coast Heavy Truck locations.
I am also currently assisting brother Everett Cummings in American group and therefore have the resources to press
negotiations with Inland Kenworth, and would like to thank forward through these difficult times, and have been approved
the shop stewards involved who have helped make things to start digging their open pit mine in Roman Mountain, just
much easier. These shop stewards are Brothers Max Mars, south of the current Trend mine.
This is a $200 million dollar expansion, with Peace River
Coal committing $50 million for the first phase of development. It is estimated that 100 additional job openings will be
created during the expansion, bringing Peace River Coal’s
combined operations to a total full-time employment figure
to around 450 workers.
Production from Roman Mountain is said to start in 2014,
and the Operating Engineers look forward to the expansion
into Roman Mountain and the opportunities it may bring our
members and the company.
On a sad note I would like to take a moment to recognize
Brother Richard Alan Martin from Tumbler Ridge, who
worked at Peace River Coal along with his parents, Edward
and Chris Martin.
Richard Martin was a hard-working member that lost his
life due to an ATV accident. Brother Martin will be sadly
missed and our hearts go out to his family.
To all members: be safe out there when at work, at home,
and
even when taking time to engage in fun activities.
Peace River Coal’s Trend mine in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. The company is
Good luck for the season ahead, and we look forward to
expanding into Roman Mountain, with production starting in 2014
seeing see you in the field.
and set to create around 100 new jobs. Photo courtesy Minesight.
10
News
October 2013
District One
Skilled operators are
still needed across
North America
committee members from labour, industry and government
organizations to work on a pilot project called the Accelerated
Apprenticeship Learning for Mobile Crane Operators in B.C.
The project aims to investigate, develop and pilot accelerated
learning for apprenticeships in B.C., and hopefully to reduce
Frank Carr,
completion times while retaining performance and safety
Member Representative
standards. This further highlights the dire need for crane
operators in the province. The committee recently held its
very first meeting, so I will have more to report in the coming
months on how they progress with this initiative.
As you all know, health and safety concerns are paramount
Hello Brothers and Sisters, I hope you had a great summer.
for
IUOE members and the union. We work in safety-sensiI’m happy to report that, thanks to help from the Bargaining
and Steering committees, we have ratified a new three year tive environments and most, if not all employers have safety
Provincial Pile Driving Industry Agreement, with increases to programs which usually include Lock-Out procedures. It’s an
our members’ rates of pay, pension, benefits and premiums. important topic and safety procedure, and I would think that
The agreement includes the Construction Industry of B.C. everyone follows their instructions to the tee, but we someSubstance Abuse Testing and Treatment Program Policy, times think that the task at hand might be done a bit quicker
by cutting corners and not Locking Out.
developed by the sub committee which
“What
excellent
career
Some of these infractions have been brought
Local 115 sat on. This policy is available
at www.clra-bc.com.
opportunities for the next to our attention and I’ve heard a number of
different reasons to justify why it wasn’t done.
Within this industry we have certified generation of operators”
Brothers and Sisters; the procedures are in
Geopac, Hayward Baker, HB Wick
place
to
make
sure
we all go home safe and sound at the end
Drains, and AGI Foundation Contractors as OE employers.
Congratulations to the Brothers that supported the organiz- of every day. Please take the time to Lock Out; we don’t want
ing campaigns; it wouldn’t have happened without you. New any worker wishing they had.
The Brothers at Great West Equipment (Marcels) recently
collective agreements have been mailed out, and once signed
organized and changed their collective agreement from a
by and returned by employers, we will distribute your copies.
In August we had the great honour of hosting the 55th voluntary recognized agreement to certification—congratulaIUOE Canadian Conference in Nanaimo at our hotel, the tions to Brother Al Larson and the crew, great job!
Congratulations are also due to Brother Bryan Railton on
Coast Bastion Hotel. Business Managers, Members Representatives, International Staff and delegates from across Canada his employment with the local union as an organizer. I worked
and the United States attended, including General President with Bryan during the Pile Driving negotiations, and he did
an excellent job of representing the interests of the memberJames Callahan and General Secretary Brian Hickey.
During the Hoisting and Portable caucus of the conference, ship and providing input and insight.
we received construction reports from across the country.
Most reports discussed the fact that skilled operators and
mechanics continue to be in short supply. There are many
mega projects, either ongoing or scheduled to start, that will
need these skills. Crane Operators and Heavy Duty Technicians in particular continue to be in high demand. I’ve said it
before; what excellent opportunities for the next generation of
operators, or anyone that is interested in the profession, to
start a meaningful career in the construction industries!
Currently, the local union is involved with the industry and
the B.C. Association for Crane Safety to develop a pilot
program to bring Washington State crane operators into B.C.
to address our current shortages. The next step in the process
will be for WorkSafeBC to review the program and ultimately
endorse it. Certified U.S. crane operators can then be accepted Crane operators continue to be highly sought after in B.C., with
by the BCACS, and they will help fill the gap.
programs and initiatives set up to accelerate training and obtain
Recently, the Pacific Gateway Skills Table brought together skilled workers from the U.S. Photo courtesy Cameron Miller
News
October 2013
11
District One
“Right to Work” comes
to Canada, while TFW
changes still need
improvement
377) is not required to submit to the scrutiny they seek to
impose on Unions.
This latest attempt at Union busting cannot be swept under
the carpet by our “elected” officials. These are issues that will
affect every working Canadian, as well as many others.
Temporary Foreign Workers and the rules by which they
Don Swerdan,
can be placed in Canada, their wages, and the enforcement on
Member Representative
how employers treat these workers are just the “thin edge of
the wedge” if both the Provincial and Federal government
have their way.
Yes, Local 115, through considerable efforts by Brothers
There has been a lot of activity and negotiations that have
occurred during over the past few months, and as I did not Brian Cochrane and Wayne Mills and staff, have elevated the
catch up with you in the last issue, let me report on some of issue of the Federal Governments L.M.O.’s (Labour Market
Opinions), H.R.D.C.’s policies on the review of the opinions,
what has been going on.
First, the IUOE. General Convention took place during the and the treatment of Temporary Foreign Workers to the
last week of April. This was my first General Convention and national stage.
But, while some changes were made as a direct result of this
was pleased to meet with a number of Business Agents from
Local’s effort, the battle is far from over.
across Canada and the U.S. I was
“This
‘Right
to
Work’
mentality
There are many cases where the
astounded to hear how similar the
and legislation is making its way employment of Temporary Foreign
issues are between our countries.
It was overwhelming to hear of the into Canada, with Ontario being Workers is necessary, but they should
not be employed before a call for hiring
current “Right to Work” legislation
the first guinea pig”
goes out to local communities, first
that certain U.S. states are adopting,
and how there are concerted efforts being made by certain nations, across the provinces and country, and then the U.S.
The newest changes to the TFW program seek to ensure
parties to deliberately weaken and destabilize the Unions.
This mentality and legislation is making its way into this happens, and let’s hope it does, as this would be the most
Canada, with Ontario being the first—and I’m sure not the effective change in terms of ensuring Canadian jobs stay go to
Canadians. This Local will continue to press for training to be
last—out of the gate as a “guinea pig” for this legislation.
It is clear that the current Federal government is support- provided to Canadians before going offshore for workers.
On the recent bargaining front, I assisted Brother Stewart
ing the ‘Right to Work’ approach when you consider, for
example, Bill 377. This Bill seeks, in the apparent guise of Miller and am pleased to report that Local 115 was successful
transparency, to have all Unions submit to a regime of regula- in ratifying a new and first Collective Agreement with Fraser
tory requirements at considerable expense to our membership Richmond Soil and Fibre’s Richmond and North Vancouver
locations.
that NO other “organization” is required to abide by.
Congratulations Stewart and, on behalf of all Local 115
As you’ve seen with the recent scandals in the Senate, even
the Government (who allegedly wrote the legislation for Bill members, let me welcome all these new members!.
These are not work boots.
To some, your used work gear may represent their family’s next meal. They are an education they
can obtain and provide their children. They are an opportunity they otherwise may never have. So
don’t throw them away. IUOE Local 115 is collecting used construction and work gear for the
Burnaby Association for the South East Side, and distributing them to people in need
who want to get to work, but need your help to get them safely equipped to do so.
Contact Brother Don Swerdan on 604-473-5208 to see how you can give your
old gear new life, and change those of less fortunate fellow workers.
12
News
October 2013
Union Organizing
Operators are in demand, and
certification will keep it that way.
Rob Duff,
Organizing Representative
Winter in Kitimat is approaching fast, and snow removal
may become a focus on the KMP site this year, depending on
how Mother Nature decides to treat us this year.
With the bulk of earthworks near completion at the Kitimat
Modernization Project, the project now moves into a different
phase for our membership. The main demand for us will be
for crane operators, servicemen, telehandlers, gantry crane
operators and heavy duty mechanics.
The first phase of the Kemano site will be completed by
October 31, 2013, with the site and crew moved out by then as
well. Word on the ground is that R.T.A. will be making an
announcement soon regarding who will be the appointed
contractor for the second phase, as well as its start date.
As we are approaching our slower time of the year, this is a
good time to take advantage of the training that is available to
our membership. I know I have beat this drum over and over,
but we cannot stress this enough: “HEO certification”. We, as
the OE membership, need to ensure we are leaders in our
chosen industry, and HEO certification is very important to
achieving this goal on many levels.
First, the certification creates the opportunity for us to give
the operation of heavy equipment the respect that it deserves
as the complex and demanding trade that it is.
Second, to strengthen our control over our jurisdiction—as
you are well aware, a number of trades have drifted into our
jurisdiction; with our membership HEO certified, it puts us in
a far stronger position to defend our jurisdiction against those
that challenge our abilities and authority.
Last but not least, there is the issue of mandatory HEO
certification. This has not happened yet, but times (and training regulations) are changing, and this may be the case one
day soon. If and when this happens, we as the OE membership
must lead the way in our own industry.
On the organizing side I have been working on campaigns
that in the very near future I hopefully will be able to give you
more details on. I am keeping my fingers crossed for some
really good news soon. One organizing success I can mention
is new members at Fraser Richmond Soil and Fiber now set to
enjoy their first collective agreement. Thanks to Brothers
Stewart Miller and Don Swerdan for their efforts at the
bargaining table—great job guys.
A special thanks to members that have taken on the added
reasonability of being the Job Stewards. This can be a difficult
task at times, but rest assured it does not go unnoticed.
Mark Bryant - York Construction
Arnie Carrita - Baker Concrete
Kevin Chabot - IDL
Milton Christensen - VK Mason
Jason Ellingson - Comstock
Brian Moonie - Bantrel
Craig Norman - I.D.L
Dispatcher’s Report
Work is out there if
your skills and details
are up to date.
Jim Flynn,
Dispatcher
Hello all.
The work picture has been fairly steady throughout the
summer, and since my last report. There is still a shortage of
crane operators who are willing to work up north on the KMP
project, which is always hiring.
The main reason for the shortage is turnaround; it is hard
to convince our members, let alone their familes, that it’s a
good idea that Mom or Dad should pack a bag and be away
from home for 41 days, and then have seven days at home,
two of which are taken up by traveling.
I would like to ask any members who are booked in to
always keep dispatch updated not only on your skills, but your
availability and contact details as well. It is difficult for us to
fill orders and keep our records up to date when all we can do
is leave messages for you. If you take a travel card or take a job
that you want to stay at, let us know, so that we can take you
off our availability list and open opportunities to other
members.
That being said, if you find yourself not working, always
consider taking the time to upgrade your skills through our
training programs. Not only does this make you more valuable to the skilled labour market, it also helps make our
contractors more competitive, who can then obtain more
work for our membership.
In closing, please be safe as we head into the dangerous wet
seasons. If you find yourself paired with a trainee on your job,
help him or her out to stay safe and learn the ropes—they are
the future of our Union.
News
October 2013
13
sector. Increasing the availability of workers enhances the feasibility of LNG in B.C.
Feature Article
LNG Workforce Action Plan shows
shortage of skilled workers in B.C.
- Bill Tieleman, West Star Communications
Imagine that the only chance to develop a $100 billion
industry, create over 100,000 new jobs, and collect billions in
taxes to pay down the debt and fund healthcare and education all depended on just one thing: finding skilled workers.
That’s exactly the situation facing British Columbia today
with the development of Liquefied Natural Gas, according to
The B.C. government’s ‘Natural Gas Workforce Strategy and Action
a new industry and government report. And failure to act Plan’ describes the many opportunities, and labour shortage
quickly means this huge opportunity could go to competitors problems, that LNG projects present.
in other parts of the world, something B.C. workers are not
unfamilar with or happy about.
The northern B.C. projects would require over 62,000 jobs
The enormous potential of LNG is outlined in the “B.C. to be filled during peak construction (expected by 2017)—
Natural Gas Workforce Strategy and Action Plan”—as is the just a few short years from now. There would be over 21,000
significant challenge of finding and training enough skilled jobs in direct construction created by building the plants and
workers for a wide variety of jobs needed to succeed.
associated pipelines, and another 41,000 jobs in industries
That’s why IUOE Local 115 Business Manager Brian supplying goods and services during the construction phase.
Cochrane and other labour leaders and representatives recentOnce the LNG projects are fully operational, it is expected
ly met with B.C. Premier Christy Clark
75,000 jobs will be created overall in
“As it stands, northern B.C.’s
[see separate story in this issue] to
running the plants and supplying them.
labour
force
will
simply
not
discuss how unions and organized labour
So what does this mean for IUOE
providers can participate in dramatically
Local 115 members, as well as other
be able to meet the labour
increasing skilled trades training in just a
workers and unions? Basically, a huge
demand generated by the
few short years, to meet the demand that
demand for skilled workers in northern
natural gas industry”
is expected to accompany the governB.C., including many of the trades reprement’s LNG development plans.
sented by Local 115 in a variety of B.C. workplaces, especially
Fortunately, the IUOE Local 115 is well placed to help for those willing to relocate northwards (this is one of the
provide some of those skilled workers, as well as train and biggest challenges that the projects must address).
upgrade other workers to fill some of the estimated 62,000
But that demand is far bigger than anything our union, or
jobs in construction of LNG plants and ongoing operations in indeed all B.C. unions can provide right now – and that’s why
northern B.C. Aggressive recruitment and training plans were the immediate need is to put in place measures to solve the
topics of discussion, and Local 115 are already taking prelimi- massive skills shortage the province faces.
nary steps to start creating a preferred, skilled resource pool
But that problem is not a new one. It’s actually surprising
to call on when the projects break ground.
that labour and Liberal leaders only met a few weeks ago,
To put it mildly, the size and scope of LNG jobs and invest- when the issue of skilled labour shortages across the province
ment potential is literally staggering.
have been so prevalent and well documented by both sides,
July 2013
These charts show the various workforce skills that will be required by the LNG projects during construction and operation phases.
14
News
October 2013
11 of 32
Appendix 2: Key B.C. Natural Gas Industry Occupations
Key BC Natural Gas Industry Occupations
not only for future projects, but right now. As the LNG Action
Plan bluntly states:
“Bottom line: As it stands, northern B.C.’s labour force will
simply not be able to meet the labour demand generated by the
growth of the province’s natural gas industry. A plan to address
all the factors impacting labour and skills shortfalls is urgently
required.”
The B.C. Building Trades and Local 115 have pointed out
for years that the provincial government has not done an
adequate job in the past with skills training and apprenticeships. Finally, it’s not just unions ringing the alarm bell—it’s
the government and their commissioned industry reports
joining the call for more investment into trades occupations.
Simply recognizing the problem is welcome news; the report
carries on to say:
“Many of the workers the natural gas industry will need from
northern B.C. will require skills training and upgrading. Some
capacity exists for expanding the current apprenticeship training infrastructure in the northern regions. Nevertheless, new
approaches are needed to ensure the ongoing supply of trained
workers.”
Maybe it’s the LNG projects. Maybe it’s was the scare the
NDP recently gave Premier Christy Clark during campaigning. Or maybe it’s the recent shuffle in the Liberal leadership.
Either way, we are seeing significant and positive developments:
the invitation
by Premier
Clark
to meet on an ongoing
Sourcing
from All Labour
Supply
Pools
basis, while embryonic and with little concrete commitments
As the natural gas labour supply research indicated, workers will need to be sourced from all potential
as
yet, is an olive branch both parties may just be able to build
labour supply pools to address labour demand for B.C. natural gas construction and operations. The table
below
illustrates how
each of the actions
identified in the B.C.
Natural
Gas Workforce Strategy
and Action
a mutually
beneficial
relationship
on.
Meanwhile,
changes
in
Plan supports the broad worker attraction, retention and workforce development required.
Primary Labour Supply Pool Targeted
Youth
Aboriginal
Peoples
Women
Workers
from Other
Industries
New
Canadians
Workers
from
Outside the
Region
Temporary
Workers
Produce regular, realistic labour
market and career information for
the B.C. natural gas construction
and operations.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Develop labour demand information
on the employment opportunities
associated with the contracted
services (indirect jobs) required to
support natural gas activity.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Produce industrial construction
workforce projections for northern B.C.
to 2025 to provide insights into the level
of competition construction of natural
gas projects may face.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Develop and implement a mechanism
for regular communication between
industry and training organizations
regarding training requirements.
•
•
•
•
Support the adoption/expansion of
school-to-work mechanisms (e.g.
dual credit programs) across B.C. to
enhance high school graduation rates
and youth participation in natural gas
related employment.
•
•
•
Develop and implement an entry-level
“Working in the Natural Gas Industry”
program to increase participation
of under-represented groups including
Aboriginal Peoples, women and
immigrants into in-demand natural
gas occupations.
•
•
•
Action
•
•
1
Seismic Operators (pre-drilling);
Drilling Rig Technicians/Workers,
Directional Drillers, Measurement
While Drilling (MWD) Technicians,
Heavy Equipment Operators, Truck
Drivers, Heavy Duty Mechanics,
Welders, Geoscientists, Field
Engineers, Crane Operators, EH&S
Specialists*, Well Service Operators
LNG Plant/Control Room/
Marine Operators, Industrial
Electricians, Instrumentation
Technicians, Millwrights,
Electrical/Instrumentation/
Mechanical Engineers, Chemists,
Laboratory Technicians
STIMULATION & PRODUCTION
PROCESSING
3
2
Service Rig Workers,
Well Service Operators,
Fracturing Operators,
Truck Drivers, Well Testers,
Field Production Operators,
Field Engineers
Employment outside
of Natural Gas industry
TRANSMISSION
4
Gas Plant/Control
Room Operators, Power
Engineers, Millwrights,
Instrumentation
Technicians, Industrial
Electricians, Quality
Assurance, Mechanical/
Chemical Engineers
Pipeline/Compressor Station
Operators, Millwrights,
Instrumentation Technicians,
Electrical/Instrumentation/
Mechanical/Corrosion
Engineers, Quality Assurance,
Heavy Equipment Operators
Employment outside
of Natural Gas industry
Employment outside
of Natural Gas industry
DELIVERY to MARKETS
* These specialists are needed in every phase.
From
drillers to truck drivers to electricians to operators, the LNG
projects will attract workers from myriad occupations—and unions.
© Ingenia Consulting 2012
the leadership of the Industry Training Authority (the government organization responsible for skilled trades training and
apprenticeships) could promise a change from its historical
inability to recognize and rectify the skilled worker development problems that we now have to deal with today.
The LNG Action Plan is clear that skilled workers from
other parts of BC will also be needed.
July 2013
31 of 32
“In terms of attracting migrants from other regions of B.C.,
areas such as the Vancouver Island/Coast, Thompson/Okanagan and Kootenay all have an industrial and occupational base
that is transferable to the natural gas and heavy industrial
construction industry.”
While the report doesn’t go so far as to discuss in detail the
possibility of bringing in workers from outside of Canada, it
does contemplate the subject—an inevitable challenge which
remains for both labour and government.
As we learned with the Temporary Foreign Workers being
appointed at the HD Mining coal mine project in Tumbler
Ridge, and with close public and media attention on the TFW
program and its promises and changes, this is an area where
decision-makers will have to tread lightly. That’s why Local
115 and the labour movement will be vigilant in protecting
the rights of B.C. and Canadian workers to be first in line for
LNG jobs. But even in this regard Premier Clark has agreed,
saying that sourcing skills from outside Canada, or even B.C.,
are “last resort” options.
By working cooperatively and developing an equal partner
relationship between industry, governments, and labour, the
LNG sector could provide the biggest single boost in jobs for
our union, and the province, for generations—and that’s
nothing but good news for everyone.
You can download the B.C. Natural Gas Workforce Strategy and
Action Plan, read news updates, and learn how to get involved in
northern B.C. projects by visiting www.iuoe115.com
Workers will need to be sourced from all potential labour pools to
address demand.
July 2013
DRILLING & COMPLETIONS
Feature Article
25 of 32
News
October 2013
15
District Two
Slow start to the season may be the least of
our concerns for 2013
Curtis Harold and Tim Cullen,
Member Representatives
The work picture on Vancouver Island has had a really slow started up in September and will see approximately 28 more
start this year—the rain during May and June was not a very wind mills going up.
good way to kick off the construction season. Then finally,
Once the weather warmed up in July the paving crews
along came the sun and we never saw any rain in July. This started fixing and upgrading our roads. Some of the notable
seemed to get everyone into gear, and away we went!
projects were Hub City Paving upgrading the Trans Canada
Upland Excavating Ltd. has been busy doing some prelimi- highway south of Ladysmith, while Island Asphalt were kept
nary work at the John Hart Dam site in Campbell River, as busy working on Sooke Rd., the Craigflower Bridge approachwell as some upgrading to the city’s downtown core. Upland is es, and Highway 14 to Port Renfrew.
also working at both the area’s
Our industrial shops have had a
“2013
started
with
the
promise
of
a
mining sites again this year.
mixed bag of work this summer;
NDP Provincial Government but
Hazelwood Construction Servicsome were very busy while others
es Inc. has been very involved in turned out with not only the Liberals reported business as usual, with no
run-of-the-river projects. At the
noticeable growth or changes. Hopebeing voted back in, but we also
time of writing they were finishing
fully everyone in the shops will be
have a new union to consider”
up the interior’s Gold Bridge project,
busier next year.
hard at work on Vancouver Island near Sutton Pass, and also
There are a few upcoming projects we are hoping to secure
won the lowest bid on the Toba Inlet project.
work on. These include phase two of the Cape Scott Wind
Chew Excavating Ltd. is having a very busy season so far in Farm, ongoing maintenance on the John Hart Dam, and
the Victoria area. One of the larger projects keeping them construction on the hospitals in Campbell River and Comox.
busy is the old Producers Pit property in Metchosin.
We are currently in bargaining sessions with United Rentals
Advantage Cranes and RKM were very involved with the Ltd. (Vancouver Island Divisions) and Victoria Materials
first phase of the Cape Scott Wind Farm. This initial phase Depot, a division of Lehigh. We have accepted proposals from
consisted of erecting 55 windmills, while the second phase members for bargaining with our utility companies, Upland,
The Island Asphalt crew working at the approach
to the new Craigflower Bridge in View Royal
(architect’s drawing inset). Brothers Jordan
Ingram, Fred Shippit, Derrick Dash, Jordie
Thorton, Erin Reed, Ken Hawes, Mike
Iannidinardo, Kevin Driscoll stand left to right
behind Sister Becka Jackson.
16
News
October 2013
News
July 2013
District Two
Hazelwood and Chew. We have also taken proposals for our
paving industry, which consists of Hub City Paving, Haylock
Bros. Paving, and the OK Industries Group of Companies.
These agreements expire in February 2014, and we are doing
our best to get a good head start towards getting our new
agreements settled as soon as we can.
We have an interesting development in Port Hardy right
now with the district cancelling their subcontract with
EPCOR, who were the appointed contractors handling the
district’s water and waste water; this means that the eight
members who were working for EPCOR will be coming back
into our group of members. It will be nice to have the group all
back together again. We are also in bargaining with the Port
Hardy district offices, so this works out well for dealing with
bargaining and successorship issues, all at the same time.
All in all we have had an interesting 2013 so far on Vancouver Island. It started with us hoping for an NDP Provincial
Government, but turned out that not only are the Liberals
back in charge, but we also have a new Union to consider.
UNIFOR is a new Private Sector Union that was formed by
the joining of CEP. (the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada) and CAW. (the Canadian Auto
Workers). This makes UNIFOR the biggest industrial union
in the history of the Canadian labour movement, with well
over 300,000 members coast to coast, and $50 million pledged
over five years to further increase membership.
We are concerned that UNIFOR may become another
Union that starts to get more involved with representing
people who work in Local 115’s traditional construction and
industrial sectors.
Add to this the fact that UNIFOR openly admits to adopting a more militant approach, there are concerns floating
around that they may become supporters of mass protest
Wind turbines installed near Cape Scott. Phase 1 has been completed,
with the installation of 55 windmills, while Phase 2 has recently
started and will see at another 28 going up.
action rather than negotiations, should their (large) voice not
be heard in political circles. The keynote speaker at UNIFOR’s
launch, activist and open critic of corporate culture Naomi
Klein, is well known for her support of sometimes violent
social uprisings. During her speech, Klein sent the message
out that, thanks to their big membership, the time has come
“to make big bold demands, and take big action. The kind of
action that will shift the public’s imagination, and change our
sense of what’s possible.”
We should never let our guard down against possibilities
such as this, or one day we could all be on the outside looking
in. It is up to every concerned member to pay attention to not
only what the politicians are doing, but be aware of what other
unions are up to as well.
The Brothers and Sisters of this Union make us strong and
need to get even more involved, and if that means simply
going out to your Union meetings, then please do it.
Stay safe.
Chew Excavating at Royal Bay with
Brothers Clint Hogarth, Rob
Rossbourough, and Ian Johnson. Chew
are also busy at the Metchosin
Producing Pit (inset), converting the
closed gravel pit for residential use.
News
October 2013
17
District Three
Paving work still
strong while shops
are overflowing
Vernon Paving unfortunately has had a slow season this
year thanks mainly to a lot of rain in the area during the first
few months. During the summer we were able to complete
our first round of bargaining with this group since we raided
them from CLAC. So far we have brought them onto our
Brad Gerow,
Benefits Plan, as well as made changes to their pension.
Member Representative
Westlake Paving has had a busier year and we are going
into our bargaining sessions at the end of September. Currently, they are paving Harvey Avenue in Kelowna (Highway 97).
Emil Anderson Construction has also had a slower season
Brothers and Sisters:
than normal in our area, but has kept a good number of
Summer has officially ended, and although we had a slow members working nonetheless. They completed a paving job
start to the construction season, things are busy even at this in Greenwood and have picked up work on Kelowna’s new
point for District 3.
rapid bus line, including a number of bus stops along the
Brentwood has kept themselves busy so far this year at the route.
Telus site in Kamloops doing the earth works and pipe work
CGL seems to be working steadily in many areas, including
for that project. They have also been at work performing Salmon Arm, Kelowna, Kamloops and Vernon, mainly doing
derailments with the railway.
“Many shops are busting at the underground utility work.
672462 B.C. Ltd. won the two
Shops in the area are very busy with
seams and don’t have enough
contracts for the Highway 1 project
mining in the area keeping them going
room for people and equipment”
east of Kamloops. These are actually
strong. The mines are providing a
two separate projects—the smaller of the two is well under- steady stream of parts, equipment, and repairs jobs to keep
way, while the larger project had a later start date, but both are members busy. In fact, many of these shops are busting at the
is moving along at a great pace as we speak.
seams and don’t have enough room in their shops or yards for
Dawson’s paving crew has been busy with projects through- the people and equipment coming in; some have even considout the area, including Chase, Salmon Arm, and a section of ered moving to larger facilities, or have already done so, to
the Okanagan Connector. In between these they have also allow for the large influx of work.
been finishing smaller projects in and around the town.
In closing, I would like to remind everyone of the imporB.A. Dawson Blacktop has been working all season in tance of organizing to help the Union grow. If you or someone
Salmon Arm at the new Walmart site, building the road into you know is working non-union, drop us a line to let us know
the massive retail site. Meanwhile they are also building where. Talk with the people you are working with about the
changes to Highway 1 to allow for turn lanes.
benefits of working under a Collective Agreement with the
Brothers Aaron Ulvid and Brad
Wallace, Brock Owens, Darren
Arrance, Chad Schindler, and
Mike Tallmadge of Westlake’s
Paving crew with their equipment
at work on Highway 97.
18
News
October 2013
District Four
Training programs up north is the Union and
members’ ticket to success
Herb Conat and Wayne Kemp,
Member Representatives
The District 4 work picture has changed substantially this
year from last. For starters, we are still extremely busy in the
Terrace Kitimat Prince Rupert area, and we are expecting the
spring to be a whirlwind of activity as we are waiting for the
green light to be given on several projects within the district.
The Operating Engineers Training Association plays a
significant role in the growth of our organization. This was
highlighted at the Union Executive Board meeting in September, where a motion was passed for the Local Union and
Training Association to develop a strategic plan to maximize
work opportunities for the Operating Engineers in northern
British Columbia.
Already preliminary progress has been made, and we have
some exciting plans to ensure we capitalise on what is a oncein-a-generation opportunity to grow our membership and
create job opportunities for so many people.
Creating a strategic plan to provide the training and
manpower needed in the northern parts of the province will
ensure the Local is ready to provide ready, willing and able
members to the projects and our signatory contractors.
In preparation for the pipelines, LNG plants, and mining
developments, it is important to ensure that all members’
tickets are current. This includes your WHMIS, First Aid,
Hearing Test, Telehandler, and CSTS qualifications.
The paving industry within the district has been busy, and
with winter fast approaching the companies are working diligently to complete their contracts. Columbia Bitulithic and
the paving crew have had a full season with city contract work
and have completed the paving on the Boundary Road
Connector for Western Industrial Contractors.
Industrial shops throughout the district have been increasing their market share in the mining sector. There has been a
turnaround in the forest industry in the Prince George and
Mackenzie area, providing some extra volume for the shops.
Almost all the shops are looking for any type of mechanic who
has a Red Seal Ticket, so anyone considering completing their
qualification should know there is an excellent career path
here.
In closing, we would like to welcome all new Local 115
members, and to also thank the stewards and safety representatives for their dedication and countless hours they spend
assisting the membership as we work together for a safer and
better work place.
Work safe
District 3 Member Representative Brad Gerow is joined by the team from Entrec at the Highland Valley Copper Mill Modernization in Logan
Lake. He is joined by Brothers Lee Stein, Fred Becvar, Geoff Wheatley, Darren Bradburry, Perry Malcolm, Derek Graham, Dwayne Smith, Will
Terpstra, District 1 Member Representative Frank Carr, Jason Krickan, Chad Jorgensen, Pete Buitendyk.
19
News July 2013
News
October 2013
19
Feature Article
B.C. Premier meets with labour
leaders on LNG workforce
LNG projects prove that government’s cooperation with
labour unions is fundamental to success.
On September 9th, 2013, B.C. Premier Christy Clark held a
round table meeting with prominent local labour leaders
including IUOE Local 115 to discuss strengthening relations
between her Liberal government and the province’s unions.
The meeting comes at a time when the Premier realizes
that cooperation and input from the unionized workforce is Unions partnering with the Liberal government to address labour
crucial. Top of the agenda was her cabinet’s commitment to issues is something all agree to as critical for the province.
LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) projects and its recently- starting the dialogue where we can work cooperatively, solving
published Workforce Strategy and Action Plan, which the problem” said the Premier. “People don’t care about poliproposes the challenges and opportunities associated with tics. They care about jobs.”
assembling a suitable LNG workforce.
B.C. Federation of Labour President
“People don’t care about
The Plan has adopted the mandate to
Jim Sinclair agreed that the meeting was
politics. They care about jobs”
“Build the capacity within industry,
an important step in improved relations,
B.C. Premier Christy Clark
labour supply partners and communisaying “We’re committed to continuing
ties to address current and future natural gas construction and dialogue into finding real answers that put British Columbioperations workforce requirements.”
ans to work at decent paying jobs with the skills they need.”
Some 75,000 permanent and 60,000 temporary jobs are
Clark also proposed a committee of employers, labour and
reportedly up for grabs if the long-term LNG projects are real- government representatives to focus on making sure British
ized over at least the next five years. However, even at this Columbians are “first in line” for LNG jobs, calling offshore
preliminary stage, the Plan recognizes the shallow pool of sourcing an “absolute last resort.” A draft terms of reference
skilled labour in B.C., stating “...northern B.C.’s labour force document has been proposed for the committee, and may be
will simply not be able to meet the labour demand generated finalized by September 30.
by the growth of the province’s natural gas industry.”
“We will continue to work with the Premier and government
Premier Clark’s meeting may be a critical first step in in taking the next steps toward ensuring B.C. and Canadian
addressing the realities that labour unions face every day; workers are looked after and prosper along with the province”
ensuring an adequate, skilled workforce is available where and says Local 115 Business Manager Brian Cochrane. “We will
when needed - something LNG investors also look for.
work in partnership with any organization or government
“We need to put aside our differences and get to work, which demonstrates a genuine commitment to these goals.”
On September 9th B.C. Premier Christy Clark
met with prominent labour leaders, including
Local 115’s Business Manager Brian Cochrane.
The meeting discussed potential agreements
between her Liberal government and the
unions to meet the labour demands of the
proposed LNG projects in Northern B.C.
To stay updated on this story, visit the news
section of www.iuoe115.com
20
News
October 2013
District Five
Megaprojects start to
gather steam
As Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) exports inch closer to
reality, Shell plans to add two more plants of the same capacity
within the next ten years. It takes upwards of 300 gas wells to
supply their Saturn 1 plant and 100 more wells are planned for
Mike Spiruda,
Member Representative
drilling this year alone. Presently, the gas will be shipped east
and eventually to their Kitimat LNG project.
Trans Canada Pipeline’s subsidiary Nova Gas Transmission
(NGT) is now planning to build the North Montney Mainline
section in the northeast.
This will be the first construction phase of a 48” gas pipeThe Federal and Provincial regulatory authorities have line to be laid in our province which will run from the
stated that the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Groundbirch Mainline (Saturn Section), running 35 km
Site C dam on the Peace River is satisfactory for further review. southwest of Fort St. John to the Buckinghorse River area,
Subsequently, in early August the provincial government reaching a total length of 305 km.
went ahead and selected three individuals and appointed
An application will be submitted to the National Energy
them to the Joint Review Panel.
Board in the fourth quarter of this
“It
takes
upwards
of
300
gas
wells
Once the EIS is approved by the
year and, pending regulatory approvpanel, one last round of public hearto supply their Saturn 1 plant and al, construction of this $1.5 billion
ings will be heard, and then the panel
segment will begin construction
100 more wells are planned for
will ultimately decide the fate of the
during the summer of 2015.
drilling this year alone.”
proposed 900 megawatt, $8 Billion
With all these massive LNG infraproject in 2014.
structure and pipeline projects planned to bstart soon, it was
Of course, we will keep a close eye on the outcomes as the an impressive day in September to see Local 115 Business
decision could have a profound impact on our members in Manager Brian Cochrane and the Building Trades invited by
terms of work opportunities and boost our engagement with Christy Clark and her government to discuss how to jointly
the various companies and contractors that will be involved in develop a jobs and training strategy plan for the anticipated
Site C’s construction.
work on the horizon.
Shell Canada meanwhile has commissioned their state-ofThis is an enormous step forward in equipping British
the-art ‘Saturn 1’ gas processing plant, located at the Montney Columbians with the necessary skills required to meet the
shale gas play. This plant is capable of producing 200 million growing demand of tradespeople in our province, while at the
cubic feet of gas per day, which is approximately 6 per cent of same time leaving the temporary foreign worker option on
British Columbia’s current overall natural gas production. the back burner (where they should be).
This particular project employed many members of LaPrairie
It creates an inspiring state of affairs for all British ColumCrane over a two year period, and hopefully should sustain bians, Canadians, government, and investors alike.
further work for many years to come.
Work Safe!
An artist’s impression of how
BC Hydro’s Site C dam will look
once completed, which could
take up to 10 years.
The dam is estimated to cost at
least $7.9 billion to build and
will generate around 1
gigawatt of power - enough
for 450,000 homes.
B.C.’s Deputy Minister and
Minister of Energy and Mines
Richard Coleman says that the
project will generate 33,000
jobs and will contribute $3.2
billion towards B.C.’s GDP.
News
October 2013
21
District Six
As work slows, we
should count our
successes and plan
ahead
The Waneta Expansion is rolling along with the majority of
our work on the project still being with the cranes. There have
been no major issues from our tradespeople on the job, as we
(Rob Foskett and myself) have been able to get any membership issues ironed out in a timely and well-organized manner.
As the season slows, it is a good time for equipment operaBrian Lefebvre,
tors to consider working toward their Heavy Equipment
Member Representative
Operator (HEO) Certification.
Although it is not mandatory, it is a credential that will help
you get ahead of the rest , whether or not HEO certification
Fall has crept up on us, and winter is just around the corner. becomes mandatory. Let’s face it, certifications will be the
As you are reading this, we are in the throes of electing a standard in the industry in one way or another.
Bargaining Committee at Line Creek to represent the memberThis is a good thing that should be embraced and not
ship when we get to the bargaining table with Teck.
avoided; certified workers make for a safer, more productive
This upcoming round of bargaining
work environment and more competiwill be no easy task, but with your “Certified workers make for a tive members. Add to this our Training
safer, more productive work
support, the committee will do our best
Association’s excellent courses, and
to obtain the changes to the agreements
every Local 115 equipment operator has
environment and more
that the membership deserves and trusts
no reason not to look into upgrading
competitive members.”
us to accomplish on their behalf. It’s
their skills.
great when we are able to deliver an improved workplace and
This past August I was fortunate to attend the 55th Canaway of life for any member, at any site.
dian Conference in Nanaimo, B.C.; what a top-notch
On the construction side of things, work is starting to wind Conference, with plenty of information shared from the other
down slowly. With the persistent rain creating a late start for Operating Engineers Locals across Canada.
most in the construction season, this year hasn’t been the best
As one of the three host Locals, I was very proud of our
for employment opportunities for our membership, but it organization’s efforts in putting this conference together.
definitely has not been the worst. Not only that, we may see a Sister Lynda Arland and Sister Sarita Stad went above and
few more weeks of dry weather persist, allowing the paving beyond what has been done before at any of our conferences
crews to keep at it.
with regards to logistics and organizing the event to be a
In fact, at times this summer we have been unable to fill success. It was flawless, the delegates appreciated their efforts,
orders and have had to rely on other Dispatch Halls in our and best of all, they weren’t shy in telling us so.
Local to assist us with workers.
Work safe and be safe
Member Reps Brian Lefebvre and Brad
Gerow with Minister of Transportation
Todd Stone kicking off the Highway 1
Monte Creek expansion project with
Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP Cathy
McLeod also ceremoniously breaking
ground.
22
News
October 2013
District Six
Bargaining becomes
a priority as the
season changes
Rob Foskett,
Member Representative
It has been a fairly good summer out here in the Kootenays,
with the coal prices leveling off and the mines staying on an
even keel. Teck is predicting much of the same for next year’s
budgets, so the steady work provided to our shops in the
district is projected to remain about the same.
On the construction front, the Waneta Dam Expansion
project is a little over half way completed, and still running
smoothly. As with any project of this size, there are always a
few hiccups to deal with, but smooth nonetheless.
On the bargaining front, the Village of New Denver is set to
start their discussions in October, while we’re also in the final
stages of a new Columbia River Reload shifts and schedule
letter of understanding, which looks set to be rolled out in
October.
As the summer winds down and the cooler weather creeps
up on us, and the leaves begin to change colour and drop off
the trees, it signals the end of another busy season of road
construction in District 6. Many crews are starting to wind
down as their contracts are coming to completion.
You still see the odd rogue camper or fifth wheel flying
down the highway trying to get work done during the last of
the warm weather before the fall transition takes over.
Speaking of transitions, it has taken the better part of this
year to make some headway with SMS Equipment and the
IUOE in our quest for a harmonious relationship through
Union/Management meetings.
Union/management language came into the Collective
Agreement in the last round of bargaining, and some participants on the company’s team have since made way for new
blood, and instead of immediately launching into a fight for
everything on the table, we can now discuss issues before they
come to a head. Cooler heads will always prevail.
In closing, congratulations to both Sparwood Secondary
graduate Steven Bewski, and Fernie Secondary graduate
Kaylee Kormilo for being recipients of an IUOE Scholarship
award of $500 each.
Lastly, I would like to thank the District 6 membership for
electing me to attend the 18th annual IUOE Canadian Conference. This year’s conference was proudly hosted by B.C. in
Nanaimo this past August, and I found it to be an excellent
event which I hope to attend again.
Work safe.
Graduates Kaylee Kormilo from Fernie Secondary, and Steven Bewski
from Sparwood Secondary receive their IUOE Scholarship awards.
IUOE Local 115’s booth at Kamloops’ 2013 Labour Day picnic.
News
October 2013
23
Benefits Plan
Know your retirement
options and plan
ahead
Shawn Hatch,
Administrator
Choosing between pension options can be a difficult task,
but is one of the most important decisions you will make as
you enter retirement.
Before making your choice, you must first take into consideration your particular circumstances, and then understand
the options available to you.
Do you have a Spouse?
In this Plan, “Spouse” means:
(a) a person who, at the relevant date, was married to the
Member and who, if living separate and apart from the Member
at the relevant date, did not live separate and apart from the
Member for longer than the 2 year period immediately preceding the relevant date, or
(b) if paragraph (a) does not apply, a person who was living
and cohabitating with the Member in a marriage-like relationship, including a marriage-like relationship between persons of
the same gender, and had been living and cohabiting in that
relationship for a period of at least 2 years immediately preceding the relevant date.
By law, if you have a Spouse, you must choose an option
that provides your Spouse with at least 60 per cent of your
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merchandise in stock!
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Show your Local 115 pride!
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24
News
October 2013
pension to continue after your death. Your Spouse can sign a
waiver giving up his or her right to this.
If your Spouse determines that waiving his/her right to a
minimum amount of survivor pension is the right decision,
then you would be permitted to choose a pension with a lesser
amount of pension for your Spouse or no pension at all for
your Spouse after your death.
The forms of pension that are available under your Plan
(referred to as ‘optional’ forms of pension) include three
options called ‘Joint’ and ‘Survivor’ options. The Joint and
Survivor options, which would all provide a continuing
pension to your Spouse after your death, available under your
plan are:
Joint and Survivor 100% - your Spouse receives 100% of
your pension for her/his lifetime after your death (Option 5)
Joint and Survivor 2/3 – your Spouse receives 2/3 of your
pension for her/his lifetime after your death (Option 6)
Joint and Survivor 1/2 – your Spouse receives 1/2 of your
pension for her/his lifetime after your death (Option 7)
Please note that a Joint and Survivor 1/2 does not satisfy the
law referred to above and would require the spousal waiver, also
referred to above.
As a result of electing an option providing a greater amount
of coverage for your Spouse after your death, the monthly
amount of your pension is reduced accordingly.
For example, providing the same monthly amount to your
Spouse after your death will result in a lower monthly amount
than if you provided no coverage for your Spouse after your
death. However, electing a Joint and Survivor option and
providing for a lifetime pension to your Spouse will help with
financial commitments after your death.
Benefits Plan
BC LIONS vs. CALGARY STAMPEDERS
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$10 TICKET DISCOUNT for IUOE 115 MEMBERS
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Things to consider when weighing these options are:
•
•
•
What other income sources will continue or may discontinue going to your spouse after your death (e.g. CPP, Old
Age Security, other income)?
Does your Spouse have his or her own pension?What financial commitments will you have after your retirement
(living expenses, mortgages, other debt)?
You cannot change your spouse under a Joint and Survivor
option once the pension has commenced. If your Spouse
passes away before you do, the pension will end upon your
death and will not continue to any other person. Even if you
had a new spouse on your death.
If you do not have a Spouse or if your Spouse agrees to sign
a waiver forfeiting their right to a lifetime pension of at least
60 per cent, you may choose a Joint and Survivor ½ Pension,
a straight Life pension with no continuation after your death,
or a Life Pension with a 5, 10, or 15 year certain guarantee
period:
Straight Life – your pension ends upon your death. No
benefit is paid to a beneficiary or Spouse. (Option 1)
Life with 5 Years Certain (Normal Pension) – this is the
base pension from which all the other options are calculated.
This pension is paid to you for your life but if you pass away
prior to 60 months of payments being made, the remaining
months will be paid to your beneficiary. For example, if you
passed away exactly 4 years after the start of your pension,
under this option another 12 monthly payments would be paid
to your beneficiary. After a total of 60 payments had been made,
the pension will stop. (Option 2.)
Life with 10 Years Certain – this option works the same as
Life with 5 Years Certain except that the certain guarantee
period is 10 years (120 months) instead of 5 years (60 months).
This is Option 3.
Life with 15 Years Certain – this option works the same as
Life with 5 Years Certain except that the Certain guarantee
period is 15 years (180 months) instead of 5 years (60 months).
This is Option 4.
As a result of electing an option providing a longer certain
guarantee period, which will guarantee a certain period of
payments to your beneficiary or estate, the monthly amount
of your pension is reduced accordingly.
Remember that if you choose a form of pension that
provides a certain guarantee period and you survive beyond
the certain guarantee period, there will be no continuing
payments after your death.
In addition to the above options, each of the Joint and
Survivor options can also be elected with a 5, 10 or 15 Year
Certain guarantee. Under any of these options, the pension is
payable for your lifetime and, on your death, payable for your
Spouse’s lifetime.
Should you pass away before the 5, 10 or 15 Year Certain
period has expired, then your Spouse will receive the pension
amount that you were receiving until the end of the Certain
Period. At the end of the 5, 10 or 15 Year Certain period, the
amount payable to your Spouse for her lifetime will revert to
either half or 2/3 of the pension amount that you were
receiving.
If both of you decease prior to the end of the 5, 10 or 15
year Certain Period, the remaining payments of the Certain
period will be paid to the applicable beneficiary or estate. The
options are as follows:
•
•
•
Joint and Survivor 100% with 5 Years Certain (Option 8)
Joint and Survivor 100% with 10 Years Certain (Option 11)
Joint and Survivor 100% with 15 Years Certain (Option 14)
•
•
•
Joint and Survivor 2/3 with 5 Years Certain (Option 9)
Joint and Survivor 2/3 with 10 Years Certain (Option 12)
Joint and Survivor 2/3 with 15 Years Certain (Option 15)
•
•
•
Joint and Survivor 1/2 with 5 Years Certain (Option 9)
Joint and Survivor 1/2 with 10 Years Certain (Option 12)
Joint and Survivor 1/2 with 15 Years Certain (Option 15)
We understand that these options can sometimes be
confusing or overwhelming. If you need further assistance in
understanding any of the information described here, please
contact the Plan Administrator.
News
October 2013
25
Canadian Conference
55th Annual Canadian Conference
Introduction by Rob Foskett,
District 6 Member Representative
It was my pleasure in August to attend the 55th Annual
International Union of Operating Engineers’ Canadian
Conference, hosted by our Local in conjunction with Local
963 and 882.
This was the perfect opportunity to share our western
hospitality on behalf of the entire Local 115 membership,
welcoming everyone in attendance and promising a valuable,
enjoyable event for all who joined us.
As always, the conference is an excellent venue to meet and
share stories and ideas with other delegates from the other
Canadian locals, as well as the attending International Reps,
solidifying those relationships while creating new ones.
Canadian Conference President Mike Gallagher’s opening
remarks contained colourful humour tied in with some very
serious issues that have been going on in our country over the
past year. These topics included:
• Bills C-377, and C-525 (both anti-union)
• Training and Partnerships with First Nations councils
• The 38th IUOE General Convention
• National Training Fund
• Stationary Engineers
• “Build Force” (Construction Sector Council replacement)
• Temporary Foreign Workers Program
• Keystone Pipeline
Attending delegates also heard from a wide variety of
profound speakers, such as:
• James T. Callahan – General President, International
Union of Operating Engineers
• Brian Hickey – General Secretary/Treasurer IUOE
• John Carruthers – President Enbridge Northern Gateway
Pipeline
• John Horgan – BC NDP MLA, Energy Critic
• Ray Goodfellow – President, Crane Rental Association
• Linda McQuaig – Journalist and best-selling author
• Stu McNish – Award winning Television Reporter
• Fraser Cocks – Exec. Dir. BC Association for Crane Safety
• Jim Murphy – IUOE Canadian Regional Director
It comes with pride that I learnt over the days of the conference that a number of delegates had never been to British
Columbia previously, and, after our conference, now plan on
coming back for a vacation in the future.
I hope the pictures on the following pages capture some of
the learning, fun, and inspiration we shared and gathered
during this valuable event
26
News
October 2013
The annual IUOE Canadian Conference for 2013 was held this year in
Nanaimo’s Coast Bastion Hotel, which is owned by the IUOE Local 115
Benefits and Pension Plan. The year also marks the 25th year since
the event was last held in Nanaimo, at the same venue.
Canadian Conference
Left: The Coast Bastion Hotel in
Nanaimo, owned by IUOE Local
115’s Pension and Benefits Plan,
hosted the 55th Canadian
Conference. From left to right
are Local 772 Business Manager
Greg Hoath, Local 793 Business
Manager Mike Gallagher, Local
115 President Wayne Mills, guest
speaker Linda McQuaig, and
Local 115 Business Manager
Brian Cochrane.
Clockwise from right: The main
conference room at the Coast
Bastion Hotel with attending
delegates; Singing the national
anthem during the opening
ceremonies are Local 793 Business
Manager Mike Gallagher, Local 772
Business Manager Greg Hoath,
Local 987 President Belinda
Blanchard, and Local 115 Business
Manager Brian Cochrane; Guests
and delegates were treated to
traditional dancing from Nanaimo’s
Snuneymuxw First Nation group.
News
October 2013
27
Canadian Conference
55th Annual Canadian Conference
Above left to right: Local 115 Business Manager Brian Cochrane; IUOE General Secretary Brian Hickey delivering his address; Prolific and wellknown Canadian journalist, columnist, non-fiction author and social critic Linda McQuaig delivered an inspiring and informative speech.
Left: General President
James T. Callahan
generously praised the
efforts of the Canadian
IUOE Locals both for the
event and organizing
successes.
Right: IUOE Local 115
past president Jack
Whittaker was awarded
his 50 year member
award during the
conference.
General President James T. Callahan discussing matters with conference delegates.
28
News
October 2013
Nanaimo’s rich mining history was on display to
enjoy at their museum’s coal mine exhibit.
Training Association
Training takes centre
stage at events, and
on government
agendas
Brad Randall,
Training Administrator
Hello to all members and friends of Local 115.
We have had a great summer at the Training Association,
with many exciting projects and initiatives taking place.
It’s great to see how skills training is taking the spotlight as
an important part of the growth of our province and its people.
Annual Open House
The third Saturday in June this year fell on the 15th, and
marked our 18th Annual Open House and Heavy Equipment
Rodeo at our Maple Ridge training site.
Over 1,000 members and their families, along with the
general public, came out for an enjoyable day operating the
equipment, talking to staff and friends, and enjoying a great
lunch. This year the weather cooperated and we had a beautiful sunny day, and once again we had our very popular
6-person golf carts to shuttle people back and forth from the
parking area to the equipment and offer some respite from the
summer sun.
As always there was additional equipment supplied to us by
several generous equipment dealers and contractors. A huge
thank you goes out to them and the 80-plus volunteers who
came out to make the day a great success; without their tireless
effort there would be no such event; many thanks.
I would also like to thank Brother Marvin Salvail for doing
an outstanding job taking all of the pictures at our Open
House. Of course, the Training Association staff also did
another fantastic job of organizing and running the open
house.
In conjunction with the open house events, donations were
taken for Dollars against Diabetes. This year, over $1,500.00
was raised for this worthwhile charity. Thank you to everyone
who donated.
On-the-Job Training
Emil Anderson has been working for the Prince Rupert
Port Authority on the port expansion project on Ridley Island
near Prince Rupert, B.C.
Emil Anderson has partnered with the Coast Tsimshian
Enterprises, a local First Nations group, to investigate ways to
engage with and offer training and work opportunities to the
local community. As part of this effort, the OE Training Association sent two instructors to the job site (Brothers Garry
Jabs and Robyn Bishop) to work with Emil Anderson to train
the First Nations students on the operation of excavators,
loaders, dozers and rock trucks.
The project consists mainly of earthmoving and rock work,
including 8.6 kilometres of rail and road bed, a concrete box
underpass, a utility corridor, and installation of inbound and
outbound rail tracks. Major quantities include 640,000m³ of
saturated overburden, 1,165,000m³ of solid rock drilling and
blasting, and 2,035m of water main. The project began in
February of 2013, and has a projected completion date of
December 31, 2014.
Working together with Emil Anderson on this project was
a very rewarding and beneficial experience for both the Union
and the company. We have created First Nations members in
the area who are now on a career path of operating heavy
equipment and becoming prosperous members, while Emil
Anderson was able to provide First Nations with productive
employment and valuable guidance on their project.
Brothers Brian Cochrane
(Business Manager), Brad
Randall (Administrator), Herb
Conat (Member
Representatives), Garry Jabs
(Instructor) and Robyn Bishop
(Instructor) with members
working for Emil Anderson on
the Prince Rupert Port
Authority’s port expansion
project on Ridley Island near
Prince Rupert.
News
October 2013
29
Training Association
Skills Canada National Competition
The Training Association received a great deal of exposure
by setting up a 20’ x 30’ active display booth at this year’s 19th
Annual Skills Canada National Competition held at B.C. Place
in June. Our mobile simulator trailer, along with our electric
over hydraulic mini digger and sand box was popular with the
visitors who came over to see our setup and view our information display booth.
The event was a great success with over 500 competitors
and 7,500 attendees during the two-day Competition. Besides
informative booths and demonstrations, the event featured
skilled competitors from a huge variety of trades coming from
all across Canada, vying for the title of National Champion for
their respective trade or technology area.
The Training Association also participated in the Annual
Provincial Skills Canada Competition at the Tradex in April.
Tool Allowance Fund
The Operating Engineers Tool Allowance Fund was established to provide mechanics, millwrights, servicemen and
welders with an allowance to assist in the purchase of new
up-to-date tools, as well as tools broken or lost on the job.
The following is required to qualify for the tool allowance:
•
•
•
Must be a member in good standing;
Minimum 250 hours must be contributed on the
members behalf;
Must be dispatched in the trade in which they are
working.
Application forms for tool allowance reimbursement will
be sent out in the first week of October, 2013. The deadline for
submitting applications is December 31st, 2013.
Members who have received a tool allowance in the past
Brothers Jeff Gorham (Training Coordinator), Brad Randall
(Administrator) and Randy Grisewood (Training Coordinator) at the
National Skills Canada Competition in BC Place. Picture taken by
Brother Tom Kinnear (Training Coordinator).
will automatically be sent an application form if they continue
to meet the above requirements. Those members that have
not received a tool allowance in the past and meet the above
requirements to qualify can contact the Training Association
office for an application form.
Brothers Mike Spiruda (Member Representative) and Tom Kinnear (Training
Coordinator) recently attended the Canada North Resources Expo held in Prince George.
The Training Association brought their mobile simulator trailer, with mobile crane and
excavator simulators, for the crowd to try their hand at. The simulators were very well
received by both exhibitors and attendees of the two day Expo event.
Northern B.C. is bustling with activity in forestry, mining, pipelines, energy generation,
oil and gas, and so much more. The event showcased the leaders and rising stars of all
these industries, of which the IUOE plays a vital role. The event focused on the
machinery, products, technology, services, talent and manpower needed to get the
infrastructure developed as these mega projects ramp up.
30
News
October 2013
Training Association
Training Classes and Updates
Brothers Brian Koch (Instructor), Doug Nicoll, Sister Donna Ive,
Gilbert Sutthery and Brad Randall (Administrator).
Mobile Crane Common Core class is Brothers James Knowles, Craig
Weatherly, Sister Michele Greco, Brothers Jason Krickan, Kevin
Hildebrandt and Rick Anderson (Instructor).
Brother Koch provided a 1-week Train the Trainer course for Doug,
Donna and Gilbert who work for Wastech Services Ltd. at their
Coquitlam waste transfer station. This course will assist them in
passing on their expertise and knowledge to trainees operating
Dozers, Loaders, Excavators and Lift Trucks.
Wastech is the primary service provider for all waste transfer stations
in the Lower Mainland. They have a facility in North Vancouver, 2 in
Coquitlam, 1 in Surrey and 1 in Abbotsford. The waste is transported
to the Cache Creek land fill which is also operated by Wastech and
members of the Operating Engineers.
Heavy Equipment Operator (HEO) class are Anthony Gay, Krystal
Hoisington, Jason Hladchuk, Brady Simpson, Philip Battista, David
James, Michael Anderson, Alex Lomas-Rundquist, Phillip Stanton and
Robyn Bishop (Instructor).
Students being trained by Brother Steve Carter (Instructor) for
certification on the Counter Balanced forklift are Brothers Rod
Niverva, Jeff Billingsley, Daniel Bowyer.
Mobile Crane Common Core class is Brothers Mike Stromgren, Rick
Anderson (Instructor), Brian Giesbrecht, Brad Heedle, Rob Swan and
Anderson Poh.
News
October 2013
31
Training Association
18th Annual Open House
On Saturday June 15th, 2013, the IUOE Local 115 Training Association hosted their 18th Annual Open
House and Heavy Equipment Rodeo at the Haney training site in Maple Ridge. Over 1,000 guests
attended to take part in fun competitions, operate the impressive range of equipment on display, and
enjoy lunch with fellow members and friends.
32
News
October 2013
Training Association
News
October 2013
33
Member Profile
Kasper Mayer:
Keeping it Local, Keeping it Union
While legions of construction
workers often have to endure working
far away from their homes, families,
and their communities to earn a living,
Kasper Mayer believes it is possible to
beat the odds.
And he should know, as a 56-year
resident of the Kootenays and 50-year
member of the Operating Engineers
Local 115.
The now-retired heavy equipment
operator, former business representative and elected board member, as well
as a health and welfare plan trustee for
the Local 115’s District 6 has acquired a
wealth of experience in the construction sector—and all of it within driving
distance of his home.
“It’s possible to do. You need to be
multi-skilled and willing to take any
job,” says Mayer. “A lot of guys will get
a call from the union’s dispatch for a
34
News
October 2013
three-day job and will turn it down, you questions. Then they kicked you
waiting for the big six-month jobs to out and had a vote on whether to let
come along. But sometimes that three- you in” says Mayer.
day job turns out to be a year.”
After his hard-fought acceptance,
Mayer adds, however, that a lot has Mayer signed up to learn to operate a
changed in the industry since he scraper on a local road project. Soon
started out in 1963 at the age of 23.
after, he was working on a variety of
At that time, he was looking for a jobs—road building, bridge work, and
career. His two older brothers— BC Hydro projects, which he says were
Edward and the late Albert—were a huge part of the construction scene in
Local
115
the Kootenays
“Back then you learned on the
members and
in the 1960s
job,
by
the
seat
of
your
pants,
with
encouraged
and 70s. This
the guidance of older members. was in addition
him to get into
trades, and the
highway
Either you got it or you got out.” to
union.
work and later
“Albert was a shovel operator and building and expanding the major coal
Edward was an oiler (equipment mines in the region, such as the
servicing),” he says. “They liked what Fording, Green Hills and Line Creek
they were doing and earned a living facilities.
doing it, so I got interested.”
“When I got into the industry, there
Mayer started off as a grademan, was no Highway 3 from Castlegar on
reading engineer layout plans and (East). There was no Rogers Pass. All
working with equipment operators to we had were ferries and rail,” he recalls.
check excavation levels to make sure
Working on these projects gave him
they were accurate. This was, and still the chance to expand his knowledge of
is, an especially important task in road equipment operating to bulldozers,
building projects, and ended up loaders and various types of cranes. It
becoming where he spent much of his also got him elected as a shop steward—
working career.
back then known by many as a
But Mayer also remembers how at “Shoppy”—on many jobs.
that time, training and union memberBecoming a Shoppy is what led
ship were much less formal or Mayer to run for a position on the
automated than today.
District 6 board in 1980. He continued
“This was before we had the OE to work as an equipment operator and
training plan,” Mayer says. “Then you steward until he was offered a staff
learned on the job, by the seat of your position as a business rep in 1983.
pants, with the guidance of older Mayer accepted the job, albeit with
members. Either you got it or you got some reservation, as his duties would
out.”
include advocating and assisting Local
Even joining the union wasn’t the 115 members outside the construction
relatively straight-forward process it is sector, especially since workers at some
now. “In those days, you had to be of the mines had joined the local as
sponsored by a member to join the well.
union. You applied and then went to a
“I worked in construction, so I felt
membership meeting. They all asked good about being a rep for
Member Profile
construction,” he says. “Then I inherited the Line Creek mine when the
workers joined the union. I didn’t know
much about mining. But I managed.”
Mayer continued to service projects
throughout the Kootenay-Columbia
region, including the expansion of the
Rogers Pass tunnel in 1984 and 1985,
until his retirement in 1995.
While overall Mayer is proud and
satisfied with his 32-year career, he
does have one regret: the slow uptake
by the construction trades to respond
to the anti-union legislation and developments in the 1980s.
Mayer specifically remembers
actions directed against workers in the
construction sector, in particular the
introduction of illegitimate front
groups posing as unions.
“I was still in the industry when we
got hit with things like CLAC,” he says,
adding it was a strategic but unforseeable error for all building trades not to
be more aggressive in organizing and
educating construction workers against
these developments.
“Hindsight is always 20-20. In retrospect, we should have taken it more
seriously. At first we thought it was just
a flash-in-the-pan.”
Mayer says that the best way to
combat anti-union attacks is to focus
on organizing and getting members
“Then I inherited the Line
Creek mine when the
workers joined the union. I
didn’t know much about
mining. But I managed.”
interested in talking to one another.
“Membership meetings also used to
be a lot more social,” he says.
“There isn’t the interest there used
to be 20 or 30 years ago. Then, people
would drive for an hour to go to a
meeting. Now they won’t cross the
street for one.”
He says there needs to be more
discussion about the huge advantages
of collective action among people, over
the “I don’t need anybody” attitude. He
adds he raised an entire family, put kids
through university, and saved for a
secure retirement thanks to his union
involvement.
“The guys with the ‘I want money in
my hand... I don’t need anybody’ idea
have been proven wrong enough.”
Although he has a wealth of fond
memories from over three decades
working in construction and actively
supporting and being involved with
Local 115, Mayer concludes that “for
the last 18 years, I have had the best job
possible: retirement.
“My wife and I travel a lot, and
spend time with the kids and grandkids.” He also visits his OE colleagues
from time to time. “One of the old guys
who sponsored me is still around!”
And, in case you needed to ask,
Kasper Mayer still lives in his home
town of Cranbrook.
Send us your photos!
The OE News is looking for any photos you can share! Show off your skills, workplace,
and colleagues - your photo could land up in our publication and win you a prize!
Digital images
• Please use the highest quality settings on your camera when taking photos.
• You can easily upload images at: www.iuoe115.com/media/submit or email them to media@iuoe115.com (if under 5mb)
• You could also send CDs or USB drives of photos to our office address. We’ll make sure to get them back to you on request.
• Always include the location, date, name of person(s) in the photo, and a description of what is taking place.
Printed photos
If you have printed photos, please send them to:
Kevin Willemse, Communications Coordinator, IUOE Local 115
4333 Ledger Avenue, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 3T3.
Tips
Outdoor, action shots are always best, but group shots of your crew are great
too. Watch for the flare that can be reflected on safety vests. Also, look out for
hard hats that can throw harsh shadows on faces. Try get an IUOE logo in there!
With group photos, have people arranged in a semi-circle rather than a straight
line. To avoid harsh shadows, move them a step or two away from back walls.
News
October 2013
35
General Meeting
General Membership Meeting
On Saturday September 21, 2013, The IUOE Local 115 stagnant or shrinking. While it is easy to enjoy this success, it
held their General Membership Meeting at the Local’s highlights how important it is for us to keep up our hard work
Burnaby auditorium. It was quite interesting, given that we and momentum. As Sinclair quoted: “There is not one thing
are Local 115, that the meeting was attended by exactly 115 that working people do not have that they did not have to
members and guests!
fight for; and if we don’t keep fighting for it, we don’t get to
Past minutes and details of the Local’s activities for the last keep it.” Definitely words we should all remember.
six months were read, and questions invited from the floor.
Also discussed was the difficult plight of construction
Appreciation was shown for Local 115’s ongoing community workers in Vancouver’s downtown core, which seems rife with
involvement and donations towards valuable causes, always abusive employer habits and exploited foreign workers. It is
done on behalf of the membership, under the Executive indeed a sad situation for these people who feel they have
Boards’ approval.
no-one to fight for them—thank goodness for those who
A recurring theme throughout the meeting was that of the support the Union as their shared voice, who don’t have to
Local’s efforts and successes in the Temporary Foreign Worker endure such unfair labour situations.
case. The support of the
Training projects, espemembership, the interna- “There is not one thing that working people have cially up north and strongly
tional, and the public were that they did not have to fight for; and if we don’t associated with the upcomrecognised as crucial in
ing megaprojects, was also
keep fighting for it, we don’t get to keep it.”
these successes, and how,
BC Federation of Labour President, Jim Sinclair covered. There are massive
although the matter would
opportunities for workers
never have come to light without Local 115’s attention, it and the Union to grow if a strategic plan to address the skills
never would have achieved such success without their ongoing shortage is addressed, and is something Local 115 will be
support.
putting effort into. This will grow our membership, create
B.C. Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair then took work opportunities for them, and foster relations with
the floor with his usual insightful, passionate, and hard-hitting communities, industry, and government programs. With
manner. While he recognised the challenges we face, he also around 800,000 potential workers, engagement with First
spoke of the successes Local 115 has achieved recently, and Nations groups is also recognized as a crucial part of any
how positive it is that the provincial government was begin- success we have up north.
ning to engage with labour leaders.
Besides these large-scale future training opportunities,
One sobering point he made was that, in his dealings with Training Association administrator Brad Randall reported
labour unions across the province, IUOE Local 115 was the full, back-to-back bookings on most existing courses, and is
only union showing steady growth, while others were even looking at ways to increase capacity. This is extremely
Featured are Business Manager Brian Cochrane and President Wayne Mills with new initiates, sworn in at the General Membership Meeting.
36
News
October 2013
General Meeting
Questions were welcomed from the members.
As an interesting coincidence, one hundred and fifteen (115)
members and guests attended the meeting.
encouraging, but also challenging in that we must develop a
strategic and sustainable response to the growing demand
that will help the Local grow even further.
Brother Don Swerdan told the audience that Local 115, on
behalf of BASES (the Burnaby Association for the South East
Side), are looking to collect used construction gear and clothing from anyone who may be able to spare some. With the
closing of the Value Village on Kingsway (Burnaby), many
would-be workers who are unable to purchase gear are stranded, so any donations are appreciated. Brother Swerdan asks
that if any member has donations, they can drop them off at
the Local at 4940 Canada Way during office hours, or contact
him for on 604-291-8831 to make arrangements.
Long service awards were handed out to members, and
fourteen new members were sworn in as well. Congratulations to our long time members, and welcome to our new
members—we hope to see you at our regular meetings soon.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:30p.m. with a lunch
which all enjoyed. The next General Membership Meeting
will take place on Saturday, March 15, 2014 at 9:30a.m.
B.C. Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair spoke passionately
about the successes and challenges for Local 115 and the workforce.
IUOE Canadian Representative Lionel Railton with attendees.
Local 115’s newest Organizer, Bryan Railton.
As always, many fun door prizes and generous donations were
raffled off and given to those lucky to have a prize-winning ticket.
News
October 2013
37
Member Recognition
Honouring our members
60 YEAR MEMBERS
Brother William Misiewich and his 60 year plaque.
Member Rep Frank Carr and Brother Edward Nickel.
20 YEAR MEMBERS
Brother Paul Valer and Member Rep Frank Carr.
Brother Fred Babuik receives his commemorative 60 year plaque.
Business Manager Brian Cochrane and President Wayne Mills with Edward
Sawatsky and William Spiwak and their 60 year awards.
38
News
October 2013
Member Recognition
Honouring our members
50 YEAR MEMBERS
Business Manager Brian Cochrane and President Wayne Mills congratulate our 50 year members, Brothers Ernest Ratzlaff, Giuseppe Zucchi,
Fred Melling, and Harvey House.
Member Rep Wayne Kemp and Brother
Armand Lefebvre.
Brother John Mackenzie receives his 50 year
watch.
Brother John Williams with his 50 year
watch from Member Rep Wayne Kemp.
News
October 2013
39
Member Recognition
Honouring our members
40 YEAR MEMBERS
40 year member Brother Jacques Tremblay.
Member Reps Curtis Harold and Tim Cullen congratulate Brother
Leroy Ward on his 40 years’ of membership.
Brothers Antonio Russo, John McRae, and Armando Favero with Business Manager Brian
Cochrane and President Wayne Mills on their 40 year membership anniversary.
40
News
October 2013
Brother Michael Prystae receives his 40
year pin from Member Rep Frank Carr.
Member Recognition
Honouring our members
30 YEAR MEMBERS
Brother William Hencheroff receives his 30 year pin from Business Manager Brian Cochrane and President Wayne Mills.
20 YEAR MEMBERS
Business Manager Brian Cochrane, President Wayne Mills, and
Brother Stan Bruce with his 20 year pin.
Brother Richard Morgan receives his 20 year pin from Member
Representative Wayne Kemp.
Congratulations to all our members celebrating decades of service this year. Please see the
following page for a full list of all long term members being awarded.
News
October 2013
41
Member Recognition
Membership Awards - All Districts
May 2013 - September 2013
10 Years
Orin R. Anderson
Shane G. Antonichuk
Richard W. Bates
Luke Bertrand
Kim W. Bostock
Terry L. Bucsis
Robert O. Burton
Thomas C. Candy
Barry P. Cappellani
Alexander E. Corsi
Stephen M. Couper
Brad A. Demmon
Harlan J. Fenske
Tim Harris
Peter A. Hills
Paul A. Johnson
Matthew R. Johnson
Thomas J. Kinnear
Jeff W. Konken
Morley F. Levick
Dylan Livingston
James A. Mcchesney
Randall K. Neiser
John R. Nucich
Darrin E. Osterberg
Darcy Purdue
David Ryan
Brandon J. Sikora
Mark C. Stuart
Gordon H. Turnell
Kerry E. Wagantall
Cory Ward
Allen A. Willinger
Peter J. Ypma
Andi J. Zanchetta
20 Years
Emilio Aviani
Gilbert R. Amundson
42
News
Alvaro Baptista
Randal G. Bergen
Maurice J. Bisson
Stan W. Bruce
Allan M. Carr
Terry A. Davis
Ronald K. Dawson
Kevin A. Den Duyf
Mike J. Dickey
Michael Disiewicz
David R. Eastman
Mark R. Farley
David L. Fraser
Norbert W. Froese
Marcel P. Hubinon
Sydney Jackson
Paul Kirkham
Ken Landrock
Wayne A. Lupick
Patrick Maychruk
Robert C. Mcgladdery
August C. Moldowan
Richard H. Morgan
Christine M. Naber
Roger B. Poulsen
David A. Romanchuk
Kevin R. Savage
Robin D. Scott
Sam B. Willson
Dale D. Ziegler
30 Years
Antonio Altieri
Stjepan Brkic
Ted Carlson
Douglas G. Gerrard
Murray E. Guenther
William O. Hencheroff
Dean E. Kirkpatrick
Donald G. Macburney
Vincent Perez
October 2013
Danny P. Peters
Paul A. Peters
Orval Pohl
John I. Schadt
Barry T. Sheehan
Howard J. Skinner
Ronny T. Svardfeldt
Louie G. Szlovicsak
Leigh L. Temple
Zvone Vucetic
Glen A. Weismiller
Terry A. Williams
40 Years
Robin N. Andrews
Melvin L Armstrong
Rory G. Atchison
Renzo R. Benvenuto
William J. Corrins
James O. Curtis
Vittorio D. Dalpiaz
David G. Dundas
Armando Favero
Barry A. Fortais
Terry I. Gunn
Ken F. Halpin
Victor D. Harrison
Clive W. Jones
Brian L. Koch
Julius P. Maas
Edward A. Madge
Stanley M. Mazur
Walter L. Mckendry
John A. McRae
David N. Moffat
Walter Much
Wilfred J. o’ Brien
Clifford C. Oleksiew
Arthur B. Oxbury
David D. Peffers
Michael Prystae
William S. Quackenbush
Rodney L. Robinson
Antonio Russo
Arthur E. Ryde
Ernie C. Smith
Lloyd A. Speirs
Jacques O. Tremblay
John A. Walker
Leroy S. Ward
50 Years
Earl L. Cooke
Darcy R. Cote
Harvey S. House
Armand Lefebvre
John A. Mackenzie
Fred A. Melling
Ernest Ratzlaff
Sandy Snihor
John L. Whittaker
John K. Williams
Giuseppe (Joe) Zucchi
60 Years
Fred T. Babuik
Arthur Cahoon
Metro J. Dutka
Kenneth N. Mitchell
Edward Nickel
Edward H. Sawatsky
Art W. Schmale
William U. Spiwak
Paul Valer
Member Recognition
Pensions awarded
May 2013 - September 2013
Remembering members
who recently passed away
Brian Adey – June 1
Orin Anderson – July 1
Garry Baird – Aug 1
Anton Baxter – Sep 1
Mary Birch – May 1
Roy Briscoe – June 1
Phil Burnett – Sep 1
Robert Ceriko – July 1
Gordon Chaisson – June 1
Carman Charbonneau – Oct 1
Garry Clease – Sep 1
Wayne Crandlemire – July 1
Eliano Dalla Vecchia – Aug 1
Dennis Davidson – May 1
John Davison – Sep 1
John Digman – May 1
Kevin Doucet – June 1
Gerry Dumont – May 1
Howard Finch – Sep 1
Hans Frederiks – Aug 1
Pete Fredrickson – Sep 1
Ivan German – Oct 1
Michael Gillis – June 1
Robert Glennie – July 1
Chris Gramlich – May 1
Gordon Green – July 1
E. Joseph Guetre – June 1
Ritchie Hatlelid – July 1
Vernon Haugen – Sep 1
Neil Holdstock – July 1
Bruce Hollett – June 1
Kenneth Humphrey – July 1
Rodney Irwin – Aug 1
Kenneth Ivany – July 1
Bernt Jensen – Oct 1
Peter Kaushakis – Sep 1
Ken Kennedy – July 1
Terrance Leonard – July 1
Lee Levers – July 1
Darrell Lowes – Aug 1
Kirl Mallette – July 1
James Matkowski – July 1
April 2013
James McEwen – Aug 1
Lloyd McKay – Sep 1
Danny Michalski – June 1
Ronald Moore – Sep 1
Gordon Murcheson – Aug 1
Gerry Nault – Aug 1
Louie Neuburger – Oct 1
Andrew Newey – May 1
Paul Notte – Sep 1
Gary Oberle – June 1
Gilles Ouellet – Aug 1
John Parrott – Oct 1
Ken Person – May 1
Ray Pisoni – July 1
Les Roblin – Sep 1
Glen Salchert – Aug 1
John Schadt – Sep 1
R. Wayne Scott – June 1
Gary Smoler – July 1
Douglas Stanvick – Aug 1
Marek Surga – July 1
Charles Teeple – Aug 1
Murray Trefry – Aug 1
Ken Tresierra – June 1
James Walker – Oct 1
John Wild – July 1
Daryl Williamson – Sep 1
Robert Woytula – June 1
Dale Ziegler – Sep 1
Caron, Tony
Alexander, Ted W.
Marasco, Jack T.
Vigini, Mario
May 2013
Brittain, Kenneth D.
Railton, Lionel D.
McColman, Russell E.
Wheeler, Edward E.
Tough, James H.
Gallagher, Glenn W.
Ford, Paul June 2013
Graham, John W.
Burmeister, Rod A.
Nelson, Gordon B.
Garneau, Ronald P.
Green, Barry F.
Nelles, Murray E.
Martin, Richard
Dobrindt, Edwin F.
July 2013
Hall, Brian M.
Thomson, Donald
Girard, Vince C.
Stromquist, Helge E. Purcha, Tony F.
Snihor, Sandy
Brooks, Wesley K.
Enns, Jake
August 2013
Cran, William R.
Harris, Curtis M.
Knowles, John W.
Kirkpatrick, Jack A.
Akre, Ruben E.
Mcdonald, Glen R.
Hand, David J.
Malmas, Donald T
Anderson, Lloyd G.
September 2013
Gudwer, William J.
Lemon, George A.
Beadle, Douglas C.
Macintosh, Murray
Kereliuk, William S.
Span, Hans U.
93
57
77
82 April 23, 2013
April 27, 2013
April 27, 2013
April 29, 2013
82
79
81
85
68
82
90
May 13, 2013
May 14, 2013
May 15, 2013
May 26, 2013
May 27, 2013
May 28, 2013
May 30, 2013
82
74
83
77
79
51
23
77
June 6, 2013
June 9, 2013
June 17, 2013
June 18, 2013
June 20, 2013
June 22, 2013
June 29, 2013
June 30, 2013
59
83
79
82
83
78
84
85
July 9, 2013
July 11, 2013
July 17, 2013
July 19, 2013
July 25, 2013
July 27, 2013
July 29, 2013
July 31, 2013
68
82
72
74
86
66
69
84
74
Aug 8, 2013
Aug 13, 2013
Aug 13, 2013
Aug 14, 2013
Aug 18, 2013
Aug 18, 2013
Aug 22, 2013
Aug 28, 2013
Aug 30, 2013
95
83
53
75
67
75
Sep 1, 2013
Sep 9, 2013
Sep 15, 2013
Sep 16, 2013
Sep 18, 2013
Sep 22, 2013
News
October 2013
43
Member Recognition
Welcome to 360 new Local 115 members
Alejandro Aceytuno
Russell Adams
Fasih Ahmed
Scott Anderson
Dragan Arivukovic
Margaret Arland
Kyle Arnott
Bryan Artlett
Joga S Bagri
Jay Bailey
Tynan Ball
Travis Beausoleil
Josh Beck
Matthew Beemer
Jeff Billingsley
Evan Bogart
Yves Boudrias
Farren Brown
Cole S Burritt
Philip Cairns
Robert Camporese
Sandro Carelli
Trevor Carlson
Chris Chalmers
Adrian Christensen
David Clark
Peter Cochlin
Bradley Cooper
Bruno Cote
Kyle Cotton
Timothy Cotton
Lucas Crace
Traci Crockett
Nicole Dicks
Cyron Domingo
Kevin Douglas
Darren W Drein
Blake Duerden
Christopher Felser
Nicholas Felske
Jordan Floro
Joseph Floro
Matthew Fox
William Freduah
Nicole Freeman
Ryan D Gahan
Glen George
Billy Gladue
Jennifer Graham
Scott Guthrie
Steven Halinen
Mark Hall
Adam Halvorson
Taylor Happy
Matt Harrap
Justin Harrison
Zakari Hyvarinen
Chris Ishri
Mike Jackson
Andrew N Jones
44
News
Chris Jones
Patrick Joseph
Travis Kelly
Elliot Kennedy
Ian King
Lukasz Konczewski
Doug Kreider
Brad Kurtz
Colin Lambrecht
Dave Larson
Brent Laurita
Nic Le Tullec
Steven Lewis
Benshiong Lim
Anthony Lukacs
Dean Macklin
Hany Magar
Paul Mccluskey
John Mcdonell
Rueben Mcginty
Jason Mclean
Tyson Mclean
Mitch Mcmillan
Tyler Mcmillan
Stewart Milby
Nick A Moldowan
Ryan Mosses
Richard L Nelson
Brent Nicholls
Nick Nociar
Frank Oelkers
Chance Ormiston
Brad Pattenden
Kevin E Pawson
Garnet Penny
Wesley Perry
Daryl Petersen
Chad Poole
Ian Preston
James Price
Mark Reynolds
Morgan Rice
Taylor Ross
Jackson Sabo
Pardeep Sangha
Wayne Schiller
Will Seoane
Robert Serena
Kyle Sharp
Alex Sherlaw
James Shields
John Shortridge
Calvin Simms
Sean Simpson
Jordan Squire
Clayton Stewart
Cassie Stobbe
Andrew Szabo
Teran Teubert
Bryan Thompson
October 2013
Mark Threfall
Sean Tremblay
Justin Trodd
Kevin Veenhof
Pierce Vinje
Kyle Wamsteeker
Graham J Ward
Allen Watson
Daniel Wegener
John A Weisbrod
Mathew Wetteland
Matthew White
Dean Wiesner
Dale Williams
Brennan Wright
Frank Bassamese
Wesley Bingham
Andrew Bishop
Grant Cave
Brad Cleverley
Breanne Coons
Myles Cranmer
Ken Dakin
Jeffrey S Dejong
John Fleming
Lyle Frechette
Blaine Fulk
Travis Fulla
Chris Gallaugher
Philip George
Eden Gorosh
Darcy Hagen
John Koopman
Rodger Lajeunesse
Amos G Larush
David Lingard
Richard Livingstone
Julius Lumanta
Dallas Mckay
Paul Mcvey
Themba Mkhize
Robert Murphy
Patrick O’connor
Tyler Ostapovich
Tim Palmer
Owen Paterson
Mike Pitzel
Andrew Riches
Paul Ripley
Darrell Scott
Jonathan Sebestyen
Clay M Smart
Corbin Smith
Victor Spichtig
Warren Stratton
Scott Stride
Don M Tapley
Shane Taylor
William Tilbury
Jordan Van Buskirk
Garret Van Houtte
Dave J Von Eigler
Ron C Ward
Peter Welsh
Robert Wheeler
Todd Whittaker
Lyall C Wormald
Richard Advocaat
Stephen Anderson
Amir Bazal
Jeff A Blanken
Tyler Bonderud
Chris Bouchard
Kevin Brecknock
Gary Burr
Philip Butcher
Steve Cady
Robert Chapple
Guy Chouinard
Stuart Craig
Stuart Davison
Mark Devuyst
Peter C Dignard
Darlene Donchi
Richard Edwards
Jonathan English
Joe Evans
Jeff Fransen
Don Gagnon
Daniel J Galdames
Grant Gale
Scott Hamilton
Timothy W Hiebert
Travis L Higgins
Dave Hoogendoorn
Travis Hoy
Chad Jorgenson
Jim Kouroupis
Duane Laframboise
Fred Laktin
Gary Landry
Kevin Markotich
Crystal Michalcheon
Sheldon Musselman
Brian Nadrozny
Cameron Reid
James Rempel
Charles Rugg
Jamie Schoonbaert
Natica Soychuk
Dennis Spooner
Gerry Spooner
Duane Stamper
Larry Stickney
Henry Van Dewetering
Hugo Van Rooyen
Jillian L Viezzer
Neal Waterston
Frank White
William B Whyte
Trevor Biner
Kelly Breeden
Stacey Cox
Paul Dixon
Chad Ellison
Tanya Gaal
Brandon Giesbrecht
Leonard Godin
Jordan Greenberg
Trent Hoffman
James Hudgin
Curtis Ireland
Damon Juneau
Jeff Konrad
Jeremy Kral
Darin Kwitkoski
David J Lamoureux
Robert Leclerc
Shane Long
Cody Lundquist
Robyn Miller
Mumbanga Mokolo
Troy Perry
Jason Santos
Arley Spencer
Chad St. Amand
Terry Streeter
Bernard J Stryak
Bevan Sweeney
Matthew Tait
Roland Therrien
Dale Trenholm
Douglas Turner
Colin Walker
Craig Weatherly
Jurgen H Weidl
Ryan Wildeman
Colen Wilson
Matthew Young
Peter Ayles
Boyd Bennett
Kenneth R Bradley
Dale Brazeau
Paul Brocas
Ricardo Byfield
Mark Campbell
Travis Christopherson
Michael Dehaas
Ryan Durand
Wallace Faulkner
Farrah Florence
Warren French
Michael Golding
Brandon Heartt
Bradley Heddle
Dakota Jung
Colby Koecher
Vance Lundquist
John Mackeigan
Beresford Mccalla
Brandon Mosher
Daniel J Nickerson
Zachariah Paquette
Gary Piercey
Orvin R Rideout
Brandden Shandler
Michael Stromgren
Sean Teal
Gerrit W Vandenhoek
Shawn Wagner
Stephen Wallace
Jack Wheaton
Tanner Withrow
Wanesa Anderson
Jeremy Barrett
Ryan Bennett
Nathan Butler
Rayn Butt-Grau
James Forbes
Sebastien Gomard
Michele Greco
Tomas Green
Bryan Hamulecki
Robert S Hein
Jessy Hill
Dale Holland
Adam Howse
Francis Jolin
Gerald Lasai
Jim Mcghee
Thomas Meikle
Lyle Miller
Kyle Philpot
Mark Prince
Sean Sandnes
Chad Schuett
Matthew Semeniuk
Jesse L Stephens
John Tedesco
Sebastian R Venema
Lisa Wah
Michael Weaver
Dean Bell
Simon Butler
Kyle Dick
Cameron Dyck
Paul Firth
Robert W Fraser
Kathy Gillis
Wilfred Goulet
Jonathon Hort
Patrick Hunt
Chris Norris
Mark Perry
Timothy Phelps
Travis Reed
Richard Richter
Mark Rudolf
Nathaniel Shunamon
Shelley Steele
Contact Details
Local Union Offices
Meeting Notices for 2013
District 1 and Main Office
District 1
4333 Ledger Ave., Burnaby, B.C. V5G 3T3
Phone: 604-291-8831 Toll Free: 1-888-486-3115 Fax: 604-473-5235
E-mail: iuoe@iuoe115.com Online: www.iuoe115.com
Business Manager: Brian Cochrane
President: Wayne E. Mills
Mgr. Administration & Special Projects: Lynda Arland
Office Manager: Arlene Lindsay
Communications Coordinator: Kevin Willemse
Member Representatives
Frank Carr Chip Dhaliwal Stewart Miller
Brett Chapman
Bob Higgs Don Swerdan
Everett Cummings Craig McIntosh
Dispatcher
Jim Flynn: 604-473-5231
Organizing Representative
BURNABY: 1st Thursday of every month
7:30p.m. at 4333 Ledger Ave., Burnaby
Except March & September (due to General Membership Meeting)
District 2
Monthly meeting locations alternate:
NANAIMO: 2nd Monday of odd months
6:00p.m at the Coast Bastion Inn, 11 Bastion St.
VICTORIA: 2nd Wednesday of even months
7:30p.m. at the Pro Pat Legion Branch 31, #292 - 411 Gorge Rd. E.
CAMPBELL RIVER/COURTENAY: Wednesday December 18th. 2013
6:00p.m. at the Halbe Hall, 8369 N. Island Highway, Black Creek.
Rob Duff: 604-473-5206
Bryan Railton: 604-809-6420
District 3
Benefits and Pension Plans
Shawn Hatch, Administrator
Direct line: 604-299-8341 Fax: 604-473-5236
KAMLOOPS: 2nd Thursday of even months
7:30p.m. at the Union Hall, 785 Tranquille Rd.
Training Association
Brad Randall, Administrator
Direct line: 604-299-7764 E-mail: oetp@iuoe115.com
District 2
Vancouver Island:
Tim Cullen, Curtis Harold, Member Representatives
35 Wharf Street, Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2X3
Mailing Address: PO Box 213 Stn A, Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 5K9
Phone: 250-754-4022 Fax: 250-754-5513
District 3
Kamloops-Revelstoke-Okanagan:
Brad Gerow, Member Representative
785 Tranquille Road
Kamloops, B.C. V2B 3J3
Phone: 250-554-2278 Fax: 250-554-1766
District 4
Central Interior-Yellowhead:
Herb Conat & Wayne Kemp, Member Representatives
#115 - 513 Ahbau Street
Prince George, B.C. V2M 3R8
Phone: 250-563-3669 Fax: 250-563-3603
District 5
Peace River and Yukon Territory:
Mike Spiruda, Member Representative & Organizer
Site 20, Comp 19 SS2
Fort St. John, B.C. V1J 4M7
Phone: 250-787-9594 Fax: 250-787-9491
Tumbler Ridge Mining Office:
220 Main Street, Tumbler Ridge, B.C. V0C 2W0
Phone: 250-242-3888 Fax: 250-242-3881
District 6
East and West Kootenays:
Brian Lefebvre, Rob Foskett, Member Representatives
103 Centennial Square, Sparwood, B.C V0B 2G0
Mailing Address: PO Box 1567, Sparwood, B.C. V0B 2G0
Phone: 250-425-2161 Toll Free: 1-888-605-9955 Fax: 250-425-2166
Monthly meeting locations alternate:
KELOWNA: 2nd Tuesday of odd months
7:00p.m. at the Teamsters Hall, 185 Froelich Rd.
District 4
PRINCE GEORGE: 2nd Wednesday of each month
8:00p.m. at Coast Inn of the North, 770 Brunswick St.
PRINCE RUPERT, TERRACE, KITIMAT, SMITHERS:
Members will be advised of meeting dates and times.
District 5
Monthly meeting locations alternate:
FORT ST. JOHN: 2nd Tuesday of odd months
7:30p.m. at the Masonic Hall, 10441 100th Ave.
DAWSON CREEK: 2nd Tuesday of even months
7:30p.m. at the Carpenters Hall, 900 118th Ave.
TUMBLER RIDGE/PEACE RIVER COAL:
Members will be advised of meeting date, time and place.
WHITEHORSE:
Teamsters Hall, 407 Black St.
Members will be advised of meeting dates and times.
District 6
Monthly meeting locations alternate:
CASTLEGAR—1st Wednesday of odd months
7:00p.m. at the Super 8 Inn, 651 18th St.
CRANBROOK—1st Tuesday of even months
7:00p.m. at the Labour Centre (Boardroom), 105 9th Ave. South
ELK VALLEY COAL CORP:
Line Creek Mine
Members will be advised of meeting dates and times..
News
October 2013
45
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fees and peace of mind.
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