APPRENTICE GRADUATION
Transcription
APPRENTICE GRADUATION
Issue 220 WWW.IUOE286.ORG J u n e 20 1 5 APPRENTICE GRADUATION On Friday May 8th at Bates Technical College in Tacoma, we recognized the most recent graduates from our Facilities Custodial Services Technician apprentice program, other apprenticeship programs recognized that evening were the roofers and the meat cutters. The Facilities Custodial Services Technician is an intense two year program where the participants learn building maintenance, sustainable cleaning methods, how to deal with building emergencies, and they also receive their HVAC operator and boiler licenses. Many of these apprentices are immigrants to the United States and also obtain their U.S. citizenship while in the program. We are honored to present the 2014-2015 graduating apprentices and wish them the best of luck in their careers at Tacoma Public Schools and the Federal Way School District. We also applaud the efforts of the School Districts involved with this program and Bates Technical College for their continued support of apprenticeship programs. Lastly, our heartfelt thanks to the instructors and to Jim Burnson and his staff at the Western Washington Stationary Engineers Training Trust. The joint mission of an apprentice program is a vital piece of the labor management relationship. It is important to support apprenticeships as we continue to need newly trained individuals hired into our industry. In many areas employers and unions have common needs and desires and this collaborative work to construct an apprenticeship pipeline is a great way for labor and management to partner and to find solutions for the demand for highly trained workers. ORGANIZING NEWS By Jeff Alexander We would like to welcome a newly organized unit to Operating Engineers Local #286. The Local has ratified a first contract with Americold Logistics in Tacoma, WA. Ammonia Refrigeration engineers at Americold cold storage. traditional work welcome aboard. Richard Spencer CONGRATULATIONS! Business Manager & Financial Secretary John McNeal joined the Tacoma School District in 1986 after twenty-four distinguished years in the U.S. Army. John has been a shop steward since 1996 and a Chief since 1998. We thank him for his service to his country, his union, and to public education. Best wishes in your well Officers & Staff President ..................................................... James Gower Vice President ............................................ Jeff Alexander Recording-Secretary .................................. Dane Rawlins Treasurer............................................. Margaret Englund General Counsel ............................................. Jeff Frazier Business Representative ........................ Michael Bolling Business Representative…………………………....Jim Pyette Communications Director…….………………....Brent Wagar Organizer………………………………………………...Bryan Raby Executive Board District 1.................................................. Dwayne Lawton District 2................................................. Ralph Chapman District 3.............................................. Michael McCarthy District 4.........................................................Ryen Young District 5 ................................................ Duane Thiessen District 6.......................................................James Ratliff District 7............................................. James Kloberdanz District 8……………………………………………..….Debbie Ford Guard ....................................................... Michael Bolling Trustee ............................................................. Jim Pyette Trustee ......................................................... Paul Holland Trustee ..................................................... Eddie Cammon Auditor ...................................................... John Causey III Auditor .......................................................... Don Brisbois Auditor ......................................................... Carlos Vieyra Conductor ......................................................................... Administrative Staff Dues Administrator.........................................Linda Ness Administrative Assistant................................ Patti Weber Apprenticeship Director Jim Burnson “Engineering News” is published and posted on our website at www.iuoe286.org, and is the official publication of this local union. Members are advised that notices published in “Engineering News” regarding meetings, elections and other union activities are to be considered as official notices in compliance with notification provisions of Local 286 By-Laws and applicable state and federal laws. “Contributions, (dues, initiation fees, etc.) or gifts to the International Union of Operating Engineers and Local Union 286 are not deductible as a charitable contribution for federal tax purposes.” Required by Internal Revenue Service By Jeff Frazier New NLRB Rules In December of 2014 the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) adopted new rules designed to streamline and modernize the Board’s representation case process and avoid unnecessary litigation and delay. IUOE Local 286 was one of the first to conduct a hearing under these rules. The new rule, implemented on April 14, 2015 makes changes to the petition process. Now the petitioning party provides a recommended time, date and location for the election as part of the petition. The petition can be filed electronically. The Board will provide the employer with a Notice of Petition for Election which is required to be posted in the workplace and should not be taken down until it is replaced by the Notice of Election, or the petition is withdrawn. The Board will set the hearing on the petition for the eighth day after the petition is served on the employer. No later than noon the day before the hearing, the employer will have to provide the Union with a Statement of Position Form. Amongst the information the employer must provide is its position on the unit sought by the Union, and if it disagrees with that unit, the individuals or positions it contends must be deleted or added to the unit. Failure to raise an issue on the Statement of Position Form will constitute a waiver of the issue. Hearing will be limited to those areas that are contested by the parties. Parties are precluded from introducing evidence at the hearing that does not bear on an issue raised in the Statement of Position or in response to the Statement of Position. The rules are designed to make an employer take a position, and stick to that position. (continued pp.6) Executive Board Monthly Meetings Summer 2015 18 “E” Street SW, Auburn Mon. preceding 2nd Thur., 6:00 p.m. June 8, July 6, Aug. 10, Sept. 8 District No. 1 and District No. 2 King & Pierce Counties 18 “E” St. SW, Auburn at 7:30 p.m. Suspended until Sept. 10 District No. 3 - Pierce Co. School Districts (Tacoma Custodians) IBEW 76 Hall - Tacoma Third Saturday, at 10:00 a.m. Suspended until Sept. 19 District No. 4 - Peninsula Clover Leaf 1240 Hollis St., Bremerton First Tuesday, at 4.30 p.m. Suspended until Sept. 2 District No. 5 - King Co. School Districts Rush Elementary Third Saturday, at 9:00 a.m. Suspended until Sept. 19 District No. 6 Dirty Dave’s Pizza 3939 Martin Way E, Lacey Third Thursday, at 4:30 p.m. June 18, Sept. 17 District No. 7 - Boeing 18 “E” Street SW, Auburn Second Saturday, at 8:00 a.m. Sept. 12 District No. 8 - NW Counties TBD Bates Technical College (Custodial/Maintenance) All meetings start at 1:00 p.m. Suspended until Sept. 11 General Membership Meeting Open To All Members 18 “E” Street SW, Auburn June 11, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. Metropolitan Park District (Park & NW Trek Employees) Zoo Education Bldg Second Wednesday, at 4:30 p.m. Suspended until Sept. 9 Puyallup School District #3 (Custodial) Kalles Jr. High Second Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Suspended until Sept. 12 The following bargaining units will be notified: Bates Technical College - Security Bellevue School District Clover Park Technical College Dieringer School District Franklin Pierce School District Lakehaven Utility District Lake Washington Technical College Puyallup School District - Security Puyallup School District Maintenance/Warehouse/Print Shop Sumner School District-Child Nutrition Sumner School District - Bus Drivers Sumner School District - Custodial, Maintenance, Mechanics White River School District Cust/Maint White River School District - Bus Drivers Puyallup School District #3 (Puyallup Bus Drivers) Puyallup Eagles Third Wednesday, at 10:00 a.m. Suspended until Sept. 16 Tacoma School District (Bus Drivers) Madison School Third Tuesday, at 10:00 a.m. Suspended until Sept. 15 Tacoma School District (Security) Foss High School First Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. Suspended until Sept. 2 Federal Way School District Federal Way High School Second Saturday, at 10:00 a.m. Suspended until Sept. 12 IF YOU KNOW OF ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO JOIN A UNION, PLEASE HAVE THEM CONTACT ORGANIZER BRYAN RABY (253) 351-9095 or 1-800-573-3082 READ YOUR CONTRACT. Contracts may easily be taken for granted, but they often represent many years of struggle and thousands of hours of tough negotiations to secure your benefits, working conditions and wages. Your Rights as a Shop Steward By Brent Wagar As a shop steward there are certain things that I would always remind myself of. This is one of them. You are equal to management when you are conducting union business. Now for me if I hadn’t reminded myself this all the time it would be easy me to forget. Management isn’t in the position to give away power. I would sit in the executive director’s big fancy office with him sitting in that $800 chair, all the framed diplomas on the wall behind him and it was intimidating. It was supposed to be. However, I would sit there and remind myself that in this meeting we are equals under the law and it was vital for me to remember that to be able to represent the members in my group effectively. There is a line you are not allowed to cross and that is using sexual or racial slurs or threatening violence. Shop stewards can also be disciplined for soliciting false testimony, taking part in illegal walkouts or instructing employees to disregard management’s instructions. Management is not allowed to punish you for doing your shop steward job. They cannot threaten you with adverse consequences, give you poor evaluations, assign you an oppressive schedule, or transfer you to another department; in short they cannot punish or coerce you in anyway. Also, management can’t hold stewards to higher standards, or be stricter in regards to work requirements. The only exception is that stewards are often held to higher standards than the rest of the membership for violating anti-strike clauses. If you are treated unfairly or disciplined in any way because of your actions as a shop steward, then the The job of shop steward involves representing the mem- union should and will file a ULP (unfair labor practice) bers in your group to the fullest extent possible. To do this charge, as well as a grievance. So the next time you are in you have to confront management. The very nature of your that fancy office dealing with management remind yourself job is to confront management. To do this effectively you that you are their equal. are going to have to question their intelligence, their honCommunications & Solidarity esty, their memory and their interpretation of the contract. You are going to have heated discussions and sometimes By Brent Wagar arguments about money, discipline, and other important matters. After all, you are fighting for people’s livelihood I started my new job as Communications Director in and in doing this work emotions are going to run high and March, before that I was a custodian in the Bellevue occasionally you may even lose your cool, raise your voice, School District. I have been a proud dues paying member or even (heaven forbid) swear. of the IUOE 286 since 1992, and I am honored to now be on its payroll. It’s a challenge and responsibility I take Now what makes this a little sticky is that you are also an seriously. This position was created to establish a better employee in the organization. As an employee you are conduit between the Local’s office and its members and expected to act in a certain way towards management. You from the members back to the Local’s office. We are lookmay feel like you are put in a position as a shop steward ing for new ways to establish communication and to upthat may lead to negative consequences at work. Many feel date and the established means to make things better for that they are at risk as an employee because of the job they our members. That’s why I am here. hold as a steward. This is not the case. You are protected. As I have mentioned although I am a recent hire, I have In this matter, the National Labor Relations Act and the been around for a while. Things haven’t changed all that Supreme Court of the United States have your back. much in the labor movement since I joined IUOE 286. Once again in DC we have a President who was elected on Once again, when you are engaged in representational the back of working people and now wants to pass an unactivity as a union officer you rise to the level of managefair trade deal that hurts labor. It’s just like President Clinment. They are no longer your supervisor in these matters ton did in the 90s with NAFTA. In fact, I was reading but your equal. So, in this case, actions that you take that some old Engineering News articles in preparation for this might lead to discipline when you are working as an emand I came across an article from former IUOE 286 Busiployee, these same actions are allowed when representing ness Representative Jana Wilson in regard to NAFTA your brothers and sisters as a shop steward. It is within (Issue 132). She aptly warned of the threat to jobs, the enyour rights to speak in a loud voice, make gestures and vironment and safety that that trade deal would have. She even swear. You are immune from discipline for these acwas right, and just like NAFTA the TPP (Trans-Pacific tions as long as you are acting on union business in a repre- Partnership) will continue to deteriorate the well-being of sentational role. It does not apply when you are not acting American workers. In fact TPP has been referred to as in this role. NAFTA on steroids and we need to work towards stopping it from being passed by Congress but it doesn’t stop Of course there are circumstances that are not protected. with TPP. (cont. next page) Abraham Lincoln: Labor Union Supporter By Jim Pyette My wife and I home-school our daughters and I was teaching them some history the other day and stumbled on this quote by Abraham Lincoln: "All that serves labor serves the nation. All that harms is treason. If a man tells you he trusts America, yet fears labor, he is a fool. There is no America without labor, and to fleece the one is to rob the other." I realized that he was saying, basically, anyone that harms Unions, harms America. Wow! I decided to look up some other quotes from some significant figures that shaped the America we love today: Why Unions Are Important to America: "With all their faults, trade unions have done more for humanity than any other organization of men that ever existed. They have done more for decency, for honesty, for education, for the betterment of the race, for the developing of character in men, than any other association of men." Clarence Darrow, Attorney Unions Help Set Acceptable Standards for All Working Americans, Not Just Members: "Although it is true that only about 20 percent of American workers are in unions, that 20 percent sets the standards across the board in salaries, benefits and working conditions. If you are making a decent salary in a non-union company, you owe that to the unions. One thing that corporations do not do is give out money out of the goodness of their hearts." Molly Ivins, Columnist Labor Unions Help Advance American Progress: "Every advance in this half-century: Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, aid to education... one after another- came with the support and leadership of American Labor." Jimmy Carter, U.S. President What Labor Unions have Contributed to Society: "The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress. Out of its bold struggles, economic and social reform gave birth to unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, government relief for the destitute and, above all, new wage levels that meant not mere survival but a tolerable life. The captains of industry did not lead this transformation; they resisted it until they were overcome. When in the thirties the wave of union organization crested over the nation, it carried to secure shores not only itself but the whole society." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—Speech to the state convention of the Illinois AFL-CIO, Oct. 7, 1965 In conclusion, if anyone speaks against the work of Unions, just remember, they speak against such men as Abraham Lincoln, Jimmy Carter and Martin Luther King Jr. Communications & Solidarity (cont.) In fact, we need to streamline or communications because we’re at a crossroads and we need to be ready. We are smack in the middle of an era of great possibilities and struggles. The labor movement has great opportunities for growth as the infrastructure of our country is re-envisioned and rebuilt. We IUOE 286 members can be on the forefront of these changes and benefit greatly from them. There are also threats to Unions like IUOE 286 coming from state legislatures and big business and we need to take those threats seriously. This is also a time of great grassroots campaigns that question the power of the richest individuals and look to raise the wages of the poorest. We need to support these grassroots efforts and we need to be able to communicate to our members effectively through these times. Through all of these challenges and opportunities there is one constant, one thing that is so important that we need to remind ourselves of it constantly of its importance, SOLIDARITY. It is so easy to fall into the chasm of infighting but the focus needs to stay on our real foe and that is the bosses and their greed. The boiler operator can’t work against the belt shop worker; the custodian can’t see the security officer as the threat; the groundskeeper and the zookeeper need to be on the same page as do the bus drivers and the school cooks. If we stay focused on our common goals and against our common foes then we will stay out of this abyss and ultimately be successful. This is true in collective bargaining and in larger arenas like supporting public school teachers and also minimum wage campaigns. They are our brothers and sisters and need our support as we need theirs. Throughout the key to solidarity is good communication. This isn’t anything that you don’t know but it’s easy to forget and that is why solidarity is such an important mantra. Working together and communicating freely we will have the strength to navigate through this challenging time and to take advantage of the opportunities. For this reason I am grateful for my new role and am focused on finding ways to communicate with the membership and opening ways for the membership to communicate back. Please let me know how things are going by contacting me with concerns or questions (brent.wagar@iuoe286.org). Let me know how the website looks and how we can improve it more. Finally, check out our page at Facebook.com/IUOE286 and follow us on Twitter @IUOE286. Your input is vital of making this work Facebook.com/iuoe286. COME TO OUR 2ND ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT AND 50TH ANNIVERSARY We are proud to announce our 2nd annual golf tournament to be held at Meadow Park Golf Course to benefit our Membership Assistance Program and to celebrate our 50th anniversary. JULY 18, 2015 CALL (253) 351-9095 New NLRB Rules (cont.) Post-hearing briefs are no longer allowed. Parties are expected to provide closing oral arguments the same day as the hearing. Within two days of the decision and direction of election, the employer will have to provide the Union with an electronic Voter List which now additionally requires the work location, shift, and job classification and, when available, employee’s personal phone number and email addresses. After the election, if there are objections to the election, an offer of proof must be filed with the objections within seven days of the vote count. IUOE Local 286 and Seattle Children’s were the first parties in Region 19 to conduct an election hearing under the Board’s new rules. Local 286 petitioned to add two positions to its bargaining unit at Seattle Children’s. After the hearing, the Regional Director directed an election and the two employees voted to be represented by Local 286; so far so good with the new rules. 302/612 Healthcare Changes By James A. Gower, President Once again, International Vice President and Business Manager of Local 302 Daren Konopaski and Business Manager of Local 612 Ernie Evans, have allowed me to attend their quarterly IUOE 302/612 Health and Security Trust which took place on June 2nd. Last quarter the Trust voted to change from the First Choice network to the Premera Blue Cross Network. Although the network will change, you will see no change to your benefits, but there is a small possibility you may not be able to use your current doctor. Most doctors that are in the First Choice network are in the Premera network, and Premera has a larger network of doctors. You will be receiving a new insurance card, this card is for ALL of your benefits; doctors, dentists, vision and prescriptions. You should receive the new card by the end of June. If you do not receive a new card, you can contact Welfare and Pension Administration Services at 206-441-7574 or 800-732-1121. The Trust will be increasing in the cost of benefits. Due to the fact that Locals 302 & 612 are in the middle of negotiating their Master Labor Agreement with the Association of General Contractors (AGC), the exact amount of increase is unknown. At this time, the Trust is estimating an increase of $45.00 to $50.00 per month. This is the second time in the history of Local 286 that we have had knowledge of our insurance rates increasing, prior to getting the bill. This will affect every bargaining unit differently, please review your contract to determine the effects. If you have any question, please do not hesitate to ask your shop steward or call your business representative. Martin Luther King, Jr. County Labor Council, AFL-CIO The Board recommended the following endorsements: Seattle City Council Seattle City Council Seattle City Council Seattle City Council Seattle City Council Seattle City Council Seattle City Council Port of Seattle Commisioner Seattle School Director Seattle School Director Seattle School Director Federal Way City Council Federal Way City Council City of Tukwila City of Pacific Shoreline City Council Shoreline City Council So. King Co. Fire & Rescue Commisioner 5/20/2015 District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 6 District 7 District 8 Position 5 Position 2 Position 3 Position 6 Position 1 Position 5 Mayor Mayor Position 2 Position 6 Lisa Herbold & Brianna Thomas (dual) Bruce Harrell Kshama Sawant Jeann Godden & Rob Johnson (dual) Mike O'Brien Sally Bagshaw Tim Burgess & John Persak (dual) Herb Krohn & Ken Rogers (dual) Rick Burke Jill geary Marty McLaren & Leslie Harris (dual) Anthony Murrietta Mark Koppang De'Sean Quinn Leanne Guier Keith Scully Jesse Solomon Position 2 Roger Flygare IUOE Local 286 18 “E” Street S.W. Auburn, WA 98001 Non-Profit U.S. Postage Paid Seattle, WA Permit No. 5544 Address Service Requested We are on the web at IUOE286.org General Membership Meeting Open To All Members 18 “E” Street S. W., Auburn June 11, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. All Training and Apprenticeship Classes are on the IUOE website at www.iuoe286.org OPEIU8 AFL/CIO