effort - International Union of Operating Engineers
Transcription
effort - International Union of Operating Engineers
International Operating Engineer spring 2007 SUPER e f f o rt . . . n D av B s i S E Y o 4 c a e g pa Spring 2007 g e n e r a l o f f i c e r s Vincent J. Giblin, General President Christopher Hanley, General Secretary-Treasurer William C. Waggoner, First Vice President William E. Dugan, Second Vice President Jim McLaughlin, Third Vice President Brian E. Hickey, Fourth Vice President Gary Kroeker, Fifth Vice President John M. Hamilton, Sixth Vice President Allan B. Darr, Seventh Vice President Kenneth Campbell, Eighth Vice President Patrick L. Sink, Ninth Vice President William K. Duffy, Tenth Vice President Gerald Ellis, Eleventh Vice President Jerry Kalmar, Twelfth Vice President Phil Schloop, Thirteenth Vice President Russell E. Burns, Fourteenth Vice President Frank Hanley, General President Emeritus t r u s t e e s Mark Holliday, Chairman John T. Ahern, Trustee Mike Gallagher, Trustee Rodger Kaminska, Trustee Kuba J. Brown, Trustee The International Operating Engineer (ISSN 0020-8159) (USPS 581900) is published quarterly by the: International Union of Operating Engineers 1125 17th Street, NW - Washington, DC 20036 Printed in the USA on union-made paper. Subscription Terms - $5 per year Change of Address - Requests must be submitted in writing to the IUOE Membership Department (address above). Include your new address, registration and local union number. POSTMASTERS – ATTENTION: Change of address on Form 3579 should be sent to: International Operating Engineer - Mailing List Dept. 1125 17th St., NW, 3rd Floor - Washington, DC 20036 Periodicals postage paid at Washington, DC and additional office Publications Mail Agreement No. 40843045 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: PO Box 503 RPO West Beaver Creek Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6 t ON THE COVER: Local 103 (Indianapolis, IN) members are working on Lucas Oil Stadium, the future home for the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts. The $850 million project is expected to be completed in 2008 (See Page 5) . Photo furnished by Above All Aerial and Special Photography. International Operating Engineer ff e a t u r e s eatures Spring 2007 - Volume 150, No. 1 Editor - Christopher Hanley Local 94 ratifies new pact 4 Local 3 dismantles Carquinez Bridge 6 GEB Open Session - setting a new direction 16 M ak ing a difference 31 departments departments 9 Organizing News.............. 9 Safety & Health News...... 10 Legal Briefs.......................... 10 Education & Training....... 11 Stationary Engineers....... 12 Canadian News................. 12 Politics & Legislation....... Central Pension Fund............ 13 Hazmat News........................... 14 Around the Locals.................. 21 Members’ Service................... 22 GEB Minutes............................. 25 In Memoriam............................ 29 An IUOE perspective • General President Vincent J. Giblin Reaping the benefits of working together I t’s a good idea every so often to take time to assess where we stand as an organization. In the simplest terms, we accomplish that by figuring out how far we’ve come from where we started, and how far we still have to go. Based on the findings of this inventory-taking, we can make informed decisions about what policies and programs are working or what adjustments have to be made. We recently completed such an assessment, using a starting date of March 2005, the date when I was entrusted with stewardship of our union. Two years later, the bottom line is that it’s a great time to be an Operating Engineer and the state of our union is vibrant and strong. The work picture for Operating Engineers is excellent, not just for this year, but for years to come, with few exceptions in virtually every geographic region of the U. S. and Canada. We have a growing membership; we are in solid financial condition; the advances we have made in the priority areas of political action, organizing, training and health care are remarkable. These successes are fueled in large measure by our new way of doing business: together. More members and more local unions than ever are actively involved in the continuing efforts to protect and advance the interests of all members and their families. Perhaps nowhere was the effectiveness of this new participatory approach better illustrated than in the area of political action, especially the November 2006 elections. Our members made their voices heard and their influence felt in these elections on the national, state and local levels. We took a bi-partisan approach to the elections and were successful in the vast majority of those races we specifically targeted. Our members recognize that many of their jobs depend on the actions of legislators at all levels of government – and they spoke loud and clear via their votes to protect their interests. Our successes election day were not born that day. They were the result of initiatives and programs launched well over a year before the election to help reinvigorate a basically dormant, voiceless political action program. We took to heart populist commentator Jim Hightower’s admonition that “the only things in the middle of the road are yellow stripes and dead armadillos” and got off political dead-center and into the trenches. Operating Engineers is fast becoming a household name across the entire political spectrum. As even more and more members and locals get actively involved in political efforts, it won’t be long before “Operating Engineers” is a name that all political parties and all politicians not only know, but also listen to and respect. There is another way we can increase our influence in the political-legislative arenas. To find out how, turn to the Point of View column on the inside back cover of this issue. It’s a tantalizing idea and one that scores of IUOE members are involved in, but we’ll be saying more about that in future issues. In the meantime, please read the Point of View column. Our union has a growing membership, mostly as a result of the aggressive organizing being done by our local unions. There is no question that organizing is an extremely difficult task. But with the growing shortages of skilled operators throughout the U. S. and Canada, we have to take advantage of the situation to organize and build our strength in our core industries and increase our density. We have to look hard at what organizing strategies work and, at the same time, recognize that not all strategies work the same in different regions. We presently are committed to trying some new, dif- ferent approaches in our restructured Southern Region, and will continue to explore any and all avenues to organize. We also implemented a number of changes to our Organizing Grant Program to make it more efficient and effective. Locals wanting to participate for the first time in the program or wanting to renew an existing grant must now submit a detailed plan, including strategies and timelines to accomplish their goals. Most importantly, we now mandate accountability in the grant program. The IUOE recognizes that organizing sustains the vitality of our union, and we remain committed to organizing the unorganized to build a stronger union. There is not an Operating Engineer out there who does not realize that education and training produce skills, and that skills produce employability and job security. Knowing that, the importance and value of the unparalleled training offered by the IUOE and its local unions cannot be understated at this time of projected record work opportunities in the construction industry and the growing shortages of skilled operators. ‘... the bottom line is that it’s a great time to be an Operating Engineer...’ To help our members take full advantage of this state of affairs, the IUOE and its local unions have expanded their training programs greatly, especially in the pipeline industry. Lastly, every member understands all too well that virtually all of any negotiated wage increases over the last many years has been allotted to his or her health and welfare fund to maintain medical coverage in the face of outrageous health care costs. To help ease the strain on our members and their families of these out-of-pocket medical and prescription drug costs, the International and many of its local union health and welfare funds have been forming coalitions that allow us to negotiate package deals to secure lower pricing from medical providers and prescription drug suppliers. In fact, the greatest success we had in this regard was last year when we negotiated a vastly improved pharmacy benefit pricing program for our health and welfare funds that will mean significantly lower drug costs for participating funds and members. The key to our continued progress in keeping costs somewhat manageable is to expand our coalitions to include more and more local unions and their health and welfare funds and to continue opening and maintaining lines of communication between our various funds so we can share helpful information. Unfortunately, there is no magical elixir that will cure the pain of health care costs, but we intend to pursue all possible avenues to keep the pain to a minimum. The bottom line is that the IUOE and its members are doing well. We will continue to do well if we stay the course. It is, indeed, a new day and a new way in the IUOE and our members and their families are the better for it – and will be for years to come. Spring 2007 Davis-Bacon Y E S I n a well-earned victory for the IUOE and other trades, the U. S. House of Representatives rejected an amendment to repeal Davis-Bacon prevailing wage coverage by a 2 to 1 majority vote, 280 to 140. This was the first time in nearly 10 years that there was a straight up-ordown vote strictly on Davis-Bacon on the House floor. On Friday March 9, the House debated H.R. 720, the Water Quality Financing Act of 2007. This $15 billion reauthorization of the Clean Water Act would provide thousands of jobs over the next four years in the construction of sewage disposal and other waste water treatment facilities. In the course of the debate, an amendment was offered to strike all of the underlying Davis-Bacon prevailing wage coverage. The House rejected this effort as reported above. The vote came in the face of a Bush Administration threat to veto the legislation over the prevailing wage issue. Every Democrat present and voting supported the IUOE position, as did 50 Republicans. On final passage of H.R. 720, the vote was 303 to 108, more than the number needed to override a veto. The anti-union Associated Builders & Contractors made this vote a priority and they were crushed on a bi-partisan basis. When coupled with a House vote of 264 to 164 the previous week to defeat ABC-supported legislation that would have banned “salting” as a legitimate organizing tool, the ABC has now suffered two consecutive defeats in the House. While the fight in the Senate on H.R. 720 will be difficult given the close partisan divide, this effort reflects the IUOE’s commitment to utilize political and legislative resources to focus on job-creating infrastructure legislation and to defeat all attacks by right-wing construction foes. The active involvement of IUOE local unions and members in the political process was instrumental in achieving this solid legislative victory. Local 94 ratifies four-year pact covering commercial buildings A dhering to the old adage that “united we stand….,” the members of Local 94 (New York City) maintained a united front during months of sometimes contentious negotiations with the Real Estate Advisory Board (RAB) on a new contract covering their work in the city’s commercial buildings. Business Manager/IUOE Trustee Kuba Brown credited the members’ solidarity as pivotal in the local’s success in securing sufficient benefit improvements that the members ratified a new four-year contract with RAB by about 3 to 1. “They turned out for membership information meetings and for several public rallies,” Brown said. “We had nearly 3,000 at a rally at Rockefeller Center right after Christmas where we took our case to the public.” He added that Local 94 also received support in its efforts from others locals in the area and from numerous local politicians. “Our members supply skilled, quality service to hundreds of commercial buildings in the city, many of them well-known landmarks, and they wanted and deserved better health care benefits,” he said after the contract was ratified Jan. 10, 2007. “And by staying united, we were able to get a pact that the members approved overwhelmingly.” International Operating Engineer Local 94 Business Manager/IUOE Trustee Kuba Brown leads a rally of thousands of members and supporters as they take their cause public. Local 94 members and supporters, pictured here and on the left, make their sentiments known and their voices heard at a public rally. Local 103 building new home for Super Bowl Champs Local 103 operators, above, at work on the new $850 million Lucas Oil Stadium the future home of the Indianapolis Colts. Inset: An architectural rendering of what the new stadium will look like when completed in 2008. W hile Peyton Manning and company are focused on building a Super Bowl dynasty following this year’s championship, the members of Local 103 (Indianapolis, IN) are focused on building a new home, worthy enough for that of a Super Bowl champion. Just a stone’s throw from the RCA Dome, the Colts home of more than 20 years, Lucas Oil Stadium is quickly becoming an imposing part of the downtown Indianapolis skyline. With 65 Local 103 operators working on the project, the state-of-theart sports complex is in capable hands. Construction of the stadium is being overseen by Hunt Construction Group under a project labor agreement. The $850 million stadium is slated to be completed in time for the kickoff of the Colts’ 2008 season. With a seating capacity of 63,000 that can be expanded to 70,000, the stadium has a retractable roof that will allow the Colts to play in open air when the weather permits. Lucas Oil Stadium is just one of several new projects to which Local 103 members are applying their expertise. Other jobs include a $1 billion airport project, using more than 150-200 operating engineers, and a $180 million highway project in the downtown area. Lucas Oil Stadium will cover over 1.8 million square feet and include 142 corporate suites and 183,000 square feet of exhibit space. When the stadium opens, it will have the largest operable window in the world. Located above the north end zone, the window will allow scenic views of downtown Indiananapolis. However, that title will be relinquished once the new Dallas Cowboys stadium, with its dual open windows in each end zone, opens in 2009. In addition to serving as the new home of the Colts, Lucas Oil Stadium will be eligible to host NCAA Basketball March Madness Tournament games and serve as a back-up host for the Final Four. Once finished, the stadium will include one million square feet of poured decking, 600,000 square feet of slab on grade, 1.1 million concrete blocks and over 14,000 tons of steel in the roof structure. Spring 2007 C arquinez Bridge Demolition involves Local 3 members, contractors The Carquinez Bridge, built be finished by the fall of in 1927, has a long history this year, and the historical of being overshadowed. It was bridge with its steel cantifinished on the day Charles lever structure, will disapLindbergh completed his famous pear completely from the Bay transatlantic flight and since Area skyline. then has been elbowed out of Local 3 (Sacremento, CA) the spotlight by its famous members and contractors began sisters, the Bay and Golden its demolition in April 2006, Gate bridges. Even though the because the cost of retrofitCarquinez Bridge was the Bay ting the bridge for seismic Area’s first modern steel span safety specifications wasn’t and the first much less than bridge erectbuilding a new ed to actively bridge. The de• The Carquinez Bridge actually resist shock refers to the three parallel bridgconstruction has by the use es crossing the Carquinez Strait, been a lesson of hydraulic linking Vallejo to Crockett. in patience, as dampers, it is • The 1927 bridge was dedicated literally piece virtually unon May 21 and cost $8 million by piece of the known. to build – it costs $18 million to giant structure tear it down. It was the first maHowever, to has been lifted jor bridge in the Bay area. the angst of onto barges and • In 1958, a similar bridge was some, maintaken to the Mare built to serve eastbound traffic. ly those old Island shipyards • In 2003, the new Al Zampa susenough to reto be used as pension bridge was built to remember its scrap metal. Conplace the Carquinez Bridge for construction tractors include seismic safety. and Crockett California Engi• The complete demolition of the residents who neering, Balfour 1927 Carquinez Bridge should have viewed it Beatty and CS Mabe finished in the fall of 2007. as a landmark rine, among othfor decades, ers. the CarquiAccording to nez Bridge will rest only in 28-year-member and Crane Opmemory, overshadowed again by erator Vince Capizzo, “It’s the eastbound 1958 bridge and really something to see. the westbound Al Zampa Bridge There’s a lot of history be(constructed in 2003), both hind this bridge.” He continseismically secure. ued: “Pop some of the rivets The complete dismantling of – Caltrans wanted some of that the Carquinez Bridge should for a historical museum.” 1927 - 2007 From the south side of the Carquinez Strait, the Al Zampa Bridge to the left and the 1958 bridge to the right remain fully intact, while the center piece of the Carquinez Bridge has already been taken down. From the north side, a crane is shown placing pieces of the bridge onto trucks. t FAR LEFT From the left, Local 3 Deck Engineer Doug Kniss, Crane Operator George Mariscal and Fairfield Organizer John Galeotti are pictured on site at the Carquinez Bridge Demolition Project. t NEAR LEFT Using four strand jacks (for a total of 76 strands), operators began demolition of the Carquinez Bridge on April 25 by lowering the first section of deck. International Operating Engineer Hoover Dam crane accident delays Bypass Bridge C ompletion of the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge was set back by at least two years when a high wind-related effect caused a series of tower cranes with attached cables to fall onto the Nevada approach of U. S. Highway 93 last fall. Because the workday had ended, no injuries were reported, and the bridge was not damaged in any way. But replacing the collapsed crane system has pushed back the bridge opening from late in 2008 to the end of 2010. The 280-foot tower cranes formed a pulley-type high line system spanning opposite sides of Black Canyon over the Colorado River. The lines were constructed for delivery of materials used in both foundation structures and the main arch crossing. The 2,300-foot-long steel cables carried up to 50 tons of materials and workers about 1,100 feet over the river. A number of ongoing investigations are underway by insurers, engineers, subcontractors and suppliers because the contractors need to understand what failed. Investigation indicates that when one of the two towers broke on the Nevada side of the canyon, its steel cables dragged down the other three towers. The remaining mystery is why this crane, previously used at other construction sites, did not survive the type of wind gusts that brought it down. High winds were expected to be a major challenge from the outset, which is why the bridge itself is being constructed to withstand winds of up to 100 mph. But the tower crane system was designed to operate where high winds are not unusual. On the day of the accident, winds had been clocked as high as 55 mph. Cost of the project, originally budgeted at $234 million with an additional $6 million built-in emergency cushion, is now expected to exceed the entire figure. Engineers have finished bridge approaches on the Nevada and Arizona sides of the canyon and are partially through building support columns on either side of the river. For the remainder of this year construction will continue with derrick cranes. These conventional cranes will not extend out as far over the canyon as the high-line cranes, but are sufficient for current work phases until the tower crane system is rebuilt. Even though high winds were were taken into consideration for the design and construction of the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge in Nevada, the two tower cranes, above, toppled over. The system is being rebuilt by a partnership of multinational construction firms that are the project’s primary contractors. These include the Obayashi Corp. and PSM Construction USA Inc. The new high-line crane system will be rebuilt from scratch, instead of utilizing an imported used system, like the old one. And the new crane will be designed specifically for the work site about a quarter-mile south of the dam. The revised construction schedule calls for building the arch and deck of the bridge over the river. The deck should be finished by the spring of 2010, with paving work starting early that year. When complete, the 1,905-foot span will carry U.S. Highway 93 traffic 890 feet above the river, giving the Las Vegas Valley easier access to northwestern Arizona where a number of Southern Nevada developers are planning residential developments. Spring 2007 7 From a high crane seat, retiree has seen the world Local 3 member reflects on a fulfilling career L ocal 3 retiree Brian Mackwood is not your average guy. At 66 years of age, he has traveled around the world at least four times, lived in seven different countries, is fluent in five languages, holds the Manitowoc record for the largest lift in the Middle East – 1,100 tons in Saudi Arabia – and helped build the Fillmore Center, more than 500 feet in the air in a tower crane, during the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. This is just the beginning. He and his wife, Susanne, hold many artifacts from their travels overseas, including a python that fell across his loader in New Guinea. The loader won (or Brian Mackwood won, depending on how you look at it), and he still has the python to prove it; that python made it to many of his children’s show-and-tell presentations, and if you talk to any one of them, you’ll realize that they never forgot that python. The Mackwoods have four children – Ronnie, Kelly, Brian and Jason and five grandchildren. According to Mackwood’s youngest son, Jason, his father misses the work tremendously. “My father’s story is a good one,” he said. “Many operators will probably never see the places my father has,” Jason said. “It’s kind of like when you say the phrase ‘the olden days’ – that’s what I would compare it [his life] to.” Now, Jason believes that traveling is not as easy as it used to be with high security and strained international relations. Despite all of Mackwood’s worldly travels and adventures (he could easily be deemed the Indiana Jones of Operating Engineers), including operating a dozer in New Guinea at 14,000 feet above sea level or driving 140-foot pile on San Mateo Bridge, “I have always felt the the best aspect of his lucky to be an Operating Local 3 career has traveling to jobs Engineer... it’s the best been with his family. thing that ever happened to me.” “Whenever they could come with me, they did,” Mackwood said, “so everybody had the experience of traveling, and I remember coming off the jobsite in Venezuela and seeing my children interacting one-on-one with the teachers there. They [his children] had excellent schooling and could speak many different languages.” Mackwood learned of the Operating Engineers through befriending the son of member Arthur “Buzz” Haskins and being exposed to the work and the lifestyle through him. Mackwood had two years of college under his belt but quickly learned that dirt work could lead to travel (something he was always fond of, since he was born in Canada and moved to the U.S. when he was a young child) and excellent benefits, and so he signed on with Local 3 in 1962, making him a 45-year member. Through the con- International Operating Engineer struction company Bechtel, he was one of the youngest operators to travel abroad. And thanks to Local 3, Mackwood has led his adventurous lifestyle and collected artifacts and legendary stories fit to fill volumes. “I have always felt lucky to be an Operating Engineer; I loved to go to work every day. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” said Mackwood. He recalls being in the union in the Local 3’s Brian Mackwood and his wife, 60s and how back Susanne, have been married 45 years – just then, the union was as many years as he has been a member of run differently in the local. the sense that officers were getting used to the business side of running things, rather than running equipment. Consequently, their attention was focused on learning how to make the transition. “Today,” he said, “the officers work entirely for the members. We wouldn’t have the things we have now if it wasn’t for them working as hard as they do.” Mackwood is clearly appreciative. There is nothing boastful or bold about him, even though he has bragging rights to experiences the rest of us could only dream of having, including witnessing the 1989 San Francisco earthquake from 500 feet in the air. “I was pouring concrete, and there was a rumbling and shaking. It was dusk, and then a wave like an ocean roll started, and I heard dogs barking and car alarms and hollering,” Mackwood recalled, “but I was in the best place to be, I guess.” Mackwood is in the best place to be right now as a retired Operating Engineer. Having traveled and lived internationally for years, he and his wife enjoy traveling within the U.S. now. They are especially fond of the Grand Canyon. Their four children are still within close proximity as they have always been. Mackwood is not a big talker. He doesn’t have to be. His presence says enough, along with his quiet voice that does not brag, but simply states the facts. What advice does Mackwood have for apprentices hoping to live as he has? “Work hard, work as many hours as you can. You’ll see it’s worth it. You’ll see it in your adventures and your retirement - it is a great way of life.” Highway funds restored, Clean Water bill cleared F aced with a potential $4 billion cut in the highway and transit program left over from the previous Congress, the recently installed Democratic congressional leadership crafted a 2007 fiscal year spending package which restored the $4 billion and preserved 192,000 jobs. Most of these goodpaying jobs are in the construction industry. The International Union led a coalition of other basic trades and industry groups in defending the higher levels of federal infrastructure investment. In a related development, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee reported out a $15 billion Clean Water Act reauthorization bill for floor debate in March. H.R. 720, the Water Quality Financing Act of 2007, would result in tens of thousands of jobs building sewage disposal and other clean water facilities. During committee debate, much attention was focused on the application of Davis-Bacon prevailing wages to the construction dollars flowing from the State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) program. With strong bi-partisan support, the committee adopted the long-held IUOE position that Davis-Bacon wages apply to all rounds of construction assisted by the SRF financing mechanism. committed to scheduling floor debate and a vote in early March. On the issue of Davis-Bacon coverage, we anticipate a strong bi-partisan vote from Democrats and Republicans who want to move this construction program forward. The non-union Associated Builders and Contractors have never been able to garner a majority in opposition to Davis-Bacon because of the bi-partisan political approach of the IUOE and other National Construction Alliance unions. (See related story, Page 4.) politics & legislation The Republican leadership in the House over the past 10 years refused to schedule a floor vote on this major construction program because of Davis-Bacon prevailing wages. Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) and Majority Leader Hoyer (D-MD) have already On a final note, the House voted 241 to 185 March 1st to pass H.R. 800, the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). All but two Democrats supported final passage, along with 13 Republicans. This bill, which is a priority of the AFL-CIO, would allow employee card check options during organizing drives instead of relying on the NLRB’s broken and largely ineffective election process. While the House vote is a positive first step for enactment into law, the prospects for passage in the Senate are much more difficult, and the Bush Administration already has threatened to veto EFCA. The enactment of EFCA is likely going to be a multi-year project and require a change in administrations. During the debate, the Associated Builders and Contractors suffered a major defeat when conservative Republican Representative Steve King (IA) offered an amendment to prevent union “salts” from partaking in elections. His amendment was resoundingly defeated, 264 to 164, with 34 Republicans voting with 230 Democrats against the ABC position. Organizing news Local 234 organizes Global Spectrum employees Local 234 (Des Moines, IA) recently organized 16 maintenance engineers from Global Spectrum, pictured here on the right. Global Spectrum operates the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines – the largest facility of its kind in the state. Spring 2007 safety & Health News National 811 number launched to help prevent digging mishaps t he Common Ground Alliance (CGA) has launched a new national 811 “Call Before You Dig” web site – www.call811.com – designed to serve as a national resource for professional excavators. The new web site is being launched to educate industry audiences, which includes professional excavators and homeowners about the new 811 “Call Before You Dig” telephone number. 811 is the new FCC-designated national number created to eliminate confusion of multiple “Call Before You Dig” numbers across the country. Currently there 62 One Call Centers with multiple “Call Before You Dig” numbers across the United States. The national 811 number will eliminate the confusion of multiple numbers while continuing free and easy local service. This quick and efficient service connects callers with local One Call Centers who notify the appropriate local utilities, who then send crews to the requested site to mark the approximate location of underground lines. Whether planning a commercial excavation project, planting a tree, installing a fence or a deck; the entire process is easy and at virtually no cost to the professional excavator or the do-it-yourself homeowner. The number will be officially launched to the public on May 1, 2007. Knowing where underground lines are buried before each digging project helps prevent injury, expense and penalties. In 2004, according to industry data, CGA estimates there were approximately 680,000 underground line strikes resulting in damages, including service outages and injury. Many of these accidents might have been avoided by calling ahead to have lines marked before digging. A recent national survey conducted for CGA shows that confusion exists among the public as to the necessity of calling before every dig job. In the survey, only 35% of homeowners indicated they or someone in their house have called to have their utility lines marked in the past. Lawyers Conference held in Phoenix M ore than 70 lawyers representing IUOE locals and their related benefit funds gathered in Phoenix in January for the IUOE Lawyers Conference. The lawyers heard 22 different presentations on a wide variety of topics. IUOE Associate General Counsel Helen Morgan led a panel discussing recent National Labor Relations Board decisions on whether workers with certain authority to assign and responsibly direct work are “supervisors” and lose their legal protections; the panel also addressed NLRB decisions on unit placement in the health care industry. Assistant General Counsel Elizabeth 10 International Operating Engineer Nadeau moderated a discussion of various state laws designed to rein in employer attempts to misclassify workers as independent contractors. Central Pension Fund Counsel Mike Crabtree led a panel which discussed the Pension Protection Act of 2006, the most important piece of pension legislation since ERISA was enacted. Legal briefs The participants also had lively discussions on immigration laws, various subcontracting issues and the steps necessary to make sure construction industry unions have full representative status. Finally, a conference highlight was a wide-ranging question and answer session, moderated by Local 18 Counsel Bill Fadel, with three lawyers who, in addition to representing IUOE locals, also serve as General Counsels for other international unions. Education & Training Locals complete pipeline training Local 66 (Pittsburgh, PA) conducted pipeline training at its site in New Alexandria, PA last November. Twenty-three members representing five locals completed the training. Participants in the photo above included, front row, left to right: Instructors Bill Nathan, Dave Riffle, Terry Ross and Keith Hoover. Second row, from the left (with local affiliation noted): Tim Nearhoof (17), Bob Morrison (542), Joe Wilson (542), Eric Schultz (17), Jim Schroeder (17), Steve Meyokovich (66), Brian Wolfgang (66) and Pete Kuhn (66). Third row, same order: Matt Northrop (66), James Helewski, Jr. (542), Frank Morrison (178), Tony Stasko (66), Wes Mitchell (542), Kurtis Gatrell (178), Frank Kephart (66) and Steve Krzanowsky (66). Fourth row, same order: Dan Yohn (66), Steven Johnson (66), Mark Swift (470), Keegan Lachut (17), Dave Houssock (542), and Paul Ziegelhofer (17). Local 57 apprentices complete training Local 57 (Providence, RI) held its first CCO training class for apprentices. Participants included, front row from the left, Doug Arruda, Damon Hamilton, Vincent Silvaggio, John Savoy and Ralph D’Ambruoso. Back row, same order, are Local 57 Administrator Chris Treml, Gary Torkomian, Don Gliottone, John Grissom, Harry Charland, Glenn Gresko, Jim McQuaide, John Pomfret and Instructor John Doorley. Local 487 holds OSHA class A Local 57 apprentice practices excavating during the Hazmat training course. Local 487 (Miami, FL) held its first OSHA 7600 Disaster Site Workers class in January. Instructors included Chip Booth, from the National Hazmat Program, and Training Director Mark Schaunaman. Participants pictured, kneeling from the left, Roderick James and Mark Hall. Middle row, same order: Kevin Bisby, Timothy Tayor, Jean Bustamante, Oscar Castillo, Wendly Alexis and Daniel McCullers. Back row, same order: Randall R. Piersall, Michael O’Hana, John Epperson Jamie Massey, Wade Corley, Michael Smith, and Schaunaman. Local 57 apprentices following completion of their 40-hour Hazmat course. Kneeling are Jonathon King, left, and Training Site Coordinator Ellery Wood. Middle row, left to right, are Treml, Carlos Perez, Jeff Steere, Walter Clark, David Rita, Jason Tavares, John Fernandes, and Instructor Jim Woloohojian. Back row, same order, Brookes Leone, David Crum, Ann Alexyon, Kyle Moffat, Craig Shalvey, Chad Friel and Terry McNamara. Spring 2007 11 Local 501 apprentice grads honored in Las Vegas Stationary engineers Local 501’s Justin White, second from the left, was honored with the 2005 Apprentice of the Year award. Pictured with him, from the left, are: Business Manager Jim McLaughlin, Trustee Tom Ervin and Coordinator Mike Russell. White, a second generation Local 501 apprentice, never missed a night of instruction during his four-year apprenticeship. He will be joined by his brother who will graduate this year. Local 501 (Los Angeles, CA) held its 2005-2006 Apprenticeship Graduation Dinner honoring the local’s 23 apprentice graduates at Bally’s Las Vegas. Business Manager/ IUOE Vice President Jim McLaughlin, second row, center, is pictured with some of the graduates. Front row, left to right are: Claude Braithwaite, Daniel Gonzales, Justin White and Michael Chavez. Second row, same order: John Stocker, Christopher Homer, Trustee Tom Ervin, McLaughlin, Coordinator Mike Russell and Chris Kachnik. Third row, same order: Chris Mortensen, Frank Baldassare, Ronald Dressler, Ron Cole, Shawn Barnes, Ricardo Cacho, Matthew Reasner, Jose Duran, Rick Parker, Justin O’Rourke, Paul Wheeler, Gregory Minarchan and standing, top, is Daniel Benstead. t Greg Minarchan, second from the left, was presented with the plaque for 2006 Apprentice of the Year by Local 501 Business Manager McLaughlin, Ervin and Russell. Minarchan, whose attendance and grades were the highest of his class, received numerous marks of “outstanding” on work evaluations from his employer and “was always the first to help fellow apprentices who had trouble with their assignments.” A special award was presented by the Local 501 Apprenticeship Committee to Fran Escar zaga, pictured front center. Escarzaga entered the apprenticeship program in 1981 and was the first female apprentice to be dispatched to an employer, the Las Vegas Hilton - where she remained. During those 25 years at the Hilton, she met her husband Craig Es carzaga and after a “lifetime”, as Fran puts it, she retired. CLocal 905 anadian News elects Goulet as new business manager Local 905’s (Montréal, QC) executive committee recently elected LouisJean Goulet as its new Business Manager. Due to the growing construction in Québec, including the beginning of the Eastmain A-1 Dam project, Goulet is starting off with a very busy agenda. 12 International Operating Engineer Central Pension Fund Wall Street looks back 350 years to fix 401(k)s I t is well documented that both Wall Street and Corporate America are very fond of 401(k) retirement savings plans. They view 401(k)s as a perfect solution to two problems they have with traditional defined benefit pension plans. For Wall Street, 401(k)s permit investment firms to charge much higher fees than they can collect from defined benefit plans; for Corporate America, they permit companies to shift investment risk and funding costs to workers. Presto, two problems solved. But workers have been left to search for solutions to the three great problems of 401(k) plans: Savings Investment and Longevity risks. Savings risk is the risk that you will not be able to save enough in your 401(k) to provide an adequate retirement; Investment risk is the risk that even if you do save enough, you will choose the wrong investments and lose what you have saved; Longevity risk is the risk that even if you save enough, and wisely invest, you will outlive your 401(k) account and be destitute in your final years. While all three of these risks can doom a secure retirement, Longevity risk is the one that you have no control over. You have some control over your savings and investment choices. But only the good Lord controls your longevity. Of course Wall Street and Corporate America have had a ready answer to workers concerned about Longevity risk -- when you retire just buy an annuity policy with your 401(k) account. Insurance companies sell such policies to the general public. At retirement, you hand your 401(k) account to an insurance company, and they will provide you with a monthly payment for life. The larger your account balance, the larger your monthly benefit. There is just one catch to this solution --- insurance companies charge about a 20% fee for such annuity policies. But since Wall Street and Corporate America are already making out like bandits on 401(k) plans, why shouldn’t the insurance industry get a piece of the action, too? Now however, a large Wall Street firm is proposing a new concept as an alternative to expensive insurance policies to solve Longevity risk. The problem is that this new concept was invented 350 years ago by a schemer in France, and has been outlawed in the United States since 1906. The concept is called Tontine. In February of this year, Pensions & Investments magazine reported that Mellon Capital Management Company, a large investment firm, is developing a plan design that will permit a Tontine feature to be added to a 401(k) plan to produce a monthly annuity payment for life, without the 20% commission charged by insurance companies. There is only one problem to overcome -- Tontines were outlawed in the United States because they were prone to corruption and murder. Tontines were invented for the French government in 1652 by an Italian banker named Lorenzo Tonti. The concept was simple: a group of people would get together and each would make a contribution to a common account. Thereafter, each member of the group received a fixed interest payment each month for life from the account. As each member of the group died, the monthly payments to the remaining members became greater. The last survivor received the largest monthly payment of all until he or she died, at which time the remainder of the account went to the government. In theory these schemes worked just fine, but in real life they were subject to all of the corruption of any gambling scheme --- and were open invitations for group members to hasten the demise of their fellow members. That’s why Tontines have been unlawful in the United States for the last 100 years. It is the greatest of ironies that a Wall Street investment firm is attempting to resurrect these ancient, discredited Tontine schemes to solve a problem that didn’t exist before Wall Street and Corporate America abandoned defined benefit pensions. It would be laughable if it weren’t tragic. Spring 2007 13 hazmat NHP 2007 Instructor Training Schedule The National HAZMAT Program is announcing its complete 2007 Instructor Training Schedule, supporting its 10-year Plan. This is accomplished by offering sufficient instructor training/development courses to bring all active instructors back annually to enhance their skills and knowledge. The 10-year plan builds an instructor’s credentials, while ensuring that necessary refreshers are received to maintain those credentials. news If you or your Instructor are interested in attending any of these courses please contact the NHP at hazmat@iuoeiettc. org or call (304) 253-8674. COURSE DATES Respiratory Protection Competency Training May 7 - 10, 2007 Teaching Techniques Instructor Training - Intermediate to Advanced May 14 - 17, 2007 OSHA 500 Construction Industry Train-the-Trainer May 21 - 24, 2007 Trenching, Shoring and Excavation Train-the-Trainer June 11 - 14, 2007 Teaching Techniques Instructor Training - Intermediate to Advanced June 25- 28, 2007 OSHA DSW 5600 Train-the-Trainer July 16 - 19, 2007 OSHA 502 Construction Industry Instructor Update Aug. 6 - 10, 2007 Confined Space Train-the-Trainer Aug. 13 - 16, 2007 Trenching, Shoring and Excavation Train-the-Trainer Sept. 10 - 14, 2007 MSHA Instructor Trainer Sept. 17 -21, 2007 OSHA 502 Construction Industry/OSHA 503 General Industry Instructor Updates Sept. 30 - Oct. 5, 2007 OSHA 500 Construction Industry and OSHA DSW Worker Train-the-Trainers (Session 2 of Initial Instructor Training) Oct. 15 - 26, 2007 Why Disaster Site Worker training now? “Disaster sites shouldn’t be the place for introductions,” says Larry Demark, training director, IUOE Local 825. This was a lesson learned at the World Trade Center and a host of other sites of disasters that have occurred where skilled support personnel and emergency responders worked together. Workers trained to respond to disasters and to work as a team with emergency responders are vital to improve rescue chances of victims, and facilitate the recovery and reconstruction of the disaster site. • The IUOE National Training Fund and the National HAZMAT Program support OSHA’s goal for the Disaster Site Worker (DSW) Training Program to develop a cadre of workers who are highly trained to respond safely to natural and man-made disasters. Training before work at any disaster site is vital. It is essential that all workers who may be involved at a disaster site have a basic understanding of safety and health hazards and are adequately trained. This includes differences in hazards between a disaster site and a construction site, incident command system, decontamination, and inspection, and donning, and doffing of an airpurifying respirator for their own protection. Workers who complete all of the following courses are issued the OSHA Disaster Site Worker Training Program Card documenting training expertise. The 40-hour HAZWOPER course: this is the minimum level of training for workers engaged in hazardous substance removal or other activities which expose or potentially expose workers to hazardous substances, including chemicals, biological agents, radioactive materials, and explosives. Both of these courses are typically used to teach workers on day-to-day hazards associated with normal working conditions. • The OSHA Disaster Site Worker Course #7600: provides instruction relevant to emergency situations, where working conditions may be drastically different (thus the hazards as well) from day-to-day operations. • The 10-hour Construction Outreach course: provides information/awareness of safety and health hazards that occur on a daily basis on a normal construction site. The National HAZMAT Program strongly encourages all locals to train workers to the Program Card level, now. This will ensure that the IUOE has that cadre of trained workers to respond safely to natural and man-made disasters and improve the IUOE national response capacity. Having this kind of training before “the disaster” sets IUOE members apart from the rest and puts them ahead of others. These workers can help ensure the continued protection for workers involved in recovery and cleanup efforts. This level of training is recommended to build alliances between Operating Engineers and Emergency Responders to save lives during disasters. OSHA Disaster Site Worker 5600 Train-the-Trainer The National HAZMAT Program conducted an OSHA Disaster Site Worker (DSW) 5600 Train-the-Trainer course November 13 – 16, 2006. Twelve participants from eight IUOE Local Unions and the Anaconda Job Corps successfully completed the course and are authorized to return to their Local Unions and conduct the OSHA DSW 7600 Worker Course. The OSHA DSW 7600 course prepares heavy equipment operators and stationary engineers as skilled support personnel to work on disaster sites, often side by side with emergency responders. 14 International Operating Engineer CPR/AED/First Aid Training offered The National HAZMAT Program currently has four American Red Cross authorized trainers and two American Heart Association authorized trainers on staff. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation/Automated External defibrillator/First Aid can be conducted for local unions as an individual course or as part of another class, such as the 8-hour HAZWOPER Refresher. The National HAZMAT Program soon will have instructor trainer status with both of these organizations. This will enable Master Instructors to be trained as instructors to conduct CPR/AED/First Aid courses for local union members. To better serve the IUOE local unions a national account with the Red Cross has been established. This enables the National HAZMAT Program or local union instructors to more easily conduct Red Cross courses nationwide and conduct the training at a discounted rate for materials and equipment. Instructors also receive the advantage of dealing with the National HAZMAT Program instead of their local Red Cross chapters. This type of arrangement is also being negotiated with the American Heart Association. Courses conducted include: • Master Instructors at the National HAZMAT Program Training Facility in Beckley, West Virginia – 11 Master Instructors received CPR/AED/First Aid training as part of their OSHA Disaster Site Worker 5600 Train-theTrainer course. • Local 132 at their training site in Ravenswood, West Virginia – 83 members received CPR/AED training as part of their annual 8-hour HAZWOPER Refresher. • National HAZMAT Program staff received CPR/AED training; First Aid training is scheduled in coming months. The Program has three AEDs located on site at the training facility in Beckley, West Virginia. • Boh Brothers Construction, an IUOE signatory contractor, at their facility in New Orleans, Louisiana – 15 Boh Brothers Construction staff received CPR/AED/First Aid training. Classes are also scheduled for Boh Brothers’ staff during March 2007. For additional information on CPR/AED/First Aid courses, contact the National HAZMAT Program at [email protected] or call 304-253-8674. Building Alliances guide now available The National HAZMAT Program released on February 21, 2007, the guidance document: Building Alliances Between Operating Engineers and Emergency Responders to Save Lives During Disasters. The guidance document is produced under an OSHA Susan Harwood Grant and was developed by a steering committee consisting of representatives from IUOE Local Unions who have successfully formed relationships with emergency response groups, representatives from emergency response groups including state Urban Search and Rescue Teams, and both hoisting and portable and stationary operating engineers. The guidance document facilitates how IUOE Local Unions can form proactive working relationships with emergency response groups, focusing on lessons learned from past experiences. The guidance document is available from the National HAZMAT Program and will be posted on the website www.iuoeiettc.org. The guidance document was officially released at the annual State Urban Search and Rescue Alliance conference held in College Station, Texas, February 20 – 21, 2007. During this conference, Bill Byrnes from IUOE Local 825, who was an invited speaker, gave a presentation on the alliance formed between Local Union 825 and New Jersey Task Force 1, one of the successful relationships discussed in the guidance document. more • HAZMAT News > page 19 HAZWOPER TRAIN-the-TRAINER CONDUCTED AT LOCALS The National HAZMAT Program conducted a HAZWOPER Train-theTrainer for IUOE Local Union 150, November 26 – December 1, 2006, at their training site in Plainfield, Illinois. The course authorized seven members to instruct the HAZWOPER general site worker curriculum. If your local union, or several locals in close proximity to each other, has a need for a HAZWOPER Train-the-Trainer course, the National HAZMAT Program will provide the instructors and conduct the Trainthe-Trainer at your location. Each candidate for the course needs to have completed the 40-hour general site worker HAZWOPER course as a prerequisite. NEW DISASTER SITE WORKER TRAINING KITS AVAILABLE The National HAZMAT Program recently added three Disaster Site Worker training kits to its training equipment cache. Each kit consists of hands-on training items to assist instructors with conducting the OSHA DSW 7600 Worker Course. Examples of items within the kits include respirators, chemical protective suits, boots, hard hats, and industrial hygiene pumps. The kit will allow instructors to provide real, hands-on training equipment for subjects within the course. The kits are available to the Local Unions and should be ordered on the course proposal form as the Local Union would do with any other equipment. The course proposal form is located on the Program’s website at www.iuoeiettc.org. NHP CONDUCTS MASTER INSTRUCTOR COURSES The National HAZMAT Program’s Ten Year Plan addresses the challenges of structuring initial and refresher training and continuous professional development. As part of this plan the following Master Instructor training courses were conducted at the National HAZMAT Program Training Facility in Beckley, West Virginia. Spring 2007 15 2007 GEB Open session IUOE: ‘Walking the walk’ K icking off the 2007 General Executive Board Open Session, IUOE General President Vincent Giblin noted that “history” was being made by meeting in Phoenix, being the first time an Open Session was held in a locale other than Florida. While history may have been made with the location, the accomplishments and objectives discussed during the Open Session will pave the way for a new history – one that will place the IUOE at the forefront of the labor movement. “At the end of this week I want each of you to leave here with a sense of empowerment and that we are setting a new direction for our union,” said General President Giblin. Keeping with the “A New Day – A New Way: Together” theme, this year’s meeting maintained its focus on the IUOE’s key initiatives: Organizing, Political Action and Healthcare, with daily workshops over the course of the week addressing each in detail. “Overall, 2006 was good for the IUOE and its members,” said Giblin. “The success we enjoyed and the initiatives we implemented will serve as a stepping stone for even more success and innovation in this coming year and beyond.” General President Giblin outlined IUOE’s accomplishments over the past year and provided an overview of the direction the union will take in the years to come. During his keynote address to the more than 300 delegates in attendance, Giblin emphasized the three standards that he continues to incorporate into the daily administration and operation of the union – involvement, accountability and openness. On the political front, Giblin said, “We were a major player on all levels of the political spectrum (in the 2006 elections) and that fact is well recognized. We now have a reputation as an organization that doesn’t just talk the talk, but that actually walks the walk. All of us, working together, helped earn that reputation and we intend to build on it.” Emphasis was also placed on increased and enhanced training initiatives for IUOE members in both the construction and stationary fields. Last year’s establishment of the National Training Fund, to coordinate and streamline the union’s training endeavors, reiterated the IUOE’s increased effort. Another key initiative addressed during the opening remarks was the realignment of the International’s regional structure, which is scheduled for completion over the next few months. The realignment led into another one of the union’s three key issues – organizing. Vice Presidents William Waggonner, John Hamilton, Gary Kroeker and General Secretary-Treasuer Christopher Hanley provided delegates with briefings regarding other issues of importance. 16 International Operating Engineer M embership rolls in the IUOE are growing thanks to the dedicated organizing efforts of our local unions. Even better, the prospects for continued organizing success are bright, based on the record levels of construction work projected for the next many years…and the growing shortage of skilled operators. As Jim VanDyke, IUOE chief of staff, told the Open Session delegates, “we have to take full advantage of the opportunities afforded by these circumstances to organize and build our strength in our core industries and to increase our density.” While organizing is acknowledged as hard work, the IUOE is committed to working with its locals and members to explore reasonable strategies and even alternative methods. “Organizing is our lifeblood,” VanDyke said, “so we best insure its sustenance.” In point of fact, some new approaches are being implemented in the recently restructured Southern Region. The reasoning is that the South historically has been very difficult to organize in, so why not try something different. Changes in the Cooperative Organizing Grant Program now require locals applying for a grant or a renewal of a grant to submit detailed plans, including strategies and timelines for reaching their stated goals. ORGANIZING T A ll IUOE members and their families have to cope the best they can with the still-spiraling costs of medical care and prescription drugs. That dilemma is evident each time a member gets a wage increase, only to see most – if not all – of it go to the local union health and welfare fund to maintain – hopefully – the coverage they have. The International Union committed two years ago to do whatever it could to help curtail these rising costs. It established a Healthcare Initiatives Department under the direction of David Treanor to coordinate all efforts in this regard. In addressing the Open Session, Treanor said the IUOE recognized the practical truth of the adage that there is strength in numbers. Accordingly, the International began encouraging its local unions and their health and welfare funds to join together in a coalition to create more bargaining power. Last year the IUOE hired Trivantage Pharmacy Strategies to represent the IUOE and its coalition of local health and welfare funds and to draft a Request for Proposal to be presented to several Pharmacy Benefit Managers. The end result, after a very lengthy process of consideration and review of several proposals, was the negotiation last year of a new pharmacy benefit pricing program that means significantly lower drug prices for our participating health and welfare funds and their members. If we are to continue the initial successes in securing lower prices for prescription drugs, it is essential that we constantly expand our coalition by bringing more and more local union health and welfare funds on board, and maybe even look at the feasibility of forming coalitions with other International Unions and their local funds. HEALTH CARE POLITICAL ACTION he big news on the political front was the 2006 elections, which handed Democrats control of both the House and the Senate for the first time since 1981. In addition, Democratic candidates won gubernatorial and legislative seats in key battleground states. “This shift in the nation’s political landscape can be accredited, in part, to labor and the mobilization of more than 13 million union voters,” noted IUOE Political-Legislative Director Tim James in his opening remarks during the political action workshop. Following a summary of targeted races and statistics on the impact of union voters, James focused on IUOE efforts during the election. IUOE’s increased presence in the political arena was evident in its jump from 18th to 3rd largest labor contributor from 2004 to 2006 with an increase of more than 75% in contributions. James noted the key to IUOE’s political infrastructure is to continue to build a solid financial base for the EPEC Voluntary Fund and an active, involved membership. Other speakers included IUOE Assistant General Counsel Elizabeth Nadeau, who discussed legal issues regarding PAC contributions, and Northeast Region Political Director William McSpedon, Jr., who addressed public-private partnerships and state prevailing wages. Spring 2007 17 2007 GEB Open session candids 18 International Operating Engineer HAZMAT News • continued from > page 15 Respiratory Protection Competency Training The National HAZMAT Program conducted a Respiratory Protection Competency Training Course December 3 – 7, 2006. Seventeen Master Instructors from 12 IUOE Local Unions successfully completed the course. In addition, two organizations, the International Association of Fire Fighters and New Jersey Task Force 1, participated in the course. These orga- nizations have key roles during a disaster and understand that Respiratory Protection is an important issue. The participants were impressed with the information they received during the course and the IUOE’s commitment to provide its Instructors the tools needed to train IUOE members. OSHA Disaster Site Worker 5600 Train-the-Trainer M an-made disasters such as the attacks on 9/11 or natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina cause security breeches and disruption of critical infrastructure such as power, often for millions of consumers. No one knows more about a facility and how to prevent, mitigate, and recover a facility and its energy infrastructure than the IUOE Stationary Engineer. To expand upon this knowledge, in direct relation to the disaster, the National HAZMAT Program conducted Energy/ Homeland Security courses for IUOE Local Union 701 and Local Union 68. The course is tailored to the Local Union’s needs and can vary from three to eight or more hours in length. The course covers areas such as facility vulnerabilities, weapons of mass destruction, and use of HVAC systems to control releases among a number of others. The course also includes hands-on demonstrations using working scale models of facilities and simulated agent release. The course can also be adjusted for a specific population of Stationary Engineers, for example, those that work in a public school district. Jim Coates, Local Union 399 training director and Master Instructor, conducted the Energy/Homeland Security course for IUOE Local Union 701 January 20, 2007, in Gladstone, Oregon. Nineteen local union members successfully completed the course. Jesse Wagner, Sr., Local Union 835 training director and master instructor, and National HAZMAT program staff, conducted four courses for IUOE Local Union 68 January 5 - 6, 2007, in Caldwell, New Jersey. Successfully completing the course were 275 local union members. NHP Te a c h i n g Te c h n i q u e s c o urse held The National HAZMAT Program conducted a Teaching Techniques course December 11 – 14, 2006. Twentythree Master Instructors from 10 IUOE Local Unions and three Job Corp locations successfully completed the course. This course is designed help instructors develop education skills when teaching safety and health topics to workers. The basics were covered, starting with the development of course objectives and a teaching outline. The course stressed participation techniques, role playing, case problems, and questionnaires. Techniques for presenting and focusing information was explained and demonstrated (for example, lecture, flip charts, overheads, PowerPoint, and computer-based content). Spring 2007 19 HAZWOPER 40- and 8-hour training held The National HAZMAT Program offers a broad spectrum of safety and health training to IUOE locals. Upon request, the NHP will schedule a staff or master instructor to conduct a direct training course at the local, an employer’s site, or other appropriate locations. Most recently, the NHP conducted the following direct training courses: • 40-hour HAZWOPER training; 35 students; Local 302 • 8-hour HAZWOPER refresher; 5 students; Local 302 • 8-hour HAZWOPER refresher; Local 25 • 40-hour HAZWOPER training; 7 students; Local 370 • 8-hour HAZWOPER refresher; 23 students; Local 370 • 40-hour HAZWOPER training; 38 students; Local 103 • 40-hour HAZWOPER training; 10 students; Local 400 • 16-hour OSHA DSW training; 14 students; Local 487 • 40-hour HAZWOPER training; 11 students; Local 302 • 40-hour HAZWOPER training; 8 students; Local 302 (pictured in the two photos, right) (pictured in the three photos, left and bottom) Master Instructor Teaching Techniques training offered T he NHP is offering two new sessions of teaching techniques for intermediate to advanced Master Instructors at the NHP in Beckley, WV on May 14-17 and June 25-28, 2007. The program will be provided by the Lippy Group, LLC and is entitled, “NIOSH Pocket Guide and the DOT Emergency Response Guide: Old Tools, but New Approaches for Teaching IUOE Members.” tors may not possess or confidently communicate. This course is aimed at providing that confidence by allowing Instructors to perform interesting chemical experiments under the guidance of a chemistry professor who has worked with labor unions previously. Working in groups, students will demonstrate key concepts from the Pocket Guide like specific gravity and incompatibilities. This course will provide trainers with a greater insight into using the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards and the DOT North American Emergency Response Guidebook, as well as Material Safety Data Sheets, by actually performing experiments and building models of the chemicals that operating engineers encounter on normal job sites and on hazardous waste sites. The course is designed to provide master instructors with training tools and techniques they can immediately use in their courses, including experiments and demonstrations that are easy and safe to conduct in their classes. This is a hands-on course! Working in groups, master instructors will also be taught to calibrate and use industrial hygiene equipment after choosing the correct sampling media from the Pocket Guide. This will be followed with a group exercise using the NIOSH CD-ROM to look up sampling methods for specific contaminants. Asbestos sampling and analysis will be explained by a former laboratory director who will provide students the opportunity to fiber count through a microscope. NIOSH intended the Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards to serve as a source of general industrial hygiene information for workers, employers, and occupational health professionals. Millions of copies have been distributed since its creation in 1978. Unfortunately, the Pocket Guide is difficult to use, containing many abbreviations and condensed technical data for 677 chemicals. It also assumes an understanding of chemistry that many workers and peer instruc- 20 International Operating Engineer Significant time will be dedicated to understanding the Pocket Guide codes to choose proper respiratory protection, gloves and protective garments. Each student will be provided with a CD that contains a program for properly choosing Personal Protective Equipment. Participants will receive lots of useful materials/tools they can take with them to apply in their courses, including all of the PowerPoints and exercises used by the course instructors. To sign up for this course or receive further information please contact the NHP at (304) 253-8674 or [email protected]. s cal ound the lo Local 94 receives visit from Hartley House children ar Local 94 (New York, NY) members, pictured left with Business Manager/ IUOE Trustee Kuba Brown (standing far right), were paid a special visit by the children and staff from the Hartley House, which provides educational and various social services to children and other residents of the Hell’s Kitchen community on Manhattan’s West Side. They thanked Local 94 for their generous gift of toys at Christmas. As a show of their appreciation, the children also brought several trays of baked goods for Local 94 members. Local 280’s Johnston retires Local 280’s (Richland, WA) Business Manager Larry G. Johnston announced his retirement after more than 35 years of service. He began his career with the local in 1970 as a business representative assigned to the Othello office, where he worked for 12 years. In 1982, Johnston went to work for the International Union as a representative until 1993, during which time he graduated from the Harvard Trade Union Program. In 1993, he returned to Local 280 as assistant business manager and was later elected business manager/financial secretary. Johnston also served as vice president for the Washington State Labor Council and as a trustee of the IUOE Western Conference until his retirement in 2007. Throughout his entire career, Johnston was known and respected as a highly principled, dedicated, true trade unionist. Local 15’s Toys for Tots participation recognized Local 15 (New York, NY) members participated in the Marine Corps’ 2006 Toys for Tots drive, collecting over 5,000 toys for distribution to needy children. The program is designed to provide Christmas joy and happiness for children through the contribution, collection and distribution of new, unwrapped toys. In the photo above, Local 15 officers and business representatives are pictured with members of the U.S. Marine Corps. Local 15 Business Manager James T. Callahan, right, excepts an award from Lieutenant Colonel McCobb of the U.S. Marine Corps recognizing the local for its participation in the 2006 Toys for Tots drive. Spring 2007 21 MEMBERS’ service Local 12 (Los Angeles, CA) honored members for their 50 - 60 years of service. Business Manager/IUOE Vice President William C. Waggoner, standing center, was on hand to present the pins during the ceremony. Seated, from the left, are: Juan O. Caranza, Cristobola Palomares, Earl Local 66 (Pittsburgh, PA) recently recognized members with 40 or more years of service during an awards banquet. Shown here, seated left to right – with their years of service noted, are: Merle Wilson, 40; Fred Horner, 55; Albert Holbay, 55; Donald Morris, 55; Paul Carey, 60; Theodore Baldwin, Jr., 55; Elden Barnes, 55; Nicholas Panaia, 40 and Ray Grove, Jr., 50. Second row, same order, Eugene Wissinger, 40; Glenn Snyder, 40; Robert Kahl, 40; J. Veron Parks, 40; John Bibel, 40; Murdick Bracken, 40; William Byers, 40; Francis Buffalini, 40; Oscar Dillon, 40; Alan Huber, 40; Francis Girard, 40; and Harry Huffman, 40-year honoree. Back row, same order, McQuillan, Ben Thomas, Tony Cordasco, Charles Butler and Thomas Ferl. Standing, same order, are: Omar Martin, James Dulin, Dale Rombaugh, William Hicks, Loren Martens, Phil Gianunzio, Jerry Lanhan, Waggoner, Richard Beavis, Jack Herman, R. D. Gutherie and Frank Todd. are: Dispatcher Vinny LaPaglia; Richard Wingard, 40; Business Manager James T. Kunz, Jr.; Vice President Ronald Sapp; Treasurer Regan Robertson; Busi- Local 66 (Pittsburgh, PA) honorees are pictured, seated left to right – with their years of service noted: John Gill, 39; Archie Campbeell, 50; Anthony Cantolina, 50; Richard Cool, 55; Richard Toman, 45; Marvin Gromley, 55; David Glass, 60; Chauncey Taylor, Jr., 55; John Halquist, 55; Gaylon McClintock, 45 and Ronald Davis, 45. Standing, same order, are: Local 66 Business Manager James T. Kunz; Anthony Podliski, 40; Larry Krause, 40; David Armagost, 40; Joseph Wilson, 35; Samuel Womer, 40; Louis Gregori, 35; Eugene Mills, 40; Calvin Dixon, 35; Robert Cotter, 35; Larry Tyger, 40; Tom Bisssman, 40; Francis Leigey, 30 and Local 66 President Thomas M. Durkin. 22 International Operating Engineer ness Representative Kevin Pahach; Secretary Francis Lafferty; Recording-Corresponding Secretary Leo Petrone and President Thomas M. Durkin. Local 139 (Milwaukee, WI) Business Manager Terrance McGowan, left, presents a 50-year membership plaque and watch to Paul Gehl, former president of Lunda Construction Co. Gehl, a Local 139 crane operator, mortgaged his family’s farms in the early ‘60s to support the company. Even as Lunda Construction grew to become one of the largest bridge-building contractors in the Midwest, he maintained his union membership and also served as a Central Pension Fund trustee since 1991. Local 917 (Knoxville, TN) honored members during its General Body Meeting. Business Manager John M. Holliday III, left, is pictured with 65-year award recipients, from the left, Glenn Miller, Bill Conner and Harold Stewart. Receiving his 55-year service award Business Manager Holliday, left, is Local 917’s Paul Hinchey. 40-year members pictured, from the left, are James Shults, Business Representative Harry DeBoard, Holliday, Danny Cole, William Harnishfeger and Zach Price. Local 917 members Harold Hall, left, and Vestal Pilkington, right, receive their 50-year service awards from Holliday. Local 917 Business Manager John M. Holliday III, center, is pictured with the local’s 35-year award recipients. From the left are Philip Beasley, Marvin Rogers, Creed Dennis, Sam Haskew, Jimmy DeVault, Holliday, Floyd Poteet, Steve Armour, Joe Crabtree Jr., Clayton Jackson and Larry White. 30-year service award recipients, from the left, Chester (Cody) Reneau, Charlie Louvin, Holliday, Al Long and Mike Pedigo. Local 132 (Charleston, WV) retirees Laurence “Dusty” Mason and Dick Mason were honored during a recent union meeting. Dusty, second from the left, was presented with a 60-year pin, while his brother, Dick, third from the left, received his 65-year service pin. They are flanked by Local 132 President David Mullins, left, and Business Manager Ronald Burnette. Local 37 (Baltimore, MD) held an awards ceremony to present 50year members with service pins. Presenting the awards were Local 37 Business Manager Joe Shanahan, left, and President Wade Hamel, right. Recipients included, from the left, Tom Scott, Eugene Anderson, Leon Schoppert, Ellsworth Conrad and Joe Caudwell. Spring 2007 23 Local 520 (Granite City, IL) Business Manager Delbert Birkner, standing, presented service pins to members during a recent banquet. 60-year Local 520 55-year member Merrill Huch, left, and honorees, seated from the left, are: Howard Business Manager Delbert Birkner. Williams, Edgar Horton and Dale Nicol. 50-year members, front row from the left, are: Jack Taylor, Lloydd Weeks Sr., Dave Downs, John W. Curtner, Walter Rohwedder and Dale Parkinson. Standing, same order, are: Doyle Heim, Charles H. Ellis, Joseph G. Chapman, Robert Hunt, Birkner, Paul George, Robert Fechte and August Marquardt. iuoe photo guidelines IUOE appreciates the local news stories and accompanying photos we receive for The Operating Engineer. As a result of the IUOE making the transition from a tabloid newspaper, with mostly black and white photos, to a fullcolor magazine there are photo submission requirements that must be met in order to ensure the quality publication you deserve. In light of the widely embraced use of digital photography, we offer the following requirements regarding both traditional film and digital photo submissions. Traditional Film Photography 4 x 6 (or larger) glossy color prints on photographic film paper (from photo finishing services, such as your local drug or retail store developers). Please do not send ink jet, color copier, or color laser prints – they are not suitable for publishing purposes. Digital Photography A 4.0 megapixel camera or better is recommended for photos to be published. Printing presses require a minimum of 300 dpi (dots per inch) for color photographs-more commonly called “high-resolution” photos. This means subjects should be photographed 24 International Operating Engineer 45-year members, front row from the left, are: Joseph Gilmer and Norman Neff. Standing are James Simmons, left, and Birkner. 40-year members, front row from the left, are: Vernon Bogenpohl, Stanley Klein, Vern Owens and David Compton. Standing, same order, are: David Schuette, Birkner, Melvin Schicker and Henry J. Gain. using the highest quality setting on your digital camera, also known as the “fine/superfine” or “large” setting. Images should not be manipulated in any way for size, cropping, color mode, quality of color, or sharpness. Download the images from your camera (only JPEG or TIFF formats are acceptable) and submit digital photos on a CD to the attention of the IUOE Communications Dept. or e-mail them to [email protected] or jbrown@iuoe. org. Photos submitted must also include a typed description of each photo identifying who is in the picture and what is taking place (preferably in Microsoft Word format). We also ask that when staging photos such as service awards, you group as many recipients into each photo as possible, rather than submitting separate photos for each honoree or small group of honorees. By doing that, we end up with two or three photos instead of eight or nine. We need your cooperation on this so we will be able to feature as many locals as possible. We realize that, for various reasons, everyone may not be able to adhere to all of these guidelines. However, if you can follow these recommendations, it enables the IUOE to better highlight your local’s story and accompanying photos. Death Benefits paid November 2006 Local 3 San Francisco, CA Harold Farmer Irvin G. Froese Norman Gotberg Charles G. Grubaugh Donald Hamilton Ernest Jones Thomas Knox Sid McBroome E. L. Thompson Local 4 Boston, MA Glenn C. Johnson Ray S. Leavitt Robert A. Lovely Local 9 Denver, CO Richard B. Cline Emery E. Hooker Local 12 Los Angeles, CA Charles N. Coon Kenneth L. Harriman Truman McGinnis Barry Pashby Gene A. Potter William Z. Pyke Gilbert E. Regalado Ronald P. Schuessler James R. Slingerland Herman F. Stapp Trygve Syverstad Clarence A. Tappe Stanley Watkins Local 14 New York, NY Ralph Perrotto Local 15 New York, NY Guido Volpi Local 17 Buffalo, NY Gary A. Offhaus Charles Ruth Local 18 Cleveland, OH Merle Beekman Larry V. Elwood Victor J. Huwer Maurice D. Jefferis Richard Jones Melvin Lightner Carl E. Moyer Clarence A. Mutton Donald E. Steinbaugh Kenneth Stuart Andrew Vrabel Local 25 Brooklyn, NY Joseph Paradiso Local 49 Twin Cities, MN Robert F. Bartheld James A. Clendening Cecil Cruse Paul V. Swanson Adolph Youngdahl Local 66 Monroeville, PA Kenneth Brougher Edward S. Gill Arthur C. Haibach Jr. Roy Shook Local 98 Springfield, MA James Cowell Harold F. Hinkley George A. Hunt Local 101 Kansas City, MO Duane Alexander Richard Erck Local 115 Vancouver, BC William P. Belado Local 30 New York, NY Melquiades M. Envid Local 138 Hempstead, NY Austin Copeland Peter Kriegel Nicholas J. Leon Local 37 Baltimore, MD Lindsey J. Scott Local 139 Milwaukee, WI John A Lindberg in memoriam... Local 147 Norfolk, VA Robert W. Vest Local 148 East St. Louis, IL Judd W. Wilson Jr. Local 150 Chicago, IL Stanley Drozdz Jr. John T. Fridstrom Mark Galovic Vernon L. Gardner John M. Goldone Otto W. Radmer Wendell O. Suter Local 181 Henderson, KY George C. Murch Local 275 Cedar Rapids, IA Charles C. Bevins Local 283 Inactive Local Donald G. Ross Local 302 Seattle, WA Ben Baker Glen F. Bristow James R. Foster Frederick L. Miller Billy M. Scholten Harvey R. Williams Local 310 Green Bay, WI John Hlava Jesse F. Savage Local 317 Milwaukee, WI Erwin J. Laabs Joseph E. Lopour Local 428 Phoenix, AZ E. G. Bowers James E. Lochner Royden K. Strahm Local 701 Portland, OR Charles L. Cox Leroy Gaworski Bobby H. Wilson Local 324 Detroit, MI Edward C. Butler James F. Colvin Fred Cronenwett James R. Dabbs Harold Harkless Thomas Jones William M. Keller Lawrence L. Konarz Lloyd Sawitzky John J. Sharrow Richard G. Vanells Local 513 St. Louis, MO Floyd Vohsen Local 758 Dubuque, IA Steve Ressler Local 347 Inactive Local Lowell H. Dickey Martin V. Goines G. A. Wages Local 564 Freeport, TX Cleveland W. Whitten Jr. Local 375 Inactive Local Harry Pierce Local 382 Inactive Local Forrest Williams Local 399 Chicago, IL Paul Lapella Thomas A. Rich Jr. Local 832 Rochester, NY Carl Lewandowski Local 216 Baton Rouge, LA Mildred S. Phillips Local 3 San Francisco, CA John Q. Clark Ivar Elstins Billie Gillespie Hiroshi Kumasaka Albertu Lemaster Thomas Livingston James W. Mcdonough Paul Okada Albert Porter Richard Reynolds Richard Wickert Local 12 Los Angeles, CA William J. Cordova Stanley Watkins Local 98 Springfield, MA William R. Brackett Local 310 Green Bay, WI John Hlava Mahlon J. Retzlaff Local 4 Boston, MA Joseph W. Roberge William J. Welch Jr. Local 6 Inactive Local Wayne Smith Local 17 Buffalo, NY Robert R. Herman Edward F. Snyder Jr. Kenneth Swain Local 18 Cleveland, OH Herbert R. Azbell Roy Dearmon Local 66 Monroeville, PA Eugene Bailey James A. Putzlocker William A. Riggs Local 68 Newark, NJ Herbert Anderson John J. Ellex Local 71 Death Benefits paid January 2007 Local 1 Denver, CO Edwin E. Proffit Local 3 San Francisco, CA Robert Boyer Nicholas Castillo Jr. Nick Gavrilko Dean Gustin Van A. Heaps John F. Helms Kay M. Hubbard Clyde Keeter Joe Krpan David Lyndall Joseph L. Parkinson Carl Peters C. E. Roath Rodney Romans Marvin L. Wilcox Lyle T. Woolley Local 4 Boston, MA Frank S. Carideo Timothy Duggan Henry C. Lane Rance A. McEachern Local 7 Inactive Local Ossie Surratt Local 9 Denver, CO Riley L. Bear Harold W. Cox Lester L. Herlyck Robert A. Mickle Local 12 Los Angeles, CA Donald W. Apgar Jesse Bittner G. O. Branscum Fillmore Irwin Floyd Redden Charles E. Todd Local 14 New York, NY Michael T. Depalmo Harold W. Smith Jr. Local 15 New York, NY Frank E. Bucci Warren Nelson Patrick J. Reynolds Stephen Seal John Siciliato Gerald Weitzer Local 17 Buffalo, NY Stephen Mancuso Raymond G. O’Connor Larry D. Turner Charles H. Wasmund Local 18 Cleveland, OH Joseph C. Amata Albert D. Barnett Robert H. Bassett Charles Bayes Lloyd Beal Ernest Becher Harold R. Boles Harold L. Brewer Louis Cipriano Local 139 Milwaukee, WI John A. Lindberg Local 148 East St. Louis, IL Paul Reed Local 150 Chicago, IL Placido Bordignon Ralph G. Freeman Martin J. Kramer Bill D. Ray Louis Ripa Dominic A. Sabatino Chester Grob Cleo Kitchen Robert G. Mautz Leonard W. McDonald Gene R. Myer William Perkins Henry T. Tackett Local 19 Inactive Local John Eby Local 25 Brooklyn, NY James Zipperer Local 37 Baltimore, MD Gordon Biddinger George Frankenberry Thomas F. Harrison Local 39 San Francisco, CA Vincent J. McGarry Herbert Willard Local 49 Twin Cities, MN Harvey W. Abbe Local 950 Milwaukee, WI Thomas Scheinoha Kenneth Tebbe Local 542 Philadelphia, PA Louis F. Mazzola Local 77 Washington, DC Karl R. Diedrich Local 15 New York, NY Domenick D. Caporusso Local 917 Chattanooga, TN Robert Mills Local 825 Little Falls, NJ Henry Herzberg Local 9 Denver, CO Emery E. Hooker Paddy M. Partin Local 49 Twin Cities, MN Cecil Cruse Gordon M. Hanson Richard Johnson Local 649 Peoria, IL Robert L. Gresham Local 912 Columbia, TN Felix M. Hickman Kenneth P. Belcher Ford Hickey Hulen Peoples Local 2 St. Louis, MO Donald B. Mast Sr. Curtis L. Mathis Local 14 New York, NY Anthony Luciano Local 647 Wichita, KS Ray E. Dunkin Local 865 Thunder Bay, ON W. Angeloff Local 653 Mobile, AL G. C. Byrd Clarence L. Wildey Robert Yeager Local 106 Albany, NY Dominic Tessitore Local 612 Tacoma, WA Ted E. Bartlett Harold Cornelius Edwin R. Rortvedt Local 826 Inactive Local John M. Taylor Local 410 Inactive Local James H. May Inactive Local John F. Hynes Local 37 Baltimore, MD John L. Simons Local 545 Syracuse, NY Harold Sherman Local 825 Little Falls, NJ Roy J. Cadorin Albert Douglas Local 965 Springfield, IL John E. Duffy Robert L. Johnson James E. McQueen Wade R. Morgan Charles Potter Death Benefits paid December 2006 Donald S. Divers Wilbur L. Goldsmith Kenneth R. Pratt John Wagner Richard D. Williams Local 520 Mitchell, IL Robert C. Bogenpohl Joe Lacroix Hulen Peoples Local 545 Syracuse, NY Harold Sherman Local 347 Inactive Local Joseph J. Tamburine Local 564 Freeport, TX J. H. Holler Local 406 New Orleans, LA Oscar M. Crisler Jr. Albert T. Prince Local 612 Tacoma, WA Harold Cornelius Local 428 Phoenix, AZ James E. Lochner Local 450 Houston, TX C. D. Morse Local 520 Mitchell, IL Howard Anderson Carlton Grafstrom Knute K. Knutson George H. Otto Lawrence A. Sherwood George R. Voytasovich Local 61 Inactive Local Clifford H. Hall Local 66 Monroeville, PA Merle E. Rahl Local 68 Newark, NJ Anderson C. Meador Local 71 Inactive Local Gladson Osborn Local 649 Peoria, IL Larry Vanfleet Local 660 Inactive Local Grady F. Malone Local 701 Portland, OR Madison Leblanc Jr. Local 94 New York City, NY Jerry Lyons Local 95 Pittsburgh, PA Harvey S. Kappeler Jr. Arthur C. Kercher Frank A. Naccarato Local 98 Springfield, MA Edgar J. Theroux Local 101 Kansas City, MO Willard H. Loumaster Eldon Nickell Floyd E. Yeager Local 77 Washington, DC Roy K. Rose Local 103 Indianapolis, IN Alva Hines Richard N. Mills Dale Sparks Keith Younts Local 87 Inactive Local Stanley E. Adkins Local 106 Albany, NY John W. Davenport Jr. Local 891 New York, NY Joseph Fernandez Local 912 Columbia, TN Joe F. Skillington Carroll W. Spencer Local 926 Atlanta, GA Wilbur H. Winkles Local 950 Milwaukee, WI John Golata Local 965 Springfield, IL George F. Bigham Melvin F. Fathauer Arthur H. Pallante John L. Peregrim John E. Redmond Sr. Kenneth Roblee Elmer Tourtellot Local 115 Vancouver, BC Dale Bohn Robert J. Eftodie John E. Elliott Frederick Faulkner Jr. Robert R. Lewko James A. Murphy John Nagy August E. Orth Peter W. Popoff George Szach Local 132 Charleston, WV Umber E. Dotson Robert L. Fish Lowell T. Hunt Billy F. Hunter Glen Kalt Raymond E. Laney Glen H. Ramsey Dan Sydenstricker S. A. Turman Spring 2007 29 in memoriam... Dallas Young Local 139 Milwaukee, WI Ernest Aeschliman Louis L. Albers Nyle R. Bailey Lynn S. Bakke Darell Kistner John A. Lindberg John H. Ruhland Laverne A. Stegen Local 148 East St. Louis, IL John May Local 150 Chicago, IL Peter C. Heibel Martin J. Kramer Lewis A. Martin Jr. Gordon J. McKinnon Walter R. Perlick Louis Ripa Charles Schumacher Nora S. Wilkins Local 181 Henderson, KY William E. Demunbrun James E.Gish Robert E. Henderson Monroe Renner Samuel A. Robison Sam H. Saylor Robert L. Styres James V. Whitton Local 234 Des Moines, IA Alvin Brown Donald Roberts Local 283 Inactive Local Zada Wendler Local 286 Renton, WA Lawrence De Koster Local 302 Seattle, WA Roger H. Conn Ola Fagerheim Darrel H. Hobson Charles W. Lippitt Ansel W. Lopeman Gino J. Nonis Jewell A. Melton Lawrence A. Meyer Richard A. Prain Leon Randall Mario Reo Kent Stadig Ronald K. Titler Gerald Turek Local 347 Inactive Local Richard C. Bartosh Local 310 Green Bay, WI Walter Jameson Clyde E. Krueger Local 351 Phillips, TX M. J. Boyett W. A. Ford Local 312 Birmingham, AL Raymond Cooper Local 370 Spokane, WA Chris B. Baker Oreste Bosso James W. McFarling Jack Statton Local 317 Milwaukee, WI Leonard J. Downer Roy Hull Aloyse N. Krass Arnold C. Kuhnwald Raymond J. Radovich Leonard Wilczewski Local 318 Marion, IL Lewis R. Jordan Local 320 Florence, AL Glenn L. McFall Local 324 Detroit, MI Alva S. Adrian Andy Ammerman Donald Bethuy Mike D. Czarnecki Ralph Fanelli Moody Leach Local 375 Inactive Local Roland G. Aamold Local 381 El Dorado, AR A. B. Gadberry Local 399 Chicago, IL James J. O. Doherty Daniel O’Donnell Thomas A. Schuh Local 400 Helena, MT Ross C. Christy K. F. McKenzie Local 406 New Orleans, LA G. G. Davis Death Benefits paid February 2007 Local 2 St. Louis, MO Alonzo Peters Local 3 San Francisco, CA Len R. Benson Johnny Brown J. F. Church Sam Ciapponi Donald Davis Alvin L. Gates W Carl George Everett Herndon Joe Hopkins John P. Magnasco John C. Miller Victor Newquist Douglas N. Norman Cyril R. Petersen Glen Prater Albert Pruzzo W. A. Rogers M. D. Rushing Roy J. Sperfslage Charlie O. Stone Local 4 Boston, MA Harold A. Campbell Robert L. Graves Local 9 Denver, CO William McDowell Local 12 Los Angeles, CA Dave Argo Cecil W. Baird Jerry Blair Benito M. Castaneda Joel A. Craven Don L. Crawford Roger D. Creighton Marion A. Ferrare George B. Godsil Jr. Melvin J. Grandinette Everett C. Griffin Sherman Harris Darrel G. Hatton Jack R. Hindman Carl R. Hollis Edward J. Holmes L. G. Jenkins Jerry Jetton Horace Johnson Walter J. Jones William D. Jordan William G. Leverenz Alphonso Maddalena Gordon A. Mchenry Henry Mendez Jr. Paul Miller L. G. Mitchell Leland A. Monroe William Mullis Sam Pearson Howard J. Poore John M. Self E. A. Songer W. D. Stewart E W Thomson James A. Walker Clyde T. Wilson Local 14 New York, NY Raymond Berven John E. Boyd Thomas O’Connor Local 15 New York, NY Donald W. Makofske Local 17 Buffalo, NY Anthony Cardinale James E. Morrison Thomas G. Rash Edward L. Rhow Local 18 Cleveland, OH Emilio Fabrizi Ronald E. Ford Nick Gimben Millard Hardy Sam Klepacz Harley McClure Harold Miser Robert G. Nickschinski Thomas Reisinger Wayne Sheller Duane O. Terrill Ronald G. Townsend Harry E. White Local 37 Baltimore, MD Clyde E. Riggleman Local 39 San Francisco, CA Karl E. Jaenecke Local 49 Twin Cities, MN John Blair Bernard Braun Marvin S. Elg Leslie Hause Clyde Jorde Rance A. Norton Carl G. Zishka Local 66 Monroeville, PA Leroy E. Butterfield Michael Rice Andrew Rotunno Earl Zaney Local 70 St. Paul, MN Glenn W. Jacobson Local 77 Washington, DC John C. Dyke Joseph W. Russell Local 87 Inactive Local A. E. Carter Local 95 Pittsburgh, PA Frank A. Naccarato Local 98 Springfield, MA Walter J. Klemyk Local 101 Kansas City, MO William T. Cummins Walter Hale 30 International Operating Engineer Roger E. Moore Walter Stratz Local 407 Lake Charles, LA Ben Chandler W. L. Patterson W. S. Tanous Local 428 Phoenix, AZ Oliver Waddle Local 450 Houston, TX George T. Cook Local 478 Hamden, CT Benjamin K. Brown Daniel D. Carty Mathew Kiczyinski Local 513 St. Louis, MO John J. Colligan Bill R. Jaycox William K. Litzinger William N. Mayfield Louis F. Null Merle Sparks Local 515 Inactive Local William Harvey Local 520 Mitchell, IL Joe Lacroix Local 525 Inactive Local Orville K. Scott Bart A. Waits Local 542 Philadelphia, PA Norman Beaver Charles K. Creasy John E. Hepner James C. Hupp Charles E. Magill Joseph W. Murray John Potter Charles D. Searfoss Ray H. Shollenberger Michael Tomascik George Tyson Local 545 Syracuse, NY William R. Ellis Robert K. Giacobbe Randall A. Travis Jr. Local 547 Detroit, MI John H. Lacey Louis Papp Local 564 Freeport, TX Haskell E. Nix Local 587 Inactive Local Fred Harders Local 589 Inactive Local Ray Midlick Local 609 Seattle, WA Robert L. Johnson Local 612 Tacoma, WA Marshall C. Boulet Local 624 Jackson, MS Local 106 Albany, NY Theodore F. Delucia Local 305 Superior, WI Clayton E. Bernacki Local 115 Vancouver, BC Joe Graham Sidney Grosskleg Everette A. Lucius M. G. Person J. P. Robertson Ronald W. Shortts Local 310 Green Bay, WI Clyde E. Krueger Local 139 Milwaukee, WI Rudolph Borman Chester L. Byom Lynn B. Nelson Jerry O’Brien Joseph A. Pettera Andrew M. Snyder Local 320 Florence, AL Ottis H. Smith Local 150 Chicago, IL James T. Berggren Patrick J. Geary Junior T. Gilbert Sherman V. Nischan Neil Purcell Karl Schmitt Richard Thomsen Local 181 Henderson, KY Ralph B. Morman Frankie Wade Local 234 Des Moines, IA Robert Smith Local 283 Inactive Local Zada Wendler Local 286 Renton, WA Wayne E. Bruns Richard E. Robinette Local 302 Seattle, WA Robert L. Cimball George G. Martin Local 317 Milwaukee, WI Nick Crivello Lambert Winnemueller Local 324 Detroit, MI Harold L. Bacheldor Maurice E. Claerhout Mike D. Czarnecki Donald Noonan Theodore H. Prevo John T. Pushies George M. Yax Local 351 Phillips, TX R. F. Stiles Local 370 Spokane, WA Virgil L. Fellows Lee Jinks Joe D. Yates Local 399 Chicago, IL Thomas F. Doody Local 406 New Orleans, LA Whirlie O. Bergeron Thomas Cockrell Local 428 Phoenix, AZ George H. Markham Local 463 Niagara Falls, NY John F. Barrett Local 478 Hamden, CT John D. Jordan Warren Setzer Local 647 Wichita, KS William E. McGuire Local 649 Peoria, IL Kenneth D. Himes James J. Jeffers Harry Wilson Local 660 Inactive Local Grady F. Malone Local 701 Portland, OR William D. Geib Everett Hathaway C. L. Higgins Daniel L. Lane E. H. Marks Daniel Uhrich Local 714 Inactive Local John T. Vanmeter Local 793 Toronto, ON Edward Benoit Merlin Broome Edward G. Brown Carl G. Peters George Selin Local 825 Little Falls, NJ George J. Burg George E. Daum Joseph A. Rybak Local 826 Inactive Local Jerry Cockrell Michael P. Denote Local 513 St. Louis, MO Clay Barnhart Peter M. Walsh Local 520 Mitchell, IL James D. Pevril Local 537 Inactive Local William A. Tackenberg Local 542 Philadelphia, PA Edward J. Brzostek Ernest J. Collins William J. Gongloff Alexy Konko August J. Kreuzer Jacob I. Mays Jr. Thomas F. Taffyn Local 545 Syracuse, NY William C. Hutchison Robert L. Warren Local 564 Freeport, TX James O. Schoonover Local 609 Seattle, WA Kenneth Newsham Local 612 Tacoma, WA George N. Hodge Paul C. Townsend Local 649 Peoria, IL Don Conner Henry E. Taylor Local 660 Inactive Local Ernest H. Peters Local 701 Portland, OR Jack O. Barrowcliff Lavern W. Erkenbeck Royal C. Mills Local 841 Terre Haute, IN Robert W. Bates Charles R. Cox Bennett Cross William G. Davis Lyman Durham Local 882 Vancouver, BC K. M. Rough Local 912 Columbia, TN Robert Chaney Local 917 Chattanooga, TN Herbert D. Huff Earl S. Loudy Local 926 Atlanta, GA R. W. Bradford Fred W. Connelly Robert C. Riggs Local 955 Edmonton, AB Geheart Krahn Local 963 Vancouver, BC William A. Heebner Local 965 Springfield, IL Melvin F. Fathauer Dale P. Sherrill Local 967 Inactive Local Ransom J. O’Neal Thomas H. Holmes Jr. Walter M. Wright Local 721 Halifax, NS Hugh Rudderham Local 793 Toronto, ON Donald A. Bennett Merlin Broome Local 825 Little Falls, NJ Benjamin Cresci Anthony Pepitone William Smallwood George Underhill Local 832 Rochester, NY Arthur C. Holbrook Local 841 Terre Haute, IN Francis Wilson Local 882 Vancouver, BC Alexander Grant Local 912 Columbia, TN Felix F. Uzell Local 925 Tampa, FL Oscar O. Worley Local 955 Edmonton, AB Hank Kosolofski Local 963 Vancouver, BC Thomas L. Barber Local 965 Springfield, IL John Allsopp Making a real difference f or workin g T hirty years ago, I would have never believed that I would end up as business manager of Local 400 and an elected state representative. If I could have looked ahead back then, I would have paid more attention to people and issues that would have helped me in my current career. One can never tell what will ultimately be important and of value in your life. For me, it has been a great honor serving in the legislature for the State of Montana the last seven years and at the same time serving as business manager for Local 400. I always believed that my life has been much better because of my 30 years in the Operating Engineers, which provided me with a good job and good benefits. And I could always count on previous business managers to help myself and the other members when times got down and dirty. It is difficult for me to relate just how important it is to serve concurrently as state representative and business manager. It increases my effectiveness to do each job at a higher level. One complements the other in ways that are really difficult to understand. For instance, when a member calls me with a union problem, such as unemployment, worker’s comp, consumer problems, or healthcare concerns, I often swing into my state representative mode to address people the issues. While agencies may have ignored me as business manager, they are hard pressed to ignore a state representative. As business manager I have gone as far as to encourage workers to file for unemployment, then actually sit in at a hearing and, to be honest, I have never lost a case yet -- and I know I wouldn’t be saying that if I wasn’t a state representative. On the other side of the issue, when I am talking to business lobbyists, I often swing into my business manager mode by stating, “if I help you, how is that going to benefit the workers?” This does not only apply to the Operating Engineers, because I am able to help other unions where we combine our effort to achieve such goals as attaching prevailing wage to any renewable energy legislation in the State of Montana. Our unions and labor groups hire lobbyists all across the country to advance our goals. It’s something we all invest in because it is necessary to stay competitive in the labor market. But I believe we are missing a golden opportunity. That opportunity lies in union members holding elected office. It is far cheaper and has a greater potential benefit to labor. If you go back 40 years, labor put a great deal of effort in fielding our own candidates and it paid off in spades. What has happened since is we are investing in other candidates that we hope will represent our issues, and on many occasions we are sadly disappointed. In my opinion, we need to start electing people to all levels of government who actually have a solid labor background, not just belonging to a union for the summer or while they went to school. Unions across the country need to start recruiting, training, and financing our own members to run for elected office in conjunction with other unions’ members. Teachers’ unions have been very effective in this effort and the results are clear. They hold elected offices across the country because of this and they are able to significantly help their members. Building trades unions need to respond by taking a page out of the Teachers’ book and follow suit. Jim Keane, Montana state representative POINT view of We will get from government only what the elected officials will give us. If we don’t have our union members sitting in those elected seats, how can we expect our issues to be brought forward? Just like many of you, I have always loved working outside and building projects. It gives us all a great Jim Keane, Local 400 business manager deal of satisfaction and accomplishment. I must admit that working in the halls of government to the benefit of my union brothers and sisters has given me that same great feeling. I know there are many of you out there who feel that running for elected office is beyond your capabilities, but that is probably the same thing you said to yourself when you started working as an operating engineer. So use your skills, think about it, ask help from your friends, get involved in the political process and help make a difference in working people’s lives. Editor’s note: Jim Keane has led two lives for the past seven years. Since September 2002, he has been business manager of IUOE Local 400 in Helena, MT. Prior to that, he served the local as both president and District Executive Board representative while working in the field as an instructor at the Anaconda Job Corps Center in Montana. As if that weren’t enough to keep a fella’ busy, he has been taking off his hardhat for at least 90 days every year for the last seven to serve as an elected representative in the Montana Legislature. But no matter what job Brother Keane is serving in, you can always be sure he’s looking out for the best interests of his members and all working people. Spring 2007 31 LJMMFECZKPCJOKVSJFTJO*XPSLFST EJFFBDIZFBSGSPNPDDVQBUJPOBMEJTFBTFT*)JTQBOJD XPSLFSKPCEFBUITBUBMMUJNFIJHI*$PBMNJOFEFBUIT EPVCMFEJO*NJMMJPOIFBMUIDBSFXPSLFSTGBDF QBOEFNJDGMVUISFBU*NJMMJPOQVCMJDFNQMPZFFT IBWFOP04)"QSPUFDUJPO GOODJOBS I SAFEJOBS Workers MeMorial Day•april 28 .indd 1 M ore than three decades ago, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, promising every worker the right to a safe job. Unions and our allies have fought hard to make that promise a reality, winning protections that have saved hundreds of thousand of lives and prevented millions of workplace injuries. Nonetheless, the toll of workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths remains enormous. Each year, thousands of workers are killed, and millions more are injured or diseased because of their jobs. Our fight for safe jobs has gotten harder, as the Bush administration, acting on behalf of corporate interests, has refused to address pressing problems. Instead, the administration has moved to roll back and weaken protections. Dozens of important safety rules have been withdrawn. Voluntary compliance has been favored over issuing new protective standards and enforcement. Many employers, in a race to the bottom in the global economy, have been pushing to cut wages and benefits and loosen protections. With fewer and fewer workers having the protection of unions, more workers are afraid to speak out and raise job safety concerns, fearing retaliation and firing. On April 28, the unions of the AFL-CIO observe Workers Memorial Day to remember those who have suffered and died on the job and renew the fight for safe workplaces. We will fight to make workers’ issues a priority and to keep and create good jobs in this country. We will fight for the freedom of workers to form unions and, through their unions, to speak out and bargain for safe jobs, respect and a better future. We will demand that the country fulfill the promise of safe jobs for all workers. It’s time. 32 International Operating Engineer afl-cio FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: IUOE Safety and Health Depar tment Emmett Russell, Director 1125 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 778-2672 3/14/07