Schofield Barracks Celebrates Centennial

To Cherish with pride
Volume 1 • No. 4 July/August 2009
Ha‘aheo 675
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE PLUMBERS AND FITTERS UNITED ASSOCIATION LOCAL 675, AFL-CIO
Local 675 PAMCA Join Observance
Schofield Barracks Celebrates Centennial
Kamaaina and their progenies
who have undergone soldier training at
Schofield Barracks no doubt agree
Oahu’s second oldest Army post deserves
the claim as one of the Nation’s primary
protector of national security.
“We know others in Hawaii would
share that appreciation when told of
Schofield’s shining history over its
hundred years in the island community,”
feels Allen K. Hoe, local attorney and
legal liaison for UA Local 675, and also
currently the Civilian Aide to the
Secretary of the Army.
Hoe, a Vietnam War veteran, paved
the way for both the Plumbers &
Fitters UA Local Union 675 and the
Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors
Association of Hawaii to jointly
present a bronze plaque on August 6
commemorating the iconic military
pillar’s centennial year. (Hoe was also
responsible for Schofield’s recent policy
changes involving the improvement
of relations between the post and the
indigenous Hawaiian
communities.)
The plaque,
mounted on a lava
rock pedestal,
(see photo)
was
unveiled
in the garden area fronting the post’s
Tropic Lightning Museum, which
houses mementos and artifacts of the
myriad war and peacetime missions of
Schofield-trained soldiers, from World
War I to the current battles in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Among participants in the unveiling
were Brig. Gen. John E. Seward,
Deputy Commanding General, US
Army Pacific, Brig. Gen. Michael Terry,
Senior Commander, US Army, Col.
Matthew T. Margotta, Commandant,
Schofield Barracks, Hoe, UA Local 675
business manager Reginald Castanares,
and PAMCA executive
director Gregg Serikaku.
Speaking for the plaque
Introduced before Schofield Barracks’
centennial commemoration plaque
is unveiled are, from left, Brig. Gen.
John Seward, Brig. Gen. Michael
Terry, Reginald Castanares, Gregg
Serikaku, and Col.
Matthew Margotta.
donors, Castanares touched on Schofield’s
significance not only as a major training
camp for some of America’s top GIs
but also for its powerful role propping
Hawaii’s economy. He said the post
continues to grow as a community and
Hawaii’s construction industry is truly
indebted for the evolving opportunities
it provides building and modernizing its
housing and training infrastructure.
He praised the instrumental role
of U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye and
Congressman Neil Abercrombie in the
Congressional approval of the 50-year
continued on page 5
PAGE 2
HA‘AHEO 675
JULY/AUGUST 2009
Schofield Building
Honors Fallen
Local Combat
Hero
D
riving by the new Schofield
Barracks homes built with the
participation of UA Local 675
members one comes upon a massive
modern building bearing the number
1503. The signage that catches immediate
attention bears a familiar Hawaiian
name: lst Lt. Nainoa K. Hoe.
A lava rock monument and plaque
detailing Nainoa’s heroic actions, shown
in photo, sits near the entry to one of
the US Army’s most updated battle
simulation facilities, designed to provide
American Warfighters with the required
training in command and unit maneuver
skills exercise training before deployments
downrange.
The older son of UA Local 675’s
counsel, Allen Hoe and Adele, Nainoa
was killed during an exchange of gunfire
in a battle against the enemy Jan. 22,
2005. It occurred while leading his
platoon on a foot patrol in the city of
Mosul, Iraq. He was the Platoon Leader
of 2nd Platoon C Company 3/21 Infantry,
with the First Stryker Brigade Combat
Team of the 25th Infantry Division.
The Army named the Battle
Command Training Center in honor
and memory of Nainoa, dedicating it
with a traditional Hawaiian Warrior
ceremony Feb. 9, 2007. Among the
many honors in his name on display is
the distinctive Hawaii State Medal of
Honor, awarded by the Hawaii State
Legislature in 2006.
A 1995 graduate of Kamehameha
Schools, Nainoa earned his BS and MBA
degrees from the University of Hawaii
College of Business Administration. He
also received his Gold Bars as a 2nd Lt.
under the UH ROTC program. As an officer
he earned the Paratrooper’s Wings, the US
Navy Scuba School badge and the coveted
“Tab” of the US Army’s elite Rangers.
UA Local 675 counsel Allen Hoe stands alongside the memorial plaque honoring his combat hero son,
lst Lt. Nainoa Hoe, killed in action in Iraq in early 2005. The plaque sits on a lava rock monument outside
the Battle Command Training Center named after Lt. Hoe when the structure was dedicated in 2007.
Prior to his service as an Officer,
Nainoa was an enlisted man in the US
Army Reserves and a member of the 9th
RSC at Ft. Shafter, USFK. His greatest
satisfaction was service as a member of
Delta Company of the 100th Battalion
442 RCT “Go for Broke.”
Besides his parents Nainoa is
survived by younger brother SSG Nakoa
Hoe, who returned recently from
deployment to Kuwait and Iraq with
Delta Company of the 100th Infantry
Battalion of Hawaii’s legendary 442nd
Infantry, his brother’s old unit.
Trades Prepare for Military Sites in 1909
Preparing for construction of first-ever Washington ordered military reservations
in Hawaii’s first decade as a U.S. Territory, a local group that called itself the
“American Citizens’ Mechanical and Labor Association” adopted bylaws and a
Constitution on Feb. 22, 1909, in Honolulu.
Besides major dredging work for the upcoming Pearl Harbor Shipyard, both
the Navy and War Departments noted contracts would shortly be awarded for the
building of Fort Armstrong in Kakaako and newly dedicated Schofield Barracks
(originally on a site called Leilehua) in Wahiawa.
(Gist of a news item in the Pacific Commercial Advertiser dated Feb. 22, 1909)
JULY/AUGUST 2009
HA‘AHEO 675
PAGE 3
Oahu Fall Classes Set At 3 Training Venues
Staff prepares one of several classrooms in the new PAMCAH-UA Local 675 Training Center at Iwilei for the fall term. Six classes providing instruction
on five subjects are scheduled there.
F
or the first time the UA Local
675-PAMCAH apprenticeship
classes on Oahu will be at the
newly opened Iwilei Training Center
starting this fall, besides at the Pearl
City Training Center and the Honolulu
Community College.
“The six classes scheduled at Iwilei
will help accommodate the increased
demand for classes,” said Vernon Rosa,
Training Center coordinator.
Subjects to be covered at Iwilei
include General Compressor, Carrier
TroubleShooting, Direct Digital
Controls, Tec Cube, and Split Systems.
The curriculum at Pearl City will
as usual bear the bulk of the training
program. Courses include Pipe Fitting
Layout, Electricity/Solar, Process/Pipe
Draft, Metallurgy, Advance Drawing,
UA Certification, Arc Welding, Basic
Welding, Tech Report-Human, Job
Safety/Related Math, Valve Repair,
Plumbing Fixture Repair, Intro to
Computer, Backflow Prevention, Pipe
Layout, and Solder/Brazing.
HCC classes are in Residential
Water, Basic Welding, Solder & Brazing,
Auto Cad, and Steamfitter Welder.
Classes on the Neighbor Islands are
all held at the Community College
campuses, Maui, Kauai, and Hilo,
respectively, and also at Kealakehe
Intermediate School in Kailua-Kona.
Training Staff Busy With
WACA, Enriched Instruction
Four UA Local 675 representatives attended the annual Western Apprenticeship Coordinators Association conference in mid-July at Las Vegas.
Training Center coordinator Vernon Rosa was joined by staffers Harold
McDermott and Kirk Kageno and Local 675 president Donovan Lewis.
Among program keynoters were U.S. Senate President Harry Reid and
Congresswoman Shelley Berkley.
The training center staffers are headed out again, this time for an August 8-14
Instructors Training in Ann Arbor, MI. It is an annual week-long intensive series
of specific courses resulting in certification after passing an exam.
Accompanying them are special Local 675 training instructors (their specialty
classes noted) Dean Kobashigawa and James Quilinderino (Refrigeration), Matt
Brady and Ronden Numasaki (Plumbing), Mervin Kawainui (Fire Sprinkler),
Andrew H. Wallace, Alward Kaopuiki, Donald R. Williams (Steam Fitting/Welding).
Messrs. Rosa, McDermott, and Kageno are enrolled in the Training Coordinators class that covers foundations in teaching and learning, techniques in interaction/discussions, OSHA, industrial rigging certification, teaching with exam view,
HVACR-UA-STAR, codes, technical class for sprinkler fitters and process piping.
PAGE 4
HA‘AHEO 675
JULY/AUGUST 2009
Alfred B. Valles
Federal Official A Noted Booster of Budding Craftsmen
O
f the thousands of certificates
of completed apprenticeships
he has inked his signature of
approval on over some four decades, he
is especially proud of the one that bears
the name of his stepson.
It was a year ago at Local 675’s
annual graduation when Alfred B. Valles,
Hawaii/Pacific director of apprenticeships
with the U.S. Department of Labor,
proudly with his wife Sueko watched
as Jack Ikeda stepped forward for his
completion certificate in refrigeration
and air conditioning.
“Every chance I’ve had when
addressing youngsters at the brink of
making career choices is to stress that it
takes the same dedication, brains, and
fortitude to learn a craft as it does to
opt for higher education, the difference,
though, being the craftsman has an
immediate head start toward developing
a skill that will provide benefits lasting a
lifetime,” Valles points out.
He traveled that career road himself,
having finished his carpentry apprenticeship
in his Arizona hometown, then applying
his journeyman skills a few years before
moving up to construction manager for
two major general contractors.
After 13 years in the trade, he became
one of the Cactus State’s apprenticeship
training directors. In that role 19
years, among his key achievements was
successfully utilizing his part-Indian
ethnicity (Yaqui) in creating the state’s
first-ever apprenticeship programs for
five different native Indian tribes. It
was a tenure replete with accolades
recognizing his considerable outreach
efforts, replicated in Hawaii where many
consider him its “Dean of the School of
Apprenticeship.”
Offered later a choice of equivalent
posts in three different jurisdictions, he
took unhesitatingly the directorship
vacancy in Hawaii in 1992. He
launched a gradual expansion of the
scope of apprenticeship opportunities
Although a one-man operation
for the Federal Apprenticeship
Program that covers the outlying
Pacific islands besides Hawaii,
Al Valles says he thoroughly
enjoys his job. His achievements
confirm that feeling.
covering a diverse range of occupations.
Given broad latitude from his Washington
superiors to undertake what he felt
might be needed, he left his door ajar
for any vocation lacking a formalized
skills training program. Little wonder
the Hawaii/Pacific program is envied by
his mainland counterparts.
What is remarkable is that Valles
since the early years of his island career
has managed to sustain a growing
program alone. Economics has long
stripped him of staff and he has relied
only on a “virtual” secretary stationed
in Seattle to help with paperwork done
by computer. The “system” allows him
time, even when on the road, to stay on
top of his workload without skipping a
beat.
His efforts are framed on a no-nonsense
“glad-to-know-you” approach with
peers in the training sphere. He does it
by teaming with allied groups involved
with training that have shared concerns
and goals. This year he organized three
clinics – one in Guam, the next in
Saipan, and a third recently on Oahu
– dubbed “Collaborate for Success” –
each drawing a strong turnout of folks
impressed with the depth of his seriousness to reach individuals who never had
a fair crack at learning a skill.
“You can tell a community’s
strength or weakness by how its work-age
residents are treated,” Valles notes. “If
all it wants is cheap labor, it will pay an
eventual heavy price because by relying mainly on imported skills it leaves
behind an unskilled work force with
no place to go saddling the community
with a burdensome social cost.”
Valles not only has warm ties with
his peers, he also is personally close to the
heads of the sovereign island nations and
territories he services, all overwhelmed
by his caring for skill training for their
respective populations.
For Hawaii’s unionized construction
community the “ambassadorial” import
of Valles’ Pacific ties boils down to
ensuring developed skills will always be
the priority.
JULY/AUGUST 2009
Centennial
HA‘AHEO 675
PAGE 5
Trump Tower Topping
continued from page 1
Public/Private Venture military
housing program launched five years
ago. It has stabilized the residential life
of military families and heartened folks
in their surrounding civilian communities
as being “good neighbors.”
The Union chief told his rapt
audience Local 675 is also celebrating
this year, its 90th year as a chartered UA
local making it Hawaii’s second oldest
construction union.
It is not hard to imagine what
the rural visage of Wahiawa was like a
hundred years ago, its expansive central
plain then miles of shrubbery and acres
of pineapples.
Oahuans knew its vastness then as
Leilehua until the U.S. Army gained
approval in 1908 to utilize the locale
as an Army post. By the next year
Schofield Barracks emerged, named
after Lt. Gen. John M. Schofield,
who on an island stopover in 1872 had
recommended a military base in Hawaii.
He served as Secretary of War under
President Andrew Johnson.
Congressman Neil Abercrombie, right, gets lowdown on construction issues with Dorvin Leis
Co. employees and Local 675 business manager Reginald Castanares at the Trump Tower jobsite.
From left, Richard Gordon, Castanares, Terrence Nakata, Keola Nakamura, and Earl Mikamura.
The General’s endorsement was
resurrected after annexation of the isles
in 1898 as a U.S. Territory. By 1905 a
Major Gen. Weston, ordered from
San Francisco to scout for potential
military sites, confirmed that earlier
vision, stating “Leilehua is a fine site
for a great Army site.” Who would have
guessed the new military post would
eventually encompass 210,000 acres and
soon would be the bulwark of Wahiawa’s
economy?
Over that century span its resident
trainees were prepared for missions that
took them to many far corners in roles
performing heroically as peacekeepers,
law enforcers, diplomats, and rebuilders.
Since World War II strange lands saw
the insignia of the 25th Infantry
Division as a reminder of both
Schofield’s and Hawaii’s mission to
build a peaceful and secure world.
Prefabricated piping is lowered in place for delivering chilled water at the Trump Tower project, nearing
completion in Waikiki. Directing the manual hoisting below is Scott Yamaguchi of mechanical
contractor Dorvin Leis Co.
PAGE 6
HA‘AHEO 675
JULY/AUGUST 2009
PAMCA Installs Officers, Directors for 2009-10
UA Local 675’s Industry Partners: These ten men gracing the grounds of the Marriott Ihilani in Kapolei are the 2009-10 leaders for the Plumbing & Mechanical
Contractors Association. From, left: Gregg Serikaku, executive director; Sam Fujikawa, director (Continental Mechanical of the Pacific); director, Robert Hann
(Trane Pacific Service); treasurer, Tyrus Kagawa (Oahu Plumbing & Sheetmetal); president, Patrick Miura (Elite Mechanical); director, Skip Morgan (Alaka’i
Mechanical); vice president, Kenneth Richardson (Island Controls); secretary, Kent Matsuzaki (Economy Plumbing & Sheetmetal); director, Glenn Tango
(Honolulu Plumbing); and director, Mark Suzuki (Commercial Plumbing). All their terms are for two years.
Transition To Lower Economy Toughens, Worries Alaka’i Mech
A
relatively recent giant among
Hawaii’s specialty contractors,
Alaka‘i Mechanical Corporation, has wisely never thrown caution to
the wind even during ‘boom’ periods.
Understanding how market forces
behave and the fluctuations of the
economy, a business at the top of the
heap could just as easily bottom in
quick time, ponders its president/CEO,
Clark (Skip) Morgan, who has piloted
AMC since l995. Some 19 years ago,
Tokyo-based mechanical engineering
contractor Taisei Oncho bought out
former Au’s Plumbing & Metal Works.
Now on the Taisei board, Morgan
is arguably among the better-informed
and motivated among peers on global
economies, not shy to take advantage
of conditions that call for bold action.
“I was fortunate early in my career to
be head of an ENR national Top 400
general contractor. It was a valuable
experience,” he reflects.
“Hawaii’s business climate is intensely
competitive,” he says, shuddering at the
folly of needless underbidding just to
get a job. The job is backed by the
staggering number of contractor
bankruptcies.
“A business has to square itself with
the tangibles and intangibles in trying
not just to survive but importantly,
turning each job with a reasonable
profit. That means a forthright look at
all the cost and market factors that affect
it – labor, government, consumers, the
general market – domestic and global,”
he assesses.
AMC’s projected volume drop of
20% is probably typical in the industry.
Its payroll has leveled down to roughly
200 in the field and 60 clerical and
professional, with HVAC (heating/
ventilation/air conditioning) topping
plumbing as its chief revenue source.
Part of the slack is being covered by
direct sales jobs, that entails dealing
directly with a customer in the absence
of a general contractor. The company
additionally recently became the Hawaii
distributor for Dream Watts Energy
Management System, aimed at customers
desiring remote computer-controlled
monitoring and management of their
energy needs no matter their personal
whereabouts.
“Energy efficiency is the industry’s
hallmark, as stressed in our work with
heat pumps, solar, and chillers,” Morgan
notes. “In that regard,” he points out,
“wireless technology applying the use of
computerized tablets in the field is proving
a cost-saver as well as in-house application
of integrated three-dimensional drafting.”
“Like others, we’re looking outside
Hawaii, but remain cautious as areas like
Guam, as an example, has serious cost
deficiencies and limited skilled labor, he
says. “Things will change when those
communities make an effort to provide
skill training for their people.”
JULY/AUGUST 2009
HA‘AHEO 675
Subdivisions Keep TNH
Busy in Industry Slump
D
ynamite comes in tiny packages, so an old saying
goes.
But it happens to aptly define TNH Plumbing.
Its president, Xena Takahashi stands a petite five feet,
though quietly wields a firm yet tender stick in the collective
grateful view of its employees.
The Wahiawa-based signatory company has so far
dodged a fair part of the past year’s business downturn,
thanks to steady subdivision work with Castle & Cooke,
DR Horton Schuler Division, and Coastal Construction,
three of the industry’s busier residential builders.
“It doesn’t mean things will stay good the next year,”
Xena carefully assesses. “Our good fortune is having
topnotch mechanics, about 40 to 45, most who’ve been
with us a long time. We appreciate each employee’s great
work both in the field and in the office.”
Her father-in-law, Naohiro Takahashi, who founded
the company in 1962, mother-in-law, Grace, and husband,
Earl, obviously have felt comfortable having Xena at the
helm. A graduate in business administration from
Chaminade University, she oversees the details associated
with contracts and building permits.
“In a rural district we are probably looked as a
neighborhood-type business and we do get our share of
repair calls,” she reflects.
Even modest-sized firms like TNH encounter calls from
general contractors and developers to rebid a project several
times with minimal or no change in plans and specs.
PAGE 7
New Features Added To
Revived Website
UA Local 675’s website is back. Click on www.plumbershawaii.com.
The general public is now also able to logon to our
website and read about our various crafts, apprenticeship and
training program in addition to our leadership history.
Information on the Federal Credit Union and stories
under the Retiree and Community headings are also available.
View the current Ha’aheo 675 Newsletter articles and retrieve
past issues instantly.
Members can also logon to various links for more
information on benefits offered by PAMCAH-UA Local
675’s affiliated professionals.
Upcoming will be pertinent information about our
signatory contractors. The website as a vehicle will increase
the value of the marketing efforts of our contractors.
Viewers can expect further changes as we continue to
define our role and contributions in the construction and
general community.
Clarifying the Definition
of ‘Sole Proprietor’
The State Contractors License Board, responding to
inquiries, if the term “sole proprietor” used by a licensed
construction contractor means he or she legally by definition
will be exclusively doing a contracted project without a paid
employee, notes:
“That’s difficult to accept when asked for a lowball number
and inflation doesn’t stand still,” Xena notes. However, she
says regrettably, some firms take the bait and the consequence
is an unprofitable job or even loss and probable work deficiency.
That helps nobody,” she sighs.
Existing statutes do not prohibit a licensed contractor
who is a self-described “sole proprietor” from utilizing other
persons as employees to be engaged in a construction project.
The term apparently has caused misunderstanding when used
at the time a business is registered with the state and when
an application for a contractor license is submitted.
Credit Union Offers Members Top Rates
In either instance the “sole proprietor” usage is simply to
indicate that the person is in business for himself or herself
and has no officers or directors named or involved with the
established company.
A dividend and loan rate as attractive or better than local
commercial institutions is being offered by the Plumbers & Fitters
Local 675 Federal Credit Union.
Nine signatory companies have made available to their
employees a payroll deduction plan that an increasing number
finds appealing.
To join the Union’s FCU, just a $5 deposit and a $5 entrance
fee are required.
For rates and other information, call 537-9135.
The matter of a “sole proprietor” being required to abide
by the State’s “Little Davis-Bacon Act” when engaged in a
State or County contract is clear: Regardless whether the
contractor or subcontractor performs with or without
employees, payroll affidavits are to be submitted weekly
when work is performed, listing the job classification and
work hours for the period covered as specified by the State’s
wage and hour law.
PAGE 8
HA‘AHEO 675
To Cherish with pride
Ha‘aheo 675
Official PublicatiOn Of the Plumbers and fitters united assOciatiOn lOcal 675, afl-ciO
Ha‘aheo 675 is the official publication of the
Plumbers and Fitters United Association, Local 675
1109 Bethel Street, Lower Level
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 536-5454
www.plumbershawaii.com
JULY/AUGUST 2009
Plumbers and Fitters
United Association
Local 675
1109 Bethel Street, Lower Level
Honolulu, HI 96813
Reginald Castanares
Business Manager/Financial Secretary
Donovan Lewis
President
Valentino Ceria
Vice President
Tracy Tanouye
Recording Secretary
David Kamakea
Sentry
Send Contributions/questions regarding
Ha‘aheo 675 to the Editor
Calendar of Events
SEPT
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
MAUI RAP SESSION
Maui Community College
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
KAUAI RAP SESSION
Kauai Community College
Monday, September 7, 2009
LABOR DAY UNITY PICNIC
Waikiki Shell
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Washington Middle School-Cafeteria
NOV
OCT
Saturday, October 3, 2009
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS CONFERENCE
Dole Cannery Ballrooms
Monday, October 5, 2009
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Washington Middle School-Cafeteria
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
KONA RAP SESSION
Kahakai Elementary School
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
HILO RAP SESSION
Waiakea Intermediate School
Monday, November 2, 2009
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Washington Middle School-Cafeteria
In Memoriam
Heartfelt sympathy and condolences
to families of our brothers deceased
since June 2009:
Attn: A Notice From Post Office
The U.S. Postal Service requests that mail
addressed to the Union Office and the Administrative Trust Fund Office must include the
appropriate floor or suite number, as noted:
Plumbers & Fitters UA Local 675
1109 Bethel Street, Lower Level
Honolulu, HI 96813
PAMCAH-UA Local 675 Trust Funds
Administrative Office
1109 Bethel Street, Suite 403
Honolulu, HI 96813
Mail not properly addressed as shown above
will be returned.
u
u
u
u
u
Retirees Club Events
Sept. 8: 8:30 a.m. Moanalua Golf Course
quarterly breakfast meeting. Food Bank donations welcomed.
Sept. 9: 11:10 a.m. Teeoff, Makalena Golf
Club.
Herbert S. Shiraishi (Oahu) 6/14
Colin W. S. Ching (Oahu) 6/24
James M. Kawamura (Oahu) 6/25
John Costales (Oahu) 7/15
Antone Vierra (Oahu) 7/22
YOUR PHONE
CONNECTIONS
Local 675 Office .......... 536-5454
1109 Bethel Street, Lower Level
Administrative Office ... 536-4408
1109 Bethel Street, Suite 403
Health & Welfare
Pension, Annuity
Vacation & Holiday
Training Workshop . ... 456-0585
731 Kamehameha Hwy., Pearl City
Credit Union . ............. 537-9135
1109 Bethel Street, Lower Level
Call office promptly on address change.