Reaching Higher - United Brotherhood Of Carpenters

Transcription

CARPENTER
Reaching
Higher
New Tools,
Programs
Help Members
Move Ahead
Work in Canada for
U.S. Members
Infection Control Course
Wins Health Care Jobs
2012
CARPENTERS.ORG
Journeyman Leadership Training | 10
Key Senate Races
| 18
Carpenter Union
members receive 30% DISCOUNT
Now available at www.vaughanmfg.com
Enter promo code: CTCAP11
VAUGHAN & BUSHNELL MFG. CO.
Precision and Pride
in your work and in your style
You create sharp, straight lines every day on every job.
Now your clothes can show that UBC precision in style.
This polo is 100% breathable polyester with moisturewicking technology, so it’s quick drying and keeps you cool.
With crisp white lines on a black body, our proud Union
name is embroidered on the left chest, and the UBC
emblem has place of pride at top center on the back.
Look sharp and stay cool.
The choice is as simple as black and white!
Item FS576
M – XL
$35.00
2XL & 3XL $38.00
To order items from the Carpenters Union Warehouse,
send order and payment—check or money order—to:
Carpenters
ATTN: Insignia Products Department
14110 Sullyfield Circle
Chantilly, VA 20151
or call (703) 378-9000
Please add $8.95 shipping and handling.
Make checks payable to United Brotherhood of Carpenters.
All prices listed are in U.S. dollars.
Shop online:
carpenters.org
or ubcstore.org
From the General President
Reaching Higher Means a
Stronger Brotherhood
New Tools Help Members to Stay Informed and Move Ahead
he UBC has always been about
being the best and moving
ahead—each of us with the
tools and all of us as a union.
As we have been for more than 130
years, our Brotherhood is committed
to hitting the job site with the sharpest,
most up-to-date skills in the trades,
and to running the most effective and
efficient organization, too. Today is no
different.
We’re meeting our commitment
with our website, Carpenters.org. It gives members broader, timelier,
and far less costly communications. We’re also developing an “app”
for smart phones to help members
reach
the UBC wherever and whenever
“We’re teaching our
they need to.
‘.300 hitters’ skills
But we’re about moving ahead in
like leadership,
other ways, too. Today, we’re teaching
communication, and our most seasoned members skills and
abilities for helping everyone they work
mentoring, so they with reach the next level.
I’m not talking about training for
can help to raise
digital
tools or high-tech materials.
the game of every
I’m talking about teaching our
Brother and Sister “.300 hitters” skills like leadership,
communication, and mentoring, so
around them.”
they can help to raise the game of
every Brother and Sister around them.
Our new program, UBC Journeymen: Building Leadership for a
Strong Future, is designed to teach our most skilled and experienced
members how to help others become more productive and more
competitive.
The better we are on the job—the more we help each member
become the best construction professional and most active UBC
member he or she can be—the better we can compete and win
work in even the tightest construction economy. We’ll be a stronger
union, too.
The tradition of learning from those who have gone before us is
as old as carpentry itself, but today’s UBC is taking that idea to a
new level.
The old saying is, “If you’re standing still, you’re falling behind.”
As professionals and as a union, we’re definitely not standing still.
We’re the UBC, and we’re moving ahead. We’re reaching higher.
T
2
VISIT CARPENTERS.ORG
El hecho de llegar más alto significa
una hermandad más sólida
Las nuevas herramientas ayudan a los miembros a mantenerse informados y a lograr avanzar
e lo que siempre se ha tratado la UBC es de ser los mejores y
de avanzar —cada uno de nosotros con las herramientas
que tenemos y todos colectivamente como unión.
Tal como ha sucedido durante más de 130 años, nuestra Hermandad se ha comprometido a llevar a cabo nuestras labores con
las destrezas más ingeniosas y actualizadas posibles dentro de nuestro oficio, al igual que administrar a la organización de la forma
más eficaz y eficiente posible. Esto continúa siendo igual.
Estamos cumpliendo nuestro compromiso con nuestra
página de Internet, Carpenters.org. Con ello, ofrecemos a los
miembros comunicaciones más amplias, más oportunas y
menos costosas. También estamos desarrollando una aplicación
para los denominados teléfonos inteligentes, a fin de ayudar a
que la UBC esté a su alcance donde y cuando la necesiten.
Pero también estamos avanzando de otras maneras. Actual- “Estamos enseñando
mente, estamos enseñando a
nuestras destrezas
nuestros miembros más experimentados una serie de destrezas y más exitosas y de
habilidades para que ayuden a
mayor impacto, tales
todos los que trabajan con ellos a
como liderazgo,
pasar a la siguiente etapa de su
comunicación y
oficio.
No me estoy refiriendo a una orientación a través
capacitación sobre herramientas
digitales o materiales de alta tec- de mentores, para
nología. Estoy hablando de enque puedan acelerar
señar nuestras destrezas más
la marcha de cada
exitosas y de mayor impacto, tales
como liderazgo, comunicación y hermano y hermana
orientación a través de mentores, a su alrededor. “
para que puedan acelerar la marcha de cada hermano y hermana a su alrededor.
Nuestro nuevo programa, UBC Journeymen: Building
Leadership for a Strong Future [Obreros especializados de UBC:
Desarrollo del liderazgo para un futuro más sólido], está diseñado para enseñar a nuestros miembros más hábiles y con
mayor experiencia la forma de ayudar a otros a ser más productivos y más competitivos.
Entre mejor seamos en nuestro trabajo —entre más
ayudemos a cada miembro a ser una(a) mejor profesional de construcción y a permanecer lo más activo(a) posible dentro de la
UBC— más podremos competir y obtener trabajo, aún dentro la
economía más difícil en el campo de la construcción. Así también
seremos una unión más fuerte.
La tradición de aprender de aquellos que han estado antes
que nosotros es tan antigua como el propio oficio de la carpintería, pero hoy la UBC está desarrollando esta idea hacia su
etapa siguiente.
El viejo dicho reza: “Si permaneces inmóvil, te quedas
rezagado(a)”. Como profesionales y como unión, no nos
quedaremos inmóviles. Somos la UBC y estamos avanzando.
Estamos llegando más alto.
D
CARPENTER
V O L . 1 3 2 N O. 1 2 0 1 2
District Vice Presidents
Frank Spencer (Eastern)
P.O. Box 375
Haddonfield, NJ 08033
(856) 428-1650
Bobby J. Yeggy (Midwestern)
6910 N. Main St.
Unit 9, Bldg. 27B
Granger, IN 46530
(574) 273-9314
Charles Danny Maples
(Southern)
900 S. Gay St.
Knoxville, TN 37902
(865) 673-4549
Michael V Draper (Western)
805 S.W. Industrial Way #1
Bend, OR 97702
(541) 388-2342
James E. Smith (Canadian)
5799 Yonge St., #807
Toronto, Ont. M2M 3V3
(416) 225-8885
Carpenter Magazine
101 Constitution Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 546-6206 x335
Executive Editor:
Andris J. Silins
Director of Communications:
Larry Ropeik
Contributing Editors:
Michelle Merlo
Barbara Doherty
Editorial Assistant:
Shari Underhill
Design:
Barbieri & Green, Inc.
bgdc.net
Advertising Sales Office:
The Sales Department
7910 Woodmont Ave., Ste. 530
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 652-8862
Fax (301) 907-8132
The Carpenter (ISSN-008-6843)
is published by the United
Brotherhood of
Carpenters and Joiners of
America, 101 Constitution
Avenue, N.W., Washington,
D.C. 20001.
POSTMASTER: please send
address changes to:
Carpenter Magazine,
4801 Viewpoint Pl, Cheverly,
MD 20781. © 2012
Printed in U.S.A.
Canadian Publication Mail
Agreement #40032998
Return undeliverable
Canadian copies to:
Toronto Station A, PO Box 640
Toronto, ON, M5W 1G2.
UBC news and information
now comes to you at
Carpenters.org.
FOLLOW YOUR BROTHERHOOD AT CARPENTERS.ORG.
In This Issue
2 FROM THE GENERAL PRESIDENT
Con Español
4 UP FRONT Con Español
10 EDUCATION and TRAINING:
TOOLS BEYOND THE TOOLS
12 MILLWRIGHTS SHOW
SOUTHERN POWER
17 SHAREHOLDER ACTIVISM
BUILDS PENSIONS’ STRENGTH
18 ELECTION-YEAR PREVIEW;
MEMBERS IN OFFICE
20 SISTERS IN THE… WEBSITE
22 WORKERS TURN TO UBC FOR
REPRESENTATION
28 TODAY’S UBC: SMARTPHONE
APP, ONLINE COMMUNICATION
[
Printing and mailing only one
magazine a year saves hundreds
of thousands of dollars that we
can use to raise market share.
The website has lots more stories,
photos, and video—and it’s more
up-to-date, too. Show your UBC
pride—check out Carpenters.org
whenever you’re online.
Quotable
]
8
“The carpenters’ program is exactly
what we were looking for.”
Jeff Clair, infection control construction coordinator,
on the UBC’s training in best practices for
working in occupied health care jobsites.
©iStockphoto.com/IP Galanternik D.U.
General Officers
General President
Douglas J. McCarron
General Vice President
Douglas J. Banes
General Secretary-Treasurer
Andris J. Silins
1st Vice President Emeritus
Paschal McGuinness
1st Vice President Emeritus
Dean Sooter
14
Canada’s boom means jobs for U.S. members
Carpenter Ad Policy
Carpenter is a union publication and promotes union values, and its
advertising must reflect that. It accepts advertising, as it has since its first
issue in 1881, as a way to defray publishing costs for the members of the
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.
Our policy is to accept advertising for products made in the U.S. or
Canada. We do not accept advertising from companies involved in boycotts
or other disputes with organized labor or from nonunion companies in
industries that employ UBC members. The magazine reserves the right to
decline any advertisement.
Advertising in Carpenter does not imply endorsement or warranty by
the magazine or the United Brotherhood of Carpenters.
We welcome comments from members on our advertisers and our policies.
Potential advertisers should contact:
The Sales Department, 7910 Woodmont Ave., Ste. 530, Bethesda, MD 20814
Tel: (301) 652-8862
Fax: (301) 907-8132
Cover photo by Ellen Webber, New England Carpenters
Labor-Management Program.
Ellen Webber
The United Brotherhood
of Carpenters and Joiners
of America
ON THE COVER: Pile drivers extend a runway at Boston Logan Intl.
Airport. For more on apprentice Sonya Cordero, see page 21.
21
Up Front
NERCC Members Get Action
At Host Hotels Job Site
But Baystate and its
subcontractors were paying substandard wages
with little or no benefits,
and many of the subs
were misclassifying workers as independent contractors, violating state
and federal tax and insurance laws. Three of the
subs got stop-work orders
and fines for improper
Andy Brantmuller, LU40, and son
workers’ comp coverage.
Andrew stand for area standards.
The “old dog” of substandard pay and benefits
nion spirit got a fast start in
also learned a new trick: it is alleged
2012 as the New England
that individuals with drug and alcohol
Regional Council of Carpenproblems seeking shelter and rehabiliters (NERCC) began a Union Partici- tation from Victory Outreach Internapation Program to involve every
tional church—in Philadelphia—were
member in the vital work of protectbrought to Boston as cheap labor for
ing the area’s industry-standard wages the project.
and benefits.
The state Attorney General is inAn early member action involved
vestigating the case. Conviction under
Boston’s Marriott Copley Place, which its “human trafficking law” can mean
was renovating 1,100 rooms. Owner
20 years in prison for importing workHost Hotels & Resorts, Inc., hired
ers into Mass. for illegal purposes.
Baystate Services, Inc., of Woburn,
When members protect industry
Mass. as the general contractor.
standards, that old dog won’t hunt.
U
SWRCC Scuba for Vets
or UBC divers, being in the water usually means
work. But for some physically disabled veterans
and youth in the Southwest, diving is fun—and
therapeutic—thanks in part to a grant from the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters (SWRCC).
The grant went to the Cody Unser First Step Foundation, founded by Cody and her mom (daughter and
wife of NASCAR great Al Unser) when Cody’s legs—
paralyzed after an illness—had some feeling during a
scuba dive.
Their group seeks to give vets not just the fun of
diving—where they are free from wheelchairs—but also
perhaps some physical gains. The SWRCC funds bought
equipment used in part for research into the physical
and mental benefits of scuba for the physically disabled.
“We are proud of those who serve our country,” said
Mike McCarron, SWRCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer.
“This project shows great promise for those with spinal
cord injuries and we’re proud we could play a part in it.”
F
MORE ON THE WEB:
Watch a video about this amazing program.
Superintendent Training Nears 600 Grads
n a busy and productive 10
years for the Carpenters International Training Fund’s
(CITF) Superintendent Career
Training Program (SCTP), close
to 600 seasoned journeymen
have become integral assets to
I
4
Poly construction management grads—but knew they
lacked the job site experience
of union carpenters.
Fast-forward to today’s
college-level training model
that combines business smarts
with job site skills. Employers
recommend a journeyman in
good standing, and, in several
sessions over 18 months, university professors and mentors
from the member’s company
teach universal skills as well as
operations and protocols
their union employers in 35
unique to the employer.
states and 5 Canadian provinces.
“This was an opportunity to
The idea began when a
run our individuals through the
contractor told a Southwest
program and align the mentorRegional Council staffer that
ing sections with our company
increasing job site complexity procedures,” said Marty Barth,
led him to ponder hiring Cal
general superintendent for the
eastern region group of Lydig
Construction in Spokane, WA.
Just as students become elite
professionals and program mentors, the SCTP evolves with the
industry. Topics now include
green construction and building
information modeling with digital 3-D visualizations.
Let the next 600 begin.
TAKE YOUR CAREER
TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Move up in the industry with
Superintendent Career
Training or Foreman Training
from the UBC Department of
Education and Training;
the link is under “Training &
Skills” on carpenters.org.
NYC Members Move Historic
Racetrack to the Fast Lane
fter a century of hosting thousands
of half-ton horses and millions of
fans, a track can get a little frayed. But
members of the New York City District
Council of Carpenters (NYCDCC) are helping the famed Aqueduct Racetrack through
a $380 million renovation across the sprawling Queens, N.Y. campus.
The “Big A” has long been busy with toptier thoroughbreds, but development funding, a new casino, and lots of top-tier carpentry will create a “racino” with 1,300 union
construction jobs and 800 permanent ones.
Aqueduct is well known to NYCDCC
members, who have done maintenance
there for decades. This phased project has
added 350 carpenters working 12-hour
shifts to allow normal business to continue.
“We have mostly carpenters and floor
layers there,” said NYCDCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Michael Bilello. “As always,
our focus is on skilled, productive work, but
A
we are also being extremely safety-oriented.
Our goal is to provide excellent results without disrupting facility operations.”
Council Political Director Steve McGinnis said early outreach paid off. “Once they
made the award, we worked out a project
labor agreement because we saw the potential and were determined to get our members the work.”
Un nuevo rostro para el
hipódromo de Nueva York
arpinteros en la Ciudad de Nueva York
están trabajan en el famoso Hipódromo
“Aqueduct”, en un obras de renovación cuyo
costo $380 millones dentro de este inmenso
plantel. Aunque los miembros han llevado a
cabo labores de mantenimiento durante décadas, para este proyecto específico se necesitan 350 carpinteros en jornadas de 12 horas.
C
CARPENTER 2012
5
Up Front
Photos: Shannon DeCelle
Millwrights were already trained and ready to use the sophisticated
“Air Skates” system to gently move a “tool” valued at $50 million.
Moving Into Manufacturing
BC millwrights met the delicate
challenges of moving and installing multi-million-dollar
high-tech manufacturing “tools” in a huge
plant where they also were installing an
overhead transport system and establishing
“cleanroom” operations.
GLOBALFOUNDRIES has three worldwide fabrication plants (“fabs”) building
computer chips and parts for 200 firms, for
everything from phones to cars. Their
300,000-s.f. Fab 8 is near Albany, N.Y.
“We worked with the local UBC business
representatives to secure this work,” said
Tony Graziano, a UBC international millwright representative. “We had two contractors who each needed specific skills, and both
received great millwrights.”
One of those two, Arnoff Moving &
Storage, won the job of installing all of the
U
manufacturing equipment in Fab 8, inside
the clean room and out. Owner Mike Arnoff
has steered his eight-generation, traditional
moving company into high-tech niche work,
and, as a UBC contractor, he can get crews
trained for cleanroom work.
“This is the largest cleanroom in the
world,” said Arnoff, “but we were able to produce the manpower and expertise to
gain the certifications to work on this
project. The UBC has provided us with a
level of expertise beyond what we expected.
Their training is to be commended.”
Training means other advantages, too.
As the huge Fab 8 project passed its one-year
anniversary, millwrights closed in on 100,000
accident-free hours. “That’s unheard of,”
Arnoff said. “The GC’s safety team can’t
believe the diversity of work that we’re
doing while maintaining that track record.”
CARPENTERS.ORG:
Photos, details of this amazing job.
Conference Energizes Millwrights, Industry
millions of UBC man-hours at
work,” said UBC General Vice
projects slated across North
President Doug Banes in his
America in the coming years.
opening remarks.
“Renewable energy sources
Keynote speaker Martin
and maintain equipment and
like nuclear, solar, wind, hydro- Durbin, executive vice president
facilities that fuel the growth.
electric, and geothermal have
for governmental affairs with the
This spring, hundreds
great potential to create work
American Petroleum Institute,
from the UBC’s Millwright
for UBC members and contrac- said his group is pushing
sector, including 160 contractors in every region. And the
construction of the Keystone
tors and end-users, gathered
drive to develop cleaner sources Pipeline, which alone could
at the Carpenters International of traditional fuels like coal, oil, create 20,000 construction jobs
Training Center for a leadership and natural gas will require new and boost development in the
conference to map out a plan
technology and new machinery, Canadian oil sands enough to
for that future.
creating more opportunities for spawn another 100,000 jobs.
Speakers and workshops
CARPENTERS.ORG: Photos and video from the conference.
focused on the energy industry
A special series on the future of the energy sector.
and the potential for literally
View from the top:
UBC wind turbine
installation in progress
s new industries emerge
to meet North America’s
energy needs, UBC Millwrights are in demand to build
A
6
A New Hospital for Haiti
M
Manéjese con cuidado
Izquierda primera: Constructores de molinos superó los retos de mover e instalar
costosos y delicados “herramientas” con un
dispositivo aire flotante especial en una
enorme planta que fabrica componentes
de la computadora.
benefit for people facing
devastating conditions,” said
Mark Erlich, NERCC Executive
Secretary-Treasurer .
“Union volunteers and contractors solicited materials and
then traveled to work alongside
Haitian workers and provide the
skills needed for a complex
project,” Erlich explained. “Our
Council is proud to be part of
this effort.”
Erlich has been a strong
proponent of the project and
recently visited Haiti with
Horas-hombres en la
industria energética
Izquierda inferior: Al una conferencia para
los Constructores de molinos, el tema central fue el potencial por millones de horas
hombres por el UBC para proyectos de energía durante los próximos años.
members of his family to see
the hospital work first-hand.
Link to his article at
Carpenters.org
CARPENTERS.ORG:
Photos of the project and the
member-volunteers. EST Mark
Erlich on his family’s visit to the
stricken island. Challenges of
laying floors in the tropics.
Un nuevo hospital para Haití
En esta página: Diversos miembros e integrantes del personal del Consejo de Nueva
Inglaterra viajaron a Haití para trabajar en
un nuevo hospital docente. El sismo del
2010 destruyó el antiguo hospital.
© 2012 Gorilla Glue Company
embers and contractors of the New England Regional Council
of Carpenters (NERCC) have
big roles in building a new
teaching hospital in Haiti after
the huge 2010 earthquake
destroyed the country’s largest
teaching hospital and killed
hundreds of doctors and nurses.
The NERCC team is helping
to build a 200,000-square-foot
teaching hospital with 320 beds
serving up to 500 patients a day
when fully operational in mid2012. The effort is being led by
Partners in Health, which works
to increase access to quality
health care in poverty-stricken
areas of the world.
“This is an amazing project
that will provide a tremendous
Wood Glue Just
Got Tougher
Gorilla Products Promise:
• Incredible Strength
• Maximum Performance
Made in
USA
Welcome to Tough...
www.GorillaTough.com • 1-800-966-3458
Scan to
Learn More
CARPENTER 2012
7
Health Care Best Practices
Do it Right, Do no Harm
A
principal ethic
in the health
care industry is
“first, do no
harm”—above
all, consider
Hardhats at
the risk to paUPMC jobsites tients in every
must be clean action. That
and must
same goal
show one of
drives the
the UBC’s ICRA
stickers (top) UBC’s special
training on into confirm
fection control
UBC training.
for health care
job sites, skills now in wide use
around Pittsburgh, Pa., and
many other UBC councils.
The Greater Pennsylvania
Regional Council of Carpenters
(GPRCC) is off and running
In fall 2010, GPRCC
Training Director Ray Vogel
and Training Coordinator Rick
Okraszewski spoke about the
value of the program to a
regional trade alliance. Their
talk hit home with construction
officials from western Pennsylvania’s largest health care
organization, the University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center
(UPMC), which operates more
than 30 facilities in the region.
UPMC has made a strong
commitment to UBC-trained
carpenters and quickly encouraged the UBC to create an
8-hour awareness course for
other building trades (see
“UBC Training Other Trades,”
next page).
Photos: Michelle Merlo
with the UBC’s comprehensive
effort to create superior skills—
techniques to protect patients,
staff, and working members
from the spread of pathogens—
for working in occupied health
care facilities.
The “Best Practices,” developed by the Carpenters International Training Fund (CITF),
covers topics in the industry’s
“infection control risk assessment” (ICRA), like controlling
dust, exposure, and airflow;
patient awareness; and more.
Local UBC instructors give the
24-hour course after passing
CITF’s 40-hour train-the-trainer
program at the International
Training Center in Las Vegas.
8
Clean work is key for Larry
Kennedy (l) and Justin
Blackwell (r, below).
Instructor Tom Nicola (l) reviews
Zipwall tricks for members Nate
Frencho (c) and Shannon Lukacs.
“The carpenters’ program
is exactly what we were looking
for,” said Jeff Clair, UPMC
infection control construction
coordinator. “We wanted to
introduce stability into containment procedures during
building projects, and the UBC
Best Practices program helps
us meet that goal perfectly.”
On one job, UPMC is renovating an entire surgical wing at
one of its hospitals. Work is
done sometimes just feet from
active operating rooms, recovery
rooms, or intensive care units.
The ability to contain dust and
work quietly is crucial.
Clair said he frequently receives positive feedback “across
the board” from UPMC project
managers about UBC infection
control skills. “There is a noticeable difference. We are getting a
trained workforce that really
meets our needs,” Clair said.
The training is helping contractors—and members—win
more work, too.
Pittsburgh signatory Spectra
Flooring hit a snag on a job
site when officials demanded
heightened infection control.
“Dust is part of flooring,
but once the customer asked
for better containment, the
UBC trained my employees
quickly in the Best Practices
program,” said Spectra President Colleen DiFilippo. “I was
surprised to see how many installers stepped up and gave up
three Saturdays in a row to get
certified. These are men and
women who are committed.”
Spectra now gains regular
work from that same hospital.
Infection control specs are
many—and very specific.
HOURS, MARKET SHARE IN A
GROWING SECTOR
“Working together in an
alliance with our contractors to
implement this training program
has helped to increase our success,” said GPRCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Bill Waterkotte.
In 2011, the Best Practices
program created about 80,000
man-hours for GPRCC members. The program is gaining
momentum with regional health
care systems elsewhere and is expected to soon expand to nursing homes, schools, public
buildings, and restaurants.
Okraszewski said the greatest
satisfaction with the program
is contributing to the bigger
picture, saying, “If carpenters can
guide health care construction
to also ‘first, do no harm,’ we will
have changed how people think
on the job site.”
Once again, UBC training is
building market share and making our trade and our industry
better. Healthier, you could say.
‘Trade of
Choice’ Trains
Others, Too
he UBC’s training in best practices for health care construction has been so effective for the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system that they asked the
UBC to join them in helping others to
improve their skills, too.
The result is a new infection control awareness course for other trades,
architects, engineers, facility managers,
and anyone else expecting to set foot
on a UPMC job site. The 8-hour training focuses on infection control risk
assessment (ICRA) awareness and why
job site containment is necessary.
“The UBC had a wonderful
program in place, and we wanted to
embellish it and get it out to all trades
and ancillary professionals,” said John
Innocenti, president of UPMC’s
Presbyterian and Shadyside Hospitals.
“The responsibility is on all of us, day
and night, to protect the patient.”
Pittsburgh Training Coordinator
Rick Okraszewski doesn’t hesitate to
show trainees that their own inattention to contamination control may
result in exposing a loved one to
deadly pathogens.
“This course carries the spirit and
intent of the meaning of the Best
Practices program we deliver to UBC
members,” said Rick Okraszewski. “By
creating and teaching the ICRA awareness class, it positions the carpenters
union as the trade of choice for health
care end users.”
More than 1,500 craftsmen from
15 trades and 66 architectural firms
have taken the awareness course, as
well as hundreds of UPMC employees.
To work on a UPMC project, all general contractors, foremen, and superintendents must be graduates of the
course. By November 2012, everyone—from architects to laborers—
must complete the training.
Tom Kennedy, director of capital
projects at UPMC, estimated that hundreds of construction workers are in
UPMC facilities every day. “Our goal
is to make them understand they are
working in a hospital environment,
not a construction site. The UBC
understands that.”
T
Robert Williams
Instructor Tom Millio (l) and member Tom Barnes (c) showed UBC training to industry guests.
Industry Event Spreads the Word
Edward Coryell, EST/Business Manager of the Metropolitan Regional Council of Philadelphia &
Vicinity, wrote to his members on how infection control training can build markets and man-hours.
early 100 area hospital facility
managers, engineers, and architects
gathered at our apprenticeship
school recently to learn, first-hand, why
hiring professional carpenters from our
council is a smart business decision for
health care facility construction projects.
The Healthcare Facility Manager’s
Association of the Delaware Valley held its
March chapter meeting at the school, where
they were presented with information
about our Best Practices in Health Care
Construction in Occupied Facilities training program. The purpose of the evening
was to showcase the skills that union
carpenters are acquiring to successfully
contain pathogens that cause hospitalborne infections in health care facilities
undergoing construction work.
The guest speaker was Andrew Streifel, a
world-renowned expert and the lead hospital
environment specialist for the University of
Minnesota Department of Environmental
Health & Safety. He is also the primary expert
N
CARPENTERS.ORG:
Check out how this new training program is
building man-hours in the red-hot health care
construction market: video, details and more
photos in the “Training Central” section.
that the UBC consulted with in creating this
training program.
“Inadequate procedures during construction in an occupied health care facility can
release contaminants trapped above ceilings,
behind walls, or under floors, allowing them to
infiltrate patient and staff environments via
HVAC systems, foot traffic, and other
conduits,” Streifel told the audience. “Welltrained carpenters, like those available from
the Metropolitan Regional Council, will help
you ensure a safe work environment.”
We believed it was important to have
Andrew explain the program so the group
could hear from a colleague just how important
it is to hire union carpenters with this training.
As school director Charles Brock and
his instructors led guests on a tour, (photo)
they held hands-on demonstrations and
explained how carpenters are trained in the
health care program.
The evening’s results were exactly as
planned. Several facility managers from area
health care organizations requested more
information and asked for follow-up from our
staff to see how they can get our members on
their job sites.
We are in the process of following up on
all requests for more information, and we are
also reaching out to all event attendees to further promote our members for their projects.
CARPENTER 2012
9
Department of Education and Training
s professionals in a
changing industry, UBC
members need top-flight
skills, productivity, and attitude
to stay competitive—and
developing them is an ongoing
process. While we expect to add
and refine technical skills to
master the trade, other abilities
are also crucial.
The Department of
Education and Training (DET)
supports the UBC’s strategic
priorities of growth, skill, and
professionalism by building “soft
skills” like leadership, communication, goal setting, coaching.
and motivating.
From apprentices to superintendents, from elected officers to
Warren Wong
A
employees and others, the
growing DET schedule has programs for people at all levels.
The common goal of all
DET sessions is helping UBC
members and employees to be
more effective at work—be it on
a job site or in a local, council, or
international post—by refining
their professional skills.
“We are committed to
developing our most valuable
resource—the members. To do
that, we offer timely, relevant,
and ongoing professional
development for members,
leaders, and staff to help them
function at the highest possible
levels,” said DET Director
Randy Eppard.
Warren Wong
Tools Beyond the Tools for Members & Staff
General President Doug McCarron meets with every journeyman
training group for a wide-open Q&A session.
for more on how DET is helping the Brotherhood move
ahead as a union, a trade, and an industry partner.
Journeymen, Leaders
“Anyone can be a leader, and everyone
should be a leader.”
“We encourage people—
journeymen first and foremost—to develop themselves,
to continuously stay up with
the skills and knowledge
needed to be a successful
union carpenter.
“If you’re not constantly deBelow are excerpts from a recent interview with DET director
Randy Eppard on the new UBC Journeyman Leadership Program. veloping yourself as a journeyman and a leader, then you’re
limiting how far you can take the
e have great
we’re more than that. We’re
people that are following you.”
craftsmen, and
better than that. And our conthe skills are
tractors need more than that.
“Everybody’s Full Potential”
there, but our contractors have
“We focus on transforma“The program directly fotold us time and time again
tional leadership, where actions
that every union worker needs and attributes mean more than cuses on being able to get back
on the job site and successfully
to be as productive as possible. titles and transactions. We
lead people. It’s four days and
“Contractors don’t want just teach that anyone can be a
our hands on the job site, they
leader and everyone should be somewhat intense, but everything is meant to be fun and
want us to bring our brains and a leader.”
engaging. We do a lot of exerour hearts as well. This new
“Leadership is the ability
cises and enough practice that
program seeks to give tools to
to influence people, no more
they can go back to the field
high-performing journeymen
and no less. That’s why we
with the confidence to implein the area of leadership.
hand-select the participants
ment what they’ve learned.
“On a lot of jobsites, leader- who can come here, get
“Foremost, we teach the
ship is a transaction: ‘Give me
trained, and use what they
different attributes that make
eight hours of work and I’ll
learn. President McCarron
up transformational leadership,
give you eight hours pay.’ Well, calls them ‘our .300 hitters.’
“W
10
like inspiration and motivation—inspiring people to want
to be there and do a good job.
“We also identify what we
call the ‘idealized influence’
using exercises based on discussion among the journeymen.
And they get it. They’ll start talking about leaders who mentored
and transformed them along the
way. And naturally they want to
emulate those people.
“Knowing the attributes, we
go into the skill set. That’s when
we talk about types of communication and what it takes to be
a good communicator—attributes like listening, feedback,
coaching, and mentoring.
“Ultimately, we want to help
journeymen add value not just
to themselves in a developmental sense, but also to the people
around them on the jobsite.
“At the end of the day,
the UBC’s goal is to recognize
and optimize everybody’s
full potential.”
Family’s UBC Roots Run Deep
andy Eppard became director of
the DET in early 2011, bringing a
strong background in leadership
development and an even stronger one in
the UBC—four generations, to be precise.
Eppard began working with the tools
in his native Virginia, alongside his
brother Rick, a representative on the MidAtlantic Regional Council of Carpenters
(MARCC). Their father, lifetime member
James W. Eppard, became a journeyman
in 1957 and later spent more than 30 years
as business agent, financial secretary, and
R
DET COURSES COVER
EVERYTHING UBC
From apprentices to senior staff, the
UBC Department of Education and Training
(DET) offers knowledge and skills for every
level. Programs are held at the International
Training Center in Las Vegas.
In addition to the new journeyman
training, here is a quick look at just a few
of DET’s many programs. Learn more at
carpenters.org.
Third-Year Apprentice Program:
A four-day program covering the industry,
UBC history and structure, and how productivity and skill contribute to success
for members and their employers.
Foreman and Superintendent Training:
These programs help seasoned members
learn leadership and management skills
and techniques to keep crews and job
sites running effectively. See pg. 4 for
more on Superintendent Career Training.
Delegate Training: This four-day
program reinforces the five leadership
components of the delegate role:
Communicator, Advocate, Mobilizer,
Coalition Builder, and Good Union Citizen.
New Staff Orientation: This one-week
program covers the international union
and the staff role in UBC success. In that
Council staff often serve as public contact, a key focus is on the information
they need to deliver the UBC message.
Marketing, Communications, and
Public Speaking: Various programs help
Council staff and officers build effective
skills to ensure the UBC message is clearly
conveyed, inside and outside the union.
MORE ON THE WEB:
Course specifics, video of the journeyman
training program.
James W. Eppard, second from left,
received a 50-year pin and lifetime
member card from general president
Doug McCarron, third from left, at UBC
headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Flanking them are sons Rick Eppard,
left, and Randy Eppard.
business manager for Charlottesville
Local 1729 and Richmond Local 388.
Grandfather William Eppard worked on
WWII Navy ships then spent 50 years as
a carpenter and contractor. Great-Grandfather Ramon C. Jones joined the UBC in
the 1930s and built furniture as a UBC
mill worker.
Prior to his appointment to the UBC
DET, Randy Eppard was director of the
MARCC Joint School of Carpentry. He
holds a Ph.D. in Adult Learning and
Human Resource Development from
Virginia Tech, has been a university faculty
member, and has led development programs for many Fortune 500 companies.
CLICK’S KWIK DRILL
IS TURNING THE DOOR
INDUSTRY UPSIDE DOWN
We can adapt
each drill
to fit your
custom needs.
Visit our
web site at
cstools.com
or call
716-77DRILL
CLICK’S KWIK DRILL
cuts labor cost by 75%
No more misaligned hinges!
Perfectly positioned pilot holes!
www.cstools.com
CARPENTER 2012
11
Millwrights’ Southern Power
Refined Skills Win in Texas
B
had the work, but Motiva
found installations that were
not done properly.
Based on relationships built
by SSMRC reps and the solid
history of union contractors who
did win work there, the UBC
team was asked in to restore high
standards and productivity.
“This is traditionally a
nonunion plant, but we were
able to illustrate the skills of
our millwrights and the level
of training they have to stay
at peak performance for this
job,” said SSMRC Executive
Secretary-Treasurer Dennis
Donahou. “It opened a door,
and we took advantage of
the opportunity.”
“We are commissioning all
of the units that the open shops
handled, verifying proper installation and fixing any issues that
we find,” said SSMRC Represen-
Capacity Before CEP
Capacity After CEP
Size/Rank After CEP
275,000 barrels/day
600,000 barrels/day
Among largest in U.S.
Top 10 worldwide
Components (partial) 3-unit naphtha complex
1 catalytic reformer
725 pumps
19 compressors
514 heat exchangers
54 tanks
Workforce (highs)
400 contractors
900 company employees
5,000 construction workers
Jobs After CEP
300 permanent full-time
©iStockphoto.com/Christian Lagereek
ig projects can produce
big opportunities—as for
hundreds of millwrights
from across the UBC, led by the
Southern States Millwright
Regional Council (SSMRC),
who are finding work at a
record-setting refinery expansion in Texas.
Houston-based Motiva
Enterprises LLC refines, distributes, and markets oil in the
eastern and southern U.S. At the
109-year-old Port Arthur refinery, Motiva’s multi-billion-dollar
Crude Expansion Project (CEP)
is equivalent to building the first
new refinery in the U.S. in
nearly 40 years.
UBC millwrights have
worked on the CEP since
groundbreaking in 2007, and
exceptional union skills helped
keep the project on track.
Open-shop workers originally
MOTIVA’S MAJOR NUMBERS
tative Mike Hines. “A majority
of the equipment needed
to be addressed for one reason
or another.”
That successful
commissioning led to more
work, and UBC crews are now
doing new construction and
many other duties.
Donahou said steady productivity from SSMRC and
traveling millwrights will help
the union side compete for
maintenance work at the refinery. And when the Keystone
Pipeline comes into Port Arthur,
Donahou aims to capture that
work as well.
Skills on a Grand Scale
historic energy project in the deep
South is not only attracting global
attention for its size and scope, but
is also providing vast amounts of work
for a huge number of UBC members.
More than 400 carpenters and 200
millwrights from across the U.S. and
Canada are working to upgrade the
Grand Gulf Nuclear Station in the SW
Mississippi town of Port Gibson.
As the state’s first and still only such
plant, this job—the largest such upgrade
in U.S. history—will make 27-year-old
Grand Gulf the biggest single-unit nuclear power plant in the country and fifth
largest in the world.
So far, the 11-state Southern States
Millwright Regional Council has dispatched Millwrights from 28 states, with
some in their 20s and 3 members in their
70s. Carpenters hail from 15 states, represented by the Mid-South Regional Council of Carpenters (MSRCC), led by Local
318 in Birmingham, Ala.
A
Leadership Training Leads the Way
One strategy that helped win the
12
work was custom foreman training
promised to Entergy Nuclear, no stranger
to UBC crews, by the team of General
President Douglas McCarron, Southern
District Vice President Danny Maples,
and MSRCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer James Kerley. Two classes of Grand
Gulf foremen trained in late 2011 for the
project’s February 2012 start.
“This training has more than paid
off,” Kerley said. “We are now providing
the leadership and productivity to give
our foremen the tools to be successful.
Both productivity and safety reports show
the value of skilled foremen.”
“Being able to man the project was
also a big reason in getting this job,”
added Maples. “We made promises about
the quality of our members, and the
membership kept those promises by
being able to work productively, safely,
and with the skills to keep the job on time
and on schedule.”
By the time Grand Gulf comes back
on line in the summer of 2012, UBC
members will have logged about 300,000
hours of work. Grand indeed.
TWIC CARD CAN SECURE UNION WORK
hile the UBC is holding
steady in supplying
hundreds of skilled millwrights
and carpenters to the Motiva
refinery job, individuals considering applying for work there
are urged to prepare now.
As at a growing number of
critical infrastructure plants,
millwrights must have a current
Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) in
order to work at Motiva. The
TWIC process takes up to 12
weeks—meaning that crucial
union man-hours could be lost
if millwrights wait until getting
called to Port Arthur before
starting the TWIC process.
Mike Hines, a business
representative for the Southern
States Millwrights Regional
Council, said their members
started preparing four years
ago to get credentials in order
for the Motiva job.
“In Local 2232, most of our
800 members have the TWIC,
W
Anyone who has an interest
in working the
petrochemical industry
should get their TWIC card
UBC Vice President Doug Banes
ity employees, longshore
workers, truck drivers, and
construction workers.
Wikipedia explains that
“to obtain a TWIC, an individual
must provide biographic and
biometric information such as
fingerprints, sit for a digital
photograph and successfully
pass a security threat assessbut millwrights from other
ment conducted by TSA.”
areas aren’t applying until
“Motiva would like everyone
they’re assigned—and it can
to have a TWIC card,” said
take up 12 weeks to get the
Shane Ferguson, labor coordinacredential,” Hines said.
tor for Universal Plant Services,
The TWIC web site provides a union contractor working the
excellent information and
Motiva job. “If I put out a call for
instructions. Those required to manpower, it could take up to
have a TWIC include port facil- two weeks (if UBC Millwrights
don’t have a TWIC card).”
“Anyone who has an
interest in working the petrochemical industry should get
their TWIC card,” said UBC
Vice President Doug Banes.
“We capture work in these
non-union areas because we
are able to provide skilled
manpower when needed. The
members have to keep their
end of the bargain and be ready
when called, and that includes
having this credential.”
MORE ON THE WEB:
Go to the TWIC web site at
www.tsa.gov/twic
or call 1-866-DHS-TWIC.
CARPENTER 2012
13
Canada’s Construction Boom:
Americans Wanted
Demand for Skilled Labor is Huge—
and the UBC Needs U.S. Members to Seize the Opportunity
anada is starting a 10-year energy
boom with huge projects from coast
to coast. It’s not just Alberta’s oil sands
anymore, it’s the entire country. And it’s
creating a critical shortage of union labor.
The massive construction work means
tens of thousands of jobs for scaffolding,
concrete, millwrights, and general carpentry.
Our work. OUR jobs.
Those jobs will go to our Brotherhood,
but only if we have members there to fill
them. The demand is already more than
Canada alone can fill, and the boom is
drawing workers away from “everyday”
projects, too.
If UBC members don’t fill these jobs,
they’ll go to non-union workers. Canadian
contractors are already importing workers
from Asia, the Pacific, and Europe.
©iStockphoto.com/IP Galanternik D.U.
CONSTRUCTION CANADA
2012-2022
SKILLED LABOR SHORTAGE
•
•
•
•
Need for more skilled labor than UBC Canada can offer
Boom creates labor shortage for non-energy work, too
U.S. members can fill need, or jobs will go non-union
Up to 10,000 U.S. UBC members needed in next decade
HIGH DEMAND FOR UBC SKILLS
• Carpenters—especially concrete and scaffolding
• Millwrights—power generation, industrial, production
TYPES OF WORK
•
•
•
•
•
•
Large-scale/industrial and many common projects
New construction and maintenance
Oil and mining: extraction/processing/refining facilities
Laboratories, offices, repair shops, and living quarters
Dams, roads, bridges, and highways
Power generation, conveyors, and rotating machinery
IT’S ALL ON THE WEB
hese magazine pages are just a short
overview of Canada’s opportunities
and how you can get there. Full details,
tools, and links are in the “Work in
Canada” section of carpenters.org.
T
14
Start on your passport and FBI check
now, before you decide about going
While you explore working in Canada, go
ahead and line up your passport and FBI
background check anyway. If you decide to
go, you’ll be way ahead. Links and details
are at Carpenters.org.
WAGES, BENEFITS,
HOURS, & MEMBERSHIP
• Wages and benefits are per regional contracts.
Example: Early in 2012, Alberta Carpenter Scaffolders
earned $42.17/hour (US).
• Benefit contributions flow back to your U.S. accounts.
• You remain a member of your U.S. local.
• Jobs are full time; hours and days on/off vary by project.
MININUM
REQUIREMENTS
To start, you must be a journeyman
in good standing (no charges or
unpaid dues).
There are four core requirements.
Remember, the online toolbox helps
you get what you need:
1. Current U.S. passport
2. FBI background check;
no DUI/drug record
3. OSHA-10 or OSHA-30 course
(passed)
4. Can pass a drug test
The passport and FBI check can
take up to 6 weeks. Start early!
©iStockphoto.com/Dan Barnes
C
With construction still lagging in the U.S.,
the Brotherhood is encouraging American
members to consider if working in Canada
makes sense for you.
Maybe it’s slow work in your area, or
maybe you just want a little adventure while
you’re racking up the hours.
Whatever your situation, the best reason
is solid UBC work with good UBC wages—
and keeping that work solid for the UBC.
WORK: WHAT AND WHERE
Yukon
Alberta
British
Columbia
Hydroelectric Oil Sands
Millwrights Scaffolding
Carpenters
Nunavut
Millwrights
CONSIDER
CANADA
Whitehorse
Northwest Territories
WHILE
WORK
IS SLOW
Saskatchewan Manitoba
Ontario
Atlantic
Canada
Potash Mining Hydroelectric Infrastructure Offshore Drilling
Concrete
Concrete
Concrete
Scaffolding
Industrial
Heavy/Hwy. General
Carpenters
Millwrights
Yellowknife
Muskrat Falls
Kitimat
Labrador City
British Columbia
Oilsands Discovery Centre
Alberta
Mica Creek V0A
Wanetta Lake
Vancouver
Victoria
Keeyask Gull Rapids
Connawapa
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Québec
Calgary
Bethune S0G
Regina
Belle Plaine S0G
St John's
Long Harbour A0B
Hebron Project Office
Havre-Saint-Pierre G0G
Prince Edward Island
Eastmain River Complex
North Battleford
Edmonton
Colonsay S0K
Placemark 20
Colonsay
McCormack / Cory
Saskatoon
Newfoundland
and Labrador
Placemark 39
Sydney
Melford
Ontario
Jansen S0K
Esterhazy S0A
Rocanville S0A
Pointe du Bois R0E
Winnipeg
Fredericton
Quebec
Calais, ME
Halifax
Saint John
Saint-Justin J0K
Point Lepreau Rd
Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine
Montreal
Local Communautaire À Côté de Chez Nous
LTurcotte Interchange
New
Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Thunder Bay
Ottawa
TorontoPan Am Games
Transit Toronto
OPG
Windsor
Web site Toolbox: Details and Procedures
TO GO NORTH, GO ONLINE TO CARPENTERS.ORG
merica’s journeyman members will
have plenty of work opportunities in
Canada, right now and for years to come.
But you cannot just show up at a Canadian
job site or Council office and ask for work.
Your name must be on the “Work in
Canada Registration” list—an online hiring
hall. Once you meet the requirements and
complete the registration process, your
name will be available for dispatch.
It takes some time and effort to line up
everything you need—but in our trade,
we’re not afraid of a little hard work, right?
The registration tools—including information, online forms, and links that you
need—are all at Carpenters.org/WorkinCanada. The place to start is right on the
home page.
1. Go to www.Carpenters.org and click
Work in Canada.
A
2. Log in to the MEMBERS section (top
right). On your first visit, register for a
personal log-in.
3. Browse the “Work in Canada” pages for
details, links, requirements, and more.
How Registration Works
• The online registration is a private form,
linked to your personal member-section
log-in.
• The system uses your membership and
training records, plus your own entries.
• You can start and stop as needed until
you get your papers or finish training.
• When your entries are complete, your
business agent/council representative
will sign off.
• Once everything is complete and verified, your name goes on the hiring list.
Referral and Dispatch
• Registration makes your name available
to council representatives in Canada.
• Canadian Councils refer you to contractors, per your stated preferences for type
4. Complete the “Work in Canada Registraand location of work.
tion” to become eligible for work offers.
• The contractor will contact you to discuss the particulars of an available job.
• Once a job is formally offered, you will
arrange travel and housing through your
employer.
CARPENTER 2012
15
NEW SPORTS TECHNOLOGY
New electronic lure may catch too
many fish; one state bans it.
Blinks blood red to mimic
an injured prey.
A bass every seven
minutes in test.
NEWARK, DE– A new fishing
technology that set a record for catching
bass in Mexico is now
showing its stuff in the
U. S. It has out-fished
shrimp
bait
in
Washington State and
beat top-selling U. S.
lures three to one in
Florida. The new technology is so effective
by Mike Butler
one state, Wyoming, has
banned its use.
The breakthrough is a tiny, batterypowered electrical system that flashes a
blood-red light down a lure’s tail when
its moved in water. Fish think it’s an
injured prey and strike. Some fishing
authorities, like those in Wyoming, think
that gives fishermen too much of an
advantage.
They may be right. Three fishermen
using a flashing lure in Mexico caught
650 large-mouth bass in just 25 hours.
That’s a bass every seven minutes for
each person, and a record for the lake
they were fishing. They said the bass
struck with such ferocity they hardly
lost a strike.
In Florida two professionals fished for
four hours from the same boat. One used
a flashing-red lure; the other used some
top-selling U. S. lures. The new, “bleeding” lure caught three times as many
fish.
Blinks
Blinks
blood
blood red
red
U.S. and international patents
pending
New technology uses a blinking red light to create appearance of a live, bleeding
prey. Triggers a genetic strike response in fish.
Then I phoned an ichthyologist (fish
expert) for his opinion.
“Predators - lions, sharks,” he said,
“will always go for the most vulnerable prey. Fish are predators, so if a fish
sees a smaller fish bleeding, it knows
it’s weakened and will strike. There’s a
Works when others don’t
Three fishermen in Washington State
used a popular lure baited with shrimp
and caught nothing after fishing three
hours in cold wea ther. One of them tried
a flashing lure he was asked to test and
30 minutes later caught a thirty-pound
steelhead.
A Tournament fisherman on a lake in
Florida tried everything in his tackle box
and had no bites. He switched to a flashing lure and caught a bass on his first
cast, and had his limit in 45 minutes.
Before reporting this, I asked a veteran fisherman in my office for his opinion. Monday morning he charged into
my office yelling “I caught six monster
fish in an hour with this thing! Where
did you get it?”
16
New lure flashes blood red to attract
fish. Blinks a different presentation
each cast.
survival program built into predators
that says ‘Grab a meal when you can.
It may be a while before the next one.’
“If a lure could appear to be a live,
bleeding fish, a few fishermen could
probably empty a lake with it.”
I told him three almost did.
Different presentations
Because the technology reacts to move-
ment, every retrieval generates a different
kind of flash; so if a fish passes on your
first cast, it sees a new presentation on your
next one, and so on.
The technology is so new I could find
only one distributor in the U. S. that offers
a finished product. It’s called Bite Light®
and has several international patents pending. It comes in a kit of three.
There is a U.S. company that offers a
kit of three blinking lures (one each for
shallow, middle and deep water) called
the Bite Light® Each lure is a different
color. They work in fresh or salt water,
contain rattle attractants inside and last
300 hours in the water.
I suggest you cast one near some structure. If there’s a largemouth dozing there,
based on what I’ve seen and heard, it’s a
sure catch.
One kit of three Bite Lights® costs
$29.95, two or more kits cost $25.00 each.
Each kit has the same three models, but in
different colors: S/h is only $7.00 no matter
how many kits you buy.
To order, go to www.fishingtechto
day.com or call 1-800-873-4415 anytime or
day and ask for the Bite Light® lure (Item
# kbl). Or send your name, address and a
check to Scientific Edge LLC (Dept. BL554), 40 E. Main St., Suite 1416, Newark,
DE 19711
The company gives your money back, if
you don’t catch more fish and return your
purchase within 30-days.
BL-14
© Scientific Edge LLC 2012
Dept. BL-554
Corporate Affairs Department
Pension Fund Shares
Give us a Powerful Voice
he UBC’s Corporate Affairs (CA)
department has been at the forefront of union efforts to advance
the interests of workers by using our
voice as shareholders—owners—of
American corporations. The
Brotherhood was the first union to establish such a department.
UBC and other worker pension funds
invest in a diverse range of corporate stocks
and bonds, and those investments make us
significant owners of the largest corporations in our economy. As shareholders, we
have the right to raise issues and make proposals at annual shareholder meetings. Over
the years, we have established the UBC as a
responsible, important owner of stock and
as a powerful voice for members’ interests
and workers’ rights.
Through the CA department, UBC
funds embrace their duties as corporate
owners through an activist ownership
agenda for our pension funds, by closely
monitoring companies in our portfolios,
exercising stock voting rights in an
informed manner, and challenging corporate practices that directly impact UBC
members’ lives and retirement security.
“We have stood up and assumed our
rightful role as owners of capital, accepting
all the associated rights and responsibilities
T
CORPORATE AFFAIRS a New
Section on CARPENTERS.ORG
he new Corporate Affairs department is
linked under “Today’s UBC,” the first
navigation group on our website. Here are
just a few of the pages you’ll find there:
T
• President McCarron’s statement on
safeguarding members’ retirement security
• Top governance issues and our
Corporate Affairs department proposals
• Overview of UBC actions during the
2012 proxy (shareholder meeting) season
• UBC reports and papers on
corporate governance
• UBC shareholder action in the news
• List of corporations to which UBC
pension funds have submitted
shareholder proposals
which that status entails,” stated General
President Douglas McCarron.
FOCUS ON FISCAL HEALTH,
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Our focus is on the same issues that
concern many stockholders: fair executive pay, honest elections for boards of
directors, truly independent auditing. In
fact, UBC pension funds have been early
and effective leaders in raising these
issues and bringing attention to today’s
good-governance efforts:
■ Curb excessive executive compensation.
■ Establish more vigorous and challenging board-of-director elections by
successfully advancing a majority-vote
election standard.
■ Protect the integrity of financial reporting
and the auditing of corporate financial
performance.
■ Protect worker health and safety.
■ Limit the corrupting effect of corporate
money in politics.
BETTER INVESTMENTS,
LASTING RELATIONSHIPS
Over the last three decades, the CA
department has established UBC pension
funds as the nation’s most active corporate owner, using a variety of engagement
Most corporate affairs efforts are behind the
scenes or during the shareholder sessions,
but for Kohl’s, we also made a statement at
headquarters on the morning of the meeting.
methods that include informal dialogue,
submission of shareholder proposals, and
complex litigation.
An addition to improving the
performance of our investments and
increasing corporate concern for workers,
CA efforts have enabled corporations to
get to know the UBC as an intelligent and
reasonable force. This reputation can
serve us well if other issues arise with a
particular corporation.
As the nation’s economy continues to
struggle to generate decent jobs with fair
work and living standards, the UBC will
intensify its work to establish workerowners as a compelling and powerful
force for responsible corporate ownership across the U.S. economy.
UBC TRANSFORMS BOARD ELECTIONS
Our Corporate Affairs team has done well with
Standard & Poor’s 500
“majority voting” for boards of directors. Here’s
Board of Director Elections
the issue:
Shareholders elect a board of directors, the top
Plurality
corporate authority. Of course, most board candidates
Voting
are hand-picked by insiders. Yet many “elections” have
100%
unopposed, one-for-one ballots—say, five people
seeking five seats—where all someone needs is one
Majority
vote to win a seat.
Voting
Since candidates don’t need many votes, they have no
0%
incentive to communicate in detail with voting shareholders.
2003
The UBC promotes “majority voting,” rules requiring
that even with an unopposed slate, every candidate has
to receive not a tiny plurality, but at least 50 percent of
Plurality
all proxy votes cast. That makes the board election a
Voting
real election—which forces candidates to offer fuller
18.3%
statements and detailed information and thus to be more
Majority
accountable to shareholders.
Voting
The chart shows the UBC’s success on the issue. In
81.7%
2003, none of the S&P 500 had majority voting for their
boards. Now 81.7 percent use it. Score one for the UBC.
2012
CARPENTER 2012
17
Politics
Senate Control Vital for Unions’ Future
Of the 33 U.S. Senate seats in play this year, 23 are held
by pro-Carpenter Democrats and Independents. If
we lose just six of those seats, we lose our last defense
against the radical conservatives who would slash not just
federal construction spending, but our basic union rights as well.
Here are snapshots of key Senate contests that UBC
activists will focus on in the coming campaign season.
Do your part to hold the UBC’s razor-thin margin of protection
in the U.S. Senate.
Join the fight and learn more at
CARPENTERS.ORG/POLITICS.
MAINE: Former Gov. Angus King,
Independent, is seen as likely to replace retiring moderate Republican
Olympia Snowe. He could be decisive in a closely divided Senate.
can Dean Heller. Berkley fought
proposals to ban PLAs on Department of Defense (DoD) projects.
Heller has a long anti-union record
and longtime endorsement by
union foe Associated Builders and
Contractors (ABC).
MASSACHUSETTS: Sen. Scott
Brown and Elizabeth Warren are
virtually tied—and complete opposites. Brown opposes—while
Warren supports—project labor
agreements (PLAs), Davis-Bacon
(D-B) prevailing-wage protections, and the Affordable Care Act
(ACA). Warren is a widely admired
fiscal watchdog and consumer
advocate—especially for financial
services and banking.
MONTANA: Rep. Denny Rehberg
will try to unseat Sen. Jon Tester,
a solid Carpenters supporter on
D-B prevailing wages, PLAs, and
the ACA, which enabled members’ children to get health care
coverage. Rehberg consistently
supports ABC positions. He voted
against DoD PLAs and D-B wage
protections.
NEVADA: Rep. Shelley Berkley will
likely (at press time) face Republi-
MISSOURI: Sen. Clair McCaskill
will face the winner of a bruis-
ing Republican primary. She is a
relentless advocate for her constituents and a strong supporter
of UBC positions.
FLORIDA: Sen. Bill Nelson faces
the winner of the Aug. 6 Republican primary—another tight, important race in a presidential swing
state. Nelson recently voted to
keep D-B prevailing wages on U.S.
aviation work. Republican frontrunner Rep. Connie Mack backed the
recent ban on DoD PLAs—which
passed by a vote of 211-209.
WISCONSIN: Rep. Tammy Baldwin will face the August 14 Republican primary winner. She
has been a strong pro-Carpenter
supporter, and voted against the
DoD PLA ban.
HAWAII: The winner of the August
16 Democratic primary will run
against State Rep. Linda Lingle,
who was just endorsed by the antiunion, anti-Carpenter ABC.
MICHIGAN: Sen. Debbie Stabenow
seeks a third term; the Republican
primary is August 7. Stabenow has
been a tireless supporter on many
issues that affect UBC families.
VIRGINIA: Former Gov. Tim Kaine
likely faces conservative George
Allen, formerly both a U.S. Senator
and Va. Governor. (Republican primary was after press time.)
BALLOT ISSUES: Michigan will decide on an anti-union right-to-work
bill titled “Protect Our Jobs.” A late
filing in Minnesota aims to put
right-to-work on the ballot there.
Participe en las elecciones del 2012
na serie de conservadores radicales están intentando asumir el
control total del Congreso. Por eso, las elecciones del 2012 serán
las más importantes para las familias obreras durante las últimas décadas. Analice los candidatos y los asuntos que se nos presentan como
carpinteros, y comuníquese con los directores políticos del Consejo
para ofrecerse como voluntario(a) para las personas que sí nos apoyan.
U
Member Action = Man-Hours
fter decades of debate and planning,
political action by the North Central
States Regional Council of Carpenters (NCSRCC) helped to win the day for a
new crossing of the St. Croix River and the
southeastern Minnesota-Wisconsin border.
The decades-old Stillwater Lift
Bridge was slated for replacement for
more than 20 years, but—even though
funding had long been set aside from
normal sources—the project was
blocked by the St. Croix’s designation as
a National Wild and Scenic River.
This spring, a persistent campaign by
NCSRCC members and staff helped win
an exemption to that protected status, allowing the project to proceed. In addition
to mail and phone calls, members joined
area mayors, business owners, and state officials in traveling to Washington, D.C. for
in-person lobbying.
Key support came from Sen. Amy
A
18
Klobuchar (D-Minn.), with help from
Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) and
Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wisc.), who wrote
UBC General President Douglas McCarron to thank the UBC for its members’ support (right).
“This is a clear example of concerted political action by the members
leading to more work for the members,” said John Raines, NCSRCC
Executive Secretary-Treasurer.
“Their effort sent a strong message.”
Stillwater is less than 30 miles
from the Twin Cities, and the new
bridge will support further development on both sides of the state
border. The project is valued at
$630 million, with more than
$200 million for labor, including
several hundred pile drivers and
carpenters. Construction is set
to begin in the fall of 2013.
Members in Office
cores of UBC members hold elected
office, from school boards all the
way to Congress. Here are capsule versions of just a few of the latest profiles
we post in the Carpenters.org/politics.
S
West Virginia Senator
Orphy Klempa
rphy Klempa first learned the value of
unions as a child watching his father
tend bar at the family’s tavern in Ohio. On
Fridays, workers
from area mills
and factories
would pack the
place and cash
their paychecks,
amazing the
young man.
“All of these
guys were cashing big checks,” Klempa recalled. “I asked
how they were making such money, and my
dad said, ‘It’s because they belong to a
union.’”
Klempa remembered that lesson when it
was time for him to go out into the world.
“I’ve been fortunate that every job I’ve
had, except
delivering papers, has been
union,” said
Klempa, who
worked at a
toy factory, a
glass factory,
and underground in a coal mine—all union
jobs—before joining the United Brotherhood of Carpenters in 1974.
Today Klempa is found on the West
Virginia side of the Ohio River, serving as a
Democratic member of the state Senate and
working as a representative for the UBC’s
Mid-Atlantic Regional Council. He regularly
promotes unions to his legislative colleagues
and his constituents in the state’s northern
panhandle.
“You’re talking to a guy who has worked
union his whole life, and I’d be nowhere
near where I am today if it weren’t for the
union,” said Klempa, a member of Local 3
in Wheeling.
New Jersey Assemblyman
Troy Singleton
O
orking families are the foundation for
the career of New Jersey State Assemblyman Troy Singleton, a member of Eastern Millwright Regional Council Local 715
and president of the New Jersey CarpenterContractor Trust, a labor-management partnership that promotes union construction.
Singleton learned the lessons of living
and working union from his father, Elijah
Singleton Jr., a 37-year Teamster.
“I learned the
value and benefits of
organized labor
from my dad,” said
Singleton. “His involvement in the
union gave us a
middle-class life that
valued an honest
day’s pay for an honest day’s effort.
Those values shape
my life in office and
as a citizen.”
“His example—
of never looking for
a shortcut because it
takes hard work to succeed—motivates me
every day of my life,” Singleton said.
While committed to the union cause,
Singleton’s work for New Jersey taxpayers
also has led him to legislative, government
affairs, political, and policy posts. He takes
special pride in a key role in enacting one of
the strongest state reforms of misclassification and employer payroll fraud in the construction industry.
Singleton noted that “my dad was
right—there are no shortcuts. But serving
people that you care about is not a bad way
to spend the day… or the rest of your life.”
W
Oregon Representative
Paul Holvey
or Paul Holvey, carpenter and politican
are jobs that fundamentally complement
each other. Holvey, 58, is a four-term member of the Oregon House of Representatives,
a 20-year member of Local 156, and current
business representative of the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters.
The popular Democrat is co-chair of the
general government and consumer protection and rules committees, and serves on the
work force development and sustainability
and economic development committees.
His work often directly impacts worker
rights and leads to the protection of or
increase in the quality of life for those who
work hard for a living.
“I draw from my UBC skills every day,”
Holvey said. “Being trained to think strategically and negotiate on behalf of the Regional
Council has helped me to always seek the
pathway to improvement in the standard of
living for workers. I continue to do that in
the legislature.”
In 2009, Holvey’s passion for worker advocacy led him to sponsor a bill that created
Oregon’s Interagency Compliance Network,
allowing state agencies to pool resources and
jointly fight employer payroll fraud. He is
now leading a legislative working group to
study how best to improve public contracting methods.
“I saw politics as a way to help the union
cause, so I gave it a shot and got elected,” he
said. “It’s about making sure your voices are
heard and your interests are protected.”
F
ON CARPENTERS.ORG
ON CARPENTERS.ORG
ON CARPENTERS.ORG
The full story, more pictures,
and other members in office.
More on Paul Holvey and his
2012 re-election campaign.
The full profile, more pictures, and
links to Troy Singleton’s online sites.
CARPENTER 2012
19
Sisters in the Brotherhood… Website
he Sisters in the
Brotherhood
(SIB) program
can now be found at a
new location on the
web, in “Today’s
UBC,” the
first naviga-
T
tion section on our Carpenters.org website.
Like all of the Brotherhood’s web and
online presence, the SIB pages will expand
and evolve in the coming months and years.
To start, there is an overview of the SIB network, some history of women in our varied
trade, and information for and about our
many female members.
A central goal in the development of the
SIB web section is
to provide access to
resources that both
individual Sisters as
well as council and
local SIB committees can use to become
better and stronger as professionals in the
trade and active members in the UBC. One
of the new pages provides a directory of
area-specific SIB committees. If you’re a
member looking for Sisters in the Brotherhood in your council or local, check it out.
“Our union’s strength lies in the unity
and the action of all members. For Sisters in
the Brotherhood, the new
web connection will be
one more tool to build
that solidarity and
power,” said UBC
General President
Douglas McCarron.
GO TO
CARPENTERS.ORG,
and, truly a part of Today’s
UBC, you’ll find Sisters in
the Brotherhood.
SW Council’s Focused
Outreach to Women
he UBC Sisterhood is
filled with determined
leaders. Elected, on staff,
or working with the tools,
women inspire and teach the
next generation, day after day.
One such leader is in the
Southwest Regional Council of
Carpenters (SWRCC). Bobbie
Whitmore is the Women’s Program Coordinator, a post created more than 10 years ago to
support current female members and recruit new ones.
“We know it is important to
provide support to all of our
members, including our
women members,” said Mike
McCarron, SWRCC Executive
Secretary-Treasurer. “When the
economy finally starts to turn
around, the forecast is for a
shortage of skilled construction
workers—and we know that
women are capable of helping
to meet that need.”
T
20
For the 65,000-member
Southwest Council, Whitmore
is a key to bringing women to
carpentry careers.
“It’s my passion and my
goal,” Whitmore said. “I’m always trying to share with other
women what this union and
this industry have given me.”
Whitmore came to Las
Vegas Local 1780 in the late
1970s as a new apprentice and a
single mother of six. Twenty
years with the tools led to work
as a part-time instructor, then as
a full-time field coordinator,
helping apprentices learn the
ropes—and going the extra mile
to reach women and girls. That
focus soon became a full-time
job--for the entire Council.
Day to day, that means
reaching out to women and
girls to stoke interest in construction, at job fairs, picnics,
career days, prisons, scout pro-
Bobbie Whitmore, left, and some of her SWRCC sisters.
grams, schools, and camps.
Whitmore knows that construction is not for everyone, of
either gender. But, she said, “We
need a larger pool of women to
start with. If we lose just one, it’s
a tremendous loss because the
numbers already are too low.
Until the rate of female participation in the UBC is at least 20
percent, we’ve got work to do.”
For her, it’s not a lofty goal.
“I can see that 20 percent,” she
said fervently.
A major Southwest recruiting campaign has played on
the tradition of fathers and
uncles bringing in sons and
nephews. Under Whitmore’s
leadership and with full-out
Council backing, many longtime members have worked to
recruit their daughters and
nieces to the trade.
As one who “had to ride in
the back of the bus with my
grandmother,” Whitmore insisted the slow pace of change
for women doesn’t frustrate her.
“It’s the reality of culture
and tradition,” Whitmore said.
“We’ve been raised to think
men and women do different
jobs, but change is always occurring. If we talk about it and encourage it, change will come.”
Driving Home the Point
iring goals can open doors,
but workers have to deliver
quality work to seize the
opportunity. Our cover photo is a
case in point.
In a Project Labor Agreement
(PLA) with the New England Regional Council of Carpenters
(NERCC) for a $700 million, 10year project at the University of
Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick
set strict hiring goals: 50 percent
Mass. residents, 25 percent people
of color, and 10 percent women.
Sonya Codero is a first-year apprentice for NERCC pile drivers
Local 56. She worked for several
contractors, earning excellent feedback as a hard worker, good communicator, and fast learner. Now on
the UMass job, her presence fits
with Gov. Patrick’s hiring goals—
and the UBC’s high standard of
fielding skilled, productive workers.
On a runway extension at Boston Logan International Airport,
The UMass assignment came
pile drivers Local 56 foreman Joe Favaloro, left, assists pile
via the NERCC Women’s Commitdriver apprentice Sonya Codero in attaching spreaders to
tee. Members began getting to know
the crane hook.
Las mujeres de UBC con
la frente muy en alto
as mujeres de UBC están muy
bien representadas en una nueva
sección de Carpenters.org, desarrollada en coordinación con el comité
directivo de Hermanas en la Hermandad (en inglés, Sisters in the
Brotherhood —SIB). Hay comités de
la SIB en muchos consejos y locales.
Averigüe sobre el suyo, o bien, ¡podría iniciar el establecimiento de uno
nuevo! Diríjase a “Today’s UBC” en
la página carpenters.org para aprender más al respecto y obtener la información de contacto respectiva.
L
©2011 WD-40 Company
Ellen Webber
H
Codero at meetings and then
started hearing about her work
ethic. Committee leaders recommended Codero for the UMass job,
where she is successfully living up to
the reputation that UBC professionals—male or female—are known
for every day.
CARPENTER 2012
21
Canada
H.O.P.E. – Local Union 2220
oing the right thing isn’t always
easy. Just ask the president of
Ontario’s brand new Local
Union 2220, Paula Randazzo. After years
of hard work organizing health care
workers in seniors’ residences, Paula suddenly found herself in a dilemma. The
Labourers seemed to put its pension
fund investments ahead of the needs of
its members. Then she was ordered, not
once but twice, to back off pursuing
member grievances against an employer,
Chartwell, in which the Labourers’ pension fund has an investment. In fact, the
Labourers insisted that she justify herself
to senior Chartwell’s senior management
as to why she persisted in proceeding
with grievance arbitrations.
Randazzo described the moment. “A lot
goes through your head—the hard-working
women I represent, my mortgage payments,
the years I spent building up the local from
scratch. It just seemed overwhelming, and the
options I could see were not very appealing. I
couldn’t stomach continuing under those
conditions but I also didn’t see how my resignation would help workers in seniors’ residences—most of whom are women—get the
better wages and working conditions they deserve. And I needed the job.”
Fortunately, a better option appeared.
Randazzo approached contacts she knew
at the Carpenters District Council of Ontario (CDCO) looking for advice. How
do you offer workers better service and
protection, uphold union principles, and
maintain personal integrity? The solution
was to offer H.O.P.E.
The Carpenters Union responded by
chartering a new local union for health care
workers, Local Union 2220 or, as it is referred to, H.O.P.E. (Healthcare Office and
Professional Employees).
Ucal Powell, Executive Secretary Treasurer of the CDCO, summed up the situation simply. “It’s definitely a gamble. Hiring
staff and conducting organizing drives have
D
22
I was driving some of the women to the polling station
for the vote, and they had to pass through a gauntlet...
Their minds were made up,
and nothing was going to change them.
It was great to see.
©eyeidea/Shutterstock.com
upfront costs that can only be repaid in the
long run and only if you are successful. But
I was impressed by Paula, her team, their
commitment to the workers they represented, and their determination to deliver
for them. It made it easier for me to make
the right decision for workers.”
And offering H.O.P.E. has been the right
decision from a worker’s point of view.
Over 1,200 and counting have become
members of Local Union 2220.
But even the right decision for the right
reasons is not without consequences.
“So far this morning I have had 34
crank calls and it’s only 10:00. I have been
attacked on the Internet, flyers with false allegations are distributed on work sites, and
letters denouncing me have been sent to all
the workers I once represented,” explained
Randazzo. “It can be a bit worrisome to me
and the team—Kim Boyle, Diane Taylor,
and Kim Leblanc—but we try very hard not
to let it distract us.”
New members have not let the intimidation tactics stop them from showing
up to vote for a union that put their interests first. Veteran construction representative, Paul Daly, who has been assisting on the organizing drives, has been
impressed by the determination and conviction shown by the new members.
“I was driving some of the women to the
polling station for the vote, and they had
to pass through a gauntlet of over 40 reps
from the Labourers’ Union. Their minds
were made up, and nothing was going to
change them. It was great to see.”
New member reaction has been strong
and vocal: “LIUNA is just a name but the
strong honest and committed leaders that
we have trusted and believed in for nine
years have never let us down” and “I’m especially looking forward to the Stewards’
Training and support that HOPE and the
UBCJA can offer me and my co-workers.”
The organizing drives continue, and
more and more workers are choosing the
exit to HOPE!
H.O.P.E. – la Section locale 2220
e n’est pas toujours facile de faire la
bonne chose. Paula Randazzo, la
présidente de la toute nouvelle
Section locale 2220, est bien placée pour le
savoir. Après s’être appliquée pendant des
années à organiser des travailleurs de la
santé mal rémunérés dans des résidences
pour personnes âgées, Paula s’est retrouvée
devant un dilemme. Le Laborers’ Union
semblait accorder plus d’importance aux
placements du fonds de pension qu’aux
besoins de ses membres. Puis, elle s’est fait
dire, pas seulement une fois, mais deux,
qu’elle devait cesser de s’occuper des griefs
de membres contre un employeur,
Chartwell, dans lequel le syndicat a placé
une partie du fonds de pension. En fait, le
syndicat a insisté pour qu’elle se justifie
auprès de la haute direction de Chartwell et
qu’elle explique pourquoi elle persiste à
entamer des procédures de règlement des
griefs par voie d’arbitrage.
Paula Randazzo décrit ainsi le moment :
« Des tas de choses vous passent par la tête –
les travailleuses que je représente, mes
paiements hypothécaires, les années que
j’ai passées à bâtir le syndicat à partir de
zéro. Je me sentais accablée et les options
que je pouvais envisager n’étaient pas très
attrayantes. Je ne pouvais pas supporter de
continuer à travailler dans ces conditions,
mais en même temps, je ne voyais pas en
quoi ma démission allait aider les travailleurs dans les résidences pour personnes
âgées – la plupart d’entre elles étant des
femmes – à obtenir les salaires et conditions
de travail meilleurs qu’ils méritent. Et j’avais
besoin de ce travail. »
Heureusement, une option plus intéressante s’est présentée. Paula s’est
adressée à des personnes qu’elle connaissait au Carpenters District Council of
Ontario (CDCO) pour obtenir des conseils. Comment offrir aux travailleurs des
services et une protection meilleurs, appuyer les principes du syndicat tout en
maintenant son intégrité personnelle?
La solution consistait à offrir H.O.P.E.
Le syndicat des charpentiers a répondu
en créant un nouveau syndicat à charte
pour les travailleurs de la santé, la Section
locale 2220 ou, comme on l’appelle aussi,
H.O.P.E. (Healthcare Office and Professional Employees).
Ucal Powell, secrétaire-trésorier
exécutif du CDCO, résume la situation :
« C’est un peu comme jouer à la roulette.
C
J’ai amené certaines des femmes en
voiture jusqu’au bureau de vote,
et elles ont dû passer à travers un groupe de
plus de 40 représentants du Laborer’s Union.
Elles étaient déterminées
et rien n’allait les arrêter.
son aide lors des campagnes de syndicaliLe recrutement de personnel et
sation et il a été impressionné par la déterl’organisation de campagnes de
mination et la conviction manifestées par
syndicalisation sont assortis de coûts
les nouveaux membres. « J’ai amené cerinitiaux, et ce n’est qu’à la longue que
l’on rentre dans ses frais, si on a la chance taines des femmes en voiture jusqu’au bude réussir. Toutefois, j’ai été impressionné reau de vote, et elles ont dû passer à travers un groupe de plus de 40 représentants
par Paula Randazzo et son équipe, leur
du Laborer’s Union. Elles étaient déterengagement à l’égard des membres et
minées et rien n’allait les arrêter. »
leur détermination à les défendre. Cela a
La réaction des nouveaux membres a
été plus facile pour moi de prendre la
été éloquente : « Le Liuna n’est qu’un nom,
bonne décision pour les travailleurs. »
mais les dirigeants honnêtes et dévoués en
Il ne fait aucun doute qu’offrir
H.O.P.E. a été la bonne décision du point qui nous croyons depuis 9 ans ne nous ont
jamais laissés tomber » et « Je me réjouis
de vue des travailleurs. Pour le moment,
tout spécialement à l’idée de la formation
plus de 1 200 personnes ont adhéré à la
des délégués syndicaux et du soutien que
Section locale 2220.
H.O.P.E. et la FUCMA peuvent offrir à mes
Or, même une bonne décision prise
pour de bonnes raisons a des conséquences. collègues et à moi-même. »
Les campagnes de syndicalisation
« Jusqu’à présent, j’ai reçu 34 appels
se poursuivent, et de plus en plus de
malveillants ce matin, et il n’est que 10
travailleurs optent pour H.O.P.E.
heures. J’ai subi des attaques sur Internet,
des prospectus contenant de
fausses allégations ont été
distribués sur des lieux de
travail et des lettres me
dénonçant ont été envoyées
à tous les travailleurs que
j’ai représentés par le passé,
explique Paula. Cela peut
être un peu inquiétant pour
moi et pour l’équipe – Kim
Boyle, Diane Taylor et Kim
Leblanc –, mais nous essayons très fort de ne pas
nous laisser distraire. »
Les nouveaux
membres n’ont pas été intimidés par les tactiques
employées pour les empêcher de se présenter à un
vote pour un syndicat qui
fait passer leurs intérêts en UBC Local 2220’s first stewards training class. Organizer
Paula Randazzo is at bottom right, in green.
premier. Paul Daly, ancien Premier cours de formation pour les délégués syndicaux de la
représentant du secteur de Section 2220 de la FUCMA. L’organisatrice Paula Randazzo
la construction, a apporté est en bas, à droite, en vert.
CARPENTER 2012
23
Union Member Rights and Officer
Responsibilities Under the LMRDA
The Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) guarantees certain rights to union members and imposes certain
responsibilities on union officers. The Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) enforces many LMRDA provisions while
other provisions, such as the bill of rights, may only be enforced by union members through private suit in federal court.
Union Member Rights
Bill of Rights - Union members have
• equal rights to participate in union activities
• freedom of speech and assembly
• voice in setting rates of dues, fees, and assessments
• protection of the right to sue
• safeguards against improper discipline
Copies of Collective Bargaining Agreements - Union members
and nonunion employees have the right to receive or inspect
copies of collective bargaining agreements.
Reports - Unions are required to file an initial information report (Form LM-1), copies of constitutions and bylaws, and an
annual financial report (Forms LM-2/3/4) with OLMS. Unions
must make the reports available to members and permit members to examine supporting records for just cause. The reports
are public information and copies are available from OLMS.
Officer Elections - Union members have the right to
• nominate candidates for office
• run for office
• cast a secret ballot
• protest the conduct of an election
Officer Removal - Local union members have the right to an adequate procedure for the removal of an elected officer guilty of
serious misconduct.
Trusteeships - Unions may only be placed in trusteeship by a
parent body for the reasons specified in the LMRDA.
Prohibition Against Certain Discipline - A union or any of its officials may not fine, expel, or otherwise discipline a member for
exercising any LMRDA right.
Prohibition Against Violence - No one may use or threaten to use
force or violence to interfere with a union member in the exercise of LMRDA rights.
Union Officer Responsibilities
Financial Safeguards - Union officers have a duty to manage the
funds and property of the union solely for the benefit of the
union and its members in accordance with the union’s constitution and bylaws. Union officers or employees who embezzle
or steal union funds or other assets commit a federal crime
punishable by a fine or imprisonment.
Bonding - Union officers or employees who handle union funds
or property must be bonded to provide protection against
losses if their union has property and annual financial receipts
that exceed $5,000.
Labor Organization Reports - Union officers must
• file an initial information report (Form LM-1) and annual financial reports (Forms LM-2/3/4) with OLMS
• retain the records necessary to verify the reports for at least
five years
Officer Reports - Union officers and employees must file reports
concerning any loans and benefits received from, or certain financial interests in, employers whose employees their unions
represent and businesses that deal with their unions.
Officer Elections - Unions must
• hold elections of officers of local unions by secret ballot at
least every three years
• conduct regular elections in accordance with their constitution and bylaws and preserve all records for one year
• mail a notice of election to every member at least 15 days
prior to the election
• comply with a candidate’s request to distribute campaign material
• not use union funds or resources to promote any candidate
(nor may employer funds or resources be used)
• permit candidates to have election observers
• allow candidates to inspect the union’s membership list once
within 30 days prior to the election
Restrictions on Holding Office - A person convicted of certain
crimes may not serve as a union officer, employee, or other representative of a union for up to 13 years.
Loans - A union may not have outstanding loans to any one officer or employee that in total exceed $2,000 at any time.
Fines - A union may not pay the fine of any officer or employee
convicted of any willful violation of the LMRDA.
The above is only a summary of the LMRDA. Full text of the act, which comprises Sections 401–531 of Title 29 of the U.S. Code,
may be found in many public libraries, or by writing the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards,
200 Constitution Ave., NW, Room N-5616, Washington, D.C. 20210, or on the Internet at www.dol.gov.
24
Procedures for Objecting Nonmembers to File with the Union Objections to
The Expenditure of Dues for Purposes Not Germane to Collective Bargaining
nion membership is an asset of great value to working
U
people. Union membership alone provides workers with
a measure of control over their wages, hours, benefits, and
working conditions.
Under Section 8(a)(3) of the National Labor Relations Act,
29 U.S.C. 158(a)(3), employers and unions have the right (except
in so-called right-to-work states) to enter into agreements requiring that workers, as a condition of employment, join and maintain their membership in the union.
This law and policy is consistent with the democratic principle of majority rule, and it ensures that everyone who benefits
from union representation shares in the cost of providing that
benefit. Consistent with this principle and the law, many collective
bargaining agreements between employers and UBC Local
Unions and Councils (“affiliates”) of the United Brotherhood of
Carpenters and Joiners of America (“UBC”) require as a condition of employment that workers enjoying the benefits of these
agreements join the union and remain members in good standing.
Over the years, however, the National Labor Relations Board
and the courts have, to some degree, undermined union security
by holding that these clauses can be enforced against workers who
refuse to join the union or resign from it only to the extent of requiring “financial core” membership, that is, the payment of union
initiation fees and periodic dues. Workers cannot lawfully be required to actually join a union as a condition of employment. But,
again, they can be required to pay the union an amount equal to
the dues and fees uniformly required of union members.
These rulings clearly contradict the plain language of the
statute, which specifically states that an employer can lawfully
make an agreement with a union “to require as a condition of employment membership” in the union. Nevertheless, unless and
until these legal interpretations are changed, the UBC will follow
the prevailing law and enforce union security provisions in a manner consistent with the statute and applicable court decisions.
Recently, backward-looking court decisions have further
narrowed workers’ union security rights, holding that “financial
core” nonmembers can file with the union an objection to paying
for union activities that are not “germane” to collective bargaining in order to obtain a rebate of that portion of their dues, which
is determined to have been expended for nongermane purposes.
Like most unions, the UBC spends a great amount of its
funds on activities that even the courts agree are directly related to
SECTION 1: Workers who are covered by a
union security agreement, who meet their
union security obligation by paying all dues
and fees but who choose or who have chosen
not to become members of the union, or
who have resigned from the union (hereafter
“nonmembers”), may file objections to expenditures of dues for activities not germane
to collective bargaining. Such workers filing
objections in accordance with procedures set
forth herein shall be entitled to receive an appropriate reduction of their dues or fees.
SECTION 2: Nonmembers who wish to file
an objection shall do so annually by notifying in writing the general secretary-treasurer
of the UBC at 101 Constitution Avenue,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001, of their objections. For those who have previously filed,
the annual notice of objection must be received at the above address between April 1
and April 30 of the current year. The objection must include the objector’s social security number, a statement of the nature of the
objection, and the objector’s current home
address, and it must identify the objector’s
UBC affiliate. Provided, however, that the
UBC will honor nonmember employees’ express, written statement to the UBC that they
object on a continuing basis to supporting
union activities not related to collective bargaining and contract administration. The
nonmember objector is obligated to inform
the general secretary-treasurer of any change
in address. Upon receipt of a proper objec-
collective bargaining. In addition, the UBC expends some funds
for other activities, including organizing, legislative activity, publications, etc. All of these activities help to strengthen our union and
thereby create a more favorable position for labor in the collective
bargaining process. In that sense, every one of these activities advances our union’s fundamental mission—workers joining together to better their lives. However, backward-looking court
decisions have taken an extremely narrow view of the role of the
trade union movement, ruling that certain such activities are not
“germane” to the labor organization’s function as the legally recognized representative of workers in collective bargaining.
“Financial core” membership carries with it very high costs
—the loss of all of the benefits, rights, and privileges that workers
would otherwise be entitled to as union members. These include
(1) the right to receive union funeral benefits; (2) the right to vote
on whether a strike will be called against their employer; (3) the
right to vote on the rate of dues they are required to pay; (4) the
right to vote on the ratification of collective bargaining agreements that determine their wages, hours, and working conditions; (5) the right to vote in the election of the union officers and
stewards who represent them; (6) the right to attend, speak, and
vote at union meetings, where union policies that directly affect
their jobs are determined; and (7) the right to a transfer card, so
that they are not required to pay a new initiation fee if they go to
work in a different collective bargaining unit, which frequently
happens when a worker changes jobs.
In short, these nonmember workers lose very important
rights, benefits, and privileges, including the right to meaningful
involvement in setting the terms and conditions of their employment—a voice and a vote in union governance—thereby allowing others to unilaterally make decisions affecting them, their
families, and their livelihoods.
It is illegal for an employer to compensate a nonmember
worker in any way for the loss of these valuable union rights and
benefits. As for the union, it is required by law to represent nonmembers in the same way that it represents members. While the
union will meet this requirement of law, it will not do anything
for nonmembers that is not absolutely required by law.
Objecting nonmembers who choose to file with the union
objections to the expenditure of dues for purposes not germane to
collective bargaining must comply with the following procedures:
tion as described above, the UBC shall send
the objector a letter of acknowledgment and
notify the objector’s UBC affiliate that an objection has been filed. Those individuals who,
for the first time, regardless of when it occurs
during the year, choose to resign their union
membership, or who refuse to join the union
and who wish to file an objection, must send
their objection to the general secretary-treasurer no later than 30 days from the date of
their resignation or refusal, as otherwise
specified above.
SECTION 3: Nonmember objectors shall be
charged for all activities germane to collective bargaining, including all union expenditures for activities or projects normally or
reasonably undertaken by the union to advance the employment-related interests of
those it represents in collective bargaining.
Such nonmember objectors shall not be
charged for those expenditures that are not
germane to collective bargaining. The term
“germane” shall be given the most expansive
scope allowed by law.
SECTION 4: The general secretary-treasurer
shall review the UBC’s audited records and
determine the amounts of expenditures incurred in the prior fiscal year that are chargeable and nonchargeable to the objector, that
is, those that are germane to collective bargaining and those that are nongermane. The
general secretary-treasurer shall allocate
union expenses into major categories and
shall designate those expenses as either germane or nongermane. The objector’s UBC
affiliate shall be responsible for reviewing its
audited financial records to determine germane and nongermane expenses in general
accordance with the principles and procedures specified herein. These UBC affiliates
are independent of the UBC and are solely
responsible for complying with the procedure specified in this Notice as respects their
own expenditures and implementing reductions communicated to them by the UBC
and other affiliates. In this regard the UBC
bears no responsibility or liability for the actions or inactions of its affiliates.
SECTION 5: The UBC’s and the affiliate’s review described in Section 4 shall be completed no later than July 31 of the year
following the year in which the expenditures
were made. As soon thereafter as practicable,
a description of chargeable and nonchargeable expenditures shall be mailed to each
nonmember who has filed a timely and
proper objection under this procedure. The
appropriate UBC affiliate shall mail the nonmember objector and the general secretarytreasurer its description of chargeable and
nonchargeable expenditures.
SECTION 6: The amount to be paid by the
nonmember objector shall be calculated based
upon the percentage of chargeable and nonchargeable expenditures indicated in the review. The most current available audit report
shall be used by both the UBC and the UBC affiliate to determine the amount to be paid by
the nonmember objector. When more current
audit reports and reviews become available,
the amount to be paid by the objector shall be
adjusted accordingly. Any subsequent adjustment in favor of the objector will be sent to the
objector as soon as is practicable.
SECTION 7: Nonmembers filing a proper
and timely notice of objection pursuant to
Section 2 shall receive a dues reduction in the
amount calculated under Section 6 above
beginning within sixty (60) days of the receipt of their objection. They shall also receive a dues rebate in the percentage amount
of their dues reduction back to the date of
their objection.
SECTION 8: Nonmembers filing a proper
and timely notice of objection pursuant to
Section 2 herein may challenge the calculation of chargeable and nonchargeable expenditures by filing a challenge with the general
secretary-treasurer of the UBC, at the address
indicated above. Such challenge must be in
writing and must be sent to the UBC within
thirty (30) days from the date of mailing of
the description of chargeable and nonchargeable expenditures as set forth in Section 5. Failure to comply with this procedure
will render any purported challenge invalid.
SECTION 9: The arbitration procedure
which follows is not mandatory. Nonmembers may pursue their rights under all other
available legal procedures. Upon receipt of a
proper and timely challenge, the general secretary-treasurer shall refer same to the American Arbitration Association (AAA) for
determination under the AAA’s Rules for Impartial Determination of Union Fees. Challenges may be consolidated by the general
secretary-treasurer for determination by the
AAA as appropriate. The general secretarytreasurer shall have the authority to informally resolve challenges in the best interests
of the UBC. The arbitrator shall have jurisdiction over all procedural matters affecting
the arbitration. A court reporter shall make a
transcript of all proceedings before the arbitrator at the expense of the UBC. The transcript shall be the official record of the
proceeding and may be purchased by the
challenger or otherwise made available for
inspection as required by the arbitrator. Fees
and costs charged or associated with a party’s
representative shall be borne by that party.
SECTION 10: At the arbitration the union
shall have the burden of establishing that the
reduced dues amount being charged to objecting nonmembers is lawful. In determining the correct amount of the dues
reduction, the arbitrator shall give full consideration to the legal requirements limiting
the amount the objector may be charged and
shall set forth the legal and arithmetical basis
of such determination in the written decision. The order and decision of the arbitrator shall be final and binding on all parties.
SECTION 11: The UBC shall establish an escrow account containing the portion of dues
paid by nonmembers filing challenges pursuant to Section 8 herein which reasonably
may be in dispute in arbitration. Upon receipt of the arbitration award, the escrow
fund shall be distributed in accordance with
the arbitrator’s decision.
CARPENTER 2012
25
Derechos de los Miembros de la Unión y Responsabilidades de los
Oficiales Bajo la Ley de Notificación y Divulgación Obrero-Patronal
La Ley de Notificación y Divulgación Obrero-Patronal (LMRDA, por sus siglas en inglés) garantiza ciertos derechos a los miembros de las
uniones e impone ciertas responsabilidades sobre los oficiales sindicales. La Oficina de Normas Obrero-Patronales (OMLS) es responsable
por el cumplimiento de ciertas disposiciones de la Ley de Notificación y Divulgación Obrero-Patronal, y en cambio otras disposiciones, como
la carta de derechos, pueden solo hacerse valer por los miembros de la unión a través de demandas privadas en los juzgados federales.
Derechos de los Miembros de la Unión
La Carta de Derechos: Los miembros de la
unión tienen
• derechos equitativos de participación en
las actividades sindicales
• la libertad de expresión y asamblea
• decir en la determinación de cuotas y
valoraciones
• protección del derecho a demandar
• amparo en contra de disciplina impropia
ción a un reporte financiero anual (Formulario LM-2/3/4) con la Oficina de Normas
Obrero-Patronales. Las uniones deben hacer
que los reportes estén disponibles para los
miembros y permitir que ellos examinen los
documentos y registros de apoyo para causa
justa. Los reportes son información pública
y copias de los mismos están disponibles en
la Oficina de Normas Obrero-Patronales.
Acuerdos de Negociación Colectiva: Los
miembros de la unión y los empleados que
no son parte de la unión tienen el derecho a
recibir o inspeccionar copias de los acuerdos
de negociación colectiva.
Elecciones de los Oficiales: Los miembros
de la unión tienen el derecho a:
• nominar candidatos para los cargos
• postularse para un cargo
• votar en un voto secreto
• protestar sobre la conducta en una elección
Reportes: Se requiere que las uniones presenten un reporte inicial de información
(Formulario LM-1), copias de las constituciones y los reglamentos internos, en adi-
Retiro de Cargo de Oficiales: Los miembros
locales de la unión tienen el derecho a tener
un procedimiento adecuado para retirar del
cargo a un oficial elegido que sea culpable
de conducta impropia seria.
Fideicomiso: Las uniones únicamente
pueden ser puestas en un fideicomiso a
través de una organización de origen por las
razones que se especifican en la Ley de Notificación y Divulgación Obrero-Patronal.
Prohibición En Contra de Disciplina Cierta:
Ni una unión, ni ninguno de sus oficiales,
puede multar, expulsar o de otra forma disciplinar a un miembro por hacer valer cualesquiera de los derechos establecidos en la
Ley de Notificación y Divulgación ObreroPatronal.
Prohibición En Contra de la Violencia: Nadie
puede utilizar o amenazar con utilizar
fuerza o violencia para interferir con un
miembro de la unión cuando este hace
valer sus derechos bajo la Ley de Notificación y Divulgación Obrero-Patronal.
Responsabilidades de los Oficiales de la Unión
Protecciones Financieras: Los oficiales de la
unión tienen la obligación de manejar los
fondos y la propiedad de la unión
únicamente para el beneficio de la unión y de
sus miembros de acuerdo con la constitución
de la unión y con sus reglamentos internos.
Los oficiales de la unión o los empleados de la
unión que malversen o roben fondos
sindicales u otros bienes están cometiendo un
crimen federal que puede ser penado por una
multa y/o prisión.
Fianza: Los oficiales de la unión o los
empleados que manejan fondos o propiedad
de la unión deben tener una fianza para
proporcionar protección contra pérdidas si su
unión tiene propiedad o recibos financieros
anuales en exceso de $5,000 dólares.
Reportes de las Organizaciones Laborales:
Los oficiales de la unión deben
• presentar un reporte inicial de información
(Formulario LM-1) y reportes financieros
anuales (Formularios LM-2/3/4) ante la
Oficina de Normas Obrero-Patronales
• mantener los registros necesarios para
verificar los reportes por lo menos por
cinco años.
Reportes de los Oficiales: Los oficiales y los
empleados de la unión deben presentar
reportes que se relacionen con cualesquiera
préstamos y beneficios que se reciban de, o
que tengan cierto interés financiero en, los
empleadores cuyos empleados son
representados por sus uniones y las
empresas que tratan con sus uniones.
Las Elecciones de los Oficiales: Las uniones
deben
• llevar a cabo elecciones de los oficiales de las
uniones locales por medio de boletas electorales secretas por lo menos cada tres años
• llevar a cabo elecciones regulares de acuerdo
a su constitución y sus reglamentos internos
y guardar todos los registros por un año
• enviar por correo una notificación de elección a cada miembro por lo menos quince
días antes de la elección
• cumplir con la petición de un candidato
para distribuir material de campaña
• no utilizar fondos o recursos de la unión
para promover a ningún candidato (ni tampoco se pueden utilizar fondos o recursos de
los empleadores)
• permitir a los candidatos tener observadores
en las elecciones
• permitir que los candidatos inspeccionen la
lista de membresía de la unión dentro de un
periodo de treinta días antes de la elección.
Restricciones sobre la Toma de Cargos: Una
persona que ha sido declarada culpable de
ciertos crímenes no podrá fungir como un
oficial de la unión, un empleado, ni otro tipo
de representante sindical por hasta trece años.
Préstamos: Una unión no puede tener
préstamos en saldo pendiente hacia ningún
oficial o empleado en particular que en
total exceda $2,000 dólares en ningún
momento en particular.
Multas: Una unión no puede pagar la multa
de ningún oficial o empleado que haya sido
encontrado culpable de una violación a
consciencia y voluntaria de la Ley de
Notificación y Divulgación Obrero-Patronal.
Lo anterior es simplemente un sumario de la Ley de Notificación y Divulgación Obrero-Patronal. El texto completo de la ley, que incluye las Secciones
401-531 del Título 29 del Código Estadounidense, puede encontrarse en muchas bibliotecas públicas, o puede obtenerse al escribirle al Departamento
del Trabajo de los Estados Unidos, Oficina de Normas Obrero-Patronales, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Room N-5616, Washington, D.C. 20210, o en el Internet en la página www.dol.gov.
26
Procedimientos para Objetores que No son Miembros para Presentar a la Unión sus Objeciones sobre
los Gastos de Cuotas para Propósitos que no son Pertinentes a la Negociación de Convenios Colectivos
a membresía de la unión representa un gran valor para las personas
que trabajan. La membresía de la unión por sí sola proporciona a
los trabajadores una medida de control sobre sus salarios, sus horas, sus
beneficios y sus condiciones de trabajo.
Bajo la Sección 8 (a) (3) de la Ley Nacional de Relaciones Laborales, 29 U.S.C. 158(a)(3), los empleadores y la unión tienen derecho
(excepto en los estados que se hacen llamar estados con derecho a trabajar “right-to-work”) a entrar en acuerdos que requieren que los trabajadores, como condición de empleo, se afilian a la unión y mantengan
su membresía con la misma.
Esta ley y esta política son consistentes con los principios de la democracia donde rige la mayoría, y se asegura que todos los que se benefician con
la representación de la unión compartan los costos que proporcionan esos
beneficios. De forma consistente con este principio y la ley, muchos de los
acuerdos de convenios colectivos entre empleadores y las Uniones Locales y
Concilios (“filiales”) de la Hermandad de Carpinteros Unidos y Enlistadores
de América (UBC, por sus siglas en inglés) requieren como condición de
empleo que los trabajadores que disfrutan los beneficios de estos acuerdos se
afilien a la unión y permanezcan como miembros en buenos términos.
A través de los años, sin embargo, la Junta Nacional de Relaciones
Laborales (National Labor Relations Board) y las cortes han, hasta
cierto grado, debilitado la seguridad de la unión al sostener que estas
cláusulas pueden ser impuestas contra los trabajadores que se rehúsen a
afiliarse a la unión o renuncien a ella sólo hasta el punto de extender la
“cuota financiera” requerida de la membresía. Es decir, el pago de cuotas de iniciación de la unión y los cargos periódicos. Por ley, no se
puede requerir que los trabajadores se afilien a la unión como una
condición de trabajo. Sin embargo, se les puede pedir que paguen a la
unión una cantidad igual al monto de los pagos y las cuotas que se requieren de todos los miembros de la unión.
Estos reglamentos claramente contradicen el simple lenguaje del
estatuto, el cual especifica a los estados que un empleador puede legalmente hacer un acuerdo con una unión “para requerir como una condición de empleo la membresía” en la unión. Sin embargo, a menos que, y
hasta que, estas interpretaciones legales cambien, la UBC seguirá la ley
prevaleciente y exigirá las medidas de seguridad de la unión de una
manera consistente con el estatuto y las decisiones aplicables de la corte.
Recientemente, decisiones retrógradas tomadas por la corte han
acotado aún más los derechos de seguridad de los trabajadores de la
unión, estableciendo que las personas que no son miembros de la unión
pueden registrar con la unión una objeción por pagarle a ésta por las
actividades que no son “pertinentes” a los convenios colectivos con el
fin de obtener un descuento de esa porción de sus cuotas que se han
gastado en propósitos “no pertinentes”.
Como la mayoría de las uniones, la UBC gasta una gran parte de sus
L
SECCIÓN 1: Los trabajadores que están cubiertos por un acuerdo de seguridad de la unión,
quienes cumplen con las obligaciones de seguridad de la unión pagando sus cargos y cuotas,
pero que deciden o que han decidido no convertirse en miembros de la unión, o que han renunciado a la unión (por lo tanto no son miembros
de ella), pueden registrar objeciones sobre los
gastos por cuotas designadas para actividades no
pertinentes al convenio colectivo. Estos trabajadores registrarán sus objeciones de acuerdo con
los procedimientos establecidos aquí y tendrán
el derecho de recibir una reducción apropiada
por sus cargos y cuotas.
SECCIÓN 2: Los que no son miembros de la
unión y desean registrar una objeción lo harán
anualmente notificando por escrito sus objeciones al Secretario General-Tesorero de la UBC
a la dirección 101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20001. Para aquellos que han
registrado una objeción previamente, una notificación anual de sus objeciones debe ser recibida
en la dirección mencionada entre el 1 de abril y
el 30 de abril del año en curso. Ésta debe incluir
el número del seguro social del objetor, una declaración de la naturaleza de su objeción, la dirección del hogar del objetor, y debe identificar al
objetor como afiliado a la UBC. El objetor que
no es miembro está en la obligación de informar
al Secretario General-Tesorero de cualquier cambio de dirección. Una vez recibida la objeción
apropiada, como se describió previamente, la
fondos en actividades que incluso las cortes están de acuerdo con su directa relación con los convenios colectivos. Además, la UBC gasta otros
fondos para otras actividades, incluyendo la organización, la actividad
legislativa, las publicaciones, etc. Todas estas actividades ayudan a fortalecer a nuestra unión y así crean una posición más favorable para el trabajo
en el proceso de negociación de los acuerdos colectivos. En ese sentido,
cada una de estas actividades refuerza la misión fundamental de nuestra
unión – los trabajadores unidos para mejorar sus vidas. Sin embargo, las
decisiones retrógradas de las cortes han tomado una visión extremadamente estrecha del papel del movimiento de intercambio de la unión, estableciendo que algunas de estas actividades no son “pertinentes” a la
labor de organización como el representante legalmente reconocido de
los trabajadores en el proceso de negociación del convenio colectivo.
La membresía considerando sólo un “núcleo financiero” lleva consigo
costos muy altos – la pérdida de todos los beneficios, derechos y privilegios de
los trabajadores que de otra manera no tendrían derechos como miembros
de la unión. Estos derechos incluyen: (1) el derecho a recibir beneficios
fúnebres por parte de la unión, (2) el derecho a votar sobre si se realizará una
huelga en contra de su empleador, (3) el derecho a votar sobre las tarifas que
se requieren pagar, (4) el derecho a votar en la ratificación de acuerdos de
convenios colectivos que determinarán sus salarios, sus horarios y sus condiciones de trabajo, (5) el derecho a votar en la elección de los oficiales de la
unión y aquellos que los representan, (6) el derecho a asistir, hablar o votar en
las reuniones de la unión, donde se determinan las políticas de la unión que
afectan directamente sus trabajos, y (7) el derecho a una tarjeta de transferencia, para que si ellos se van a trabajar a una unidad diferente de convenio
colectivo no tengan que pagar una nueva cuota de iniciación, lo cual sucede
frecuentemente cuando el trabajador cambia de empleo.
En resumen, estos trabajadores que no pertenecen a la unión pierden importantes derechos, beneficios y privilegios, incluyendo el derecho a involucrarse de manera significativa en establecer los términos y
condiciones de sus empleos – una voz y un voto en las decisiones de la
unión – permitiendo así a otros realizar decisiones unilaterales que les
afectan a ellos, sus familias y sus vidas.
Es ilegal que un empleador compense a un trabajador que no
pertenece a la unión de cualquier manera por la pérdida de estos
valiosos derechos y beneficios de la unión. En cuanto a la unión, ésta requiere por ley representar a personas que no pertenecen a ella, al mismo
tiempo que representa a sus miembros. Mientras que la unión cumple
con estos requerimientos de la ley, no hará nada que no sea absolutamente requerido por ley por las personas que no pertenecen a ella.
Las personas que no pertenecen a la unión que están en desacuerdo y deciden registrar sus objeciones con la unión sobre los gastos de las cuotas por propósitos no pertinentes a un convenio colectivo
deben cumplir con el siguiente procedimiento:
UBC enviará al objetor una carta de reconocimiento y notificará a la filial del objetor
que una objeción ha sido registrada. Aquellos individuos quienes, sin importar, a pesar de
cuándo haya ocurrido durante el año, decidan
renunciar a la membresía de la unión, o quienes
se rehúsen a unirse a la unión y deseen registrar
una objeción, deben enviar su objeción al Secretario General-Tesorero no más de 30 días después de su fecha de renuncia o de la fecha en la
que se rehusaron a unirse, como se especificó
previamente.
SECCIÓN 3: Los objetores que no son miembros deberán pagar por todas las actividades pertinentes al convenio colectivo, incluyendo los
gastos por las actividades de la unión o proyectos
que normalmente, o de manera razonable, lleva
a cabo la unión para avanzar los intereses relacionados con el empleo de aquellos que representan en el convenio colectivo. No se cobrará a
aquellos objetores que no son miembros por los
gastos que no son pertinentes al convenio colectivo. El término “pertinente” se considerará
según el marco más amplio de acuerdo con la ley.
SECCIÓN 4: El Secretario General-Tesorero revisará los documentos auditados de la UBC para
determinar la cantidad de gastos incurridos en el
año fiscal previo que se le cobrarán o no cobrarán al objetor, lo que quiere decir, todos aquellos que son pertinentes al convenio colectivo y
aquellos que no lo son. El Secretario GeneralTesorero debe designar los gastos de la unión en
categorías principales y designar esos gastos
como pertinentes o no pertinentes. La filial o sucursal de la UBC del objetor será responsable de
revisar los documentos financieros de la auditoría para determinar los gastos pertinentes y no
pertinentes de acuerdo con los principios y procedimientos especificados aquí. Estas filiales de
la UBC son independientes de la UBC y son responsables de cumplir con los procedimientos
especificados en este Aviso con lo que respecta a
sus propios gastos y el comunicar las reducciones
implementadas para ellos por parte de la UBC y
otras filiales. En este aspecto, la UBC no tiene
ninguna responsabilidad u obligación por las acciones o no acciones de sus filiales.
SECCIÓN 5: La revisión descrita en la Sección 4
por la UBC y sus filiales debe completarse antes
del 31 de julio del año siguiente en el que se realizaron los gastos. Tan pronto como sea práctico, una descripción de los gastos que se le
cobrarán, y los que no, será enviada a cada persona no miembro que haya registrado con el
tiempo apropiado su objeción bajo este procedimiento. La filial apropiada de la UBC enviará
por correo al objetor no-miembro y al Secretario
General-Tesorero la descripción de gastos que se
cobrarán y los que no se le cobrarán.
SECCIÓN 6: La cantidad a ser pagada por la
persona objetora no-miembro será calculada
sobre la base del porcentaje de gastos que se cobrarán y que no se cobrarán como se indica en la
revisión. El reporte de la auditoría más actual y
disponible será utilizado tanto por la UBC como
por la filial de la UBC para determinar la cantidad a pagar por el objetor no-miembro. Cuando
los reportes de auditoría y las revisiones más recientes estén disponibles, la cantidad a pagar por
el objetor será ajustada de esta manera.
Cualquier ajuste subsecuente a favor del objetor
se le enviará tan pronto como sea práctico.
SECCIÓN 7: Las personas no miembros que
registren dentro del periodo establecido y de la
forma adecuada su objeción según lo estipulado
en la Sección 2 recibirán una reducción en sus
pagos por la cantidad calculada bajo la Sección 6
antes mencionada comenzando sesenta (60) días
después de haber recibido la objeción. También
recibirán un descuento en sus cuotas en el porcentaje de la cantidad de la reducción de sus cuotas hasta el día en el que realizaron su objeción.
SECCIÓN 8: Las personas no-miembros que
registren dentro del periodo establecido y de la
manera adecuada su objeción según lo estipulado en la Sección 2 pueden objetar los cálculos
de los gastos cobrables y los no cobrables al registrar sus objeciones con el Secretario GeneralTesorero de la UBC, a la dirección indicada
anteriormente. Esta objeción debe ser por escrito y debe ser enviada a la UBC dentro de
treinta (30) días de la fecha de envió de la descripción de los gastos que se cobrarán y los que
no se cobrarán como se especifica en la Sección
5. El no cumplir con este procedimiento hará
que su objeción sea inválida.
SECCIÓN 9: El proceso de arbitraje descrito a
continuación no es obligatorio. Los que no son
miembros pueden hacer valer sus derechos por
medio de todos los procedimientos legales
disponibles. Una vez recibida la objeción dentro
del periodo apropiado y de la forma adecuada, el
Secretario General-Tesorero se referirá a la Asociación Americana de Arbitraje (AAA, por sus siglas en inglés) para determinación bajo las Reglas
y Determinaciones Imparciales de las Cuotas de
la Unión de la AAA. Los retos pueden ser consolidados por el Secretario General-Tesorero
para su determinación por la AAA como sea
apropiado. El Secretario General-Tesorero tendrá la autoridad de resolver la objeción de manera informal en el mejor interés para la UBC. El
árbitro tendrá la jurisdicción sobre todos los
asuntos de procedimiento que afecten el arbitraje. Un reportero de la corte hará la transcripción de todos los procedimientos frente al árbitro
a expensas de la UBC. La transcripción será el
registro oficial del procedimiento y puede ser
adquirida por el objetor o puede estar también
disponible para su inspección como lo requiera
el árbitro. Los cargos y costos cobrados o asociados con un representante serán cubiertos por
esa parte.
SECCIÓN 10: En el arbitraje, la unión tendrá el
peso de establecer que la cantidad de las cuotas
reducidas cobradas a los objetores que no son
miembros son legales. En determinar la cantidad correcta de la reducción de las cuotas, el árbitro dará su completa consideración a los
requerimientos legales limitando la cantidad que
al objetor se le puede cobrar y determinará las
bases aritméticas y legales de tal determinación
de la decisión escrita. La orden y la decisión del
árbitro será final y obligatoria para todas las
partes.
SECCIÓN 11: La UBC establecerá una cantidad
determinada de depósito que contenga la porción de cuotas pagadas por los que no son miembros que registran objeciones como en la Sección
8 las cuales pueden estar en disputa de arbitraje.
Una vez recibida la solución del arbitraje, el
fondo del depósito será distribuido de acuerdo
con la decisión del árbitro.
CARPENTER 2012
27
UBC Communications,
Now Appearing on a
Device Near You
change, but after 131 years, keeping
TYetimes
members informed is still a UBC priority.
like stick-framing giving way to metal
stud, UBC communications are going online.
Each issue of Carpenter Magazine costs more
than $250,000 to create, print, and mail, while
smartphones and websites can keep members
better informed and more involved at far less
cost. Those savings can go to our highest priority, raising market share and man-hours.
So here is a look at what we’re planning
for our website—some of the stories, features, and functions we expect to roll out
in the coming months.
Below, learn about our smartphone
app. UBC members aren’t parked at computers all day, but nearly all of us keep one
of these handy.
Smart phones and the web help us connect with members—as well as contractors,
elected officials, and the public. They do it
all faster, better, and at less cost. They’re
the right tool for the job.
Make Carpenters.org part of your online routine. Bookmark it. Make it your
home page.
It’s your union—stay informed and
stay involved.
Get Smart!
App for iPhone and Android
Coming Summer 2012
Keep an eye on Carpenters.org—
and on the Apple and Android app
stores—for the availability of UBC
Mobile, our new smartphone app!
Connect with the UBC wherever
and whenever you want: check the
latest industry and political news, get
contct info, find training options,
watch video, and much more.
The app will be available for
iPhone and Android devices. Like all
phone apps, it will update automatically as we improve and expand it.
We were still in development at
press time, but here’s a sneak peek at
the prototype home page. Clean,
clear, and all right angles—a layout
all members can appreciate.
Watch for the release—check
Carpenters.org or stop by your
app store.
28
AHEAD ON
CARPENTERS.ORG
POLITICS 2012—UNIONS UNDER ATTACK
• Anti-union forces are taking control in the
U.S., and are waging war in Canada, too.
• News and links help you protect friends in
the U.S. Senate and stop Canada Bill C-377.
ENHANCED MEMBERS-ONLY PAGES
• Total reno of our password-protected area.
• New home page, more kinds of content.
TAKE A VIDEO TOUR OF YOUR
INTERNATIONAL TRAINING CENTER
• Walk our flagship facility for training, industry conferences, and marketing.
MORE VIDEO AND MORE OUTSIDE LINKS
• More to watch, throughout the site.
• Connect to more of the UBC, and beyond.
WORK IN CANADA FOR
U.S. MEMBERS
• Click the special home-page
icon and check out incredible
opportunities.
• Register online to get on the
dispatch list.
SISTERS IN THE BROTHERHOOD
• News and resources to help
Sisters grow as professionals
and as members.
COUNCIL SPOTLIGHT
• Learn about the best of what’s
happening in each of the UBC’s
Regional Councils.
TRAINING TO GET MORE WORK
• Both new and long-time certifications and specialty courses
can mean more hours.
PHOTO GALLERIES
• See more of UBC, projects,
politics, volunteers, and
member action.
IN MEMORIAM
Remembering our
Brothers & Sisters
Show Your UBC Pride
Buy Official Merchandise
You’ll love the vintage look of this brand-new tee.
But don’t be fooled by the great style—your UBC
pride comes through loud and clear. With bold
graphics front and back this shirt stands tall.
And new soft feel inks give it comfort to spare.
Available in black or orange, you’ll wear this great
new shirt with the confidence that—as our Latin
motto says—labor conquers all.
Orange T-shirt: FS574 Black T-shirt: FS575
M–XL $12.00
2XL & 3XL $15.00
To order items from the Carpenters Union Warehouse,
send order and payment—check or money order—to:
Carpenters
ATTN: Insignia Products Department
14110 Sullyfield Circle
Chantilly, VA 20151
or call (703) 378-9000
Please add $8.95 shipping and handling.
Make checks payable to United Brotherhood of Carpenters.
All prices listed are in U.S. dollars.
Shop online: carpenters.org
ubcstore.org
World’s
W
orld’
orld’ss Best Shock Reduction Grip
Tools
T
To
o
ools
olls tthat
hat wo
work
rk a
ass h
hard
har
ard
rd as
as you
yo
ou
First
F
irs
rstt and
and Finest
Finestt S
Solid
olid
o
lid Steel
Steel Striking
S
Strikin
triking
ng Tools
Tools
ools S
Since
ince 1
1923
923
23

Reaching Higher - United Brotherhood Of Carpenters

Transcription

Similar documents

saturday, may 4, 2013

Forecast - Info

Pedro Fernández began his international career when he was

File

2008 Mandala from NMH - Northfield Mount Hermon

TODAY`S READINGS First Reading — When the wicked turn away

January 17, 2016

Principles First, Before Methods

July 03, 2011 - St. Henry Catholic Church

Scrappy, Hard tackling FullbackBecomes Legend