IUOE News Fall 2013
The Fall 2013 Edition of the OE News, quarterly publication of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115. The Fall 2013 Edition of the OE News, quarterly publication of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115.
District One Negotiations forge ahead, along with Peace River Coal expansion Brett Chapman, Member Representative Brothers and sisters it’s that time again; to say hello and update you with progress. On the bargaining front I am currently in negotiations with Pacific Coast Heavy Truck (formally known as Volvo). Pacific has two locations—one on Annacis Island and one in Surrey— and I will be negotiating with both at the same time. Fortunately I don’t anticipate many major problems throughout these negotiations as I have two strong shop stewards to depend on. These are Brother Rob Coburn from Volvo on Annacis Island, and Brother Carl Jaggernath from the Surrey location. We all look forward to a new contract that should satisfy everyone at both of the Pacific Coast Heavy Truck locations. I am also currently assisting brother Everett Cummings in negotiations with Inland Kenworth, and would like to thank the shop stewards involved who have helped make things much easier. These shop stewards are Brothers Max Mars, Peace River Coal’s Trend mine in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. The company is expanding into Roman Mountain, with production starting in 2014 and set to create around 100 new jobs. Photo courtesy Minesight. 10 News October 2013 “The $200 million dollar expansion at Peace River Coal is estimated to create 100 additional job openings” Rob Lane, and Ray Johns; thank you for all your hard work and patience during the negotiation process. As you may know, I also look after Peace River Coal, a coal mine up north in Tumbler Ridge (and the same area where Chinese-owned HD Mining set up their operations, which resulted in the Temporary Foreign Worker court case). There have been several issues lately that have crept into Peace River Coal. Most of these have been resolved, but there are many more to deal with and work through with our members and the company. Now is not the time to ignore these issues, as small or simple as they may seem at first. Negotiations are still a little over a year off, but we can never afford to sit back and relax; we need to stay on top of the issues and iron out the contract language to ensure we deliver the best possible outcomes for our members at Peace River Coal. Adding to the difficulties is the fact that coal prices are at an all-time low, which makes it difficult for Peace River Coal to reach an easy agreement, as they will be comparing any proposal to their sales figures and profit statements. Other mines just outside of Tumbler Ridge are also struggling because of the drop in coal prices. Luckily for Peace River Coal, they are part of the Anglo- American group and therefore have the resources to press forward through these difficult times, and have been approved to start digging their open pit mine in Roman Mountain, just south of the current Trend mine. This is a $200 million dollar expansion, with Peace River Coal committing $50 million for the first phase of development. It is estimated that 100 additional job openings will be created during the expansion, bringing Peace River Coal’s combined operations to a total full-time employment figure to around 450 workers. Production from Roman Mountain is said to start in 2014, and the Operating Engineers look forward to the expansion into Roman Mountain and the opportunities it may bring our members and the company. On a sad note I would like to take a moment to recognize Brother Richard Alan Martin from Tumbler Ridge, who worked at Peace River Coal along with his parents, Edward and Chris Martin. Richard Martin was a hard-working member that lost his life due to an ATV accident. Brother Martin will be sadly missed and our hearts go out to his family. To all members: be safe out there when at work, at home, and even when taking time to engage in fun activities. Good luck for the season ahead, and we look forward to seeing see you in the field.
Skilled operators are still needed across North America Frank Carr, Member Representative Hello Brothers and Sisters, I hope you had a great summer. I’m happy to report that, thanks to help from the Bargaining and Steering committees, we have ratified a new three year Provincial Pile Driving Industry Agreement, with increases to our members’ rates of pay, pension, benefits and premiums. The agreement includes the Construction Industry of B.C. Substance Abuse Testing and Treatment Program Policy, developed by the sub committee which Local 115 sat on. This policy is available at www.clra-bc.com. Within this industry we have certified Geopac, Hayward Baker, HB Wick Drains, and AGI Foundation Contractors as OE employers. Congratulations to the Brothers that supported the organizing campaigns; it wouldn’t have happened without you. New collective agreements have been mailed out, and once signed by and returned by employers, we will distribute your copies. In August we had the great honour of hosting the 55th IUOE Canadian Conference in Nanaimo at our hotel, the Coast Bastion Hotel. Business Managers, Members Representatives, International Staff and delegates from across Canada and the United States attended, including General President James Callahan and General Secretary Brian Hickey. During the Hoisting and Portable caucus of the conference, we received construction reports from across the country. Most reports discussed the fact that skilled operators and mechanics continue to be in short supply. There are many mega projects, either ongoing or scheduled to start, that will need these skills. Crane Operators and Heavy Duty Technicians in particular continue to be in high demand. I’ve said it before; what excellent opportunities for the next generation of operators, or anyone that is interested in the profession, to start a meaningful career in the construction industries! Currently, the local union is involved with the industry and the B.C. Association for Crane Safety to develop a pilot program to bring Washington State crane operators into B.C. to address our current shortages. The next step in the process will be for WorkSafeBC to review the program and ultimately endorse it. Certified U.S. crane operators can then be accepted by the BCACS, and they will help fill the gap. Recently, the Pacific Gateway Skills Table brought together “What excellent career opportunities for the next generation of operators” District One committee members from labour, industry and government organizations to work on a pilot project called the Accelerated Apprenticeship Learning for Mobile Crane Operators in B.C. The project aims to investigate, develop and pilot accelerated learning for apprenticeships in B.C., and hopefully to reduce completion times while retaining performance and safety standards. This further highlights the dire need for crane operators in the province. The committee recently held its very first meeting, so I will have more to report in the coming months on how they progress with this initiative. As you all know, health and safety concerns are paramount for IUOE members and the union. We work in safety-sensitive environments and most, if not all employers have safety programs which usually include Lock-Out procedures. It’s an important topic and safety procedure, and I would think that everyone follows their instructions to the tee, but we sometimes think that the task at hand might be done a bit quicker by cutting corners and not Locking Out. Some of these infractions have been brought to our attention and I’ve heard a number of different reasons to justify why it wasn’t done. Brothers and Sisters; the procedures are in place to make sure we all go home safe and sound at the end of every day. Please take the time to Lock Out; we don’t want any worker wishing they had. The Brothers at Great West Equipment (Marcels) recently organized and changed their collective agreement from a voluntary recognized agreement to certification—congratulations to Brother Al Larson and the crew, great job! Congratulations are also due to Brother Bryan Railton on his employment with the local union as an organizer. I worked with Bryan during the Pile Driving negotiations, and he did an excellent job of representing the interests of the membership and providing input and insight. Crane operators continue to be highly sought after in B.C., with programs and initiatives set up to accelerate training and obtain skilled workers from the U.S. Photo courtesy Cameron Miller News October 2013 11
- Page 1 and 2: News Getting ready for BC’s megap
- Page 3 and 4: Positive negotiations are taking pl
- Page 5 and 6: Training is key to meet the develop
- Page 7 and 8: Kamloops’ new dialysis clinic has
- Page 9 and 10: This has been a busy year for our m
- Page 11: Challenges from all sides, but our
- Page 15 and 16: Operators are in demand, and certif
- Page 17 and 18: not only for future projects, but r
- Page 19 and 20: Hazelwood and Chew. We have also ta
- Page 21 and 22: The District 4 work picture has cha
- Page 23 and 24: Megaprojects start to gather steam
- Page 25 and 26: Bargaining becomes a priority as th
- Page 27 and 28: BC LIONS VS. CALgArY STAMPEDErS Thi
- Page 29 and 30: Clockwise from right: The main conf
- Page 31 and 32: Training takes centre stage at even
- Page 33 and 34: Training Classes and Updates Brothe
- Page 35 and 36: Training Association News October 2
- Page 37 and 38: construction,” he says. “Then I
- Page 39 and 40: As an interesting coincidence, one
- Page 41 and 42: 50 yEAR MEMBERS Member Recognition
- Page 43 and 44: 30 yEAR MEMBERS 20 yEAR MEMBERS Mem
- Page 45 and 46: Pensions awarded May 2013 - Septemb
- Page 47 and 48: Local Union Offices District 1 and
District One<br />
Negotiations forge<br />
ahead, along with<br />
Peace River Coal<br />
expansion<br />
Brett Chapman,<br />
Member Representative<br />
Brothers and sisters it’s that time again; to say hello and<br />
update you with progress.<br />
On the bargaining front I am currently in negotiations with<br />
Pacific Coast Heavy Truck (formally known as Volvo). Pacific<br />
has two locations—one on Annacis Island and one in Surrey—<br />
and I will be negotiating with both at the same time.<br />
Fortunately I don’t anticipate many major problems<br />
throughout these negotiations as I have<br />
two strong shop stewards to depend<br />
on. These are Brother Rob Coburn<br />
from Volvo on Annacis Island, and<br />
Brother Carl Jaggernath from the<br />
Surrey location. We all look forward to<br />
a new contract that should satisfy everyone at both of the<br />
Pacific Coast Heavy Truck locations.<br />
I am also currently assisting brother Everett Cummings in<br />
negotiations with Inland Kenworth, and would like to thank<br />
the shop stewards involved who have helped make things<br />
much easier. These shop stewards are Brothers Max Mars,<br />
Peace River Coal’s Trend mine in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. The company is<br />
expanding into Roman Mountain, with production starting in 2014<br />
and set to create around 100 new jobs. Photo courtesy Minesight.<br />
10 <strong>News</strong> October <strong>2013</strong><br />
“The $200 million dollar<br />
expansion at Peace River Coal<br />
is estimated to create 100<br />
additional job openings”<br />
Rob Lane, and Ray Johns; thank you for all your hard work<br />
and patience during the negotiation process.<br />
As you may know, I also look after Peace River Coal, a coal<br />
mine up north in Tumbler Ridge (and the same area where<br />
Chinese-owned HD Mining set up their operations, which<br />
resulted in the Temporary Foreign Worker court case).<br />
There have been several issues lately that have crept into<br />
Peace River Coal. Most of these have been resolved, but there<br />
are many more to deal with and work through with our<br />
members and the company.<br />
Now is not the time to ignore these issues, as small or<br />
simple as they may seem at first. Negotiations are still a little<br />
over a year off, but we can never afford to sit back and relax;<br />
we need to stay on top of the issues and iron out the contract<br />
language to ensure we deliver the best possible outcomes for<br />
our members at Peace River Coal.<br />
Adding to the difficulties is the fact that coal prices are at<br />
an all-time low, which makes it difficult<br />
for Peace River Coal to reach an<br />
easy agreement, as they will be comparing<br />
any proposal to their sales figures<br />
and profit statements. Other mines just<br />
outside of Tumbler Ridge are also<br />
struggling because of the drop in coal prices.<br />
Luckily for Peace River Coal, they are part of the Anglo-<br />
American group and therefore have the resources to press<br />
forward through these difficult times, and have been approved<br />
to start digging their open pit mine in Roman Mountain, just<br />
south of the current Trend mine.<br />
This is a $200 million dollar expansion, with Peace River<br />
Coal committing $50 million for the first phase of development.<br />
It is estimated that 100 additional job openings will be<br />
created during the expansion, bringing Peace River Coal’s<br />
combined operations to a total full-time employment figure<br />
to around 450 workers.<br />
Production from Roman Mountain is said to start in 2014,<br />
and the Operating Engineers look forward to the expansion<br />
into Roman Mountain and the opportunities it may bring our<br />
members and the company.<br />
On a sad note I would like to take a moment to recognize<br />
Brother Richard Alan Martin from Tumbler Ridge, who<br />
worked at Peace River Coal along with his parents, Edward<br />
and Chris Martin.<br />
Richard Martin was a hard-working member that lost his<br />
life due to an ATV accident. Brother Martin will be sadly<br />
missed and our hearts go out to his family.<br />
To all members: be safe out there when at work, at home,<br />
and even when taking time to engage in fun activities.<br />
Good luck for the season ahead, and we look forward to<br />
seeing see you in the field.
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