IUOE News Fall 2013

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IUOE News is the official publication of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115. Local Executive Board Business Manager Brian Cochrane President Wayne Mills Vice-President Brad Randall Recording Secretary Brian Lefebvre Financial Secretary Don Swerdan Treasurer Frank Carr Guard Bob Higgs Conductor Dave Hannis Trustees Brett Chapman Brian Moore Curtis Wright Auditors Chip Dhaliwal Goretti Guibault Craig McIntosh District Executive Board 1 - Al Cooper 2 - Tim Cullen 3 - Brad Gerow 4 - Herb Conat 5 - Mike Spiruda 6 - Brian Lefebvre Publication Committee Brian Cochrane Wayne Mills Lynda Arland Don Swerdan Editorial Services Susan Armstrong, COPE 378 Contact Details 4333 Ledger Avenue, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 3T3 Telephone: 604-291-8831 Fax: 604-473-5235 Website: www.iuoe115.com E-mail: iuoe@iuoe115.com Please Recycle On the cover: One of the two massive intakes for the Francis turbines being installed on SNC Lavalin’s $900 million Waneta Dam expansion project for FortisBC. The project is scheduled for completion in 2015, directly employs 350 people, and will deliver 335 megawatts to 60,000 homes. It also includes building a 10km transmission line, and excavated rock will be stored nearby and used in highway construction. 230,000 cubic metres of overburden and 141,000 of rock were excavated in the powerhouse area, and another 62,000 cubic metres excavated from the power tunnels and the adit. At the intake nearly 19,000 of cubic metres of overburden and 78,000 of rock were removed. Features News Updates 4 LNG Workforce Action Plan shows shortage of skilled workers in BC 14 BC Premier meets with labour leaders on LNG workforce 20 55th Annual IUOE Canadian Conference 26 Member Profile: Kasper Mayer 34 General Membership Meeting update 36 Reports Business Manager Outcome of case disappointing, but key gains made 1 President Training is key to meet the development demands of northern B.C. projects 3 District 1 What’s really behind the high rise condo boom? 6 Paving industry leads the way 7 Here comes the end-of-season push 8 Challenges from all sides, but our members keep us strong 9 Keeping busy is always a good thing 9 Negotiations forge ahead along with Peace River Coal expansion 10 Skilled operators are still needed across North America 11 “Right to Work” comes to Canada while TFW changes still need improvement 12 Union Organizing Operators are in demand, and certification will keep it that way 13 Dispatcher’s Report Work is out there, if your skills and details are up to date 13 District 2 Slow start to the season may be the least of our concerns for 2013 16 District 3 Paving work still strong while shops are overflowing 18 District 4 Training program up north is the Union and members’ ticket to success 19 District 5 Megaprojects start to gather steam 21 District 6 As work slows, we should count our successes and plan ahead 22 Bargaining becomes a priority as the season changes 23 Benefit Plans Know your retirement options and plan ahead 24 Training Association Training takes centre stage at events, and on government agendas 29 18th Annual Training Association Open House and Heavy Equipment Rodeo 32 Regulars Member Service Awards 39 Pensions Awarded 43 Deceased Members 43 Welcome to our new members 44 Contact Information and District Meetings 45
Positive negotiations are taking place on many levels Brian Cochrane, Business Manager As we begin to enter the fall season, we can look back over the summer months and confidently say that this has been a good summer for Operating Engineers from a work perspective. Crane operators remain in high demand; our members in the paving sector have seen excellent hours; and our members working the Kemano backup tunnel and Kitimat modernization project have reached their peak employment numbers. We have spent many months this year trying to secure a new collective agreement for the blacktop industry in the Lower Mainland. Without a doubt, this has been a frustrating process, and trying to keep the contractors in this industry all on the same page has been a challenge. At the time of writing, we are currently conducting a mail-out ballot to all of our members to try and ratify a settlement which will give these members some certainty for the next couple of years. Your bargaining committee is also currently in the process of trying to ratify the industry-wide settlement agreements that we have with the Construction Labor Relations Association (CLR). Although most of our members working under a heavy construction agreement (or an addendum thereof) have been receiving increases for quite some time, this ratification process is required by legislation for all industries and all building trades. A final ballot count will be held in early November, at which time we hopefully can conclude this round of negotiations and prepare for bargaining again in 2014. On September 9th B.C.’s Premier, Christy Clark, requested a meeting with the building trades and other labour leaders in British Columbia. I attended this meeting on behalf of the Operating Engineers, and I can say that this is the first time labour has been asked to sit at the same table as a partner in a very long time. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss how labour can participate with business and government in the development of northern British Colombia’s LNG reserves. This was one of the Liberal’s election promises, and with billions of “Hopefully the government will start to place a higher value on the skills of our members and especially the efforts of the IUOE Training Association in recent years.“ Business Manager On September 9th, IUOE Local 115 joined B.C. Premier Christy Clark and other influential labour organizations to discuss the government’s and unions’ workforce training strategies for LNG projects, set to start in the near future. dollars of construction at stake, it was encouraging to see this initiative take place. Hopefully the government will start to place a higher value on the skills of our members and especially the efforts of the IUOE Training Association in recent years. With the provincial election behind us, we must move forward and try to advance many of these projects that are currently being reviewed. Along with the LNG projects, Site C, Northern Gateway and the Kinder Morgan Pipeline are all advancing as well, and we are meeting with a number of stakeholders regarding all of these projects, to ensure our members are engaged in as much of the opportunities they create as possible. The combined numbers are staggering: over $100 billion of investment with 100,000 jobs created, and decades of employment opportunities. Your President, Brother Wayne Mills, and Training Administrator, Brother Brad Randall, have been working hard on developing some training initiatives for First Nations in northern British Columbia. First Nations are a key stakeholder in the development of News October 2013 1
Page 1: News Getting ready for BC’s megap
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 and 12: Challenges from all sides, but our
Page 13 and 14: Skilled operators are still needed
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

IUOE News Fall 2013

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