IUOE News Spring 2014

Contractors and
members are
keeping busy
Brad Gerow,
Member Representative
Brothers and Sisters,
I hope everyone’s holidays were safe and enjoyable.
As we look into the new year, we see another good year
ahead for District 3. This year there are a number of projects
carried over from last year, as well as a few that have already
been out to tender and awarded. We look forward to working
with our contractors on the projects that they have already
secured and are currently bidding on
this season.
Some projects that are on the go
right now are the Highway 1 corridor
work, which was started a couple of
years ago by Emil Anderson just east
of the Highway 97 turnoff out of
Kamloops.
This work is now being continued, and 672462 B.C. Ltd out
of Kamloops has been working on this since the middle of last
summer; there are two jobs that were let last season and they
managed to be awarded both projects.
There has been a beehive of activity on this project, with
everything from fence moving to a full-on scraper show like
we haven’t seen in the area since E.A.C was at Garcia Lake
outside of Merritt! Currently the crews are back out on the job
moving materials that they were able to stockpile through the
winter months.
When it started, this project had to contend with a number
of archeological sites, and it has also grown exponentially.
Our contractor has been working very closely with the local
Aboriginal Peoples and Ministry of Highways, ensuring the
sites are treated respectfully while the project still progresses.
There has been talk of the long-awaited Hoffman’s Bluff
project being let in April of this year. This would be a very
good thing, as this is the most dangerous part of the highway
that has seen many accidents in past years.
C.G.L has had some great years recently. They managed to
land a contract at Predator Ridge that had the crew working
through the winter on another phase of housing developments
in the area. This work is mostly in the rocky area
overlooking Vernon at the end of Okanagan Lake. There are a
number of other projects that they are also doing in the area,
Our contractor has been working
very closely with the local
Aboriginal Bands and Ministry of
Highways, ensuring archeological
sites are treated respectfully while
the project progresses
District Three
with the utility crews doing the underground servicing that
they are well known for in the industry.
Members are closing in on the halfway point of the Mica
Dam project. Currently we have three overhead crane operators
working for two different contractors, and two operators
at the portable batch plant.
Shops in the area are keeping very busy. This represents a
very good thing for the membership, as it shows industry
strength when the work coming out of these shops is growing;
be it road construction, mining, or any other resource based
industry, the need for equipment will continue to increase,
and the flow of work to the other industries we represent will
continue to thrive.
Crane work has been steady this past year, even with the
Highland Valley Copper Mill Modernization Project coming
to an end soon for our contractor, Entrec. Sterling has a
number of projects coming up, including work on the power
lines that are running into Merritt.
During the holiday season we
were able to settle contracts with
Cache Creek Machine Shop,
Premium Truck and Trailer Kelowna,
and IRL International Truck Centres
Ltd. in Vernon.
These contracts saw gains for our
members in wages and some pension, benefit and vacation
time increases. We have a number of contracts coming up
again this year, including:
United Rentals (Kamloops and Genelle)
Cummins Western Canada (Provincial Cert)
Grand Forks Ready Mix
Kamloops Augering and Boring
Gable Construction
A-Mark Rentals
R. James Western Star (Kamloops and Kelowna)
On the organizing front we are looking at a number of
companies in the area, from shops to construction contractors;
so if you are out there and working non-union, let us
know who you are, and help us help you organize your group
with the Operating Engineers.
On a final note we request that everyone take a few minutes
to call their local district office and make sure we have all your
most up-to-date information. If you have moved, changed
phone numbers, have a new cell phone that you did not have
before, or have a new certification, we need that information
so that we can place you properly on our dispatch system.
Good luck to everyone in the upcoming year—we will no
doubt see you out there somewhere!
News March 2014 19