Gaining Ground April 2014
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<strong>Gaining</strong> <strong>Ground</strong><br />
Together with your Local Union<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2014</strong><br />
On March 15, <strong>2014</strong>, IUOE Local 115 held its first General Membership Meeting for the year. The meeting<br />
was attended by 158 members and 12 guests, and offered an opportunity for members and supporters of<br />
Local 115 to learn about and get involved in the successes, challenges and plans of our Union.<br />
Business Manager’s Report<br />
Staff Changes<br />
During the March <strong>2014</strong> GMM Business Manager Brian<br />
Cochrane spoke to members about the exciting changes and<br />
initiatives that Local 115 is undergoing to address the challenges<br />
and opportunities which lay ahead during <strong>2014</strong>.<br />
Brother Bryan Railton, Local 115’s newest Organizer, will be<br />
moving to the Kamloops office by the middle of the year to<br />
assist District 3 Business Representative Brad Gerow. Given<br />
Bryan’s many organizing successes in just a few months at the<br />
Burnaby head office, Brother Cochrane has every belief that<br />
Bryan will do great things in his organizing efforts in the region.<br />
Brother Brian Lefebvre, currently the Business Representative<br />
for District 6, has been appointed as Director of<br />
Organizing. Brian will be moving to the Burnaby office in the<br />
coming months to oversee the growing number of exciting<br />
organizing campaigns and initiatives Local 115 has planned.<br />
Brother Cochrane, staff and members bid farewell to<br />
District 2 (Vancouver Island) Business Representative, Brother<br />
Tim Cullen. After 25 years of service, Tim retired at the end of<br />
March <strong>2014</strong>. We wish he and his wife Wanda well in their next<br />
journey through life.<br />
Securing the Future<br />
With the many large infrastructure projects in B.C., Project<br />
Labour Agreements will become critical to ensure growth and<br />
stability for the Union and its membership, and will play a<br />
large part of our organization’s efforts for the coming years.<br />
Dealing with growing public opposition to many of these<br />
large projects, while still trying to establish P.L.A.’s with stakeholders,<br />
has presented some challenges. Local 115 is committed<br />
to engaging with stakeholders in all of B.C.’s proposed infrastructure<br />
projects, such as BC Hydro’s Site C Dam, the<br />
Westshore Terminal expansion, Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain<br />
pipeline, various LNG proposals, and others, to enure<br />
work not only for IUOE members, but all tradespeople across<br />
Canada.<br />
Brother Cochrane commented on how progress with the<br />
renovations of the Burnaby office are on track and on budget.<br />
The move back into the fully updated and modernized building<br />
will help prepare and equip the organization and staff for<br />
even better member service and ongoing growth for future<br />
decades.<br />
Success Stories<br />
Recent successes included; Brother Cochrane’s successful<br />
joint trade mission to China with B.C. Premier Christy Clark<br />
and other labour leaders (to nurture relations and establish a<br />
presence as a preferred labour supplier); the ongoing development<br />
of Local 115’s Northern Training Strategy and related<br />
Aboriginal education efforts; the continued strength of Local<br />
115’s Pension Plan; and successful organizing campaigns<br />
throughout the province which help grow our membership and<br />
market share. Currently, Local 115 has over 11,500 members.<br />
Moving Ahead<br />
Brother Cochrane closed his Business Manager’s address by<br />
reminding members that they are the lifeblood of the Union,<br />
and their involvement and advocacy of Local 115 is what<br />
ensures a better future for all. It is always encouraging to see<br />
new and old faces at every District meeting and GMM.<br />
There are many exciting projects and campaigns that are<br />
currently underway or planned for <strong>2014</strong>, and staff, stewards<br />
and members were thanked for their tireless efforts in ensuring<br />
Local 115 stays a successful course.<br />
<strong>Gaining</strong> <strong>Ground</strong> | The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2014</strong>
Trans Mountain Pipeline Project picks up pace<br />
An update from Christie Libby, Stakeholder Engagement Specialist for Kinder Morgan<br />
Kinder Morgan seeks to clarify project impact<br />
During the General Membership Meeting on March 15, <strong>2014</strong>,<br />
Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Specialist for Kinder<br />
Morgan, Ms. Christie Libby, was given an opportunity to speak to<br />
guests about the Trans Mountain Expansion project.<br />
The proposed twinning of the pipeline will run directly through<br />
Burnaby on its way from Edmonton, and more than double its carrying<br />
capacity on its way to Burnaby’s Westridge tanker terminal.<br />
As the project has recently started to move through its regulatory<br />
approval processes, there has been alarm raised by local social and<br />
environmental groups, but Libby took the opportunity to clarify<br />
many of the claims, myths, and facts surrounding the project.<br />
• The pipeline will transport 890,000 barrels of oil<br />
per day - the equivalent of 1,400 tanker trucks<br />
• 980km of 36” pipeline and 12 new pump stations<br />
need to be built between Edmonton and Burnaby<br />
• TMX projected capital cost is $5.4Bn, with $800M<br />
going towards local businesses<br />
• Burnaby’s Westridge Marine Terminal will need 14<br />
new storage tanks and a new dock complex with<br />
3 tanker berths<br />
TMX aims to put Canadians to work first<br />
While taking questions from the floor, Libby was asked<br />
about Kinder Morgan’s stance on the use of Temporary<br />
Foreign Workers, especially during its peak, when an estimated<br />
4,500 jobs could be created.<br />
Libby stated that, while up to 50% of jobs may rely on<br />
“non-local” labour (sourced outside of B.C., Canada, or<br />
otherwise), Kinder Morgan is committed to “optimizing”<br />
the use of local, provincial, and Canadian workers to receive<br />
the work wherever possible, and currently no deals or plans<br />
are in place to make use of temporary foreign workers.<br />
Libby continued by saying that they are currently working<br />
with local educational institutions and companies, as well as<br />
labour groups such as the IUOE, to train people now to meet<br />
the demand their project will create.<br />
This ties in with Local 115’s ongoing Northern Training<br />
Strategy, which aims to bring training opportunities to local<br />
people within the vicinity of potentially large projects, creating<br />
skilled local resources for companies and contractors.<br />
<strong>Gaining</strong> <strong>Ground</strong> | The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2014</strong>
Above Clockwise: Our youngest member yet; Proud Local 115 colours; Christie Libby from Kinder Morgan shares facts about the Trans Mountain Expansion<br />
Project; Brother Tim Cullen thanks staff and members as he retires after 25 years of Local 115 service; Local 115 President Wayne Mills swears in several new<br />
initiates who have become members over the last 6 months.<br />
60 YEARS 50 YEARS 40 YEARS<br />
2 GENERATIONS:<br />
30 & 10 YEARS<br />
20 YEARS<br />
10 YEARS<br />
30 YEARS<br />
Above: Members receive their long term service awards. See page 4 for a list of service award recipients from the March <strong>2014</strong> General Membership Meeting.<br />
<strong>Gaining</strong> <strong>Ground</strong> | The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2014</strong>
Long Service Awards<br />
The following awards were presented during the GMM of March, <strong>2014</strong><br />
60 Year (Glass Plaque) Alex Murray<br />
50 Year (Watch) Luciano Burtini John Kleine<br />
Cecil Gritchin<br />
Peter Lydnuik<br />
Fred Hahn<br />
Marvin McMartin<br />
Mike Hebert<br />
40 Year (pin) Rory Atchison John Hubert Tony Pedersen<br />
Joseph Bayer Faim Kaljanac Charles Piddocke<br />
Kenneth Berry Alfred McIntyre Alexander Ritchie<br />
Mario Cisotto William McLeod Richard Spaidal<br />
John Davison<br />
Larry Marshall<br />
30 Year (Pin) Joe Backus<br />
20 Year (Pin) Frank Carr David Spindler<br />
Jason Marshall John White<br />
10 Year (Pin) Robyn Bishop James Opper<br />
Jaspal Gill<br />
Dustin Vanstrepen<br />
Harold Haynes John Williams<br />
Pacific Blue Cross<br />
Services Update<br />
Pamela Mills, Account Manager,<br />
Group Client Development from Pacific<br />
Blue Cross (PBC) spoke to the members<br />
about notable changes being made to their<br />
online systems to better serve members.<br />
• From January, a maximum $10<br />
dispensing fee applies, and an 8%<br />
manufacturers fee. A useful resource<br />
to find the best prices on drugs is<br />
www.pharmacycompass<br />
• From March <strong>2014</strong>, access to Special<br />
Authority drugs is restricted pending<br />
PharmaCare approval. The approval<br />
application is made by your doctor,<br />
and the decision letter must be sent to<br />
PBC regardless of the decision.<br />
District Highlights<br />
• Completion of the South Fraser Perimeter Road in December 2013, a<br />
project which provided many hours of work for members<br />
• Agreement reached with Lavalin on the Evergreen Line Project<br />
• Westshore Coal Terminal Expansion stakeholders are working closely<br />
with Local 115 to help with the engagement of public concerns<br />
• Pipeline projects still look set to place a strain on future labour supply,<br />
despite ongoing training and recruitment efforts by many companies,<br />
institutions, and organizations<br />
• The recent Victoria Point Hope Marine/Ralmax Group land swap deal<br />
was an encouraging show of government support for local workers<br />
• Strong relations are being nurtured with BC Hydro to support PLA<br />
negotiations once the projects gets the green light<br />
• First Nations training and partnerships are needed to support growing<br />
work opportunities and resource skill shortages in Northern BC. IUOE<br />
Local 115’s Northern Training Strategy is a proactive initiative to stay<br />
ahead of the large demand curve predicted for the coming decade<br />
• Pacific Blue Cross continues to improve and upgrade their services<br />
and systems, to the satisfaction of members<br />
• The IUOE Local 115 Benefit and Pension Plan is in good shape<br />
• We must not forget that not just B.C. is enjoying large projects - the<br />
growth and skill demand is happening in many other provinces too<br />
• Never forget Labour heroes such as Jack Munroe, for whom a memorial<br />
service was held in January. We need more “Jacks” to stay strong<br />
• Don’t forget about the IUOE Local 115 Training Association’s annual<br />
Open House & Heavy Equipment Rodeo on June 21, <strong>2014</strong>!<br />
• New PBC member cards now show<br />
the Policy, ID, and the main member’s<br />
name, with dependent names<br />
removed (old cards will still work).<br />
The new cards will be issued soon, and<br />
are also available to download/print<br />
from CARESnet at www.caresnet.ca<br />
• “ACES” is PBC’s new online member<br />
service portal. The new platform<br />
allows members to better view and<br />
administer their account details and<br />
claims, look up and confirm drug<br />
information and coverage details,<br />
subscribe to newsletters and alerts,<br />
and many other valuable features.<br />
• “Blue Advantage” is a Point-of-Sale<br />
national savings and member benefits<br />
program IUOE members now<br />
have access to. To learn more go to<br />
www.blueadvantage.ca<br />
Please visit www.iuoe115.com for the latest news, events, and picture galleries from our meetings and events.<br />
<strong>Gaining</strong> <strong>Ground</strong> | The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115<br />
-<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2014</strong>