Operating Engineer - Fall 2014

Canadian News
Hundreds Gather to Celebrate Complete Renovation of
IUOE Local 115 Headquarters
Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario
Recognized for Excellence
IT WAS A DAY OF CELEBRATING achievement as IUOE
Local 115 (British Columbia, Canada) opened the doors to
hundreds of active and retired members to see the sparkling
renovation of its 43-year-old headquarters building.
Business Manager Brian Cochrane welcomed General
President James T. Callahan, members, guests and especially
some of the Local’s former officers involved in the decision
to construct a new office back in 1971, relocating from
Vancouver city to the site of a plant nursery in then sparsely
populated Burnaby.
“This building underscores the success of
Local 115. It gives everyone a sense of
home and history.”
- General President James T. Callahan
“We moved from Vancouver to the sticks, as Burnaby was
seen then. 43 years later we got some prime real estate as a
result!” Cochrane told the crowd on September 20, 2014 at
IUOE Local 115’s General Membership Meeting.
But now with extensive renovations to a building used
[above] L to R: Brian Lefebvre, Recording Secretary; Wayne Mills,
President; Brian Cochrane, Business Manager; James T. Callahan,
General President; Brad Randall, Vice President, Frank Carr,
Treasurer; and Don Swerdan, Financial Secretary.
[photo] IUOE Local 115
not just by the Local, but the entire
BC labour movement, Cochrane
remarked that it will serve well for
decades to come.
“We took a building with a 43-
year history and updated it for the
next 40 years,” he said.
Cochrane and Callahan paid
tribute to past Business Managers
Mike Parr and the late Fred Randall,
who were among those responsible
for the decision to purchase a large
plot of land for just $35,000 to
build the office, on land now worth
millions.
“It’s great to see the tribute to the
older members who put their skin
on the line for the local,” Callahan
said.
Callahan, Cochrane and IUOE
115’s Table Officers participated
in lowering a time capsule into
the ground in front of the newly
renovated building with a miniature crane.
Former Local 115 President Tony Tennessy, a 50-year
member, said of the building: “There’s a lot of history here.”
And former Business Manager Gary Kroeker noted: “This
has been the hub of the wheel of the Operating Engineers.
This was the magnet.”
Cochrane said with the renovations complete, the union
is ready to make more history as British Columbia gears up
for several major construction projects that will depend on
the skills of the Local’s membership.
“Now we’re ready for another big step forward in our
Local’s long record of success – with a new, modern and very
functional office we can serve the members better than ever
as we plan for growth,” Cochrane explains. “We’ve combined
an amazing history with the foundation for a great future.”
THE OPERATING ENGINEERS Training Institute of
Ontario has been recognized by the International Foundation
of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) for excellence in training
and apprenticeship programs.
At a conference on Aug. 11, the IFEBP presented IUOE
VP and Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher, OETIO
executive director Harold McBride, and officers of the union
with the 2014 Excellence in Apprenticeship and Training
Award for the success of the Hoisting Engineer: 339A Branch
1 Mobile Crane
Apprenticeship
Program.
The presentation
was made at the 47th
Annual Canadian
Employee Benefits
Conference in
Calgary, Alberta. The
award is presented
every two years
to training and
apprenticeship
programs with
exceptional overall
structure, including
recruitment,
retention and
instructor training.
Gallagher said the
union and training
centre are honoured to receive the award.
The union and training centre were nominated for the
award by the Crane Rental Association of Ontario.
“This is verification that we are on the right track
when it comes to training crane apprentices,” Gallagher
said. “Training trustees and staff at the OETIO are to be
commended.”
Michael Wilson, CEO of the IFEBP, said in a statement that
the success of the program is undeniable.
“The crane operator’s program is quite innovative and
can serve as a model for other training and apprenticeship
programs facing recruitment challenges,” he said.
After a study verified that there was a skills gap due
to generational shifts, the OETIO began ramping up its
apprenticeship programs. The recruitment efforts involved
educating employers on the value of apprentices and using
mentors to help retain and engage apprentices.
In terms of instruction, the OETIO began placing an
emphasis on technique as well as the technical aspects of the
training.
A unique aspect of the program was the recruitment of
Aboriginal apprentices. About 800 Aboriginals have been
trained in heavy equipment and crane operations at the
OETIO over the past eight years.
The IFEBP provides education on employee benefits,
compensation and financial literacy to Canadian and
American workplaces.
[above] L to R : Ron Hillis, Local 793 executive board; Alex Law, Local
793 treasurer; Ray Goodfellow, director of business development
at Mammoet Canada Eastern Ltd., management trustee on the
Local 793 Training Trust Fund, and president of the Crane Rental
Association of Ontario; Bob Turpin, Local 793 executive board;
Harold McBride, OETIO executive director; Bryan Zoran, IFEBP; Joe
Redshaw, Local 793 president; Mike Gallagher, Local 793 business
manager and International Vice President; and David Turple, Local
793 executive board.
[photo] IUOE Local 793
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INTERNATIONAL OPERATING ENGINEER
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