IUOE News February 2015

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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 E. Mills Vice-President Brad Randall Recording Secretary Brian Lefebvre Financial Secretary Don Swerdan Treasurer Frank Carr Guard Everett Cummings Conductor Doug Fisher Trustees Brett Chapman Curtis Wright Auditors Chip Dhaliwal Goretti Guilbault Craig McIntosh District Executive Board 1 - Al Cooper 2 - Curtis Harold 3 - Brad Gerow 4 - Herb Conat 5 - Mike Spiruda 6 - Rob Foskett Publication Committee Brian Cochrane Wayne Mills Lynda Arland Don Swerdan Editorial Services Jen Rasmussen, COPE 378 Design and Layout www.workingdesign.net 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 Contents ON THE COVER As part of Local 115’s Membership Engagement Strategy, January 13th’s District 3 Meeting in Kelowna saw one of the largest turnouts in history for that area. Pictured are Business Manager Brother Brian Cochrane and District 3 Organizer Brother Bryan Railton in front of our members. Business Manager Delays could provide breathing room for training and preparation................................................ 1 President Looks like a rocky ride, but we have hope for the future................................................................. 3 District 1 Taking a look at what 2015 will bring us........................................................................................ 4 It’s important to keep big projects like Site C built by skilled workers.............................................. 5 Operating Engineers have a role to play in future of construction................................................... 6 Talking to employees of non union companies is key .................................................................. 9 Some project updates and labour union activities ...................................................................... 10 Declining economy a challenge for jobs and bargaining.............................................................. 11 Our bargaining committees have been standing strong ............................................................. 12 Union Organizing Why organizing is important to expand our market share............................................................ 13 Dispatch LNG projects going on back burner due to oil prices................................................................... 14 District 2 Members need to voice our concerns to government.................................................................. 15 District 3 Take this time to focus on union density and work share for future............................................... 16 District 4 Northern ingenuity will help us survive coal downturn................................................................ 18 District 5 Site C Dam project begins 18 month preparation phase ............................................................. 19 District 6 If you have questions, make sure you ask a real union member.................................................... 20 Benefits Plan Benefits Plan 2014 Year in Review............................................................................................... 21 Training Association Report Training Association busy providing upgrading around the Province........................................... 23 News IUOE shows its heart.................................................................................................................... 7 New Red Seal Apprentice Initiative announced by Federal Government ........................................ 8 OE member for 57 years .............................................................................................................. 8 AN IUOE Member has some straight talk for his MP..................................................................... 11 Construction industry discussed with Liberal Leader................................................................... 17 Remembering four who died on the job..................................................................................... 21 Regular Features Remembering our members...................................................................................................... 30 Honouring our members........................................................................................................... 31 Scholarships awarded................................................................................................................ 33 New Local 115 members............................................................................................................ 34 Membership Service Awards...................................................................................................... 35 Pensions Awarded..................................................................................................................... 36 Local 115 District Offices............................................................................................................ 37 Meeting Notices........................................................................................................................ 37
Delays could provide breathing room for training and preparation Business Manager Brian Cochrane, Business Manager For most of us, the thought of seeing the price of oil below $50 per barrel or gas at under a $1 per litre ever again in our lifetime seemed pretty farfetched. While it is a big benefit for us as consumers, unfortunately it has certainly changed the timelines for many of the large scale projects in BC. Many of the big oil and gas giants are quickly trying to shut down planned development and are throwing the switches off to preserve cash flow. This will no doubt continue to cause some delay in the final investment decisions for the Proposed LNG work. Depending on which analyst you read, we could be in for a 12 - 18 month correction before things stabilize again. On the positive side, this will soften some of the critical labour shortage issues that we were facing for some trades, and will provide a little breathing room for training and to prepare for the future demand. How long it takes is still unclear, there has been significant investment in LNG, and this opportunity will eventually come on stream, however the green light is probably a few months away. We will continue to stay on top of these developments closely and report out details in future OE News, as I have been appointed to the Premier’s LNG Advisory Council. Site C On December 16th BC Hydro announced the approval of the Site C Dam project, which is scheduled to begin construction in the summer of this year. While there will no doubt be some roadblocks along the way, this project will create 10,000 person-years of direct employment during construction, and approximately 33,000 total person-years of employment through all stages of development. This Project was not covered under the Allied Hydro Council Agreement which would ensure that it would be a Building Trades Project, so we have been meeting with BC Hydro, and Government officials to explain the benefits of extending the Agreement to cover the entire scope of the job. We are continuing to meet with all senior leaders involved to explain the benefits that a Project Labour Agreement (PLA) would provide to one of the largest public projects we will see in our lifetime. The most recent Project Labour Agreement for large Hydro work is the John Hart Dam upgrade in Campbell River. This upgrade is worth over one billion dollars, and the consortium realized the benefits of a Project Labour Agreement, employing skilled Operating Engineers. It would only make sense for Hydro to see the value in a PLA for a project with 8 times the cost! Pipeline Campaign At a recent meeting with the major OE Pipeline Locals across the Country it was agreed that we must work more aggressively and collectively to support the industry in the eyes of the public. Pipelines are the safest, most reliable and cost effective way to move our natural resources and the industry has been under intense scrutiny over the last several years. It was decided that it is time that we increase the volume on behalf of our membership and the sector. Some of the environmentalists don’t seem to understand that moving product by rail or truck creates both more risk and cost. However, compared to pipelines there is little regulation or public debate on this method of transport and it will become a default position if pipelines aren’t approved. There will be more on this in the months ahead as we develop a plan to get the message out. Some of the environmentalists don’t seem to understand that moving product by rail or truck creates both more risk and cost. Federal Election 2015 is a Federal Election Year, and we have been meeting with all parties to make sure that the interests of Operating Engineers are heard. The new Federal Government Apprentice Loan was announced in January, and will allow Apprentices registered in Red Seal Trades the opportunity to apply for loans up to $4,000 per year. This is long overdue, giving apprentices additional support to complete their trades training. continued on next page News March 2015 1
Page 1: News Instilling pride and activism
Page 5 and 6: Looks like a rocky ride, but we hav
Page 7 and 8: It’s important to keep big projec
Page 9 and 10: District One to 2018. Conditions re
Page 11 and 12: Talking to employees of non union c
Page 13 and 14: Declining economy a challenge for j
Page 15 and 16: Why organizing is important to expa
Page 17 and 18: Members need to voice our concerns
Page 19 and 20: BC BUILDING TRADES EXECUTIVE MEET W
Page 21 and 22: Site C Dam project begins 18 month
Page 23 and 24: Benefits and Pension Plan Report Be
Page 25 and 26: Training Association busy providing
Page 27 and 28: Training Association Report Crane C
Page 29 and 30: Training Association Report Brother
Page 31 and 32: Training Association Report Brother
Page 33 and 34: - Brother Lloyd Jones is being cong
Page 35 and 36: Membership Service Awards OUR 40-YE
Page 37 and 38: Member Recognition Membership Servi
Page 39 and 40: Contact Details Local 115 District

IUOE News February 2015

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