IUOE News February 2015

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District One Taking a look at what 2015 will bring us Craig McIntosh, Business Representative Cheaper gas. Who would have thought gas in Vancouver would drop from $1.54 a litre last June to $1.03 as I write this? Low gas prices are great for consumers, but Alberta and all the skilled tradespeople working in the oil patch don’t like it when a barrel of oil goes below $50 down from $105 last July. Many of the proposed oil sand projects have been put on hold. Tradespeople are being laid off as the cost of producing oil from the oil sands is more expensive than traditional drilling. When tradespeople get laid off they chase the work, and a lot of Alberta tradespeople may be looking for work outside the province for the first time in many years. The province of Alberta has put new contracts on hold and has instituted a hiring freeze due to budget issues associated with the declining oil prices. Alberta has also decided not to exercise the option to extend a firefighting contract with Conair to supply 6 Fireboss air tankers and a bird dog plane. This will affect seven Local 115 members who are pilots at Conair. A lot of Alberta tradespeople may be looking for work outside the province for the first time in many years. Site C Dam In December the BC government gave the green light for the Site C Dam in Fort St. John. BC Hydro say it is hoping construction can start in July. That is optimistic, given how many legal challenges have been filed with the courts. The lawyers for the landowners and affected First Nations are set to fight. The court decisions will likely not be completed before July. Transit Plebiscite In March you will be mailed the Metro Vancouver Transit Plebiscite Vote. The mail-in ballot question will ask whether you support a 0.5 percent PST hike to help fund a Broadway Skytrain extension in Vancouver, light rail in Surrey and a new Pattullo Bridge. This will receive a lot of media attention over the next few months. The “no” side will say Translink doesn’t manage transportation in the Lower Mainland very well at all, and they don’t deserve any more money. The “yes” side will say hold your nose and vote for the tax hike because population and congestion continue to grow in the Lower Mainland. These major projects do create a lot of jobs for Operating Engineers, and if the vote is “no” it will delay these projects for years while we talk about how to fund them. 2015 will bring more protests against major projects such as Site C, LNG, pipelines and the transit vote. The challenge this year will be finding work for our skilled tradespeople. You hear lots of talk about a possible shortage of skilled tradespeople, but it’s hard to know if there will be enough work to employ them. Bentall Commemoration Each year on January 7th the Building Trades meet at a memorial by the Burrard Street Skytrain Station to remember the four carpenters who died in 1981 when their flyform broke away from the 36th floor of the Bentall Tower IV. It is a sobering reminder at the beginning of the year of the dangers of construction work. Some of the carpenters’ families attend each year and talk about how their lives changed when their loved ones went to work that day and never came home. Work Safe. IUOE LOCAL 115 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING NOTICE Saturday March 21 9:30am The OE Hall in Burnaby, 4333 Ledger Avenue 4 News March 2015
It’s important to keep big projects like Site C built by skilled workers Everett Cummings, Business Representative Eurova There are quite a few things in full swing. Eurova (the parent company of BA Blacktop and Martens Asphalt) purchased Imperial Paving some time ago. The companies will be into one building for office space and the mechanical shop in March. The new location for all three companies will be in Port Kells at the old Volvo Truck location. This location will be central for all companies for commuting to the plants instead of spanning five locations across the Lower Mainland, from North Vancouver to Chilliwack. This will also provide highway access to get to With no other large paving projects like South Fraser Perimeter road and Highway 1 on the books it’s looking to be slower for 2015. job sites via Highway 1 and the South Fraser Perimeter road. Imperial Paving’s plant in Aldergrove and BA Blacktop’s shops are running winter maintenance, which is providing a lot of work for our paving industry members who would usually be experiencing a slow time in these winter months. After these plants are completed, Imperial Paving’s River Road plant in Delta will be shut down for maintenance. BA Blacktop will be completing the Highway 1 paving project in the Spring, which resulted in many man hours for District One our members. With no other large paving projects like South Fraser Perimeter road and Highway 1 on the books it’s looking to be slower for 2015. Taplow Feeds Bargaining with Taplow Feeds will be under way in the Spring. Located in Chilliwack, Taplow Feeds is a pet food feed mill that produces dog and cat food with a high fish meal quality product. International Crushing Contractors International Crushing Contractors agreement will be coming up for renewal; they are a blasting company that works out of our signatory gravel pit mines. On another note, the membership needs to do their part to get some big projects moving forward. You need to start contacting your government officials to let them know you support projects such as Site C Dam. This project is the largest in B.C. history, and would create a lot of man hours of work for years to come. All previous dams have been under the Allied Hydro Agreement and you need to be vocal so this doesn’t continue to happen. Open site with union, non-union, or other union is not the way to go. Help to ensure the higher paid jobs go to the skilled workers, not to the cut-rate contractors. The more voices that speak up, the more it helps keep these projects built by trained skilled workers who have gone through apprenticeships or certified training courses. If you want to contact the government but are unsure how, get in touch with your Business Representative and they will provide you with the information. Work Safe! Brother Ray Degiusti who is a Heavy Duty Mechanic at Wajax, also volunteers as a Fire Fighter for the Township of Langley. News March 2015 5
Page 1 and 2: News Instilling pride and activism
Page 3 and 4: Delays could provide breathing room
Page 5: Looks like a rocky ride, but we hav
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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