IUOE News December 2014

District Three
Lots of work means
lots of organizing
opportunities
Brad Gerow, Business Representative
Bryan Railton, Organizer
Gerow
Well Brothers and Sisters, it is the end of another construction
season and winter is now upon us.
2014 has been another busy year in District 3. During the
season, we have seen the majority of hours coming in from
our paving and crushing contractors. This year we have seen
Dawson, Emil Anderson, Westlake Paving, Vernon Paving
and B.A. Dawson Blacktop picking up a number of paving
projects in the District and keeping the crews busy right
through to the end of the season.
Emil Anderson has been busy in Kelowna with the Sneena
Road project, in Westbank on Highway 97, as well as work on
Westside Road. 672462 BC Ltd had
a very busy year with the two
highway projects east of Kamloops;
these are both twinning the Trans
Canada Hwy. The next section east
of this work, Phase 2 of Hoffman’s Bluff, has been put out for
tender and we are currently waiting for it to close and see who
it is awarded to. Utility work has been busy in the area, with
Conex and CGL picking up a great deal of this work over the
year.
Work at Mica Dam is slowing down with the cement plant
taken out this fall, leaving just a couple of crane operators to
do the lifts for the last phases of the project.
Sterling Crane has had a busy season with shut-downs and
taxi work in the area.
The shops in the area have been keeping very busy this
year. The resource industry that we rely on in this Province is
strong and keeps our members working. We are currently
involved in and have completed bargaining for:
• RJames Western Star Kamloops and Kelowna • Cummins
Western Canada • Grand Forks Sand and Gavel • Kamloops
Augering and Boring • District 3 Road Building Agreement
We are currently working on a new project with the membership,
known as the “Strategy Team” that is serving as another
avenue of membership engagement. These meetings are held
on off days, usually on a weekend, and are meant to be informal
talks about issues we face as workers every day and how we can
collectively seek solutions.
Railton
We must educate our friends
and neighbors on the benefits
of the labour movement.
Currently we are focused around
the Road Building Indus try and the
upcoming negotiations; however we
are opening them up to all members
and non-members as well. The goal
here is to work with our membership
so we can activate and better educate
the general work force on a greater
scale, on a variety of issues that face
the Local Union and the industries we
represent.
We will be setting meeting dates all through the winter, so
if you would like to get involved or you have any question,
please do not hesitate to contact us.
On the Organizing front, we are quickly approaching the
commonly known “raid season” for your Local Union.
Whether we are dealing with CLAC or some other form of
“pretender”, the winter months are usually the most common
time of year when workers can decide to join a Real Trade
Union.
Of course they love to line it up in the slowest time of year,
where workers are less likely to consider such a decision.
However, with combined actions with our
membership, our hope is to reach out to as
many of these workers as possible and re-establish
relationships.
Focusing on that message, we would like to
stress the importance of collective action. There is so much
more to being an Operating Engineer than allowing you to
work for signatory contractors and shops.
We must be leaders in our industries. We must educate our
friends and neighbors on the benefits of the labour movement
because at the end of the day, the division between non-union
and union is our greatest weakness.
It’s not just the wages, benefits or pension plans, but pushing
for higher standards of working conditions as a whole, as
working people. If we do not, then we cannot rely on corporations
or government to do it for us. When we work together,
there is very little that can stop us. However when we are
divided, that’s when we become victims.
So we would challenge you to take that minute to talk to
your friend working non-union, stop by that non-union job
just down from your house and work with your Local Union
to organize together. Every contractor and every shop that
joins means one more job that can be filled with an Operating
Engineer and one less contractor undermining the working
conditions established by our forefathers.
Finally, with Christmas right around the corner, we would
like to take a minute and wish everyone a very safe and Merry
Christmas and Happy Holidays on behalf of Brad, Bryan and
Sherry.
14 News December 2014