IUOE News December 2014

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District Five Oil and gas industry keeping things busy in the Northeast Mike Spiruda, Business Representative 2014 has been a very good year for members working in the Northeast. The oil and gas industry has provided many hours of employment supporting the drilling industry, plant construction and turnarounds at various processing facilities. Many members have been busy with the Chetwynd to Dawson Creek power line upgrade project with IDL Projects for B.C Hydro. Dawson Construction has gone steady all season with various utility and water-sewer projects. On October 14th, the Environmental Ministries of both the Federal and Provincial governments issued the long awaited Environmental Assessment Certificates along with 80 conditions for the proposed $8 Billion Site C dam. It will take some time yet before the provincial government decides whether or not to go ahead with the project. TIPS FOR BETTER PIX • Outdoor posed and action shots are great. • Watch for the flare that can be reflected on safety vests. Also, look out for hard hats that can throw harsh shadows on faces. • Try to get an IUOE logo in there! • With group photos, have people arranged in a semicircle rather than a straight line. • To avoid harsh shadows, move people a step or two away from back walls. • Please use and send high resolution images. Energy & Mines Minister Bill Bennett has since said that Site C is only 1 of 3 options the government is considering to recommend to provide new electrical power. They are also looking at a combination of renewable sources such as independent power producers, natural gas generation, wind power and run of river projects. It seems the provincial government must also negotiate with other stakeholders as well before proceeding. On October 21st, the provincial government finally announced their Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Tax plan that the major players have been patiently waiting for to enable them to make final investment decisions. The LNG industry has gotten very competitive around the globe this past year so hopefully the new tax structure will be enough to encourage a couple of companies involved to spend the billions of dollars required to build the LNG facilities and related pipelines. Petronas (Progress Energy) seem to be the current frontrunner with their Pacific Northwest LNG project. We should hear of a final investment decision from them late this year or the first quarter of 2015. I would like to thank all of the Stewards for a job well done in 2014 and wish the Best of the Holiday Season to all. The LNG industry has gotten very competitive around the globe We want your photos! If you have a fond memory to share, a recent shot which shows off your skills, or just want your crew shown off in the magazine, send us your pictures for the next OE News! Digital Images • Please use the highest quality settings on your camera, phone or device when taking photos. • You can upload your images at: www.iuoe115.com/media/ submit or email them to media@iuoe115.com • You can also send CDs or USB drives of photos to our office address. Don’t worry, we’ll get them back to you! • If you swing by your local office or meeting, you can bring your pictures with you and ask that we quickly download them. • Always provide the location, date, name of person(s) in the photos, and a description of what is taking place. Printed Photos If you have printed photos, they will be returned. These can be sent to: Lynda Arland, Manager, Administration & Special Projects, IUOE Local 115 4333 Ledger Avenue, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 3T3. 16 News December 2014
If you have questions, make sure you ask a real union member Rob Foskett, Business Representative As we come to a close in 2014, I would like to touch on the various contract negotiations I have been working on this year. In the West Kootenays, Columbia River Reload is due for a renewed agreement, and after some issues, we are presently scheduling bargaining dates to meet with them down on the coast. Castlegar/Trail/Nelson Ready Mix negotiations began in early November, and seem to be moving along well. New Denver Public Works bargaining has been a true test as of late. We have presently involved the Labour Relations Board to mediate an agreement, as it would seem we have reached an impasse in negotiations. It was going very well until we had a change in Administration for the Village, and then went off on a very rough road. We could have used some of our Selkirk Paving members’ skills to smooth out this path, but in any case, we hope to reach an agreement soon. In the East Kootenays, our membership at Maxam Bulk Systems are coming to the end of their Collective Agreement at the end of the year, and Pre-Bargaining proposals have gone District Six out to the membership for their ideas on what is needed in the agreement. Many, many language changes are needed, and this is possibly the top of the heap for proposals to negotiate. With the Line Creek Mine in the Elk Valley, we have had some marathon sessions resulting in quite a lot of “Intent Clarifications” within new and altered language in the Collective Agreement. It would seem that “Walk us through this, so we all understand exactly what it means” can be a big help for not only right now, but if need be in the future. Pages and pages of notes revolving around one single article of the agreement clarify any and all misunderstandings as to what an article means. This alone should prevent quite a few Arbitrations in the future. We recently had numerous voting sessions to catch as many of the membership as possible, and they showed us that the Line Creek membership is a group made up of Solidarity!!! This is exactly what we wanted to see. In addition, I want to stress a VERY IMPORTANT message for the Line Creek gang!! It is, and I cannot stress this enough, extremely important that if you have any questions regarding anything to do with your collective agreement, or of a Union matter of any sort, that you either speak to an active Council Member, Shop Steward, Safety Rep, or Business Rep for the correct information. Don’t let someone tell you that you are not entitled to something, which you very well could be. Check with someone from the Union to be sure!! In closing, from my family to yours, I want to wish you and yours happy holidays, and a safe and very prosperous New Year!! Taking Plug out at the Waneta Expansion Project in Waneta BC. Photos courtesy of Brother Larry Madrigga. News December 2014 17
Page 1 and 2: News SHAPING THE FUTURE Securing fu
Page 3 and 4: We must invest time and work now to
Page 5 and 6: They told the crowd how they wanted
Page 7 and 8: We need to organize, and identify u
Page 9 and 10: Offering support to our Tumbler Rid
Page 11 and 12: Sledgehammers and security guards s
Page 13 and 14: Are you Ready to Lead, Ready to Fol
Page 15 and 16: District Two Brothers Steele Gorosh
Page 17: Hoping for some big projects to bec
Page 21 and 22: Courses starting up for another yea
Page 23 and 24: Training Association Report Mobile
Page 25 and 26: Training Association Report Mobile
Page 27 and 28: fracking process needed to remove n
Page 29 and 30: Membership Service Awards August 20
Page 31 and 32: Member Service Awards OUR 50-YEAR M
Page 41 and 42: Member Recognition Member Service A
Page 43 and 44: Contact Details Local 115 District

IUOE News December 2014

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