Up
To Date With The Business Rep./Financial
Secretary
Edward C. Morgan - Bus. Rep./Fin. Sec.
mailto: brmorgan@iueclocal4.com
Brothers and Sisters
As I write this article there are roughly 70 Local 4
members looking for work and rumors of more layoffs this week. While it
looks like Otis will pick up in July, it won’t be nearly enough to empty the
bench. So as we head into summer, let’s look at a few things we all could do
to help.
1-
Take your earned vacation. We are probably the only construction
trade that receives vacation time. These checks in January and July are not
bonus checks; they are for each member to take his/her 3 or 4 weeks of
earned vacation per year. Labor Day will be a lot sooner than we think and
before you know it, winter will be bearing down on us again. Don’t be
kicking yourself in September because summer got away and you found yourself
working instead of enjoying time off with your family. Some companies,
especially Otis, will find their construction jobs going on 6-tens or even
7-twelves. While some of these jobs have deadlines to be met, that shouldn’t
prevent us from taking vacation. I’m sure there are plenty of members who
would love to fill in for a week or two. If everybody in Local 4 took two of
their 4 weeks this summer, that’s 80,000 hours that would have to be worked
by fill-in employees or at least have to be worked later. While I’m not
naive enough to think that everyone will take two weeks off, or even that
each company will hire someone to fill-in, these vacation hours may put a
few back to work or at least delay any future layoffs for a while.
2-
Work according to the Standard Agreement. If everybody worked
according to the work rules established in our collective bargaining
agreement, we would be working on a level playing field, not racing to the
bottom while trying to make ourselves look better to our supervisor. Take
apart any pre-fab, cut off pre-grooved pipe ends, install your cab floor,
hoist your equipment up the shaft. All of these examples are our work and we
will not give any of it out just to make our job time look better.
3-
Work safe. If you need a second crew to move material, hoist, or work
the job safely, ask for one. If it’s a safety issue, not one company should
deny that request.
Hopefully the job outlook will improve in the coming
weeks, but if it doesn’t, there is work available in other Locals for anyone
willing to travel. If you are out of work and willing to travel, call me at
the Hall.
One more thing regarding vacation checks, save your
vacation pay stub, it will make it a lot easier to verify proper vacation
pay at the end of the year.
Enjoy your summer
Ed Morgan |
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DON’T FORGET YOUR
MECHANIC OR HELPER!
Sweatshirts,
T-Shirts, Fleeces, Sharp Hats and Hooded Sweatshirts on sale at the hall.
Great gifts for everyone.
Just call Debbie at the Hall.
I see members at the union meetings wearing Local 4’s
haberdashery. They look
awesome! A thanks goes out to
Ed Sampson for taking orders, selling his wears at the union meetings and,
of course, for being organized and keeping track of business.
Thanks Brother. You
keep everyone looking impressive!
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Just
a Reminder...
All members who are out of work should call the
union hall once you return to work so that we are in turn able to notify
the Benefit Plan.
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| MASSACHUSETTS
STATE ELEVATOR INSPECTORS NEEDED.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING AN ELEVATOR INSPECTOR
FOR THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS? THERE IS A NEED RIGHT NOW IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY FOR ADDITIONAL INSPECTORS.
Have you been thinking about retirement, but don't
want to sit at home with nothing to do? You may be on the edge,
thinking that you may not be as well off as you had planned at this time
in your life. Would you be interested in the following?
1. Full or part-time employment.
2. Salary is approximately $37,000
per year (full-time). Pay raises given on a yearly basis.
3. Veteran's preference, a copy of
your DD 214 (release from active military duty) required with specific
duty dates.
4. The application and testing fee
may be waived for applicants receiving certain types of state of federal
public assistance, unemployment insurance or workers' compensation.
5. Does not affect your NEI
Pension. "A person who is working solely as an elevator
inspector and performs no work of the type, which is Covered Employment
under the Plan, shall not be deemed to be employed in the elevator
industry and will not have his/her pension suspended, regardless of the
number of hours he/she is employed as an elevator inspector."
6. Possible office locations to
work out of include Boston, Tewksbury, Taunton and Springfield.
The Department of Public Safety needs
inspectors with experience in the elevator industry. We know you
have the experience, YOU KNOW YOU HAVE THE EXPERIENCE and the DPS knows it
as well. If you have any questions, please call the Union Office and
speak to Mike, or call The Department of Public Safety, directly at (617)
727-3200.
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News
From The Business Representative
Steven Morse-Bus Rep.
mailto:
smorse@iueclocal4.com
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Good Evening Brothers and Sisters;
Summer has finally arrived
but unfortunately the jobs have not. I have just returned from vacation
hoping to see that some of the mechanics had been picked up but instead
I see we have added to the list and also added some apprentices.
The up coming presidential
election is going to be the most important election we have had for
sometime. We (organized Labor), you and I cannot withstand 4 more years
of republican appointments and cutbacks. As I stated earlier I just
returned from vacation in Canada. Would we ever think there would come a
day when Canada would refuse American currency? That’s right. They would
not accept the great American Dollar at a number of establishments. The
Canadian Dollar has always been worth a little less than the US dollar
as long as I can remember, but when we crossed the border the exchange
rate was 1.06 US to 1.00 Canadian. If you voted republican because you
think taxes are too high next time you are out for a ride and the road
you’re driving on is in the worst shape it has been in since you
remember or your property taxes are going up every year with no relief
but you voted republican in the 2004 election, give yourself a pat on
the back (or better yet a kick in the _ _ _). Local municipalities have
to raise taxes to maintain what they have lost from the Federal and
State governments in aid and grants. Democrats may raise taxes but those
taxes do create jobs. The recession that President Bush says we are not
in is the reason we have 54 mechanics and 16 apprentices on the bench.
It is also the reason Canada wouldn’t take my money. Big oil companies,
Big banks, Large corporations are still getting fat from the middle
class but the middle class isn’t getting anything in return except their
houses foreclosed on or their cars repossessed when their jobs get
outsourced.
I saw a report on the news this weekend that 60% of
the jobs typically taken by teenagers in the summer are now being filled
with early retirees and employees whose jobs have moved overseas or to
Mexico. So now we will have another generation out of work.
As an avid hunter and gun owner I believe in the
second amendment and will fight for its survival, but as a registered
democrat I will also need to fight for our survival as middleclass
America. We are becoming a country of the have’s and the have not’s. As
Union members we are in the middle but if we elect another republican in
the White house for 4 more years we will be the have not’s.
November may seem like a
long way off but if we don’t get proactive now we may be too late. Tell
your family, friends, and neighbors how important this election is to
your lively hood and if you don’t believe it ask the 70 unemployed
members of Local 4 if the recession we are not in has affected them.
Work
Safe/ See you at the meetings
Steve
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A REMINDER TO STUDENTS:
The end of the school year is coming up.
Please be sure that you are up to date with your unit exams and have
completed all necessary make ups. If this is not done before June
30th, you will not receive credit for the year. |
WELDING SCHOOL
NEIEP has approved a maximum reimbursement
of $500.00 per student upon completion of Welding School. We are able
to offer the following:
-
7-9 weeks of welding school
-
Guaranteed Lifetime Certificate issued by AWS
-
All equipment supplied (helmet, jacket, gloves, books,
etc.)
-
They are yours to keep.
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American Welding Society membership (a must)
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Required AWS eye test
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Classes at the Plumber's Hall -
Local 12
With all the Hydro Jack replacement work projected for the
next few years, your welding skills will be in demand throughout the
industry. Please contact Jessica at the Hall, if you are interested in
signing up for the course for the 2008-2009 School year.
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STATE LICENSE EXAM
The next
Massachusetts Elevator Constructors' State License Exam will be held on
Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 9:00AM at One Ashburton Place, Boston.
If you have sent in your application and payment, but not heard from the
State, you need to call the Department of Public Safety at 617-727-3200,
ext. 25220.
The next
Review Class for the State License Exam will be held at 50 Park Street,
Dorchester, MA on Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 5:00PM. Instructor
and Business Rep./Financial Sec. Edward Morgan, will be there to assist
you.
We wish Good
Luck to all those taking it.
MTRS
MTRS
is for Mechanic's only...
The Following Courses are available for this
Fall for the 2008-2009 School year:
DC Motors & Generators
In this course you will learn about suicide
circuits, communication, testing fields, in-depth understanding of DC
hoist motor control, and much more.
Hydraulic Controller Theory
In this course you will learn about the Five
Step Troubleshooting Model and consistent meter reading techniques.
A minimum of 10 mechanics are needed to start a
class.
To sign up, please call Jessica at the Union
Hall.
FLOORING CLASS
Flooring Classes will be held this Fall and
throughout the 2008-2009 school year. Material covered in this
course will range from carpet to marble. Classes run 6-7 weeks and
there is a limit of 10 students per class. To sign up please
contact Jessica at the Union Hall.
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A
College Degree is Closer than You Think
Innovative
Internet-based Program Offers Apprentices and
Journeypersons
an
Opportunity
to Earn an A.A.S. Degree
Attention
Apprentices and Journeypersons:
Under
an innovative program, apprentices and journeypersons can now earn an Ivy
Tech
State
College
degree by enrolling in Internet-delivered general education courses.
Under
this unique program, apprentices enrolled in joint apprenticeship training
programs can
earn
an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degree. The opportunity also
exists for
journeypersons,
who can earn a two-year degree by enrolling in as little as 5 courses to
earn
residency
status. And for those who wish to proceed further in higher education,
students can
transfer
their degrees to the George Meany -
National
Labor
College
and ultimately earn a fouryear
degree.
For
More Information. To learn more
about the degree requirements and other information,
you
can access the Ivy Tech’s web site: http://www.ivytech.edu/apprentice/
or you can call
Teresa
Hess at 317-921-4373.
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REMINDERS:
Switching Companies:
There is a lot of movement from company to
company. In the interest of maintaining an efficient system of
production in the industry, providing for an orderly procedure of
employment under Article XXII of the Standard Agreement. YOU MUST
COME THROUGH THE HALL, BEFORE ANY MOVEMENT FROM COMPANY TO COMPANY.
IT WOULD BE A SHAME, IF YOU HAD RO BE DETAINED FROM EMPLOYMENT, UNTIL THE
MATTER IS CLEARED UP.
THANK YOU FOR THE COURTESY CALL!
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APPRENTICESHIP
The Local 4 NEIEP/JAC Apprentice
program is designed to provide each apprentice with the classroom
experience and on-the job training necessary to advance to the position of
Elevator Mechanic. Strict adherence to the State of Mass. policies
directing the program by the Apprentice and our local Joint Apprenticeship
Committee assures fair treatment for everyone. As Apprentices,
experience in the field and classroom requirements are fulfilled, their
rate of pay will increase. Upon successful completion of the
four-year program, Apprentices will become eligible to sit for the
mechanic's examination and are required to do so for completion of their
required education. A strong commitment toward program completion,
under the guidelines set forth in the signed apprenticeship agreement, is
a requirement. Success in the industry is dependent, upon this
commitment.
As always, the members of Local 4
will make the Apprenticeship Program a success. |
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