Brothers and sisters:
By the time this sees print the latest round of off-year elections will be over. I hope that every person reading this that was eligible to vote exercised their franchise. While the majority of the issues on the ballot were local and county issues, they are even more important because they have a larger impact on the quality of your everyday life than the hotly debated state and national issues.
Although Ohio went for President Obama in 2012, all the major state office holders and the majority of the Ohio House and Senate as well as the Congressional delegation are Republicans. The reason for the state and federal turn is a direct result of gerrymandering by the apportionment board making it even more vital to elect labor friendly candidates to whatever position possible.
To this end, Cleveland area labor leaders and ACT-Ohio director Matt Szollosi have been meeting with Ohio representatives to gauge which ones stand up for labor. Lorain Republican Gayle Manning is working on a plan to deal with Kroger going non-union on capital improvements at their stores and the John Marshal High School project was turned around adding $20 million of work for Cleveland building trade employers.
This is no longer a Democrats are good and Republicans are bad argument. There are those on what may be perceived as the “other side” that realize in order to stay an elected official, it is in their best interest to represent our best interest. We have one more year until the next state and congressional election so take the time to educate yourself about the issues and candidates. You may be surprised by the results.
The National Elevator Constructor Political Action Committee (NECPAC) was setup by the IUEC to support candidates and issues that affect our membership. It is funded by a voluntary check-off by the members and the money goes to candidates that support project labor agreements (PLA’s) and Davis-Bacon laws. There is a card in the back of the Standard Agreement to authorize the amount you wish to contribute. A donation of ten cents an hour is about $200 a year. If you have any questions or want to contribute, please contact Business Agent Tim Moennich.
Where are they working?
Don Knapik and Tim Gibbons doing service work for Schindler,
Joe Broz Jr. and Todd Belak at Rocky River Professional Building doing a jack for Thyssen,
Dave Francis and Mark Byram doing a three-car mod at Equity Trust for Schindler,
Charlie Donner and Randy Thompson dong a mod at Case for Thyssen,
Jason Sohayda and Steve Keating joined the crew at 900 Euclid for Otis,
Bill Sellers and Eric Crossgrove doing service work at Avon Lake Ford Plant for Schindler,
Bob Garman and Max Desotell installing an elevator at Mother Teresa’s Convent for Thyssen,
Scott Hicks and Mark Carollo installing two cars at Victory Building for Schindler,
Shawn Yatsko and Greg Seaman doing a two-car mod at Lake Park Tower for Schindler,
Ed Gimmel and Tony Karovich doing a door mod at Terrace Tower for Schindler,
Gerard Szmerkovsky and Craig Nolty installing a four-stop car at Vita-Mix for Otis,
Neil Beechuk and Nick Meyer at Gates Mills Apartments doing a three-car mod for Thyssen,
Bill Yuhas and Kevin Driscoll doing a two-car mod at Case for Thyssen,
Matt Pinchont and Jonathan Koch at Metro doing a three-car mod for Otis,
Matt Wiengart and Taurus Ogletree installing a four-stop hydro for Schindler,
Don Kaiser and Brian Owens doing full-load tests at the Avenue District for Schindler.
As of this writing there are 18 mechanics and two apprentices out of work.
Till next month…
Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.
Don
International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 17 