August ’14 Labor Citizen

Brothers and sisters:

First off I would like to thank everyone who turned out for the Volunteer Organizing Committee meeting on July 16th. In addition to the regular VOC attendees, several new faces added fresh ideas to the mix.
The main subject of the meeting was instructing members on the do’s and don’ts of picketing. While it is similar to the hand billing we have been successfully conducting on East Fourth there are some very strict rules associated with picketing that do not apply to hand billing. Attending the meeting was IUEC organizer Jim Lowery who helped answer the questions from the room.

The committee is asking every IUEC Local 17 member to donate two vacation days to the picket effort. Please talk to your superintendent as soon as possible so they can plan for your participation.

On Monday, July 21 the VOC attended the Beachwood School Board meeting. The school system currently contracts with Gable for its maintenance needs on the four hydraulic elevators and three chair lifts in its system. The response to the VOC from area school boards has been overwhelmingly positive. The group talks about the overall education needed to be counted as one of the best tradesmen in the trades and emphasizes the safety requirements we have to adhere to in all aspects of our work.

To our brothers and sisters in the other trades, continue calling the hall whenever you note a non-signatory elevator company on one of your jobs. You can contact Business Manager Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088 or email him at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org. IUEC Local 17 signatory companies are Kone, Maximum, Otis, Ross, Schindler and Thyssen.

On an upbeat note, every one of Local 17 apprentices passed their previous year’s final exam. Apprentices should also note that the fall semester will be starting August 13th with a two-hour orientation class.

There is currently a signup sheet for a scaffolding class and Business Manager Tim Moennich is still working on a date in the fall for a welding class. If you are interested in either class, please contact Tim at the hall.

Local 17 sends its condolences to the family of former member Doug Green who passed away June 17th.

As a general reminder, there is no August meeting. The next regular meeting will be September 12 at 6 pm at the hall located at 3250 Euclid Ave. Please plan on attending.

As of this writing there are four mechanics on the bench.