January ’15 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and sisters:

The brothers and sisters of Local 17 wish a Happy New Year to everyone in the IUEC family. If you are interested in seeing the local’s year in pictures then, please feel free to visit the website iueclocal17.org and click on the galleries page. It is filled with photos of our members and their families enjoying the best of what it means to be part of the IUEC family.

There are numerous continuing education opportunities available to Local 17 members this new year. The weeks of January 19th and 23rd there will be a welding class held at the world headquarters of Lincoln Electric in Euclid. The class is four hours a night for two weeks and can lead to 3G and 4G certification. There is a refundable deposit of $500 required for the class which fills up on a first come, first served basis. If you want to be part of this, contact Business Manager Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088 or email him at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.

The hydraulic controller theory and troubleshooting class is back and will be again taught by John Taylor. It is a four week class and will be taught on Tuesday nights. It is a great way for new or veteran mechanics to sharpen their troubleshooting skills in a controlled environment.

Anyone that took the scaffolding class three years ago, your certification is up and needs to be renewed with the upcoming scaffolding class. If you did not take the class, it is a great opportunity to get certified in this very important phase of the business. If you are interested in taking advantage of these two continuing education opportunities, then contact Tim at the Hall.

On November 19th, Local 17 hosted Jimmy Dimmel and Joe Rapine from the Elevator Industry Work Preservation Fund. The two brothers did a fantastic job with the Training Education Activist Membership (TEAM) class which covered the history of organized labor and how the IUEC fits into that history. The four-hour class was one of the fastest and most engaging four hours I have ever spent.

It was the equivalent of attempting to take a drink of water from a fire hose.

Personally, one of the most searing images was the photo of flag-bearing immigrant strikers facing down police who had bayonets fixed and leveled. The next day I went over my mom’s house for dinner and told her about the class. She told me the story of the 1937 steel strike here in Cleveland where she, at seven years-old, witnessed Pinkertons beating strikers, how her father stopping a “cop” from beating one to death and how that was the image she took with her every day into the labor movement.

Never, ever, ever forget that good, brave men, women and children bled the factory floors and picket lines red from wall to wall and curb to curb for everything we have today.

It is on the shoulders of these giants we stand.

Where are they working?

Gerard Szemerkovsky and Craig Nolty installing an elevator in Hubbard, Ohio for Otis,

Joe Broz and Dave Adrian doing a jack at Granada Garden for Thyssen,

Shawn Yatsko and Joe Sumph doing mod work at Lake Park Tower for Schindler,

Clint Williams and Heath Kramer doing a door mod at Progressive Field for Kone,

Tom Gombar and Tim Moore doing escalator clean downs at South Park Mall for Kone,

Jeff Ward and Nick Meyer doing a Jack at Great Northern for Thyssen,

Gary Thompson and Ryan Todd doing a mod at Highland Square for Schindler,

John Logue and Steve Keating doing a mod at Lutheran Hospital for Otis.

As of this writing there are 15 mechanics and two apprentices on the bench.

Till next month,
Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don
DKnapik@windstream.net