March 2015 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and sisters:

By the time this issue of the Constructor reaches your door, the grasp of winter will be ready to give way to the warm embrace and anticipation of Spring Training.

As I write this article, the northeast is digging out from four feet of snow and Cleveland is about to be buried under a predicted twenty inches of partly sunny. The Super Bowl hype is in full swing with Marshawn Lynch’s silent press conferences and Deflategate dominating the news.

Luckily we in Cleveland do not have to worry about the distractions of a winning football team. We have the Browns. What we do have to look forward to is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade which serves as the unofficial beginning of spring for all Greater Cleveland. The city turns green from the west side to the east and downtown is awash in Gaelic grace. I never bought into the hype of the day until I started to take part in the parade festivities. A friend commented to me that their vision of the day is not about getting drunk on green beer and Irish whiskey, it is about people of all walks of life putting aside their differences for and celebrating the joy of community.

When you look at the complexion of the crowd watching the largest St. Patrick’s parade in the country it is hard to disagree.

This has been a very busy time for education in Local 17. In the months of January and February, there’ll have been three continuing education classes either completed or in progress with approximately 35 local members taking part. First is the outstanding welding class held at Lincoln Electric’s world headquarters training facility in Euclid. Second is the hydraulic controller and troubleshooting class which gives mechanics the opportunity to solve problems in the suitcase size controller. Lastly is the scaffolding certification class which is a recertification to those who previously took the class.

All of these opportunities come through NEIEP and the hard working people who develop, coordinate and teach the programs. I highly encourage each and every member to take advantage of the best education in the trades. It only makes you more valuable to your employer and less likely to be laid off. As always, be sure and go to neiep.org for information on all courses available.

Where are they working?

Jason Sohayda and Jason Saunders installing a car in Chardon for Otis,
Gerard Szmerekovsky and Craig Nolty unloading a truck in Avon for Otis,
Drew Williams and Lemroy Hurd installing an elevator at Mt. Sinai Parking Garage for Thyssen,
Ken Bowles, Bob Brady, Al Ward and Lucas Jenke at the steel mill doing a mod on the BOF passenger car for Otis,
Jason Fredrick and Bob Garmin at Reserve Square for Thyssen,
Tom Gombar and Tim Moore doing a valve replacement at Kimberly Park for Kone,
Scott Hicks and Jim Rogers installing an elevator at CSA Industries for Schindler,
Dave Gnagy and Matt Harden doing a door mod at Parma Hospital for Ross Elevator,
Neil Beechuck and Kevin Driscoll installing two cars at the 3rd District Police Station for Schindler,
Bill Yuhas and Ken Eaton installing three cars at Upper Chester for Thyssen,
Bill Sellers and Tim Gibbons doing a door mod at Perry Nuclear Power Plant for Schindler,
Mark Byram, Dave Francis, Robin Eaton and Tom Peska starting work on the escalators at the Hilton Hotel for Schindler,
Brendan Hyland and Matt Hausler doing a mod at Moreland Courts for Kone,
John Patton and Clint Williams doing retrofit work in Sandusky for Kone.

The Brothers of Local 17 send their condolences to the family of Brother Denny Dwyer who passed away December 31.

As of this writing there are 13 mechanics and two apprentices on the bench.

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

Don
DKnapik@windstream.net