Brothers and sisters:
As you read this I will be readying for yet another bike trip. This one will take me from Cleveland to Cincinnati where I intend on dump a jar of Lake Erie water into the Ohio River.
I know this sounds really stupid. Why would you expend all that effort to dump a bottle of lake water into the river? Well, it’s not about the bottle of water, its about getting the bottle of water there.
My trips to Buffalo and South Bend where really very simple in the planning. There was no planning. I made the decision and just left without a real agenda and decided I’d just figure it out along the way. After all, I was only a few hours drive away from home. To Buffalo it worked out well, South Bend not so much.
When I rode from Boston to Portland, Maine I knew that rescue from home was not an option. So, I planned my route, my nightly stops, kept to the coast and let fate handle the rest. It was perfect. The weather, the people, the experience, the train travel there and back. Absolute perfection.
So, why the trip to Cincinnati on a bike?
When I was young I found maps magical. They have the capacity to illustrate where we are and give us options on how to get where we want to go. I remember sitting on the floor with my Granny tracing the route on a Sohio gas station folding map between lake and river with my finger, telling her how I would ride my bike across the state and trying to picture in my young mind all I would see.
The magic that is in the mind of a young child often becomes disillusionment in the eye of a middle aged man. As I sit here one month away from my departure my mind wanders as I trace my route on Mapquest. I can feel the magic of the seven-year-old come back for one last visit, eager to all the possibilities he can finally experience.
It will be good to have him along for the ride.
Local 17 filed two grievances in May. The first involved two mechanics from Local 45 (Akron) working at the new Hilton Hotel project. Kone was working one as a mechanic-in-charge and the second as a safety superintendent. The second grievance had another Local 45 member taking overtime call backs in the Cleveland jurisdiction. Stay tuned for further updates.
Steiner Elevator owner Gene Steiner has submitted a letter of intent to International Organizer Jim Lowery. The letter states his intention to not only maintain his International membership but to also become a signatory contractor. There was no firm timetable set for the signing.
Where are they working?
Gary Thompson and Ryan Todd starting a mod at Erieview Tower for Schindler,
Tim Narowitz and Tony Kuhn at CMHA Ambleside Apartments doing a two-car mod for Thyssen,
Gerard Szmerkovsky, Jason Sohayda, Craig Nolty, Lucas Jenke at the Residence Inn installing two cars for Otis,
Joe Broz Jr., Dave Adrian at Knickerbocker Apartments replacing oil lines for Thyssen,
Jeff Lindell and todd Ross at Kohl’s Westlake replacing an escalator motor for Kone,
John Goggin and Mike Hogan cabling at University Hospital for Schindler,
Greg Seaman and Don Kaiser at the airport doing an escalator mod for Schindler,
Jim Ehrbar ad Brian Owens at The 9 doing a mod for Thyssen,
Pat McCann and Chris Scholle at Pine Ridge Apartments doing a mod for Thyssen,
DJ Spring and Joe Simcic at Case installing two cars for Otis.
As of this writing there are eight mechanics out of work.
Till next month,
Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.
Don
DKnapik@windstream.net
International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 17 