Brothers and sisters:
As this issue of the Constructor is hitting your mailbox kids are going back to school, leaves are falling and I should be getting off the Lakeshore Limited in Albany, New York and beginning my 165 mile bike ride to St. Albans, Vermont. Whenever I write or talk about these adventures the inevitable questions becomes “why do you do it?” Well, there is no easy answer to that question.
The short answer is that I am a very restless person. The physical nature of cycling, the people I meet and experiences I have ground me to the belief that even though the world as a whole is a jumbled mess, people of different backgrounds connect best when they connect on a personal level. This is where all pretense falls away and genuine conversation begins. The road to sanity has to start somewhere. Mine starts in Albany.
Brother Tim Gibbons passed the mechanics exam and started on the route vacated by the now retired Brother Bruce Koprowski. The Local sends congratulations to both Tim and Bruce on these milestone achievements.
Hot on the heels of this spring’s walleye fishing charter, Entertainment Chairman Bill Dudas announced a second charter scheduled for Saturday, September 9th. The cost is $40 per person. The charter is limited to the first 30 people who sign up for the event. If you are interested, you can contact Business Manager Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088 or email him at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.
Thank you to the 30 active and 40 retired members of Local 17 that attended this years Local 17 Retiree’s Dinner. For pictures of this always well attended event, go to iueclocal17.org and click on the Galleries tab.
There was enough interest in having someone from Mass Mutual, the company that administers the 401K and Annuity program for the IUEC, give a presentation on the plans that a representative will attend a Special Called Meeting to answer any questions. Watch this space or the Local’s website, iueclocal17.org, for more details.
If you are interested in getting involved in the 401K plan, you can inquire at your employers office. It is as simple as filling out a form and the returns can be impressive.
In a letter read in part by Tim at the July meeting, Assistant General President Jim Bender reminded all Locals that prior to starting any new construction or modernization job every member must notify the business office of the location of that job. This is a requirement of General Law XXVI No. 24.
Where are they working?
Drew Williams and Mark Carollo doing a mod at the Halle Building for Thyssen,
Joe Broz, Jr. and Andrew Daniels doing a mod at Willoughby Hills Towers for Thyssen,
Tom Gombar and Joe Gauker doing safety tests at NASA for Kone,
Pat McCann and Robert Connelly doing a four car mod at PNC for Thyssen,
Craig Nolty and Dan Koprowski installing a hydro at the Phoenix Building for Otis,
Dave Gnagy and Matt Carlton doing a four car mod at the Four Seasons for Schindler,
John Logue and Brandyn Alley doing a four car mod at the Cleveland Clinic for Otis,
Chris Scholle and Carl McBride installing an elevator at Lakewood High school for Thyssen,
Tony Kuhn and Ken Eaton doing a three car mod at Summit One for Thyssen,
DJ Spring and Deven Shields installing an elevator at the East 105th Street Parking Garage for Otis,
Al Ward and Andrea Rodriguez installing an elevator at Middle Park Academy for Otis,
Bernie Sickle and Chris Cook doing service work at the airport for Schindler.
The Brothers and Sisters of Local 17 send their condolences to Brother Al Jerson who lost his father and retired Brother John Taylor who lost his daughter and two grand daughters.
As of this writing there are four mechanics on the bench.
Until next month…
Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.
Don
DKnapik@windstream.net
International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 17 