July 2019 Labor-Citizen

Brothers and Sisters:

The work situation of Cleveland is good for all the trades and IUEC Local 17 is no exception.  All the companies have expressed they have a lot of work on the books and may be adding probationaries after posting the results for the apprenticeship classes which closed out the first week of June.  As of this writing the final scores have not been posted but should be shortly.

The current work situation is not anomalous to Cleveland.  All Locals in the Tri-State area are reporting empty benches and the need for probationaries to come into the trade.  There are two Local Representative (LR) routes available in Midland and Abeline, Texas through Thyssen as well as an independent company in Local 28 (Omaha, Nebraska).  If you are interested in working in those areas, contact Business Manager John Driscoll, Jr. at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org or call the hall at 216-431-8088.

IUEC Local 17 NEIEP coordinator Jeff Burns is getting ready to retire and his replacement Ed Christensen, Jr. was in Cleveland recently to drop off the Spring semester finals.  Christensen is the nephew of IUEC General President Frank Christensen and son of Regional Director Ed Christensen, Sr.

All apprentices must still turn in their OJT forms to the Local in a timely manner or risk being called in front of the committee to answer why they have not complied with their obligation.  

Apprentice raises go into effect September 1 assuming the apprentice has passed at least two semesters of school.  Good luck to all those looking to move ahead in the best trade in the trades.

With all the turmoil roiling around the pension crisis, the Senate committee tasked with formulating a solution did not meet its deadline and the committee was dissolved.  The Butch Lewis Act is now designated as HR 397 and has been referred to the Committee on Education and Labor.  According to IUEC pension actuary Joe LoCicero, any reforms coming from future proposals will not have an adverse effect of the IUEC plan.  Consequently, the Trustees of the Plan have given all active members a raise on all hours accumulated prior to July 1, 2015 and all hours worked after July 1, 2019.  This will add a significant amount to future retirees pension checks.

If you are planning on retiring, please contact the benefits office for what your plan will look like on that day when your last paycheck has to last you a lifetime.

The IUEC offers members and their family confidential counseling services for legal, financial and mental health issues like depression, marriage counseling, stress management, anxiety, conflict management, weight management and communication.  The service is free and offered through Beacon Health Options.  For more information call 1-800-331-4824 or go online to achievesolutions.net/iuec.

The Brothers and Sisters of IUEC Local 17 send their condolences to the family of Brother Zach Lanum who passed away June 8.

As of this writing the bench is clear.