Author: IUEC Local 17 Website Administrator

May ’14 Labor Citizen

Over the years, the celebration of May Day has brought a sense of joy, sadness and fear. Originally May Day began as a celebration of summer, planting and new life by Celtic and Germanic tribes as a way of cleaning house and shedding winter garb.

Think about it, when does Spring cleaning start in earnest?

Around the end of April beginning of May when the weather is more receptive to outdoor activities. On the morning of May 1st in St. Andrews, Scotland locals celebrate with a torch light procession to the North Sea where revelers plunge into the sea naked. In Germany, the day is traditionally celebrated with festivals and the delivery of a streamer draped tree or pole to the home of a love interest.

In America, May Day has a bloodier connotation. In 1886 four strikers at McCormick Harvesting Machine Works were killed by police. As a response a May 1st rally was called for at Chicago’s Haymarket Square. When police tried to disperse the crowd, a bomb went off and the resulting police riot left at twelve dead. Four alleged anarchists were later tried and hanged for their part at the rally. In the wake of this bloodbath the Second International of the Communist Party, trying to seize the mind and hearts of their American comrades, appropriated the date as International Workers Day and, for years, celebrated it with military parades. Since then uttering the phrase “Happy May Day” branded you as a Fellow Traveler and in the 1950’s would have given you a front row seat to meet Senator Joe McCarthy.

As for me, when I wish someone a Happy May Day it is more in the vein of my Celtic and Germanic friends than the Second International. I also take a moment to remember the men and women who bled in the streets for our right to organize for a better life. So fellow travelers however you choose to take it…

HAPPY BELATED MAY DAY!

Two notes for apprentices. First, the last day to make up missed classes is May 29th. Second, turn in your completed OJT forms or you will be called to appear in front of the Joint Apprenticeship Committee.

For those with 2G and 3G welding certification, section D1.1 of the requirements says that in order to maintain your certification, you must make at least one documented shielded arc weld every six months. It is your responsibility to maintain your documentation and have a supervisor sign-off on your welds. If your certification lapses you have to private pay for the cost of recertification. NEIEP will not cover recertification.

If you are working as an assistant mechanic, please check to be sure that your Appendix A forms are being signed by yourself, the company and the union. This will avoid future problems.

On April 3rd the Volunteer Organizing Committee hand billed the businesses and apartments on East 4th Street. The effort was to raise awareness of the residents and patrons of the neighborhood to issues of elevator safety. The response to the hand billing has been encouraging for the VOC. There are several other actions planned for the coming months and the local needs the help of everyone in the trades to protect not only the elevator work but the work of all the trades. If you are on vacation and stay in a hotel where there is renovation going on, ask the owner or manager if they are employing union labor. If they aren’t, go somewhere else. This is a way of voicing your fraternity with our fellow tradesmen and keeping your money earned by union labor supporting union labor.

The VOC is also asking all trades to keep reporting to our hall anytime they see a non-signatory on their job. This has been a successful effort and aided the Committee in identifying several buildings for follow-up by Business Manager Tim Moennich, our International organizer or members of the committee. IUEC Local 17 signatories are Kone, Maximum, Otis, Schindler, Ross and Thyssen-Krupp Elevator. Tim can be reached at 216-431-8808 or emailed at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.

IUEC Local 17 sends its condolences to Brother Bob Kobasic whose father, Ed, passed away. We also send condolences to the friends and family of Brothers Jim, John and Tom Goggin on the untimely passing of Jim’s son James. James was a member of IUEC Local 45 (Akron) and recently initiated into this great trade.

As of this writing there are five mechanics out of work.

May ’14 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and sisters:

Not that long ago, I was asked by another tradesmen what I disliked about my union. The question took me aback because he is a proud union member and stepped up when called upon by his local to do various things needed to further the movement.

I started by enumerating all the things the International does for us: the pension, annuity, 401K, NEIEP, Work Preservation and finally health and welfare. Then I spoke about the changes made at the International in the past couple of years and how it seemed like there was a fresh direction for the trade. I concluded that there was not very much to be dissatisfied with.

Then he pressed me. “Come on. It can’t all be sunshine, rainbows and unicorns? What is it you dislike?”

After thinking for a few moments I blurted out apathy. “Too many members take for granted what we have and are willing to take the benefits without helping to keep them.”

He lamented the same with his trade and said that all too often initiation night is the last time you see many of the members. Years ago I asked one of our current retirees why he never attended a meeting. He said “I don’t have to. I read the Constructor and the Citizen and they keep me up to date.” A time later his name came up for a gold card and it was voted down. When I asked some of the members why they voted no, the responses ranged from he was never at a meeting to he didn’t step forward to help anyone and, the most damning, nobody knew who he was.

What you read in the Constructor and the Labor Citizen is only a fraction of what goes on in the meetings. I am limited to 650 words in each publication. Sometimes it is impossible to capture what happens in that space.

In Local 17 we have a solid core of officers who work very hard to keep our local running. We also have a solid core of gold card retirees we can count on to attend the meetings and let their opinions be known. I am also proud to say that of our seven newest initiates, six are regular attendees and are actively taking part in local activities. What is missing are those between the initiates and the retirees.

There are many mechanics who patiently take the time to teach their apprentices the trade, support others by giving insight to a problem, run large and small jobs in a way that makes the company money and coming to work fun. These are who we reference and hold up as examples of good Elevator Men. These are also the men who need to be an even better example by their active participation in the local.

The member I spoke of did teach the trade to his helpers. He never ran a big job but, he made the company money on his smaller jobs. He was a good mechanic and his jobs ran well when they were completed. By this measure he was a good elevator man. On the other side, he never attended meetings, even the mandatory ones. Never took an interest in the union beyond what he was getting in the check. Never thought about getting involved and never really knew what was going on. Now he takes advantage of the pension, health and welfare benefits, all of which he earned for his time in the business even though he was not a good union man.

He did have a lot to offer the local in the way of leadership. Unfortunately his legacy will pass and his name will be forgotten.

It does not have to end like that.

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

Don
Dknapik@windstream.net

April Labor Citizen

Brothers and sisters:
Although it was a Monday and the weather was cold and clear, St. Patrick’s Day 2014 was a success for IUEC Local 17. Almost a dozen members, many with their families in tow, showed their green in the annual parade. An addition to the local’s entry was Jason Faber and his restored 1952 Chevrolet Suburban wagon. Also new this year was the donation of the stake body truck by Kone so the children could take part in the festivities. If you would like to see pictures from the day, go to the local’s website iueclocal17.org and cursor down to the posted images.

John Taylor will be teaching a class on microprocessor-based control systems. The course covers processor-based systems, circuits, maintenance, service and elevator applications. The course is six weeks long. If you are interested in attending, contact Business Manager Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088 or by email at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.

Do not forget the annual Retirees Dinner for Local 17 has been changed to May 16th. The event will still be held at Frank Sterle’s Slovenian Restaurant, 1401 East 55th Street, Cleveland Ohio. The cost is $30 for active members and free for retirees. Please contact Entertainment Chairman Mike Hogan at m.hogan67@yahoo.com or Business Manager Tim Moennich for your reservations.

June 7th Local 17 will hold the annual golf outing at Mallard Creek Golf Club, 34500 Royalton Road, Columbia Station. The cost this year is $100 dollars for a day filled with 18 holes of golf, food, prizes at an event that is the best way to start the summer. The deadline for reservations is May 23rd. Contact Mike Hogan to make your reservations for this year’s event.

April will be a special called meeting for the third reading of resolutions regarding the Volunteer Organizing Committee for Local 17. As with all special called meetings, this one is mandatory and will result in a fine for non-attendance.

With the political season around the corner, the National Elevator Constructors Political Action Committee is looking for support to build its war chest. Contributions to NECPAC come from an hourly contribution made directly from the members check. The amount can be as small as five-cents an hour which translates to about $100 a year. Any active or retired members wishing to make a contribution from their monthly pension checks can do so by filling out a PDF form available from the IUEC website, iuec.org, under My IUEC and the Political Action tab.

IUEC Local 17 is proud to announce that Business Manager Tim Moennich was named to the executive board of the Cleveland Building Trades. Besides his business Manager duties for the local, Moennich is also a trustee of the National Elevator Industry Educational Program. NEIEP is responsible for administering the apprenticeship program in all locals for the IUEC.

The Volunteer Organizing Committee is asking all members of the Cleveland building trades to keep their eyes open for non-signatory companies working on any of their jobs. Cleveland’s signatory companies are Kone, Maximum, Otis, Ross, Schindler and ThyssenKrupp. If you have a question about whether a company is a signatory, please call our hall at 216-431-8088. We would also like to thank all those who have called to report non-signatories on their jobs. Together we all make the trades stronger.

Where are they working?
DJ Spring and Joe Simcic installing two cars at 1010 Euclid for Otis,
John Patton and Tom Gombar doing repair work at Lockhead Martin in Akron for Kone,
Ric Supinski went to work for Thyssen in Akron,
Jim Sinclair left Otis Elevator to work for Maximum Elevator,
Matt Pinchot and Al Ward doing a three-car mod at the Cleveland Clinic Lyndhurst for Otis,
Dave Hess and Dave Adrian doing a door mod at Beachpark Apartments for Thyssen,
Todd Kemp and Randy Thompson cabling at the VA for Thyssen, and
Ken Hasek and Craig Haller at Kaiser doing a jack for Otis.

As of this writing there are ten mechanics on the bench.

Funeral Services For Goggin Set

Brothers,
It is with deep sadness to report the passing of Local 45 Brother James J Goggin. Brother Goggin is the son of Brother James F Goggin, the brother of Brother Tom Goggin and Nephew of Brother John Goggin. The family will receive friends at Green Family Funeral Home, State Rt. 44 and Pioneer Trail on Friday 4-8pm. Funeral service will be Saturday 9:30am at the Funeral Home.
Fraternally,
Tim Moennich
Business Rep.

Kobasic arrangements made

Brother Bob Kobasic’s father and grandfather of Brother Gregg Kobasic, Edward Kobasic passed away. The family will receive friends Sunday from 2-4pm and 6-8pm in the Gluvna-Shimo-Hromada Funeral Chapel,3224 Broadway, Lorain, Ohio. Funeral services will be held Monday at 10:30am in the funeral chapel followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00am in the Church of St. Peter, 3501 Oberlin Ave, Lorain.

March ’14 Labor Citizen

Brothers and Sisters:

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all of our friends of Irish decent and those that, for one day, claim it!  This is the day that Cleveland wakes up from its long, cold winter’s slumber and dresses in the green of spring’s new birth.  And everyone, no matter where they or their ancestors hail from, are Irish for the day.  For the latest news on IUEC Local 17’s participation, visit our website, iueclocal17.org.

The April 11th union meeting will be a mandatory special called meeting to vote on resolutions involving Local 17’s Organizing Committee.  All meetings are at the hall located at 3250 Euclid Ave and start at 6 pm.  Fines will be assessed for non-attendance.

On the school side, all the apprentices passed their fall semester and by now are deep into the spring semester schooling.  Also, all the mechanics that took the motor generator class passed their final.  Congratulations to all.  Our educational opportunities are an important part of what separates us from our unorganized brothers and sisters.

Retired Brother John Taylor will be teaching a new class on microprocessor–based control systems.  These are the same systems we have seen on new construction and modernization for years.  The purpose of the class is to demystify the way these ubiquitous systems work.  It is a 24 hour class and delves into processor based systems, microprocessor circuits, maintenance and servicing.  If you are interested in the class please contact Business Manager Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088 or at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.

The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance is holding its Second Annual Ohio State Conservation Dinner on March 14th in Columbus.  For more information go to unionsportsmen.org.

At the end of January, IUEC General President Frank Christensen attended the Tri-State meeting in Columbus.  He spoke on a couple of issues, the most important being safety on the job.  As a result of losing 45 brothers in ten years to accidents, the International set up a safety committee at the headquarters level to investigate all accidents and report on necessary safety improvements.  All of the members of the committee will be QEI certified.  Christensen has also asked that all accidents be reported to the International.  The International also sent a wristband to all members with the phrase “we came to this trade to have a better life not a shorter one.  In memory of our lost members.” The phrase is meant to remind everyone that one moment of inattention could cost you your life.

Christensen reported that the IUEC, NEIEP and the EIWPF are working together too aggressively capture the home elevator, sidewalk and handicap lift markets as well as the windmills that are going up all over the country.  This dovetails with Local 17’s efforts to organize several companies doing just that work in the Cleveland area.  If anyone sees one of these companies on a job, please call the hall.

On the subject of health and welfare, the union’s plan is firmly in the green zone while other trades plans are suffering.  As a side note, of the 15,000 retirees in the International only 6,000 participate in the health benefits.

On the work front, Akron and Columbus report full employment while Toledo and Cincinnati each have ten on the bench.  If you know anyone living in the Toledo or Columbus areas, these locals are currently running recruitment drives.

Local 17 sends its condolences to the family of Brother Jim Waleri whose brother unexpectedly passed away.

As of this writing there are 11 mechanics and one apprentice on the bench.

To all of our brothers and sisters… work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

Dknapik@windstream.net

March ’14 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and sisters:

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all of those of Irish heritage and those that wish they were! Local 17 will be marching once again in the Cleveland St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  We marshal for the event along Superior Avenue in the general area of the Plain Dealer building.  The parade is a family friendly event.  Whether your children are bottle fed or old enough to hold the bottle themselves, there is something there for everyone.

The annual Retirees Dinner for Local 17 has been changed to May 16th.  The event will still be held at Frank Sterle’s Slovenian Restaurant, 1401 East 55th Street, Cleveland Ohio.  The cost is $30 for active members and free for retirees.  Please contact Entertainment Chairman Mike Hogan at m.hogan67@yahoo.com or Business Manager Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088 or TMoennich@iueclocal17.org for your reservations.

June 7th Local 17 will hold the annual golf outing at Mallard Creek Golf Club, 34500 Royalton Road, Columbia Station.  The cost this year is $100 dollars for a day filled with 18 holes of golf, food, prizes at an event that is the best way to start the summer.  The deadline for reservations is May 23rd.  Contact Mike Hogan to make your reservations for this year’s event.

The new IRS mileage rate is 56 cents per mile effective January 1.  This is a decrease of one-half cent a mile from 2013.

Otis recently agreed to stop shipping its flat travel cables with the jacket removed from the car side but may still strip the jacket from the controller side prior to being shipped for their MRL and hydraulic elevators.  If you are on a job where you receive a travel cable that is stripped on both ends, contact Tim at the hall for a clarification on the agreement.

The Local 17 Volunteer Organizing Committee (VOC) was formed to organize the unorganized companies working in our area. If you know of a job that was taken over by a non-signatory company or where a non-signatory is working, call Tim at the hall.  If you would like to be a part of the committee, contact Tim for the next meeting date.

Where are they working?

Gary Thompson and Ryan Todd finishing a mod at Statler Office Tower for Schindler,

Gerard Szemerkovsky and Craig Nolty installing a car at Orlando Bakery for Otis,

John Goggin and Mike Hogan doing escalator clean downs at the airport for Schindler,

Jim Thompson and Jeff Ward cabling at Key Tower for Otis,

Bill Yuhas and Kevin Driscoll installing an elevator at Case Western Reserve for Thyssen,

Tim Narowitz and Tony Kuhn doing a two-car mod at Southgate Towers for Thyssen,

Shawn Yatsko and Joe Sumph doing a mod at Lake Park Towers for Schindler,

Joe Broz, Jr. and Scott Erison doing a jack job at Point 5 for Thyssen,

John Patton and Tom Gombar doing a valve job at Highland Woods for Kone,

Bill Sellers and Tim Gibbons doing a mod at Victoria Plaza for Schindler,

Mark Byram and Eric Crossgrove installing escalators at the casino welcome center for Schindler,

Greg Seaman and Tom Peska at 1717 East 9th doing a mod for Schindler,

The members of Local 17 send their condolences to retired Brother Pete Nuccio whose wife recently passed away.

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

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety,

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net