Author: IUEC Local 17 Website Administrator

February ’14 Labor Citizen

Brothers and sisters:

There is a  lot going on, so I’ll get right to it….

The National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP) is offering a new online course called “Arc Flash Safety in the Workplace.”  The purpose is to introduce the student to the cause and dangers of arc flash.  Arc flash is the sudden release of electrical energy between conductors or ground.  The results can range from minor burns and blurred vision to hearing or vision loss, second or third degree burns and electrocution if the arc uses the person as a conductor to ground.  According to OSHA every year 2000 people are treated for arc flash injuries every year.  The course is available through the NEIEP website at neiep.org.  

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.

With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act there are several changes that are being rolled out in the health and welfare benefits.  Children under the age of 26 will be covered under the plan.  If your child is covered, you will be receiving a letter from the benefits office explain the change.  If they are covered by another plan, then the coordination of benefits rules will apply.

The International is advising all Schindler employees to not sign the vehicle policy.  There is a form agreed to between the International and Schindler and that is the only accepted form to sign.

Otis recently settled a grievance over the use of flat travel cables being shipped to the job with the jacket removed from both ends.  Otis is allowed to ship flat cables with the controller end stripped but not the car end.  If you receive something different at your job or have a question about the settlement, then call Tim to give him the details or ask for clarification.   

Also with health care, there are changes being made to the Medco and Express Scripts programs that supply medication to members and their dependents.  If you are one of the affected, you will be receiving a letter from Express Scripts on the changes.  There is also an increase in the hearing aid benefit from $1200 per ear to $2000. 

The next meeting of the Volunteer Organizing Committee will be Monday, February 17 at 5 pm at the school located at East 25th and Superior Ave.  For more information, contact Tim at the hall or chairman Don Knapik at dknapik@windstream.net or 440-453-9012.  Everyone is encouraged to be a part of the committee.

IUEC Local 17 sends its condolences to the family of retired Brother Pete Nuccio whose wife recently passed away.

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

 

Until next month,

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

 

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net

February ’14 Constructor

There is a great book, a pamphlet really, written by E. Ronald Fishman titled “The Union Worker’s Bible.”  In this small tome is a wealth of answers to some of the questions a brother or sister working in an unorganized company might ask as well as answers that we working in organized companies take for granted.

Because we take our benefits, retirement, wages and education in this great trade as a given it is easy to develop a disconnect as to what it means to be a good union member and what exactly it is that the IUEC does on our behalf.  Here are some points to ponder.

The IUEC negotiates and enforces the contract.  The contract is an agreement between the union and the companies that spells out wages, benefits and work rules and conditions that both sides must abide by. Without representation you would be at the mercy of the companies as to what they offer.  In the second year of the current contract, the company pays $27.085 per hour on our behalf in benefits.  How many people do you know in unorganized companies that make that as their hourly wage and then pay for their own benefits?  Think about it.

Settles your grievances.  When someone is unjustly disciplined, shorted on wages or benefits, or the company violates the work rules, the union stands behind its members in the same way an agent and legal team stands behind celebrities and sports figures when there is a contract dispute.  If you worked in an unorganized company, you would have to hire your own attorney that may or may not be familiar with labor law.  Do you really want to put your future in the hands of an amateur?

Organizes our unorganized brothers and sisters.  The heart of any organization is its ability to grow.  By organizing our unorganized brothers and sisters, the IUEC grows its membership, makes the life of the new members instantly better through wages, benefits and schooling through NEIEP.  The companies, in exchange, gain access to new markets and a predicable cost structure for the term of the contract.  It really is a win for everyone.

Provides insurances, retirement benefits, etc.  If you come to the retiree’s dinner, talk to the former members about the quality of life they have in their retirement.  Compare that to retirees that worked in offices or unorganized companies.  There are several Local 17 members whose loved ones have been helped through the health benefits to the tune of several tens of thousands of dollars a year and there is at least one million dollar wife whose life was saved through the medical benefits we have.  What would be the 80/20 copay on your medical benefits?

Supports fair labor legislation.  Local 17, in conjunction with ACT OHIO and the International, is actively working to educate legislators about the evils of right-to-work-for-less and turning jobs that went non-union to employing a union workforce.  We have had success on the local level with project labor agreements (PLAs) and prevailing wage laws to keep the bar high in Cleveland for all organized workers.

Keeps you informed about its activities.  Local 17 has at least four opportunities to keep informed about what is going on.  First is the Elevator Constructor, the magazine you are holding right now.  Second is the Labor Citizen published by the North Shore Federation of Labor and distributed to union members in northern Ohio.  Third is the local’s website, iueclocal17.org, which has news, photos, articles and the AFL-CIO RSS feed.  Last, and most important, is to attend the union meetings.  They are at 6 pm on the second Friday except for August.

Make it a point to be there.

The IUEC is your union.  You will get out of it what you put into it.

Till next month,

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net

Retiree’s Dinner Date Changed

The date for the 2014 IUEC Local 17 Retiree’s Dinner has been changed from April 18th to May 16th.  The change is the result of Good Friday falling on the scheduled day of the dinner.  The event will still beheld at Frank Sterle’s Slovenian Restaurant at 1401 East 55th Street, Cleveland and will run from 5:30 until closing.  If you have not sent in your response, please contact Business Manager Tim Moennich at the hall at 216-431-8088, email him at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org or Entertainment Chairman Mike Hogan at m.hogan67@yahoo.com.

January ’14 Labor Citizen

Brothers and Sisters:

IUEC Local 17 sends it most sincere condolences to the family of Jacob Tholl, of cement masons Local 404 who passed away December 3rd.  Tholl was electrocuted when the bucket lift he was in touched a power line at University Hospital.  He leaves a wife, five children and a grandchild.  Please remember his family in your prayers.

Mechanics in Local 17 received a 67 cent an hour increase in their pay effective January 1.  The employer contributions to the benefits package increased $2.27 an hour to $29.355.   The IRS mileage rate for 2014 is 56 cents per mile.  This is a half-cent decrease from 2013.

KONE employees should have received a letter explaining the impact of the straight time hours incorrectly reported in 2013 and how to check to see if you were shorted on time.

MassMutual, the 401(k) provider to the IUEC and its members, is continuing its offerings into retirement planning.   The webinars cover aspects of pre-planning for retirement and how to make smarter choices and answers common questions you may have as retirement looms.  Instructions on how to be a part of this webinar are in the December issue of the Elevator Constructor.

Schindler has a new vehicle policy that Business Manager Tim Moennich has advised members not to sign.

One of the resources that every local that is a member of ACTOHIO has available is a contractor report on unorganized companies.  The report includes information on OSHA violations, prevailing wage complaints, workman’s compensation policies, NLRB cases, contractor judgments and liens and criminal filings against the companies.  These can be powerful tools when seeking to turn around jobs that have been given to non-union companies.

On November 18th, IUEC Local 17 had the first meeting of its Volunteer Organizing Committee and Brother Don Knapik agreed to be the chairman.  The initial focus of the VOC is to organize Gable Elevator, the unorganized company doing work in our area.  There is a second meeting scheduled for January 13 at 5pm at the school located on Superior Avenue.  If you would like to be part of the committee, please contact Tim at 216-431-8088, email him at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.  If any brother or sister in any other trade knows where a non-signatory elevator company is working, please feel free to contact Tim.  Your help is always appreciated.

About a year ago, Business Manager Tim Moennich gave me a copy of a little book, more of a pamphlet really, titled “The Union Worker Bible” edited by labor consultant and arbiter E. Ronald Fishman of USC.  In it the author talks about various subjects in the union, member, company relationship and what the union really does for its membership.  There is one section that I believe bears reprinting about our responsibilities as union members.

“Because you are a union member, you have many advantages and privileges.  However, every mature individual knows that privileges mean responsibilities.

Your duties to your union are as follows:

·         Practice as well as preach unionism.

·         Your demands should be fair.

·         Judge your fellow worker by his actions, not by his color, creed or religion.

·         Cooperate with your union representatives by giving them all the facts concerning a grievance.

·         Support your leadership by never doing anything that will lose respect for your union.

We cannot expect cooperation from the management unless we ourselves are unified, and all are willing to do their part.” 

If your local or Business Agent does not have this little book available to their members, I would recommend making a resolution at your next meeting to purchase one for every member and pass it out as soon as possible.

The local sends its congratulations to Charlie Donner on his retirement.

As of this writing there are 16 mechanics and two apprentices on the bench.

Until next month,

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net

January ’14 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and sisters:

Happy New Year!  On behalf the officers and members of Local 17, I pray that 2014 will be a year of blessings and prosperity for everyone in the International family.

Now… here’s what’s going on.

Instructor John Taylor is deep into his motor-generator class.  This is an advanced version of the class we took through NEIEP as helpers/apprentices that goes much deeper into the relationship these two vital devices have in making an elevator operate safely.

The application process for the new hire list has been completed by the JATC and everyone who applied should have been notified by now of their position on the list.  Best of luck to all those who had family and friends seeking employment in the trade.

The Elevator Contractors of America (ECA) signed a safety agreement with the IUEC that is the same as the Schindler agreement reached a couple of months ago.  This draws the independent companies in line with the current safety trend.  How long before Otis, Kone and Thyssen follow suit?

The big news at the November meeting was IUEC organizer Jim Lowery speaking to the body on the local’s efforts to organize Gable Elevator.  He stressed that although our last effort to sign Gable to the IUEC met with a firm rebuke from their accountant, there were other avenues available to organize the company.   To that end a Volunteer Organizing Committee (VOC) was formed in late November and is in the early organizational stages.

Lowery also touched on the joint efforts of Local 17’s Tim Moennich and Local 45 (Akron) Business Agent Dave Morrow to interest local signatories in the Industry Advancement Program (IAP) at a meeting held at Canton Elevator in Canton, Ohio.  The IAP is a fund offered through the Elevator Industry Work Preservation Fund (EIWPF) that pays a signatory company a fee to help offset the difference between what an unorganized company can charge versus a signatory company.  That fee is based on the type of unit (hydraulic, traction or handicapped lift) and is for a fixed period of time.  There is also a program offered on the installation of home lifts, a market that is virtually non-existent for majors.

If you are interested in being a part of the effort to bring Gable and other unorganized companies into the IUEC fold, please contact Business Agent Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088 or TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.

Where are they working?

Mark Byram and Ryan Todd at the Casino installing two escalators for Schindler,

Joe Broz, Jr. and Dave Adrian installing roller guides at the V.A. Hospital for Thyssen,

Matt Pinchot and Al Ward doing a three car mod at Metro for Otis,

Jerry Szemerkovsky and Craig Nolty at Camp Bedford installing an elevator for Otis,

Ken Bowles and Lucas Jenke doing a mod at Helen S. Brown for Otis,

Don Knapik and Tim Gibbons doing full loads at East Ohio Gas for Schindler,

Jason Faber and Joe Gouker doing a door mod at Double Tree for Thyssen,

Don Kaiser and Eric Crossgrove cabling and doing full load tests at University Hospital,

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

Matt Weingart and Taurus Ogletree installing a three stop elevator at Miles Point for Schindler,

John Patton and Tom Gombar at St. Vincent doing a jack job for Kone.

The brothers and sisters of Local 17 send their condolences to the family of Brother Richard Sotelo, Local 21 (Dallas/Ft. Worth), who was killed at an after-hours callback.

As of this writing there are 18 mechanics and three apprentices out of work.

Until next month,

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety,

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net

December ’13 Labor Citizen

Brothers and sisters:

To those enrolled in the apprenticeship program, makeup classes will be scheduled in the near future so watch this space and the local website, iueclocal17.org, for updates.

John Taylor is busy teaching the DC motor generator class.  This is the expanded version of the NEIEP class we took as second year helpers/apprentices.  It dives deeper into the relationship of these ubiquitous pieces we work on every day and is worth the time to explore further.  If you missed this opportunity, then go to the NEIEP website, neiep.org, and check for the online version of the course.  It is well worth your time.

IUEC Local 17 recently completed their apprenticeship application process for the new hiring list.  He list will be available soon to the companies and everyone who participated should be receiving a letter from the JATC on their slot.  If you had a family member or friend who applied you can call the hall to see where they slotted.  Best of luck to all those who applied to work in this great trade.

This is a reminder that the December 13th and January 10th meetings are mandatory and non-attendance will result in a $20 fine.

On Friday, April 18th, IUEC Local 17 will honor its retired members at Frank Sterle’s Slovenian Restaurant, 1401 East 55th Street, Cleveland.  Refreshments start at 5:30 with dinner served at 6:30.  This is a members only event.  The cost is $30 per person for active members and free for retirees.  Please send your reply to Entertainment Chairman Mike Hogan, 26962 Southwood Lane, Olmsted Township, Ohio  44138 no later than April 1.

It is with great sadness that I have to report an on the job death of a Brother working in Local 21 (Dallas/Fort Worth).  Brother Richard Sotelo was a mechanic working for Thyssen-Krupp and was killed on a late night callback.  He was 45 years old.  Ours is a very dangerous business and it is the responsibility of everyone to work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.  As Business Agent Tim Moennich has said many times “we came into this business for a better life, not a shorter one.”

Work outside of Cleveland is still not where everyone would like it to be. Out of six locals reporting at the Tri-State meeting in November, only Akron and Detroit reported full-employment.  Toledo, Columbus and Cincinnati reported respectively 10, five and 20 out of work while Cleveland currently has 21 on the bench.

To improve this situation, Tim and Local 45 (Akron) Business Agent Dave Morrow held a meeting at Canton Elevator with signatories from Akron and Cleveland to discuss the Residential Lift Program and Industry Advancement Program available through the Elevator Industry Work Preservation Fund (EIWPF).  The EIWPF is a cooperative between the International and signatory companies to address safety related issues, maintain and increase the market share of signatory companies and train local committees in methods to bring our unorganized brothers into the IUEC fold.

The Residential Lift Program is designed to subsidize the installation of elevators and lifts in homes and the IAP helps offset the monthly maintenance contract of units recovered from unorganized companies.  Together they give the IUEC an opportunity to enter the home lift market which is dominated by unorganized installers and put our salesmen on even footing when working to recover units.

These efforts and those of Area Organizer Jim Lowery were the subject the Lowery’s visit to the November union meeting.  Two of the biggest battles he talked about were recovering the units from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and attempting to organize Delaware Elevator, a non-union company based in Salisbury, MD.  The issue with WMATA stemmed from the split it had from Westinghouse doing the maintenance on their over 800 unit system.  The Authority formed its own maintenance department for the systems elevators and escalators and had a significant crew in place to work on the units.  Unfortunately, these technicians were not fully schooled in the trade and the problems in the system multiplied.  Recently when an escalator crashed at 5:30 am, the start of the rush hour, Local 10 had out of work members passing handbills by 6:30 am questioning the safety of the systems vertical transportation equipment.  Schindler Elevator has since secured work for upgrades, repairs and modernizations to the escalators and elevators in the WMATA system.  This will hopefully result in more Local 10 members going back to work.

The fight with Delaware Elevator has been a little more intense.  More of the effort has been to talking to the employees about the benefits of an IUEC membership and all that it entails (health and welfare, retirement, annuity, 401K, education and continuing education).  Because of the size of the company, this has become a long term battle for Lowery and the International.

Locally he talked about Gable Elevator and the most recent effort to organize them into the IUEC family.  While the last effort was not successful, the Local formed a Volunteer Organizing Committee (VOC) to explore ways to bring Gable into the fold.  On behalf of the Committee, if anyone reading this finds Gable working on one of their jobs, please contact Business Agent Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088, through the website at iueclocal17.org or by email at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.  Any member who would like to be a part of this committee, please feel free to contact Tim.

In other news, the Elevator Contractors of America (ECA) signed a safety agreement that is identical to the one agreed to by the International and Schindler Elevator.  This agreement outlines so-called “GO/NO GO” situations and progressive discipline for violating the agreement.  The ECA is a group representing independent elevator signatory companies across the US and Canada and bargains with the IUEC on their behalf.

The International also signed an agreement with Otis regarding flat travel cables used to connect communication between the elevator car and controller.  Otis may ship the flat cables with the jacket removed from the controller side but not from the car side.  If you encounter the car side being stripped back, call the hall to find out what to do.

As of this writing there are 18 mechanics and three apprentices on the bench.

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety,

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net

December ’13 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and sisters:

By the time this sees print the latest round of off-year elections will be over.  I hope that every person reading this that was eligible to vote exercised their franchise.  While the majority of the issues on the ballot were local and county issues, they are even more important because they have a larger impact on the quality of your everyday life than the hotly debated state and national issues.

Although Ohio went for President Obama in 2012, all the major state office holders and the majority of the Ohio House and Senate as well as the Congressional delegation are Republicans.  The reason for the state and federal turn is a direct result of gerrymandering by the apportionment board making it even more vital to elect labor friendly candidates to whatever position possible.

To this end, Cleveland area labor leaders and ACT-Ohio director Matt Szollosi have been meeting with Ohio representatives to gauge which ones stand up for labor.  Lorain Republican Gayle Manning is working on a plan to deal with Kroger going non-union on capital improvements at their stores and the John Marshal High School project was turned around adding $20 million of work for Cleveland building trade employers.

This is no longer a Democrats are good and Republicans are bad argument.  There are those on what may be perceived as the “other side” that realize in order to stay an elected official, it is in their best interest to represent our best interest.  We have one more year until the next state and congressional election so take the time to educate yourself about the issues and candidates.  You may be surprised by the results.

The National Elevator Constructor Political Action Committee (NECPAC) was setup by the IUEC to support candidates and issues that affect our membership.  It is funded by a voluntary check-off by the members and the money goes to candidates that support project labor agreements (PLA’s) and Davis-Bacon laws.  There is a card in the back of the Standard Agreement to authorize the amount you wish to contribute.  A donation of ten cents an hour is about $200 a year.  If you have any questions or want to contribute, please contact Business Agent Tim Moennich.

Where are they working?

Don Knapik and Tim Gibbons doing service work for Schindler,

Joe Broz Jr. and Todd Belak at Rocky River Professional Building doing a jack for Thyssen,

Dave Francis and Mark Byram doing a three-car mod at Equity Trust for Schindler,

Charlie Donner and Randy Thompson dong a mod at Case for Thyssen,

Jason Sohayda and Steve Keating joined the crew at 900 Euclid for Otis,

Bill Sellers and Eric Crossgrove doing service work at Avon Lake Ford Plant for Schindler,

Bob Garman and Max Desotell installing an elevator at Mother Teresa’s Convent for Thyssen,

Scott Hicks and Mark Carollo installing two cars at Victory Building for Schindler,

Shawn Yatsko and Greg Seaman doing a two-car mod at Lake Park Tower for Schindler,

Ed Gimmel and Tony Karovich doing a door mod at Terrace Tower for Schindler,

Gerard Szmerkovsky and Craig Nolty installing a four-stop car at Vita-Mix for Otis,

Neil Beechuk and Nick Meyer at Gates Mills Apartments doing a three-car mod for Thyssen,

Bill Yuhas and Kevin Driscoll doing a two-car mod at Case for Thyssen,

Matt Pinchont and Jonathan Koch at Metro doing a three-car mod for Otis,

Matt Wiengart and Taurus Ogletree installing a four-stop hydro for Schindler,

Don Kaiser and Brian Owens doing full-load tests at the Avenue District for Schindler.

As of this writing there are 18 mechanics and two apprentices out of work.

Till next month…

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net