Author: IUEC Local 17 Website Administrator

August ’13 Labor Citizen

Brothers and sisters:

 There are four members of IUEC Local 17 eligible for the Mechanics Exam to be held September 11.  As all journeymen know, the final exam of your apprenticeship is actually the easiest one you take.  The true test comes every day after that when you have to balance the pressures of safety on the job, company imposed time restraints and the desire to do your best as a union craftsman.  These are not always easy obstacles to overcome.  Sometimes, when the sun, moon and stars are all in alignment, the job moves forward flawlessly to the satisfaction of all.  Sometimes Mr. Murphy visits the job and the best laid plans fly out the window.

An airline mechanic friend once summarized the philosophy of the industry as “if you find it, fix it because that is one less thing to make the aircraft crash.”  For the most part, this culture of safety has resulted in the airline industry having a very good safety track record.  Because the elevator industry is unique in our scope of work and our exposure to the general public after the pile of parts becomes a living, breathing machine, we have a special responsibility to the riding public to ensure their mode of transportation is, first and foremost, safe and then reliable.  If this means taking extra time to reset the actuating pressure or speed of a safety device, take it.  If that means leaving a unit down until the proper adjustment can be made, take it.  It is far better to error on the side of safety than to leave a safety device designed to protect the public in a state that will never allow it to work.

Think about it like this:  when you’re done with a job, would you feel good about having your family ride than elevator or escalator?  If you have a nagging voice saying “no” then damn the yelling you’re going to get.  Do the job right.

There are still slots available for the welding class offered at Lincoln Electric leading to G3 and G4 certification.  If you are interested, then contact Business Agent Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088 or email him at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.

NEIEP is rolling out two new hands-on labs for apprentices and mechanics.  They cover hydraulic valve simulations, similar to the hydraulic controller lab you are familiar with, and a freight door lab based on the Peelle door system.

The fall semester will start on August 12th.  Letters informing all apprentices of their class assignments should have been received by now.  If you haven’t received a letter, then call Tim at the hall.

Striking IUEC locals in Ontario province reached an agreement on June 28th to end their two-month long walkout.  The solidarity locals 50, 90 and 96 showed got members the money they were looking for as well as protecting seniority and double time.  No matter when your contract expires, ever member of the trades should have a personal strike fund available in case of a stoppage

After 138 years in business, Edmonds Elevator, Cleveland’s oldest independent elevator company, was purchased by Thyssen Krupp effective July 1.  In a letter to Local 17, former Edmonds president Tina Schaffer said “I would like to thank you (Tim Moennich) and the union board members and local members for being so supportive and helpful while we transitioned through the personal and company loss of Big Mike (Schaffer).  You will never fully understand how much that meant to me but I assure you it did not go unnoticed.”  Big Mike Schaffer passed away last year.

Local 17 is left with six signatory companies:  the four majors (Kone, Otis, Schindler and Thyssen) and two independents, Maximum and Ross.

According to a letter from State Representative Sandra Williams there will be no further hearings on House Bill 151 and House Joint Resolution 5 the legislation designed to turn Ohio into a RTWFL state.

As of this writing there are 15 mechanics and four apprentices out of work.

 This is just a reminder that the first Labor Day Festival will be held at Euclid Memorial Park on August 31st from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.  This is a family oriented event and everyone is encouraged to attend.

August ’13 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and sisters:

 In June, the Ohio State Building Trades introduced Matt Szollosi as the executive director of ACT Ohio, their watchdog for the state building and construction trades.  Szollosi is a former four-term member of the Ohio House of Representatives and a managing partner in a Toledo law firm specializing in labor law.  As director his main duties will be to lobby the legislature to support the labor related issues that affect ACT Ohio’s 120,000 union members.  The organization has a website, actohio.org, to keep union members and their families updated on the latest labor news from around the state and the nation.  There is a link to their website at the local’s website, iueclocal17.org, in the union links page.

By the time you read this, the time to request an application for the local’s apprenticeship program will be past and we will be eagerly awaiting the slotting process for the new list of probationary apprentices.  Good luck to all.

The month of June was a deadly one for Schindler and the IUEC as we lost two union brothers to workplace related accidents.  As a result of these tragic events, during the week of June 17th, Schindler performed a safety stand down in all US and Canadian offices to refocus its emphasis on safe work practices.  This included safety walks by superintendents, area and district managers as well as vice-presidents and concluded with presentations at each Schindler office the week of the 24th.

In the trades, accidents happen.  The elevator trade has its own unique set of dangers that we accept as real and respect for the damage they can inflict.  We become aware of them and learn the necessary steps to keep them at bay from the mechanics who apprentice us.  This is why it is vitally important that every mechanic that has a probationary takes the time to teach them the safe way to ply our trade.  We are the ones that they will reference as their careers grow, so give them a solid foundation of safe practices and reinforce them on a regular basis.

It does not matter what part of the business you are involved in one thing is true:  being a fatality is not the way to be remembered.

Where are they working?

Charlie Donner and Randy Thompson installing a two-stop hydro at Westlake High School for Thyssen,

Jeff Ward and Tom Peska installing a two-stop traction at Hillcrest Hospital for Otis,

Bob Meyer and Paul Scheutzow replacing oil lines at three cars at University Square for Kone,

Neil Beechuk and Nick Meyer doing a mod at Rocky River Professional Building for Thyssen,

John Brunner and Jim Rodgers doing a tear out at Parkwood Apartments for Schindler,

Matt Pinchot and Ric Supinski doing a three-car mod at Metro Hospital for Otis,

Ken Leonard and Lemroy Hurd doing service work at Cleveland Thermal for Edmonds,

Scott Villanueva and Jonathon Koch doing a mod at 900 Euclid for Otis,

Jim Archer and Chris Dejesus doing a mod at Easterly Sewage for Schindler,

Todd Kemp and Max Desotell doing a jack job at Marcel Apartments for Edmonds.

Local 17 would like to extend their condolences to the families of retired Brother Jim Moore who passed away from cancer and Brother Doug LaFontaine whose father Jim also passed away this last April.  The local also extends their most sincere condolences to the families of Brothers Don White (Local 8) and Ron Zimbro (Local 10) both of whom were killed on the job.

As of this writing there are 14 mechanics and five apprentices out of work.

Till next month…

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

dknapik@windstream.net

July ’13 Labor Citizen

Brothers and sisters:

IUEC Local 17 is accepting applications for its apprenticeship program.  To be eligible applicants must be at least 18 years old, hold a high school diploma or GED, pass a written test and an oral interview given by the IUEC Local 17 Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee before being slotted for the list.  Those interested in becoming an apprentice must request an application from NEIEP Area Coordinator Jeff Burns, 433 Little Canada Road East, Little Canada, MN 55117.  All requests must be postmarked no later than July 10th.  If you have any questions, call Business Agent Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088 or email him at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.  Good Luck.

There are still openings for the welding class to be held at the world headquarters of Lincoln Electric, the leading manufacturer of welding equipment and supplies located in Euclid, Ohio.  This is a two-week, 40 hour class that offers the welding student the opportunity for 3G (vertical up) and 4G (overhead) certification.  Do not miss this chance to learn or hone a valuable skill that can make you more employable.  For more information or to sign up, contact Tim at the hall.

The IUEC lost two brothers to fatal on the job accidents in June.  The first was Brother Don White a 63 year-old mechanic with Local 8 (San Francisco).  He was killed when a counterweight struck him while working on a ladder in the pit of a car at the new football stadium for the San Francisco ‘49er’s.

The second fatality was Brother Ron Zimbro from Local 10 (Washington DC).  He was on a late night/early morning callback where all the cars in a building were out of service.  He was somehow crushed between two cars while working on a divider beam.  He, too, was 63 and had 37 years in the business.  Both of these brothers worked for Schindler Elevator.

As a result of these tragic accidents, during the week of June 17th, Schindler performed a safety stand down in all US and Canadian offices to refocus its emphasis on safe work practices.  This included safety walks by superintendents, area and district managers as well as vice-presidents and concluded with presentations at each Schindler office the week of the 24th.

In the trades, accidents happen.  Each of our trades has their own unique set of dangers that we accept as real and respect for the damage they can inflict.  We become aware of them and learn the necessary steps to keep them at bay from the journeymen who apprentice us.  This is why it is vitally important that every journeyman that has a probationary takes the time to teach them the safe way to ply their trade.  We are the ones that they will reference as their careers grow, so give them a solid foundation of safe practices and reinforce them on a regular basis.

It does not matter whether you are an elevator constructor, iron worker, electrician, bricklayer, pipefitter or anyone working in the trades, one thing is true:  being a fatality is not the way to be remembered.

At the last meeting, Tim reminded all members that whenever they are on a job lasting longer than two day, start a new construction or modernization job or work out of town, they must call the hall to report where they are working.  They must also call in when starting a job that has a hydraulic cylinder hole dug or any other work being done by elevator constructors.

Also at the June meeting, Tim advised that no one at KONE should sign any form or volunteer for a drug test.  This has not been agreed to or approved by the IUEC.

Business Agent Tim Moennich was also a guest on 1490 AM WERE’s America’s Workforce Radio hosted by Ed “Flash” Ferenc.  During the interview they talked about the requirements for the apprenticeship program and the newly completed Medical Mart.  If you are interested in hearing Tim’s interview, go to iTunes and search for American Workforce Radio and download the May 31st podcast.  The show airs Monday through Friday from 4 to 5 pm.

Strike Update

As of this writing, three Canadian locals (Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa, Ontario) are still on strike as talks have broken off with Thyssen, Otis, KONE and Schindler and no new talks are expected.

Our brothers and sisters to the north need our support and a strike relief fund has been established to aid members walking the picket lines.  Any individual or local can send a contribution to the Ontario Strike Fund, C/O IUEC Local 50, 400 Westnery Road, Ajax, Ontario, Canada, L156M6.

IUEC Local 17 would like to send its condolences to the familiy of Brother Jim Moore who passed away in late April and to Brother Doug LaFontaine whose father Jim LaFontaine also passed away.  Jim LaFontaine was the past president of Emco Elevators.

As of this writing there are 14 mechanics and five apprentices out of work.

July ’13 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and sisters:

Monday, May 6. 3:45 PM
After wresting an oversized generator down four flights of stairs and setting floor heights on an old Shepard-Warner, I was exhausted and on-call downtown. Southbound on I-71 I passed easily through the Metro General curve. The hospital buildings visible from the highway reflect the governmental austerity of the times they were constructed and belie the world-class Level 1 Trauma Center and burn unit housed inside.
While UH and the Clinic to the east feature gleaming glass towers and public art, county-run Metro serves the poorest of Cleveland’s poor. Overt displays of prosperity are not on the agenda.
It is 72 degrees outside with crystal clear blue skies. I rolled down the truck window to breath deep the welcome warm spring day.
5:00 PM
After I walked the dog, I flopped on my patio chair, kicked up my feet and promptly fell asleep.
God, I hope my phone doesn’t ring.
6:00 PM
I roused from my nap by a grumble in my stomach. Might as well go in, turn on the news and eat something before my phone starts to ring. My wife left me a heat-and-eat in the microwave and it didn’t take long before that was gone. I settled into my easy chair for what was sure to be round two of nappy-time. I sighed “is there ever any good news?”
6:20 PM
WOIO-TV was going into their nightly sports coverage when Tony Zarrella was interrupted for breaking news. That is when Ed Gallek came on set and announced to the world that Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and a third unnamed woman where found together and alive! I bolted up in my chair and my mouth dropped to the floor.
As the world now knows, Berry and DeJesus, then 17 and 14 respectively, were kidnapped on their way home a decade ago and their images have been all over Cleveland since. Many times through the years there were tips that one or the other was dead and buried in various locations around town. All of them, for now obvious reasons, were wrong.
I, along with the rest of the world, watched Charles Ramsey colorfully explain his role in the rescue and the throngs of cheering people gathered on Seymour Avenue and Metro General to celebrate the end of twelve years of horror for previously unknown Michelle Knight and a decade for DeJesus, Berry and Berry’s six year-old daughter born in captivity. After watching the initial coverage, I sat back and realized that my two daughters are the same age as Amanda and Gina and my heart filled with sadness for all the events missed by the young women and their families.
As the news raced around the world and the eyes of the globe turned to the miracle unfolding in the ER on West 25th Street, you could sense something shift. It is hard to explain exactly what it was, but there was something different about the day and now the night. It was midnight before I finally turned off the television and settled into bed.
Tuesday, May 7. 2:45 AM.
My phone rings and I’m off to downtown. Driving to my call I listened to the radio for any new information on the Miracle Four. The national networks picked up on the story and were reporting what Cleveland knew nine hours earlier. As I closed in on downtown I could actually physically feel something I cannot explain.
When the buildings of Metro General loomed over the highway, they radiated a light I had never seen in the thousands of times I drove by before and the dozens of times since. They radiated pure love and joy.
That night, the world embraced Michelle, Gina, Amanda and her daughter and welcomed them home.

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

Don
Dknapik@windstream.net

IUEC Local 17 Begins Apprenticeship Recruitment

The International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 17 (Cleveland) is beginning its recruitment process for the apprenticeship program administered through the local Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC) and the National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP).

To be eligible the applicant must be 18 years old, hold at least a high school diploma or GED and send a letter requesting an application to Jeff Burns, NEIEP Area Coordinator, 433 Little Canada Rd, Little Canada, Mn 55117.  All requests for applications must be received no later than July 10th.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact IUEC Local 17 Business Agent Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088, through email at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org or through the mail at 3250 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115.

 

 

2013 IUEC Local 17 Golf Outing — Setting Up

Entertainment Chairman Mike Hogan spends a lot of time every year organizing events for IUEC Local 17 members and their families.  One that every participant looks forward to every year is the golf outing held once again at Mallard Creek Golf Course.  The following galleries will give you a sense of the work and the fun in being an elevator constructor and member of Local 17.

 

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June ’13 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and sisters:

A couple of months ago I was sitting in our repair department safety meeting before going into the company safety meeting and I looked around at the people gathered in the room.  The mechanics sat on one side of the desk and the apprentices on the other.  While our boss rattled off data points on performance versus time and BDP and GPS and blah, blah, blah, I wondered where all the old-timers went.

When I started at Millar and into the Schindler merger I worked service with the likes of Ron Waleri, Gene Steiner, Dave Zapeda, John Ward, Mark Mayo and Big Bill Sellers.  When I worked as a floating maintenance helper I helped almost every Millar/Schindler maintenance man in Cleveland.  If there was one I missed then it was due to the superintendent not grabbing me in time to get me out to them before they quit or retired.  I grew to appreciate them all for their unique approaches to their job and the skills they had that kept their customers happy and equipment running.  From some I learned what not to do which can be an even more important lesson than what to do in any given situation.

A couple of years ago I was talking with two other young mechanics who also worked as helpers with one of the service mechanics I helped for a period.  We all said that when we ran into a tough task we would stop and say “what would he do” or admonish ourselves with “that’s not how he would have done it.”  All three of us laughed because we knew the standard and it was set very high and we all hoped to live up to it.

So… Where are all the old timers?

On April 19th Local 17 held its annual Retiree’s Dinner at Frank Sterel’s Slovenian Restaurant.  In between my duties of taking photos for the local’s website, iueclocal17.org, and catching up with those retirees and active members I see only this one time a year, I took a count of those in attendance that I had the honor to work with even for a short period of time as a helper and those that helped me as a mechanic.  I stopped counting at 15.

All of them had stories to tell, memories to stir and laughs to be shared.

Drifting back to the meeting, it was not so much a hit from an I-beam but a subtle nudge from above that said we had become the old-timers.  We were the ones that the apprentices across from us would be looking up to and referencing for the rest of their careers just like those I worked with as a helper.  It was an awesome and sobering thought and I think every day about living up to the standard that those before us set.

I do not always know whether I measure up, but when I leave this trade, by whatever means it happens, my most sincere hope is that I will make a positive impact and leave it better than when I found it.

Till next month…

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

dknapik@windstream.net

May ’13 Cleveland Citizen

Brothers and sisters:

The National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP) is happy to announce they are now offering an OSHA 10 class to IUEC members through their website, neiep.org.  OSHA 10 is the ten-hour course that many construction sites require in order to be able to work onsite.  It covers the history of OSHA and basic safety procedures every elevator constructor must know.  The course requires little or no computer experience and can be self-paced.  There is a refundable fee of $72 to enroll.  For more information on this and other opportunities for advanced education, go to the NEIEP website.

There is a sign-up sheet for the welding class offered in conjunction with Lincoln Electric at their world headquarters on Euclid.  This is a 40-hour class that leads to G3 and G4 certification.  If you have any questions contact Business Agent Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088 or email him at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.

There is still time to get in on the IUEC Local 17 Golf Outing.  The two-man scramble will be held June 1st at Mallard Creek Golf Course, 34500 Royalton Road, Columbia Station.  The festivities kick off at 9:00 AM and feature a full day of golf, food and prizes.  The cost is $100 for the day.  Please get your name into Entertainment Chairman Mike Hogan or Business Agent Tim Moennich.

Lessons Learned

Congratulations to the Strongsville Education Association on ending their eight-week long strike against the Board of Education with their first contract in two years.  While many looking in from the outside might see spoiled public servants attempting to grab as much as they can at the expense of the students they say they care so much about, the issues go so much deeper than that superficial statement.

Strongsville, like many school systems, requires that teachers advance their education over and above the basic bachelor’s degree and compensates them for the time and effort.  The belief is that teachers with advanced degrees bring more value to the classroom and give a more complete and better education to their students.  In other words, if the system is loaded with masters and PhDs, their pay scale is going to be closer to the top than if most of the teachers were holding masters and below.

Strongsville has consistently ranked high in their state evaluations and the community at large supports the good work the teachers do.  The most current report card put out by the state ranked the system 97th out of the 610 public systems in Ohio and gave it an Excellent with Distinction ranking.

Unfortunately for the school system they were hit with a double whammy as decreased state aid by Governor Kasich and a decrease in property values cut into their operating budget.  State aid to the system peaked in 2010 at $21.6 million after increasing from $16.4 million in 2007.  The system took a $700,000 hit in 2011 but bounced back in 2012 with a $2.1 million increase for a total of $22.9 million in state aid.  The local revenue received peaked in 2009 at $53.1 million but decreased to $48.1 million today which is $500,000 above the 2006 levels.  Federal aid to Strongsville is off by $2 million versus the 2010 numbers.  While this looks bleak, the system is still operating with a budget that is $6.5 million over their 2007 revenue.

There are many out there that will use this as a lever to revive SB5, the failed attempt to limit public-sector collective bargaining rights, but the broader issue is union busting by the GOP lead statehouse and turning Ohio into a “Right-To-Work –For Less” state.  As has been reported previously in these pages, there are groups gathering signatures to place a measure called the “Workplace Freedom Act” that would turn collective bargaining back to the pre-NLRB days.

It is ironic that two Republican legislators , Ron Maag of Lebanon and Kristina Roegner of Hudson, introduced sister bills to turn Ohio into a Right-To-Work-For-Less state on May 1st, or as our friends in the former Soviet Union refer to it, May Day.  A day set aside to honor the working man and woman.

As a Strongsville High School graduate of too long ago to count, I think about the lesson plans that a returning striking teacher would prepare for their first class in eight weeks.  I would spend the week talking about the history of labor relations, collective bargaining and why it is as important today as it was in 1935 when the National Labor Relations Act took effect.  Then I would talk about the collective bargaining process and why it is still the best model for management-labor relations and finally using strikes as a last measure.  A lesson plan like this would put the collective bargaining process in perspective and teach a real life lesson the kids will not soon forget.