Category: Cleveland Citizen

Brothers and Sisters:

By the time this reaches your mailbox, the Fall semester apprentice classes will be underway.  Brothers Jerry Reitz will be teaching RC 600 on Monday and Tuesday with Tim Narowitz instructing RC100 on Tuesday and Wednesday.  There are 39 apprentices currently enrolled in the NEIEP program with five being test eligible after this semester.  Ten probationaries are expected to be joining the program in the Spring.

Apprentice pay raises are applied the first pay cycle after September 1.  Business Manager John Driscoll Jr sent a letter to all signatory companies about the apprentices pay scale after that date.  If there is a concern contact John at the hall at 216-431-8088 or email him at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org.

Vacation checks were due July 15.  If there is a discrepancy call John.

The 2023 golf outing is in the books and the foursome headed by Brother Rob Hansen again took the honors for the second straight year with a score of nine under par.  80 members and guests took part in the event held at Bunker Hill Golf Course in Medina. For photos from the event go to the local’s website, iueclocal17.org.  A large thank you to Brothers Todd and Rich Kemp for their work in setting up and ensuring a smoothly run event.

IUEC Local 17 will be participating in the 2023 Labor Day Softball Tournament held at James Day Park in Parma.  Any Local 17 member interesting in playing can contact the hall for practice locations and dates.  

Elevator Industry Work Preservation (EIWP) is holding a Qualified Elevator Inspector class in Cleveland the week of January 8, 2024.  The class fee is $3000.  For more information on the class and to secure a position, contact John at the hall.

The big job on the square, the Sherwin-Williams headquarters, is in full swing and Schindler currently has five teams on site and is planning for a sixth.  This will put the total number of constructors working on the job to 12.  Work has also begun on Sherwin’s research and development facility on the former site of the VA in Brecksville.  Six cars are planned for the site.  

Schindler currently has ten mod jobs running with 3Phase keeping five mod teams working.  Otis service work is picking up and Kone just picked up Cuyahoga County office buildings on maintenance.  TKElevator just put out a temporary mechanic and picked up a probationary apprentice.

The Brothers and Sisters of IUEC Local 17 send their condolences to the families of Honored Retiree Frank Mezak Who passed away June 17 and Honored Retiree Todd Keating and his son Steve on the passing of their mother and grand-mother respectively one July 5.

As of the writing there is one mechanic on the bench.

Brothers and Sisters:

By the time this sees print, the 2023 IUEC Local 17 Golf Outing will be in the books.  The event is being held at Bunker Hill Golf Course in Medina with a shotgun start at 2 pm.  For photos from the event and word on the winner of the Green Jacket, go to the Local’s website, iueclocal17.org.

The 2023 edition of the Local 17 Retiree’s Dinner was held at Harry’s Steak House in Independence on May 19.  There were 90 retirees and active members with the number evenly split between the two groups.  Honorary Retiree Tim Moennich won the watch.  For photos from the event, go to the website and click on the Galleries tab.

The Spring semester ended the last week of May with apprentices completing RC300, RC500 and RC800 classes. Congratulations to all those that passed the semester. 

IUEC Local 17 will have four test-eligible apprentices after the Fall 23 semester.  All four of them will be taking RC100 as their last class prior to their Mechanics Exam eligibility.

There will be a total of 36 apprentices in the Fall Class lineup with eight probationaries joining them for the Spring ’24 semester after they complete their New Hire course.  Classes and dates have not yet been determined.  

Local 17 has two mechanics that must complete a continuing education course prior to January 1, 2024 to be eligible for a pay increase.  All mechanics, no matter how many years in the business, are eligible to take one of the CE courses listed on the NEIEP website, neiep.org.  They will receive eight hours of pay for their time through NEIEP. The courses are listed on the main page of the website.

Schindler has begun manning the Sherwin-Williams headquarters project on Public Square.  Previously, Schindler has used members of its Large Project Division (LPD) to push jobs such as this.  There is a Columbus, Ohio mechanic pushing the job who is not part of LPD.  He has signed the transient paperwork with the hall.

TKElevator and 3Phase are holding steady on their manpower with rumors that Otis may be looking for some people in the near future.  

There is no update on State Elevator Licensing.

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

The IUEC Local 17 Annual Golf Outing will be held Saturday, July 8 at Bunker Hill Golf Course, 3060 Pearl Rd, Medina, OH.  The format will be a lunch served prior to the 2 pm shotgun start with dinner served after play,  Cost is $150 per person.  To sign up for the event visit iueclocal17.org and follow the links to signup your group.

On May 19, Local 17 held the Annual Retirees Dinner at Harry’s Steak House in Independence.   There where approximately 90 retired and active members in attendance.  Gold cards and service pins were passed out to members in attendance.  Notably, there were Gold Cards presented to the father-son duo of Retired Brothers Leon and Ryan Oullette and a special posthumous Gold Card given to Brother Thomas Reitz and accepted by his brother Jerry.  For more photos from the event, go to the local’s website, iueclocal17.org and click on Events.

The local and signatory companies held their first joint quarterly safety meeting.  The committee, made up of representatives from the Locals 17 and 45 (Akron), has the same members as the Collective Bargaining Agreement  requires be designated to handle safety concerns within a given office.  The company members are Bill Scharra for Otis, Dan Schreckengost for Kone, Brian McTaggart for TKElevator, Tom Gombar representing Schindler and Scott Hicks at the table for 3Phase.  Local members can submit safety concerns to Business Manager John Driscoll Jr by emailing him at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org or calling the hall at 216-431-8088.

Thank you to retired Brother John Taylor for a successful Hydraulic Controller Troubleshooting class.  Brothers Don Knapik and Tim Narowitz recently returned from Rhode Island after completing OSHA 10 General Industry training.  This certifies them to teach General Industry 10 and 30 hour classes.  Narowitz will be returning to the NEIEP Training Center as soon as the industrial truck certification class is announced in preparation for offering this to Local 17 members.  

NEIEP is offering mentoring opportunities to the apprentices taking online classes.  These mentoring classes are going to be offered over three times zones to those taking classes off site with the same material covered for that week.  If you are working out of town, this is a way to keep up with your school work.

If you are working on a job and suspect Article IV preassembly violations, contact John.  Recently, Otis was cited for violations involving its E-Glide operator.  There were also violations at another job involving 13 cars with 110 doors installed prior to discovery.  The company had to pay to have the violation corrected by our members.

Work at all the majors is picking up as material issues are being resolved.

The Brothers and Sisters of IUEC Local 17 send their condolences to the families of Brother Mike Hogan, retired Brother Mike Moennich and past Local 17 president Brian McTaggart on the passing of their father-in-law Bud McTaggart.

As of this writing there is one mechanic on the bench.

Brothers and Sisters:

The 2023 Local 17 Golf Outing will be held July 8 at Bunker Hill Golf Course, 3060 Pearl Rd, Medina. The format this year will be a 2 pm shotgun start with lunch served prior and dinner immediately after. The cost is $150 per person. Watch your mail for signup and payment information.

The 2023 IUEC Local 17 Retiree’s Dinner will be held Friday, May 19 at Harry’s Steak House, 5664 Brecksville Road, Independence. The bar opens at 5:30 with dinner being served at 6:30. This is a great opportunity for current members, no matter how long they have been in the trade, to meet the men who helped make Local 17 great.

John Taylor has completed the Hydraulic Controller class with 12 students agreeing it was a helpful experience. Nine Local 17 members also completed the welding class held at Lincoln Electric and received their certifications.

The spring semester ends the week of May 29th, which is Memorial Day. Good luck to all the apprentices on passing their finals and an additional round of luck to those preparing for their Mechanics Exam.s

Remember to pick up your working card by the first of the month. There is a $10 fine levied for cards left at the hall past the first of the quarter. It is also a requirement that the card be with you at all times during working hours.

Employers are offering electric vehicles to Local 17 members. The requirements for installation and electric cost reimbursement of the chargers and at work charging options have not been reviewed by the International. As of now, the hall is advising all members to not exercise this option.

Elevator Licensing in Ohio is moving forward as the details of administering the law are being hammered out between Columbus, the International and the affected Ohio Locals. Business Manager John Driscoll Jr is in contact on a weekly basis with Work Preservation following up on the details of the implementation and enforcement of the law. As previously reported, the law is expected to be in full effect and force by the end of the year.

The Sherwin-Williams headquarters job is expected to be manned by Schindler in May. If Schindler is planning on bringing in their Large Projects team to run the job, according to John, in accordance with them staying on the job the Local 17 bench will be clear. KONE and Otis have a lot of work now and on the books for the rest of the year. TKElevator is still having material issues and is moving employees around to keep them working.

The Brothers and Sisters of IUEC Local 17 send their condolences to the family of retired Brother Bob Charron who passed away April 11.

As of this writing there are one mechanic and one probationary apprentice on the bench.

Brothers and Sisters:

IUEC Local 17 had a large presence at the 2023 Cleveland St. Patrick’s Day Parade. KONE donated the use of its stake body truck for the event and it was driven by Brother Morgan Armstrong. For photos of the days events, go to the Local 17 website, iueclocal17.org.

The 2023 IUEC Local 17 Retiree’s Dinner will be held May 19 at Harry’s Steak House on Brecksville Rd in Independence. The cost for active members is $60 and, of course, retirees attend for free. The bar opens at 5:30 and dinner will be served at 6:30. Mail in the response form to the hall and the attention of Entertainment Chairman Todd Kemp, 3250 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, 44115. Be sure to indicate wether you are attending as an active member or retiree and your preference of main course. This is always a well attended event with a healthy mix of members willing to tell their stories.

The Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Industrial Compliance is drafting the regulations for implementing the Ohio Elevator Licensing Law signed by Governor DeWine in January. The regulations will cover license costs for mechanics and contractors, enforcement and other procedural rules necessary for enforcement. The rough draft is expected to be ready in July for review and appointments to the board is expected in late November to early December.

Schindler has agreed that field employees will not block open hoistway doors for access by contractors but, supervisors can block the doors. The general contractor will have to sign a release before being issued a release key. At no time will a field employee be involved in the transaction. If there are any questions or concerns contact Business Manager John Driscoll Jr at the hall at 216-431-8088 or email him at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org.

John Taylor is transitioning from the AC motor class to the hydraulic controller troubleshooting class. There were 12 members signed up for the continuing education offering.

For those apprentices with absences from class, the last week in April is scheduled for the first makeup class. Any one apprentice can only miss two classes during a semester and those instructional hours must be made up before the end of the semester.

The Local By-Law changes voted on any the body at the January general meeting must be submitted to and approved by the International. This means the $5 anniversary fund was not included in this quarters dues. Next quarter the amount will be added to the contingency fund and will be $30 instead of the $25 charged now.

The Brothers and Sisters of IUEC Local 17 send their condolences to the family of honorary retiree Brother Jim Stiner who passed away March 7.

As of this writing there is one assistant mechanic on the bench.

Brothers and Sisters:

Retired Brother John Taylor is teaching the CE 093 AC motor class with five students.  He is willing to roll into the Hydraulic Controller Lab afterward if there is enough interest.  The class covers all aspects of troubleshooting a hydraulic elevator and is the same lab used during the apprentice training.  This is an excellent way for both new and experienced mechanics to hone their troubleshooting skills.  If you are interested in this or any other Continuing Education courses contact Business Manager John Driscoll Jr at the hall at 216-431-8088 or email him at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org.  

Those who passed the Mechanics Exam after the start of the present contract must have eight hours of Continuing Education credits through NEIEP to receive their raise.  The current offering of classes is Harassment and Discrimination, Multimeter Skills and a Governor lab.  NEIEP compensates the students for eight hours at their Locals scale for completion of the classes.  Every mechanic is eligible to take the offerings no matter when they passed their test.  For more information, go to the NEIEP website at neiep.org and click on the Mechanic CE offerings link on the main page.

At the February meeting Business Manger John Driscoll Jr reported that IUEC General President Frank Christensen attended the monthly Tri-State meeting.  As has been an ongoing topic for many months, the major signatory companies have been having issues with keeping a correct payroll on a regular basis.  The latest is that an Otis superintendent did not press the submit button prior to leaving on vacation. According to the report, this is not an uncommon issue across the country and the IUEC leadership is dealing with it on a case-by-case basis. Those affected by the error should have been made whole by the time of this publication. 

Vacation checks should have arrived by January 15^th per the contract.  If you did not receive your check or believe there is an error contact your employer and John at the hall.

Major employers in the area are still claiming supply-chain shortages for not starting jobs.  Some are shuffling guys around to jobs while they wait for parts to arrive from vendors.  This may prove to be a short time issue with a flood of new work after the storm clears.

Ohio Elevator is dominating Facebook with an outreach to the commercial sector.  The company is the spin off of the residential division of Gable/3Phase Elevator.  They have recruited a former Local 45 and 17 member to spearhead their campaign into the commercial sector. A list of Local signatories is at the bottom of this article.  If you run into this company on a job or any company not listed below, contact John at the hall.

As of this writing there are two mechanics and one Assistant Mechanic in the bench.