Category: Elevator Constructor

Current article from the Elevator Constructor

May ’23 Elevator Constructor

Local 17 article for the May 2023 Constructor

Brothers and Sisters:

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about family. It hasn’t been one particular incident that sparked the thought but, rather a feeling which raised the question: what is family?

The traditional view of family is the group of people into which a person is born: mother father, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in any combination. This is the group which a child creates their initial identity and forms their vision of their place in the world. This is the group to which they belong.

Many years ago in these pages I wrote something very similar on this subject. My conclusion was that family is something that evolves over time to include not only the group into which you were born but, a greater group to which you want to belong or wants you to belong.

In March 2019 my granddaughter Gabby was born. Her birthday is one day before the date shared by my grandmother and son. My Granny was a wonderful, kind woman who gave me a love for authentic Old World food, inspired wonder in the world and looked over me from above at age 49 as I completed the bike ride from Cleveland to Cincinnati along US 42 I traced on the Sohio folding map when I was age seven. My son was an outgoing, extremely friendly young man who enjoyed listening to baseball, music, playing all sorts of games and hoped for a family of his own. He left us too soon.

I think about them both all the time, especially in the spring. I think about planting flowers with my Granny and throwing the ball with my son. I miss them both.

Shortly after Gabby as born, I got a call from my son’s friend Chris that he was coming home to Cleveland from Dallas and he was bringing his family. Jon and Chris had been best friends since the age of six. They caught frogs, turtles and snakes together, played games together, rode bikes together, adventured together. Jon and Chris: always together.

On June 1, 2019, after the Union golf outing, my daughter Michele had a party at her house in Columbia Station. I left the outing as soon as I could. When I walked in the house the first person I saw was Chris. He was older, a little heavier, had a beard, but there was no denying it was him. We hugged a long hug that said ‘welcome home’ without either of us having to use the words.

I sat for hours listening to him talk about about Dallas and his life in Texas. I met his wife and three children: two girls and a boy. I always thought of him as a second son and seeing him as an adult with his family fills me with a happiness I cannot put into words.

The four of us, Jon, Michele, Chris and myself sang “Rosalita” as loud and long as we could. The family was back together. Chris was home.

My wife watches Gabby a couple days a week. It has been the greatest joy of my life watching to two of them together. Gabby calls my wife Magga and I’m Papa. Gabby and Magga grow flowers together, make chalk drawings on the driveway together, play games together, read together and go on adventures together.

The other day I came home from work, washed up and took a seat in my chair. My wife was sitting with Gabby, her arm about her reading a book, the two of them in a moment only the two of them could share. How will Gabby’s world be defined? What will be the group with which she defines herself? How big will her world be? Grandmother and granddaughter, always together.

Until next month,

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don
DKnapik@windstream.net

April ’23 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and Sisters:

Mechanics who passed their exam after July 2022, the start of the new contract, are required to have eight hours of continuing education credit in order to receive their raise.  NEIEP offers three courses through the website, neiep,org, that satisfy the contractual requirement.  Online classes on sexual harassment, multimeter skills and the governor lab are available to every mechanic in the International.  NEIEP will also pay the student eight hours of straight time at their Local’s rate to take the course.  

Continuing education is more important now than ever with the State of Ohio passing licensing for those working on elevators and escalators within the State.  Watch this space as well as the Local 17 website for updates as they become available.

Ohio Elevator is the non-signatory home lift company spun off from Gable Elevator after they became a signatory.  The company is making overtures about entering the commercial market with postings all over Facebook.  If you see them on a job call Business Manger John Driscoll Jr at 216-431-8088 or email him at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org.

Congratulations to those that marched in the 2023 Cleveland St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  Since the parade  fell on a Friday, the festivities were well attended by both participants and crowds.  Photos of the event and Local 17’s part in the parade are available on the website, iueclocal17.org.   

Where are they working?

DJ Spring and Deven Shields doing a one-car mod at Eaton on Chagrin for Otis,

Jim Thompson and Matt Dinko at Metro Critical Care doing a two-car mod for Otis,

Shane Huff and Luke Schnitzler doing a 1 car mod at St.Church in Oberlin for Otis,

Ken Bowles and John Ranney doing a teo-car mod at Fairview Hospital for Otis,

John Logue and Pat Pollock at Cleveland Clinic Beachwood doing a two-car mod for Otis,

Jerry Szmerekovsky and Pat McHugh at CCF Mentor installing four cars for Otis,

Pat Kelly and Cory Oldham at Longfellow installing three cars for Otis,

Craig Nolty and Brendan Teets at the Meridian doing a three-car mod for Otis,

Tom Peska and Matt Ramser installing two cars at Parma Storage for Schindler,

Shawn Yatsko and Tom Holian at the Justice Center doing a five-car mod for Schindler,

Felix DeJesus and Brian Seither at Winton Manor doing a three-car mod for Schindler,

Pat McCann and Ric Supinski doing door mods at South Park Manor for Schindler,

Matt Wiengart, Lucas Jenke, Joe Sumph, Aaron Reed, Brian Bond and Tito Mike doing mods at UH for Schindler,

Dave Gnagy and Jay Carlson in Columbus installing two cars for Schindler,

Dan Varga and Jarrett Adams at Euclid 3 doing a two-car mod for Schindler,

Joe Gouker and Eric Schaffran finishing a twelve car installation at Ahuja for KONE,

James Hirz and Mark Thomason at the Artisan installing three 23-stop cars for KONE,

Brendan Hyland and Jake Driscoll at Chagrin Riverwalk in Willoughby installing one car for KONE,

Drew Williams and Mike Miller Jr doing a mod at 55 Public Square for KONE,

Tim Narowitz, Vince Smrdel, Chris Sipos and John Smith at Bratenhal II doing a four-car mod for TKE,

Anthony Metcalf and Christian Thompson doing a mod at Judson Park for TKE,

Bill Dudas and Dave Ford doing a mod at Judson Manor for TKE,

Jason Fredrick and Brad Skotko dong a mod at Marine Tower West for TKE,

Kevin Thomas and Sean Canning at Fort Wayne, Indiana at Memorial Middle School doing a one- car mod for TKE,

Chris Wyant and Cris DeJesus installing a two-stop hydro at Shaker Library for 3Phase,

Mitch Klemp and Brian Owens at Shaker Court Condos doing a mod for 3Phase,

Marc Carollo and Dan Quigley at Giant Eagle doing a one-car mod for  3Phase,

Jim Ehrbar and Brian Owens doing a two-car mod at Chelsea condos for 3Phase.

As of this writing there are two mechanics and one assistant mechanic on the bench.

Until next month…

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net

March ’23 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and Sisters:

Local 17 is once more participating in the Cleveland St.Patrick’s Day Parade.  The annual event is always a highlight of the Local’s calendar.  The parade kicks off at 1 pm from East 18th and Superior and goes along Superior to Pubic Square.  This is a family friendly event and members are encouraged to bring children, family and friends.

As part of the new contract, mechanics passing the Exam after July 9, 2022 must complete eight hours of Continuing Education credits through NEIEP every year in order to receive their January 1 raise.  Any mechanic taking the education will be paid eight hours through NEIEP after completion.  This includes any grandfathered mechanic.  The portal is on the NEIEP homepage, neiep.org.

After a multi-year effort across multiple legislative sessions, Ohio governor Mike DeWine signed the bill creating elevator licensing in the state January 2.  It is estimated that final establishment of the Elevator Safety Review Board will be in the late third or early fourth quarter of this year.  The nine-member Board is appointed by the Governor and will oversee the administration of fee and renewal schedules, continuing education requirements and license classifications.

This is an important step to putting the trade on par with other professionals like lawyers, doctors, nurses and other building trades already recognized by the state as vital to public safety.

Local 17 members will be able to pay second quarter dues by credit card through Unionly, a payment processor.  There will be a 4 percent surcharge on top of your dues payment to use the service.  Dues will still be payable through traditional methods.  Expect more information on the Locals website, iueclocal17.org, as the service rolls out.

Payroll still is an issue with the major companies.  12 Otis employees did not get their January 1 raise.  The issue was apparently resolved and the employees made whole.  

Business Manager John Driscoll Jr has advised members who do not receive their pay on time to contact him so each instance can be resolved in a timely and appropriate manner.  This has happened a few times over the past year and the member has been paid every time.  If you have any questions about your pay contact John at 216-431-8088 or email him at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org.

Congratulations to Brothers Dave Ford, Pat Kelly, Todd Kemp and Ernie Rodriguez on being sworn it as the new Local Conductor, Vice-President, Entertainment Chairman and Warden respectively.

The Brothers and Sisters of Local 17 send their condolences to the families of retired Brother Carl Metzger and City of Cleveland inspector Andy Valek.

As of this writing there are three mechanics and one assistant mechanic on the bench.

Until next month…

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

Dknapik@windstream.net

February ’23 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and Sisters:

The first week of spring semester is underway with Jerry Reitz teaching RC300, Tim Narowitz teaching and RC500 and Don Knapik teaching RC800.  

NEIEP Area Coordinator Jordan Miller is trying to organize a welding class at Lincoln Electric.  The main push is due to the Sherwin Williams headquarters project coming out of the ground and Schindler wanting as many certified welders as possible on the job.  Watch your email for updates from Business Manager John Driscoll Jr.

The Local 17 Executive Board voted to renew the Accidental Death and Dismemberment Policy with American Income Life.  A letter will be sent out on Local 17 letterhead offering this to members of the Local.  This is a voluntary offering and no member is required to respond in order to be covered by the ADD policy.  Returning the enclosed card will result in a call made by a representative of AIL to offer additional insurance products.  If you have any questions, contact John at 216-431-8088 or email him at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org.

Work is slow right now with Otis and Schindler having material delivery problems.  TKElevator, Kone and 3Phase appear to be steady but not busy enough to pick up anyone.  Otis and 3Phase have Akron mechanics finishing jobs and will be asked to return to Local 45 after they are completed.

Where are they working:

DJ Spring  and Deven Shields doing a one-car mod at Eton on Chagrin Boulevard,

Jim Thompson and Matt Dinko at Metro Critical Care Pavilion doing a two-car mod for Otis,

Shane Huff and Luke Schnitzler doing a one-car mod at Crestmont North Nursing Home for Otis,

Ken Bowles and John Ranney doing a two-car mod at Fairview Hospital for Otis, 

Nick Ward and Pat McHough at CCF Mentor installing four cars for Otis,

Pat Kelly and Cory Oldham installing a car at Lubrizol for Otis,

Craig Nolty and Brendan Teets at Meridian doing a three-car mod for Otis,

Bill Sellers and Joe Walter changing out a machine at Schofield for Schindler,

Tom Peska and Matt Ramser installing a car at Battery Park on West 70th for Schindler,

Shawn Yatsko and Brandon Light at Euclid Beach Club doing a two-car mod for Schindler,

Felix DeJesus and Brian Seither at Winton Manor doing a three-car mod for Schindler,

Pat McCann and Ric Supinski doing door mods at Cleveland Clinic Beachwood for Schindler,

Matt Weingart, Lucas Janke, Joe Sumph, Aaron Reed, Mike Bowles and Tito Mike doing mods at UH for Schindler,

Dave Gnagy and Jay Carlson installing a car at Fairmount Condos for Schindler,

Dan Varga and Jarrett Adams at Euclid 3 doing a two-car mod for Schindler,

Joe Gauker and Eric Schaffran installing twelve cars at Ahuja for Kone,

Brendan Hyland, James Hirz, Russell Barrows, Jake Driscoll and Mark Thomason at Artisan installing three 23-stop cars for Kone, 

Tim Narowitz, Vince Smrdel, Chris Sipos and John Smith at Bratenhal II doing a four-car mod for TK,

Anthony Metcalf and Christian Thompson doing a one-car mod at UH Geauga for TK,

Bill Dudas and Chad Nestor doing a one-car mod at Randall Park Apartments for TK,

Jason Fredrick and Brad Skotko doing a one-car mod at Marine Tower West for TK,

Kevin Thomas and Sean Canning installing one car at Parma Self Storage for TK

Mitch Klemp and Brian Owens at Shaker Court Condos doing a mod for 3Phase,

Marc Carollo and Dan Quigley at River Park Apartments doing a two-car mod for 3Phase,

Wing Lui and Justin Kavedzic at Cellular Technology doing a mod for 3Phase and,

Jim Ehrbar and Tino Chaibai doing a two-car mod at Chelsea Apartments for 3Phase.

As of this writing there are three mechanics and one assistant mechanic on the bench.

Until next month,

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

Dknapik@windstream.net

January ’23 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and Sisters:

There’s a lot going on so, lets get to it…

Photos from the 2022 Children’s Christmas Party held December 10th at the hall are now available on the Local 17 website, iueclocal17.org.  This is the first party since the pandemic and, as always, was a great time for parents and children.  

There will be 40 apprentices in the spring semester NEIEP classes.  Jerry Reitz will be teaching RC300 on Monday and Tuesday, Tim Narowitz will teach RC500 on Tuesday and Wednesday and Don Knapik will teach RC800 on Thursday.

All enrolled apprentices should have received their class assignments.  Also, all new apprentices to the program will be receiving a laptop to use in class.  If you have any questions about your class assignment, day or have not received your laptop, contact Business Manager John Driscoll Jr at 216-431-8088 or email him at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org.

Local 17 is planning a welding class between the fall and spring semesters at the world headquarters of Lincoln Electric in Euclid.  Any mechanic or apprentice interested must first complete an online prep course on the NEIEP website, neiep.org.  If you have any questions, contact John at the hall.

The January 13, 2023 meeting is a mandatory meeting for the installation of officers.  Those without a valid reason for not attending will be fined.

Where are they working:

DJ Spring and Deven Shields doing a one-car mod at Eton on Chagrin for Otis

Jim Thompson and Matt Dinko at Metro Critical Care Pavilion doing a two-car mod for Otis,

Shane Huff and Luke Schnitzler doing a one-car mod at Crestmont North Nursing Home for Otis,

Ken Bowles and John Ranney doing a two-car mod at Fairview Hospital for Otis,

Nick Ward and Pat McHugh at CCF Mentor installing four cars for Otis,

Pat Kelly and Cory Oldham installing a car at Lubrizol for Otis,

Craig Nolty and Brendan Teets at Meridian doing a three-car mod for Otis,

Bill Sellers and Joe Walter changing out a machine at Schofield for Schindler,

Tom Peska and Matt Ramser installing a car at Battery Park on West 70th for Schindler,

Shawn Yatsko and Brandon Light at Euclid Beach Club doing a two-car mod for Schindler,

Felix DeJesus and Brian Seither at Winton Manor doing a three-car mod for Schindler,

Pat McCann and Ric Supinski doing door mods at Cleveland Clinic Beachwood for Schindler,

Matt Weingart, Lucas Janke, Joe Sumph, Aaron Reed, Mike Bowles and Tito Mike doing mods at UH for Schindler,

Dave Gnagy and Jarrett Adams installing one car at Fairmount Condos for Schindler,

Joe Gauker and Eric Schaffran installing 12 cars at Ahuja for Kone,

James Hirz, Russell Barrows, Brendan Hyland and Jake Driscoll at The Artisan on East 106th and Chester installing three 23-stop cars for Kone,

Tim Narowitz, Vince Smrdel, Chris Sipos and John Smith at Bratenhal II doing a four-car mod for TKElevator,

Anthony Metcalf and Christian Thompson doing a one-car mod at UH Geauga for TKElevator,

Bill Dudas and Chad Nestor doing a one-car mod at Randall Park Apartments for TKElevator,

Jason Fredrick and Brad Skotko doing a one-car mod at Marine Tower West for TKElevator,

Kevin Thomas and Sean Canning installing one car at Parma Self Storage for TKElevator,

Mitch Klemp and Brian Owens at Shaker Professional doing a mod for 3Phase,

Marc Carollo and Dan Quigley at Center for Pastoral Care doing a mod for 3Phase,

Wing Lui and Justen Kavedzic at 20521 Chagrin Boulevard doing a mod for 3Phase,

Jim Ehrbar and Tino Chaibai doing a two-car mod at Chelsea Apartments for 3Phase.

As of this writing there are three mechanics and one assistant mechanic on the bench.

Until next month,

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net

December ’22 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and Sisters:

There’s a lot going on, so lets get to it…

The 2022 Children’s Christmas Party will be held Saturday, December 10 at the hall located at 3250 Euclid Avenue.  The event starts at 1 pm and the highlight is, as always, a visit from Santa Claus to pass out gifts to all the children 12 and younger.  

The spring school semester looks to be a packed house as Local 17 will have 37 apprentices in class.  The RC courses have yet to be determined for the group but, orientation will be the last week of January while classes start the first week of February.

John Taylor will be teaching the AC motor class and the hydraulic valve course after the first of the year.  These are two Continuing Education classes that do a deep dive into subjects that are touched upon in the regular NEIEP curriculum.  The motor class covers how an AC motor works, both across the line and wye-delta starting along with a section on soft starts.  The JATC is also looking at doing another welding class between the fall and spring semesters at the world headquarters of Lincoln Electric in Euclid, Ohio.  If you are interested in any of these offerings contact Business Manager John Driscoll Jr at the hall at 216-431-8088 or email him at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org.

All quarterly work cards are to be picked up from the hall by the first day of the quarter.  If you want your card to be mailed to you, include an SASE with your dues payment.  

The 36 story, one million square foot Sherwin-Williams headquarters project going up on Public Square will be done with a Project Labor Agreement ensuring that the 4000 construction jobs on the project will all be union labor.  

Otis has picked up a considerable amount of work recently and has three out of town teams working construction.  Schindler laid off a mechanic and is threatening layoffs in the future while TK Elevator and KONE are keeping their crews working steady.  KONE has said they expect the first quarter of 2023 to be the start of a very busy time for them.  3Phase has a good amount of work on the books with one team from Akron working in the Cleveland jurisdiction. 

Schindler has been having problems processing pay checks in Cleveland and the region.  AGP Bender sent emails to the affected areas and the issue was corrected in a short time.  If you were shorted or have continuing issues with your pay, contact your administrator and superintendent but also let John know an issue exists.

The six probationaries in Group 1 all should have received raises to 55%.  Also, all the Local 17 apprentices should have received their raises as long as they completed and passed two semesters of school.

The Members Assistance Plan is a benefit for IUEC members and their families that cover a variety of issues from weight management, financial planning assistance, smoking cessation, and counseling for a variety of issues.  The phone call is confidential.  Information is available from John at the hall or through the link on the Local 17 website, iueclocal17.org.

Congratulations to Brad Skotko on being sworn in at the October meeting.

The Brothers and Sisters of Local 17 send their condolences to the family of Brother Chris Boggess who passed away October 7.

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

Until next month…

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net

November ’22 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and Sisters:

At the September meeting, IUEC Organizer Steve Simpson gave an update on organizing efforts in Ohio on Florida-based Oracle Elevator and Davis-Newcomer.  Findlay-based non-signatory Davis-Newcomer has been spotted working in the area mostly on modernizations and is currently the most significant threat in the jurisdiction.  They are slated to be starting a modernization at CMHA Apthorp Tower next year.  This job will be a focus of the Volunteer Organizing Committee.

Organizing efforts have been successful in limiting and reversing Oracle’s growth in Ohio throughout the pandemic.  According to Simpson, Oracle has taken a severe beating and is down to only a handful of field and office personnel in its Ohio offices.  

If you spot or hear of a non-signatory working on a job, call Business Manager John Driscoll Jr at 216-431-8088 or email him at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org with the information.

The IUEC Local 17 Annual Children’s Christmas Party will be held Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 1 pm a the hall located at 3250 Euclid Avenue.  Children up to and including 12 years old will receive gifts.  Members are asked to bring baked goods to the event.  Beverages will be provided.  Please reply to Entertainment Chairman Brian Chambers no later than December 1, 2022 to allow sufficient time to purchase gifts.

Local 17 will hold mandatory meetings for the nomination, election and installation of officers November 18 and December 9, 2022 and January 13, 2023 at the hall starting at 6 pm.  Those not in attendance without a valid excuse will be fined by the Executive Board.  Please note the normal meeting date of November 11 has been changed to November 18 due to the Veterans Day holiday.

On September 24, Local 17 held its golf outing at Mallard Creek Golf Club in Columbia Station.  The big winner this year was the group led by Brother Rich Kemp along with Brad Skotko, Ricky Kemp, and Jacob Kemp came in at nine under and winning a long putt-off with last years wining group fronted by Brother Rob Hansen.  Kemp and company not only claimed bragging rights for the year but, possession of the Champion’s Green Jacket.  For pictures from this event and others, go the Local’s website, iueclocal17.org. 

In September Business Manager John Driscoll Jr was named a trustee of the International by General President Frank Christensen.  Trustees are responsible for examining the books of the International assuring they conform to all Federal regulations.

Of the 23 apprentices currently enrolled in the NEIEP program, one will be test -eligible at the end of the semester.  The spring semester will see 15 apprentices added to the class rolls raising our total to 37 apprentices, the largest class in decades.

Congratulations to Brother Zach Miller on passing the Mechanics Exam.

Apprentice raises go into effect the first pay period after September 1 provided the apprentice has passed two semesters of NEIEP instruction.  If you have not received your raise or believe there is an error, contact John at the hall.

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

Until next month, 

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net

October ’22 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and Sisters:

When I was a helper I would occasionally be sent to work with Ray Bowles at Landmark Office Tower to assist him with two-man maintenance tasks on his 1960’s Otis equipment.  One of those days, I was cleaning governors in a secondary when Ray got a call from the building.  

“Come on, we’re going to take a look at a problem.” he told me as I gratefully hauled myself out of the hole.  We made our way through the building and into one of the machine rooms.  The controllers were the Otis UCLs with dozens of relays all picking and dropping in a particular cadence, a whirling pie-plate selector gave visual reference to what the car was doing in direct relation to the large gearless machine and roaring MG unit supplying the muscle to haul the cars and weights up and down the hatch.  

After a few minutes of watching the car run, Ray pulled the knife switch, took out an orange peeler and flex, cleaned a contact and put the knife back in.  The entire rhythm of the relays changed and Ray looked very pleased.  I stopped him and asked “OK, what exactly did you do?”  He pulled out a set of prints, turned to a page and began to explain how this one dirty contact affected how the rest of the controller worked.  At that point of my career I was not as fluent in relay logic as I am now and only slightly grasped what he told me.  Later on I watched Jerry Reitz do the same on the old Haughton controllers at Renaissance and Mark Carollo tune a valve entirely by ear.  

These were the guys I wanted to be.  The real journey in this trade began. 

After getting elected to this position and later to be the correspondent to the Cleveland Citizen, I contacted Jon Henson at NEIEP and volunteered my services to write for Lift Magazine.  Since then, I am very proud to say, I have been a part of getting good information into the hands of IUEC members who can use it to be better at their jobs or understand a little bit more about the systems they encounter everyday.

In-between issues of Lift I got bored.  When I get bored I get restless and when I get restless I need a project.  I was working with Josh Mitchell at Burke Lakefront Airport installing a soft start on a Taylor hydro.  Over the years I’ve done dozens of soft starts and knew what to look for on an installation.  This time I took my camera and documented the process, wrote captions for each photo, and tied them together in a way that told the story of a soft start installation.  I emailed the package to Jon and waited.  About two months later I got an email from Lester White and in a couple of hours I was a NEIEP instructor and on the other side of the podium.

Through being an officer and fill-in instructor I’ve come to realize just how many different directions a person can go once they are in the trade.  On the inside of this magazine is a list of the officers of the International as well as our associated organizations (NEIEP, CEIEP, EIWPF and Benefits).  Each one of them started their career stacking rails, setting machines, pulling generators and miles upon miles of rope.  At some point they took an opportunity to become active in their Local and advanced to the positions they hold.  My guess is that few of them realized where their career could take them.  

This is a trade full of infinite possibilities.  Make your journey a good one.  

Until next month,

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net

September ’22 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and Sisters:

The Cleveland Building Trades Softball Tournament will be held Labor Day weekend with the first games played Thursday, September 1 at James Day Field next to Tri-C West in Parma.

The IUEC Local 17 Golf Outing will be held September 24th at Mallard Creek Golf Club,
34500 Royalton Rd, Columbia Station. The cost is $100 per person for the four-man scramble format. Fees must be paid to Entertainment Chairman Brian Chambers by September 1 to his PayPal account, brianchambers.cle@gmail.com.

Congratulations to the twelve apprentices sworn in at the July meeting: Jarrett Adams, Mike Bowles, Jay Carlson, Tom Holian, Adam Klein, Simon Lieb, Mike Piela, Dan Quigley, Eric Schaffran, Luke Schnitler, Brendan Teets and Joe Walters.

As of this month Local 17 has 32 apprentices in the NEIEP program with 24 enrolled in classes and 8 in the New Hire courses. Two apprentices are test eligible. On August 11 there was a mandatory orientation class for all apprentices at the school located at 5145 Engle Road. NEIEP Area Coordinator Jordan Miller attended to answer any questions about the program.

All members should have received an email from John about the practice of blocking open doors for other trades. Local 17 signatories have been informed that “…that under no circumstances will they (members) be… blocking hatch doors open/altering the locking device for hoistway access by other trades while (members) are off site.”

This action comes after another tradesman working in a pit area, was struck by a counterweight from an adjoining hoistway during a mod job. Fortunately, the injury was not life threatening. This prompted the IUEC Safety Committee to take the action. If any members are approached to block doors for another trade, call John at the hall to report the circumstances.

Work is still strong in the area. Schindler is claiming supply chain issues on delivery of parts while Otis is starting several mod and construction jobs soon as well as having a three month backlog of service work. Kone currently has four mod jobs going and 3Phase is keeping four mod crews working while TKElevator has two mod crews working in Akron.

John reported that at the July Tri-State Meeting, the Michigan Elevator Safety Board is requiring that Schindler install the locking bar on the 383 3300 MRL units in the state lacking the device. The locking bar is used to immobilize the car for service to the governor, brakes, machine or other overhead equipment and is part of the safety circuit. This is a required check by Schindlers SAIS inspector in order for the unit to be accepted by maintenance from construction. Schindler has approximately 20,000 such units across the country.

The portability agreement between Locals 17, 45 (Akron) and Gable/3Phase has lapsed with the current contract. The agreement allowed Gable to move workers as needed between the two locals during its duration. As a result, 3Phase has transferred Richard Burton and Jim Rohwer from Akron to Cleveland.

The IRS milage rate has been increased four cents to 62.5 cents per mile for use of personal vehicles during work hours. Milage is charged after your first stop of the day and for any driving done during the day.

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

Until next month…

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don
DKnapik@windstream.net

August ’22 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and Sisters:


It isn’t very often I come across something that stops me dead in my tracks. This is a story about something that did just that.

The following email was sent June 20, 2022 to Schindler Area North by Territory Vice President Jennifer Bowen. It is reproduced here with permission of Schindler and the technician referenced.

Team, 

Last Thursday night at 5:42pm one of our Cleveland technicians took a call from University Hospital in Cleveland with a very urgent request.  The only elevator that serves Angie’s Garden, a rooftop garden at the hospital, was down.  Unfortunately at the time, there was a family of a child with a terminal illness who wanted to spend their last evening together watching the sunset from the garden.  Understanding the situation, the technician rushed to the hospital and was able to support getting the family up to the roof to spend their last moments together. 

The next morning, our Cleveland team received the following message from the Executive Director of Facilities at University Hospital:

“I would like to recognize (the Schindler technician) for his exceptional service this evening. Car 69 in Horvitz Tower went down after hours. I received a phone call from Palliative Care that they had a family with a terminal child who wanted to spend their last evening together watching the sun set from Angie’s Garden on the rooftop of Horvitz Tower. Car 69 is the only access to the space. After an effort to expedite emergency response, your technician reached out to me and immediately dropped everything and drove from home to resolve the issue. He arrived within 45 minutes and had the car running in less than 10 minutes. I cannot express enough how appreciative I am of his service and empathy for a family at such a difficult time.”

I’d like to take this moment to personally thank our field technician for his effort in supporting our customer last week. I would also thank all of our mechanics and employees who put the same heart and soul into their work every day.  This is a profound reminder of why what we do is so important.   

Jennifer Bowen | VP, Territory Operations  

I immediately knew the grief of the parents wanting one last moment with their child. My thoughts also went to the mechanic who was involuntarily thrust into sharing the deeply personal moment.

The email made me think for a long time about how what we do can make an impact on those we may never meet and how those we do can impact us. It’s possible, with a slight variation in timing, the on-call mechanic would have gone to the job, fixed the problem and never encountered the family. The progression of the child’s final moments could have played out differently and the players, again, never meet.

Instead, the encounter happened and lives were altered.

After September 11 the nation began to honor first responders, a practice which continued strong for 20 years into and through the darkest days of the pandemic. For everyone who went to work on that fateful day it was just Tuesday until history intersected their lives and thrust them into the roles they never asked to play. The world calls them heroes but, to a person, everyone I have ever heard interviewed says they were just doing their job.

They made a difference by doing what they do best, so do we.

Perhaps this email is the thank you to all of us who, knowingly or unknowingly, make a positive impact on the world around us and allow the boundless joy and agonizing sorrow necessary to temper our souls to take place, without our knowledge, by just doing our jobs.

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

Don
DKnapik@windstream.net