Category: Elevator Constructor

Brothers and Sisters:

The 2023 IUEC Local 17 Golf Outing at Bunker Hill Golf Course in Medina was a great success.  80 members and guests took part in the event and after the rain stopped, Brother Rob Hansen led his foursome to a nine-under par to take the brand new Champion Jackets.  Congratulations and a large thank you to Brothers Todd and Rich Kemp for their hard work on making the entire event a success.  For photos of the event go to the Local’s website iueclocal17.org.

Labor Day weekend, the Local will once again field a team and compete in the 2023 Building Trades Softball Tournament at James Day Field in Parma.  For the first time in years, the 2022 edition of the Local 17 team went four games into the tournament.  The Kemp Brothers are hoping that with a little practice prior to the event, this years team can at least equal or better that result.  Visit the Local’s website afterwards for a full roundup of the results.

As this issue reaches your mailbox, the 2023-24 school year will be in full swing.  Brother Jerry Reitz is teaching RC600 on Monday and Tuesday while Brother Tim Narowitz has RC100 on Tuesday and Wednesday.

There are currently 39 apprentices enrolled in the program, five of which will be test eligible after passing their final.  In the Spring there will be ten probationaries added to the rolls.

Apprentice pay raises go into effect the first full pay period after September 1.  Business Manager John Driscoll Jr has sent letters to all the companies outlining who is to be at what pay rate after that date.  If you have any questions, call John at the hall at 216-431-8088 or email him at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org.   

Work Preservation will be holding a QEI class in Cleveland the week of January 8-12, 2024.  The cost will be $3000 .  There are currently five spots available for the class.  QEI certification is a necessity if you are looking to join the City or State as an inspector.  If you are interested or have any questions, contact John at the hall.

Work in the area is strong as Schindler is finally manning the Sherwin-Williams headquarters project on Public Square.  They currently have five teams (10 men) working the job and are looking to add a sixth team.  Sherwin is also moving forward with their new research and development complex on the former VA-Brecksville site.  There will be six cars in the R&D complex.

While Schindler currently has the bulk of the work in Cleveland and has ten mod teams working, 3Phase is keeping five mod teams active.  KONE is staying steady in construction and mod and just picked up the Cuyahoga County job.  Otis has picked up a Year One off the bench and TKElevator put out a temporary mechanic and picked up another Year One off the bench.

The Brothers and Sisters of Local 17 send their condolences to the families of Honorary Retiree Frank Mezak who passed away June 17 and Honorary Retiree Todd Keating and his son Steve on the passing of their mother and grandmother respectively on July 5.

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

Brothers and Sisters:

By the time this reaches your mailbox, the 2023 Local 17 Golf Outing will be history.  For photos from the event, go to the Local’s website, iueclocal17.org.

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

The Spring Semester completed with finals taken the last week win May.  Congratulations to all that passed RC300, RC500 and RC800.  Fall Semester will have 36 apprentices enrolled.  Classes and class assignments have not yet been determined.  

Four apprentices will be test-eligible following the Fall semester.  They require RC100 to complete their NEIEP Apprenticeship Program.  Eight probationary apprentices are currently taking their New Hire course work and will be slotted into the RC schedule in the Spring ’24 semester.  Watch your mailbox for Fall semester class assignments.

Any mechanics who passed their Exam after July 9, 2022 are required to complete the continuing education courses through the NEIEP website, neiep.org, prior to January 1. 2024.  The link to the available courses is on the home page of the site.  Any active IUEC member is eligible to take any of the CE classes and get paid 8 hours by NEIEP for their time.  Local 17 currently has two members that qualify under the continuing education provision of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Schindler has begun manning the Sherwin-Williams headquarters project on Cleveland’s Public Square.  The job is being pushed by a mechanic from Columbus who signed the transient paperwork at the hall last month.  As of now, the project will not fall under Schindler’s Large Project Division (LPD) although that may change as the job moves forward.  

The LPD is a group responsible for putting in, as the name describes, large projects around the country.  In the case of Cleveland, out-of-town mechanics from Houston were responsible for the overall installation of the equipment at Progressive Field and the Glick Center at MetroHealth Medical Center to the standard set by Schindler corporate.  The MIC on Sherwin-Williams is not part of the LPD.

There has been a couple of members change companies and a few layoffs over the last month.    Otis may be looking for some help in the near future as TK and 3Phase are holding steady.  

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

Until next month…

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net

Brothers and Sisters:

A reminder that the 2023 Local 17 Golf Outing is scheduled for July 8th at Bunker Hill Golf Course, 3060 Pearl Rd, Medina.  Lunch will be served prior to the 2 pm shotgun start with dinner following play.

Work is currently steady with material issues subsiding at the majors.  Schindler has picked up several probationaries and KONE has indicated they will be doing the same shortly.  3Phase has picked up a mechanic off the bench and has work available.  

The Local is advising members to not sign any forms without first contacting Business Manager John Driscoll Jr at 216-431-8088 or emailing him at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org.  

A big thank you to retired Brother John Taylor for finishing the Hydraulic Troubleshooting class.  Brothers Don Knapik and Tim Narowitz returned from Rhode Island with certifications allowing them to teach OSHA 10 and 30 General Industry as part of recertifying  instructors post-COVID.  Narowitz will be returning for recertification in material handling so Local 17 can offer a forklift driver certification to interested members.

Material has been delivered to jobs preassembled in violation of Article IV of the CBA.  If you suspect that you have received parts that violate this contract provision, contact John at the hall.

Where are they working?

DJ Spring, and Deven Shields doing a mod at Fairview Hospital for Otis.

Shane Huff and Luke Schnitzler doing a mod at St Patrick’s Church in Oberlin for Otis   

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

Jerry Szmerekovsky, Scott Daugherty, Cory Oldham, Pat McHugh and Mike Janson at Apex installing seven cars for Otis 

Joe Simcic and Adam Klein at Flex Jet Hangar installing a car for Schindler

Bill Sellers and Joe Walter doing a machine replacement at Painesville Prison for Schindler

Craig Nolty and Luke Schnitzler at Lubrizol doing a mod for Otis

Joe Sumph and Tito Mike starting a mod at Leader Building for Schindler

Tom Peska and Ric Supinski installing four cars at the Highland Heights Omni for Schindler 

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

Matt Weingart, Lucas Janke,  Aaron Reed and Brian Bond doing mods at UH for Schindler

Mike Hogan and Aaron Sipos doing escalator clean downs at Dick’s Crocker Park

Jason Tischler and Simon Lieb doing escalator work at the airport

Joe Gauker and Jake Driscoll at Waverley Oak installing two cars for KONE

James Hirz, Russell Barrows, Mike Miller Jr and Jon Ranney at Fairfax Multiplex installing two cars for KONE

Todd Ross and Justten Kavedzic at the Casino Garage doing a two-car mod for KONE

Drew Williams and Joel Reyes doing a mod at Mentor City Hall 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 mod at Judson Park for TKElevator

Bill Dudas and Dave Ford doing a mod at UH Conneaut for TKElevator

Jason Frederick and Brad Skotko doing a mod at Judson Manor for TKElevator

Kevin Thomas and Matt Ramser installing three cars at Project Visibility  for TKElevator

Sean Canning and George McDonald installing a car at Providence House for TKElevator

Jim Ehrbar and Dan Quigley at CTL Real Estate doing a mod for 3Phase and,

Marc Carollo and Brian Owens at River Park Apartments doing a two-car mod for 3Phase.

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

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

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.

John Taylor is currently finishing with the Hydraulic Controller Troubleshooting class.  All 12 students have found this to be an informative and helpful class.  If there are any continuing education classes you may be interested in having Local 17 offer, contact Business Manager John Driscoll Jr at the hall at 216-391-8088 or email him at JEDriscoll@iueclocal17.org.

NEIEP offered three continuing education courses for those who are required by the contract to have CE hours as well as any member who wishes to take advantage of the opportunity.  The Required Mechanic CE training must be completed annually by all mechanics who passed the Mechanic Exam on or after 7/9/2022. Mechanics who passed the Mechanic Exam before 7/9/2022 are grandfathered. The training for them is optional.  For more information go to neiep.org and click on the Mechanic CE options for more information.

There will be a forklift driving certification class scheduled in the coming months.  This is an important certification for those working construction and modernization to maintain our work off loading and moving material on a jobsite.  Watch this space for updates.

Congratulations to the nine Local 17 members who took the welding class at Lincoln Electric and received their certification.  

Congratulations also go out to Local 17’s newest members Jake Driscoll, Jassen Kavedzic, Justten Kavedzic, Mark Thomason and Tyler Whitmore for joining the best Local in the best trade in the trades.

As this issue goes to press and arrives in your mailbox, the spring semester will be drawing to a close with finals being taken the week of May 29.  Good luck to all apprentices and to those who will be preparing for their Mechanics Exam.

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, mostly resident mechanics.  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.

The details of licensing by the State of Ohio are moving forward.  John is in contact on a weekly basis with Work Preservation following 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 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 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.

Until next month,

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don

DKnapik@windstream.net

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

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

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