Category: Articles

At the April meeting, retired NEIEP assistant director Joe Devlin stopped in to say hello and spend a few minutes talking to the members about all the continuing educational opportunities available. The most interesting benefit is the opportunity for mechanics to use their NEIEP credentials toward an associates or bachelors degree at over 100 accredited colleges and technical schools. Those applying for degree programs are eligible for up to 38 college credits. If you are a veteran, you can receive extra credits for your military service. For more information go to neiep.org, click on About and go to College Options for NEIEP Graduates.

Also on the NEIEP front, area coordinator Jeff Burns was in town to attend a job fair at Polaris Career Center in Middleburg Heights. The job fair was sponsored by the Cuyahoga County Department of Job and Family Services. According to Burns the fair was well attended by people of all ages and he had a great time talking to prospective apprentices about the best trade in the trades.

IUEC Local 11 (Cincinnati) reported that Kone my not be paying benefits on straight time hours turned in under travel. If you work for Kone, please take a few minutes and check your stub versus your statement from the National Elevator Industry Benefits Plan to confirm you are receiving the proper payments toward your benefits.

There was a death in the IUEC family on Easter Sunday in Local 2 (Chicago). Kone mechanic Greg Sebahar was killed on a callback at a steel mill. The father of six was apparently struck by a counterweight as he peered in to a hatch after removing corrugated siding to gain access to the hoistway.

Being an elevator constructor is a very dangerous way to make a living. We do what we do and are constantly aware of the dangers that surround us but, it is our responsibility to do our work in a safe manner. Always be aware that machinery does not care that you are leaving on a vacation after work or meeting your loved ones for a family event over the weekend. Machinery will always win the fight. So when in doubt, lock it out and, as I say every month, slow down for safety.

IUEC organizer Jim Lowery was in town the last week of April for a planned meeting with non-signatory Gable Elevator. At the last minute Gable backed out of the meeting saying they were not interested in signing with the union. I know that I am preaching to the choir when I talk about all the benefits of working for a union company: the pay, the benefits, the security, the educational opportunities. There are three former IUEC members working for Gable that know exactly what they are missing out on by the company not being a signatory. There are three former brothers that know exactly the kind of benefits their coworkers are missing out on by not being a signatory. We look forward to bringing these former members back into the fold and adding their coworkers fully into the greatest trade in the trades.

The Volunteer Organizing Committee would like to thank all the brothers and sisters from the other trades that report when they find a non-signatory elevator company working on their job. These reports have been taken and some have been turned in to wins for our local companies.

Now, it is our turn to return the favor.

I’m asking the correspondents from the other trades to take a few words and list the signatory companies for their locals. The larger signatories are no secret but, many of the smaller firms may not be familiar. Please include the contact information for your Business Agent or Manager. The signatories to IUEC Local 17 are Kone, Maximum, Otis, Ross, Schindler and Thyssen-Krupp. You can contact Business Manager Tim Moennich at 216 431-8088 or email him at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.

By working together we are all stronger.

IUEC Local 17 would like to welcome our newest initiate Matt Harden to the fold. Matt is currently working in mods for Kone. If you see him out and about, give him your congratulations on getting into the best trade in the trades.

As of this writing there are 11 mechanics on the bench.

Brothers and sisters:

This has been a very busy time in the training of apprentices and mechanics at IUEC Local 17. The recently completed hydraulic controller theory and troubleshooting class had ten students, the welding class taught at Lincoln Electric had 13 members seeking certification and there are 20 mechanics enrolled in the scaffolding class that is currently running through March 16. That is a total of 43 members enrolled in classes and equates to a little over twenty percent of the Local’s members taking advantage of these continuing education opportunities.

In addition, John Taylor has agreed to teach an OSHA 30 class should there be enough interest. OSHA 30 is a thirty-hour course that goes deeper in-depth to the subjects covered in the basic OSHA 10 class. If you are interested in the OSHA 30 class or have ideas for any other continuing education class, call Business Manger Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088 or email him at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.

When your bosses see you taking initiative to not only learn your job but improve your knowledge in all phases of the trade, they will give you opportunities to apply that knowledge. So… if you want to move forward, don’t wait for the bosses to offer the opportunity for training, take it yourself.

There was a sighting of a truck owned by non-signatory Kent, Ohio-based Handel and Son at the Truman Building on Euclid Avenue. After Tim talked to the mechanic and reported back to the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades that all the trades on the job were non-signatories, the board decided to hand bill the job. The general contractor on the job is Pride One, a notoriously anti-union company.
If you know of a job that is being done by a non-signatory trade, or suspect that a company is not organized, then please call the hall. The signatories to IUEC Local 17 are Kone, Maximum, Otis, Ross, Schindler and Thyssen-Krupp.

International Organizer Jim Lowery is scheduled to have a second meeting with Gable Elevator to discuss them signing onto the IUEC contract. Twinsburg-based Gable is the major non-signatory elevator company in the Cleveland-Akron area. There is also a report that the West Virginia company Emar Elevator is going union. As you may remember, Emar did modernization work at Millennium Properties buildings Lourexis Senior Housing in Slavic Village and Abington Arms Apartments in what is now known as Uptown at Mayfield and Euclid in 2010-2011.

The national health insurance provider Anthem was recently hacked in a cyber attack that compromised millions of individuals health care information. The National Elevator Industry Health Benefits Plan reported that they do not have a direct relationship with Anthem but, they do have a relationship with Blue Cross-Blue Shield. To this point, no IUEC members have been effected by this data breach. Anthem has pledged to notify members if they are effected and enroll them in a credit repair service. This is similar to the situation a few years ago when a data tape containing medical information was lost between the IUEC and the then prescription provider to its members. Watch this space and your mailbox for any updates.

There are many members and their dependents that struggle with legal, financial, mental health, chemical and alcohol dependency issues. The NEIHBP contracted with Value Options to provide Member Assistance Programs (MAP) to IUEC members. This is a free and confidential program that offers counseling, referral and online resources and information to those in need. If you have an issue, know that this service is there to help. You can call 1-800-331-4824 or access their website, http://www.achievesolutions.net/nei 24/7/365.

The 2015 IUEC Local 17 Retiree’s Dinner is tentatively scheduled for May 15 at Frank Sterle’s Slovenian House Restaurant, 1401 East 55th Street Cleveland, Ohio. Letters will be coming soon so you can reserve your place at this well attended annual event to honor those who worked so hard to make Local 17 the best local in the best trade in the trades.

The Brothers and Sisters of IUEC Local 17 send their condolences to the family of retired Brother Richard Stumm who recently passed away.

As of this writing there are 19 mechanics and one apprentice on the bench.

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

Don
DKnapik@windstream.net

By the time you read this, the apprentices will be hard at work on the spring semester. Just a reminder that you can only miss two classes a semester. Do not forget to turn in your JATC sheets to Business Manager Tim Moennich or your instructor to log your hours

On the continuing education front, the local has a approximately 35 members involved in the welding, hydraulic controller troubleshooting and scaffolding classes. The welding class ran the weeks of January 12th and 19th at the world headquarters of Lincoln Electric in Euclid. The class gave participants the opportunity to earn a 3G or 4G welding certificate. The hydraulic controller theory and troubleshooting class is the same one the apprentices use in year three and, without a doubt, the most valuable class a new or experienced mechanic can master. The third class is the scaffolding class which certifies the recipient to erect scaffolding. If you took this the last time it was offered, chances are your card is lapsed and this class must be taken to be rectified in scaffold erecting.

As Tim reminds us every month, “the more you know, the more valuable you are.” There are many more options available on the NEIEP website at neiep.org. Our hours pay for this education, take advantage of it.

On the international labor front, Otis workers in Australia were locked out in October 21st after the $62 billion elevator industry giant offered a below inflation one percent wage increase. The 174 Otis Australia workers attempted to negotiate a new contract since April and in September began industrial action with bans on overtime, shift work and starting new projects. The company also attempted to pit construction workers against maintenance workers to no avail.

In response, the company began a lockout which lasted eight weeks. During the lockout, Otis workers in New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Denmark and Ireland took part in an international day of solidarity that played a significant role in Otis management agreeing to a new contract. The workers received a 14 percent pay raise and an increase in travel expenses. They wanted double time for all overtime but, did not get that in the final agreement.

We are stronger standing together than we are kneeling alone.

In the Elevator Industry Work Preservation Fund TEAM class last month, Brothers Jimmy Dimmel and Joe Rapine talked about the efforts the IUEC has been making with organized labor overseas and how that played into the Big Four settling the lockout in New York City a few years back.

Another point was that the negotiating team for the IUEC is selected from the rank and file delegates at the International Convention every five years. Many who believe that this gives the company negotiators an upper hand at the table only have to look at the gains we have made over the course of the last three contracts. This highlights the fact that the elevator constructors are not only the best trade in the trades but the best negotiators in the trades.

The members of the IUEC are definitely NOT your stereotypical union workers.

I would like to thank all the members of the trades that have been engaging the employees of the non-signatory companies they have encountered over the course of the last year and a half. The positive image you are providing goes a long way to changing the prevailing image of union non-union relations and is changing the way we are viewed by those we wish to bring into the fold. Please keep speaking the truth about the trades and keep in mind that no one wants to be a part of a club where they feel unwelcome.

As of this writing there are 13 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:

While New Year’s is traditionally a season for making promises to ourselves and loved ones on self-improvement issues we know in or hearts we will never keep, there is another way of looking at those resolutions that can result in actually making progress to personal improvement.

Anyone that has worked with me in the last three years has heard me repeatedly use these two phrases: first things first and this job is only hard if we make it hard. The two phrases go hand in hand to remind the listener that every large job is really many small jobs that when strung together give a large result.

Think about the hotel going up next to the convention center. The project relies daily on hundreds of tasks, both large and small, being completed in a craftsman like fashion and timely manner. When the job is complete the city will have a 32-floor jewel in the heart of downtown all because every tradesman put first things first and made each job as easy as they could.
Next time you are on a job that at first glance looks impossible, remember first things first and the job is only hard if you make it hard. I’ll bet things go far easier than you’d otherwise expect.

Learning a new skill is a lot like building a structure, it takes time, focus and determination to master. IUEC Local 17 has several continuing education opportunities on-tap for our members. There are welding, scaffolding and hydraulic controller and troubleshooting classes all available through NEIEP. Each one of these classes are highly recommended to become a more well-rounded constructor. For information on openings call Business Manager Tim Moennich at 216-431-8088 or email him at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.

As of January 1 there were many changes to dollar and cent related issues for the IUEC. First, the IRS millage rate increased to 57.5 cents per mile for business use of a vehicle. Second, every IUEC member received an increase in the amount paid as part of their defined benefits plan. Mechanics received 75 cents in the check and $1.60 in employer paid benefit contributions. All assistant mechanics, apprentices and probationary apprentices received a raise based on the 75 cents given to the mechanics. If you have any questions about what your rate should be, please call Tim at the hall.

The third and most important change was that the Trustees of the National Elevator Industry Pension Plan voted to increase the benefit rate from $98 per credit year to $103 per credit year for all hours worked through June 30, 2015. Every hour worked after that date will be credited at $110 per credit year. One credit year equals 1700 hours worked. Someone retiring between January 1 and June 30 with 30 years worked at 2000 hours a year will have a defined benefit of $3529 per month. Someone with 15 working years at $103 per credit and 15 working years at $110 per credit will have a defined benefit of $3758 per month.

Also, every retiree received an increase of between one and three percent depending on when they retired from the trade.
On the organizing front, Business Manager Tim Moennich and International Organizer Jim Lowery have a meeting with Gable Elevator later this month. The most recent rumor that Florida-based non-signatory Oracle Elevator was purchasing Gable turned out to be false. As of now, Oracle has passed on purchasing Gable.

Operating Engineers Local 18 is using non-union contractor CT Taylor to build their new hall on Triplett Boulevard in Akron. The operators are refusing to hire union laborers, finishers and iron workers for their new hall construction. It was not that long ago that they attempted to have an out-of-state non-signatory elevator company install a car in their current building on Prospect. It was quick work on the local’s part that turned that job around and had it finished by Local 17 members. The phone number of the Operating Engineer’s International General President James Callahan is 202-429-9100. Call him and let him know what you think about the situation.

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