Category: Uncategorized

January ’16 Labor Citizen

Brothers and sisters:

At the November meeting Local 17 was proud to host all three International General Officers: President Frank Christensen, Assistant President Jim Bender, Secretary Treasurer Larry McGann and Regional Vice President Ed Christensen.

Christensen led off by talking about the six members who lost their lives. “These where men who left home in the morning and didn’t come home that night. We (the members) need to make it about making it home rather than anything else.”

According the Christensen the International appointed three new regional safety directors and established a safety committee to investigate industry accidents and deaths. The International has been working with OSHA and the Department of Labor to gain access to job sites when there is an accident. The committee and its establishment has led to a better safety relationship with the signatory companies.

Over the last three years the General Officers have attended 40 local union meetings. They have also initiated regular meetings between NEIEP, Work Preservation, organizing, benefits and all divisions of the union. This was done because it is “important to hear what is going on in the union.”

However, everything was not rosy. According to Christensen, there was significant pushback by the companies over the union offering QEI training for its members and problems with different locals involving embezzlement and insolvency.

The recent announcement that the IUEC established a relationship with the Puerto Rican elevator union, Union Los Gladiadores, extended the reach of the International into the Caribbean. Christensen also talked about the outreach to the unions around the globe. He talked about how in Australia Kone and Otis attempted to deunionize until their employees stood up and the companies backed down and the attempts by the IBEW to organize elevator constructors in Italy. “The relationships we are building are important when, like during the New York lockout, companies try to bring in workers from outside the country to do our work. This makes it harder for them to do that.”

Assistant President Bender, from Local 19 (Seattle), handles many of the grievances at the International level. He told attendees about grievances he’s handled and the success the International had in many of them but admonished members to “ethically and honestly report your time and check off only the procedures you have done.” He related the story of a grievance involving a maintenance technician checking a box that grouped several tasks together and the companies attempt to fire him over it. “Only check off the work you’ve done.”

“When it comes to a grievance issue,” he continued “be honest with your business agent when it comes to the facts of your case. It will make it easier to grieve and win at a lower level.” He encouraged members to stick together on legitimate issues and said that it could have a positive effect on grievances and grievance settlement.

Finally, Secretary Treasurer Larry McGann announced that our pension plan has maintained its Green Zone status even through the economic downturn of 2008. As of now, the International has $6 billion in the retirement fund and is able to cover its obligations where many plans prior to 2008 invested in highly speculative instruments and got burned. “We purposely stayed away from volatile investments and came out in good shape.”

Hours equal money to the fund and the more hours the better it is for the fund as a whole.

Finally, in the last contract, the union was able to leverage the hours in the in the 401k and annuity as a way to prevent a lockout. “When our members have the financial resources to stand together, it makes it easier to negotiate what we want.”

It was also election night for the local. Congratulations to Brothers Ken Bowles who will be taking the spot vacated by Jim Goggin on the Executive Board, Lucas Jenke will be the new Conductor and Bill Yuhas who is taking over as the Entertainment Chairman for Mike Hogan. These and all the officers who ran uncontested were sworn in at the January mandatory meeting.

Anyone who would like to submit a resolution for consideration at the 2016 General Convention, the deadline is April 12. The 31st IUEC General Convention will be in Chicago the week of July 11 to 15.

IUEC Local 17 is offering three continuing education opportunities for its members. Instructor John Taylor will be teaching a microprocessor-based control class and solid state motor control class. These classes will cover all aspects of these ubiquitous systems. Rick Myers will also be teaching a two night CPR and First Aid class. If you are interested in any of these offerings, contact Business Manager Tim Moennich at the hall at 216-431-8088 or by email at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.

As of this writing the bench is clear and there are 19 probationary apprentices on the rolls. Keep you eye here and on the Local’s website, iueclocal17.org, for updates on when the Local will be accepting applications for the next apprenticeship list.

January ’16 Elevator Constructor

Brothers and sisters:

Resolutions are an important part of the new year. They cause us to reflect on what was successful, where we fell short and offer an opportunity for positive change as we move forward. Reflecting on my 2015, personally this has been a very interesting year. My second daughter was married, I fulfilled a childhood dream by riding my bike from Cleveland to Cincinnati, accompanied my wife on a 50th birthday trip to Bar Harbor, Maine paid for by our children and I once again get to work with the best-of-the-best at NEIEP on another issue of Lift Magazine.

Most of my failings have come from inner issues manifesting themselves in ways that I prefer they had not. This is where I know that to become the person I am supposed to be I need to concentrate my efforts in the new year. My goal for my daily 7 to 3:30 is to make the equipment a little better for me and my coworker being there. I use that same yardstick in the work I do for the local, NEIEP and any of my personal dealings. Many times I meet the measure, occasionally I exceed it but more times than I care to admit I fall short… way short. It is the inner conflict of my perfectionist nature meeting the limitations placed on me.

Between this writing and the first of the year, I will be thinking very hard and long about these issues, making the changes I need to and how I intend living the last third of my life.

The January meeting, in addition to being a special called meeting for the installation of officers, will also feature the election of three delegates to the 31st IUEC General Convention. The three delegates will join Business Manager Tim Moennich in Chicago July 11 through the 15th as the issues effecting the industry are discussed and resolutions put forward by the locals are evaluated for inclusion in negotiating our next contract. The deadline to the International is April 12, 2016 for resolutions from the locals. If you have something you feel strongly about, write it down and send it to Tim for submission to the International.

Instructor John Taylor is readying two continuing education opportunities. The first offering is a microprocessor based control class followed by a class on solid state motor control. Instructor Rick Myers is instructing a CPR and first aid class for the interested constructor. For more information, contact Tim at TMoennich@iueclocal17.org or call the hall at 216-431-8088. Both educational opportunities are offered through NEIEP and Local 17.
Where are they working?

Joe Simcic and Lucas Jenke installing elevators at the Holiday Inn for Otis,

Jeff Ward and Nick Meyer doing a jack in Aurora for Thyssen,

Matt Pinchot and Andrea Rodrigues at American Greetings for Otis,

Ryan Todd working in Youngstown with Local 45 member Dave Carr for Schindler,

Gerard Szmerkovsky and Craig Nolty installing six cars at the Cleveland Clinic Avon for Otis,

Mike Miller and Matt Paige, at Crocker Park for Otis,

Drew Williams, Jim Ehrbar, Chris Scholle, Pat McCann and Rob Zadravec at Gateway Parking East for Thyssen,

John Patton and Tom Gombar doing a jack at Tri-C west for Kone,

John Goggin and Mike Hogan at Witon Manor doing full load tests for Schindler,

Neil Beechuck and Kevin Driscoll installing a car at Kent State University for Thyssen,

Joe Sumph and Local 45 member Frank Sano doing a mod in Oberlin for Schindler,

Bob Meyer and Matt Harden installing a hydro at PPG for Kone.
As of this writing the bench is empty.

The Brothers of Local 17 send their condolences to Brother Jim Sinclair whose mother passed away October 10th.

Until next month,

Work smart, work safe and slow down for safety.

Don
DKnapik@windstream.net

August 2015 Labor Citizen

Brothers and sisters:

NEIEP has announced that IUEC members can now earn their OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 cards through the online course offered by the training organization. The 10-hour and 30-hour classes must be paid for upfront but the cost will be reimbursed once the member passes the class. To sign up or find further information, contact Business Manager Tim Moennich or go to neiep.org.

Fall semester will be starting soon for the apprentices enrolled in the program. There are several new probationaries entering the trade and they all require guidance. While it is up to NEIEP to supply the apprentices with the formalized part of their training, it is important that the mechanics they work with support them by teaching the way to do things right and safe. If you have a probationary apprentice and you have a question about the work rules, please consult your copy of the Standard Agreement or call Tim for clarification if there is a conflict between the agreement and your work assignment for the day.

At the July meeting, IUEC organizer Jim Lowery spoke to the members about the success and challenges of organizing non-signatory companies. “One of the challenges we have as a union is breaking through the lies told to those we want to organize about what union membership is about” he told the assembled group. To counter that, the International along with NEIEP put together a series of videos featuring members stripped from non-signatories telling their stories about what there thoughts were before becoming members, the reasons they joined and their feelings after becoming members of the IUEC.
“The amazing part,” according to Lowery “was that they all said the same thing even though they didn’t know each other.” He told the story about one new member who was injured at home shortly after signing on and instead of sitting at home and worrying about how the bills were going to get paid, the union stepped in with $625 per week relief until he went back to work. “He said that at his former employer that would have never happened.”

He also told of an election the union lost at Metro Elevator. In the election the union came up one vote short of winning recognition. One of the issues the workers faced was they were not getting proper credit for the dollars paid into Social Security on their behalf by the company as well as their own contribution for the full amount of the dollars they actually earned. After the election, the union interceded on their behalf and the company is currently under investigation by the IRS and Department of Labor for unfair labor practices.

Lowery scored a win for Local 37 (Columbus) when he recruited a route maintenance mechanic from Twinsburg, Ohio based non-signatory Gable Elevator. The 30 year-old mechanic, with eight years in the trade split between Gable and Oracle Elevator, started last week.

There were also two hand billings done by the VOC this past month. The first was at the Board of Elections job being done by Gable. The second was at CMHA’s Riverview Apartments on West 25th Street across from Lutheran Hospital. The hand hill asked residents and visitors to ask questions about the qualifications of the elevator constructors the county agency is planning on using for the modernization of its five elevators.

The brothers and sisters of IUEC Local 17 wish to again extend their gratitude to those in the other trades who engaged the employees of the non-signatory companies in the area. It does make a difference. The local signatories are Otis, Schindler, Maximum, Kone, Thyssen and Ross Elevator.

At the end of July, Brother Brian McTaggert left his position as route mechanic for Thyssen and local union president to take a job as maintenance superintendent. Brother John Patton assumed his duties. Patton’s replacement has yet to be named.

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

Work Preservation to present history of IUEC

On Wednesday, November 19th Brothers Jimmie Dimmel and Joe Rapine from the Elevator Industry Work Preservation Fund will be presenting a team class on the history of the IUEC. This is an outstanding opportunity for every member to understand exactly how we as a union and as a local came into existence and the battles fought for the opportunity work in the best trade union in the trades. The session will be held at the school located at East 25th and Superior Ave. and will start at 5pm.

Dixon Leaves Treasurer Post, Fredrick Sworn-in as Trustee

At the June 13th union meeting of IUEC Local 17, long time treasurer Dennis Dixon stepped down from his position in anticipation of retiring from the trade by the end of the year.  Dixon has 35 years in the business Imageand 41 years of service credit. 

John Driscoll, Jr. left his post as trustee to assume Dixon’s vacant position and Jason Fredrick was sworn in to fill the open trustee position.

Kobasic arrangements made

Brother Bob Kobasic’s father and grandfather of Brother Gregg Kobasic, Edward Kobasic passed away. The family will receive friends Sunday from 2-4pm and 6-8pm in the Gluvna-Shimo-Hromada Funeral Chapel,3224 Broadway, Lorain, Ohio. Funeral services will be held Monday at 10:30am in the funeral chapel followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00am in the Church of St. Peter, 3501 Oberlin Ave, Lorain.

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

April Cleveland Citizen

Brothers and sisters:
At the March meeting, Business Agent Tim Moennich welcomed our seven probationary apprentices to their first of six meetings they are required to attend as part of their education in what it means to be a union member. After explaining the high degree of skill required to be a successful constructor and the incredible benefits we have as part of our membership he added “you should know that the companies didn’t just give us these benefits, the IUEC negotiated with them on our behalf to get these benefits.”
He continued saying that there is nothing wrong with having pride in the company you work for and that every brother and sister should be a Local 17 elevator constructor that works for a signatory company.
Moennich cautioned that the way to keeping our union strong is to protect Article IV work (work we claim) and assist each other in securing employment, engaging in education, brotherhood and politics.
The mechanics working with these youngsters have a special responsibility to teach them the right way to do things. They are their first teacher and will make the longest and deepest impression. Make it a good one.
He concluded by saying that even though we face challenges from the companies pushing members to do more with less, we have to keep safety as our primary mantra. “Each job has different challenges and risks. Every member is responsible for their safety as well as the safety of everyone around them. Every member has a responsibility to themselves, their family, friends, company and union to work safe.”
There is a signup sheet available for the welding class offered by NEIEP in partnership with Euclid-based Lincoln Electric, the world leading manufacturer of welding equipment and supplies. The class is taught four hours a night over the course of two weeks at Lincoln’s world class facility. The class offers the opportunity to qualify for a 3G and 4G (vertical up and overhead) certification. If you are interested in learning this incredibly useful skill, then contact Tim at 216-431-8088 or TMoennich@iueclocal17.org.
IUEC Local 17 is proud to announce that Business Agent Tim Moennich has been named a trustee of the National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP) by International General President Frank Christensen. He is one of four union and four company trustees who direct the direction of the educational program and decide on how its resources will be spent.
The trustees of the local have agreed to once again allow American Income Life Insurance Company, a 100 percent union company, offer supplemental insurance products directly to our membership. Every active member and retiree will be receiving a pack of information on the services AIL has available along with a card to send in if you are interested in being contacted by an agent. There is no obligation to respond unless you are interested in looking into the insurance services they offer.
There is still time to make your reservation for Friday, April 19, 201 as IUEC Local 17 will honor our retired members at Frank Sterle’s Slovenian Restaurant, 1401 East 55th Street. Refreshments will be served at 5:30 and dinner will begin at 6:30. As always, this is a members only event. The cost at the door is $30 per person and includes the family-style dinner. All retired members attend for free, but a reply should be sent in for a reservation. Please contact Business Agent Tim Moennich at the hall for your reservation.
GOLF OUTING UPDATE! Saturday, June 1st is the date for the annual IUEC Local 17 Golf Outing to be held again this year at Mallard Creek Golf Course, 34500 Royalton Rd., Columbia Station. It is a two-man scramble format over one of the best public courses in Cleveland. The cost this year will be $100 which includes 18 holes of golf, cart, food at the turn and afterwards as well as plenty of prizes. This is always a fun and well attended event so, clean up your clubs and make plans to attend!
IUEC Local 17 sends its condolences to the families of retired Brother Dan Tomon who passed away February 17th and Brother Keith Trinner who lost his mother.
As of this writing there are nine mechanics out of work.