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August 2018 Newsletter

Aug 14, 2018

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Canuck Place Children’s Hospice – Golf Tournament Donation

Man and Woman holding big cheque donation to Canuck Place Hospice
Boilermakers Lodge 359 along with our partners are proud to be able to donate to a very worthy cause, Canuck Place Children’s Hospice in Abbotsford. This year our golf tournament raised money through a 50/50 draw on the day of the tournament and for the first time ever solicited monies directly from our very generous tournament sponsors.

On behalf of the 50/50 draw, Boilermakers Lodge 359, Boilermakers Lodge 359 ATAC Fund, Fengate Capital Management, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd and Scotia Capital Wealth Management, together we are very pleased to present the Hospice with a cheque for $5075.00.

Please click here for tournament director Gord Weel’s letter to Canuck Place.

Please click here for Canuck Place appreciation letter.

John Hart Dam

Although new construction work for the John Hart Dam Project has ended for the Boilermakers we have just received the final mark-up and job assignments for all Trades on the decommissioning of the now obsolete portions of the Dam.

A jurisdictional mark-up meeting was held at the job site in early July attended by Representatives Jordan Streng and Dave French. Both Jordan and Dave made claims on the intake mechanical works, intake penstock liner removal, woodstave penstock removal, penstock cutting and removal and surge towers cutting and removal.

Since multiple Trade claims were made on some of the scope of work, both Jordan and Dave had to provide a written submission to substantiate the Boilermakers claims. The written submission resulted in all claims being successful with the exception of the woodstave penstock removal, this portion of the work was awarded to the O/E and Labourer as the wooden penstock will be demolished with excavators.

Work on the demolition project is expected to begin in late August of 2018.

Positive and Forward

Hello Brothers and Sisters: During my short time as your President and as your Interim-Business Manager I see a good future ahead of us. Looking from behind the big desk, talking with clients, customers and members, we need to keep our skills up to date, be Job Ready. This is important to help combat the CLAC, Non-Union companies and other Trades going after our work scope. Times have changed in my 37 years in the trade. The skill level of our Tradespersons have risen, but as I said before, we need to continue to upgrade our skills and venture into new training. We have a Training facility here for Journeyman & Apprentices to help with Welding, Layout, Burning, Cutting, Fitting and knowledge into what we need to keep ahead of the pack. Become multiple ticketed in the Trade, besides just either a Welder or Fitter/Rigger, become both.

We have Collective Agreements, If you want the Company to abide, then we should. Non Productive time is hurting us on Jobs. Starting time with clean coveralls on, clean shaven, 10-15 Minute coffee Breaks, not 25-20 minute ones, 1/2 Hour Lunch Breaks, not 45 minute ones. Clean up time at the end of the day, out the gate time. The Customer notices this, this is not cost plus like the 1970 and 1980’s. We brag that we are the best bang for your buck, we prove that with our workmanship, we need to improve on our non-productive time to continue to prove it. Some of our members think it’s a right to be a Boilermaker, no its not, it is a privilege to wear the coveralls. Do the job, collect your pay cheque and enjoy the benefits of this Trade. Take your cheques home with you, stay away from the pitfalls of a good pay cheque. The fast careless life. It will be the downfall of you. Do not be a follower.

With LNG, Site-C, Storage Tanks for Kinder Morgan, Teck Cominco, North East Gas Sites, our remaining 13 Pulp Mills, some future mining jobs and our 2 Oil Refineries our Companies are bidding and getting us work in this competitive market. We need to work together with them to keep getting this work. I have noticed a new under 35 crop of skilled workers ready to inherit the next 25 years as leaders on the job and off the job. Travel Card is another way to increase your income, Local 1 (Vancouver Shipyards, North Van.), Local 191 (Victoria Shipyards), 146, 555, 128 are other options.

Just remember, you are a guest in every town you visit, and every job site you work, leave it the way it was before you got there, respect all you meet. See you out there soon.

Regards

Chris Paige

Lodge 359 Shops

It was a busy time during the spring for the Boilermaker Shop’s, two agreements were bargained and settled. The first was with Metal Distributors Ltd. These are the workers that make Reliance Anodes for the marine industry among other things, so if you’re a salt water boater and need anodes, please ask for and buy the Reliance brand of anodes.

Also ratified is a new agreement at BM&M Screening Solutions Ltd. in Surrey. BM&M has about 30 Boilermakers employed and is always on the lookout for ticketed Metal Fabricators. If you know any fabricators that may be interested, please have them contact me, or send in a resume to the Union office and address it to the attention of Rob Kappel. The Boilermakers working there are skilled tradespeople who fabricate, assemble, weld, paint, and ship large screening machines for industries that include agriculture, pulp and paper, chemical and minerals, and much more. These are impressive machines and it’s a clean and well laid out shop.

One of our long time shops, IST Boiler Components Inc. (the “tube bend” shop) went into receivership on May 1, 2018 due to its parent company in Ontario failing on its obligations. We worked with the receiver, and the members at IST Boiler, trying to ensure we were set up for the best outcome, which was the purchase and a successor-ship of the business. These are all long term members with up to 30 years in the Boilermakers Union, and many of us have worked beside them over the years. They are very specialized in what they build, and are the top craftspeople in their field. The good news is that they were purchased and have restarted operations as of June 25th. We have worked with Canerectors, who also own other unionized companies throughout North America such as TIW, and MBB Power, to get started back up as IST Boiler Inc., and have just received the Labour Boards approval of our successor-ship application. I want to especially thank the Shop Steward Gavin at IST for his unwavering belief that they are just too good to fail. Here’s to another 30 years!

Fraternally,

Rob Kappel

Quality Control Council of Canada

A ratification vote was held for the National/Pacific/Heat Treat portions of the QCCC-NDTMA Collective Agreement on June 27th. The tentative agreement was passed by a margin of 70% to accept in the Pacific Region. Wages are retroactive to May 1, 2018, and most of the remaining monetary items were as of June 28th. We will continue to use the tentative agreement package that was mailed out as a reference along with the 2015 – 2018 Collective Agreement until we have a new agreement printed out and distributed. If you need a copy of the changes please let us know and we will send them out as required until the new agreement can be sent.

The industry in BC is busy, in particular there is a large increase in members working at the shipyards in Vancouver and Victoria. We look forward to even more increase in work if the LNG Canada plant is built, along with the Site C mechanical work and the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion and the tank work. This will supplement the ongoing pulp and paper and manufacturing work in BC.

A QCCC restructuring meeting is taking place in August to determine more of the details surrounding the restructuring of the QCCC in Canada. The membership has made their thoughts and concerns known and we will be discussing these at that meeting also. More information will be passed along once it is known.

Fraternally,

Rob Kappel

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