Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Hard Hat Winter 2011
Hard Hat Winter 2011
High-Tech Healing
BTA Courage Centre
grand opening
Cash Control
8 tips to manage
your money
from
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Expansion Plans
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to ev
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Executive Secretary Treasurer’s REPORT
A Look Back at 2010
Martyn A. Piper
N
ow that 2010 is in the history although work in 2012 looks a whole lot
books, it is worth spending a few more promising. Some of the recent joint
moments to reflect on what the venture announcements have triggered
year brought us. In many respects, it was some sense of optimism with previously
a year of soul-searching and reflection. held back projects.
Thankfully, employment held steady. Drug and alcohol testing issues remain
However, not since the ’80s have we on the radar screen for a myriad of rea-
been confronted by so many challenges sons: there are those for and those
and new issues. The highlight of the year against it, questions relative to human
will inevitably turn out to be the frame- rights, court and legislative interest. tices, this has gone a long way in relieving
work bargaining process which resulted Clearly this issue is a permanent fixture the frustration felt by our pensioners.
in the majority of the Building Trades for the future. The fact of the matter is In 2010, Local 2103 concluded litiga-
and Registered Employers organizations until drugs and alcohol disappear from tion with the old officers of the Building
engaging in an integrated mutual gains job sites and camps, this issue will not go and Benevolent Society, who caved on
bargaining process for common indus- away. The owners have made it clear they their claim to the Calgary Building, and
trial terms. It took a long time to develop are not prepared to tolerate this type of now the properly elected officers of 2103
the process, but hopefully the outcomes, behaviour on their sites and are prepared are the officers of the Society, the build-
which will be voted on by the member- to go to great lengths to ensure they com- ing is properly back in the hands of the
ship in the spring, will have been worth plete their mission. Local and all bank accounts seized and
the investment. Before we get to that The year 2010 saw compressed work in the hands of Local 2103. This long and
place, however, we will be continuing to schedules contained in the Special unnecessary legal battle was expensive,
finalize our trade specific items. Project Needs Agreement become the uncalled for and resulted in member-
I am sure I speak for my colleagues norm, particularly for projects in the ship loss for a few individuals. Hopefully
across the Building Trades when I say Wood Buffalo region. These schedules we can now turn our attention to what is
we were really left with no choice but to have essentially eliminated overtime pro- really required in Calgary with respect to
engage in a full and candid discussion visions as we have traditionally known new offices and training facilities.
around the bargaining table. In effect, them, and now compensation is paid These, Brothers and Sisters, are just
the agreement to rework the consoli- on a certain number of hours inclusive a few of the many issues we have been
dated groups and engage in a multi-trade of premium and regular time per work working on over the last year, and it is
process really developed out of our court schedule. The compressed work schedule because of a great membership, dynamic
challenge to the collective bargaining typically includes flights and also a guar- staff team, executive boards and dele-
legislation. Regardless, as our market antee of time off on furloughs. Worked gates of the Regional Council that we are
share is continually being threatened and out over the year, one can argue that the able to deal efficiently, honestly and expe-
as owners consider all their options with salary still exceeds that of the competi- ditiously with them. The Brotherhood
respect to price, safety, productivity and tion, is reasonable and ensures that every- in Alberta is on sound financial footing,
dependability, we had to do what is in the one is home at regular intervals. with solid infrastructure and resources to
best interest of the unionized construc- In 2010 we were able to negotiate the support the operation.
tion industry. It serves no purpose to put conversion of pension contributions There is no doubt 2011 will offer up
our fair contractors in an uncompetitive into pay for retirees who were unable another set of challenges, but none too
position, thereby jeopardizing future to enhance their pension benefit when great that we cannot overcome. The
work opportunities. In comparison to returning to work. Although we were world does not stand still. Times change,
previous years, 2011 is going to be slow, unable to achieve the same for appren- and with it we must adapt.
PUBLIShEd FOR:
Alberta Regional Council of 10 A Brief View of Our Union
Carpenters & Allied Workers Listings of Regional Council executive
15210 – 123 Avenue boards, delegates and committees
Edmonton, Alberta T5V 0A3
Tel: (780) 474-8599 / Fax: (780) 474-8910 12 Bolstering Courage
www.albertacarpenters.com A new high-tech rehabilitation centre
PUBLIShEd BY: opens, thanks to the support of local
Venture Publishing Inc. trade unions
10259 – 105 Street By Cailynn Klingbeil
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1E3
Toll-free: 1-866-227-4276 18 Managing Your Money
Phone: (780) 990-0839
Fax: (780) 425-4921
Financial planning tips for today 12
and tomorrow
www.venturepublishing.ca By Tricia Radison
PUBLIShER
Ruth Kelly
20 Full Steam Ahead
Interpro relies on the specialized skills
ASSOCIATE PUBLIShER
Joyce Byrne of unionized millwrights
ARCCAW EdITOR By Lisa Ricciotti
Martyn A. Piper
22 The Angola Project 20
EdITOR A 1325 member shares his experiences
Kim Tannas working on an overseas project
ART dIRECTOR By Fraser Todd
Charles Burke
ASSISTANT ART dIRECTOR
Colin Spence
DEPARTMENTS
PROdUCTION COORdINATOR
Betty-Lou Smith 4 Note From the Executive
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Secretary Treasurer
Cailynn Klingbeil, Lindsey Norris, Tricia Radison, By Martyn Piper
Lisa Ricciotti, Fraser Todd, Jim Veenbaas
CONTRIBUTING PhOTOGRAPhERS 6 Site Lines
ANd ILLUSTRATORS
3TEN, Buffy Goodman
BTA Convention 2010, Cold remedies
VICE-PRESIdENT, SALES
from the trade-room floor; On the job 22
Anita McGillis with Bill Alton; Call for tool donations
AdVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
Leah Mawer 9 Geared Up
SALES ASSISTANT Tools to help you work better
Julia Ehli
26 KidZone
Children’s Christmas party photos
Contents © 2011 by ARCCAW Inc.
No part of this publication should be reproduced 28 Training and Apprenticeship
without written permission.
Report
By Len Bryden
Convention Roundup
What went down at the Building Trades of
Alberta 2010 Convention
In early October, members of the Building Trades of Alberta
gathered in Jasper for an annual executive meeting and
convention.
This year’s theme was “The Leadership Commitment,” and
speakers included Navy SEAL and Rhodes scholar Eric Greitens,
MLA Thomas Lukaszuk, and Mark Breslin, who became the CEO
of the Engineering and Utility Contractors Association (EUCA)
when he was 26 and now writes books and speaks across North
America about labour-management relations.
Breslin had some blunt advice regarding Canada’s
construction industry. While the industry has grown about 15 per
cent per year, Breslin warned that the union share of the work pie
has not grown proportionately. He says, going forward, unions
need to be proactive, focus on economics over politics, and avoid
being derailed by naysayers reluctant to change.
Cold Comfort
There are a lot of myths about the common cold. Over 3. BUCKLEY’S MIXTURE
50 years ago, scientists at the Common Cold Research Unit The theory: It contains capsaicin, which acts as an analgesic
in England debunked the idea that catching a chill would give (pain-killer) long term.
you a case of the sniffles, and discovered you’re as likely to How to use it: Like all over-the-counters, according to package
catch a cold in the Sahara as you are in Fort McMurray. Not directions.
content with stopping there, scientists moved on to debunk
many remedies that were supposed to cure colds – chicken 4. RAT ROOT TEA
soup, orange juice, lots of fluids. Today, cold researchers The theory: This herb has been used for centuries in aboriginal
don’t agree on much, but they do agree on this: colds will run and Chinese medicine for a variety of ailments, including clearing
their course no matter what you do. the nasal passages
Still, some people swear that their home remedies help How to use it: Warm. Ideally, not in the vicinity of real rats.
them feel better, and there’s no arguing with that. In that vein,
we offer a non-scientific array of cold remedies taken from a 5. VITAMIN C
non-scientific survey of the trade room floor. The theory: Some studies suggest high doses reduce a cold’s
duration. Other studies dispute this. Insufficient vitamin C leads to
1. RAW GARLIC scurvy, so make sure you’re getting enough, cold or no cold.
The theory: Garlic contains allicin, which has antifungal and How to use it: Get your daily dose from citrus fruits, red and
antibacterial properties. green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and greens.
How to use it: Raw, baby. Chop it or crush it to maximize the
allicin content. 6. CHICKEN SOUP
The theory: Whether it’s the smell, steam or heat, chicken soup
2. LEMON TEA increases “nasal mucus velocity.” (Get the tissues out.)
The theory: Warm fluids can loosen congestion and prevent How to use it: Ideally, someone else makes it, and you stay in bed.
dehydration.
How to use it: Without whisky. The “hot toddy” may be a *Note: some remedies, even natural ones, can have side-effects and may
mainstay, but booze won’t help your cold. be dangerous in high doses or if you have underlying health issues. Best to
talk to your doctor.
Proud to support the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters & Allied Workers.
Pay It Forward
When longtime 1325 member Alex Ciplak
Camille Coderre lost his wallet on the way to Edmonton from
Account Manager, Small Business
780-448-7763 his scaffolding job in Fort McMurray, he didn’t
camillel.coderre@scotiabank.com expect to ever see it again. So when it was
® Registered trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia.
returned, all $800 intact, he was both shocked
000HH.Scotiabank_1-6H.indd 1 1/13/11 4:19:55 PM
and moved. So much so that he wanted to
give the money as a reward to the person
who had returned it. When that person never
came forward to claim the prize, he remained
determined to share the generosity of that
good deed.
“It’s Christmastime soon – I’m thinking
I’d like to help a poor family,” the 71-year-old
was quoted saying in the Edmonton Sun in
November. “Yes, my money is back – sure. But
someone else can share it with their family.”
His son Ray Turkhan wasn’t surprised by his
father’s reaction. “He’s such a hard-working
man… I think this is amazing for him to do.”
Answer to
corporate and international training
“Guess the Tool”
These are cooper braces, also known as barrel-
transform
maker braces, which would have been used to – you
guessed it – make barrels.
your
corporate training program (From Page 7)
Bill Alton 1325 Gord Hrycun 1325 Grover Sewell 1325 Mike Cooper 2103
Blaine Ball 1325 Dave Hunter 1325 Martin Smith 1325 Randy Eirich 2103
Richard Bazak 1325 Terry James 1325 Greg Smith 1325 Gary Loroff 2103
Len Bryden 1325 Devin Jean-Louis 1325 Brandi Thorne 1325 Joe Maloney 2103
Dan Budd 1325 Ralph Jewitt 1325 Dave Todd 1325 April Parsons 2103
Greg Budd 1325 Martin Kenny 1325 Searle Turton 1325 Bruce Payne 2103
Richard Burton 1325 Renee Lapierre 1325 Perry Walsh 1325 Tim Virtanen 2103
Rob Carlson 1325 Len Lopatynski 1325 Greg White 1325 Sean Watkinson 2103
Bob Cook 1325 Jason Misener 1325 Richard Winkenweder 1325 Shane Whitmore 2103
Mike Dunlop 1325 Graham Payne 1325 Tom Debeljak 1460 Paul Zarbatany 2103
Randy Dwernychuk 1325 George Pekarchik 1325 Hank Ell 1460 Joe Budac 2010
Dave Dwyer 1325 Martyn Piper 1325 Gord Evers 1460 Clint Kittle 2010
Chester Fergusson 1325 Wilf Pipke 1325 Bob Hugh 1460 Ed Lonsdale 2010
Todd Gartner 1325 Bob Provencher 1325 Dave Knight 1460 Troy O’Hearn 2010
Doug Germaine 1325 Moe Rahime 1325 Mike Lahti 1460 Vince Pariseau 2010
Bob Hardy 1325 Leah Redmond 1325 Ted Remenda 1460 Bob Sawatzky 2010
Michael Hert 1325 Steve Rossignol 1325 Stephen Brazil 2103 Bill Weireter 2010
Doug Hogan 1325 Derrick Schulte 1325 Hughie Bruce 2103
UBC International
General Executive Board
Local Union 1325 Local Union 2103 Local Union 2010 Local Union 1460
Edmonton Calgary Province-Wide Province-Wide
Construction Construction Industrial Shops Millwrights
EXECUTIVE BOARDS
ALBERTA REGIONAL COUNCIL LOCAL UNION 2010 EXECUTIVE LOCAL UNION 1325 EXECUTIVE
EXECUTIVE BOARD William Weireter, President Greg Budd, President
Bob Hugh, President Robert Sawatzky, Vice-President Derrick Schulte, Vice-President
Greg Budd, Vice-President Vince Pariseau, Recording Secretary William Alton, Recording Secretary
Martyn Piper, Executive Secretary Treasurer Bhajan (Ben) Kang, Financial Secretary Robert Provencher, Treasurer
Bob Arnestad, Trustee Troy O’Hearn, Treasurer Robbie Carlson, Financial Secretary
Gord Evers, Trustee Edwin Lonsdale, Trustee Brandi Thorne, Conductor
Paul Zarbatany, Trustee Clint Kittle, Trustee Dave Hunter, Warden
Troy O’Hearn, Warden Joseph Budac, Trustee Leonard Lopatynski, Trustee
Shane Whitmore, Conductor Fabian Cherewko, Conductor Searle Turton, Trustee
Gary Loroff, Executive Committee Member Chris Robinson, Warden Perry Walsh, Trustee
Bill Alton, Executive Committee Member Leonia Vieira, Advisor
Robert Provencher, Executive Committee Philip Banh, Advisor LOCAL UNION 2103 EXECUTIVE
Member/Finance Chair Renato Danzo, Advisor Paul Zarbatany, President
Laura Kuhl, Advisor Shane Whitmore, Vice-President
LOCAL UNION 1460 MILLWRIGHTS Joe Maloney, Recording Secretary
David Knight, President ALBERTA REGIONAL COUNCIL Mike Cooper, Treasurer
Ted Remenda, Vice-President EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Gary Loroff, Financial Secretary
Neal Hugh, Recording Secretary Bob Hugh, President Stephen Brazil, Trustee
Bob Hugh, Financial Secretary Greg Budd, Vice-President Rob Eirich, Trustee
Gord Evers, Treasurer Martyn Piper, Executive Secretary Treasurer Mathew McLeod, Trustee
Philip (Wei) Yun, Conductor Gary Loroff, Executive Committee Member Tim Virtanen, Warden
Tom Debeljak, Warden Bill Alton, Executive Committee Member Hughie Bruce, Conductor
Hans Kruger, Trustee Robert Provencher, Executive Committee
Kyle Middleton, Trustee Member/Finance Chair
Stephen Joy, Trustee
MOVING FORWARD: A floor-based game system designed to PLAY ON: A variety of games, such as the one pictured above, are used
increase agility in a patient’s feet was one of the many technologies to encourage and maximize the effort of patients, while accompanying
demonstrated at the grand opening of the Courage Centre computers measure and quantify data to track progress and assist in
the patient’s recovery
By LISA RICCIOTTI
A n innovative company is looking to ARCCAW timely service. “That’s the legacy that we’re building on, with new ideas
workers to help deliver on its vision of providing to energize our company,” says Healey.
expert field maintenance of steam and gas tur- With its head office in Maple Ridge, Interpro first concentrated on
bines. Interpro Technical Services, a B.C.-based maintenance at B.C. pulp and paper mills, as well as its power-producing
service maintenance leader in industries such as oil refineries, and food-processing plants. It crossed the B.C. border in the early ’90s,
power utilities, pulp and paper, and waste-to-energy, is hiring and has worked on both pulp mill and refinery systems in Alberta, com-
skilled unionized millwrights as it expands its operations pleting major maintenance overhauls on steam turbines for companies
in Alberta. like Syncrude in the Fort McMurray region. Interpro plans to increase its
Innovation usually begins when someone has a better idea, presence in Alberta in both utility and oil refinery applications.
and that’s exactly how Interpro began. In 1987, founder Robert For its Alberta projects, Interpro has continued its B.C. practice of
Goodrick decided he could do a better job servicing steam and hiring union workers, looking to ARCCAW for skilled millwrights.
gas turbines and generators than his employer by starting his “Interpro’s union focus was partly born of necessity,” Healey notes. “In
own maintenance company. Having worked for a large original the beginning, most of our work was in pulp and paper mills, which were
equipment manufacturer (OEM) as a millwright for many years, all union facilities. Then hiring union became part of our corporate phi-
Goodrick knew much of the massive equipment inside out, and losophy and we kept that culture when we moved into Alberta.”
believed he could deliver more customer-friendly service by Healey explains that working with steam turbines and generators is a
providing an option to OEM maintenance. very specific skill and not every millwright is experienced in that subspe-
“Big companies can be cumbersome to deal with,” explains cialty. “Alberta’s union, however, has done a lot of work training mem-
Carey Healey, Interpro’s current president. “Robert knew every bers on steam turbines in its provincial training centre, so we know its
nuance of the units, and could often provide maintenance faster members have good capabilities. That’s a huge benefit to Interpro. In our
than the original manufacturers at competitive prices.” business it’s critical to have trained people who can come in and get the
Today Goodrick has more free time to apply his mechanical job done quickly. When one of these plants has to shut down for sched-
technical genius to his hobby of tuning up hot-rod cars, but the uled maintenance, it loses the opportunity to produce electricity, which
founder remains involved in all technical sides of the business. can mean a significant revenue loss.”
And just as importantly, the new management team remains Interpro stays on top of its game by constantly looking for small effi-
committed to continuing Goodrick’s original vision of expert, ciencies that can pay off big. “Our work is very customized. Doing little
eplaning in Angola, the first thing that hits you gases were reinjected into offshore reservoirs. The
is the heat and humidity, especially for a guy from process entails cooling the vapours, which reduces
northern Alberta. their volume by 600 per cent and makes it possible
Angola, in West Africa, has had a very troubled history, to ship the liquid gases to markets throughout the
only recently ending 27 years of civil war. Now, though, the world.
country is doing its best to enter as a world leader in oil and Initial dredging and land reclamation was started
gas and in fact has recently become the biggest oil producer in the first quarter of 2008. Project completion is
in Africa. scheduled for the first quarter of 2012, and is looking
In November 2009, I was hired by Bechtel as an assistant good both budget- and schedule-wise. The project is
scaffold superintendent on a 5.2-million-metric-ton-per- huge, with the plant site 1.8 by 1.0 kilometres – about
year liquefied natural gas project on Africa’s west coast. The equivalent to the original Shell Scotford or Syncrude
Angola LNG, on the Congo River delta, is located 45 min- Canada sites in area.
utes by air from Luanda in the city of Soyo. It is a joint ven- Currently 7,500-plus workers are employed from
ture, owned by Angolan state-owned company Sonangol, 43 different countries. Many of these are Angolans,
Chevron, BP, ENI and Total. as the project has made a commitment to employ
The logistics of the project are daunting, and challenges and train as many nationals as possible. Training is done at the Kitona
are many, including a complete lack of local infrastructure, Training Centre, located a short distance from the site. Kitona was built
a limited supply of local skilled workers and the need to as part of the project and is a completely self-sufficient facility, with
reclaim most of the area the plant is being built on – not to camp, classroom and workshop areas. Trade instruction is given in
mention the dangers associated with the local wildlife, such several disciplines, covering both classroom and practical training.
as pythons, cobras and malaria-bearing mosquitoes. Graduates are integrated in to the site workforce, with some returning
The purpose of the plant is to capture natural gas and for further training as they progress in their chosen craft. The balance
propane from offshore drilling activities; previously, these of the craft workers are largely Filipino and Indian, with most of the
supervisory staff the prime contractor, to an accident- and injury-free job site is no
being American and different than any other major player in the industry.
British, with some In fact, there are some practices I’ve never encountered before,
Australians, New such as a general lunch meeting every Saturday with all craft gen-
Zealanders and eral foremen. The purpose of this is to review any safety concerns,
Canadians. discuss any incidents and share information in general.
After a lengthy Pre-job training includes a general orientation, fall protec-
paperwork process, tion, confined space, and so on – in other words, pretty much
I arrived in March exactly the same training you would receive anywhere in Alberta.
2010 to take on my Performing high-risk activities, such as confined space entries,
role as assistant follows a procedure almost identical to what you would do in a
OFFSHORE ACTIVITY: View of the har- scaffold superinten- “greenfield” construction site in Alberta.
bour, with the liquefied natural gas jetty dent. I am working We currently have about 230 scaffolders, of which approxi-
with two Americans, mately 80 are Angolan. The manpower forecast is to increase that
both of whom have a lot of international experience. to 350 at peak. One of the hiring prerequisites for non-Angolan
We do everything the same position would entail at home but workers (or other country nationals, OCN for short) is a mini-
spend a lot more time in the field, directly supporting the field mum of five years of overseas experience working in their trade.
supervision, largely because the language differences lead to occa- Our scaffolders’ resumés are actually quite impressive; most have
sional miscommunications. worked throughout the Middle East as well as in Asia. Their com-
One of the biggest challenges is that everything comes in by petency is, for the most part, high, as is their work ethic. We follow
ship, with a four- to six- month delivery time, so preplanning is OSHA scaffold standards here, which is more or less the American
essential for all supplies and equipment from personal protective equivalent to OH&S. This makes sense, when you consider the
equipment, rope and buckets to saw blades and extension cords. Bechtel home office is in the U.S.
Of course, all our scaffold equipment also comes by ship, in The single biggest difference that I have found is that, although
seacans. our scaffold supplier is At-Pac, and we mostly use a ring-style sys-
Everyone here is great to deal with, and has made me, as a new- tem, the tube is all steel, and the clamps are bolt, not wedge. The
comer, feel welcomed and at home. I have found the Australians crews have no problem with this, as it’s what they grew up using
and New Zealanders to be especially welcoming, much like us and are accustomed to it. This being the case, they are quite quick
Canadians. at erecting and dismantling with them. We also have a system
The working language on site is English, and the craft super- similar to Waco, which is simple and fairly fast to use, although not
vision must all have a working knowledge of it. The other main quite as versatile as the Allround style.
languages are Tagalong, Hindi and Portuguese, which is Angola’s Day-to-day life on the site brings more comparisons to back
main language. home. When a new worker signs on, he is issued a pair of boots and
Initially, I was worried about how the job would be run safety- three sets of work clothes. These are replaced as needed through-
wise despite what I was told before getting on site. But, happily, out the job.
this job is almost interchangeable with any megaproject at home For the locals, breakfast is delivered to the site. The rest of the
from a loss management point of view. Bechtel’s commitment, as workforce eats in camp. Then the day starts the same way as at
www.cfrac.com
UNION EDUCATION
INSTRUCTOR
A
s 2010 ends and 2011 begins, we here at the
The Alberta Regional Council of ACTC always take some time to look back
Carpenters and Allied Workers on what has been achieved up to this point,
(ARCCAW) is seeking a qualified and to set some new goals for the new year. Calgary,
professional to develop and instruct Edmonton and Fort McMurray all show great atten-
orientation and union education dance in our various classes, and utilization of our
programs to both prospective and facilities is high. As some of the larger projects come
current UBC members in the to completion, more members always want to access
province of Alberta. training while they are between jobs, and that makes
The successful candidate will good sense.
have had experience in the develop- Our UBC 40-hour Hoisting and Rigging
ment of education programs, proven Certification classes are going well, with nearly 100
teaching capability and be able members trained in Alberta in our shops in 2010.
to work with a computer and One of my goals is to integrate this training, as well
all the relevant software from as a one-day UBC Foreman Training class (skillfully
which to develop new courses developed with the help of our brother Millwrights
and adapt existing programs as Len J. Bryden training department), directly into our scaffold
required. Good interpersonal skills, Director of Training and Apprenticeship training program. This may lengthen our class time,
charisma, and a proven capability to Alberta Carpenters Training Centre but the benefits to this membership will be felt for
market the union is essential to this years to come.
position. I continue to see more new members show interest in start-
The successful candidate will ing and completing their Carpenter apprenticeship, and our
require a valid Alberta driver’s Accredited Period One and Period Two classes in Edmonton are
license and reliable transportation, helping to push this important agenda for more indentured and
as well as the ability to work away trained Carpenter apprentices.
from home, after hours and week- I welcome with great enthusiasm a new contractor part-
ends for extended periods. This ner, KHS&S Drywall, currently working on the Edmonton
is a salaried position and overtime International Airport expansion. This partnership has given us
is not part of the compensation an opportunity to seriously ramp up training programs for the
package. ISM/Drywall sector, and as of December 2010 we are planning,
setting up and developing with the assistance of our International
Please forward resumé by mail Training Centre, a series of training programs targeting this spe-
to: cific industry and the types of work that must be done. Our goal
Martyn A. Piper is to ensure our contractors receive the best trained, best skilled
Executive Secretary Treasurer workers with the best attitude that we can possibly provide. We
Regional Council of Carpenters want to help all of our partner contractors to be successful, safe
& Allied Workers and profitable, meaning more work for our members.
#200, 15210 – 123rd Avenue I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and wish
Edmonton, Alberta everyone the best of prosperity and safety into 2011.
T5V 0A3
Reality Check
M
embers have approached me As a result, we signed perhaps the best contract our union had ever
recently with one basic question and seen. The contract gave us 6.5 per cent in 2009 and another 5.0 per cent
a very hopeful look in their eyes. in 2010. All told, the four-year contract gave us a 24.43 per cent boost in
The question is, “How much can we get in the total package!
new contract?” I think that, perhaps, we hurt ourselves (and our clients) with our
Based on more than 25 years of negotiat- own success last time, because after oil prices crashed and all those
ing for our union in this province, my answer projects were put on hold or cancelled, owners of the projects that did
tends toward extreme caution about getting move ahead became far more bottom-line oriented.
our hopes up. To be honest, my gut feel is that With their recent cost overrun experience, and worried shareholders
we may even be looking at a wage freeze, pos- breathing down their necks, owners forced contractors to drop prices if
sibly with some compensating factors. they wanted work.
To fully understand what we’re headed into Continuing growth of Merit, CLAC and non-union forces meant that
this year, it’s important to remember what union employers saw ever-increasing, incredibly stiff competition in the
construction economic conditions were like bidding wars that resulted.
when we signed our last contract in 2007. Over the last year or so, our contractors have been losing far too
With many upgrader projects on the way many of those bidding wars. Jim Petterson of Midwest Constructors,
or being planned, and an amazing amount of a company we’re proud to be partners with, tells me that his non-union
expansion and new projects taking place or competitors have consistently been winning bids by an eight per cent
planned in Fort McMurray, the industry was margin.
simply, unbelievably… crazy with action! No one expects that we’re going to be asked to roll back by eight per
Contractors were worried about a worker cent – no one expects a cut at all.
shortage. Everyone was talking temporary But with 2011 expected to be as much as 30 per cent slower than 2010,
foreign workers. Unions were focused on and things not expected to pick up for millwrighting until later in 2012,
importing members from other provinces and we may have to accept a wage freeze to enable our employers to win
the United States. back some of the market share they’ve lost in the last 18 months.
With up to $200 billion worth of construc- I also think this round of contract talks could produce some creative
tion work in process or on the books, Alberta’s new options that may result in our employers winning more work for us,
unions had the people that our clients so des- without us giving up too much.
perately needed. I will keep you informed as negotiations progress.
Just over a century ago, construction began on the High Level Bridge, a massive steel truss
multi-function bridge that spans the North Saskatchewan River, linking Edmonton’s south
side with 109th Street downtown. Built between 1910 and 1913, the steel superstructure fea-
tures two decks 20 feet apart and was unique for its original combination of four modes of
transportation – rail, streetcar, automobile and pedestrian. With a total of 28 spans, it is set on
a combination of concrete piers and steel legs that includes two truss types for the superstruc-
ture. It is 2,550 feet long and sits 156 feet above the water.
In Memoriam
ARCCAW notes with sorrow the
Training + Events
Meetings
passing of the following members.
First Wednesday of each month:
LOCAL 1325 Local 1325 meeting
Third Thursday of each month:
Pierre Audette Local 2103 meeting
November 2010, Age 54 Fourth Tuesday of each month:
Local 1460 meeting
Scott Brown
October 2010, Age 20
Brian Chikowski
October 2010, Age 62
Barry Duddy
October 2010, Age 49
Ian Jessome
November 2010, Age 50
Kenneth Kuhn
December 2010, Age 60
Peter MacDonald
June 2010, Age 63
Philip Morrison
October 2010, Age 69
Brent Porter
September 2010, Age 29
Dan Menigoz
December 2010 Age 54
Training
Jens Nielsen
Alberta Carpenters Training Centre
June 2010, Age 94
The following is a sampling of training courses that
Billy Joe Noseworthy
are open for registration at the time of publication
July 2010, Age 29
of this edition of Hard Hat. For full listings or more
information on training courses, visit www.abcarptc.
LOCAL 1460
ab.ca or phone the Edmonton office: 780-455-6532 or
toll-free 1-877-455-6532.
Alexander Birrell
December 2010, Age 71
Edmonton
OSSA Fall Protection: February 15, February 25,
Gerald Eberle
March 1
December 2010, Age 79
OSSA Confined Space: February 19, March 5,
March 19
John Smythe
H2S Alive (Enform Certified): February 20,
December 2010, Age 86
March 6
Period 2 Carpentry: May 30 to July 22
LOCAL 2103
Standard First Aid & CPR: June 4 to June 5
Ken Hewitt
Calgary
December 2010, Age 60
Industrial Technical Training: April 4 to 17
Pre-employment Carpentry Program: May 24 to
July 15
www.abcarptc.ab.ca
000.ABCarpTraining_1-2H_nBL.indd 1
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