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District 1
Work remains busy / Dispatch to member rep / New regs for drivers (May 2007)  Work remains busyBy Frank Carr, Member Representative Can you believe it? Work has been steady for a few years now and there’s no end in sight. Sub-division and utility contractors working in the Fraser Valley continue to move from project to project. This definitely bodes well for members, but there is still a large non-union and Christian Labour Association of Canada presence in the Fraser Valley. Utility contractors need to be educated about the benefits of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115. Vancouver Pile Driving Ltd. will be starting the Deltaport Expansion project in mid-April. The project will have members working two ten-hour shifts, six days a week for about a year and a half. Crane operators, deck engineers and deckhands will be needed on the project. We are currently in negotiations with Fraser River Pile and Dredge for a new hydraulic dredging agreement. The old agreement expires at the end of April. We would like to welcome members and owners of RMW Mechanical Inc. to our union. The company, located in Chilliwack, recently organized with Local 115. They are involved in the construction, fabrication, installation and maintenance of conveyor systems. We signed up 15 new members (welders) and negotiated and ratified a first collective agreement. The owner has placed an order for 14 more welders. Contact your district dispatcher if you’re interested. We would also like to welcome the 25 new members working on the Canada Line for RSL. The Canadian Labour Congress has established the Fraser Valley Labour Council. The jurisdiction for the council extends from Abbotsford and Mission to Lytton. Anyone living in the area is welcome to attend as a guest. The council meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Abbotsford District Teachers’ Association on 2570 Cyril Ave., Abbotsford. The council just received its charter and has over 10,000 members belonging to 15 different public and private sector unions in the area. Reminder to all crane operators—register with the British Columbia Association for Crane Safety at www.bcacs.ca. In July, it will be mandatory for all crane operators to be registered and certified.  Moving from dispatch to member repBy Everett Cummings, Member Representative I would like to say hello to those of you who don’t yet know me. I was a heavy-duty mechanic in construction and in the shops. I have just wrapped up about six months working in dispatch. It was a very busy time for me and for the members of our Local Union. I would like to thank the staff for their help in this transition. This is the perfect time for anyone interested in getting into a trade or any job related to the construction industry. I had a difficult time filling all the orders last summer. I expect it will be just as difficult this year. If you know anyone who’s interested, have him or her contact dispatch or the training plan. If you know anyone working without a real collective agreement, let him or her know the benefits of being a member of Local 115. I will be looking after Construction Aggregates depots in the Lower Mainland and Construction Aggregates quarries and projects on the North Shore up to Pemberton. I am looking forward to meeting everyone in those areas. It’s going to be a busy year again, so work safely.  New regulations for commercial driversBy Craig McIntosh, Member Representative New provincial hours of service regulations for commercial vehicle drivers under the Motor Vehicle Transport Act came into effect on March 1. The provincial regulations mirror federal regulations which took effect on Jan. 1, 2007. The main objective of the new regulations is to reduce the risk of fatigue-related commercial vehicle accidents. They require: - a minimum of 10 hours of off-duty time be taken every day - off-duty periods be in at least 30-minute increments - a maximum of 13 hours of driving in a day - no driving after 14 hours of being on duty in a day - after being on duty for 14 hours, drivers must take a minimum 8 consecutive hours off before they can drive again More information can be found at: www.th.gov.bc.ca/cvse/national_safety_code.htm and follow the link to Hours of Service Presentation. The work picture in the Lower Mainland is looking good now and for the foreseeable future. We got off to a tough start because we’ve just experienced our hardest winter in years. Many of our members working on excavations and paving projects lost time this winter. The upside for the paving crews is that our roads took a beating with all the freezing and thawing. More grinding and paving will be needed to get the roads back in shape. Aggregate producers have forecast that 2007 will be a record year for supplying material for concrete, paving and base. Canron Construction has been busy with four cranes at the new Vancouver Trade & Convention Centre site erecting the structural steel. Work is expected to continue through to the end of this year. Work safely. |
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