hard hat - summer 2014

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JOB Inside Victor Pereira of Drytec has the interior systems market cornered Legendary Lessons Third-year apprentices are treated to hands-on learning in Vegas Hitting Home UBC’s 300-hitter program a game changer for journeymen Alberta Carpenter/ Scaffolding Competition; ARCCAW’s new Calgary digs Uniting ARCCAW members across Alberta Summer 2014

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The publication of the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters & Allied Workers.

TRANSCRIPT

JOBInside

Victor Pereira of Drytec has the

interior systems market cornered

Legendary Lessons Third-year apprentices are treated to hands-on learning in Vegas

Hitting Home UBC’s 300-hitter program a game changer for journeymen

Alberta Carpenter/Scaffolding

Competition; ARCCAW’s new

Calgary digs

Uniting ARCCAW members across Alberta Summer 2014

HH_Summer14_p01.indd 1 2014-07-25 1:37 PM

Copyright ©2014 DEWALT. The following are examples of trademarks for one or more DEWALT power tools and accessories: The yellow and black color scheme; the “D”-shaped air intake grill; the array of pyramids on the handgrip; the kit box configuration; and the array of lozenge-shaped humps on the surface of the tool.

*With respect to the DEWALT 20V MAX*: Maximum initial battery voltage (measured without a workload) is 20 volts. Nominal voltage is 18.

INTRODUCING DEWALT’S LINE OF LIGHTWEIGHT CORDLESS TOOLS - XR. THE DEWALT XR LINE WAS DESIGNED TO COMBINE THE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY OF A BRUSHLESS MOTOR SYSTEM AND THE POWER SUPPLIED BY THE HIGH CAPACITY XR LITHIUM ION BATTERIES TO PROVIDE EXTREME RUNTIME ON ANY JOBSITE. GET MORE DONE. GET DEWALT XR.

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In this Framing Nailer, DEWALT’s 20V MAX* XR® LITHIUM ION Battery System combined with advanced

Brushless Motor technology supply the power and extreme runtime professional users demand without the

additional cost and annoying fumes of gas fuel cells. Mechanical rather than gas operation offers

consistent performance at temperatures as low as -15°C and as high as 50°C with minimal cleaning/service

requirements. The dual-speed selector design optimizes motor speed to drive 2" - 3" nails

in first speed, 3 1/4" - 3 1/2" nails in second speed setting. Get off your Gas and Get DEWALT.

Copyright ©2014 DEWALT. The following are examples of trademarks for one or more DEWALT power tools and accessories: the yellow and black color scheme; the “D”-shaped air intake grill; the array of pyramids on the handgrip; the kit box configuration; and the array of lozenge-shaped humps on the surface of the tool.

* With respect to 20V MAX*, maximum initial battery voltage (measured without a workload) is 20 volts. Nominal voltage is 18.

20V MAX* XR Lithium Ion Brushless

Dual Speed Framing NailerDCN692M1

NO GAS REQUIREDTO OPERATE

DEWALT’s Perform & Protect™ line of Power Tools & Accessories is designed to provide a high level of one or more of the following: control, dust containment, or low vibration, without sacrificing performance

* With respect to 20V MAX*, maximum initial battery voltage (measured without a workload) is 20 volts. Nominal voltage is 18.† Based on results using the 20V MAX* Premium XR Lithium Ion 4.0 Ah high capacity battery pack (DCB204)

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DW_HardHatDPS_Summer14.pdf 1 6/16/14 11:36 AM

000HH-DeWalt-DPS.indd 1 2014-06-30 9:53 AMHH_Summer14_p02-03.indd 2 2014-07-24 2:05 PM

Copyright ©2014 DEWALT. The following are examples of trademarks for one or more DEWALT power tools and accessories: The yellow and black color scheme; the “D”-shaped air intake grill; the array of pyramids on the handgrip; the kit box configuration; and the array of lozenge-shaped humps on the surface of the tool.

*With respect to the DEWALT 20V MAX*: Maximum initial battery voltage (measured without a workload) is 20 volts. Nominal voltage is 18.

INTRODUCING DEWALT’S LINE OF LIGHTWEIGHT CORDLESS TOOLS - XR. THE DEWALT XR LINE WAS DESIGNED TO COMBINE THE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY OF A BRUSHLESS MOTOR SYSTEM AND THE POWER SUPPLIED BY THE HIGH CAPACITY XR LITHIUM ION BATTERIES TO PROVIDE EXTREME RUNTIME ON ANY JOBSITE. GET MORE DONE. GET DEWALT XR.

2"- 3-1/2" DUAL SPEEDCORDLESS FRAMING NAILER

XR® CORDLESS FRAMING NAILER. NO GAS CELLS, NO GAS CELL FUMES, JUST CORDLESS POWER.

In this Framing Nailer, DEWALT’s 20V MAX* XR® LITHIUM ION Battery System combined with advanced

Brushless Motor technology supply the power and extreme runtime professional users demand without the

additional cost and annoying fumes of gas fuel cells. Mechanical rather than gas operation offers

consistent performance at temperatures as low as -15°C and as high as 50°C with minimal cleaning/service

requirements. The dual-speed selector design optimizes motor speed to drive 2" - 3" nails

in first speed, 3 1/4" - 3 1/2" nails in second speed setting. Get off your Gas and Get DEWALT.

Copyright ©2014 DEWALT. The following are examples of trademarks for one or more DEWALT power tools and accessories: the yellow and black color scheme; the “D”-shaped air intake grill; the array of pyramids on the handgrip; the kit box configuration; and the array of lozenge-shaped humps on the surface of the tool.

* With respect to 20V MAX*, maximum initial battery voltage (measured without a workload) is 20 volts. Nominal voltage is 18.

20V MAX* XR Lithium Ion Brushless

Dual Speed Framing NailerDCN692M1

NO GAS REQUIREDTO OPERATE

DEWALT’s Perform & Protect™ line of Power Tools & Accessories is designed to provide a high level of one or more of the following: control, dust containment, or low vibration, without sacrificing performance

* With respect to 20V MAX*, maximum initial battery voltage (measured without a workload) is 20 volts. Nominal voltage is 18.† Based on results using the 20V MAX* Premium XR Lithium Ion 4.0 Ah high capacity battery pack (DCB204)

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DW_HardHatDPS_Summer14.pdf 1 6/16/14 11:36 AM

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Executive Secretary Treasurer’s REPORT

HAVE YOUR SAY

Have your say in proposal development for 2014-15 construction collective bargaining: www.albertacarpenters.com-mem-bers-nextcontract/opinionplease

Martyn A. Piper

T o say things are busy at the Regional Council right now is an understatement. There is plenty of action and plenty of issues on the table. We recently concluded the 300-hitter

program at the International Training Center in Las Vegas, where 146 of our front-line journeymen from all four locals attended extensive training on leadership, mentoring, and communications. A couple of months before that we had 25 third-year apprentices attend similar training in Vegas and in between, a dozen members attended the men-torship program. The organizational and logistical challenges of this made it no easy task, but thanks to some intensive and time-consuming work by Kim Belbin at the Training Centre, all went off without a hitch. Thanks also to Derrick Schulte, George Wilson and Dave Knight for shepherding the attendees throughout these three-day events.

We now have the results of the scaffolding survey and, while it clearly shows no support for scaffolding as a designated occupation in Alberta, there is clearly interest in having some level of accreditation for scaffolders. The question we and our contractors must now turn our attention to, is whether scaffolding should become a designated trade like that of a carpenter or millwright, which on the surface may seem appealing, but which changes the game considerably for our union, as the program would then be administered by Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education. Schooling would take place in colleges (such as SAIT Polytechnic and NAIT). There would be trade advisory commit-tees, yet the trade would remain non-compulsory. We will be meeting our signatory contractors sometime in August to discuss next steps, as any move forward like this would have significant consequences for the Carpenters’ Training program. We must come up with a unified position with our contractors as the government department needs to be notified before the end of September as to our position.

As I write this article, we are having some complex discussions with the contractors and the building trades with respect to drug and alcohol testing processes. It seems whichever way we turn the program is wrought with challenges. Of particular concern is how the Case Management Aftercare program is managed and how it dovetails with RSAP, return-to-work agreements, in-house residential care, availability and funding. There are no quick fixes and I think it is best said that it is a work in progress.

Even though the expiry of the construction collective agreements is some way off, we are in the early planning stages of sorting through issues with our building trades partners, determining which issues

will fall into frame-work bargaining and negotiated on a collective basis, and which issues we will take to our respective trade tables in the fall. Please provide your input into the process by accessing the bargaining survey on the Regional Council website.

The result of the successful Ply Gem/Gienow merger has presented new challenges as we work with the company to combine the two units into one. Unfortunately, there have been a number of labour relations implications, but as of last weekend’s meetings I am optimistic we have put the lion’s share of issues to rest. The total number of members in the two facilities we now represent is more than 650 people.

The much-awaited Labour Code Review was made public in the spring of 2014. It is a well written factual history of construction labour relations that reaches back into the early 1970s. Andrew C.L. Sims, the author, addressed most if not all issues that have at one time or another surfaced in Alberta. While the recommendations do not roll back the legislation we have today, which is particularly challenging when it comes to organizing, the review does arrive at a balanced perspective for which we have indicated support. However, due to the uncertainty surrounding the impending changes to the provincial leadership, we’ve put the recommendations on the back burner. Hopefully we can revisit the matter once the dust settles down the hill.

The summer, as always, brings Local picnics, golf tournaments and other social events when members, family and friends can meet jobsite colleagues in a less formal setting than; it is these events that build that sense of solidarity amongst members. Hopefully, you have taken the opportunity to partake in these social gatherings.

That’s it for now. Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Summer Brings New Challenges

4 HARDHAT | SUMMER 2014

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Important Phone Numbers

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Edmonton 780-471-3200 Fort McMurray 780-743-1442 Calgary 403-283-0747 Carpenters Training Centre 780-455-6532 Carpenters Health and Welfare 780-477-9131 Carpenters Pension 780-477-9131 Industrial Workers 403-283-0747 Millwright Local 1460 780-430-1460 Local Union 1325 and 2103 Dispatch 1-888-944-0818

Summer 14

Contents

ON THE COVER: Drytec’s Victor Pereira is a union friend

PHOTO: Christy Dean

18

27

FEATURES

10 Game OnWith the UBC’s 300-hitter program in Las Vegas, today’s masters initiate tomorrow’s leadersBy Robbie Jeffrey

11 Hitting the StripAnnual Vegas training trip to UBC’s International Training Center is far from a gamble for third-year apprentices from all over the continentBy David DiCenzo

14 On the LinksAnnual golf tournament a swinging success

18 Alberta Carpenter/Scaffolder CompetitionEdmonton Locals carve out top spots

20 It’s What’s on the InsideDrytec Interiors regains market share by proving the veracity of union idealsBy Robbie Jeffrey

DEPARTMENTS

4 Note from the Executive Secretary TreasurerBy Martyn Piper

7 Site LinesNew Calgary administrative building; Skills Canada Try a Trade; Scaffolding designation survey; Local 1325 summer picnic; Honouring 1460 retirees; and more

24 Geared UpTools to help you work smarter, not harder

25 KidZone

26 Meet the Instructor

27 Meet the Apprentice

28 Training & Apprenticeship ReportBy Len Bryden

29 Local 1460 Millwrights ReportBy Bob Hugh

30 Parting Shot

31 Training & Events; In Memoriam

PUBLISHED FORAlberta Regional Council of

Carpenters & Allied Workers15210 – 123 Avenue

Edmonton, Alberta T5V 0A3Tel: (780) 474-8599 / Fax: (780) 474-8910

www.albertacarpenters.com

PUBLISHED BYVenture Publishing Inc.

10259 – 105 Street Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1E3

Toll-free: 1-866-227-4276 Phone: (780) 990-0839

Fax: (780) 425-4921www.venturepublishing.ca

PUBLISHERRuth Kelly

ARCCAW EDITORMartyn A. Piper

DIRECTOR OF CUSTOM CONTENTMifi Purvis

EDITORShelley Williamson

ART DIRECTORCharles Burke

ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTORAndrea deBoer

ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTORColin Spence

PRODUCTION COORDINATORBetty Feniak Smith

PRODUCTION TECHNICIANSBrent Felzien, Brandon Hoover

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSDavid DiCenzo, Robbie Jeffrey, Erica Viegas

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ILLUSTRATORS

Christy Dean, Buffy Goodman, David Marino, Romy Young

VICE-PRESIDENT, SALESAnita McGillis

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVEKathy Kelley

SALES ASSISTANTJulia Ehli

Contents©2014 byARCCAWInc.Nopartofthispublicationshouldbereproduced

withoutwrittenpermission.

SUMMER 2014 | HARDHAT 5

HH_Summer14_p04-05.indd 5 2014-07-28 2:17 PM

HH_Summer14_p06-09.indd 6 2014-07-24 2:11 PM

The End of an EraMembers in southern Alberta have bid adieu to their long-time home base on 10 Street NW, now that the new administra-tive building is complete in northeast Calgary.

Martyn Piper, ARCCAW’s executive secretary treasurer, says the Kensington digs are long past their due date for the growing union mem-bership. He welcomes the move. The new 12,000-square-foot “unique and contemporary designed” address is intended to complement the Provincial Training and Administration Centre in Edmonton, complete with the same iconic “pipes” built into the exterior design. Along with more space, the new building contains a hall for membership meetings and spacey and well-functioning offices in a location with easy access to both the Calgary International Airport, Deerfoot Trail and transit.

The results are in from a third-party web-based survey of stakeholders in Alberta as to whether support exists for making scaffolding a designated occupation under the Apprenticeship and Industry Training Act. The Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board recommended this designation, and participation in it is voluntary.

Of the more than 1,000 employees polled in the Banister Research and Consulting poll completed in November 2013, just 20 per cent said the designation would have a positive impact on Alberta’s industry, and 75 per cent reported it would have a negative impact. Meanwhile, two-fifths of the 73 employers (43 per cent) saw a scaffolding designation as positive, versus 49 per cent who said it would negatively affect the industry.

Just 21 per cent of employees and 47 per cent of employers said they would support scaffolding as a designated occupation, while 90 per cent of polled project owners said they supported the proposed designation.

The poll revealed that most were concerned with safety and training. Employees also reported on the potential for negative or positive im-pacts of the proposed designation. Of the 75 per cent who said it would have a negative impact, most (59 per cent) cited a need for certification and qualifications, while 37 per cent reported the designation would negatively affect work and safety. Just 21 per cent said they would support changes to the act and 79 per cent said they’d oppose.

Martyn Piper, executive secretary treasurer of the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers, says the survey indicates that “at the end of the day there is no broad base support for scaf-folding as an occupation, but there was some support in the industry for some sort of designation.” Piper says the industry is in a “period of contemplation” and next steps will include considering what the union supports, if not a designated occupation status for scaffolders.

Site Lines News in Brief A roundup of news and events from around the region

Scaffolder Occupation Fails to Net Support

BEFORE

AFTER

Summer Fun for Everyone

It’s that time of year again: a day to put away your safety gear and tools and gather the family for the annual Local 1325 summer picnic at Edmonton’s Alberta Carpenters Training Centre, northeast parking lot (15210- 123 Avenue). This year’s festivities, slated for August 10, will include face painting, magicians, clowns, two bouncy castles, a baseball toss, hockey shootout and more. It’s a great opportunity to grab a hotdog or burger and catch up with your fellow union members.

SUMMER 2014 | HARDHAT 7

HH_Summer14_p06-09.indd 7 2014-07-24 2:11 PM

Site Lines News in Brief A roundup of news and events from around the region

Students Try a Trade on for Size

www.isafety.ca

Email:Toll Free:

Office:Fax:

Address:

[email protected](855) 667-2338(780) 756-9 1 9 1(855) 667-2339#217, 10807 Castledowns RoadEdmonton, AB T5X 3N7

• OSSA Training• On Site Training• On Site Safety Services• Standard First Aid• Zoomboom/Forklift

• Consulting• Auditing• Sales and Rentals• Rope Rescue (High Angle)

• Online Courses

15% Discount to all Union Members

For the fifth year in a row, the Alberta Carpenters Training Centre hosted its popular Try A Trade booth for carpentry at the Edmonton EXPO Centre, this year on May 14 and 15. The booth gave students from elementary school to post-secondary the opportunity to cut and shape a piece of wood, to try carpentry on for size as a future profession.

“We have thousands of young people come through every year,” says

Len Bryden, director of training and apprenticeship at the Alberta Car-penters Training Centre. “We believe it’s very important. Every chance we get, we promote the trade and the future of the trade of carpentry. This is the one big thing that the training centre does every year.” Bryden adds that the idea behind the interactive booth is to expose young people to carpentry from a young age.

Robert Provencher Bursary Trust Fund ApplicationCarpenter’s Local 1325 - Year 2014Applications are available

For a list of the application rules and requirements andthe complete application please visit our web page: www.albertacarpenters.com

Applications are also available at the LU1325 Offices

Edmonton 133, 15210-123 Avenue Edmonton, AB T5V 0A3Ph: (780) 733-2160 Fax: (780) 477-7143

Fort McMurray#165, 101 Signal RoadFort McMurray, AB T9H 4N6 Ph: (780) 743-1442

Deadline for Application: August 31, 2014Inquiries to: Diana Stubbard at (780) [email protected]

HH_Summer14_p06-09.indd 8 2014-07-24 2:11 PM

A Tribute to Retirees

Journeyman scaffolder Real Bourgeois (pictured above, centre) deserves a pat on the back for his efforts to protect his fellow workers – and he got one in the form of a Pride Coin from his employer, Safway Group. In May, while at work at Shell Albian in Fort McMurray, he noticed in a pre-assessment that the bell end of an exchanger suspended overhead was too close to the work area to safely install a scaffold deck. He let his supervisor know and the job was put on hold until the overhead hazard was secured. Great job, Real!

The Real Deal

On June 3, 2014 Millwrights Local 1460 hosted the Ninth Annual Retirees’ Social at the Chateau Nova Kingsway in Edmonton. More than 80 retired members and their spouses and companions were in attendance. Special thanks to Guy Dunand for helping to co-ordinate the social.

Alberta Blue Cross 2014 Hardhat 1/2 pg vertical/ full colour - Trim Size: 3.625” x 9.875” RUN Summer Winter

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When it comes to the health of your employees… it’s important to have a plan.Alberta Blue Cross delivers the group benefits that employees prefer, and the value your business needs.

Call us today for a confidential, no-obligation quote or talk to your plan advisor.

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Edmonton 780-498-8500Lethbridge 403-328-6081Grande Prairie 780-532-3507

Calgary 403-294-4004Medicine Hat 403-529-5550Red Deer 403-347-7999

Toll free 1-866-513-2555

HH_Summer14_p06-09.indd 9 2014-07-24 2:11 PM

n professional baseball, a .300 hitter the distinction can make an all-star out of a junior.

Batting .300 in a season – hitting 300 of every 1,000 pitches – is a benchmark. Hitters in the .298 or .299 range are so determined to

make it into the .300 hitters club that no .299 batter in the last 25 years has ever walked during their final plate appearance of the season.

This is the kind of person the United Brotherhood of Carpenters wants in its own “300-hitter program” at the International Training Center in Las Vegas. Not baseball players, of course, but the journey-men most fit to lead the new roster of UBC-bred labour.

This is the second year of the journeyman 300-hitter program, which has already trained several thousand UBC members. Martyn Piper, exec-utive secretary-treasurer of the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers (ARCCAW), and staff were tasked with selecting 150 journeymen he considered to be “heavy hitters” in their field.

“The program is intended to focus on those journeymen who have the ability and the willingness to influence others, who are skilled, productive and respected among their fellow members,” Piper says. “They’re future leaders for our contractors and our union,” he elabo-rates. “By strengthening their leadership skills, we’ll ensure a stronger future for our members and their employers.”

Randy O’Connell, a 30-year-old journeyman carpenter, was selected for the program. As he entered the facility, he was astounded. “It was incredible,” he says. “There was underwater welding for welders, retractable roofs for scaffolders, all kinds of stuff.” At nearly a million square feet, the ITC is a sprawling complex of shops, conference spaces, classrooms, dining facilities and guest rooms. The ITC is a

brisk 15-minute drive from Caesar’s Palace and the Bellagio, but the journeymen faced a party-prohibitive regimen. After touching down in Nevada on Thursday, O’Connell began the program immediately and was in class from 7 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. every day until Sunday. He boarded another plane home right after his last class.

With content developed by the UBC’s Department of Education & Training, the classes are taught by people who might counsel Fortune 500 companies. “We have people on our end that are academics, PhDs and so on, developing leadership courses like the 300-hitter program which elevate the individuals in the organization and add value,” Piper says.

The program discussed UBC priorities and communication models, rights and responsibilities and how to influence, motivate and mentor. “A lot of it was about how to be professional and how the right kind of communication can make or break a job,” O’Connell says. “With the competition that’s out there, we have to be the best.” The program also discussed strategies for acquiring market share and the crucial role of feedback and constructive criticism.

Those selected for the 300-hitter program were chosen for their exceptional leadership skills, and the program aimed to refine and develop those traits so journeymen like O’Connell could return home with a fresh outlook on their roles as mentors and members of the Brotherhood. “I always had an idea of what it takes to be a good worker and leader,” O’Connell says, “but the 300-hitter program just made it clearer that it can affect a lot of issues down the chain. The big thing is you give everybody a fair chance, and you communicate well with them and treat them as an equal. You have to be that way yourself; you can’t just say the words. If you don’t believe in it, other people won’t.”

With the UBC’s 300-hitter program in Las Vegas, today’s masters initiate tomorrow’s leaders

By ROBBIE JEFFREY

I

Game On

10 HARDHAT | SUMMER 2014

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Hitting the Strip

Annual Vegas training trip to UBC’s International Training Center is far from a gamble for third-year apprentices from all over Canada

By DAVID DICENZO | Photography by ROMY YOUNG

SUMMER 2014 | HARDHAT 11

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INDUSTRY INSIDERS: Two dozen third-year apprentices got a four-day look at Brotherhood and the industry.

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“The teachers were great and very knowledgeable. I learned

what needs to be done to get more market share and how I can be the

best carpenter I can be.”

aspects of the trip. The information he took in over the four days of the course has been invaluable for his future.

“We spread out into groups of 30 or so and learned about ways to gain more market share, as well as the history of our union,” he says.

“The training entailed how to take care of our contractors, as well as looking at what’s in it for me,” adds Sullivan. “We discussed produc-tivity, what is it and how can we as tradespeople be more productive. There was a panel with contractors from all over Canada. “The teachers were great and very knowledgeable. I learned what needs to be done to get more market share and how I can be the best carpenter I can be.”

In addition to raising awareness of and promoting the union, apprentices also learned about business practices from the perspec-tive of employers, contractors and tradespeople. Emphasis on both cooperation and having the right attitude were two prevalent themes throughout the course. “The trainers were so positive,” says Barbeau, suggesting the approach has had a lasting impact on the apprentices in

attendance. “They just loved their jobs and were so into it. It rubs off. It was such a good program.”

There is, of course, the inherent risk of sending a bunch of young people from every corner of North America to Sin City. But Piper says that the legendary lure of Vegas really isn’t an issue. Any apprentice who fails to make it to a scheduled component of the

course is sent home – at his or her own expense. He says that it has never happened. They are there to learn and that’s exactly what they do.

That doesn’t mean the apprentices can’t have a little fun along the way. And in Las Vegas, that can mean consumption of fantastic food. Barbeau says she will remember two things from her experience – the

enobia Barbeau never set out to become a millwright. The 25-year-old Calgary native was a NAIT student looking to go into

nursing when a she took a job in the summer of 2009 that would prove to be life-altering. Barbeau landed a seasonal gig at a landscaping and loading company, doing various tasks, including running a Bobcat.

“My boss told me I was really mechanically inclined,” says Barbeau, now an apprentice. “He gave me a contact for a millwright shop. I really love it. I would never want to change my career path now.”

Barbeau represents a growing number of female tradespeople throughout the industry, and opportunities for skilled workers like her have continued to crop up. This past April, she was among a group of 24 third-year carpenter, scaffolding and millwright apprentices from Alberta who travelled to Las Vegas for a four-day course titled “Helping Build Our Industries.” Apprentices from all across North America attend the annual event, setting up shop at the United Brotherhood of Carpenters’ state-of-the-art International Training Center. The facility has 280 single rooms to house attendees and an incredible variety of class-rooms and equipment used for training purposes – including a pile driver pit, turbine pit, monorails, and scaffolding mockups.

“It’s an amazing facility,” says Barbeau. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s gigantic with as big a shop as I have ever seen.” But working on the high-end equipment and improving their skills was only part of the experience for the 24 Alberta apprentices. The other part is the soft skills they gleaned from their time in Vegas. The students that have been attending the course for the past five years also gain useful insight into their industry as a whole, with a bigger picture perspective.

“The apprentices are there to get a better understanding of the Brotherhood of the industry and the important part that each of them plays in the success of the union, contractors and the industry at large,” says Martyn Piper, executive secretary treasurer of the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers. “They are young. They learn about attitude and being a participatory member of the union. They are getting the chance to find out ‘what’s in it for me’ – and how to be role models.”

Greg Sullivan says that the Vegas training is something third-year apprentices eagerly anticipate. Sullivan, a 30-year-old from Spruce Grove, started doing hardwood flooring and finishing work with his dad when he was just 16. He spent over 10 years working for non-union companies before joining so that he could “build his skills while making good money,” which is proving to be a good choice as his own family grows.

Sullivan calls the full tour of the facility one of the most enjoyable

Z

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LUCKY BREAK: Millwright apprentice Zenobia Barbeau and carpentry apprentice Greg Sullivan found their recent training trip to ITC in Las Vegas with fellow third-years to be win-win.

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teachers and the sushi. (Three, if you include the shopping.) The International Training Center is known for its magnificent facilities and equipment, but staff spare no expense when feeding the apprentices, especially with the decadent sushi buffet. “It was probably the best sushi I’ve ever had in my life,” says Barbeau. “I was so surprised that a place meant for training had such a great chef. It was fancy and beautiful.”

Sullivan opted for some heartier fare when he had the opportunity. “One night after being on the Strip for a while, we came back and real-ized we could build our own sandwiches,” he says. “A friend and I made the biggest sandwich I think I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Good food and meeting like-minded apprentices from across Canada will be a cherished part of the experience for the group from Alberta. The course was both intense and enlightening. But what they

really come away with is knowledge and that will prove most valuable as they embark on careers in a growing industry.

“There is still a big demand for most trades across Alberta,” says Piper. “And the union is a big, diverse operation with 12,500 members and growing. These apprentices will gain a sense of belonging and what it’s like to be part of such a large organization. They are proud, confident, empowered and enthused. “They come back from an expe-rience like this and they spread the word. They know what role they can now play and how they fit in.”

With the “Helping Build Our Industries” course in their rear-view mirror, Alberta’s third-year apprentices have clearly learned something contrary to what most believe about that famed city in the desert.

So it turns out what happens in Vegas doesn’t necessarily stay in Vegas.

SUMMER 2014 | HARDHAT 13

HH_Summer14_p10-13.indd 13 2014-07-25 1:24 PM

DO MORE with your SCDL ARCCAW membership card! Thanks to those who responded to our recent member survey, we learned the many ways you are receiving preferred pricing on everything from a bottle of wine at the end of the day to insurance, hotel accommodations in Banff and even brand new trucks to get you there.

Bringing on new retailers is our on-going commitment to serving you better.

Learn where you can save on our newly launched Boom website! That’s right, we are very excited to announce that we have changed our name from Social Club Discount Listing to Boom. All activated SCDL ARCCAW membership cards are still valid at our Boom Retailers. Before you make a small purchase or a big one, check our website first and don’t forget to look for our Boom logo at participating retailers.

We are here to help! Call us with any questions on activations, offers and ideas on what else you want in the program. We are here to build even more great offers for YOU!

Questions or want to learn more? Contact us at [email protected] or 1.844.858.BOOM (2666) Stay up to date with the latest from Boom by following us!

“I saved $200 on my car insurance!”-Member

“I saved $30 the last time I rented a car!” -Member

“I saved on my hotel booking in Banff!” -Member

“I save on admission every time I go to

the Calgary Zoo!”

-Member

“I paid only 2% over invoice on my new vehicle from Edmonton Motors!”-Member

“I saved 10% on my brand

new Dell computer!”-Member

t. 403.441.8800 f. 403.441.8808 tf. 1.844.858.BOOM(2666) e. [email protected] #302, 605 - 11th Avenue SW, Calgary, AB T2R 0E1 boomgroup.com

facebook.com/boomgroupinc @theboomcard

DO MORE.

000HH-Boom-FP.indd 1 2014-07-17 2:11 PMHH_Summer14_p14-15.indd 14 2014-07-24 2:16 PM

DO MORE with your SCDL ARCCAW membership card! Thanks to those who responded to our recent member survey, we learned the many ways you are receiving preferred pricing on everything from a bottle of wine at the end of the day to insurance, hotel accommodations in Banff and even brand new trucks to get you there.

Bringing on new retailers is our on-going commitment to serving you better.

Learn where you can save on our newly launched Boom website! That’s right, we are very excited to announce that we have changed our name from Social Club Discount Listing to Boom. All activated SCDL ARCCAW membership cards are still valid at our Boom Retailers. Before you make a small purchase or a big one, check our website first and don’t forget to look for our Boom logo at participating retailers.

We are here to help! Call us with any questions on activations, offers and ideas on what else you want in the program. We are here to build even more great offers for YOU!

Questions or want to learn more? Contact us at [email protected] or 1.844.858.BOOM (2666) Stay up to date with the latest from Boom by following us!

“I saved $200 on my car insurance!”-Member

“I saved $30 the last time I rented a car!” -Member

“I saved on my hotel booking in Banff!” -Member

“I save on admission every time I go to

the Calgary Zoo!”

-Member

“I paid only 2% over invoice on my new vehicle from Edmonton Motors!”-Member

“I saved 10% on my brand

new Dell computer!”-Member

t. 403.441.8800 f. 403.441.8808 tf. 1.844.858.BOOM(2666) e. [email protected] #302, 605 - 11th Avenue SW, Calgary, AB T2R 0E1 boomgroup.com

facebook.com/boomgroupinc @theboomcard

DO MORE.

000HH-Boom-FP.indd 1 2014-07-17 2:11 PM

Legendary Day On the LinksThe Alberta Regional Council of carpenters and Allied Workers hit the Legends Golf & Country Club greens once again on July 18 for the 14th annual Barrie Regan Golf Tournament. Here are a few snaps of some of the day’s winners who came out to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Winners are pictured below with their prizes.

Tony Barnard, men’s longest drive

Lindsay Jacobs, ladies’ longest drive Martyn Piper, left, with the winning team: Tom Ross, Tom Manca, Gary Picott, Darren Hewlitt

Brandon Ellement, men’s longest putt

Brandi Thorne, ladies’ longest putt

SUMMER 2014 | HARDHAT 15

HH_Summer14_p14-15.indd 15 2014-07-25 1:36 PM

THE 14OZ.FATMAX®

HIGH VELOCITYHAMMER

stanleytools.com

The NEW FatMax® High Velocity Hammer swings like a 14oz. but strikes like a 28oz. so you can hit harder, longer and more accurately.

WHEN MAXIMIZING PERFORMANCE IS A MUST....

stanleytools.com

Turn to the new 25’ Stanley® FatMax® tape featuring Auto-Lock which provides instant blade lock. Need quick measurements? Just disengage the lock for manual mode and it becomes a standard tape. Combined versatility and professional quality features such as 11’ blade stand out*, BladeArmor® coating and a customizable hook system makes this tape ideal for professional users.

*based on maximum performance

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

DW_HardHatDPS_Stanley_Summerai.pdf 1 6/13/14 2:40 PM

000HH-StanleyTools-DPS.indd 1 2014-06-30 9:54 AMHH_Summer14_p16-17.indd 16 2014-07-24 2:17 PM

THE 14OZ.FATMAX®

HIGH VELOCITYHAMMER

stanleytools.com

The NEW FatMax® High Velocity Hammer swings like a 14oz. but strikes like a 28oz. so you can hit harder, longer and more accurately.

WHEN MAXIMIZING PERFORMANCE IS A MUST....

stanleytools.com

Turn to the new 25’ Stanley® FatMax® tape featuring Auto-Lock which provides instant blade lock. Need quick measurements? Just disengage the lock for manual mode and it becomes a standard tape. Combined versatility and professional quality features such as 11’ blade stand out*, BladeArmor® coating and a customizable hook system makes this tape ideal for professional users.

*based on maximum performance

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

DW_HardHatDPS_Stanley_Summerai.pdf 1 6/13/14 2:40 PM

000HH-StanleyTools-DPS.indd 1 2014-06-30 9:54 AMHH_Summer14_p16-17.indd 17 2014-07-24 2:17 PM

Members of Local 1325 got to show what they are made of at the annual Provincial Carpentry and Scaffolder Competition on July 11. The Alberta Carpenters Training Centre in Edmonton hosted the all-day event, which saw competitors vie for bragging rights and a trip to Toronto for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America National Apprenticeship Contest in August.

Chad Gerrits of Local 1325 was at the top of his game, taking first place for Carpentry in the provincials. Next, Gerrits will vie for the top spot in Canada at the national contest August 21 and 22 in Toronto. He was joined on the podium by fellow members of 1325, Philip Shaw, who placed second, and Marc Mayrand, who took third place. Runners-up were Martin Echter of Local 2103 from Calgary, and Aaron Freker and Kaleb Zilke of Local 1325.

Local 1325 also staked its claim on the scaffolding branch of the contest, taking the first six spots in the competition. Christy Ennett took top prize, followed by Collin Jellinson in second, Ryan Nicholson in third, and runners-up Colton Kopp, Fred McDonald, and Tony Nicolson.

Alberta Carpenter/Scaffolder Competition

18 HARDHAT | SUMMER 2014

HH_Summer14_p18-19.indd 18 2014-07-24 2:19 PM

TOP SHELF: Christy Ennett, first-place scaffolder is all smiles post-competition.

IN GOOD COMPANY: The competitors square off for a group shot.

SUMMER 2014 | HARDHAT 19

HH_Summer14_p18-19.indd 19 2014-07-24 2:19 PM

INDUSTRY FIXTURE: Victor Pereira of Drytec Interiors is well known for his work ethic and union loyalty.

20 HARDHAT | SUMMER 2014

HH_Summer14_p20-23.indd 20 2014-07-24 2:23 PM

It’s What’s on the Inside

work for see us as true trade professionals … and if we perform on time or better, on or under budget, then they will want to hire us again.”

Drytec was around for barely a year then, but it proved to have these qualities. The com-pany keeps excellent timelines; it commonly finishes projects a month or two in advance and recently completed work for boilermakers three months ahead of schedule.

To understand why Drytec Interiors is held in such high regard, you have to consider the context from which it arose. “Up until about 1983 or 1984, ARCCAW probably had 80 per cent of the interior systems drywall market in this province,” Piper says. “Because of the events of the early 1980s, a number of companies went out of business and we’ve never recovered that market share.” After the recession of 1981, Alberta witnessed the most militant decade in its labour history.

“The problem with the 1980s was that people lost confidence in unions and their projects,” Pereira says. “Everybody lost a lot of work.” A reputation built from years of

ictor Pereira is a great among greats in an industry with an exceptionally high

bar for distinction. When Martyn Piper, executive secretary treasurer of the Alberta

Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers (ARCCAW), calls you a “fixture in the industry,” you have the licence to speak highly of yourself. Pereira, however, radiates modesty.

The owner and founder of Drytec Interiors, whose Portuguese background underscores his gratitude for his employees, hasn’t had the time to let praise go to his head. From its founding in 2011, Drytec Interiors stood out as one of Alberta’s few union interior systems companies specializing in design-assist and construction services. You don’t win points for simply showing up, though.

“Pereira attracts good people,” Piper says. “He’s an empowering guy, who works extremely hard and under-stands the nuances of being a union contractor but still competing out there in the marketplace.” In 2012, Bob Hugh, senior business representative for millwrights in Local 1460, told Hard Hat “our greatest edge in fighting the market share battle against non-union labour is the excellence of our work and the consistency with which we perform it. If our contractors and the owners they

Drytec Interiors regains market share by demonstrating the truth of union ideals

By ROBBIE JEFFREY | Photography by CHRISTY DEAN

V

SUMMER 2014 | HARDHAT 21

HH_Summer14_p20-23.indd 21 2014-07-28 2:16 PM

HANDS ON: Victor Pereira hopes to prove by doing that union employees can do work better and faster.

company has expanded from drywall, insulation and piping to include painting and flooring, and currently boasts more than 40 employees and two offices. Pereira says he has contracts up until the end of 2016.

“The more work he can attract by quality workmanship, reliability, productivity, safety, and all those things that count when you bid jobs to clients, that will in turn drive more market share for [ARCCAW],”

says Piper, emphasizing how cru-cial a task it is. “Victor is part of the resurgence in beginning the long journey back to recovering market share.”

Pereira’s concerns are more immediate. “When you are a

union member, you always have the proper training,” he says. Union employees are trained to have a comprehensive perspective of the trade, he explains, noting non-union companies train their employ-ees to do one thing, and one thing only. “They couldn’t pay union wages to people who just do one thing, so instead of training people and educating them, they decide it’s better to get cheaper labour.” Pereira knows what Drytec is up against; his goal is to prove to cus-tomers that union employees can do it better and faster. Pereira is too modest to say it, but Drytec Interiors backs up the eternal values of the brotherhood with real-world proof.

dedication can be toppled with one fell swoop, and the return to paradise is an uphill battle. Drytec Interiors, however, gladly led the charge.

Drytec wasn’t expected to grow so quickly. Bob Provencher, Project Manager for ARCC Corporation gave Pereira his first job in 2011, and after working as a journeyman interior systems mechanic, he saw an opportunity. “I saw the chance to go on my own, and I took a risk,” he says. And Piper remembers when Drytec first sprang onto the scene. “Three years ago, we were doing some work on the [ARCCAW] building. He already had a company, and he decided to turn that company union and hire a lot more people.” Pereira’s journeyman background served him well; the skills he internalized are also the traits for which Drytec Interiors is known today.

There is no single formula for running a successful union operation, but Pereira makes it look easy. “I’ll be honest, it’s a whole bunch of reasons altogether,” he says when asked about his accomplishments. “But if somebody calls you and you’re there, and if someone trusts you and if you meet the needs they have and can keep on schedule, that’s very important for the project.” Pereira claims that Drytec performs so well because of an effective management style that puts his employees first. Since 2012, the

Since 2012, the company has expanded from drywall, insulation and piping to include

painting and flooring, and currently boasts more than 40 employees and two offices.

22 HARDHAT | SUMMER 2014

HH_Summer14_p20-23.indd 22 2014-07-24 2:23 PM

Ellis Don project crew and management at the Brooks substation

Construction Moving AheadCrews from Ellis Don are hard at work at the Eastern Alberta Transmission Line in Brooks, Alberta. The $1.8 billion transmission line project, which will run from Brooks to Gibbons-Redwater, is an excellent example of how the union and industry partners can work together.

SUMMER 2014 | HARDHAT 23

HH_Summer14_p20-23.indd 23 2014-07-24 2:23 PM

Geared Up

Work smarter, not harder

BITS WITH BITEA new line of FlexTorq screw-driving bits from Dewalt allows users to take advantage of 15 degrees of flexibility, making them perfect for jobs in tight corners or at awkward angles. The FlexTorq bits include the innovative 10X Magnetic Screw Lock System, which features a new rapid load holder that is compatible with all one-inch bits and promises to minimize drops and reduce wobbling by locking the fastener in place on the bit tip with the powerful magnet. The FlexTorq screw-driving bits and 10X Magnetic Screw Lock System were released this spring and are available anywhere Dewalt products are sold.

CUT THE CORDDewalt has released the world’s first 20V MAX battery powered, dual-speed cordless framing nailer with extreme runtime. Able to work in any weather conditions, unlike its gas-powered counterparts, the (DCN692) features several settings for speed and firing rate and the nail depth can be ad-justed for optimal use. With lithium ion battery packs, expect to see a charge fire up to 700 nails. The DCN692 also accepts

a variety of paper-tape collated nails, which makes this tool adaptable to your job site. The new gas-free and

dual-speed cordless framing nailer is available both kitted (DCN692M1) with

a Dewalt XR 20V MAX 4.0AH lithium ion battery pack, and as

a bare tool (DCN692B), and retail for $579 and $459, respectively.

For more information visit: www.dewalt.com.

By ALLISON MYGGLAND

TOUGH TUNESYou need a radio that will stand up to the tough conditions of any job site. The Dewalt DCR018 Compact Worksite Radio is that device. Built with a heavy duty design and a roll cage, it’s portable and can be powered by either a Dewalt power tool battery, via USB cable, or by using the attached AC/DC power cord. You can also plug in your favourite digital audio device using the 3.5 mm auxiliary input and keep your electronic devices protected when stored in the built-in device storage box.

CLAMP YOUR STYLEThe Stanley 2x4 Clamp promises to be your go-to alternative to bar and pipe clamps. Working like another set of steady hands, this clamp grips any two-by-four and provides 400 pounds of clamping force – or up to 1,000 pounds when bolted to a two-by-four.

Engineered to be strong enough for any job and gentle enough to prevent nicks and gouges from marring expensive finishes the 2x4 Clamp is equipped with specially designed mar-pads and is lightweight and easy to transport. The clamp is available for $24.99 at home improvement centres across Canada. For more information visit: www.stanleytools.com.

24 HARDHAT | SUMMER 2014

HH_Summer14_p024-25.indd 24 2014-07-24 2:24 PM

Kid Zone

1. ECOTNCRE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2. LDLRYWA _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3. RASNED _ _ _ _ _ _

4. HRAMME _ _ _ _ _ _

5. DRALDE _ _ _ _ _ _

6. FLFSDACO _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

7. RRSERCEIVWD _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

8. ZOEBRLLDU _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

9. NECMET RMEIX _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

10. VLLEE _ _ _ _ _

1. concrete, 2. drywall, 3. sander, 4. hammer, 5. ladder, 6. scaffold, 7. screwdriver,

8. bulldozer, 9. cement mixer 10. level

ANSWERS

SUMMER 2014 | HARDHAT 25

ACROSS

the four sides of a room

useful for making holes in wood

hit these with a hammer

the top of a building

its cables lift heavy objects

hard _ _ _

wood sawed into boards

a coat that protects and colours

a step on a ladder

2

4

8

12

13

15

17

18

19

20

DOWN

useful for punding

useful for cutting

overlaps and covers the roof

you can climb up this

dump _ _ _ _ _

the base on which a building stands

useful for holding two pieces of wood together

_ _ _ _ _ _ truck

_ _ _ _ _ _ mixer

1

3

4

5

7

9

10

11

14

16

1

16

4

6

9

11

13

7

14

15

3

5

10

8

12

17

2019

18

2ConstructionCrossword Word

Scramble

HH_Summer14_p024-25.indd 25 2014-07-25 1:35 PM

Meet the Instructor

PH

OTO

: BU

FFY

GO

OD

MA

N

DAVID ROBINSON

By ERICA VIEGAS

Mentoring the Next Generation

D avid Robinson remembers visiting the millwright union hall as a young boy with his dad. Then, he wasn’t sure if he would ever learn a trade or

follow in the family footsteps. Now, after 26 years as a journeyman millwright, he’s back in the hall – shaping a new generation of millwright apprentices.

Growing up on a farm, Robinson spent his days working the land with his father. A high school graduate at 16, Robinson’s evenings were spent pumping gas and thinking about the future. His father, also a member of Local 1460 Alberta Millwrights, mentioned an opening for a millwright apprentice. He stressed that after the four years of training, a journeyman ticket could never be lost. For Robinson, an obvious selling point was working alongside his dad again and training with a man who already understood him.

But Robinson stuck with the trade past the four years, and he hasn’t looked back. “It was a good fit. I had the strength to work and the journeymen had the knowledge and patience to teach me,” he says.

After 26 years of field work, including a nine-year maintenance position with Capital Power, Robinson got an appealing offer. “I’m always looking for new ways to keep myself marketable. Some of my other tickets were expiring and I went back to the hall for training. They offered me a chance to instruct,” he says.

Since February, Robinson has embraced his instructing role and the chance to reconnect with members of the Local 1460 Alberta Millwrights hall. The hall pays union dues to the Millwrights Training Trust Fund in Edmonton, but operates its own programming and courses. Its “train the trainer” courses all run out of the $67.6-million United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC) International Training Center in Las Vegas, where Robinson will travel about six times in the next year.

Robinson and his colleagues often develop new training courses if they see an unmet need. “If you are willing to learn, I’m willing to teach,” says Robinson. While instructing, he also

draws from his time in the field. Skills taught to him are passed along to students. “We support each other. Millwrights know that apprentices will teach the next generation of workers,” he explains.

Robinson also enjoys the variety in his role. “You are a jack of all trades. You teach a little bit of electrical, pipefitting, refrigeration, math, blue-prints – enough to be dangerous at everything,” he says with a smile.

And Robinson’s father, now a 38-year union member, still visits and helps at the hall. “I pass on a lot of what he has taught me,” says Robinson.

“We support each other. Millwrights know that apprentices will teach the next

generation of workers.”

26 HARDHAT | SUMMER 2014

HH_Summer14_p026-27.indd 26 2014-07-24 2:26 PM

Meet the Apprentice

PH

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: DAV

ID M

AR

INO

ALEX MARINO

t’s not always easy to leave the town where you grew up, especially when 146 of your relatives live there. So when Alex Marino decided to become a millwright

apprentice earlier this year, the 16-hour drive from his hometown of Kamloops to his first job in Fort McMurray, for Clearwater Energy Services, was nerve-racking.

But he wasn’t leaving all of his support behind. His uncle, a millwright supervisor at the site, was the one who convinced Marino to give the apprenticeship a try. “He kept saying it was the type of work that gave you tons of opportunity – to travel, make a great living and learn endless new things,” says Marino, 24. “I was at a point where I wanted to try something new.”

Growing up, Marino loved working with his hands. His father was a carpenter and the two often built sheds and home projects together. After high school, Marino quickly secured a carpentry job at Custom Trailer, where his dad worked. But after six years there, dreams of travel flooded his mind, as did his uncle’s promises of a career that offered more flexibility.

So he took a leap of faith. In the last year, much of his millwright training has been through the Millwrights Training Trust Fund and the Millwrights Training Centre, which partners with the Local 1460 Millwrights union in Edmonton to offer specialized trade courses. For Marino, the extra training is a step closer to earning his journeyman millwright ticket.

“When I first heard of the centre, I didn’t understand why I needed to take those extra courses. But they teach you with one-on-one training. I went there for two days and I knew so many things that I surprised the guys back at work,” he says.

Marino says he’s learned more in one year as an apprentice than ever before. He has developed skills in math, precision work, mining knowledge, pump repair and pipe fitting, to name a few. And his uncle’s promise of greater job flexibility has been delivered. Because Marino choose to work long contracts for most of the year, he can now enjoy most of his summer work-free, in a new home he recently purchased back in Kamloops. “I wish I had decided to do this sooner. I choose when I want to work, and I’m learning so much from the journeymen training me.”

With such enthusiasm, Marino has been spreading the word. A few of his friends and cousins have already joined him in appren-ticing. But even with the company, there are things he misses about home. “I’m Italian. At home everyone is cooking all the time. We have these big family meals. The pasta on site is nowhere near as good as my mom’s,” Marino says.

When asked where he most hopes the job will take him, he is quick to answer: Italy.

I

“I wish I had decided to do this sooner. I choose when I want to work,

and I’m learning so much from the journeymen training me.”

By ERICA VIEGAS

Following Family Footsteps

SUMMER 2014 | HARDHAT 27

HH_Summer14_p026-27.indd 27 2014-07-28 2:12 PM

Training and Apprenticeship

The Season for Training

ummer is upon us and this always means one thing: time to make hay while the sun shines. With our training centres at capacity, we have added more scaffold training classes in Edmonton to help us train

more members. We are still having issues with filling our Carpenter Period 1 and 2 classes in Edmonton, but I hope to see this change in the fall through more advertising targeting not just members, but also the general public. All of our programs are industry leaders in their curriculum and delivery. Visit www.abcarptc.ab.ca and click on “courses” to see what is being offered at each location. And as usual, I remind everyone to keep their safety training certifica-tions current, so dispatch or job statuses are not affected or put on hold.

You may have received a plastic card in the mail, with a Quick Response or QR code on it recently. This is a UBCJA training verification (TVC), which is linked to our international TRAIN database. For the past few years, we have been enter-ing training data for members that will show up on any smartphone or device that can read the QR Code. This will help eliminate the many cards and certifications needed to show to contractors, and in time, make things easier to quickly verify a member’s training. TRAIN database specialists are currently entering all data now on file for members, but this will take some time with our large membership. In the meantime, I encourage you to make sure the Alberta Carpenters Training Centre in Edmonton has all your current training records from within and out-side of the ACTC. This is just another example of the benefits of membership, and the forward-thinking of this international organization.

I was able to attend a portion of the first 150-member journeyman 300-hitter program at our International Training Center (ITC) in Las Vegas recently. Including networking for members, learning more about what the UBC has to offer, workshops on leadership and communication and more, it’s a great program. This latest instalment was well received and enjoyed by members lucky enough to attend. If you are interested in attending an upcoming session, contact your union representative by attending your Local’s meetings, and make sure you are on the member email list to receive updates on opportunities, events and major announcements.

Our annual Alberta Provincial Apprenticeship Contest was held July 11-12 this year at our Edmonton shops. Six carpenters and six scaffolders went head-to-head, competing for cash, prizes and, of course, bragging rights. Our carpenter winner nets a trip to Toronto in August to compete in the National UBC Apprenticeship Contest, where carpenters, millwrights, drywallers and floor layers will compete in their respective trades for the ultimate win. This is also the time when training directors, coordinators, trustees and staff from across Canada meet for two days to discuss national issues. I will be there with my counterparts, working to ensure continued work on standardization of training, whether for skills or safety of our members. We continue to work hard and strive for the best for all UBC members. For more on the Apprenticeship Contest, see page 18.

Enjoy the relatively short, but beautiful, Alberta summer and be safe in your work and your off-work life!

Len J. Bryden, Director of Training and Apprenticeship

Alberta Carpenters Training [email protected]

REPORT

S

28 HARDHAT | SUMMER 2014

HH_Summer14_p028-29.indd 28 2014-07-24 2:27 PM

New Health Benefits System

Local 1460 Millwrights

uly 1 marked the advent of significant changes to the Millwrights Local 1460 health and welfare plan. Your board of trustees has made every effort to minimize eligibility disruptions, by overlapping the new and old

qualification rules for existing members for a period of six months, from July 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. While we understand change can be uncomfortable, your trustees believe the new plan will provide a welcome measure of freedom to all members, empowering each to chart his or her own benefits eligibility course.

When the benefit plan was established in 1968, it was designed to use an eligi-bility system known as the Brotherhood system, which required millwrights to work a significant number of hours with participating employers before qualify-ing for benefits. Once millwrights completed their qualifying hours, they became part of the Brotherhood System, and benefits continued uninterrupted – as long as they regularly took dispatch jobs in the unionized millwright industry. That system of benefit eligibility operated reasonably well, but failed to keep pace with union members’ desires for greater work-life balance.

The trustees concluded that it was time to empower members to take control of their benefit eligibility, by replacing the outdated Brotherhood system with an hour bank system. An hour bank is like a bank account, but it holds a record of hours worked instead of dollars. The change will allow members to control their eligibility, by allowing them to replenish or withdraw from hour banks, based on their own work patterns. The hours worked for participating employers are deposited into an hour bank in a member’s name. Hours are automatically deducted from it to pay for his or her benefit coverage. Those who qualified as a plan member under the old Brotherhood system will see their benefits continue uninterrupted under the new hour bank system.

For each existing plan member, 720 hours will be deposited in his or her hour bank, a quantity sufficient to ensure eligibility for six months of coverage, from July 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Since 120 hours are deducted per one month of benefit coverage, 720 stored hours is equivalent to six months of future coverage. Those who work more hours than are needed for immediate coverage can store up to 720 additional hours in their hour banks. Plan members with fewer than 120 hours stored in their hour banks can make self-payments to continue coverage. The monthly self-payment is $240.

For a copy of the eligibility booklet, visit albertamillwrights.com or contact:

Plan AdministratorMillwrights Health and Welfare PlanSuite 101, 2635 – 37 Avenue N.E.Calgary, Alberta T1Y 5Z6Toll-free: 1-888-525-1460Email: [email protected]: 1-403-250-9236

Bob Hugh, Senior Business Representative

Local 1460 Millwrights

REPORT

J

SUMMER 2014 | HARDHAT 29

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Pictured from the third level of an operating windmill in Holland, Michigan, this parting shot features Jan Diederik “Diek” Medendorp, a third-generation millwright and miller inspecting some wheat before grinding. (Medendorp died in January of 2011 at age 89 in Zuidlaren, the Netherlands.)

In this type of windmill, the grain flows from the bottom of the hopper to the centre of the millstones. As the millstones rotate, the flour emerges from the circumference of the circular stones and drops through a chute, to bins on the lower floor.

According to Dutch tradition, the positioning of blades of a windmill can communicate both joy and mourning. To show joy – such as the celebration of a wedding, a birth or other special event – the blade is stopped just before it reaches its highest, or vertical, position.

Mourning is demonstrated by fixing the windmill’s upper sail after the blade has passed its highest position, or to the left going counter-clockwise.

Windmills and TraditionParting Shot

30 HARDHAT | SUMMER 2014

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In MemoriamTraining + Events UPCOMING

ARCCAW notes with sorrow the passing of the following members.

LOCAL 1325

Richard CooremanMarch 30, 2014

Age 58

Gabriel GirouxApril 11, 2014

Age 84

Robert Marvin HaynesMay 11, 2014

Age 61

Bryne MacArthurMay 20, 2014

Age 60

Sheldon TulkMay 22, 2014

Age 25

Richard WoodJune 10, 2014

Age 46

Raymond ChartrandMarch 14, 2014

Age 70

Joe TatarinFebruary 25, 2014

Age 48

Manuel Jose Verde March 2, 2014

Age 62

LOCAL 1460

Terrence Lynn BellMarch 3, 2014

Age 65

Clarence EdstromMay 24, 2014

Age 69

Danique HuberdeauApril 30, 2014

Age 19

John Patrick McCartan May 10, 2014

Age 70

LOCAL 2103

Leslie Lonneerg March 3, 2014

Age 94

Scaffolding Level One:September 2 to 19, 2014September 15 to Oct 3, 2014October 6 to Oct 24, 2014

Scaffolding Level Two:September 2 to 19, 2014September 15 to October 3, 2014October 14 to October 31, 2014

MILLWRIGHTS TRAINING CENTRE

Visit www.albertamillwrights.com for a current listing of training courses available.

NOTICE OF NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

For offices of the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers (ARCCAW):When: Saturday, September 6, 2014 at 10 a.m. Where: Chateau Louie Hotel & Conference Centre, 11727 Kingsway NW, Edmonton

MEETINGS

First Wednesday of each month:Local 1325 meetingThird Thursday of each month:Local 2103 meetingFourth Tuesday of each month:Local 1460 meeting

TRAINING

Alberta Carpenters Training Centre The following is a sample of training courses that are open for registration at the time of publication of this edition of Hard Hat. For full listing or more information on training courses, visit abcarptc.ab.ca or phone the Edmonton office at 780-455-6532 or toll-free at 1-877-455-6532.

All courses are at the Edmonton location unless otherwise indicated.

Aerial Work Platform:August 7 to 8, 2014 August 20 to 21, 2014

Period Two Carpentry:August 18- October 10, 2014

Forklift / Zoom Boom (Power Industrial Truck Operator):August 5 to 6, 2014August 18 to 19, 2014

Scaffolding Journeyman Upgrade:August 11 to September 12, 2014

SUMMER 2014 | HARDHAT 31

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