Notices

For members in Gander and the surrounding area please NOTE:

The Carpenters Local 579 membership meeting in Gander on Thursday, February 23, 2012 is at Sinbads Hotel, NOT Hotel Gander.

Start time is 8:00pm.

The monthly Union meeting that was cancelled Feb. 1st, 2012 due to bad weather has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 8th, 2012 at the Moncton Union Hall.

Have you been selected?

Have you been selected to have a say on the future of your trade?  If you have, this is your opportunity to express your views on your trade and on your union.

The Carpenters’ Union is conducting the first ever Canadian Membership Survey.  Members of the Carpenters’ Union across Canada have been selected on a random basis to participate in the survey.  The survey is being conducted by an external consultant, R.A.L. Consulting Limited based in Hamilton, Ontario (www.ralconsulting.ca).  R.A.L. has extensive experience working with the building trades in both Canada and the United States.

Why is your union doing this survey?  We are doing the survey to take the services that we provide to you to the highest possible level.  Your opinion counts and it counts for a lot.  Without your views, it will not be possible to create a sustainable future for not only your trade but also your family and you.

These are challenging times for workers in our union.  Not only are we challenged by the cyclical forces of the economy but also by threats to the wages, benefits, and solidarity that we have achieved together over many years.  We need to pull together the knowledge of all our members to manage these challenges successfully.  If you have been selected, you can be part of this process of meeting the challenges that we face.

The survey packages have been mailed out in January.  If you have received a survey package, you have two ways of completing the enclosed questionnaire.  The first is to do it online.  The questionnaire provides instructions for selecting this option.  The second method is to mail it directly to the consultant in the addressed, stamped envelope provided.  How you complete the survey is up to you.  You will also have a chance to participate in a draw to win one of ten $100 gift certificates for Home Depot.

Have you been selected?  Then have your say by completing the questionnaire before February 10, 2012.  Your future is in your hands.  Get involved with the Canadian Membership Survey.

Atlantic Canada Regional Council

1-888-373-7833

For UBC members in Atlantic Canada (Carpenters and Millwrights) who are interested in working outside their Local or province, we have the “Out of Province Dispatch Line.”

• When calling the “Out of Province Dispatch Line”, members will be asked for their name, Union ID #, Local #, phone # and where they are interested in working.  Leaving ALL information requested is important to ensure your name goes on the monthly list.
• Members will be placed on the list in the order they called in.
• Members will be dispatched from the top of the list, based on the skills required by the Employer.  It is the members’ responsibility to ensure they have the necessary skills and safety certifications for each dispatch.
• Only members of the ACRC in good standing with the Union will be placed on the list.
•  The ACRC Out of Province Dispatcher will maintain a monthly list for carpenters and a monthly list for millwrights.  It will be the responsibility of the members to notify the ACRC Dispatcher at the beginning of each month advising that they wish to be placed or remain on the monthly List.  Failure to notify the ACRC Out of Province Dispatcher will cause the members’ name to be removed from the List and that member will not be contacted in case of any request for work from outside the members Local.
• It is the member’s responsibility to ensure that he or she meets the posted job requirements.  It is also the member’s responsibility to ensure that records are updated with the Local Union office with respect to hours, training, and any other information that should be on file.
• A working member cannot be placed on the “Members Travel List.”
• A member who accepts a dispatch and does not take the work for unacceptable reasons will not be dispatched or permitted to place their name on the Members Travel List, for six (6) months.

 If you have any question please contact Cate Brander, ACRC Out of Province Dispatcher at (506) 450-4024.

Dear Sisters and Brothers;

It has been five months since the new Atlantic Canada Regional Council was formed. Since that time the executive and delegates to the new Council have been putting in place the foundations needed to build a strong and productive Council. It is critical that we have these building blocks in place so that we can increase market share and provide better services to our members.

I would like to report on some of the initiatives that we have embarked upon since July 1, 2011:

Organizing We are consolidating and streamlining our organizing efforts to produce results. We have gathered an inventory and priority list of upcoming organizing activities. We have also embarked on an aggressive top down approach with our existing and potential contractors. The new Regional Council is re-engaging these contractors and delivering a new message of partnership and value.

Health and Welfare One of the first activities of the new Council was to undertake a thorough review of the various health and welfare plans. We have identified several areas and opportunities to save money and improve benefits to all our members. We are in the process of devising a comprehensive approach that will combine our purchasing power and provide improved benefits to all members of the new Council.

Dispatching One of the benefits of a new Council must be the ability to offer our UBC contractors a highly skilled, safe and mobile workforce. Our contractors have to know that we will supply workers when they are required. We are developing a new and more responsive dispatch system for work outside your Local and province (attached). While all Local dispatching will continue as per Local By Laws and practices, the new system will provide members wishing to travel for work beyond their Local, with a fair and systematic approach.

Servicing Day to day servicing continues with the staff from each region. We have modified the duties and responsibilities to allow more time to be spend on your needs and priorities. We are monitoring these workloads to ensure that we assign staff to work on the issues that our members feel are most important.

Jurisdiction The new Council has embarked on a campaign to educate our members, staff and UBC contractors to be extra vigilant on jurisdictional matters. We must focus greater attention on protecting our existing jurisdiction. We will be more aggressive at mark ups and following up to ensure that we perform all the assigned work of our trade. In cases where contractors fail to properly assign our work – we will challenge those decisions.

Industrial Sector The new Council is very aware that we also represent many allied workers in various industrial sectors. We are developing a special focus on this sector to ensure that we meet their needs within the new structure.

Finances One of the first challenges we faced was to create a structure that had a sound financial basis. We are putting in place stringent accounting and auditing systems to ensure the finances of the new Council are properly and professionally managed. We are on budget with our initial projections and we will continue to make the necessary structural changes to ensure we are fully accountable with the members’ money. The trustees of the new Council have been trained and are mandated to apply strict due diligence when auditing the books of the Council.

Leadership Our future success depends on the development of new leaders within the new Council. Since our formation we have provided training to several members in Las Vegas and are developing new shop steward, supervisory and orientation programs. We are developing new and innovative ways to encourage and welcome the next generation of leaders to step up and get involved.

Brothers and Sisters, the mere process of consolidating three provincial Regional Councils and Local 1588 has been very time consuming. It has required much travel, many meetings, some difficult decisions and plenty of listening and consultation. I sincerely appreciate the dedication and commitment that many members have given to me and the new Council since June.

Together we have put in place a strong foundation that will allow the United Brotherhood to continue to grow and prosper in Atlantic Canada.

Thank you for your support as we stand strong and build for tomorrow.

Solidarity,

Gus Doyle
Executive Secretary Treasurer
Atlantic Canada Regional Council
of Carpenters, Millwrights and Allied Workers