Business Manager's Message Spring/Summer 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I would like to take this opportunity to update the membership on a number of ongoing issues that I typically receive questions on.

Progress on the formal legal proceedings of the charter challenge have gone much slower than anticipated and are unlikely to be resolved formally or legally prior to the next round of bargaining. On the positive side, the parties to the action have been working hard over the last eighteen months to come to an informal resolution that addresses the concerns of the parties. With the assistance of mediation we ave made significant progress on a number of issues. Should the matter get to the point where all parties are satisfied that the necessary objectives have been met to ensure a fair and effective bargaining process in the future, I will hold a special called meeting to inform the membership of our position and what effects the new process will have for our Local.

The RSAP program suffered a minor technical set back around Christmas that prompted our Local to delay implementation until such time that we were satisfied that the program is running properly. I understand things are back on track and fully operational once again. We will now begin putting the system in place for Local 146. As you may be aware we have just completed the implementation of our new computer operating system for Local 146 and, with what I consider to be a very successful rollout, we can now incorporate the necessary computer technology that is required by RSAP. I believe we should be able to complete the project in the next 30-60 days and, when everything is ready to go, our membership will be notified formally by mail with instructions on the registration process.

Per our International Constitution anyone who is in receipt of a boilermaker pension is considered to be a retired member. If you are in receipt of a boilermaker pension you are entitled to have your name on the retired members out of work list and may be dispatched for work if you wish. Once you have started to draw your boilermaker pension there is good reason to apply for your retired member card as that ensures you will remain a member in good standing with all rights and priveleges without having to pay dues or assessments. Please contact the office if you would like to apply for your retired member card.

In November of 2009 Local 146 implemented the Pride and Progress program with Brother Ward Wagner being hired as the full time representative. After three short months we have demonstrated that the commitment made to our members, contractors and owners is being fulfilled. While this has seemingly gained widespread favour and acceptance from our members in general, there still appears to be some gaps regarding knowledge of the program. In case you missed the mailing in November, this edition of the expander contains the full text, details and intent of the program as well as a report from Ward outlining the progress to date. I encourage everyone to take the time to review this document.

On December 1st of 2009 Local 146 hired Terry DeFreitas to take over the position vacated by Frank Nolan as the Calgary Business Representative. Terry brings with him over 30 years of membership with Local 146 and extensive knowledge of the Calgary shops and shop negotiation environment. I would like to welcome Terry to the team and am satisfied he will do an outstanding job for our Calgary members. I would also like to congratulate Frank Nolan on his retirement and distinguished career as a Business representative with Local 146 for almost 20 years, and wish him and his family the very best for the future.

As promised at the AGM in November I wrote to President Newton Jones requesting a continuation of the field dues reduction to 3.5%. I am happy to report that, based on our healthy financial situation, approval has been granted for an additional twelve months commencing April 1, 2010.

By the time you receive this edition of the Expander we should be well into one of the busiest shutdown seasons in the history of the Local. Some of the planned outages have occurred earlier than scheduled, allowing us to put more members to work over a longer span of time. This also works well from the perspective of safety and productivity. We know that when our own Local members get the opportunity to do the work, we get the job done safely, on time and on budget. I encourage our members to watch out for one another during this shutdown season and if you see a Brother doing something unsafe, please stop and share your concerns with him/her. I see this as an obligation and a responsibility we have to one another.

Fraternally yours,

Brother Warren Fraleigh