MARCH, 2014

Does anyone read this anymore?

NOVEMBER

IF YOU ARE ON THE OUT OF WORK LIST ANSWER YOUR PHONE OR DEAL WITH UNEMPLOYMENT!!!

January, February, 2013

The hall has been very slow with job orders, we have only dispatched out 46 members for this month due to jobs that haven’t started yet and due to weather. In December we dispatched out 118 members, which isn’t too bad. I hope February gets back to what I am calling normal, dispatches around 120 to 150 a month.

I hope that I am wrong, but dispatches for 2012 is what I believe to be our "normal" for the next few years. All the jobs that started last year are coming to an end, so the contractors will be moving their steady crew to the new jobs that are starting up, which doesn’t help the members on the out of work list.

I am telling you once again if you're dispatched out and you show up early every time & do your job to the best of your ability plus work hard like we should be doing anyway, you will be called back or even better yet you might get a steady job out of it. I can get you a job but it’s up to you to keep it.

                                              Union Contractors Verses Non Union

Even if our union contractors were to have eight 50% Apprentices @ $17.84 hr. & four Journeymen @ $35.68 hr., without our benefits, we still could not beat the non union contractor's bids. We have a contract and rules that our union contractors have to follow. Now for the non-union they can still pay eight men $17.84 hr. and four men @ $35.68 hr. First, they don’t have a contract and rules to follow or any benefits to pay. Second, they pay overtime after forty hours, so they are able to work their men 16 hrs....WITHOUT paying overtime. Third, they can split their starting time, four men can start @ 5:00am and the other eight comes in @ 9:00am. How can we compete with that?

How do we compete with them? The only way to beat them is to present ourselves as quality workers who can put out a high quality product.

Stay Safe & Work Hard

November & December

The hall has been holding steady for dispatches, we're dispatching out 130 members to 150 a month. There are still quite a few slow days through out the month. I am hoping this winter we can get up to 150 to 200 a month. The list has grown somewhat from the last two months; we were up to 165 journeymen on it and 24 apprentices, now right around 100.

We had our first day that we came up short handed, 2 men short, we had 15 turn downs and the rest were no answers, we only needed 18 finishers out of 96 that were on the list, including apprentices. For all those who haven’t been to the union meeting you’re being warned now if you Don’t Answer Your Phone You Will Be Turned In to Unemployment.  The out of work list is to work not to sit back and collect unemployment. If your name is on the list ANSWER your phone. If you go back to work don’t wait for me to call you take your name off the list so we're not wasting time calling you.

Work is picking up, I know you’ve heard this many times before, be ready to be dispatched out. There are so many jobs that have started and will start. If you take a Friday dispatch it may just turn in to full time work, as well as going out and working hard (help get the job done) remember the contractors are paying us (including benefits) $50.13 a hour, would you like to pay that to someone who is gazing off into the sunset or an unqualified journeymen who has passed through the cracks of learning how to finish concrete for the last 10 to 20 years. Let’s not stop there, how many qualified journeymen have they worked with and they didn’t try to teach them anything. Every one of us needs to be a teacher or mentor and bring our apprentices and our journeymen up to level they need to be.

WORK HARD & STAY SAFE

HAPPY HOLIDAY

July

Last month and this month have been great for dispatches. A lot of the members went back to work with their last employer, and we’ve been holding 80 to 100 members on the out of work list, which is great, compared to 380. I keep hearing from most of our contractors that this fall and winter will be busy if all the jobs start on time.

The Seattle Tunneling Project is starting.  We have John Lanphear as the Concrete Superintendent.  If you want to work on this job YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR OSHA 10 CARD before you are ever Dispatched out.  John P will be looking for a crew that will work together, show up on time and have the skills of a Journeyman who is willing to work and do their job. There is a OSHA 10 class coming this Monday & Tuesday July 23^rd & 24^th

Six months ago I was told that the OSHA 10 card was only needed for the Superintendents and Foremen... what mis-informed information that was.

The OSHA 10 is already required for the Plasterers on all job sites.  It will soon be the same requirements for the Cement Masons in the near future.  We need to start now and not wait any longer.

If you’re getting dispatched out of the hall, make sure you have the proper tools you need for the job you’re being sent to, they called the hall for help so get in there and work like you know what you are doing.

Be Smart & Work Safe

MARCH & APRIL

February & March was the two worst months in the last three years for Dispatches, 37 in February and 39 in March. We are still running anywhere from 190 to 260 Journeymen on the out of work list, 20 to 35 Apprentice’s, and 70 to 90 Plasterers. We keep talking about all these jobs that are coming up, but when will they start, when will we have Finishers out on those jobs? I wish I had the answer to that. How many new jobs will it create for us? That is really hard to answer, If everything that is suppose to start, starts on time we should have a pretty good summer to look forward to, do not lose hope yet. We won’t be busy but hopefully steady.

Remember when you are dispatched out, go out there and work like you want a job...you might just get one, don’t wait for someone to tell you what to do, just get in there and work, if you don’t know what to do and you’re a journeyman you might want to look for another job, I hear Boeing is hiring. Please be careful that you don’t fall into that trap of maybe breaking down our working conditions because of these times. We worked too hard for them.

The C-Stop, OSHA 10, and the TWIC Card we are asking members to get is to prepare us for future jobs. When these jobs come up we need to be able to dispatch members out to them, and without the proper Safety Classes or Identification Cards we will not be able to Dispatch anyone out there, leaving some other Tradesman to do our work. These are some of the changes I was talking about, the times are changing if we can not adapt and make changes with these times, we will be left behind.

Negotiations for our new contract are coming up, the contract will be open to new language, and Contractors will want to change things. These are hard times right now but this is when we need to step up are game. I will not speculate what changes they might want but I have some ideas of my own. Let’s support our negotiators and ask many questions and give ideas that may help them achieve the things for our Brothers & Sisters best interest.  

I would like to thank all the members out there, it's members like you that keep our organization to remain strong and independent.

Thank You let the work begin.

Work hard, work safe

January & February

Work started out slow last month but the finish is doing well, we sent out 89 members for the month of January even with the bad weather we had. There was nothing steady but still there was some work for us. We were up to 389 journeymen on the out of work list & the low was 199.  The Apprentices have been anywhere from 66 to 86 on the out of work list. Same with the plasterers  who are holding around 80 to 98 (journeyman & apprentice combined) on the out of work list.

In February's newsletter it states "if you return to work and don’t take your name off the work list you will be written up on CHARGES if we find out". I’ve been contacting employers  and asking for their dispatch list to be faxed to me to check on who they are working. So Please if you go back to work even for only one day Take Your Name Off The Work List, this will save you a headache and a visit to the E-Board.

Once again we need members on the out of work list to answer their Phones.  It took 2½ hours Friday to find 4 journeymen to take a dispatch. That B list sounds better & better every time I think about it.

Now for the work coming up that we all talk about starting soon.  Will the hall get busier?  That’s a good question.  Last time the work started all the steady workers went back but the Hall stayed slow, I hope that doesn’t happen again.

The way things have been going, my opinion right now is when there’s a 150 journeymen on the out of work list, work is at a normal pace.

If you’re going to call Please Leave a Message if I don’t Answer Thank You.

Work Hard & Stay Safe!!!

November & December

Once again the list is growing...we're back up into the two hundred to two hundred & fifty’s.  Most of it is due to weather and the holidays. There are still a lot of jobs out there and more coming up in the future, when will they start, I am not even going to speculate. The last time something was supposed to start it didn’t happen for eleven months later. I know we keep telling you things are going to pick up...it will but depends on when the jobs start up.

Market Recovery has helped our contractors out a lot, we are currently paying out on 37 Market Recovery jobs at this time. There are 71 jobs that are still pending, yes, some of them are small job that keep their steady guys working and the other larger ones  we are dispatching members out to them.

From my last post on needing setup guy I had only one call...thanks, I guess  that’s all we have. Well, he is working steady now and building his pension up and has heath care for his family now too.

One of the days we dispatched out 26 members and 22 of them were on the first page and the other 4 was on the second page, I guess everyone wanted to work that day, That’s how dispatch should work every day Nice!!!

NEW UNEMPLOYMENT QUESTIONS HAVE STARTED - If you don’t answer your phone for dispatch or turndown work, from now on it will be reported. Anything that will keep you out of compliance with the Dispatch Rules has to be reported. We are a full referral hiring hall and we will not jeopardize our status with Unemployment just for a few Members, So Beware!!!

I wish everyone and their family a safe and Happy Holiday

Stay Safe  

October 5, 2011

We’ve dropped down in dispatches in September; work though the hall hasn’t change to much some days we send 1 to 5 members out other days it could be 10 to 20 members dispatch out. Over all the all contractors steady guys are back working and able to supply enough help for any size of pour that they might have and move a crew around to complete all there jobs, they only call the hall for help is when there’s a conflict in scheduling and need more help.

We are still looking for members that can setup for site work and curb and gutter; we need line setters and curb machine operators too. Do we have anyone that has received their Pervious Installers Certificate please let us know? More contractors are having us do the setup for site work and paving on the jobs. If you can setup call me and let me know.

I am still getting complaints on the members that are dispatch out, 1. Not a qualified journeyman, 2. Stands around and doesn’t want to work, 3.is it normal that every time I call the hall for a finisher they show up late, Hell go out and buy a GPS!!! We are GROWN MEN lets be Responsible for our self. It cost a contractor around $75.00 an hour for us when it’s said and done. It’s always nice to finish my day with two or three complaints about some of are members.

And again 73 calls just to find 8 finishers the other day sweet it shows how much we really want to work. If you don’t want to work when you check-in just ask to be move to the bottom of the list that way we could get the members out who wants to work.

We caught more members working Non Union some with their names still on the out of work list. They will be talking with the e-board this month and next.

We have just over 800 members still working 4 to 5 days a week no complaints about them yet, keep up the good work.

This is for the Labor Apprentices, if you really want to learn how to Finish Concrete you’ll need to be in rolled in the right Apprentice program. We have Teachers that can actually teach you how to finish concrete the right way, plus you would be able to call yourself a tradesman.

Show up on time

Work Hard

Stay Safe

August 22, 2011

The only thing that has changed these last two months is the number of members on the out of work list has dropped, most of the members has returned to work with there previous employer. Work orders are a little bit better, but not that good yet we are sending out anywhere from 0 to 10 masons a day and maybe 15 to 20 a day twice month.

A lot of the jobs has started but are being filled by there steady guys first.

There are a few jobs that will be looking for a new crew to start soon, they will be looking for machine men, and some well rounded journeymen.

Another idea is Portland Is looking for help, mostly patch work if anyone is interested call the hall to get the number. That’s what we need at this time is a job that would clear the out of work list, now that would be nice.

We are still having trouble with members answering there phones in the morning, some days it takes one to two hours just to fine 5 members to go to work, sure it wouldn’t take that long if we didn’t start at the top of the list. It’s hard to understand that you would work your way to the top of the list and then not answer your phone and then be taken off for no contact. Maybe we should start a B list for members who don’t really want to work and quit wasting time on endless phone calls that are never answered.

Well the good weather didn’t help much with work, but Lease Crutcher and Turner is getting close to hiring, Kiewit pushed back there start date down on the pontoons, and Mowat down on HWY 18 has started, there is a few jobs up in the North end that shouldn’t be to far off.

We need to start signing up for the OSHA 10 class before it’s required of us, there’s already jobs that has started that requires it for dispatch. We need to stay ahead with all are upgrade classes it not only benefits you it will benefit our Union.

Work Hard

Work Smart

Work Safe

  June 14, 2011

May was some what better than last month, we dispatched out 98 members compared to 73 in April. June has started a little slow but should start to pick up, what I’ve been hearing most of the work will still be end of July to middle of August.

That will be Kiewit down in Aberdeen on the Pontoons; Sellen will be starting down in Duwamish and Children’s Hospital has already started, they will have a few more jobs starting soon. Gly has started the next Amazon phase. Turner will start the Coleman tower. HSW has two new projects that will start. Lease Crutcher Lewis is starting the twin towers. Mowat is already working on the bridges down in Federal Way and

HWY 16. Atkinson has started pouring in Bellevue on the eastside for the 520 project, along with the South Center project.

Work is picking up; just not fast enough for us. Right now if your dispatch out and do not work hard because it’s only a one day job you are defiantly not going to be called back, Again Foremen are asking me if the members being dispatch out are journeymen, one of our contractor has fired 4 members over the last month for not being able to do there job or to lazy to do it.

Are we losing our Pride as Cement Masons because there has been no work? The only way to turn a one day job in to something more is to work hard and do quality work. When work picks back up the members left on the out of work list will be the ones who don’t want to work steady or does not have what it takes to be a Journeyman.

I can get you a Job but you will have to be The One to Keep It!!!

Still waiting to hear from some of the Contractors for the Boeing work when it will start;

Work Hard and Stay Safe 

May 2, 2011

April was a little bit better than the last 6 months we dispatch out 76 members with 42 job orders. If we can get back up into the 150 range the list should start moving pretty good. We are still taking off anywhere between 30 – 60 members a week for not Checking-In, and calling 40 to 75 members to fill the few jobs that comes in a day and some turn downs with it. The job orders mostly are all just a one day shots at a time, which this should start to change here shortly.

We found some members working none union after their union company was kicked off the job, a couple of members went back and worked for the non union company, Smart, and well they got caught. I would hope we all have better sense than that. We know times are hard but let’s not make it worse for are selves. We will see these two at the e-bored meeting.

I’ve ask some of our contractors for the names of the members they’ve dispatch out for the week to see who was riding the list, and not clearing themselves. With just three companies I found 6 members who didn’t take their names off the list, I wonder how many more there will be when I get the information back from the other 9 contractors?

On the other hand I’ve gotten information on 2 contractors that is not paying the hours that they should. Trying to get away with paying 5, 6, or7 hours and not the 8 hours that is required of them, DO NOT LET THEM GET AWAY WITH THIS. Some of or members have let this go on for almost a year, this is defiantly breaking down our conditions and you will be written up on charges.

I was asked how many Journeymen we had total, I told them around 980, they said no how many real Journeymen do we have that knows there craft that can be sent out on any job and able to perform any type of work, setup, machine man, strip finish steps, underlayment, patch, curb & gutter, and anything else that pertains to our work, so out of 980 how many real Craftsmen or Journeymen do we have, not just an average guy that can only do one or two aspect of our trade?

Here’s a few quotes I found to ponder on, (Labor does not ask for Favoritism but will not accept Injustice.

  Give me the benefit of your conviction, if you have any; but keep your doubts to yourself, for I have enough of my own.

 All that serves labor, serves the nation. All that harms labor is treason to America. The line can be drawn between these two. If a man tells you he loves America, yet hates labor he is a liar. If a man tells you he trust America, yet fears labor, he a fool. There is no America without labor, and to fleece the one is to rob the other.

 April 13, 2011

As most of you know there were nine members that were written up on charges for soliciting their own work last month, and there will be more to come. What is new this month is that contractors are trying to request family, friends of a friend and so forth.  We will not accept any of those requests - those members will have to check-in and work their way up to the top of the list like everyone else.

Work should pick up somewhat the middle of summer...how much is another question.

Of course the first that will be called back will be their steady guys, I hope there will be enough work for more.

Again don’t forget about your Certified Birth Certificate or Passport to be able to get Badged at Boeing as there is work coming up there.

I decided to put Ten Ways to Kill a Union in my report this month.  There are more than a few members that have their OWN IDEAS about how this Union should be run and what should be done; complain to everyone around them and bringing the Union and Members down to their level and, if there is a problem, they won't do anything to help fix the problem.

Please don’t spread your negativity.  It really destroy your character and self worth, there's nothing worse  to be around than a negative person, what a way to ruin your day.  If you have an idea call or come to the meetings.

March, 9 2011

Work has still been very slow, but dirt work has started on a few jobs with more to come, some of the pours will start in a few months and others will most likely be mid summer. It’s not the best news but it’s more than what we have going now for us. Try to hang in there.

I heard that Boeing could have a large amount off work coming up.  If that’s the case we need members to start now and get their certified birth certificates ready in order to be badged up. My understanding is no felony’s in the last 7 years and don’t forget your social security card or passport and drivers license.

I’ve had many calls about journeymen members that are not going though the hiring hall for work.  When we find

them there will be charges and fines that will come against them and any persons that hired and or got them the job. Call the hall and let us know if you know that  this is happening and where you’re working, all calls will be anonymous.

I’ve talk with most of the contractors about this problem and reminded them what our contract reads about re-hires - all of them said they would let me know when someone was trying to solicit their own job.

Please, again, with so many member on the out of work list I can’t get to all the calls that come in, if you get the answering machine leave a message  otherwise I still have to listen to the messages telling me there is no message and when I am done I have five more to listen to.

There are a lot of up grade classes available to all of us members.  We have: Pervious Concrete Certification

Concrete Foreman I, II and III

Concrete Polishing I, II and III

 Polished Overlayment

Call the Training Center to get signed up and take advantage of the classes to better yourself and the Union,  (206-762-9286)

Work Safe

February 3, 2011

February doesn’t look much better than the last three months, most all the projects that will be starting up still looks like about 4 to 6 months out. There should be a lot of job starting up for our contractors what we are being told some of the dirt work is already started on some and the rest is still a ways out. When we get started again dispatching, when taking a job everyone needs to have everything ready to go your social security card, driver license, up to date insurance card for Fort Lewis, birth certificate for Boeing jobs, all your tools ready to go.

The way work is going and as hard it is for our Contractors to get the jobs we need to make sure we are on time on the job ready to work not just getting out of our cars. Or better yet get out there early enough to help get tools out or what ever they need help with to get started, maybe they’ll think your looking for full time work.

If you are dispatch out and show up without your proper ID that is required by federal law or take a job and can’t pass the drug test, or not have all your tools, or show up late with enough time to get there you will be written up on charges.

There our a lot of up grade classes available to all of us members we have Pervious Concrete Certification

Concrete Foreman I, II and III

Concrete Polishing I, II and III

 Polished Overlayment

Call the Training Center to get sign up and take advantage of the classes to better yourself and the Union,  (206-762-9286)

Work Safe Out There

January 4, 2011

The holidays are over. I hope everyone stayed safe and had a merry Christmas and a happy new year.  Now that that’s over with we are definitely ready for the work to begin.  As I’ve been going though the Daily Journal and Builders Exchange they both show a lot of jobs that should start this year. Most of them will be Union jobs and the others we will fight for with market recovery.

All the General Contractors right now are down three quarters of their man force, Lease Crutcher has two men, Sellen went from 76 men down into the teens, Turner only has a few men, Skanska has started the south end project of the viaduct with a small crew right now,GLY has dropped like Sellen, Howard S Wright is finishing up a couple of jobs that are coming to a end. Conco’s big jobs will be wrapping up soon. They all have jobs on the books but exactly when they will start is a good question.  How many members will we get back to work when the jobs start?  Hopefully quite a few. All the Subs Contractors are barely keeping their steady guys some what busy. The curb & gutter is way down in hours partially do to weather.

When we start to get back to work and gett dispatched out, make sure to show up early, with all our tools, & the proper ID that is required for dispatch (valid picture i.d. - such as a driver's licence AND Social Security Card).
 

Like I said before if you want a steady job work hard, do quality work and do what ever they ask of you.

Right now we have 365 members on the out of work list 45 of them are apprentices and

98 plasterers

 Some of the members are getting frustrated being put on hold or getting the answering machine.  Keep in mind there are a lot of calls coming in every day.  Most of the time you will be asked to hold or, if you get the answering machine, leave a message, or check in online.

  The Union is Our Future lets Keep it Strong

Work hard and Stay Safe

DECEMBER, 7 2010

 November was the slowest month since the down turn of the economy; there were only 14 members dispatched out for the month.  Last year at this time we dispatched out 123 members; in Nov. and Dec. we sent out 95 members, and Jan. 2010 had 186 members dispatched out.

There are jobs coming up that will start soon - three to six months is what I am hearing, which isn’t soon enough.

One thing we need to remember is when we get dispatched out to a job is to be quality conscious and have good work ethics and be on time.   -  Any one day job can turn into a full time job. Remember the crew needs help out there not "just another body"!  Pitch in and give it to them - you might get another day or two.

We’ve have had up to 386 Journeymen on the out of work list for November, 68 Apprentices and 108 Plasterers.

There’s 5 to 10 members each week that are denied Unemployment.  If you call and put your name on the out of work list first and check in once a week or every 9 day you’ll have no problem with unemployment.  It sounds easy enough but some still has a hard time with it. Yet we never forget to call each week to collect the check.

  The Union is Our Future lets Keep it Strong

Work hard and Stay Safe

I d like to wish everyone Happy Holidays and pray that we have a better New Year.  Please stay safe out there.

Our Contractors are having a hard enough time getting the jobs, given the way the economy is. We need to be more professional when dispatched out of the Hall and do the best quality of work we can, so, down the road our Contractors will be awarded more jobs, to keep us working.

The NEW CONTRACTORS we have just signed all have these concerns and whether or not we have members who can pass a drug test. It only takes one or two of us that can’t pass a test (or won't take a test), who don’t have proper ID,  all of the necessary tools, or show up late to make the whole Union look bad.

            The Union is Our Future lets Keep it Strong

Work hard and Stay Safe