Members Can Vote for Banquet Hall

The OE Banquet Hall & Conference Centre at Local 793’s head office in Oakville has been nominated in the banquet facilities category of the Oakville Beaver Readers Choice 2015 Awards. The competition encourages readers to vote for their top picks in various categories via an online poll. Winners will be published in an upcoming special […]

The OE Banquet Hall & Conference Centre at Local 793’s head office in Oakville has been nominated in the banquet facilities category of the Oakville Beaver Readers Choice 2015 Awards.

The competition encourages readers to vote for their top picks in various categories via an online poll.

Winners will be published in an upcoming special section of The Oakville Beaver.

Voting opened July 31 and closes Aug. 16 at 11:59 p.m.

You can go to the online site and cast a ballot in support of our banquet hall.

To vote, click here and register.

You will receive a message via email, asking you to confirm your account. Once that is done, log in to your account and click on ‘Best Businesses/Service’ then click on the ‘Banquet Facilities’ link and cast your vote for ‘O.E. Banquet Hall.’

Let’s show everybody that our banquet hall is the best!

Heat Stress Signs and Signals

Local 793 operators should be on the lookout for signs of heat-related illnesses during periods of especially hot weather. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety warns that heat-related illnesses can strike with little warning. Construction workers are especially susceptible because they’re often exposed to direct sunlight and humidity. Heat stress and exhaustion can […]

Local 793 operators should be on the lookout for signs of heat-related illnesses during periods of especially hot weather.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety warns that heat-related illnesses can strike with little warning.

Construction workers are especially susceptible because they’re often exposed to direct sunlight and humidity.

Heat stress and exhaustion can cause myriad problems from rashes and cramps to exhaustion and full-blown heat stroke.

Symptoms of heat stress can include sunburn, fainting, heavy sweating, headaches and dizzy spells.

It’s important, then, for operators as well as employers to prepare ahead of time, recognize symptoms of heat stress and know how to treat it when problems arise.

Heat stress occurs when the body can no longer maintain its normal temperature. The body’s internal thermostat maintains a constant inner temperature by pumping more blood to the skin and by increasing sweat production. But in very hot environments the body temperature can rise, resulting in heat stress. When the body can no longer cope, a number of illnesses can occur, including:

  • Heat Rash: This is characterized by tiny red spots on the skin that can cause a prickling sensation. It’s a result of inflammation when the ducts of sweat glands become plugged.
  • Heat Cramps: These are sharp pains in the muscles caused by an imbalance resulting from failure to replace salt lost with sweat.
  • Heat Exhaustion: This is caused by loss of body water and salt through excessive sweating. Symptoms include weakness, dizziness, visual disturbances, intense thirst, headaches, vomiting, muscle cramps and diarrhea.
  • Heat Stroke: This condition requires immediate medical attention and is characterized by an elevated body temperature. Signs of heat stroke include dry, hot skin, a high body temperature and complete or partial loss of consciousness.

Prolonged exposure to heat can cause other problems such as sleep disturbances and susceptibility to minor injuries and sicknesses.

The Ontario Ministry of Labour recommends that workers in a hot environment should try to drink a cup of water every 20 minutes and that workers also:

  • – avoid working in direct sunlight
  • – reduce the pace of work
  • – increase the number of breaks
  • – take breaks in a cool or shaded area
  • – schedule heavy work for cooler periods
  • – wear light-coloured clothing
  • – reduce the physical demands of work

Employers have a duty under clause 25(2)(h) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker. This includes developing policies and procedures to protect workers in environments that are hot because of hot processes and/or weather.

Any Local 793 operators with concerns about employers not taking appropriate steps to help workers avoid heat stroke and exhaustion should contact their business rep.

Click here for more information about heat exhaustion and heat stroke from the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association.

Click here for more information from the Ontario government.

Facebook Site for Local 793 Members

A Facebook page has been set up for active and retired members of Local 793. To find the site, search for ‘International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 793 Members Only’ or click here. This is the only site endorsed by the union. On the site, members can write posts and upload photos and videos that might be of interest to other members. If […]

A Facebook page has been set up for active and retired members of Local 793.

To find the site, search for ‘International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 793 Members Only’ or click here.

This is the only site endorsed by the union.

On the site, members can write posts and upload photos and videos that might be of interest to other members.

If you join the group, you’ll receive items on your news feed when they’re posted to the Local 793 site.

To join the site, send a ‘friend’ request to the site. You will eventually be sent a message, asking for your union registration number. The number appears on the front of your union card. Once that is received and checked out in our system, you’ll be approved to the group.

The site is private and only for union members and IUOE staff.

Bill C-377: Letter from CLC President Hassan Yussuff

June 30, 2015 To: Members of the CLC Canadian Council RE: Bill C-377 Greetings: Today, the Prime Minister used his Conservative Senate majority to re-write Senate rules, shut down debate and force through Bill C-377. I want to thank all of you for your dedication and hard work over the last four years to try […]

June 30, 2015

To: Members of the CLC Canadian Council

RE: Bill C-377

Greetings:

Today, the Prime Minister used his Conservative Senate majority to re-write Senate rules, shut down debate and force through Bill C-377.

I want to thank all of you for your dedication and hard work over the last four years to try and defeat this fatally flawed Bill.

Of course, the labour movement was not alone in our criticisms.

We worked with many other individuals and organizations to coordinate our messages and opposition to C-377, including: seven provincial governments; Canada’s Privacy Commissioner; constitutional and labour lawyers; the Canadian Bar Association; the insurance and mutual fund industries; benefits and pension plan managers; medical associations; and academic experts.

We also worked closely with legislators in both the House of Commons and the Senate to highlight the Bill’s flaws and ensure it had a rocky ride through Parliament from the start. In particular, the NDP in the House of Commons, and the Liberals in the Senate, did all they could to oppose, delay and defeat this flawed Bill.

Although the Conservative majority rigged the game and forced Bill C-377 through the Senate, this is not the end of our fight.

Bill C-377 is unconstitutional, undemocratic, discriminatory, and an invasion of personal privacy. The Bill will be subject to a constitutional challenge in the courts in the future.

In the meantime, we must not forget why this fatally flawed Private Member’s Bill was ultimately able to get through Parliament: From the start, C-377 was orchestrated directly by the heavy hand of the Prime Minister.

Bill C-377 is Stephen Harper’s partisan political attack on unions. He ordered Conservatives in the House of Commons and the Senate to ignore the evidence, ignore the experts, ignore the critics, break the rules and pass the Bill.

It is clear what we are up against. Stephen Harper is prepared to do whatever it takes to silence the voice of our labour movement.

As we head towards the federal election on October 19, 2015, it is critical that we remind our members, and others, about Harper’s partisan political attack on our labour movement.

The best way we can ensure this Bill is repealed is to defeat Stephen Harper and elect a new federal government this October.

We have a lot of hard work ahead of us. Harper broke the rules to force C-377 through the Senate. What is he prepared to do to win the next election?

In solidarity,