Condolences to Family of Soldier Killed in Ottawa

Written by Local 793 Staff

The Canadian and union flags at head office of Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers were at half mast on October 23 in respect of Corporal Nathan Cirillo who was fatally shot in Ottawa. Following is a message from Local 793 Business Manager Mike Gallagher. As business manager of Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, I would like to express my condolences to the family of Corporal Nathan Cirillo who was tragically gunned down at the National War Memorial near Parliament Hill in Ottawa on […]

The Canadian and union flags at head office of Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers were at half mast on October 23 in respect of Corporal Nathan Cirillo who was fatally shot in Ottawa.

Following is a message from Local 793 Business Manager Mike Gallagher.

As business manager of Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, I would like to express my condolences to the family of Corporal Nathan Cirillo who was tragically gunned down at the National War Memorial near Parliament Hill in Ottawa on October 22.

I would also like to express my deepest sympathies to all the members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

This was an appalling and truly cowardly act by would-be terrorist Michael Zehaf-Bibeau. He shot Cirillo point-blank while he was standing guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Cirillo, 24, was a proud reservist with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders regiment in Hamilton. He was on guard with his friend and fellow reservist, Corporal Brandon Stevenson.

Cirillo had been given the important honour of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He was due to return to Hamilton November 11, after Remembrance Day ceremonies at the War Memorial.

This was the second incident in a week involving soldiers who were targeted and killed. On October 20, Patrice Vincent, a 53-year-old warrant officer was struck by a car and killed in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, about 30 miles from Montreal. Police believe it was an act of terrorism. A car chase ensued and the suspect was shot during a confrontation with police.

The point of Remembrance Day has been driven home by these tragedies. They are a reminder that we should appreciate our freedoms. It is thanks to soldiers like Corporal Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, and the countless other Allied and Canadian soldiers who have died overseas, that we have the freedoms we enjoy today.

Fraternally,

Mike Gallagher
Business Manager
IUOE Local 793

Hudak Can’t be Trusted: Gallagher

Written by Local 793 Staff

Ontario PC Party leader Tim Hudak may have backed off on right-to-work (RTW) proposals but he still can’t be trusted. That was one of the messages Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher delivered in remarks at a special executive board meeting in the union banquet hall March 22. Gallagher said Hudak has bounced back and forth on RTW, announcing recently that he’s backtracking on an earlier white paper that proposed the idea. However, Gallagher added, “I can tell you there’s enough other garbage in his white paper that even without […]

Ontario PC Party leader Tim Hudak may have backed off on right-to-work (RTW) proposals but he still can’t be trusted.
That was one of the messages Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher delivered in remarks at a special executive board meeting in the union banquet hall March 22.
Gallagher said Hudak has bounced back and forth on RTW, announcing recently that he’s backtracking on an earlier white paper that proposed the idea.
However, Gallagher added, “I can tell you there’s enough other garbage in his white paper that even without that, there’s enough to do damage to the union.”
Hudak has been touting his RTW plan since 2012, telling Toronto’s Economic Club last December that he would implement the proposals. He dumped Essex candidate Dave Brister who challenged him on the policy.
Recently though, he told a business breakfast in Toronto that he would not undo the Rand formula. His climbdown came only after the Tories failed to win a crucial byelection in Niagara Falls near his own riding.
Gallagher said if the Tories are elected, it wouldn’t be good for Ontario.
Workers in RTW states in the U.S. make about $5,700 less than workers in Ontario, he said, and if the Tories take over the balance in labour relations will be upset, resulting in fights with contractors.
The trades have done well with infrastructure under the Liberal government, he said, and although the party was criticized for the gas plant cancellation in Oakville the money lost there is nowhere near the money wasted by Mike Harris when the Tories gave away Highway 407 to a private company.
The cost to Ontario for that giveaway, he noted, was about $108 billion when the land and future highway tolls are taken into consideration.
Gallagher touched on a number of topics in his remarks.
He said 2014 is the 95th anniversary of the union and a number of events are planned, culminating with a dinner-dance at The Royal York Hotel in Toronto on Dec. 6.
He encouraged members and their families to get involved and attend the activities.
“Come out and celebrate our great local,” he said.
On the financial front, Gallagher said the union is in good shape with $68 million in members’ equity as of Dec. 31, 2013, and is a leader in the industry.
He said the union plans to spend about $10 million this year on improving its facilities, with most of that earmarked for the OETIO campus in Morrisburg.
Renovations are planned at the Morrisburg campus later this year, he said. Rooms at the OETIO are double occupancy and once the renovations are complete there will be single occupancy accommodations.
The plan, he said, is to demolish a wing of the existing building and erect a two-storey, 70-room facility and also add a store.
The OETIO, he said, is successful and it’s time to invest in the facility.
The union also plans to replace the carpet in the banquet hall with carpet tiles at a cost of $37,000.
Gallagher said if work levels remain strong the union hopes to expand the banquet hall before its 100th anniversary in 2019, and the flooring in the addition will be matched by merely adding carpet tiles.
Meanwhile, Gallagher said, the union is looking at building rooms for apprentices at the OETIO campus in Oakville so trainees don’t have to stay in hotels.
Money earmarked for the hotels would go to the union.
Also at the meeting: President Joe Redshaw thanked the committee that dealt with changes to the union’s bylaws.
He said the committee was appointed in November 2013 and took proposals at meetings early in 2014. A mailout was done and ballots were counted on Feb. 18 and the results were posted in the spring issue of 793 Operator.
He said there was overwhelming support for the bylaw changes. Redshaw said the bylaws have been approved by IUOE General President James T. Callahan and new booklets will be sent soon to area offices.
EPSCA business rep Larry Richard reported that up to 100 operators are still employed at the Lower Mattagami hydroelectric generating project.
He noted that letters have been sent to contractors about earlier wage increases that were approved in EPSCA contracts.
He said operators at Darlington are busy with a number of projects, one being building new roads.
At Pickering, he said, the plant is scheduled to be shut down in 2021 and the property restored to its original state.
OETIO executive director Harold McBride reported that the training campuses in Oakville and Morrisburg are extremely busy, as more people are being trained to replace retiring members.
He noted that 207 to 304 members are expected to retire in 2014 and the union needs to bring young people into the trades. 2

Union Numbers Continue to Grow

Written by Local 793 Staff

Local 793 is in good shape and membership numbers continue to grow, business manager Mike Gallagher told a general membership meeting in the union banquet hall March 23. “We now have 12,539 initiated members and more than 900 waiting to be processed,” he told nearly 200 union members at the meeting. By the end of the year, he noted, the union will have more than 13,000 initiated members. “This really shows our strength as an organization.” Gallagher said the growth is a tribute to the organizers who work so hard […]

Local 793 is in good shape and membership numbers continue to grow, business manager Mike Gallagher told a general membership meeting in the union banquet hall March 23.
“We now have 12,539 initiated members and more than 900 waiting to be processed,” he told nearly 200 union members at the meeting.
By the end of the year, he noted, the union will have more than 13,000 initiated members.
“This really shows our strength as an organization.”
Gallagher said the growth is a tribute to the organizers who work so hard and are often put in difficult situations when trying to bring new companies into the fold.
“They are doing their job and we are adding members, so that’s a good thing.”
Gallagher noted that hours worked by members is also up, and members’ equity is $68 million, up from $2.5 million when he was first elected in 1996.
The defence fund, meanwhile, is at $4.6 million, he said, 9.2 per cent higher than the previous year.
He also reported that the pension and life and health benefits plan are also healthy.
The ‘solvency’ windup situation has improved to $864 million and the ‘going concern” shortfall is now at $103 million, an improvement from $192 million at December 2012, he said.
“Obviously, we’ve had a very good year with the pension.”
Gallagher said the life and health benefits plan is also faring well and trustees recently announced a number of improvements, including a new Member Assistance Plan, that were announced in the 793 Operator magazine and have been posted on the union website.
Gallagher addressed a number of other topics at the meeting as well.
For example:
On recent bylaw changes approved by union members, Gallagher said they will ensure the local remains healthy in future.
One big change, he said, is that members would be disqualified from serving as an officer or on the executive board if they’ve been convicted of certain serious violent crimes and a record suspension has not been obtained.
Another change makes it an offence for any member or officer to publish via social media or online slanderous or libelous material against other members of the local.
Gallagher said people who represent a multi-million-dollar organization like the Operating Engineers should have a clean record.
“I’ve always believed that being a member of the Operating Engineers is a privilege,” he said, adding that when members join a union they also make a pledge as to how they’re going to treat each other.
With the advent of social media, Gallagher said it’s easier for people to express opinions on the Internet for everybody to see.
However, he advised members to be careful what they post because it could provide fodder for non-union groups and political parties.
On jurisdictional disputes (JDs), he said the union is presently embroiled in 14 JDs involving five trades, and the labour relations department is working to ensure Local 793 protects its jurisdiction.
Some contractors, he said, have opened up their books and are helping the union on the disputes.
On recruiting Aboriginals, Gallagher told the audience that the union has been working with companies like Aecon to get more people from First Nations communities into the trades.
“It’s the right thing for us and our contractors,” he said.
Presently, 10 Aboriginal communities in the Ring of Fire area are in the process of purchasing training from the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario, he said, because they recognize the union offers the best training out there.
On communications, Gallagher told members that a new union website is nearing completion and, once finished, members will have greater access to information.
Once the website is finished, members will be able to see in real time what they’ve used in benefits and also pay their dues online at any time.
“Basically, we’ll have 24/7 coverage,” he said.
Also at the meeting, Gallagher and president Joe Redshaw presented a cheque to Local 793 operator Gerry Lukasiewicz of Sarnia who was injured in a construction site accident in 2012 and is now in a wheelchair.
A fundraiser was held for Gerry in Sarnia last December. The event raised $65,337 to help pay for the cost of a specially-equipped van for Gerry.
In presenting the cheque, Gallagher thanked Lukasiewicz for being such a strong member.
Lukasiewicz, meanwhile, thanked Gallagher and retired Southwestern Ontario area supervisor Bob McQueen and the union for the fundraiser.
“You can’t get a better union than this,” he said.