Gallagher Re-elected as International VP

Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher has been re-elected as seventh vice-president on the general executive board of the International Union of Operating Engineers which represents nearly 400,000 union members from across North America. “I consider it an honour and privilege to be re-elected as a vice-president on the general executive board of the IUOE and to represent Operating Engineers across the country,” Gallagher said. “I feel humbled and will continue to do everything in my power to raise issues that we face in Canada to the IUOE general executive […]

Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher has been re-elected as seventh vice-president on the general executive board of the International Union of Operating Engineers which represents nearly 400,000 union members from across North America.

“I consider it an honour and privilege to be re-elected as a vice-president on the general executive board of the IUOE and to represent Operating Engineers across the country,” Gallagher said.

“I feel humbled and will continue to do everything in my power to raise issues that we face in Canada to the IUOE general executive board.”

The election took place recently at the 39th general convention of the IUOE in Hollywood, Florida.

Gallagher, who is also president of the Canadian Conference of the IUOE, said he looks forward to advancing the union agenda.

“The issues that Operating Engineers face here in Canada are often the same ones faced by our Brothers and Sisters south of the border, namely organizing new companies and training the next generation of crane and heavy equipment operators,” he said. “I look forward to working with the rest of the general executive board to chart a bright future for our union and its members.”

Local 793 president Joe Redshaw said in remarks at the convention that Gallagher is a dedicated, loyal and hard working union leader who has been an advocate for health and safety.

“Brother Gallagher’s honesty, integrity and work ethic will benefit the membership of this great International union.”

Gallagher is a past president of the Construction Safety Association of Ontario and won the Roy A. Phinnemore Award in 2013 for his contributions to construction health and safety. More recently, he was instrumental in convincing the government that rotary drill rig operators in Ontario require mandatory training.

Redshaw said in addition to his union contributions, Gallagher has also spearheaded events to raise money for charitable causes. He helped raise $170,000 to purchase a bulldozer for an orphanage in Kenya, another $100,000 for victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and chairs the Gary O’Neill Memorial Golf Tournament that has raised more than $600,000 for esophageal cancer research.

Gallagher was first appointed to the general executive board as an International trustee in October 2005. In May 2011, he was appointed as an International vice-president on the board. He has been a vice-president for seven years.

 

Officers Looking Forward to Good Year in 2017

On behalf of the officers and staff of IUOE Local 793, I would like to wish all union members and their families a happy and prosperous new year. 2016 was a very busy – and good year – for our union. We successfully completed another union election in accordance with our constitution and I am pleased with the team that the members chose to lead our organization. I am proud to say that our union continues to grow. We now have about 14,500 members – up from about 8,500 members […]

On behalf of the officers and staff of IUOE Local 793, I would like to wish all union members and their families a happy and prosperous new year.

2016 was a very busy – and good year – for our union.

We successfully completed another union election in accordance with our constitution and I am pleased with the team that the members chose to lead our organization.

I am proud to say that our union continues to grow. We now have about 14,500 members – up from about 8,500 members 10 years ago.

Our pension plan remains healthy. It is earning good returns and now has assets of about $2.4 billion. Because the fund has grown, we plan to invest another $110 million in the OE Infrastructure Fund. The money will be invested in infrastructure projects across North America.

Our life and health benefits plan is also doing well. Over the last year, trustees and I made a number of improvements to the benefits available to active members and retirees.

For a complete list of new benefits, log in to the members section on our website at www.iuoelocal793.org, go to ‘union information’ and click on ‘business manager’s update.’

We are continually striving to make the plan better. In fact, I held the presses on printing the benefit book recently because we came up with another benefit for members and I wanted to make sure it was made known to operators and their families.

In March, trustees will consider starting an online wellness program for members and their families to be overseen by a doctor. As we get older, it is sometimes beneficial to have an expert that can help with diet, nutrition and the efficacy of our prescription drugs. I would like to hear your views on such a program prior to the trustee meeting.

Collective Bargaining

We achieved industry-leading settlements in 2016 on the bargaining front without the need for strike action.

A report by the Ontario Construction Secretariat indicates we had the highest average collective agreement settlement of all trades in the ICI construction sector in 2016.

The average increase over three years for Local 793 operators was 7.3 per cent, or 2.4 per cent a year. The Ontario average was 4.8 per cent over three years, or 1.7 per cent a year.

Click here for more information on the report.

OETIO Expansion

We completed an $11-million renovation at the OETIO campus in Morrisburg in the fall.

The OETIO now has a two-storey dormitory with 70 single-occupancy rooms. A full fitness area complements a gym on site and all the rooms in the dormitory have WiFi. Our members have a modern, state-of-the-art training facility they can be proud of.

We did the project on budget and without taking on any debt or dipping into our reserve fund. The training campus also didn’t lose any student hours as a result of the project.

We’ve also purchased a Liebherr 85 EC-B5 tower crane for the Oakville campus of the OETIO. The crane will enable us to train students in top- and bottom-climbing procedures. We are the only training centre that offers such training on tower cranes.

Click here for photos of the tower crane installation.

Social Media

The executive board has approved a social media policy that was drawn up by staff and outside legal counsel and sets out how members should conduct themselves online.

The policy is aimed at protecting the privacy of Local 793 members.

Click here to view the policy.

Aboriginal Outreach

In 2016, we continued with our outreach programs to Aboriginal communities in Ontario.

I signed a Statement of Partnership with the Chiefs of Ontario, which represent 133 First Nations communities in the province. By signing the document, Local 793, the OETIO and First Nations chiefs have agreed to work collaboratively and get Aboriginal people into pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and fee-payer training programs.

Click here for more information on the Statement.

Renewable Energy Alliance

This year, I spearheaded formation of the Renewable Energy Alliance of Ontario, a coalition of employers, labour and industry groups that is calling on the province to renew its commitment to producing energy via a mix of wind, solar, geothermal and hydro projects.

The province has cancelled about $3.8 in green power projects. The coalition submitted a brief to the Ministry of Energy in an effort to convince government that it’s important for Ontario to remain a leader in the investment and development of renewable energy.

Many people think that renewable energy is to blame for high electricity prices but the truth is increased prices are mostly the fault of service charges directly billed to consumers.

We must continue to invest in renewable energy projects and build on the early progress that has been established. Otherwise, Ontario will fall behind the rest of the world.

Click here to learn more about the alliance.

Discount Programs

Local 793 members, active retirees in good standing and family members can now get a discount at GoodLife Fitness locations across the province.

We negotiated a discount that provides for an annual rate per member of $499 plus tax. A membership can also be purchased for ongoing bi-weekly payments of $24 plus tax.

The benefit is available for up to four family members of members or retirees as long as the eligible member is a participant of the local’s program with GoodLife. For information, contact corporateprograms@goodlifefitness.com or call 1-800-287-4631.

Click here to learn more about the discount.

Meanwhile, we distributed cards in the winter issue of Making Tracks that give Local 793 members, retirees and family members a 10-per-cent discount at Mark’s Work Warehouse.

Within a few weeks, I will also be announcing a new home and auto insurance program with TD Meloche Monnex.

Future Plans

As for the future, the officers and I will not be resting on our laurels.

In 2019 our union will celebrate its 100th anniversary and I intend to keep us moving forward.

A challenge is to ensure that new leaders are being groomed to fill vacancies created by retirements. It is imperative that we hire good people, train them properly and provide them with the knowledge they need to succeed. That is something we are doing now.

I want to make sure that those who are moving into leadership positions are passionate about the union. When I hire people, I seek people who are true believers in the labour movement. I want to make sure they are the right people to represent the good members that we have.

I plan to hire a dozen more organizers over the next three years, bringing the number to 22. That will be the most perhaps of any IUOE local in North America.

I also plan to increase training opportunities and bring the benefits of unionization to the far north and Nunavut.

We are the largest IUOE local in Canada but I see no reason why we can’t be the largest in North America.

We still have non-union contractors out there and workers who are not unionized so we must organize and bring them into the fold.

I also want to double the size of our banquet hall in Oakville. Presently, it can hold about 500 people but I want capacity for 1,000 so we can hold our 100th anniversary celebration in the hall.

I also plan to build a 40- to 50-room residence for students at the training campus in Oakville so our students can remain on campus instead of having to stay in nearby hotels.

In 2017, the officers and I intend to keep the momentum going. I look forward to reporting on the progress of our plans at future monthly and general membership meetings.

Again, all the best in the New Year.

Fraternally Yours,

 

Mike Gallagher
Business Manager
IUOE Local 793

 

Season’s Greetings from Business Manager Gallagher

On behalf of the officers and staff of IUOE Local 793, I would like to wish all union members and their families a joyous holiday season. Christmas is a time for relaxing with family and friends, remembering the past and hoping for the future. I encourage all members to take some time during the Yuletide season to spend time with their loved ones. Personally, I would like to thank all members for the support you have given the officers and I in 2016. We had a very good year. We […]

On behalf of the officers and staff of IUOE Local 793, I would like to wish all union members and their families a joyous holiday season.

Christmas is a time for relaxing with family and friends, remembering the past and hoping for the future.

I encourage all members to take some time during the Yuletide season to spend time with their loved ones.

Personally, I would like to thank all members for the support you have given the officers and I in 2016. We had a very good year. We achieved industry-leading collective bargaining settlements, our pension plan is healthy and our finances are in good shape.

We are looking forward to a prosperous 2017.

I hope that this holiday season brings you and your families plenty of joy and good times.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

Fraternally Yours,

mike-signature

 

 

Mike Gallagher
Business Manager
IUOE Local 793

Hundreds Attend Local 793 Dinner Dance

Local 793 has faced many challenges over the years but has managed to overcome them and continues to grow, business manager Mike Gallagher said in a speech to more than 500 people attending a dinner dance in the union’s banquet hall Dec. 3 in Oakville. “We have had some bumps along the way and that’s life,” he said. “It’s happened with our organization but I can say we came through it quite nicely. “If you take a look at where we are right now as an organization, we’re over 14,500 […]

Local 793 has faced many challenges over the years but has managed to overcome them and continues to grow, business manager Mike Gallagher said in a speech to more than 500 people attending a dinner dance in the union’s banquet hall Dec. 3 in Oakville.

“We have had some bumps along the way and that’s life,” he said. “It’s happened with our organization but I can say we came through it quite nicely.

“If you take a look at where we are right now as an organization, we’re over 14,500 members, which is up 7,000 members from 10 years ago.”

Gallagher noted that pension plan assets are close to $2.4 billion and the fund is doing well in tough markets.

“It’s difficult now for all pension plans out there because of the low interest rates. But I’m happy to tell you that the performance of our pension plan year-to-date is 8.1 per cent.”

He said the union is also leading the way in training and is presently erecting a Liebherr 85 EC-B5 tower crane at the Oakville campus of the OETIO, which will enable students to be trained in top- and bottom-climbing procedures.

Oakville is the only training centre that offers top- and bottom-climbing training on tower cranes.

Meanwhile, Gallagher said, the local is now a very respected and strong organization and pension plan trustees have been able to build the fund despite some very rough seas, including one years when the fund lost 19 per cent of its value.

“You can imagine what it felt like to be business manager or a pension trustee that year,” he said. “It didn’t feel very good at all and we thought it was the end of the world.

“But we regrouped, we made some changes, we diversified, we changed our actuary and went around the province convincing members that we had a very strong plan.

Going forward, Gallagher noted the union will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2019 and one of the plans is to double the size of the present banquet hall.

“We’ve got 500-plus people in here right now and by the time we get to 2019 we are going to be able to get 1,000 people in this hall. I don’t want to have to turn anybody away.”

Gallagher also said he also wants to build a 40- to 50-room residence for students at the training campus in Oakville. Presently, they stay at nearby hotels.

He said the union also plans to hire 12 more organizers in the coming years. Presently, there are 11.

Gallagher said Local 793 is now the largest IUOE local in Canada but he plans to continue growing the union.

“I see no reason to stop there. One day we will be the biggest local in North America, never mind just in Canada. There’s no reason we can’t have a bigger local than California or New York or anywhere else.

“Why would we have non-union contractors and workers out there competing with our members for jobs and driving wages down when we can go out and organize and bring them into this great organization and move the yardstick further down the field for all of us?”

Gallagher said he will continue to look for ways to improve the benefit plan.

“I think we have one of the leading benefit plans among all the building trades right now and I want to still make it better. We’re taking money in through negotiations so that we can give it back to the members and to their families.”

One of the challenges facing the union, said Gallagher, is ensuring that new leaders are being groomed to fill vacancies created by retirements.

“It’s very important that we hire good people, that we train them and that we impart knowledge before people leave,” he said. “That is what we are concentrating on now.”

Gallagher said he wants to ensure that those who are moving into leadership positions are passionate about the union.

“I want them to be a true believer in the labour movement like I am. I want them to be honest. I want them to be trustworthy. I want them to make sure that the things that they do and every waking moment that they have is about how they represent the good members that we have.”

Gallagher also spoke at length about the state of labour in the U.S. as a result of the election of Donald Trump for president.

“It’s brand new territory for the world, it’s brand new territory for Canada and the relationship that we have with the United States,” he said.

Gallagher said Trump has said a lot of things, including that he would scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement and build a southern wall and make Mexico pay for it.

“I got thinking about that,” he joked, “and I thought, ‘You know what, maybe we should build a wall.’ It would put a lot of us to work. We could build a great big wall between us and the U.S. I’m sure there would be a lot of union jobs there and we could make sure we keep Trump and the rest of them out of Canada because we like Canada just the way it is.”

Gallagher said a lot of working people in states in the northeastern U.S. voted for Trump because they were sick and tired of being controlled by the big banks and seeing their jobs being lost to other countries and were looking for a solution to the problem.

Unfortunately, he said, the solution that Americans picked is the wrong one.

One of the first things Trump is going to do, Gallagher said is bring in federal right-to-work legislation.

“That’s what you’re going to see over the next four years. They’re going to move to put a Conservative judge on the Supreme Court because there’s a vacancy there and they’re going to move to undermine freedom of association and freedom of being in a trade union movement by bringing in right-to-work.”

Such a move would undermine unions and destroy the labour movement, Gallagher said.

“Unfortunately, the working people in America have elected the worst possible person if they wanted somebody to look after their interests.”

Gallagher said Canada and the U.S. have never been more different than they are right now.

“Hopefully, in four years they’ll have a change and change direction. Let’s hope that Donald Trump doesn’t drag them into some kind of foreign war or some other problem.”

Gallagher said Canadians, however, must continue to build the “just society” that former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau spoke of many years ago.

“The union movement in America is going to be on life support and our job here in Canada is to keep it alive,” he said. “We’ve got to keep on fighting and doing what we’ve done and keep electing progressive governments like we have done with Justin Trudeau.

“We have to continue to fight for the right to be union because every free democracy in the world has a free trade union movement.”

Gallagher said Canada must continue on the present path.

“It’s incumbent on us for our children and our grandchildren to make sure that it stays that way, to make sure that we don’t listen to the seductive lies and propaganda and whatnot that’s put out there to convince us to sell what is most dear to us.

“I think that’s something that our labour movement in Canada, including myself and yourselves, need to pay very, very close attention to in the time ahead.”

Gallagher also noted that assistant business manager and union treasurer Alex Law will be retiring at the end of the year.

He said Law did a great job as area supervisor for South Central Ontario for many years and more recently as assistant business manager.

Law was a great help in providing insight into the crane rental sector, he said, and, in the last round of bargaining, helping to negotiate a Provincial Collective Agreement that gave Operating Engineers the highest settlement of any of the trades.

“He is one of the most dedicated people that I have ever met and I’ve been around for 30 years in the labour movement now,” Gallagher said. “Alex here has been supporting me and I’m very, very grateful for that. He will be hard to replace.

“As much as I’d like to talk him out of retirement, the respect that I have for him prevents me from doing that because I understand the toll that this job takes. It’s 24, seven, it never stops.”

Law said he is planning on spending a lot of time with his grandchildren

“That’s going to be my hobby.”

He thanked business manager Gallagher, the executive board and union members, and said he’s proud of what the local has accomplished since he started in 1976.

“There wasn’t even a pension at that time,” he said. “We’ve come a long, long way.”

Also at the dance, a cheque for $88,804 was presented to Irene Salvani of the Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation for research into esophageal cancer. The money was raised at the Gary O’Neill Memorial Golf Tournament held this past summer.

OETIO Receives Funds for New Equipment

Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher was quoted in the following article that appeared recently in Daily Commercial News. With an aging workforce and infrastructure spending ramping up, the need to teach specialty skills such as crane and heavy equipment operation in Ontario has gone past talk and into crunch time. Mike Gallagher, Oakville, Ont. business manager of Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), addressed the gravity of the situation recently as he welcomed funding for seven new pieces of heavy equipment worth close to $1.3 […]

Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher was quoted in the following article that appeared recently in Daily Commercial News.

With an aging workforce and infrastructure spending ramping up, the need to teach specialty skills such as crane and heavy equipment operation in Ontario has gone past talk and into crunch time.

Mike Gallagher, Oakville, Ont. business manager of Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), addressed the gravity of the situation recently as he welcomed funding for seven new pieces of heavy equipment worth close to $1.3 million for the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario (OETIO) campuses in Morrisburg and Oakville.

The OETIO trains crane operators as well as heavy equipment operators who run dozers, backhoes and excavators but Gallagher said they are barely keeping up with demand.

There are currently 320 crane and tower apprentices training at the Oakville centre but research shows OETIO and the colleges who also train heavy equipment operators are in a race against time as the huge boomer generation reaches retirement age.

The average age of a journeyman mobile crane operator according to Ontario statistics compiled in 2012 was 50; even more pressing, the average tower crane operator was 58.

“We carefully monitor that,” said Gallagher. “We allow retirees to work for a certain amount of time after they retire but you can only keep working for so long at this trade, it is a physically demanding trade.”

“So the opportunity is there for young people considering a career.”

Click here to read full article

Gallagher Speaks at Liberal Fundraiser

Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher addressed a number of topics during remarks at a fundraiser for Labour Minister Kevin Flynn in the union banquet hall March 3. He told several hundred in attendance that he appreciates that the government will be investing in infrastructure, but he wants to make sure that building trade unions get the work. He noted that having unions do the work will ensure the province gets more for its money. “These contractors invest in pension and benefit and training funds and non-union contractors do not […]

Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher addressed a number of topics during remarks at a fundraiser for Labour Minister Kevin Flynn in the union banquet hall March 3.

He told several hundred in attendance that he appreciates that the government will be investing in infrastructure, but he wants to make sure that building trade unions get the work.

He noted that having unions do the work will ensure the province gets more for its money.

“These contractors invest in pension and benefit and training funds and non-union contractors do not do that,” he said.

Gallagher noted that a study funded by the Ontario Construction Secretariat shows there is a big advantage to using unionized labour on projects.

Indeed, the study found that unionized construction firms in Ontario are safer than non-union firms.

The study, which examined Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) claims data between 2006 and 2012 from more than 40,000 construction firms across Ontario, shows that unionized workers reported 23 per cent fewer injuries requiring time off work than non-union workers.

It was the first peer-reviewed Canadian study to examine the occupational health and safety benefits of unions in Ontario’s industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) construction sector.

In light of the study, Gallagher said, the government should ensure unions get the infrastructure work.

“It would be the right thing to do for the government.”

Gallagher also spoke about the importance of the Energy East pipeline project, part of which would run through northern Ontario.

“It’s very important that all of the public in Ontario gets behind the pipeline,” he said, as the amount of jobs involved is substantial and very important to the construction trades.

He said pipelines are proven to be the most environmentally friendly way to move oil from one end of the country to the other.

Presently, he noted, Canada imports 800,000 barrels of oil per day from countries like Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and the U.S.

On the issue of the College of Trades, Gallagher also told the fundraiser that in reviewing recommendations made by Tony Dean “he should not throw out the baby with the bathwater.”

He should not lose site of the original purpose of self-regulation of the trades and allow applications to be bogged down by frivolous jurisdiction claims and hearings at the Ontario Labour Relations Board, he said.

Meanwhile, Gallagher said, the Operating Engineers appreciate the recent announcement of new drill rig regulations that was made last December by Labour Minister Flynn at a construction site in downtown Toronto, as it will ensure construction sites are safer.

Operators will now be required to have a mobile crane hoisting licence and 40 hours of specific training approved by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, and six months experience on the ground working as a front-end person to operate a foundation and piling rotary drill rig in Ontario.

The changes were made in response to an accident Oct. 11, 2011 that killed Kyle James Knox, a 24-year-old Local 793 crane apprentice. He was killed when a drill rig collapsed onto a backhoe he was operating at a construction site at York University. The operator of the drill rig was not licensed in Ontario.

Gallagher said the new regulations will ensure that there is not another tragic accident in Ontario.

Labour Minister Flynn said in remarks that the industry and Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities came to the conclusion that the rules needed to be changed.

He noted the new requirements come into effect July 1.

Minister of Transportation Steven Del Duca said in remarks that for too long governments of all political stripes have under-invested in Ontario’s infrastructure and the government is now playing catch-up.

He noted that the Liberals intend to invest $160 billion over 12 years in infrastructure to build Ontario up, and that includes $16 billion over a decade in the GTA and Hamilton areas, specifically on public transit.

He said the investment will create 110,000 jobs across the province each and every year.

“That’s 110,000 families that are affected.”

At the event, attendees also observed a moment of silence for Ray Goodfellow, a management trustee on the union’s training and life and health benefits trust funds who passed away Feb. 21 at the age of 45.

Gallagher said that Goodfellow was a “fixture in the crane rental industry” and, thanks to his efforts, during the last round of bargaining for the Provincial Collective Agreement, it was settled in three days.

Business Manager Quoted in Huffington Post

Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher was quoted in an article that was written by Catherine Levesque and posted on the Huffington Post Quebec website. The original article was in French, and it has been translated into English. The article is posted below. Mike Gallagher, Director of Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, does not appreciate accusations of fraud from the Conservatives towards his union. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau travelled to Oakville, Ontario, last August 27 to make an announcement on its infrastructure investments before some 300 […]

Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher was quoted in an article that was written by Catherine Levesque and posted on the Huffington Post Quebec website. The original article was in French, and it has been translated into English. The article is posted below.

Mike Gallagher, Director of Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, does not appreciate accusations of fraud from the Conservatives towards his union.

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau travelled to Oakville, Ontario, last August 27 to make an announcement on its infrastructure investments before some 300 people. But nobody was paid to do so, argues Mike Gallagher, himself a Liberal supporter.

“We had workers and members of the community on-site. Everyone was there voluntarily,” he said. “Never would I have thought to pay for their presence.”

The Official Opposition has attacked the Trudeau Government since the beginning of the week to see if the Liberals have received other illegal donations from trade union organizations during the election campaign.

MP for Louis-Saint-Laurent, Gérard Deltell, said that there were two other events organized by the big bosses of the unions during the election campaign, including that of Mike Gallagher.

During question period, he asked the Prime Minister if there was illegal financing at the rallies in Oakville as well as Vaughan, October 8.

“The Liberal Party has always obeyed and protected the laws of Elections Canada in their application and we are proud of our record on it. Attacks by members of the Conservative Party are really appalling,” said Trudeau.

Deltell unveiled Monday that the Liberals had sought the help of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Industry of the Plumbing and Piping of the United States and Canada for an election announcement in Waterloo, Ontario.

23 union members were paid $100 each for their presence, thereby contravening the Electoral Act. A spokesperson for the Party responded by e-mail that these payments were made without the knowledge of the Liberal Party of Canada.

At rallies in Oakville and Vaughan, there was nothing to report on. “No, we are not aware of any payment in connection with these events,” said Christina Topp.

Mike Gallagher thinks that it is distressing to see the Conservative Party attempt to stain the reputation of the unions, while they have “never bothered to check the facts.

“They seem to want to demonize people. Instead of dragging us through the mud, why don’t they come and meet us?”

Workers all wore red hardhats during the visit of Justin Trudeau. The Liberal slogan also hung at the end of a crane while he spoke to the crowd.

But Mike Gallagher is of the opinion that the reception would have been the same no matter what party leader came to see them in their region.

“We did nothing wrong. I don’t like unfounded accusations like that,” he concludes.

Monument Dedicated at Local 793 Head Office

More than 150 people attended a special ceremony at Local 793’s head office in Oakville on April 28 to officially dedicate a memorial garden and monument to honour members of the union who’ve been killed in construction site accidents or died from occupational illnesses. The audience consisted of dignitaries, union staff, business reps, officers, construction employers, representatives from other unions, and family members of four deceased operators. The event was held on Canada’s Day of Mourning. A minute’s silence was observed during the ceremony. Names of 36 deceased Local 793 […]

More than 150 people attended a special ceremony at Local 793’s head office in Oakville on April 28 to officially dedicate a memorial garden and monument to honour members of the union who’ve been killed in construction site accidents or died from occupational illnesses.

The audience consisted of dignitaries, union staff, business reps, officers, construction employers, representatives from other unions, and family members of four deceased operators.

The event was held on Canada’s Day of Mourning. A minute’s silence was observed during the ceremony. Names of 36 deceased Local 793 members have been etched on the monument.

At the event, Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher spoke about the importance of reducing worksite accidents and ensuring government and agencies take appropriate action.

“We have to increase our efforts tenfold and we have to go out there and we have to tell the government the only consideration that matters is not whether they get re-elected or not,” he said, “it’s whether our workers get to return home at the end of the day.”

Gallagher said every single death is preventable but in his 18 years as business manager, and in his 30-plus years working in the industry, governments have been exceedingly slow at addressing safety issues that are highlighted by unions or coroner’s inquest juries.

Expert witnesses testify at coroner’s inquest juries and give advice, but soon after the recommendations are released they’re ignored by government and safety agencies, he said.

“You could count on your right hand how many coroner’s jury inquest recommendations have actually been put in place in terms of making our jobsites safer and putting regulations in place,” he noted. “It’s an absolute travesty that is correctable by government.”

Gallagher said there are new technologies, new equipment and new methods coming into the workforce, yet the system moves slowly.

“We move at a glacial pace to get the job done, to protect the workers that we send out to work every single day and it’s a damn shame,” he said. “We should move faster, put a higher priority, stop every other consideration except for protecting workers out on the job.

“We should make sure that the government enacts regulations to protect workers, our sons and daughters and brothers and husbands and wives, that go out on jobs and into the workplace to be put at risk when there’s absolutely no reason for it whatsoever.”

Gallagher said the Operating Engineers will continue to hold the feet of government to the fire.

“From the place that I’m standing, from where we’re coming from, we want to make sure that there are no shortcuts that are taken, that nobody overlooks a maintenance issue with regards to a crane or skimps on training, or has any other consideration whatsoever, other than to protect themselves and the workers and the public that are around them.”

IUOE general president James T. Callahan, who lost a brother due to an illness from the cleanup after the collapse of the World Trade Centre in New York City, attended the ceremony.

“This is a thought-provoking monument, I have to say,” he told the audience. “Walking through there, it stirred up what the Operating Engineers are all about.”

When a family member is killed at work, Callahan said, it’s one of the most devastating things to get over because there was no opportunity to say goodbye.

“If there’s any solace to that, it’s when your loved one fell they never touched the ground because there were 380,000 Operating Engineers that ran to them spiritually and looked out for their families afterwards, and that’s what a brotherhood is all about.”

Callahan said the monument and garden are a moving tribute to Operating Engineers and fallen workers.

Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said it seems like the completion of a mission to see the garden and monument built.

He said Oakville is committed to worker safety and has not had a fatal accident of an employee under his watch, something he is very proud of.

“We tell them that we feel a great duty to keep them safe from harm. We tell them that our commitment to their families is that we only borrow you for your workday and we feel a great obligation to return you to your family and your home in as good condition as you showed up in.

“We do that by making safety our number one criteria.”

At the beginning of the ceremony, Local 793 vice-president Joe Dowdall read a poem entitled Callum by Milton Acorn, a famous Canadian poet and labour activist from PEI. The poem is about a minor named Callum who goes to work and falls down a mine shaft and dies.

Local 793 business manager Gallagher said the poem laments the fact that workers, when they go to work and are killed on the job, don’t receive any recognition and are soon forgotten.

“I thought that was very appropriate given the fact that we have constructed a monument here to our members and their families to make sure that they’re never forgotten.”

Evidence shows compulsory certification works

A letter by Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher on the benefits of compulsory certification appeared recently in Northern Life publication. In the letter, he notes that compulsory certification in 1978 for hoisting engineers has led to fewer fatalities in the trade. Click here to see the letter.

A letter by Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher on the benefits of compulsory certification appeared recently in Northern Life publication. In the letter, he notes that compulsory certification in 1978 for hoisting engineers has led to fewer fatalities in the trade.

Click here to see the letter.

Compulsory Training Leads to Safer Worksites

An Industry Perspectives article by Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher appeared April 8 in Daily Commercial News. In the article, he corrects a number of inaccurate and misleading statements regarding compulsory certification. He notes the truth of the matter is that compulsory certification leads to better trained workers and safer worksites. Click here to see the article.

An Industry Perspectives article by Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher appeared April 8 in Daily Commercial News. In the article, he corrects a number of inaccurate and misleading statements regarding compulsory certification. He notes the truth of the matter is that compulsory certification leads to better trained workers and safer worksites.

Click here to see the article.