International Operating Engineer (ISSN 0020-8159) is published by the: International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL-CIO 1125 17 th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 Subscription Terms - per year Change of Address - Requests must be submitted in writing to the IUOE Membership Department (address above). Include your new address, registration and local union number. POSTMASTERS – ATTENTION: Change of address on Form 3579 should be sent to: International Operating Engineer Mailing List Dept. 1125 17th St., NW, 3rd Floor Washington, DC 20036 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40843045 Canada Post: Return undeliverables to P.O. Box 2601, 6915 Dixie Rd, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A9 Printed in the U.S.A. International Union of Operating Engineers AFL-CIO general officers James T. Callahan, General President Brian E. Hickey, General Secretary-Treasurer Jerry Kalmar, First Vice President Russell E. Burns, Second Vice President James M. Sweeney, Third Vice President Robert T. Heenan, Fourth Vice President Daniel J. McGraw, Fifth Vice President Daren Konopaski, Sixth Vice President Michael Gallagher, Seventh Vice President Greg Lalevee, Eighth Vice President Terrance E. McGowan, Ninth Vice President Louis G. Rasetta, Tenth Vice President Mark Maierle, Eleventh Vice President Randy Griffin, Twelfth Vice President Douglas W. Stockwell, Thirteenth Vice President Ronald J. Sikorski, Fourteenth Vice President Got Big News ? from Your Local We want to hear about it. trustees Kuba J. Brown, Chairman Bruce Moffatt, Trustee James T. Kunz, Jr., Trustee Joseph F. Shanahan, Trustee Edward J. Curly, Trustee International Operating Engineer appreciates the stories and photos we receive from local affiliates throughout North America. Send us your submissions or ideas for stories you would like us to consider. Send your submissions, plus photos (digital images are preferred), to Jay Lederer at jlederer@iuoe.org, or mail 1125 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20036 From the General President New Year, New Opportunities HAPPY NEW YEAR, Brothers and Sisters. We enter the New Year on very solid ground throughout the International. The work outlook is strong and although our movement continues to face some serious threats, I am confident that we will rise to meet these challenges with the collective strength that has been a hallmark of the Operating Engineers for the past 120 years. First, let’s look back at 2016 and the progress we have made together. We conducted two very successful trainings, one held on each coast, for 110 new Business Managers and Business Agents. We also delivered our Jurisdictional Best Practices training at twelve different locals. These trainings were attended by roughly 100 Business Managers and Business Agents. This training is our “all hands on deck approach” and it has led to the successful resolution of eight impediment of job progress complaints filed before the PLAN, without any rulings going against the IUOE. In addition, due to a renegotiated Jurisdictional Agreement between the IUOE and the Teamsters, we have prevailed in some arbitration regarding Articulating End Dumps, when a PLA is in place. The Operating Engineers National Charity Fund, administered by the General Executive Board, delivered checks totaling over million dollars to assist over 2,200 brothers and sisters affected by the Fort McMurray wildfires in Alberta, Canada last spring. On the Canadian work front, we were extremely active in securing various agreements in the pipeline industry. On the billion dollar Trans-Canada Pipeline Limited, we secured an agreement providing first right of refusal on all their projects when entering the construction phase. We also successfully lobbied the Canadian Federal Government for approval on three projects involving Enbridge Energy Partners, totaling .8 billion and Kinder Morgan’s Trans- Mountain Project at .8 billion. And just a few weeks ago, TransCanada re-submitted their application to build Keystone XL, the 1,179-mile (1,897km) pipeline from Hardisty, Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska. Operating Engineers in both countries will build the line under a project labor agreement. For Stationary Engineers, we assisted several Locals in establishing their own Registered Apprentice Programs. In addition, we are now close to finalizing joint efforts with Locals for nationally recognized Department of Energy Credentials and Standards covering Building Operators. The year closed with the U.S. elections. Donald J. Trump was elected our 45th President and the Republican Party retained majorities in both chambers of Congress. I had an opportunity to meet privately with Mr. Trump a couple of weeks before the inauguration. It was a good opportunity to introduce the Operating Engineers and our priorities to the new President and I look forward to further dialog with his administration, especially around transportation and energy infrastructure investments. However, just days into the new Congress, there was a direct attack on prevailing wages. Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) has introduced a bill to repeal Davis-Bacon prevailing wage on construction work that receives federal funding. There has also been talk about pushing a national right-to-work bill, which was part of the Republican Party platform passed at their convention this summer. [James T. Callahan] In addition, we face some serious legislative challenges in state legislatures around the country. Antiworker majorities in several states are wasting no time going after organized labor. In January, we saw Kentucky go Right-to-Work and repeal its state Prevailing Wage. Missouri and New Hampshire are moving quickly to do the same. I urge every member to reach out to their state representatives and members of Congress and let them know that you oppose these attacks against collective bargaining and working families. Cutting wages and benefits and weakening collective bargaining will not make our country great again. There is no doubt, we have some tough sledding ahead. But I am resolved to push forward. Where there is common ground, we will work together to pursue opportunities that benefit Operating Engineer members throughout North America. Where there are differences, we will fight. We will support our Locals and represent every single member of this great union with the same level of energy and passion we always do, no matter who controls the levers of government. I wish every member a healthy and prosperous New Year. Work safe. 4 INTERNATIONAL OPERATING ENGINEER WINTER 2017 5
