2008 Labor Neighbor walks kick off May 17 in WA

The national AFL-CIO has designated Saturday, May 17 as the national kickoff of the 2008 Labor Neighbor Campaign, and Washington state will be joining the national effort with Labor Neighbor Walks in King, Snohomish, Pierce and Clark counties.  Union volunteers are needed from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 17 to spend part of that Saturday distributing information about labor-endorsed candidates to fellow union members.  Contact the corodinator in your county: KING - Lily Wilson-Codega 206-441-3473, SNOHOMISH - Gabe Hargrove 425-259-7922, PIERCE - Nathe Lawver 253-473-3810, and CLARK - Mike Carnahan 360-921-7484.  Contact Lori Province for more information or call 206-281-8901.  Download a flyer with more information.

WA training center seeks new instructor

The Operating Engineers Regional Training Center in Ellensburg, WA, is hiring a new Instructor to teach asphalt/crusher/loader classes.  The Center is hoping to find an operator with at least five years' recent experience for this position.  The Center provides room and board. 

If you are interested in joining their team, submit your résumé ASAP to Jim Agnew at jim@oetraining.com.  Interviews are now being scheduled.  If you have any questions about the position, call the Training Center office at 509-968-3203.

Some May meeting dates incorrect on Local 302 calendar

On the Local 302 calendar distributed to all members, four of the May membership meeting dates are listed incorrectly: ELLENSBURG (District 5) meets Wednesday, May 14 at 7 p.m. at the Union Hall, 403 S. Water St.; SILVERDALE (District 3) meets Wednesday, May 21 at 7 p.m. at the Union Hall, 3599 Carlton St.; JUNEAU meets Tuesday, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Union Hall, 9309 Glacier Hwy.; and FAIRBANKS meets Wednesday, May 28 at 7 p.m. at the Union Hall, 3002 Lathrop St.

Nominations for officers' elections will be taken in June

An election of Local 302 officers for the positions of Business Manager, President, Vice-President, Recording-Corresponding and Financial Secretary, Treasurer, three Executive board members, three Auditors, three Trustees, Conductor and Guard, of Local 302 will be held. Nominations will take place throughout the Districts in the month of June of this year. Tabulation of votes cast for those candidates will take place in August. The nominations and election will be held in accordance with the Local Union Bylaws and the Constitution of the International Union of Operating Engineers. (Click here to download/read Article XV of the Bylaws explaining eligibility, nominations and election procedure.) Here are the dates and locations of the June meetings where nominations will take place:

-- BOTHELL (District 1) Thursday, June 5, 7:00 p.m., Union Hall, 18701 120th Avenue N.E.
-- MT. VERNON (District 2) Thursday, June 12, 7:30 p.m., NW WA Electricians JATC, 306 Anderson Rd
-- ABERDEEN (District 3) Thursday, June 12, 7:00 p.m., Eagles Hall, 200 W. Market Street
-- SILVERDALE (District 3) Wednesday, June 18, 7:00 p.m., 302 Union Hall, 3599 N.W. Carlton St
-- PORT ANGELES (District 3) Thursday, June 19, 7:00 p.m., Eagles Hall, 110 S. Penn Street
-- WENATCHEE (District 4) Thursday, June 12, 7:00 p.m., Red Lion Hotel, 1225 N. Wenatchee Ave
-- ELLENSBURG (District 5) Wednesday, June 11, 7:00 p.m., 302 Union Hall, 403 S. Water Street
-- ANCHORAGE (District 6) Thursday, June 26, 7:00 p.m., 302 Union Hall, 900 W Northern Lights Blvd
-- FAIRBANKS (District 7) Wednesday, June 25, 7:00 p.m., 302 Union Hall, 3002 Lathrop Street
-- JUNEAU (District 8) Tuesday, June 24, 7:30 p.m., Travelodge, 9200 Glacier Hwy.

2008 Legislative Voting Record for WA

Operating Engineers Local 302 has published its 2008 Legislative Voting Record for Washington State.  It explains how every State Senator and State Representative in the state voted on Local 302's priority bills during the 2008 legislative session, and also provides their lifetime labor voting records as compiled by the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.  The 2008 Voting Records will be published in the 2nd Quarter edition of the Loadline, but they are also posted at this site for members to download. 

Local 302 its currently working on a similar Voting Record for Alaska legislators.  So stay tuned...

Allan B. Darr elected 7th Vice President at IUOE Convention

Local 302 Business Manager Allan B. Darr was elected and sworn in as 7th General Vice President of the International Union of Operating Engineers at the IUOE General Convention on April 27 in Las Vegas.  First appointed Vice President in January 2004 by former President Hanley, Darr is one of 14 Vice Presidents to represent the interests of some 170 IUOE local unions and approximately 405,000 members in the United States and Canada.

"I am very proud to receive this tremendous honor and I take very seriously the responsibility that comes along with it," Darr said.  "The Operating Engineers union has a proud history that dates back more than a century.  We are strong and growing at a time when other unions are shrinking, and I intend to promote and expand policies that maintain that growth."

IUOE General President Vincent J. Giblin and General Secretary-Treasurer Christopher Hanley were re-elected to their positions at this week's convention.  The IUOE's General Executive Board -- which includes the President, Secretary-Treasurer and 14 Vice Presidents -- has all the legislative, executive, administrative and judicial powers of the union in the five years between each General Convention.  All Executive Board members are elected to serve five-year terms.

Employer Trustees block pension benefit increase again

Despite continued improvement in the earnings and financial position of the Locals 302 and 612 of the IUOE Construction Industry Retirement Trust, the pension plan's Employer Trustees have again declined to support a benefit increase for the plan's participants.  Independent actuaries have found that the Trust is sufficiently funded that the benefit increases supported by Union Trustees would not negatively affect the plan’s solvency.  But at the Trustees’ quarterly meeting on March 18, Employer Trustees again refused all proposed increases without articulating specific reasons, other than to suggest that they want to build up a "cushion" and they would revisit the issue (again) at the next meeting.

At this point, Local 302 is urging participants in this pension plan to contact their Employer Trustees directly if they want an explanation for why their pension benefits have not increased.  Click here for a detailed report and for Trustee contact information.

The latest information on the Concrete Pumper Dispute

Effective Monday, March 24, members of Operating Engineers Local 302 have set up Unfair Labor Practice pickets against Brundage-Bone and Ralph’s Concrete Pumping Companies.  Local 302 filed ULP charges with the National Labor Relations Board against the companies for illegally interfering with and coercing employees who exercise their self-organization and collective-bargaining rights.  See the following Fact Sheets, including the actual ULPs, for Brundage-Bone and Ralph’s.

These pickets have nothing to do with any jurisdictional issue.  Operating Engineers Local 302 has not interfered with the relationship between the Laborers and the affected companies.  Local 302 is picketing for the sole reason of protesting Unfair Labor Practices committed by Brundage-Bone and Ralph's against Local 302 members.

Click here for more information about the dispute between Local 302 and certain concrete pumping companies in Western Washington, or about the intervention of the Laborers' leadership in that dispute.

Unalaska talks drag on; city employees feel "disrespected"

More than 80 Unalaska city employees are increasingly frustrated with the city's hard-line stance in negotiations to replace their union contract, which expired in June 2007.  The workers involved -- represented by Operating Engineers Local 302 -- maintain city roads (including snow removal), the landfill, the power lines, parks, and other public works, including City Hall clerical work.  The biggest obstacle is the employees' cost-of-living wage adjustment; employees are seeking 3% increases, but the city has only offered 1.5%.  The union put the city's offer to a vote and it was unanimously rejected.

Local 302 recently published an advertisement in The Dutch Harbor Fisherman urging residents to contact city leaders in support of a fair cost-of-living increase for city workers.  Says Local 302 Business Manager Allan B. Darr: "At this point, after many months of negotiation, all these city employees are asking for is to keep what the have. They don't want the value of their wages to be eroded away by higher prices for gas, food and housing. So you can imagine how frustrated, insulted and disrespected they feel when Unalaska city officials insists that they deserve less."

For more information, read Local 302's March 19 and March 4 news releases, or email Business Representative Carl Gamble.

Latest Loadline now available

The First Quarter 2008 edition of Operating Engineers Local 302's Loadline magazine has been printed and is in the mail.  Download it here.

"This issue reinforces an important commitment I have made to each one of our members," said IUOE 302 Business Manager Allan B. Darr.  "I want this proud Local Union to be more transparent.  I want for us to do a better job informing rank-and-file members about the work we do, and to raise our visibility among our signatory contractors, as well as those non-union companies we are aggressively recruiting."

The new Loadline includes a cover story about the history and future of Washington's Sound Transit construction work. (Check out our Photo Gallery for additional pictures of the Tunnel Boring Machine's holethrough on March 5 at Seattle's Beacon Hill.)  This issue also has news of a possible new Strike Fund for Alaska, reports from each of IUOE 302's districts in Alaska and Washington, national union news, election and legislative information from both states, our union's 2008 Scholarship applications, and much more, including many photographs of our members at work.

The Loadline is published quarterly.  Between editions, get your Local 302 news right here at www.iuoe302.org.

Members can download all contracts

The following contracts are publicly posted:

Alaska's master contract with Associated General Contractors
Washington's master contract with Associated General Contractors

In addition, as part of Business Manager and General Vice President Allan B. Darr's ongoing efforts to increase IUOE Local 302's transparency -- and the amount of information available on its web site -- ALL of Local 302's contracts are now posted on this site's Contracts Page.  However, access to that page is restricted to Local 302 members who have registered to use the site.  Click here to register, or if you have forgotten your user name or password click here.  If you are looking for a contract that is not posted on this site, please contact us.

IUOE 302 supports Valley Power strikers in California

IUOE Local 302 members are supporting their Brothers and Sisters of IUOE Local 3 in the San Francisco Bay area who have been on strike against Valley Power Systems North since July 10, 2007.  The strikers are protesting the company's refusal to honor the union contract that was in place when Valley Power bought the heavy-duty repair facility in August 2005.  In other words, they aren't striking for more money or benefits, their motto is: "All We Want Is What We Had!"

On Feb. 4, a group of Local 302 members protested outside Valley Power affiliate Northern Lights main facility in Seattle. Led by an inflated 12-foot-tall rat, members leafleted customers, delivery drivers, neighboring businesses and the general public urging them to boycott the company until the labor dispute ends. In a recent edition of Local 3's Picket Line Press newsletter, the strikers thanked Local 302 and Business Manager and General Vice President Allan B. Darr for their solidarity.

At each of Local 302's Christmas parties in 2007, Darr asked members to recognize the hardship faced by our striking Brothers and Sisters by making donations to their strike fund.  Local 302 members responded generously, donating more than $4,000 to the strike fund, to which the Union added another $1,000.  (See Picket Line Press coverage.) Back in November, Local 302 members leafleted the Pacific Marine Expo at Seattle Qwest Field Event Centre to inform attendees about the strike.  The leaflet urged them to stop by the display of Northern Lights, a Valley Power company at the trade show, and express solidarity with the strikers.  (See PLP coverage.)

Learn more about the Valley Power strike at Local 3's website.

Local 302 responds to Kimaco ad attacking our Union

(January 7, 2008) -- Before the holidays, Kimaco LLC, a construction crane company based in North Bend, bought a full-page advertisement in the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce to attack Operating Engineers Local 302.  Until now, our Union has avoided publicly commenting on our legal dispute with Kimaco and two other crane contractors -- Garner Construction and Cascade Tower and Rigging -- because the matter is being litigated, and we believe that is the appropriate venue for its resolution.

Although our inclination is to ignore Kimaco's provocation, our Union cannot let certain accusations, half-truths and deliberate falsehoods remain unaddressed.  However, unlike Kimaco, we will try to provide some context and avoid making wild unsubstantiated accusations that will only exacerbate this dispute.  Frankly, it’s a challenge to explain why Kimaco, which proudly embraces an anti-union "right-to-work" philosophy, is suing our Union to force us to negotiate an agreement on their terms.  How do you explain the hypocrisy of saying no worker should be "forced" to join a union, while suing to force a union to join with a corporation?

But we’ll take a deep breath, and give it our best shot.  Click here for our response.

Check out draft of new crane rules for Washington

With the strong support of Operating Engineers Local 302, Washington's State Legislature passed a new law in 2007 requiring inspection of all construction cranes and certification of their operators.  Starting in 2010, all cranes used in construction must be inspected by a state-certified inspector, plus pass annual inspections.  Also by 2010, construction crane operators will have to be certified by an accredited testing organization.

The specifics of what rules would apply to the certification process -- for example, the number of hours of crane-operating experience necessary for certification on specific types of crane -- have been under development by industry and labor representatives since that legislation passed.  Local 302's Government Affairs Director Randy Loomans and Business Representative Eric Bellamy have been active in that rulemaking process, and they now have a draft of those rules to share with our members.

Check out our new Legislative News page (scroll down to the crane rules story) to download those draft rules.