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Washington Local 302 Member Surveys
Local 302 will begin negotiations soon with the Washington AGC for a successor Master Labor Agreement. To assist the negotiations team in determining priorities, member surveys were mailed out to all Washington Local 302 members in good standing on March 1st.
Please complete and return the survey to the Local 302 Bothell office
by March 22, 2010
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Jack McDonald Memorial Scholarship Opportunity
Applications are now being accepted for the 2010-2011 school year. High-school children and grandchildren of Local 302 members in good standing may apply. A total of six scholarships will be awarded to students who plan to attend accredited colleges or universities, or vocational/technical schools.
You can download and print the application from the link below, or request that an application be mailed to you by calling the Local 302 office: (425) 806-0302, extension 102. 2010 Jack McDonald Memorial Scholarship application
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Washington Contractor Day
Washington contractors are invited to attend Contractor Day at IUOE Local 302's Training Center in Ellensburg from 9:00-2:00 on March 24th. Learn how to get the maximum return on your investment through the wide variety of training, testing and certification programs that are available. Please call or email to register your attendance: 1(800) 333-9752 or jatc@oetraining.com Contractor Day brochure
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2010 Alaska Legislative Priorities
Unemployment Insurance
SB170 TITLE: "An Act modifying the Alaska unemployment insurance statutes by redefining the base Period for determining eligibility for unemployment benefits; relating to contributions, interest, penalties, and payments under the Alaska Employment Security Act; and providing for an effective date. HB346 TITLE: An Act establishing the Workers' Compensation Advisory Board; and providing for an effective date. SB159 TITLE: "An Act increasing the maximum funeral expenses payable as a workers' compensation death benefit; and providing for an effective date." Crane Operator License SB97 TITLE: "An Act relating to the licensing of crane operators; and providing for an effective date Oil and Gas Production Tax HB308 TITLE: An Act relating to the tax rate applicable to the production of oil and gas; relating to credits against the oil and gas production tax; and relating to the period in which oil and gas production taxes may be assessed
SB159 TITLE: "An Act relating to the duties of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development; relating to the tax rate applicable to the production of oil and gas; relating to a rebate of the production tax on oil and gas based on the employment of resident workers; relating to credits against the oil and gas production tax; relating to the period in which oil and gas production taxes may be assessed; relating to the interest rates applicable on certain amounts due related to various taxes, penalties, payments, and the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act; and providing for an effective date. HB312 TITLE: An Act authorizing an advisory vote on use of Alaska permanent fund earnings for an in-state natural gas pipeline; and providing for an effective date." Transportation Infrastructure HB329 TITLE: "An Act relating to the transportation infrastructure fund, to local public transportation, to motor fuel taxes, and to the motor vehicle registration fee; and providing for an effective date." HB356TITLE: "An Act making a special appropriation to the transportation infrastructure fund; and providing for an effective date." HB333 TITLE: "An Act directing the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to develop and implement standards and operating procedures allowing for the use in the construction and maintenance of transportation projects and public facilities and in the construction of projects by public and private entities of gravel or aggregate materials that contain naturally occurring asbestos, and authorizing use on an interim basis of those materials for certain transportation projects and public facilities; and relating to certain claims arising out of or in connection with the use of gravel or aggregate materials."
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LOADLINE - First Quarter 2010
The Loadline is a quarterly publication that covers issues which directly impact the work of our Operating Engineers in Washington and Alaska.
Click on the link above to view
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New Crane Regulations now in full effect
The Crane Regulations passed into law in 2007 went into full effect on January 1, 2010. The requirement for Operator qualifications includes hours of experience required to operate the various types of cranes. The new law requires that even if you have an NCCCO card you must also have the required hours of operating experience for the type of crane you are operating. This requirement is in the law to ensure that the Operator has had seat time for the crane being operated. It will also stop the entities that- for a fee- will allow anyone to practice for a few days, take the NCCCO test, and call themselves crane operators even though they have no on-the-job experience operating a crane. There is no requirement in the Crane Laws or Rules that require our members to sign an affidavit (a notarized document) on operating experience. For experience prior to 2010 the employer may accept a signed declaration from crane operators attesting that they have the hours required by law to operate a certain type of crane. An acceptable declaration form is shown in the link below. All crane operators should keep track of their hours and types of cranes being operated. Open the links below to view the entire Washington Administrative Code pertaining to operator qualifications and certification, and to complete the crane operator declaration form. Print a copy of the completed form for your records.
Crane Operator Qualifications and Certification
Crane Operator Experience Declaration form
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Local 302 members say 'yes' to Alaska AGC contract
Local 302 members throughout Alaska ratified the AGC contract during meetings held on December 15 in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau.
The Alaska staff and members worked very hard to get an acceptable agreement. All of Local 302 staff offer our thanks and congratulations for a job well done!
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Project Help
According to the Washington State Labor Council, workers in the construction industry are making a common mistake when they file for Workers' Compensation that ends up causing a denial of the claim, or significant delays in receiving the requested compensation. On the Report of Accident form, injured workers are listing their Union as their Employer because they are dispatched. This is not the correct thing to do. If you need to file a workers' compensation claim due to an on-the-job injury, your Employer is the Contractor you worked for at the time the injury occurred.
For more information and assistance in completing the workers' compensation forms, please visit the Project Help section of the WSLC website.
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Operating Engineers & Northwest Carpenters create
new Regional Partnership
Two of the largest building trades unions in the northwest - the International Union of Operating Engineers Locals 302, 612 and 701, and The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters (Northwest Carpenters) - have joined forces to create the first regional council of the National Construction Alliance II. Together, these founding unions represent over 35,000 working men and women in the construction and building trades in Washington and Oregon.
Read the complete press release issued by the NWNCA on August 17, 2009.
Visit the new NWNCA website (http://nwnca.org/)
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A Message about our Pension Trust from the Operating Engineers Local 302 The current financial market crisis has caused anxiety for savers and investors, and retirement plan participants. We want you to know that your Board of Trustees have been discussing these issues with our financial experts and we want to share with you why we feel your pension program is safe and secure. The broad stock market lost nearly 40% over the last year. This followed five years of a very strong market compounding at 13% per year. Market declines of this magnitude are traumatic but not unique. They happened most recently in 2001-02 and before that in 1973-74. This decline has been driven by a meltdown of the Sub Prime Mortgage Market. It has brought down large financial institutions including Bear Stearns, Lehman, Washington Mutual and Wachovia, and restructured many others: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, and Merrill Lynch. Congress has passed dramatic legislation and the Federal Reserve has acted to support a recovery of the banking and financial industry. Most believe the recovery will happen but that the volatility is not over yet. Previous recoveries in 2003 and 1975 resulted in dramatic rebounds of the markets. The Trustees of the Operating Engineers Pension Plan maintain a broadly diversified investment portfolio. It is constructed in a manner that is consistent with the long-term actuarial assumptions that underlie the Plan’s benefit structure. Due to the investment program’s design and professional oversight and monitoring, it has been successful throughout the years and in all types of market conditions. For the past 5 years it earned 12.9% per year ranking in the top 5% of other plans. The Trustees employ an asset valuation method that provides for the “smoothing out” of fluctuations in the value of invested assets due to market volatility over time. Participants should also take comfort in the fact that the Pension Plan continues to operate from a very strong funded position and is well-poised to contend with the current volatility. Your Plan was recently certified as a well-funded “Green Zone” plan under the Pension Protection Act and has amassed a substantial credit balance over time against the Federal government’s minimum funding requirements. In summary, the Pension Plan is well-positioned to meet its future obligations and weather market volatility along the way. The long-term nature of this defined benefit pension program and the prudent measures and policies employed by the Trustees allow for uninterrupted operation in turbulent times and retirement security for its participants and beneficiaries. We will be having a Trust meeting on the 30th of October and will update you if there are any changes to the Trustees’ opinion on this matter.
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