UA Local 516

icebreaker
March 2013

Richard Seder

An urgent word on qualifications

Throughout the history of the HVAC/ Refrigeration trade, UA Local 516 has been at the forefront. We have managed to change the industry from codes to actual legislation. We have changed many of the Worksafe BC regulations to ensure safety for our members and those working non-union. In leading the way, we have been the primary mover for all in the industry to follow the rules, regulations and laws. How do we expect to bring up the standard of others if we do not follow the right ethical path? In order to practice law, one must have passed the BAR exam. In order to plan and construct bridges, one must be an engineer. In order to work in the HVAC/ Refrigeration trade, one must be an indentured apprentice or hold an Interprovincial ticket in the trade. Such are the laws of this province. In addition to these laws and regulations, journeypersons must possess a Gas B certification to work gas fired units, boilers, etc. They must also possess an RE electrical ticket in order to work up to the panel, to work up to 750 volts and to work on 3 phase. In the new collective agreement (which was unanimously ratified by the membership) Clause 10.03 states, The parties agree it is the intent that all employees are expected to obtain their RE ticket certification no later than December 31, 2013.

Should individuals not be qualified as of December 31, 2013 they will be unable to work in the HVAC/Refrigeration trade until such time as they become qualified.
It is the intent of this Local Union to have ALL members qualified and set the bar for the industry. Numerous RE classes have already been held and more are to follow soon. If you decide to wait until the fall, you may be too late. Some members have completed their apprenticeship but have not written their gas exam. This must also be completed in order to be qualified. Everyone knows what is required when they begin the trade. When the laws change we must be in compliance. There is no basis for complaint that you should be allowed to work in the trade if you are not qualified. If you are not qualified

Do you read your mail?

In addition to meeting notices and the occasional newsletter we send out important announcements to our members. It may be a notice alerting you to the fact that your dues are in arrears or your Health and Welfare Hour Bank is low. These

items require your immediate attention if you wish to remain a member in good standing and keep your work privileges or maintain your health benefits. If you
dont understand a notice or feel it is inaccurate dont ignore it. Contact the union office to clarify the issue at 604-882-8212 or toll free at 1-800-729-6699.

according to the new standard, get qualified. Your working life depends on it.

A message from your elected officers

The times they are a changing

As most of you know, our Business Manager Rick Seder will soon be retiring. We would like to take this time to thank him for his many years of service, first as our Business Agent and then our Business Manager, a man of many hats. Through the ups and downs and many thousands of kilometers, let alone the wear and tear on his family life, Rick has always remained more than dedicated to our local. When he took over the top job of an almost bankrupt local union with 190 members, he put his mark on the UA by building 516 up to the 1000 members to date and making it into the #1 UA local in North America. We have all benefited from his leadership. The trick will be to continue to build on the solid base he is leaving us. As your elected representatives on the board, we are confident that with the appointment of Jason Amesbury as our Organizer, Business Agent/Manager in Training, the right choice has been made. We know he has large shoes to fill, but with all of our help we know he is up to the challenge. We would like to wish Rick and his wife, Yuna, all the best in their future endeavors. To Jason, who will be taking over more of the day to day running of the local, we realize it wont be an easy task. Just know that you have our unanimous support and hopefully that of the members as well. We look forward to working with you.

President: Vice President: Executive Board:

Bryan Harris Curt MacDonald Matt Buss, Gord Fyffe, Dave Schroeder Recording Secretary: Doug Pringle

Jason Amesbury

Positive Growth
I would like to offer a warm welcome to our newest signatory contractors: Litewood Services Ltd., Kelowna BC, FFS Refrigeration, Creston BC, ITS HVAC Inc., Elkford/Sparwood BC, and Ingersoll Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Lower Mainland. These new contractors all have something in common; they are all UA members that have taken a leap of faith to go out on their own and start service companies. When taking on this daunting task they were all faced with a choice: to stay union or not? They chose to sign contracts and stay union. I applaud this not so common decision; too many times we see contractors invest five to ten years of time, money and training into a technician and then have that same tech go off and start his or her own non-union shop and undercut the company that gave them their start. Staying union helps prevent the spiral to the bottom we have witnessed in so many other trades. We are all stronger when we are unified as an industry. The success of new union companies along with the continued profitability of existing union contractors is very important to the health and longevity of our local. There are many struggles that come with being a new company in such a competitive market. To ensure the success of our newest contactors we have a shared responsibility to help out in any way we can from sharing resources, to co-operation from other UA contractors, i.e. bidding and subbing work in outlying areas and taking advantage of the locations where these new companies are based. The relationships we build within this organization can only strengthen our position in the market. These new contractors have proven their support for this local so I will extend any assistance that I possibly can and I would hope to see the same support from our membership and contractors alike. Organizing is a collective responsibility and our future depends on an environment of cooperation and mutual support. Contact information for all these companies is available upon request. jasonamesbury@ua516.org Cell 604-309-7099 Office 604-882-8212

Litewood Services Ltd.

117 Clifton Road, Kelowna, BC V1V 1A3 Tel: 250-869-2124 or Email jeff@litewood.ca

My name is Jeff Harris and I wish to introduce my company, Litewood Services Ltd. I have spent all of my working life as a service technician with the past 25 years in the fields of refrigeration, controls, gas fitting and HVAC. Throughout this time I have earned my class A Gasfitter certification as well as other levels of education within the industry. You may know me from my early days in the residential field, or my industrial days in the Fraser Valley, to my commercial days in BCs Interior. I have experience with Scotch Marine Boilers, HRT Boilers, power burners, hot water atmospheric boilers and controls. I am factory trained on Danfoss magnetic bearing compressors, experienced with Trane CentraVac, Carrier and McQuay chillers. I am proficient with Engineered Air Make Up Air Units, all rooftop package systems, cooling towers and VFD pump controls. My past employers include: Broadway Refrigeration, Kimco Controls, Honeywell Business Services and Direct Energy Business Services. You can be assured that I will be safety minded and professional in all of my contacts at your work places. We have a comprehensive CGL policy and in depth safety program. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss your needs and how we may work together on your projects. Please dont hesitate to call or email me at anytime.

Union democracy as a tool for change

Often a notable obstacle for union administrations and their signatory contractors is keeping up with the necessary pace of change. Change is progressive change is the future. The beliefs and politics associated with the union members themselves can become a barrier to adapting to this change. Resistance to change is often the norm. A significant problem with many union organizations is that the level of participation by rank and file members is less than 10%. These are the ones who are active in union affairs and regularly attend the meetings. This is who the Business Manager is accountable to. Therefore 90% are outside of the decision making process on where and how change should occur. A representative democracy focused on the interests of the majority ends up being a decision making system governed by the very few. Those that are most active will have the greatest influence. So the fact is that union contractors, and 90% of the union members themselves have subcontracted the decision making and associated pace of change to just 10% of the unions members. If our union is to survive, it is going to need to adapt to the pace of change within the trade. If our union is to survive, it is going to need to possibly change faster than the 10% of decision makers is comfortable with. The solution is to improve the quality and quantity of participants in the union democratic process. It is about getting people into the game. We need employers to engage their own workforces directly, via the owners of the firms and key employees from the foreman level, to encourage Next Generation technicians to attend union meetings, connect with each other, and support the Business Manager and the employers when change is necessary. No specifics. No promotion of new ideas. Just getting more and more young union members involved in solving problems for the future. Union democracy is a regulatory system that must be responsive first to the interests of the members. Part of that responsiveness is the ability for the members themselves to understand change and how it affects them personally. But for it to work effectively it has to have a strong presence of active union members. Most contractors and union leaders understand this now is the time to put some effort into it. The pace of change does not stand still.

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Local 516 & JARTS to host UA Skills Competition

On April 10 and 11 UA Local 516 in conjunction with JARTS will be hosting the 2013 UA Western Regional Apprenticeship Skills Competition. During the competition approximately 30 UA apprentices from across Western Canada will compete to earn an opportunity to represent their Local and Western Canada at the UA National Competition in Toronto this June. Apprentices will be competing in HVAC/R, Plumbing, Sprinkler Fitting, Steam Fitting and Welding. Over the course of the two day event apprentices will perform various tasks, a few smaller procedures and one major project. With 30 competitors, their coaches, Local Union representatives and guests, it is sure to be a very busy place. This competition has proven in past years to be a great opportunity for apprentices to demonstrate their abilities, learn some new skills and make some new friends at the same time. The competition will be open to spectators, so if you can, try to drop by and see these talented apprentices at work.

Journeyman and apprentice training

UA Local 516 JATC and JARTS have been busy with apprenticeship, foundation, night school pre-employment and night school upgrading classes. Class schedules are posted on the JARTS website at www.jarts.ca. Our Winter schedule has finished up now and the Spring schedule should be posted on the site by the time you read this, so be sure and check it out. We will no longer be mailing course schedules as we have in the past. You can also send an email to Matt and request to be added to the email contact list and we can email training announcements to you.

Dont forget, if you do not have your Electrical FSR (RE) license, time is running out. As per our Collective Agreement all journeyman members are to have their RE by December 31, 2013. If you do not have yours it is in your best interest to contact JARTS and get booked for the next RE course to prepare you to challenge the exam before its too late.
Questions, comments or ideas for training please contact: Matt Buss 604-882-2774 Ext. 200 or mattbuss@ua516.org.

Submit your claims online through Member eClaims, saving time and paper Receive claim payments through direct deposit into your bank account Get claim payment notification by email or text message on your mobile phone View your claim status and Explanation of Benefits statements for the past 24 months Complete and print personalized forms and cards (e.g. ID, Drug, Global Medical Assistance, Best Doctors) Download our free GroupNet Mobile app* for your Android device, BlackBerry or iPhone Browse our Health & Wellness Site and Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace website for extensive healthcare

516 Mortgage Program off to a great start

Is your T4 correct?
If there is an amount showing in box 52 on your T4 you must contact your payroll office and report the error. An

entry in this box will adversely affect your income tax return, as a Pension Adjustment is not applicable for our plan. Some employers are confusing our RRSP Savings
Plan as a traditional pension plan and reporting it incorrectly on the T4s. Please ensure that your T4 is correct to avoid problems with Canada Revenue Agency.

U A L OC AL 5 1 6
19560 96th Avenue Surrey, BC V4N 4C3 Phone: 604 882-8212 Fax: 604 882-8207 Toll Free: 1-800-729-6699

The recently launched 516 Mortgage Program is off to a great start in its early stages and has already given out over $4,000 in cold hard cash to members who have bought homes! Most recently, Rob Thrift (Coast Mountain Air Conditioning) and his family were finding life was getting tight in their New West condo. After learning about the Premium Mortgage Services Program they decided to begin looking at buying their first townhome. After collaborating with the Ingram Mortgage Team and working closely with one of the programs realtors, they ended up qualifying for a detached home! Rob and his family are proud new owners of a beautiful home with a backyard and no strata fees. PLUS, they received over $1,700 cash at closing that Rob plans to use towards his new man cave! www.ua516.ingrammortgageteam.com has been completely redesigned with a new look and fresh content to download. Head on over to check out photos of members receiving their cheques, video testimonials of their experiences and also free e-books on the Top 20 Questions you should ask when shopping for a mortgage. If you already have a mortgage, check out the free e-book on the extremely popular Inflation Hedge Mortgage Strategy which, if followed, will guarantee you pay your mortgage off sooner than scheduled and save you thousands in interest along the way! Whether youre buying a home or refinancing your mortgage to pay off debt, having a good strategy in place is imperative to ensure you are maximizing your home as an asset.