Next week, the U.S. House of Representatives will consider H.R. 4486, the Military Construction-VA Appropriations Act. Amendments may be offered to this bill that seek to either weaken or repeal the Davis-Bacon Act, as well as to prohibit Project Labor Agreements for federal construction projects.
Click here for a detailed primer about Prevailing Wages and Project Labor Agreements.
Please contact your Representative and urge a vote against any amendment that seeks to weaken or repeal Davis-Bacon, or to prohibit PLAs.
Author: paul
Last year, with the help of thousands of volunteers, letter carriers all across America collected more than 74.4 million pounds of non-perishable food—the second-highest amount since the drive began in 1992, bringing the grand total to just under 1.3 billion pounds.
“It’s such an easy way for our customers to help people in their own communities,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “All they have to do is leave a non-perishable food donation in a bag by their mailboxes. And that’s it! Then, just like we do every Saturday of the year, letter carriers will swing by—only on Saturday, May 10, we’ll be ready to pick up the food donations and make sure they get to a local food bank or other charity within that community.”
Food banks and shelters usually benefit from an upswing in charitable donations during the winter holiday season. By spring, these stocks dwindle. In addition, with the advent of the summer months, many low income families are left scrambling to find food for their children.
In order to meet the high demand for donations, Union members froma cross the labor movement are assisting with the program by volunteering to distribute and collect food in their local communities.
You can help by leaving any non-perishable items by your mailbox on Saturday may 10th where they will be picked up by your local letter carrier.
Those with questions about the drive should contact NALC Community and Membership Outreach Coordinator Pam Donato at 202-662-2489, or send an e-mail to donato@nalc.org.
By Kate Cywinski – Union Sportsmens’ Alliance
A picturesque 550 ft. canyon made up of chasms, plateaus and pinnacles painted in hues of pink, orange, red and purple is something you might expect to see out West—not in southwest Georgia. Yet that’s what visitors find at Providence Canyon State Park—fondly known to locals as Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon. Though formed by erosion resulting from poor farming practices in the 1800s, the canyon is an icon in a region blessed with parks and public access in every direction.
A hiking trail with scenic views is the key draw to Providence Canyon State Park, but until recently, it was dotted with downed trees and limbs and severely overgrown with vegetation, which extended up to 15 feet beyond the fence that runs along the canyon rim. As Park Manager Tracy Yearta was deciding how to address the trail, he got a call from Dave Hall, Recording Secretary for the Columbus Metal Trades Council (CMTC).
“It was a very pleasant surprise to get that call,” said Yearta, who has managed both Providence Canyon State Park and Florence Marina since the parks were restructured a few years back. “It got me rejuvenated because we were trying to form a game plan to tackle a section of park we felt needed the most attention because we didn’t have the manpower to do the whole thing.”
Located in Fort Benning, GA, the CMTC is an umbrella group of six unions including IBEW Local 613, IUOE Local 926, LiUNA Local 515, UA Local 52, IAMAW Local 2699 and SMART Local 85. Its leadership became aware of the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance when union representatives from Atlanta mentioned USA’s Atlanta Conservation Dinner and gun-a-week calendar at monthly meetings. They then learned about USA’s Adopt-A-Park program at a union convention, and that really sparked their interest.
After a few discussions with USA’s conservation project coordinator, Dave Hall, who was nominated to organize a park project, contacted Yearta and laid plans for volunteers to clean up the 7-mile trail beginning at the park entrance.
On February 8, Hall, CMTC President Mike Culpepper and members of each CMTC union along with Pablo Diaz, the human resources manager of CMTC’s main contractor Tiya Management, and his son met up with park staff equipped with chainsaws and determination; they needed both.
After clearing a large section of fence to restore views of the canyon, the 12 volunteers split into two groups and worked from opposite ends of the trail to remove fallen trees, cut dead limbs overhead and refresh trail markers.
“Seven miles is a lengthy area to clear, and when we ran into the other team at the end of the day, you could see the light in everyone’s eyes,” said Hall. “It was one of the most fulfilling events I have ever been a part of! Everyone…had a sense of pride knowing the work we were doing would have a lasting impression on the park staff and our community.”
Following the success of the project, the CMTC has already had follow up discussions with Yearta about more joint projects like improvements to dock and cabin facilities at Florence Marina.
“I just can’t say enough how much I appreciate those guys taking their personal time to come out and help. … It’s really important to the visitors and park staff,” Yearta said. “We basically have one team taking care of two parks, so groups like the Columbus Metal Trades Council are a tremendous asset to the park system.”
The 100th Anniversary of the Ludlow Massacre is upon us. The strike started on September 23, 1913, and the massacre occurred on April 20, 1914, in southern Colorado. The United Mine Workers of America is planning a series of events to commemorate this tragedy. Many academic and labor historian groups have been planning events and speaking engagements on Ludlow.
The 2014 event will be held the weekend of May 18, 2014, to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Massacre. April 20, 2014, the date of this tragedy was considered, but that is Easter Sunday. A prayer vigil is being planned for that day, and the remembrance will be held May 18th.
We are jointly writing to you today not only to invite you to attend these functions, but to ask that the SMART Union as a whole commemorate this event. Men, women and children died in the Ludlow struggle for economic justice. It’s our opinion that the greatest tribute we can give them is use the 100th Anniversary to further their cause.
Many of the issues that occurred at the time of the Ludlow Massacre are some of the same issues that we face today. Gone are the issues of the company towns, company guards, scrip pay (coal company money) and tent colonies. However, the attack on collective bargaining rights and the right to organize, economic injustice, immigration, worker health and safety, corporate, political, and media attacks on labor unions,
8-hour work days, and numerous other issues, face all of us today.
The Ludlow workers took on the battle one hundred years ago, and we ask you to honor them by making the centennial events of the strike and massacre our opportunity to redefine the labor movement and to take our rightful place in today’s society.
We feel it is up to all of us who enjoy collective bargaining rights, to use any and every opportunity to speak out, to engage our political friends, as well as our enemies, and when able, to participate in public events and to be a part of any debate about Ludlow and/or any of the issues that still face us today.
Ludlow was a United Mine Workers of America event and in solidarity Colorado SMART Union members plan on offering a tribute to these fallen miners, their wives, and children. We ask that our SMART Union leaders join with us as labor so we can better engage the public in all issues affecting workers.
In closing, thank you for your time and allowing us to pass on this information. Feel free to contact either of us with any questions or comments. We look forward to hearing from you, and to have a large SMART Union contingency at this important event labor history.
Fraternally,
Eric DeBey, Business Manager
SMWIA Local 9
Carl Smith
Director
Colorado Legislative Board
Each year, tens of thousands of American workers are made sick or die from occupational exposures to hazardous chemicals. While many chemicals are suspected of being harmful, OSHA’s exposure standards are out-of-date and inadequately protective for the small number of chemicals that are regulated in the workplace. To help keep workers safe, OSHA has launched two new Web resources.
The first resource is a step-by-step toolkit to identify safer chemicals that can be used in place of more hazardous ones. The Transitioning to Safer Chemicals Toolkit (https://www.osha.gov/dsg/safer_chemicals/index.html) provides employers and workers with information, methods, tools and guidance on using informed substitution in the workplace.
OSHA has also created another new Web resource: the Annotated Permissible Exposure Limits (https://www.osha.gov/dsg/annotated-pels/index.html), which will enable employers to voluntarily adopt newer, more protective workplace exposure limits. Since OSHA’s adoption of the majority of its PELs more than 40 years ago, new scientific data, industrial experience and developments in technology clearly indicate that in many instances these mandatory limits are not sufficiently protective of workers’ health.
“From steel mills to hospitals, from construction sites to nail salons, hazardous chemical exposure is a serious concern for countless employers and workers in many, many industries, in every part of this nation,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. “With these new resources, OSHA is making sure that all business owners have access to information on safer exposure limits and safer alternatives to help protect their workers and their bottom lines.”
Local Secretary & Treasurer Dale Biggs of SMART Transportation Division Local 240 at Los Angeles reports that the local’s next monthly meeting will be held Wednesday, April 9, at 7 p.m. at Ozzie’s Diner, upstairs.
Biggs is compiling an email list to send out notices of meetings. Please contact Biggs with your email address if you would like to be on the list. He said that the list will only be used for union business.
Biggs can be reached at rrcond55@aol.com.
On February 1, 2014, Local 293 Financial Secretary-Treasurer and Business Manager Arthur Tolentino and Local 73 President and Business Manager Rocco Terranova were sworn in as SMART’s Tenth and Eleventh General Vice Presidents, respectively.
A graduate of Ohio State University, Brother Arthur Tolentino commenced his career in the sheet metal industry as an apprentice with Au’s Plumbing in 1986. From 1992 through 1997, he served as an instructor for the Hawaii Joint Apprenticeship Committee for the Sheet Metal Industry. He was appointed shop steward in 1994 and served through 2002, when he became a Local 293 organizer.He served as a Labor Representative on the Hawaii Joint Apprenticeship Committee beginning in March 2000 and became Local 293 Business Representative/President in January 2003, along with becoming a Labor Trustee for the Hawaii Sheet Metal Workers’ Trust Fund. Currently, he presides as the Fund Chairman.A member of the Hawaii Building & Construction Trades Council since his election as Local 293 Business Manager in 2007, Tolentino became Building and Construction Trades Treasurer in 2009. In 2010 he began serving as a commissioner on the city and county of Honolulu’s Planning Commission.Prior to his appointment as SMART’s Tenth General Vice President, he served as a Trustee on the National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC) since January 2013.
Besides his involvement in numerous community outreach programs, Brother Tolentino involves himself with fishing, hunting, cooking, off-road driving, coin and stamp collecting.
A member of Sheet Metal Local 73 for 36 years, Brother Rocco Terranova started his career in sheet metal as an apprentice from 1978 to 1982 with Dessent Sheet Metal. His working experience in the trade spans many roles, having worked as journeyman, foreman, and superintendent. Prior to being elected as President and Business Manager of his home local, he was elected Union Trustee from 1997 to 2000 and served as an organizer from 2000 through 2004, and as a delegate to the Chicago Federation of Labor. Then in July 2004 he was elected Business Agent and served through July 2009, when he was elected Local 73 President and Business Manager.
Terranova currently serves on the Executive Boards of the Chicago Building Trades, Chicago Federation of Labor, and Italian American Labor Council. Rocco is also Chairman of the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 73 Executive Board, Chairman of the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 73 Retiree’s Committee, Veteran’s Committee, Joint Arbitration Board, and Legislative PAC Committee. He Co-Chairs the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 73 Pension & Welfare Board and the Annuity Board. Rocco is also a Trustee to the Sign & Production Council, a committee member of the Amalgamated Bank Labor Council, and the Vice President of Greater Chicago and Vicinity Board Council Maritime Trades Dept., AFL-CIO. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees for The National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC) since 2009.
Having been a Patrol Officer, Youth Commissioner, and Schaumburg Township Democratic Committeeman, Brother Terranova understands the meaning of public service and the needs of the working middle class. He values these positions and the experiences they have brought to him.
Married to his wife Sue for 38 years, he has three children and five grandchildren. Taking their devotion to public service from their father, his children serve in the military (Marines and Green Berets), work in law enforcement, and serve the public through social work.
Besides his involvement in numerous community outreach programs, Brother Tolentino involves himself with fishing, hunting, cooking, off-road driving, coin and stamp collecting.
A member of Sheet Metal Local 73 for 36 years, Brother Rocco Terranova started his career in sheet metal as an apprentice from 1978 to 1982 with Dessent Sheet Metal. His working experience in the trade spans many roles, having worked as journeyman, foreman, and superintendent. Prior to being elected as President and Business Manager of his home local, he was elected Union Trustee from 1997 to 2000 and served as an organizer from 2000 through 2004, and as a delegate to the Chicago Federation of Labor. Then in July 2004 he was elected Business Agent and served through July 2009, when he was elected Local 73 President and Business Manager.
Terranova currently serves on the Executive Boards of the Chicago Building Trades, Chicago Federation of Labor, and Italian American Labor Council. Rocco is also Chairman of the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 73 Executive Board, Chairman of the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 73 Retiree’s Committee, Veteran’s Committee, Joint Arbitration Board, and Legislative PAC Committee. He Co-Chairs the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 73 Pension & Welfare Board and the Annuity Board. Rocco is also a Trustee to the Sign & Production Council, a committee member of the Amalgamated Bank Labor Council, and the Vice President of Greater Chicago and Vicinity Board Council Maritime Trades Dept., AFL-CIO. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees for The National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC) since 2009.
Having been a Patrol Officer, Youth Commissioner, and Schaumburg Township Democratic Committeeman, Brother Terranova understands the meaning of public service and the needs of the working middle class. He values these positions and the experiences they have brought to him.
Married to his wife Sue for 38 years, he has three children and five grandchildren. Taking their devotion to public service from their father, his children serve in the military (Marines and Green Berets), work in law enforcement, and serve the public through social work.
THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
You don’t need to be told how complex healthcare has become, especially with the changes involving the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This legislation has afforded millions of Americans a chance at securing health insurance that covers pre-existing conditions. Its effect on multi-employer plans such as ours has forced us to anticipate and preemptively adapt to the changing realities it will bring to the health care marketplace and multi-employer plans.
For decades, this union and our employers have provided affordable, high-quality health care coverage for members through our multiemployer health plans. This was accomplished jointly by labor and management through the collective bargaining process, and has enabled us to offer good living wages and benefits to members and their families throughout the United States.
So far, we have recognized the potential harm the ACA will have on the viability of our multi-employer plans through the high employee threshold of the employer mandate, its definition of a qualified health plan, and the reinsurance fee.
The ACA’s high threshold mandate does not penalize small businesses with fewer than 50 employees for failing to offer them health care coverage. This means almost all non-union construction industry employers (93% of whom have fewer than 20 employees), are not required to provide health care coverage for their workforce. The high threshold for coverage gives these employers a cost advantage in bidding for work, and that has the potential to undermine the quality health care, wages, and retirement we have achieved.
As currently worded, the ACA does not include multi-employer health plans in the definition of a qualified health plan. This is because plan participants already have health care coverage, and the intent of the law is to expand access to the uninsured through tax credits, not provide tax credits to those already with insurance coverage. Since many non-union employers employ workers without health care coverage, this allows those employers to have their substandard health care offerings subsidized through government tax credits.
Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services and individual states will begin charging $63 for each and every individual (member, spouse, dependents) enrolled in a plan outside of the exchanges, starting at the end of this year. For self-insured health plans, which include the majority of multi-employer plans, the administrator is responsible for paying the assessment. In our industry, the plan administrators are the trust funds. This will have the effect of shifting an additional expense onto our participants.
MAPD and SMW+
In order to protect our members from the adverse effects of these changes, we took steps to enhance our health care offerings to provide the best possible benefits to members and retirees. After a careful and extensive process, we first extended our SMW+ offering to members of all local unions. We also studied various Medicare eligible programs, which resulted in an arrangement with Humana, a nationally recognized and respected firm, to offer retirees a Medicare Advantage Plan. Commonly referred to as a MAPD, this plan includes a broad and costeffective prescription drug program. While this same plan is available to individuals through private markets, SMART has been able to negotiate a much lower discounted rate for the same products and services for the benefit of members and their families.
We did this by utilizing our regional healthcare model that capitalizes on larger groups of participants and puts us in better position to negotiate lower rates that would be advantageous for our members. Instead of each fund negotiating separate agreements with providers, we negotiated one agreement with the leverage provided by the sheer number of our members.
Many plans and locals already have MAPDs or offer Medicare supplement plans and Rx coverage through other avenues, like selffunding or some other combination. We want to offer, however, a way to reduce costs through our collective numbers, especially in the face of rising health care expenses which are being realized by health care consumers nationwide.
Retirees are now taking advantage of SMW+ and SMART MAPD plans, and we expect that number to increase throughout the year. We are also looking at ways to improve upon and expand the MAPD in 2015 so we can meet the needs of more members.
Traditionally, we have offered the SMW+ product, and participants are pleased with its results. However, the marketplace has put retired members in a position where they are inundated with offers for products from every avenue of the health care market. That is why it is important to know what is already available from your union without the need to purchase redundant or possibly more costly and substandard coverage from an outside commercial provider.
The Excise Tax
Due to the battery of questions on the Affordable Care Act I have been asked, and the high interest revolving around its effects, I want to mention the excise tax, also known by detractors as the so-called “Cadillac tax.” By the sound of it, you might think these plans cover extravagances such as annual trips to Swiss medical spas, cosmetic surgery, and weekly massages. That is nowhere near reality. While there are CEOs who do enjoy the luxuries of their own expensive health care plans, union members utilize plans that are more expensive due to the hazards associated with their occupations. These plans are not some luxury or perk, they are hard-fought benefits negotiated and fully paid for by you, for you and your family. Remember that the next time you hear an attack on your so-called “Cadillac” health care plan.
This excise tax will apply to health plans where major medical benefits provided to employees are valued at more than $10,200 for single coverage and $27,500 for family coverage. The amount of the excise tax is 40% of amounts over the threshold, which will be subject to an annual adjustment for health costs, age, gender, and cost-of-living. We are monitoring developments as they pertain to the anticipated rollout of this tax in 2018, and I assure you that we are working to adjust accordingly to minimize the damage it will have on coverage for plan participants and their families.
As the Affordable Care Act continues to roll out, each of us needs to be prepared to face the challenges to our health care coverage and make sure we are fully informed. From time to time, we will distribute news and notices on actions taken to fix the Affordable Care Act so that it does not deteriorate your health care coverage. You can stay up to date on news regarding this important issue by visiting our homepage at smart-union.org and signing up at smartaction.org to assist us in fighting for your rights as a member and consumer.
Joseph Sellers, Jr.
SMART General Secretary-Treasurer
The cost of college tuition rose at an alarming rate over the past three decades causing students, organizations and politicians to speak out against sky-rocketing rates while offering plans to stem the rise in higher education costs.
Cost regulation and debt forgiveness are not all that should be discussed. In a Pittsburgh suburb, leaders from SMART Local 12, the ironworkers, carpenters, bricklayers, and cement masons fielded questions from parents and students. With job opportunities in the trades growing in the region, guidance counselors from Bethel Park, PA looked to provide information about traditional college alternatives.
Nationally, the Labor Department predicts more than 218,000 carpentry jobs by 2022, a 24 percent increase above the current estimate of 901,000 jobs. The job projections note the up-and-down nature of the profession, because work peaks and dips with new construction and lulls in the economy.
Major infrastructure projects in the area, and around the country, will all be built by union members in the upcoming years.
The Missouri House of Representatives plans to vote on right-to-work legislation today, April 2.
State Legislative Director Ken Menges, asks that all Missourians call their state representatives today and tell them to vote no on right-to-work.
“Tell your Representative that these laws being pushed by out-of-state corporate CEOs are bad for Missouri’s working families: they’ll lower wages and benefits at a time when the middle class is already struggling,” Menges said.
Click here to learn more on how to contact your Missouri legislators.