United Brotherhood of Carpenters and
Joiners
Local 1598, Victoria, British Columbia
Telephone: 250-383-8116
|
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and
Joiners Telephone: 250-383-8116 |
Business Manager's Message |
... By Brother Wayne Cox |
November 2009Campbell Construction's work is complete on the Jubilee Hospital and Farmer continues to wind down on the Uptown project with no new projects to start. There has been very little work for most of 2009 in the Wall & Ceiling sector with piece rates going for as little as 16 cents a foot. Dryco is currently working at Uptown and the Atrium, but Wescor and Benton & Overbury are very slow.
Of the five projects to go to tender this summer, Campbell was successful on a six storey office building on Fort Street and the Royal Roads University Innovative Learning Center. W. Knight got the six storey residence at the University of Victoria using Scansa for the formwork. Stuart Olson was low on the Fleet Maintenance Facility and Ledcor was low on a condo, at 834 Johnson Street.
Pye Construction is starting on a wood frame residential project at the Railyards.
The full employment we experienced in the last five years in Victoria was mostly driven by highrise condominium construction. Although a couple of residential projects are proceeding, we do not expect the pace of new projects to resume anytime soon. More government spending money on infrastructure projects over the next couple of years will be necessary to put a dent in the unemployed rate in Victoria.
We are happy to report that the BC Regional Council of Carpenters was successful in our raid application for ISSL. ISSL was certified with Communication, Energy, Paperworkers Local 470. As a result of our organizing activities, CMAW also applied for certification to raid CEP 470 even though CMAW and CEP formed a joint bargaining council and CMAW is affiliated to the CEP. A majority of ISSL employees voted to change their representation to the BC Regional Council of Carpenters. We welcome the ISSL employees into our union.
We are very pleased to report that the BC Regional Council of Carpenters has signed an Agreement with Ellis Don. Ellis Don is the second largest general contractor in Canada and we look forward to having a mutually beneficial relationship with Ellis Don. Ellis Don's bid came in second on the Fleet Maintenance Facility project. The Agreement with Ellis Don provides the Labourers, Cement Masons and Operating Engineers to be dispatched through the BCRCC.
It is no secret the work picture is slowing with layoffs occurring at Uptown, Jubilee Hospital and the Atrium. The formwork will be complete on these projects in the fall.
Campbell Construction was successful in obtaining the formwork for the Royal Roads University Innovative Learning Center and a six storey office building on Fort St. These projects will keep some members working, but it won’t be enough to maintain all the current Campbell employees.
The situation is worse for Farmer Construction, even if they get Phase 2 of Uptown, it will not start anytime soon. We are waiting to hear who will be the successful bidder on the Fleet Maintenance Facility Phase 4 which is approximately $70 million.
Work should pick up for Wall & Ceiling members. Dryco has the work at Uptown, the Atrium and Hazmat in the Dockyard. Up to now, 2009 has been very slow for our Wall & Ceiling contractors which has led to more competition with the work drying up in the residential sector. This has forced prices down with piece rates as low as 16 cents a foot for putting up drywall.
Work in Alberta is resuming on some major projects and maintenance work has increased in recent months. The Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters is starting to experience difficulties in supplying both carpenters and scaffolders for projects in the Edmonton area and possibly Fort McMurray.
Saskatchewan may need carpenters soon. The potash industry has committed $12 billion to upgrade their 60 year old mines and projects have already started. Contact Local 1598 for out of province work opportunities.
WHIMIS training is now available online at www.pgsafety.ca for all Local 1598 members. The cost is $10.00 and the local training funds will reimburse you when you present a receipt and certificate for registration. Each member is expected to have this training so we encourage you to get it done and registered with us ASAP.
The National Apprenticeship Contest will be held August 20-22 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Brother Cory Conboy who is employed by Campbell Construction placed first in the Local 1598 Carpentry Apprenticeship Contest and will be the B. C. contestant. Local 1598 contestants Brother Ryan O’Hara and Brother Andrew Brown also both employed by Campbell Construction placed first in carpentry in 2008 and 2007. We are looking for three in a row, the pressure is on Cory.
Currently most carpenters are working, but the majority of the formwork for Uptown, Jubilee Hospital and Atrium will be complete over the next few months. Employment for wall & ceiling installers is particularly poor right now and piece rates and wages have been seriously beaten down. We are experiencing cost reductions in construction pricing as contractors desperate to get a job are cutting their margins and employee wages.
In the current economy our focus needs to be to secure the limited number of projects that will be proceeding. We are seeing three to four times the number of contractors bidding a job today compared to the last several years.
The Local 1598 Agreements expired on April 30, 2009.
We have met several times with the Local 1598 Employers Committee to negotiate a renewal and we have now reached tentative agreements.
The Union is recommending acceptance to the members and Employers Committee is recommending acceptance to the Local 1598 Employers.
A Special Meeting is called so we can outline the Agreements and conduct a ratification vote.
There are a few minor changes, but the main points are:
Currently most members are working, however the work picture for later this year does not look good after the formwork is complete on Uptown, Jubilee Hospital and the Atrium.
We experienced virtually full employment over the last four years mainly due to the boom in condominium construction. Although a slowing was expected, the current banking crisis in the United States has spooked Canadian banks and they are not lending to developers even if our market would support new projects. Until banks resume lending, new residential construction will not proceed.
If there was ever a time to look to the various Governments to pick up the slack it is now. However, the Provincial Government will be spending some money on major capital projects in the Lower Mainland and the Federal Government’s stimulus package doesn’t appear to do much for us in Victoria as well.
As usual, workers did nothing to bring on this recession, but will pay the highest price with job losses. The question on everyone’s mind is how long will this go on. Unfortunately the solutions lie with the entities that produced the current crisis, banks and Governments who substituted standards and planning for de-regulation and privatization. This may take awhile.
This year's Local 1598 Apprenticeship Contest will be held Saturday, June 13, 2009 at Campbell Construction’s office, 559 Kelvin Road from 8 am – noon. We encourage members to come out and view our Local 1598 apprentices compete for the chance to represent Local 1598 at the National Contest, August 20th - 22nd in Halifax, Nova Scotia, The barbecue starts at 11 am.
Dispatches have slowed and we have experienced a few lay-offs recently. Rising costs are causing some developers to re-examine their projects more thoroughly before proceeding. We expect this is more a temporary pause rather than any real slow down. Both Farmer and Campbell have significant work and we anticipate we will continue to need more carpenters not less.
The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant (AIG) is a taxable cash grant of $1,000 per year. The grant is available to registered apprentices who successfully complete their first or second year of an apprenticeship program in a Red Seal trade.
You can apply for the grant if you have completed your in-school technical and on-the-job training for the first or second year of your apprenticeship. You have until June 30 of the subsequent calendar year to submit your application. For example, if you completed Level 1 in February 2007, you have until June 30, 2008 to apply.
You may download the application forms for the AIG at www.hrsdc.gc.ca/apprenticeship or pick up forms at our office.
The Provincial Government provides assistance to apprentices in the form of tax credits. The tax credits are:
Enhanced Credits: To encourage greater participation in trades training in respect to First Nations individuals or persons with disabilities, tax credits are 50% higher than they would otherwise receive. Eligible First Nations individuals are persons who hold Status Indian cards, and persons with disabilities are those eligible for the disability amount credit on their tax return. The tax credits are:
Remember to take advantage of these tax credits when you do your Income Tax Return!
A lot has changed in this world since our August Quarterly notice where we were reporting a healthy work picture with new projects starting. However, in spite of the current financial crisis we are fortunate to have some large non-residential work to keep us going in Victoria such as the Uptown Project, the Jubilee Hospital and the Atrium office building on Blanshard. There is no question the residential condo market is significantly slowing down but that may have been in the works to a lesser degree even if the financial mess was not occurring due to the residential boom of the last four years. It is important now for our Federal and Provincial governments to rise to the occasion and expedite some infrastructure projects to offset the downturn of private investment.
Workers didn’t create the current problem and we are not in a position to solve much of it, but there are a few things we can do to alleviate the short-term effects. As stated we can call our MLA’s and MP’s and tell them to support infrastructure projects. We need to ensure individually and collectively that we are the most skilled and productive carpenters in the industry so our signatory contractors can be competitive. We need to continue our efforts to organize all the carpenters in the construction industry to prevent a downward pressure on wages.
It has come to our attention that the Painters Union has sent organizers from Vancouver to attempt to persuade Local 1598 members to be represented by the Painters Union.
Currently the four union drywall companies in Victoria are:
Dryco Systems — Wall & Ceiling Installers represented by Local 1598 and Drywall Finishers also represented by Local 1598.
Waltech Interiors — Wall & Ceiling Installers represented by Local 1598 and Drywall Finishers also represented by Local 1598.
Benton & Overbury — Wall & Ceiling Installers represented by Local 1598 and Drywall Finishers also represented by Painters.
Wescor Contracting — Wall & Ceiling Installers represented by Local 1598 and Drywall Finishers also represented by Painters.
Local 1598 Wall & Ceiling Installers enjoy the ability to work for all four union companies, whereas Drywall Finishers only have access to work for two companies. The best job security for all Victoria Wall & Ceiling Installers is to continue to have Local 1598 represent Wall & Ceiling Installers at all four union companies. Local 1598’s agreement is superior. It just doesn’t make any sense for the Painters Union to represent Wall & Ceiling Installers.
The BC Regional Council of Carpenters consists of Locals 527, Nanaimo, Local 1370, Kelowna, Local 1541, Floorlayers, Local 1598, Victoria, and Local 1907, Vancouver. We currently have organizers employed and we want to hire some more. We are now requesting members who are interested in becoming an organizer to contact us and provide us with a brief bio/resume.
Rio Tinto the owner of the Alcan Aluminum Smelter in Kitimat has made the decision to proceed with the $2.5 billion Kitimat Modernization Project. The BC Regional Council of Carpenters has signed a Project Labour Agreement along with the other Building Trades Unions for this project. The project is expected to need about 150 carpenters and there will be a camp for 1600-1800 workers. The work will be 6 days per week, 10 hours per day. The job rotation will be 41 days in and 7 days out. Members interested in working on this project should contact our office.
Local 1598 hosted the 2008 National Carpentry, Drywall and Millwright Apprenticeship Contest September 5 & 6 at Ships Point on the Inner Harbour. Congratulations go to Local 1598’s Brother Ryan O’Hara for placing first in Carpentry. Only two of the eight carpentry contestants completed the practical contest. Brother O’Hara got it done with an hour to spare – well done Ryan!
The Canada Council of Carpenters convention followed on September 7 & 8 at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. General President Doug McCarron was present and the contest and convention were the largest ever attended. Many thanks go to the contest committee, judges and Local 1598 members who helped with the set-up and tear down of the contest.
Local 1598 will be holding our 25th Annual Children’s Christmas Party on Sunday, December 14, 2008 between 11:00 am – 2:00 pm at the Trafalgar-Pro Pats Legion Auditorium, 411 Gorge Road.
Magical entertainment, a visit from Santa bearing gifts, food and refreshments are provided.
Registration forms were recently mailed out to members known to have children. Please return registration forms or phone the office to register by November 24th to confirm attendance so gifts can be arranged. We encourage all members with children up to 12 years of age to attend.
It’s big fun for kids - and - for moms and dads!
The work picture remains healthy with new projects starting.
Campbell Construction will be doing the formwork for the $269 million 10 storey Royal Jubilee Hospital Nursing Tower. Campbell also has a 7 storey office building at Yates and Blanshard, and a 3 storey office building on West Saanich (old Hydro site) underway. Work continues on the Colwood Casino parkade, Victoria General Hospital addition and the Waterfront Crescent condos.
Farmer has projects at finishing stages such as Dockside ll, Bayview and the Juliet. The “Uptown” project (Town & Country Mall) is underway and various phases of Aquattro at the Esquimalt Lagoon. Farmer also has other condo projects on the horizon.
Seabreeze has commenced the Fairway Green condo project on Goldstream Avenue.
We are going to need more carpenters and apprentices to complete these projects, especially more journeyman carpenters. If you know carpenters that aren’t in the Union, send them our way. You will be doing them a favour to earn better wages and benefits, and you will be helping yourself by contributing to build a stronger union.
Local 1598 will be hosting the National Apprenticeship Contest for Carpentry, Drywall and Millwrights on Saturday, September 6, 2008. The practical contest will be held at Ships Point on the Inner Harbour between 8am – 4pm.
Members are invited, and apprentices are strongly encouraged to attend to view graduating apprentices from across Canada compete in these crafts. This is an opportunity for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters to showcase the skills of our members to the construction industry and the general public.
Construction activity is slowing in some areas of Canada and in the U.S. but that’s not the case for British Columbia and Alberta. In Victoria we will continue to need many more carpenters, drywallers and apprentices for current and upcoming projects.
Farmer Construction will be starting the formwork for the Town & Country mall later this month in addition to their multi-phased projects at Dockside, Bayview and Aquattro. It is expected Farmer will need an additional 80 carpenters.
Campbell Construction is starting construction of a parkade for the casino in Colwood and they expect to start construction on an office building at Blanshard and Yates soon. We also expect Campbell will soon resume construction at the Radius. Campbell’s current projects are Chelsea, Waterfront Crescent, Cherry Bank, St. Michaels and townhouses on Millstream Road. Campbell could need 100 more carpenters.
If you know carpenters that aren’t in the Union or you know young workers wanting to learn a trade, send them our way. You will be doing them a favour to earn better wages and benefits and you will be helping yourself by contributing to build a stronger union.
The following wage rates and benefits are effective on all jobs May 1, 2008 for certified tradespersons.
| Date | Base Rate | Holiday Pay | Industry Funds | Benefits | RRSP | Total Package | |||||
| May 1, 2008 | $30.53 | + | 2.44 | + | .52 | + | 2.00 | + | 2.44 | = | $37.93 |
We have been advised by PBC that our premiums for Extended Health Benefits and Short Term Disability will be increased by 44% and 45% respectively. With respect to extended benefits seven claims represented 30% of the entire prescription drug costs of our plan.
Your Board of Trustees has determined that steps must be taken to ensure the viability of our Plan and accordingly have adopted a policy of requiring the use of “low cost alternatives” effective July 1, 2008.
Low Cost Alternative pricing takes place when there is a generic version, or lower cost alternative, of the drug prescribed to you by your doctor. In these cases, your plan only pays 80% of the less expensive amount, and you are responsible for the remainder. The purpose of LCA pricing is to help manage escalating drug costs. It benefits everyone by encouraging the use of less expensive drugs that are safe and effective.
Ask your pharmacist if a different drug is available: In most cases, the pharmacist will substitute a lower cost drug. However, if you’re still being charged for a more expensive drug, don’t be afraid to discuss this with your pharmacist. He/she can call your doctor and ask if they can give you the generic drug instead so you’re not out of pocket for the larger amount. In most cases, your doctor will agree and the pharmacist can make the change.
If your doctor believes there are specific reasons why you need to take the brand-name drug, they can apply on your behalf to PharmaCare for special authority. Your doctor has the application forms in his/her office. You will still have to pay the difference while at the pharmacy, but once PharmaCare approves the request, notifies your doctor and you notify PBC, any subsequent prescriptions/refills for the same drugs issued will be paid at 80%.
To view the list of low cost alternatives to replace a brand name drug go to: http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/pharme/sa/criteria/genericbrandtable.html.
Enclosed with this quarterly meeting notice is a letter announcing the newly formed British Columbia Regional Council of Carpenters. Our Local 1598 certifications for Victoria employers will not change and will remain with Local 1598.
The Labour Relations Board of B.C. rendered a decision dated March 14, 2008 confirming the certification for D. Robinson and Island Scaffold remains with the Brotherhood rather than Construction Maintenance and Allied Workers Bargaining Council (CMAW). CMAW is made up of the former carpenter locals that left the Brotherhood to affiliate with the Communication, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP).
The members employed by Robinson and Island will earn $1.00 per hour more on their paycheques than under CMAW. They will also enjoy MSP (B.C. Medical) in addition to extended benefits, have their group RRSP and pay less dues. This means carpenters working under the Brotherhood will earn approximately $3600 more than under a CMAW agreement which directs a large portion of their wages to shore up their pension plan.
Dispatches have slowed and we have experienced a few lay-offs recently. Rising costs are causing some developers to re-examine their projects more thoroughly before proceeding. We expect this is more a temporary pause rather than any real slow down. Both Farmer and Campbell have significant work and we anticipate we will continue to need more carpenters not less.
The following is the certified tradesperson rate effective May 1st as outlined in the Local 1598 Collective Agreement.
| Date | Base Rate | Holiday Pay | Industry Funds | Benefits | RRSP | Total Package | |||||
| May 1, 2008 | $30.53 | + | 2.44 | + | .52 | + | 2.00 | + | 2.44 | = | $37.93 |
The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant (AIG) is a taxable cash grant of $1,000 per year. The grant is available to registered apprentices who successfully complete their first or second year of an apprenticeship program in a Red Seal trade.
You can apply for the grant if you have completed your in-school technical and on-the-job training for the first or second year of your apprenticeship. You have until June 30 of the subsequent calendar year to submit your application. For example, if you completed Level 1 in February 2007, you have until June 30, 2008 to apply.
You may download the application forms for the http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/apprenticeship/ or pick up forms at our office.
The Provincial Government provides assistance to apprentices in the form of tax credits.
The tax credits are:
Enhanced Credits: To encourage greater participation in trades training in respect to First Nations individuals or persons with disabilities, tax credits are 50% higher than they would otherwise receive. Eligible First Nations individuals are persons who hold Status Indian cards, and persons with disabilities are those eligible for the disability amount credit on their tax return. The tax credits are:
Remember to take advantage of these tax credits when you do your Income Tax Return!