HAPPY NEW YEAR. We trust you all had a great holiday season, and are ready for the new year ahead.
If you are a member in Fort McMurray, please note the location change for the General Meetings. They are no longer being held at the Nomad, but are now scheduled for the Travelodge located at 9713 Harden Street. Also note that the Bus meetings will commence at 10:00 a.m. Brother Prouty has posted notices at you workplace with the changes. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
Effective January 1, 2006 Sister Michelle Glubrecht became a full time Business Agent of the Local Union. Sister Glubrecht has been working with our Organizing Department for the past two years, assisting in the organizing of Garda Canada, Serviceair/Globeground and Aeroguard. Michelle comes to us from Air Canada Jazz where she worked as a Flight Attendant and was active as a Shop Steward. We trust you will welcome her.
Brother Roy Finley has been named Director of Teamsters Canada Construction Division. As such he will oversee the Teamster construction and pipeline work across the country. Meetings were held in Calgary early in January with representatives of all Canadian Locals who have construction jurisdiction attending, to discuss upcoming work, and look for solutions to the common problems across the country.
Teamster members again took part in the fourth annual 2005 Fill-a-Bus event with St. Albert Transit. Drivers wore T-shirts, provided by the Local Union, for two days prior to the kick off of the event, to get the message out there to their riders. As in the past the event was a huge success, collecting food and gifts for those in need over the holidays.
Brother Rick Eichel, President of the Local, has been named Director of the Teamsters Canada Motion Picture Division. He will be responsible for working with Local Unions who have motion picture productions in their jurisdiction, to attempt to improve the conditions. Our Local's Movie Division is showing signs of being busy in 2006. Touch the Top of the World is currently filming in the Fortress / Sunshine area. Several more productions are on the horizon. Brother Porter feels that by March we should be very busy.
Canadian Freightways collective agreement is out to the Locals for signuature. Byers Transport employees are in the process of taking a strike vote. Grimshaw Trucking is open for negotiation. Opening letters have gone out to Lafarge High River and Inland Pipe, so if you haven't already had proposal meetings, those should be coming up shortly.The heavy haul agreements are coming in signed - Premay Equipment, Trans Tech Contracting, Singer Specialized, Delta Transport, and Custom Carriers are all done. DTL Strathcona Transit has a new agreement in place as well.
Congratulations are going out to several Teamster drivers who have been named as driver of the month by the AMTA - Dennis Reiger of McMillan Transport Medicine Hat is the September driver. October saw John Prince of Grimshaw Trucking (North) and Jo Harris, CFL Medicine Hat (South) receiving recognition from AMTA. Good work gentlemen.
The nomination meetings to elect delegates and an alternate to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Convention in Las Vegas in June 2006 were held January 2 and 3. Those elected from Local 362 were: Brothers Roy Finley (Secretary-Treasurer), Rick Eichel (President), Keith Norris (V9ce President), Jim Hryniuk (Union Trustee - Grimshaw Trucking member), Joe Laurier (Union Trustee - CFL member), and Bob Morris (Union Trustee - Brinks member). The alternate elected was John MacDonnell (Union Trustee - Construction and Move member) who will attend if one of the delegates is unable to do so. These Brothers will be voting on your behalf on issues raised at the Convention.
Retirement awards have gone out to Brother Syl Bodraruk a Construction member with 40 years continuous servivce, Brother Philipe Lemoine a 33 year member with Byers Transport Edmonton, Sister Sonja Berg a 31 year Construction member, Brother James Steward a 37 year member with MacCoshams Edmonton, and Brother James Schwindt for 37 years with Consolidated Concrete Calgary.
REMEMBER that the onus is on you to apply for your retirement award if you believe that you are entitled to one. Fifteen or more years of CONTINUOUS service entitles you to a silver ring, twenty-five or more years of CONTINUOUS service entitles you to either a gold ring or a gold watch. If you are retiring in the near future and think you are entitled to an award, please contact your Local Union office and advise them of your expected retirement date. We will do a search of your membership and determine your eligibility. Length of continuous service - no withdrawal cards during the time used to calculate service - is the criteria for receiving these awards.
That's it for now.