Here we are again, Halloween weekend. Don't forget to set your clock back on Saturday night. It has been a busy fall season around the Local Union.
You all received letters advising of the nomination meetings being held in September for the Local Union Officers Election. Meetings were held in Edmonton and in Calgary, and no-one came forward to oppose the current administration. As a result, no election was required and the current leadership will stay in position for another five year term. We view this as support and approval by the membership for the way the Local Union is being run, and the directions it is taking, and offer a big thank you to the membership for that.
Negotiations are moving along, as we near the end of the year. UPS members are currently in the process taking of a mail-out vote on their Company Offer. Be sure to complete your ballot and return it by mail in time for the count which will take place November 18th.
We are currently putting a memorandum together for the Securicor employees to vote. Watch for meeting dates for that one.
Gray Line of Banff have a new three year agreement, and booklets have been made for those members.
Construction agreement booklets as well as Construction Dispatch Rule booklets are being made this week, so check with the Edmonton office if you are entitled to receive them. There was a delay in getting them printed, so I know some of you are quite anxious to get them.
Other members with signed agreements over the past few months are: Canadian Freightways Parcel Express, Inland Concrete Camrose, AB, Jacobs Catalytic Fort McMurray (Clerical Staff), Mel Martin Transfer Fort Saskatchewan, Lafarge Grande Prairie, Lafarge Ft McMurray, Oilsands Transportation Ft McMurray, McMillan Transport Medicine Hat, Industrial Contractors Association (Construction Agreement), Diversified Transportation St. Albert, Inland Pipe Plant Calgary, Lafarge PreCast Calgary,
So you can see that the Business Agents did not rest much over the summer, and the fall and winter are looking to be quite busy too. The following agreements are now open for negotiation - Canadian Waste Services Edmonton, Peace Wapiti School Bus Grande Prairie, Clarke Transport Calgary and Edmonton, DTL Strathcona, Lafarge Pipe Plant Calgary, MTE Logistix Edmonton, Byers Transport Limited, CFL, and three Aeroguard agreements - Grande Prairie, Medicine Hat and Edmonton.
Brother Finley has had a busy summer and fall and is currently in Montreal for the Canada Teamsters National Executive Board meetings. He and Brothers Eichel, Kemp, Norris and Bennett have just returned from the Health & Welfare and Pension Plan meetings in Kelowna.
Brothers Porter and Frost have been kept busy with the movie division activities. Currently we have several productions taking place in Calgary and Edmonton - The Lauren Sims Story "Lies My Mother Told Me", 12 Days of Christmas Eve, Into the West, Karroll's Christmas and A Friend of the Family are all presently shooting in Alberta. This work has been keeping the largest part of our movie dispatch members working steady for the past several months.
That's it for now.