For detailed highlights on Rocky’s presentation, go to the First District web site.

In 2001, PCL Constructors Canada awarded a $6 million electrical contract on the Brandon hospital redevelopment project to J.S. Murray Electric, a non-union contractor from St. John’s, Newfoundland. Murray Electric’s bid was $700,000.00 lower than the lowest bid from a Manitoba contractor.

Murray proceeded to crew up by importing 20 people from Newfoundland, ignoring the ready-made crew from Brandon, until it had a crew of non-union workers it could control. Local Union 2085’s salting efforts were continually thwarted by Murray’s ability to recruit tradesmen from Newfoundland and starter apprentices from Manitoba. The job peaked at 40 tradesmen with only 2 salts being able to get hired.

By November of this year the project was in difficulty; Murray Electric was on a cash only basis with the electrical wholesalers and was so far behind schedule that PCL stopped progress payments to Murray. When Murray could no longer guarantee payroll, PCL removed them as the electrical contractor and gave the job (now cost plus) to Nor-Tec Electric, a union contractor from Winnipeg.

Murray Electric took 20 employees from Newfoundland back home and Nor-Tec Electric, with assistance from Local 2085, hired 16 of their Manitoba employees, transferred 2 of their own employees and hired 15 Local 2085 members from Brandon. The job is scheduled to work 6 X 10’s until completion at the end of January and may be hiring additional manpower after Nor-Tec has an opportunity to assess the project.

In addition, PCL Constructors awarded the renovation project on the old hospital to Nor-Tec Electric as a bonus for coming in to clean up Murray’s mess. The renovation project should employ 15 – 20 Local 2085 members for about eight months.

Local Union 2085 now has 16 new members, a non-union job turned union and additional work for the Brandon resident members until the fall of 2004.

In the November issue of Coast to Coast we mentioned that a Mercer Human Resource Consulting Representative is suggesting to employers, according to the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), and in addition to the items we mentioned in HEADS UP, that "Pensioners don’t create surplus, they consume it", and "to terminate existing plans (through a containment strategy of winding up the plan)".

The CLC, in a letter to Dean Connor, CEO of Mercer Consulting takes the Company to task and President of the CLC Ken Georgetti ends his scolding of Connor by saying "Given your firm’s relationship with trade unions and with pension and benefit plans in which trade unions participate, I call on you to clarify publicly Mercer Consulting views on these issues and to disassociate yourself from these views. Your clients in the trade union movement deserve to know whether they can place their confidence in Mercer Consulting or not".

It is gratifying to hear from some retired International Representatives that they really enjoy

receiving the Coast to Coast letter and keeping up with the latest developments in the First District.

Also, congratulations are in order to Doreen King of Kitchener, Ontario, wife of deceased International Representative Jack King. Doreen recently received the "Province of Ontario Senior of the Year Award".

The award is made on a yearly basis to persons nominated who are at least 65 years young and active in their community. Doreen is one of those "seniors" who you have to make an appointment with to have a cup of coffee.

It is with great sorrow that we report the passing of a friend, Brother Herb Fulton. Herb served the IBEW well since he became a member in 1952. He was a past Business Manager of Local Unions 339 and 402, Thunder Bay, and a member of the International Executive Council from 1974 to 1983.

Herb was hired as an International Representative in 1984 and serviced local unions in the province of Saskatchewan and Manitoba until he retired to his home in Thunder Bay in 1994. Herb was a pleasure to be around and was well respected and liked by everyone.

Our condolences to our friend, Herb’s wife Joy, to their four children Jim, Beth, Danny and Christine, their spouses, and to their grandchildren.

Local 115, Kingston, Ontario, with the assistance of International Representatives at the negotiating table, reached a tentative first agreement with SCM Supply Chain Management Ltd. in Cornwall on December 17, 2003. The agreement will be presented to the membership and a vote will take place on December 23, 2003. SCM Supply Chain Management is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tibbett Briton Inc. SCM provides warehousing and distribution for Wal-Mart stores all across Canada. SCM currently has distribution centres in Calgary, Mississauga and Cornwall, Ontario. Negotiations began in January of 2003, and as you can imagine, with the company’s ties to Wal-Mart, at times the discussions were difficult.

Organizer Dean Sinnott was approached by a group of SCM maintenance employees in August of 2002. Following a brief campaign, an application for certification was filed on behalf of twenty-five maintenance employees. Next, a representation vote was conducted by the Ontario Labour Board, resulting in employees voting in favour of the IBEW by a 75% margin. A bargaining certificate was issued on November 7, 2002.

Each distribution centre has an in-house maintenance department of approximately twenty plus employees, including electricians, millwrights, battery handlers and utility personnel. Total employee numbers per facility are in excess of 800, with part and full time. At this time, all employees, other than the twenty-five maintenance employees at the Cornwall facility are unrepresented. Other unions have attempted to organize the warehouse employees in Mississauga and Cornwall, but to date have not been successful.

This great project, the production of an Organizing CD-Rom/DVD, which was introduced to all the Construction Locals at the Progress Construction Caucus, and then by letter in October 2003, has not gotten off the ground yet. The reason for that is too many Locals have not committed to participate. This is to remind you that organizing is the number one priority of the IBEW, and organizing is the responsibility of the Business Manager. This CD-Rom/DVD, which will also include information for organizing in the outside sector, will be a great asset to your organizing program and the sooner we have all Locals committed to participating, the sooner we can get started with production. Thank you to the Locals that have committed to date, and for those that have not, please make this a priority by committing your Local to buy in.