December 1, 2005
909 Kipling Avenue,
Toronto, Ontario
M8Z 5H3
Phone:
(416) 236-4026 Fax: (416) 232-9565
E-Mail:
ironworkersLocal721@rogers.com
BUSINESS MANAGER’S REPORT:
AARON
MURPHY
Dear Brothers & Sisters;
Another year has come and
gone and for the most part it was a good one.
While we enjoyed record
man-hours, the last few months have caused some concern. The decision not to re-build the next two
units at the Pickering
generating station was a disappointment as well as the possible plant closings
at General Motors. However, the New Year
looks good with several new projects scheduled for downtown and many mid sized
projects ongoing into the next few months.
I would also like to thank
the membership for their outstanding support for re-electing me as Business
Manager/Financial Secretary/Treasurer and also for giving me a great team to
work with. I look forward to leading the
team for the next term and meeting the challenges that lay ahead.
From all of us, our sincere
wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year.
Sincerely,
Aaron Murphy
Business Manager/Financial
Secretary/Treasurer
E-Mail: amurphy721@rogers.com
PRESIDENT’S REPORT:
KEVIN
BRYENTON
Greetings Brothers &
Sisters;
It is with tremendous
gratitude that I thank the members for their confidence in electing me to the
position of President/Business Agent. I
look forward to the challenges that this office will bring and I look forward
to representing this membership and dealing with any issues that arise on our
jobsites in the east end. I will be
appointing committees shortly to get started on the work to be done over the
next three years and would like to thank them in advance for volunteering their
time to move this Local forward.
We will have a busy year
ahead with many Local union functions approaching quickly. The annual Open house for members will take
place on December 16th from 12 PM to 5 PM. This has been a tremendously successful event
over the past three years and I look forward to seeing many of you on that
day. As always, please attend this event
responsibly and make any arrangements necessary to get home with your drivers
license intact.
2006 is the year of our Pin
Party! The date is set for November 4th
of next year and we will start planning shortly to award our membership for
their diligence and endurance in making this Local the best!
Work in the east is setting
up to be a promising year with ongoing large projects in Peterborough,
Courtice and Oshawa
and many more on the books.
If you ever need assistance
with any issue, please do not hesitate to call.
The Local union phone number is 416-236-4026 and my cellular number is
416-697-6657.
On behalf of the Executive
Board and the Officers, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope you and your families will have the
chance to enjoy some quality time over the holidays.
Sincerely,
Kevin Bryenton
President/Business Agent
E-Mail: kbryenton721@rogers.com
BUSINESS AGENT’S REPORT:
DARREN
J. MAHONEY
Dear Brothers & Sisters;
Well another year has come
and gone, and overall I would have to say it was a great year. Work was pretty abundant in the west end and
looks to be okay for next year, even with six years of construction at the
airport starting to wind down and the Ford plant conversion not turning out to
be as good as we expected.
Thanks again for all your
support in the last election. I will
continue to do everything I can to make this union stronger as your Business
Agent and District Council representative, positions I am very honored to hold
within the Local.
A special thank you goes out
to all of our stewards who are our eyes and ears in this field and give us the
heads-up on many issues.
As always, should you ever
have any questions or concerns that I may be able to address, please do not
hesitate to contact me at the Union Hall or at home.
In closing, my family and I
wish you and your family, a very Merry Christmas and Happy, prosperous and safe
New Year.
Fraternally yours,
Darren J. Mahoney
Business Agent
E-Mail:
mahoney721@sympatico.ca
Home: (905) 665-0775
Cell: (416) 884-6534
MIKE
DIX
Dear Brothers & Sisters;
This past year has been
filled with many great successes; one being Bill 144, which is the Card Based
Certification for construction. Through
our Political Action Committee and close political ties with then Minister of
Labour, Chris Bentley, I personally had the opportunity to address The Standing
Committee on Social Policy at Queen’s Park and speak on behalf of the
Membership of Local 721. A year ago,
this was just a proposal by the Minister and it gives me great pleasure to say
that it has reached Royal Ascent and is now law; a law that we have been
without for over 10 years.
There has been an abundance
of work in the Northern Territory
and all signs point to continued growth and expansion. Two such proposals are within the Ethanol
industry and the development of Wind Turbine Farms. The Government of Ontario has announced that
10% of Ontario’s
energy must be supplied by Green Energy over the next several years and they
have made proposals for over 850 Wind Turbines to be erected. The car plant industry in the north (Chrysler
and Honda) both continue to grow and there is reason to believe that Honda may
go ahead with a new Plant.
Also, this past year,
unfortunately Tony Almeida decided to retire and he will be greatly
missed. At this time, I would like to
thank each and every member that took time in the past election to come out and
support Team Unity. I am proud to work
with such a great team of dedicated people.
I would also like to thank you for your affirmation and trust in me as
Business Agent. I will continue to work
diligently in the best interest of each and every member. Your support and cooperation throughout the
year in helping me police and uphold our Collective Agreement and our market
share has been greatly appreciated.
My family and I wish you and
yours a Merry Christmas and health and happiness throughout the New Year.
Fraternally yours,
Mike Dix
Business Agent
E-Mail:
mdix721@rogers.com
FRED MACPHERSON
Dear Brothers, Sisters and
Families:
Well it’s hard to believe another year has
past. Our Organizers and Business Agents
signed a number of companies this year.
We had a big win as we were able to certify the City of Toronto to a union agreement. Hours worked this year are up from last year
and we are trying to capture new work all the time while maintaining the work
we already have. I want you all to know
that it makes me proud to work for and with the men, women and companies of this
union, the hardest working union there is!
I wish you all a healthy, Happy Holiday
and prosperous New Year.
Fraternally yours,
Fred MacPherson
Organizer/Business
Agent Cell: (416) 435-9082
LASH
RAY
Dear Brothers & Sisters;
Best wishes for 2006
“May you have love that never ends, lots of money and
lots of friends. Health be yours
whatever you do, and may God send many blessings to you!”-anon
My son Quenton and I wish
everyone and their family a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy prosperous
New Year!
Fraternally yours,
Lash Ray
Organizer
E-Mail: lash@721.ca
APPRENTICESHIP & TRAINING REPORT:
Dear Brothers & Sisters;
Apprenticeship is still
booming at Local 721! The Local has 205 Ironworker Apprentices and 75 Rod
Apprentices currently working through their hours and school. Work has been fairly steady over the last 12
months and we should be taking on more apprentices in the coming year as many
will be graduating. The Ironworker Class
swears in at the January meeting and the Reinforcing Rod class at the February
meeting.
- come
down to cheer them on if you have a chance.
The push to bring in and train
more apprentices over the last 6 years has helped this Local lower it’s average
age considerably, ensuring skills will get passed on to the future generation
and our pension plan will remain strong.
Currently Local 721 has an average age of active membership of 41.38,
slightly lower than the District Council average and amongst the best in the
building trades. We still have room to
grow in order to get 20% of the working men and women, so if you do have an
apprentice on your job, give us a call and we will get you suited up!
Work on the training structure
is ongoing with the recent addition of the stiffleg derrick to the fourth
floor. Plans are in the works for a sign
to go on the top of it that will be completed by this year’s apprentice
class. This past year, the apprentice
classes helped out Heritage Toronto by fabricating a bunch of stands for
Heritage plaques that are located around the city and did an excellent job for
an excellent cause. Thanks to all who
took the time to volunteer their skills!
The apprentices that are out
there are representing the Local very well and have had some notable
achievements this summer including:
Eric Rioux-Silver Medal and
Donna Butler-4th place at the Skills Canada welding competition for Ontario in May.
Steve Collins-5th
place and Sean Craigen -7th place at the Ontario District Council
Apprenticeship Competition in Sault Ste. Marie against some very stiff
competition. Next year’s Ontario championships
will be hosted by Toronto
in the month of June. Hopefully home
court advantage will swing some luck our way to get 721 represented at the big
show in St. Louis
next September!
The outstanding apprentices
for the Ironworker apprenticeship were recognized in August of this year and
are as follows:
Three way tie: Steve Neveu
Matt Locke
Aaron Cyr
Congratulations to them and
all of the class of 32 on an excellent apprenticeship! The outstanding apprentices for the
Reinforcing Rodworker class of 2004 were recognized in February of this
year. The skills and attitude of the
class of 2004 was at such a high level that the Local Apprenticeship Committee
decided to award a 4-way tie:
Wayne Wright
John Sousa Jr.
Dean Krasevec
Jim Allison
Congratulations to all the
graduates of the 2004 class! It is with tremendous regret that we acknowledge
the passing of Dean Krasevec in March of this year. He was a tremendous asset to our Local and will
be sadly missed. Look for news of the
second annual Dean Krasevec Memorial Golf tournament this summer.
Classes for the apprentices
are running all year round and once again Robert Kirby took on the summer
session of apprentices and did an excellent job. Clint Knowlton is now the full time
Ironworker Instructor for the class instruction and is doing an outstanding
job.
For any members who are
looking to bring in the next prospective Ironworker apprentice, tests are done
on the first Friday of each month at 9 AM at the hall.
It has been a busy year for
Journeymen upgrading. Congratulations to all those members who continue to
improve their skills on the job at the Training Centre and a special thanks to
the instructors of those courses who help make it all happen including:
Andrew Hanlon (Scotty): Rod
Instructor
Martin Minten: Weld
Shop Supervisor
Wayne MacDonald: Forktruck/Propane/WHMIS/Swing
Stage/PEWP
Darren Mahoney: 0-8
Ton Broderson /WHMIS/Propane/Fall Arrest
Courses that have been added
to the list for training since last year include:
Power Elevated Working
Platform Certification
Total Station Instrument
Training
I wish you and your families
all the best over the Holiday Season and look forward to enhancing the services
offered through this department in the year to come.
Sincerely,
Kevin Byrenton
Apprentice & Training
Coordinator
E-Mail: kbryenton721@rogers.com
TRUSTEE’S REPORT 2005
Dear Brothers & Sisters;
After meeting with our auditor, Mr. Al Resnick, we are
pleased to announce that Local 721 continues to be in excellent financial
shape. The net worth of Local 721 is $5,520,752.00, an increase of 16% over
last year. Included in that amount is our Training Centre with a net worth of
$2,084,956.00. Both audits are dated June 30, 2005.
In Mr. Resnick’s opinion, “The financial statements
represent fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Union and the Training Centre and the results of their
operations for the year, in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles”.
At this time we would like to
thank the membership for their continued support in serving you for another 3
years. We would also like to wish you
and your family a safe and Happy Holiday season.
Submitted by:
Wayne St. John
On behalf of your Trustees - Rod Norena, Wayne St.
John & Adam Thompson
MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS:
PENSION & WELFARE REPORT
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Due to some recent changes in our pension plan, we feel that it is
necessary to hold an information seminar for the purpose of explaining the
changes. This is an important meeting
for all members who wish to keep up to date on pension issues.
We will have our administrator and actuaries on hand to give a
presentation and answer any questions that may arise.
The location of the meeting will be at the:
Delta Toronto East Hotel
2035 Kennedy Road
Toronto meeting rooms A-C
Saturday, January 21, 2006 at 9:00 a.m.
BUILDING TRADES WORKERS’ SERVICES
Building Trades Workers’ Services (BTWS) is a
unionized organization which represents Local 721’s injured members with their
workers’ compensation claims. Local 721 members who are having difficulties
with their claims, are referred to their offices by the Business Manager or the
Business Agents. Building Trades Workers’ Services represents many other
construction unions throughout Ontario.
The
services that Local 721’s members receive are provided by and paid for solely
by Local 721. Building Trades Workers’ Services does not charge workers for
their services, nor benefits financially from any compensation monies received
by the workers they represent. BTWS deals with all issues that affect injured
workers.
DENOVO TREATMENT CENTRE
As
some of you may not be aware of, we are a sponsor of The DeNovo Treatment
Centre. DeNovo provides assistance to members and their immediate families who
have problems with alcohol or drugs. If you know someone who needs help, please
contact us, and remember, all referrals are confidential.
LABOUR DAY
The turnout for Labour Day was the best ever. The
uniforms were great and our members showed great pride in marching that day. We
were winners of the BEST TURNOUT award from the Central Ontario Building
Trades.
Thanks to all who attended, especially the award
wining CFB Trenton Pipe Bank who led our members. We hope to see you at Queen
and University, 9:00 a.m. next Labour Day, to do it again!
Darren J. Mahoney
HOCKEY TOURNAMENT
Hockey practices will begin in January 2006 for the
Annual Building Trades Tournament.
The schedule is as follows.
Friday, January 13th – 9:00 PM –
McGregor Park
Saturday, January 21st – 7:15 PM – McGregor Park
Sunday, January 29th – 12:15 PM – Commander Park
Sunday, February 12th – 2:15 PM –
Mid-Scarborough
Saturday, February 25th – 7:15 PM – McGregor Park
Saturday, March 11th – 4:00 PM – Malvern Arena
Friday, March 17th – 7:15 PM – McGregor Park
Sunday, March 26th – 1:00 PM – Agincourt
Saturday, April 1st – 2:00 PM – Commander Park
Friday, April 7th – 7:15 PM – McGregor Park
All members are welcome, regardless of playing
ability.
Darren J. Mahoney (Organizer/Coach)
SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
In June, the Ironworkers competed in the Annual
Building Trades Tournament. It was a great day and although we didn’t take home
the gold, we were well represented. As the saying goes, we’ll get’em next
year! Check the Union Hall and/or
website for information on the 2006 tournament when it becomes available.
Darren J. Mahoney (Organizer/Coach)
GOLF TOURNAMENT
For the second year in a row, we held two golf
tournaments at the Royal Ashburn Golf Club, one open shotgun scramble and one
for members only. Both were a huge success. This golf course is second to none
and we were treated like royalty on both occasions.
Once again the Children’s Wish Foundation was the
recipient of our proceeds and were greatly appreciative of our support.
Next year’s dates are already booked. The open
tournament is to be held Thursday, June 22nd, 2006 and the 721
Members Only Tournament is scheduled for Sunday, September 10th,
2006. I look forward to seeing you at Royal Ashburn!
Darren J. Mahoney (Tournament Coordinator)
CLOTHING
It is great to see Ironworkers
and Rodmen wearing merchandise embroidered or printed with various Union logos.
All items are available at the Union Hall during normal office hours. Choose
from hats, toques, T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, jackets, etc. Leather coats
are now a stock item and can be picked up with your name embroidered three days
after your order.
DISPATCH
COMMITTEE
Please be advised that all members must obtain clearance
from the Dispatcher before commencing employment with one of our signatory
contractors. For those who obtain “a slip” and fail to show up, a $100.00 fine
is now in effect.
MEMBERSHIP
MEETINGS
Membership meetings are on the 3rd
Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m.
Dues must be paid up to one month before.
MONTHLY DUES
The
International has yet again increased dues to $32.00 per month in January for
Journeymen and $31.50 for apprentices.
HOLIDAY HOURS
Office hours over the Christmas and New Years’
Holidays will be as follows:
Open:
7:30 to 11:30 am on December 23rd,
2005 7:30 to 11:30 am on December 30th,
2005
Closed:
All day December 26th & 27th, 2005 All Day January 2nd,
2006
CLOSING
STATEMENT
As the year 2005 comes to a close, we need to extend
many thanks to those who keep this Organization running as smoothly as it does:
Maria
Teixeira - Office Manager
Lynne
Paquette - Administrative Assistant
Pam
Blankfort - Bookkeeper
Sami
Alsaadi - Bookkeeper
Wayne
St. John - Dispatcher
Laurie
Gallant - Custodian
John
DaSilva - Gardener
Thank you for all your hard work and dedication over
the past year and Happy Holidays to all the members of Local 721!
QUESTIONS
/ COMMENTS
Have any comments about this newsletter?
Send them to: Darren J. Mahoney, Editor
E-Mail: mahoney721@sympatico.ca
We are please to announce
that each dues paying member and retiress now have two additional benefits at NO
COST TO YOU. This supplemental insurance is being provide through American Income Life
Insurance Company. The union is proud to sponsor this benefit with American Income, a 100%
Union company with a 50 year history of Being Union, Buying Union and Building Union,
and indcludes the following;
Accidental Death & Dismemberment Benefit
$2,000.00 per member and Retiree
Family Eye Care Program
Discount on eye wear products
For more details please read the attached letter and/or visit www.ailcanada.com/iw721 to fill out the online form.
Aaron Murphy
Business Agent/
Financial Secretary
