David J. Nix Reg.# 44408
I will be keeping this Video Blog page updated as I receive new information. I still have not convinced Fred to record a video but I am not giving up. I try to keep all information on this site professional and unbiased. Local 5 takes pride in our new web site and we will be making regular updates to this page as well as all the other pages on this site as new information comes in.
BLOG.LOCAL5SALAMANDER.INFO
Saturday,June 19th Update
We had our regular union meeting with the special order of business and we had a discussion about work in the territory and around the country as well as the ongoing contract negotiations. We had an individual who tried to disrupt the meeting by using rumors and innuendos that we are not including all the classifications in our efforts to get a raise for our members. He even suggested to the firestopper members that they would be better represented if they pulled out of Local 5 and perhaps start their own local so they would have better representation. While we could not tell the members specifics about the ongoing negotiations, we asked the question of the body what exactly did they want to achieve in the negotiation. The answer to that question is that we want a raise for all members of our local and not just a select few. They also said the out of work list needs to be handled more fairly and we need to stop using it exclusively as a referral list. One of the members on the floor stood up and asked for a show of solidarity and asked for all those members who are willing to stand united on these issues to stand up. A large 2/3 majority stood up to be counted as willing to stand united.. It is obvious that the members of Local 5 want to get raises for all members and not just a select group. If we are not successful at getting these two issues resolved in negotiations by Saturday, we will all stand united in our decision as to what to do next.
Work in Canada is ongoing and we have members going up a few at a time. Some members are not sure they will be able to get their work visas to enter the country for one reason or another. If you have a question about your eligibility, you can call the Canadian Consulate and give them all your information and they will tell you if you will actually have a problem or not. If you do have a problem, they can lead you through the steps to clear up your problem. You can reach the Canadian Consulate at (403) 344-4516.
Some guys have asked what actual bring home pay is on the job in Canada and the answer is $2200 per week working 5/10s. This is based on getting your pension money on the check and also 5 days of $100 per day L.O.A.. If you choose to have pension taken out of your check, it will be less. This is considered in Canadian Dollars.
Work in Canada is ongoing and we have members going up a few at a time. Some members are not sure they will be able to get their work visas to enter the country for one reason or another. If you have a question about your eligibility, you can call the Canadian Consulate and give them all your information and they will tell you if you will actually have a problem or not. If you do have a problem, they can lead you through the steps to clear up your problem. You can reach the Canadian Consulate at (403) 344-4516.
Some guys have asked what actual bring home pay is on the job in Canada and the answer is $2200 per week working 5/10s. This is based on getting your pension money on the check and also 5 days of $100 per day L.O.A.. If you choose to have pension taken out of your check, it will be less. This is considered in Canadian Dollars.
Saturday,May 29th Update
We have worked out a deal with the Ramada Inn in Edmonton Alberta for our U.S. Insulators with a rate of $69. Canadian plus tax per night or a flat rate of $1700 per month. This hotel is a nice place and the rate is about as good as you will get. All you need to tell them is that you are an American insulator to get the rate and if anyone has a problem getting the rate at first, don't worry, we will work out the bugs if needed. The hotel address is:
11834 Kings Way Ave. N.W.
Edmonton, Alberta
Ph#(780)454-5454
If anyone needs any more information, please call the hotel and if you get someone on the line that is not familiar with the arrangement, send us an e mail and we will take care of it for you.
Work in Washington is breaking and will need travelers.
Work in Hawaii is still supposed to happen in June.
We are waiting for a call back from Saint Louis regarding the work they have coming up shortly.
Enjoy your holiday weekend and stay safe.
I will be leaving for Canada next weekend but I will still make the updates to this website as needed.
11834 Kings Way Ave. N.W.
Edmonton, Alberta
Ph#(780)454-5454
If anyone needs any more information, please call the hotel and if you get someone on the line that is not familiar with the arrangement, send us an e mail and we will take care of it for you.
Work in Washington is breaking and will need travelers.
Work in Hawaii is still supposed to happen in June.
We are waiting for a call back from Saint Louis regarding the work they have coming up shortly.
Enjoy your holiday weekend and stay safe.
I will be leaving for Canada next weekend but I will still make the updates to this website as needed.
Tuesday, May 25th Update
We have a little more information on the work in Canada to pass on to you. People who worked in Local 110 jurisdiction in the past who have hours in the pension already will be given the option to have the pension deducted from your check to go into the pension. If you have one year with 350 hours or more within the last three years and you want to get another 350 hours now this year to get vested in the Local 110 pension fund, you will have that option. Also, if you are already vested in their pension fund, you will have the option to continue to have pension money deducted from your pay.
Cover alls are required on the job and they must have full body coverage with long sleeves. Nomex suits are not required because this is all new work but if you are required to work in an area of the plant where nomex suits are required, they will be provided.
Steel toed boots with the Green Triangle label which is the Canadian Safety Symbol are required.
You will be required to go to Service Canada and aquire a Canadian Social Card with a number much like a Social Security Card. This number will be required to obtain a Canadian bank account as well as getting paid by the contractor. The company will only do direct deposit and only into a Canadian Checking account. You will be required to open a Canadian checking account to get paid.
Most people open an account at The Bank Of Montreal or BMO as it's called where you will get three accounts at the same time. You will get a Canadian Checking, Canadian Savings, and a U.S. checking account. When your company deposits your pay into your account, it will go into your Canadian checking account. You can then transfer any amount of that money into your U.S. checking account and this is when it will be converted into U.S. dollars according to the exchange rate at the time of the transfer.
Once your money is transferred into your U.S. funds account, you can wire transfer funds to your home bank account in the U.S. by making a phone call to the BMO and talking to your personal banker. If anyone is interested in the name of a good personal banker at BMO who will handle all your banking transactions for you, contact me and I will give you her name and phone number as well as her e mail address.
We are still in the progress of locating a hotel for all the Americans to stay at but so far we have a price of $99 per night at the Raddison on the south side of Edmonton. It is a plush hotel with all the ammenities you would expect from a fine hotel. You could probably find a cheaper place to stay but not much cheaper and you get what you pay for. Almost any place you stay, you will have at least an hour commute by bus to the job. You will be required to drive to a bus stop location to ride the bus to and from the job and it will be set up like the bus schedule at Diablo Canyon was with different locations to meet the bus.
The perdiem rat on the job is $100 per days worked. You will most likely be working six tens but if more overtime is required, you will work seven tens with 21 days on and 3 days off. On six tens, you will get one double time day and one time and a half day. On seven tens, you will get two double time days and one time and a half day.
In processing days are on Mondays and Wednesdays so if you arrive on Monday or Tuesday, you will be required to do all the preliminary things I mentioned at the start of this article before hiring in on Wednesday. Plan your trip accordingly to make your trip as profittable as possible.
Cover alls are required on the job and they must have full body coverage with long sleeves. Nomex suits are not required because this is all new work but if you are required to work in an area of the plant where nomex suits are required, they will be provided.
Steel toed boots with the Green Triangle label which is the Canadian Safety Symbol are required.
You will be required to go to Service Canada and aquire a Canadian Social Card with a number much like a Social Security Card. This number will be required to obtain a Canadian bank account as well as getting paid by the contractor. The company will only do direct deposit and only into a Canadian Checking account. You will be required to open a Canadian checking account to get paid.
Most people open an account at The Bank Of Montreal or BMO as it's called where you will get three accounts at the same time. You will get a Canadian Checking, Canadian Savings, and a U.S. checking account. When your company deposits your pay into your account, it will go into your Canadian checking account. You can then transfer any amount of that money into your U.S. checking account and this is when it will be converted into U.S. dollars according to the exchange rate at the time of the transfer.
Once your money is transferred into your U.S. funds account, you can wire transfer funds to your home bank account in the U.S. by making a phone call to the BMO and talking to your personal banker. If anyone is interested in the name of a good personal banker at BMO who will handle all your banking transactions for you, contact me and I will give you her name and phone number as well as her e mail address.
We are still in the progress of locating a hotel for all the Americans to stay at but so far we have a price of $99 per night at the Raddison on the south side of Edmonton. It is a plush hotel with all the ammenities you would expect from a fine hotel. You could probably find a cheaper place to stay but not much cheaper and you get what you pay for. Almost any place you stay, you will have at least an hour commute by bus to the job. You will be required to drive to a bus stop location to ride the bus to and from the job and it will be set up like the bus schedule at Diablo Canyon was with different locations to meet the bus.
The perdiem rat on the job is $100 per days worked. You will most likely be working six tens but if more overtime is required, you will work seven tens with 21 days on and 3 days off. On six tens, you will get one double time day and one time and a half day. On seven tens, you will get two double time days and one time and a half day.
In processing days are on Mondays and Wednesdays so if you arrive on Monday or Tuesday, you will be required to do all the preliminary things I mentioned at the start of this article before hiring in on Wednesday. Plan your trip accordingly to make your trip as profittable as possible.
Friday, May 21st Update
We had our meeting at the Orange County location and it is a very nice facility which is well kept and clean. It is very easy to access and about as centrally located as we could hope to accomplish right off of Interstate 5 and Beach Blvd. I'm not sure but I believe when we have had all the meetings for 2010, we might be having all our meetings at the Orange County location. If anyone is opposed to this idea, please send in your comment or send me an e mail so I can pass it on or just call the hall and voice your opinion.
Work in Edmonton is finally at the point where they are sending out L.M.O.s to people who are on the list to work on the Shell Refinery Project. All the Temporary Foreign Workers on the list have been divided by the three contractors on the job.
We are in the process of finding a central location for some of our guys to stay so we can all be together and not spread out throughout the area. This will make it easier for us to look after each other and perhaps negotiate a good rate for a hotel. I will put all the hotel information in the next update as soon as we have secured the location
It is my understanding that they will need more people than they have on their list of people who are interested in working on the project. If we can't provide them with enough manpower, they will be forced to bring workers in from the Philippines and other locations to fill the calls. As it is now, they need about 400 Temporary Foreign Workers and I know we have more than enough people out of work in the U.S. to fill the call but some people are apprehensive about working in Canada because they have a false impression it is too far to go. The job is only about 300 miles north of Sweet Grass, Montana and is closer to Los Angeles than Chicago, Illinois
Work in Idaho has begun on the chip plant and they will be calling for travelers very likely by next week.
Work in Saint Louis is going to require about 100 travelers by the end of this month.
Work in Hawaii will require travelers in June unless some unforseen problem prevents that from happening.
Work in our territory will be at the point where we will need travelers next year but for now, we will need to have a lot of our guys on the road.
We have four contract negotiation meetings scheduled for next week starting on Monday.
Work in Edmonton is finally at the point where they are sending out L.M.O.s to people who are on the list to work on the Shell Refinery Project. All the Temporary Foreign Workers on the list have been divided by the three contractors on the job.
We are in the process of finding a central location for some of our guys to stay so we can all be together and not spread out throughout the area. This will make it easier for us to look after each other and perhaps negotiate a good rate for a hotel. I will put all the hotel information in the next update as soon as we have secured the location
It is my understanding that they will need more people than they have on their list of people who are interested in working on the project. If we can't provide them with enough manpower, they will be forced to bring workers in from the Philippines and other locations to fill the calls. As it is now, they need about 400 Temporary Foreign Workers and I know we have more than enough people out of work in the U.S. to fill the call but some people are apprehensive about working in Canada because they have a false impression it is too far to go. The job is only about 300 miles north of Sweet Grass, Montana and is closer to Los Angeles than Chicago, Illinois
Work in Idaho has begun on the chip plant and they will be calling for travelers very likely by next week.
Work in Saint Louis is going to require about 100 travelers by the end of this month.
Work in Hawaii will require travelers in June unless some unforseen problem prevents that from happening.
Work in our territory will be at the point where we will need travelers next year but for now, we will need to have a lot of our guys on the road.
We have four contract negotiation meetings scheduled for next week starting on Monday.
Wednesday, May 19th Update
We have been contacted by Business Manager Bill Springs of Local 110 in Edmonton concerning work in Canada. L.M.O.s are being sent out now for the first group of American workers being hired. As of now, the offer on the table is the expense money and no motel room is being offered at this time. I will find out what the pay rate being paid as well as the expense rate is and post it on this page as soon as I get this information. You can also go to www.insulators110.com and read what they have posted on their site for up to date information. What this means is that you are on your own as far as locating a motel to stay at and you should also consider driving to Canada instead of flying as some of us did in the past. They are supposedly providing bus transportation from certain locations to and from the job.but that should all be spelled out in their web site. What all this means is that you will need to take considerably more cash with you than you would if you were being offered the motel room instead of receiving expenses on your check.
We will be making arrangements with a motel near the job and put this information on this web page as soon as we have the arrangements made. If any of you remember how I made arrangements for people to have a place to go when Diablo Canyon was going on, we are going to try to do the same thing in this case and I will post this information on this web page when we have the reservations made.
I have checked the latest update on the Local 110 website and as far as I can tell, The base rate on the check including the pension is $45.06. On top of that is Vacation and Holiday pay of $4.51, Health and Welfare of $1.50, PITT of $0.50 and training of $0.25 making the total as $51.82. I am not clear on whether the difference between $45.06 and $51.82 will be paid on the check.
We are also attempting to arrange a special rate for rooms at the Ramada Inn where we stayed in the past by getting all the Americans to stay at that hotel.
Saint Louis Local 1 should need close to 100 travelers within the next couple of weeks.
We will be making arrangements with a motel near the job and put this information on this web page as soon as we have the arrangements made. If any of you remember how I made arrangements for people to have a place to go when Diablo Canyon was going on, we are going to try to do the same thing in this case and I will post this information on this web page when we have the reservations made.
I have checked the latest update on the Local 110 website and as far as I can tell, The base rate on the check including the pension is $45.06. On top of that is Vacation and Holiday pay of $4.51, Health and Welfare of $1.50, PITT of $0.50 and training of $0.25 making the total as $51.82. I am not clear on whether the difference between $45.06 and $51.82 will be paid on the check.
We are also attempting to arrange a special rate for rooms at the Ramada Inn where we stayed in the past by getting all the Americans to stay at that hotel.
Saint Louis Local 1 should need close to 100 travelers within the next couple of weeks.
Wednesday, May 5th Update
I have talked to a local 5 member today who is struggling to make ends meet since being laid off in December. His wife was laid off a few days before and they have kids to care for. We have a lot of families in the same boat as this member who are hoping for a miracle to pull them out of the slump they are in.
I myself would be having a hard time keeping my head above water if it were not for the fact that my wife makes the kind of money she does. If something were to happen to her rendering her unable to work, we would not be able to make ends meet. A lot of us are waiting for work to break in Canada to the extent that they will finally hire Americans. Their work visa system is strictly enforced and no foreign workers can work in Canada without a work visa and you can't get a work visa unless all Canadian citizens are employed. We have a very slow economy right now and work in the U.S.A. is slow at best. Jobs that are supposedly going to need people keep getting pushed back month after month. A lot of the problem with the work here in the U.S.A. is a lack of funding. I have been told by an unnamed individual that the Generator Changeout Project at San Onofre is likely to be pushed back to January. It makes sense because they want to hire two to four people to help complete work on the 3M Wrap work that is ongoing in the plant but supposedly they are having trouble finding the funds to hire more people. If this is the case, even work in some of the nukes around the country may be postponed for the same reasons. I'm not saying they will but it is a possibility.
Even with all the negative energy that is flying around in the U.S. economy, I am optimistic that work in this country will turn around soon and our economy will take a turn for the better. There is work on the books in our territory that does not have a definite start date but we hope it will all come into fruition sooner rather than later.
It is my understanding that Canada finally has reduced their unemployment rate to about 0% so they will be calling for American foreign workers very soon. This will take a lot of the pressure off of the out of work situation that is going on right now nationwide but it will not put everyone back to work. While work in Canada is finally breaking for us, work in the Saint Louis area should be picking up very soon to the extent that they will need travelers in the area.
The chip plant in Idaho should also be breaking in June barring any more delays.
Work in Hawaii will require a few travelers in June.
I myself would be having a hard time keeping my head above water if it were not for the fact that my wife makes the kind of money she does. If something were to happen to her rendering her unable to work, we would not be able to make ends meet. A lot of us are waiting for work to break in Canada to the extent that they will finally hire Americans. Their work visa system is strictly enforced and no foreign workers can work in Canada without a work visa and you can't get a work visa unless all Canadian citizens are employed. We have a very slow economy right now and work in the U.S.A. is slow at best. Jobs that are supposedly going to need people keep getting pushed back month after month. A lot of the problem with the work here in the U.S.A. is a lack of funding. I have been told by an unnamed individual that the Generator Changeout Project at San Onofre is likely to be pushed back to January. It makes sense because they want to hire two to four people to help complete work on the 3M Wrap work that is ongoing in the plant but supposedly they are having trouble finding the funds to hire more people. If this is the case, even work in some of the nukes around the country may be postponed for the same reasons. I'm not saying they will but it is a possibility.
Even with all the negative energy that is flying around in the U.S. economy, I am optimistic that work in this country will turn around soon and our economy will take a turn for the better. There is work on the books in our territory that does not have a definite start date but we hope it will all come into fruition sooner rather than later.
It is my understanding that Canada finally has reduced their unemployment rate to about 0% so they will be calling for American foreign workers very soon. This will take a lot of the pressure off of the out of work situation that is going on right now nationwide but it will not put everyone back to work. While work in Canada is finally breaking for us, work in the Saint Louis area should be picking up very soon to the extent that they will need travelers in the area.
The chip plant in Idaho should also be breaking in June barring any more delays.
Work in Hawaii will require a few travelers in June.
Tuesday, May 4th Update.
We have eliminated the News Update page of the website in an effort to streamline the news updates and keep them all on the same page. All news updates will be posted on this page from now on so we hope it makes it easier for you to keep up with the latest updates.
We had a meeting on Monday with the contractors and it went well with no problems. We are optimistic of having successful negotiations with all the upcoming meetings.
We have a special order of business at the next meeting so please be at that important meeting. Please refer to your Local 5 Meeting Calendar page on this website for date and location of the next meeting.
We had a meeting on Monday with the contractors and it went well with no problems. We are optimistic of having successful negotiations with all the upcoming meetings.
We have a special order of business at the next meeting so please be at that important meeting. Please refer to your Local 5 Meeting Calendar page on this website for date and location of the next meeting.
Saturday, April 3rd Update
We at Local 5 wish a happy Easter Holiday to all our members and their families as well as the regular visitors to our site.
We look forward to our first contract negotiations on the 7th and we are having a pre negotiations meeting at 3:00 on Monday, April 5th to get suggestions for things we need to ask for in our contract. We know the economy is still weak but it seems to be about to turn the corner into an upswing. The shortage in jobs has been felt by members of all locals in our International. Some of the locals that were lucky enough to settle on a good contract prior to the downturn in the economy have been asked to give back some of the gains they had made. We have been stuck where we are since 2007 with no good news in the economy for a long time. Now Detroit has announced a surge in the purchasing of American made vehicles and that could be a result of the problems Toyota is having with the sudden acceleration of their vehicles making them unsafe to drive. We never should have been buying Toyotas in the first place. I remember a time when there were no foreign cars allowed on any union construction site and the people driving these cars were told to buy American built cars or find a job elsewhere. We need to get back to buying American made vehicles and start reading the labels on all our products we buy and make a better attempt at buying American made products. We wonder why we have very little work going on here at home and you can start looking on the labels of what you buy and the answer will be clear. N.A.F.T.A. was the first big stepping stone that allowed our manufacturers to move out of the U.S. and make their products using cheep labor and still sell their products here in the U.S. Just because a vacuum cleaner has the name, Eureka does not mean it is still made in Bloomington, Illinois. They closed that plant and moved all their operations to Mexico. Did we see a drop in their prices since the move? The answer is no. The biggest recipient of the cash for clunkers program was Toyota. If we as Americans do not wake up soon and take control of our own destiny, we deserve what we get. Next time you think about the piss poor jobs situation, take a look in your driveway or garage and count the number of foreign cars in the parking lots on your job or count the number of foreign cars in any parking lot as apposed to the number of American made cars you see. It is an eye opener.
These are just my observations. Take a look around and see if I am right or prove me wrong.
We look forward to our first contract negotiations on the 7th and we are having a pre negotiations meeting at 3:00 on Monday, April 5th to get suggestions for things we need to ask for in our contract. We know the economy is still weak but it seems to be about to turn the corner into an upswing. The shortage in jobs has been felt by members of all locals in our International. Some of the locals that were lucky enough to settle on a good contract prior to the downturn in the economy have been asked to give back some of the gains they had made. We have been stuck where we are since 2007 with no good news in the economy for a long time. Now Detroit has announced a surge in the purchasing of American made vehicles and that could be a result of the problems Toyota is having with the sudden acceleration of their vehicles making them unsafe to drive. We never should have been buying Toyotas in the first place. I remember a time when there were no foreign cars allowed on any union construction site and the people driving these cars were told to buy American built cars or find a job elsewhere. We need to get back to buying American made vehicles and start reading the labels on all our products we buy and make a better attempt at buying American made products. We wonder why we have very little work going on here at home and you can start looking on the labels of what you buy and the answer will be clear. N.A.F.T.A. was the first big stepping stone that allowed our manufacturers to move out of the U.S. and make their products using cheep labor and still sell their products here in the U.S. Just because a vacuum cleaner has the name, Eureka does not mean it is still made in Bloomington, Illinois. They closed that plant and moved all their operations to Mexico. Did we see a drop in their prices since the move? The answer is no. The biggest recipient of the cash for clunkers program was Toyota. If we as Americans do not wake up soon and take control of our own destiny, we deserve what we get. Next time you think about the piss poor jobs situation, take a look in your driveway or garage and count the number of foreign cars in the parking lots on your job or count the number of foreign cars in any parking lot as apposed to the number of American made cars you see. It is an eye opener.
These are just my observations. Take a look around and see if I am right or prove me wrong.
Saturday, March 27th Update
We still have the white 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis with 72,000 miles on it for sale for $7,000 O.B.O.
We also still have the 2008 Chevy Silverado pickup truck which is being offered by the Apprenticeship Committee for $16,000. It is in like new condition with 22,000 miles on it.
I still believe we need to explore the idea of installing security cameras on our property in light of the fact that someone had cut a hole in the gas tank of the green Grand Marquis we had for sale as it was being kept in our parking lot with a locked gate after hours. Whether it was done after hours by defeating the locked gate or a weak spot in the fence or during our regular office hours, a security camera would have helped us identify how and when it happened. I hope the damage done to the green car was done as a crime of convenience by some street punk and not a crime of sabotage by some disgruntled member of our local. Whatever the case, security cameras placed in key areas of our property would help identify people who wish to do us harm in one way or another. It might even serve as a deterrent to anyone who has designs on doing us harm in the future.
I was able to fix the gas tank that was damaged by replacing it with a used tank from a junk yard for a total cost of $260 and my own labor to remove the old tank and replace it with a tank without a hole in it. I bought the car as is and hold the local harmless in respect to the vandalism done on our local's property but by the same token, the damage should never have occurred and a video security system may have served as a deterrent to prevent it from happening.
If anyone is in agreement with me, please send me an e mail and I will bring it up at the next meeting.
We also still have the 2008 Chevy Silverado pickup truck which is being offered by the Apprenticeship Committee for $16,000. It is in like new condition with 22,000 miles on it.
I still believe we need to explore the idea of installing security cameras on our property in light of the fact that someone had cut a hole in the gas tank of the green Grand Marquis we had for sale as it was being kept in our parking lot with a locked gate after hours. Whether it was done after hours by defeating the locked gate or a weak spot in the fence or during our regular office hours, a security camera would have helped us identify how and when it happened. I hope the damage done to the green car was done as a crime of convenience by some street punk and not a crime of sabotage by some disgruntled member of our local. Whatever the case, security cameras placed in key areas of our property would help identify people who wish to do us harm in one way or another. It might even serve as a deterrent to anyone who has designs on doing us harm in the future.
I was able to fix the gas tank that was damaged by replacing it with a used tank from a junk yard for a total cost of $260 and my own labor to remove the old tank and replace it with a tank without a hole in it. I bought the car as is and hold the local harmless in respect to the vandalism done on our local's property but by the same token, the damage should never have occurred and a video security system may have served as a deterrent to prevent it from happening.
If anyone is in agreement with me, please send me an e mail and I will bring it up at the next meeting.