WINTER 2014An official publication of Laborers’ Local 242, LIUNA

HOD CARRIERS & GENERAL LABORERSLocal 242

By Dale W. Cannon

Gearing Up for the Battles Ahead LIUNA and Local 242 preparing for upcoming political problems

assistance from the International when we request local political support, but Local 242 is the ground force that takes on the brunt of the battles for the membership and we have been lucky to hold our own up until now. The playing field has been dramatically changed and has become slanted at more than my previously-mentioned 15 to 1 ratio since the Boeing corporate victory. The way has been paved for more attacks on union wages and benefits and we are on the brink of seeing corporations band together like they never have before, and we have to respond to it.

Fortunately, our members here at Local 242 know we run a tight fiscal ship. Our general fund is envied by local unions everywhere, and it’s because we have a lean mean machine that serves the members very well while we constantly look for ways to improve the quality of life for them and their families.

Because we operate in the manner I described above, I know we can count on strong support when we come to the members and ask for their help. This is especially true when we’re in a fight for survival or battling something that can hurt our ability to continue providing life-supporting benefits such as our health and welfare or pension plans. I, along with the Executive Board of Local 242, have determined that the time to ask for such help from you is now.

We have set a goal of getting 100% of our members to contribute a small financial amount to help fund our political survival on both the national and local level. It isn’t very much when you consider the total wage and benefit package our members now enjoy, and it will be far less than what corporations will be bringing to the battlefield, but it will provide what we need to stand our ground and fight to keep what those before us fought so hard to gain.

In closing, I want to further add that our political survival here in the Seattle area has been assisted greatly by the level of volunteerism our members provide. We are gaining momentum and if every member could provide one night a month towards helping our political volunteer program we would be head and shoulders above any other union in our area and every politician will take notice. Unions are people organizations, we’re in it for our members not a profit margin. Whatever you can do to ensure your future is safeguarded will not only provide immediate results, it will tell our enemies we are ready and able to take their worst shot.

Now that corporations are considered “people” by the US Supreme Court, the attack on unions in the political arena has increased dramatically. Corporations can spend unlimited dollars through Super PACS on nasty attack campaigns, and that number is now in the billions. Corporate political contributions easily outnumber union political contributions by at least a 15 to 1 ratio, and the corporate side has just become energized even further to try and totally dominate federal, state and local politics.

One just has to look at the recent devastating Boeing contract fight over a defined pension benefit vs. a 401K savings account to see how a corporate giant can beat down its workforce and enlist the aid of the Machinist Union’s former political friends to help them. Politicians lined up behind Boeing to support them in their fight against the union’s pension fund under the guise they were supporting “economic growth” for Washington. Sadly the economic growth was for the company and not really for the union members who were counting on their defined benefit pension (very similar to Local 242’s pension) to be there for them come retirement age. Now, instead of a monthly pension check until they retire to the big union hall in the sky, they will have a savings account that could be used up in a matter of a couple of years.

The above is just an example on how quickly a Governor, State Legislators, our US Senators, and numerous members of Congress can be influenced to stomp on the future of so many people because a corporate giant threatens to take its business and its political checkbook elsewhere. Just like most things, in the end it’s all about money, and the old saying that goes “Money is the mother’s milk of politics” has rung true since the first person said it over a hundred years ago.

Local 242 is lucky to have a powerful International Union taking care of politics on the national level, but when it comes down to the state and local levels at home here in Washington, we are basically on our own. Sure, we get expert help and financial

Business Manager’s Report

Dale W. CannonBusiness ManagerSecretary/Treasurer

© Hod Carriers and General Laborers Local 242, LIUNA, all rights reserved

Happy New Year Brothers and Sisters. We are off to a great start in the New Year after a slow holiday season. We have lots of jobs in progress, and some of the bigger companies are reaching the peak of their regular man power. They will be in need of help as we proceed through the up and coming season. So you want to start making yourselves available for dispatch from 6:00am to 9:00am Monday through Friday.

We are in need of experienced concrete hands. If you are qualified for this type of work, please start showing up for dispatch at the Hall.

Some of you have been asking about Local 242 merchandise and I am happy to tell you we have new coats and hoodies for sale. Next we will be working on hats. If you have any ideas of things that you would like to see on our attire or stickers, contact the Hall. We are always looking for new ideas.

For our new members, I want to be sure you are aware of our annual picnic at VASA Park in July and our Turkey Meeting in November. We hope to see

PRESIDENT’S CORNERBY MIKE WHITESIDE

PRESIDENT/DISPATCHER

you at these fun events! Our regular union meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm in Hall 1, but no December meeting. We encourage you all to show up – it’s the best source of information about your union business.

In closing, I would like to give a shout out to a great

Union Brother and friend, Douglas Michael Strand. I’ve had the pleasure of working with him for the last 14 years and want to congratulate him on his upcoming retirement. Because of Doug’s commitment to and relentless pursuit of our member’s rights, LIUNA is losing the best organizer that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I am both happy for him but sad to see him move on.

Doug, you will be truly missed!

Mike Whiteside

Rick AyerCarlos CastilloDoug Charles

Maria ChavalloVerne HoffmanPhillip Jenson

Kenneth JohansenChristopher Larsen

Sunfeather LightdancerJerry Marlin

Richard MasonMaynette NuzumJames Rochester

Roger SchletzbaumGary SpringDale Welling

Gil Whyte

The members listed below have retired since our last newsletter. Congratulations and thanks to all of you for your many years of service to Laborers Local 242.

RETIREE SPOTLIGHT

VISIT OUR WEBSITEwww.LaborersLocal242.comFor information on: Training, Benefits,

Meeting Schedules, Wage and Benefit Increases, and more...

We are proud to announce that former Local 242 Dispatcher, Travis Lamoureux, will be taking over the position Director of Organizing upon Doug Strand’s retirement.

STAFF CHANGE NOTICE

LOCAL 242 NOW ACCEPTING

Credit* and Debit Cards for payment of Dues, Initiation, and Reinstatements. You can pay at the Hall or over the phone. *A $3.00 credit card convenience fee is charged for each transaction.

Theodore AarstadDennis DixonGary FerrellLeroy Hines

Carey IngrahamThomas Murphy

Kerry O’DellEugene Olson

Gene SmithWillie TalleyT.L. Willis

IN MEMORYIt is only fitting for our local union to honor and show our respect to the following Brothers & Sisters who have passed since our last remembrance notification. Our hearts go out to their families and friends.

Well it’s been a busy end to 2013 and start of 2014 for Local 242 and our members. Buildings are being demolished to make way for new construction of bigger buildings and cranes are up all over the Seattle/Bellevue area. However we still have too many of our members that are underemployed and need more work.

Local 242, along with Building Trades, participated in a get out the vote last October in Covington’s Tahoma School District. The district had not had a school levy pass since 1995 and several of their schools were in need of repair or replacement. We met with district leadership to discuss a district wide PLA for the school construction and in return Local 242 and the Building Trades would assist in getting out the vote.

Local 242 volunteers along with several business agents canvased the Tahoma School District area for three weekends prior to the election in November to encourage voters to vote themselves a tax hike on their homes to pay for the much needed school upgrades. The school bond levy passed with a 67% yes vote. New school construction is slated to begin later in 2014 and Skanska has been awarded the bulk of the work, thereby insuring that Local 242 members will be working on this project.

LET’S GET ORGANIZEDBY DOUG STRAND

VICE PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR OF ORGANIZINGJermaine Smiley and I have met with political officials both

with the City of Seattle and King County to discuss projects slated to begin in the coming years so that we can help union contractors successfully bid these projects so our members will be working on these jobs. I continue to meet with contractors in the Western Washington area to discuss the benefits of becoming signatory to the Laborers Union and have recently signed Absher Construction to a residential agreement along with several final cleanup companies, including Custom Cleaning Services. Local 242 is looking forward to working with these companies in the coming years.

I’d also like to take this time to let everyone know that I will be retiring at the end of this February. I’ve been a member with Local 242 for 39 years and an organizer for the Local the past 13 plus years. I’d like to thank the members for all their support and willingness to volunteer for job actions and to help get out the vote when asked. Without participation of the members of Local 242, our ability to help secure work for the members and get legislation approved that will help us in the future, our successes would be very limited.

I’d also like to thank Dale Cannon our Business Manager, Mike Whiteside and all our agents and of course Julie Taylor and Stacy Wyrick, for all their support and hard work over the past years. Without all their hard work and dedication to detail my job would have been much more of a challenge. I’d like to wish all our retiree’s and active members the best in this New Year and I hope to see you in the future. Thank you.

Doug Strand

The members listed below have obtained 50 years of continuous membership with Laborers International Union of North America. Upon reaching this distinct milestone, these honored members do not pay dues anymore but will remain a member for life!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW 50 YEAR MEMBERS!

Arnold ByeBrian Clarke

Harry Sunderland

50 Years

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Organized April 13, 1903

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242LABORERS Local 242 Laborers’ Local 242

Dale W. Cannon Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer

2800 1st Ave., Room 50 Seattle, WA 98121

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSEATTLE, WA

PERMIT NO. 1196Mike Whiteside Dispatcher/President

Doug Strand Director of Organizing/Vice President

Tom Eagan South End Agent

SeaTac Airport/Boeing ProjectsDanny Banuelos

South End AgentRussell Robinson

East Side & North End Agent Recording Secretary

John Baker Central Agent/Downtown Area

Jermaine Smiley Organizer

YOUR DISPATCHER, ORGANIZERAND BUSINESS AGENTS

A real Seattleite, born at Swedish Hospital and raised in Seattle, Doug Strand grew up in a union household so it was no surprise when he joined Laborers Local 242 in 1975. His first job was a short three day job with Baugh Construction. His next call landed him a job with Hoffman, a contractor that realized the value of the man they were getting and he stayed with them working steady for five and a half years. Compared to his next job, the job with Baugh is one that would be considered a short call; he worked as a general laborer, foreman, general foreman and ended up as an assistant superintendent when he finally finished up eighteen and a half years with Sellen.

He says that his most favorite memory was working as a foreman on the Frank Russell Building, in Tacoma.

“The Frank Russell Building has a great floor design and layout that took a lot of hours to complete” he reminisced recently. “I got in a hundred and four hours one week. That was a hell of a paycheck.”

When the Business Manager of Local 242 asked Doug to work for him as an organizer, nobody was surprised at his choice. Well respected in the field, with a knowledge

and experience of everything a Union Construction Craft Laborer performs on the job, Doug hit the ground running. Throughout the thirteen years he served on the union staff, he signed up more contractors to a Laborers’ agreement than most have done in twice that amount of time.

“Our union has grown and become the best Laborers’ Union in the Northwest, and Doug was an instrumental part of that” said Local 242 Business Manager, Dale Cannon. “His work ethic, his knowledge of what we are all about, and his dedication to the labor movement is more than admirable. He will be missed more than I can tell you.”

When asked what he would give as advice to the members and those who might serve the union like he did, he replied “Just remember where you came from. We’ve got a great union, but don’t ever forget that you’re a Union Laborer first.”

Finishing up his distinguished career as the Director of Organizing and Vice President of the Local, Doug is retiring to Nevada. He leaves behind a legacy of hard work and integrity of service to the union.

Doug Strand Retires from Local 242 39 years as a member and an oganizer for the Local for over 13 Years