September 20th marked the beginning of the IU’s Executive Council Meeting. The main topic of discussion was the Presidential election and the Gore / Lieberman campaign. I cannot say enough on the topic of the importance of getting Gore / Lieberman elected to the Presidential office. Now some of you feel that Gore is all about gun control. This is only one issue and I’m sure that what he wants to do is make some of the states current gun control laws nationwide. He is not trying to take away all of our guns, but to try and stop the senseless killing. It will mean making it harder to purchase all guns for criminals and not legal to purchase certain types of guns which have no purpose except for destruction.

Presidential candidate, Al Gore, grew up on a farm in Tennessee and is familiar with the proper use of guns. He knows the enjoyment many people get from hunting. But, he is also aware of the danger of putting a gun in the wrong hands. That is where gun control comes in. Remember this is only one issue in the presidential race. There are many others that will affect you and your family for many years to come.

News from the Apprentice Office

Pay Increases
Pay increases are important to all of us, but even more so for the apprentice. Each apprentice receives pay increases as they meet certain requirements. The term of apprenticeship varies with each craft.
For example George begins work as a bricklayer apprentice on September 4, 2000. With no previous experience his starting pay will be 40% of the journeyman rate.
In order to receive his next increase, which will place him at 45% ; George must meet certain requirements. He must work for six months and accrue 750 hours of work experience, on the job training, (OJT). He must also attend school on Saturdays and accrue 63 school hours, related supplemental instruction, (RSI).
When George has met these requirements he will notify the apprentice office with a Re-Rate Request form.
The Apprentice Office, upon approval will send an evaluation form to the contractor. Once the contractor returns the completed form, the apprentice office will send a copy to the apprentice.
This should be viewed by the apprentice as constructive criticism.
The apprentice office tracks the progress of each apprentice. By using the sign-in sheets from school we are able to keep current RSI hours. OJT hours are tracked using reports from Allied Administrators. There is generally a two month lapse between hours worked and hours reported.
We accept the apprentice’s Blue Books to credit OJT for the lag months in order to assure timely pay increases, since hours worked in September will not be reported until the end of November.
Each increase requires six months of work experience, 750 hours OJT and 63 hours RSI. The apprentice must meet these requirements for each increase.
To reach journeyman status he must accrue 6000 hours OJT and 504 hours RSI, which should be completed in four years.

Story Pole

We would like for this column to be made up of job stories, questions and answers, suggestions and comments. We invite reader participation. Please send your correspondence to the apprentice office.

Bricklayers Accident Report

This is a bricklayer’s accident report that was printed in the newsletter of the English equivalent of the Worker’s Compensation Board. So here is this Bricklayer’s report:

Dear Sir;

I am writing in response to your request for additional information in Block # 3 of the accident reporting form. I put poor planning as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller explanation and I trust the following details will be sufficient.

I am a Bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a six story building. When I completed my work, I found I had some bricks left over which when weighed later were found to weigh 240 lbs. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them down in a barrel by using a pulley which was attached to the side of the building at the sixth floor.

Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow decent of the 240 lbs. of bricks. You will note on the accident reporting form that my weight is 135 lbs.

Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building.

In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel which was now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed. This explains the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collarbone, as listed in Section 3, accident reporting form.

Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley which I mentioned in paragraph 2 of this correspondence. Fortunately by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of the excruciating pain I was now beginning to experience.

At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel weighed approximately 50 lbs.

I refer you again to my weight. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, broken tooth and severe lacerations of my legs and lower body.

Here my luck began to change slightly. The encounter with the barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks and fortunately only three vertebrae were cracked.

I am sorry to report however, as I lay there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to move and watching the empty barrel six stories above me, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and I let go of the rope.

Remember to Vote

INDUSTRY LEADERS HONORED

On Friday, October 20 we honored two men whose contributions, dedication and commitment to our industry impacts us all, not only today but into the future as well.
John Dawson and Bud Papadakis were joined by family and friends for a dinner held in their honor.
Mark Wuelfing, Secretary / Treasurer of BAC Local 3 presented a plaque to Bud and commented on his pleasure at having the opportunity to know and work with him over the years.
Don Sullivan presented a plaque to John Dawson for his countless years of dedication and commitment to the masonry industry. In his comments of the two men Don stated "A true measure of a man’s worth should not be what he has been able to do for himself, but what he has done for others. These two men would be judged well by this standard."
Much thanks is deserved by Bud and John, whose efforts have truly made a difference.

RESTORE SEMINAR

There was an excellent turnout for the masonry cleaning seminar at Stanford University on the 5th and 6th of October. There were four participants from Jackson Masonry, two from Alpha Restoration, three from Preservation Arts and one from Sullivan Masonry. There was an excellent turnout from the Local #3 membership, both journeypersons and apprentices. Mike Height and Troy Garland, two of our apprentice instructors both attended.
Restoration work is the most rapidly growing segment of the masonry industry. It is imperative that we have members from both management and labor who understand the process and can extend the life of our heritage.
There were from twenty to twenty five architects, engineers, conservators in attendance. John Fidler, from London, the Head of Building Conservation and Research for English Heritage was the principal speaker and did a grand job. We will start planning next years seminar in the near future.

Don Sullivan

Election Day

Please remember to vote in the upcoming election. Be sure to read your Voter Information Guide and discuss the candidates and ballot measures with your friends, family and co-workers. Most importantly get out and VOTE.

It is more than a privilege, opportunity or right, it is our obligation to the men and women who fought and died protecting our freedom.

Michael Height

VOTE

HISTORY REVISITED

In the early days of the commercialization of California, the workers primarily lived in the metropolitan areas; such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento. From these cities, our masonry artisans would go out to building communities where developments were occurring because of agricultural processes ; transportation hubs, or some industrial reason. The principal mode of transportation was the train. As late as 1936, bricklayers took the train from San Francisco to San Jose to build the Cahil train depot. As these suburban communities grew and were able to support their individual construction firms with there resident bricklayers; we saw less and less traveling from city to suburb for purposes of doing a job.

We now see the opposite occurring. The majority of our workers live in the suburbs and are required to travel to either metropolitan areas or other suburbs for their work. The transportation problems are exacerbated because we no longer find developments only on rail line but anywhere a motor car can go. Our Bay Bridge is reputed to be the busiest bridge in the country. Seven a.m. in the morning, I know most of us believe it to be true.

There are no easy answers to our transportation problems. The best one available is in the political arena. I would suggest that we listen to our candidates, try to sort out the fact from the fiction, and vote for those who would give us the best solution to our transportation gridlock.

Don Sullivan

Issue One
JULY 2000

Apprenticeship Today

Apprentice Enrollment Creates Overcrowding

Apprentice enrollment has increased steadily over the past several years. At our main training facility in Pleasanton the PCC class was moved from it’s classroom to a shop area last year due to overcrowding.

We also opened a new school site in Fresno for our brick apprentices who live closer to that area. We had fifteen apprentices enrolled in Fresno.

With enrollment up from last year, roughly twenty five per cent for bricklayers and PCC we are looking for other options. One consideration is to split the class and hold classes every Saturday with half the apprentices attending each week. Another option would have apprentices living in San Francisco attend school at our San Francisco Facility.

Another issue we face is the need for additional instructors. Any qualified journeyman who would like to volunteer their time may contact the apprentice office. We also would like to speak with anyone who has a teaching credential or is willing to get a teaching credential.

Looking beyond the short term, another option is building our own training facility. This could be done to include the Union and the tile craft or it could be done solely by Brick, PCC and Marble. In either event we would have more options for training not only apprentices, but journeyman upgrade classes as well.

Apprentice school schedules will be mailed in August for the upcoming school year. Remember, all apprentices must attend school regularly in order to remain in our program.

Local 3 Apprentice wins
2000 Western States Contest

On Saturday May 20th the 2000 Western States Bricklaying Contest was held in Monterey. Twenty Five apprentices participated from northern and southern California, Washington, Oregon and Colorado.

Jesse Richards, BAC 3 CA won first place honors. Jesse received a trophy, a check for $500, two Crick levels (4 footer and 2 footer) and a selection of hand tools. He also will represent Local 3 in the Hawaii Invitational Contest, in Honolulu, July 29. Jesse works for E & T Masonry.

Congratulations to Jesse and thanks to E & T Masonry for their commitment to train our apprentices.

Martin O’Leary, also from BAC 3 CA finished in second place and Brandon James, Local 7 CO finished in third place.

Other apprentices representing Local 3 CA were; Calvin Warren, Scott Dewar, Justin Thayne, Cody Reynolds, Chris Robinson, Tony Franchi, Frank Capley, Aaron Dorfmeier and Jack Pimentel.

Thanks to all the apprentices who participated.

The apprentices received their drawings and instructions Saturday morning. They were allowed 5 1/2 hrs to complete the project. The judges for this years contest were Danny Bonife, Local 1 OR, James Feagin, Local 4 CA and Ed Birmingham, Local 3 CA. Each apprentice was reognized at an awards banquet Saturday evening. Each contestant received a participation trophy along with a selection of tools, shirts and caps.

The projects, a two sided brick bench, were donated to the Monterey County Parks and to Monterey Peninsula College. In a letter from Monterey Co. Parks, Gregg Smith, Supervising Park Ranger at Laguna Seca Recreation Area said, "These benches will enhance the beauty of our parks with the excellent construction and workmanship."

There were many who contributed to the success of this contest. We had lots of businesses who made financial contributions through program advertising, others who made donations of tools and equipment, material suppliers, H.C. Muddox and Basalite and others who donated their time and efforts to this event, thank you all. Next years contest will be held in Portland, Oregon May 25th and 26th 2001.

I would like to start off by hoping everyone had a safe and enjoyable summer vacation. As we start this new school year off lets hope we can keep the attendance up as we did last year, and remember that part of getting your wage increases is getting those ever so important school hours.

The summer for the BAC representatives and myself has been full of countless hours of negotiations since the beginning of May. There have been three out of five that have been settled. We are still working on the Northern Calif. Mason Contractors Association as well as the Marble Masons agreements

So, if you have not seen your field rep. out there please be patient, we hope to see an end to these negotiations and be back in the field soon. In closing I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on the first day of class. P.S. Bring your Blue Books.

In January 2000, BAC Lo 3 JATEC merged with BAC Lo 7 Apprenticeship Trust. The new trust is called BAC Lo 3 Apprentice Training Trust. The trustees representing the contractors are: Ron Bennett-Secretary; Wayne Mika, James Guinn and Bob Filipe. The trustees representing the employees are Greg Miranda-Chairman, Al Kauer, Dave Jackson and Bob Keeles. The eight trustees along with representatives from the Division of Apprenticeship Standards and the school district make up our apprenticeship committee. The committee meets monthly and addresses the issues and concerns facing our program.

We have apprentice stewards from Brick and PCC who attend our meetings also and voice the concerns of the apprentices.

Recently certified journeymen from the various crafts are: John Butticci, Victor Camacho, Jose Herrera, Eugene Houke, Camillo Rios, Juan Simentel, Danny Norris and Leng Vang from PCC. Ron Bennett, Jr., Juan Ornelas and Jose Sanchez from Brick. Brian Pritchett, Nai Rick Saelee and James Schroeder, Marble Finishers. Aurelio Ruiz and Marc Canaya, Marble Masons.

Congratulations to each of you for choosing a respected and rewarding craft.

The apprentice office takes applications Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM until 11:30 AM. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Since May, 43 apprentices registered with the apprentice office and began work with our union contractors.

We would like to start a column made up of job stories, questions and answers, suggestions and comments. We invite reader participation.

Please send your correspondence to:

Apprentice Office:
8400 Enterprise Way, Room 102
Oakland, CA 94621

To all PCC Contractors

The first meeting of the PCC Labor-Management Committee will be held on Wednesday, August 2 at 10:00 am at the Labor Temple. This recently formed committee was set up to improve overall communications and disseminate pertinent information between the parties. We will seek to coordinate legislative activities with the state, federal and local government agencies for the good and welfare of our industry. We will be seeking ways of dealing with problems of mutual concern which are detrimental to our industry. We will examine ways to promote our union industry. Set up seminars with outside professionals so that our people are better trained. We will also be looking at ways to promote job safety.

All are invited. We hope to meet on a quarterly basis or as the need arises.

Negotiations are rapidly coming to a close. There will be those who will feel the increases were too much and there will be those who feel that they were too little. Negotiations are always a compromise. It is now time for us to go forward in the interest of our industry. Labor and management working together for the betterment of all.

The various Trusts are constantly being examined to see that they meet the needs of the participants. One of the issues that is uppermost in the Trustee’s minds is the relatively larger returns. Some type of self directed plan might well be the answer, where the participants, not the plan sponsor choose funds in which to invest their individual account balances. This will mean the developing of financial education programs to help participants make informed decisions.

The future of our industry is still in the hands of our training programs. We counteract the non-signatory contractors by having a sufficient number of well trained, dedicated union members. The challenge is there, it is up to us to answer it.

Future thought, there is a plan to bring the original 21 California Missions up to a realistic seismic code.These, for the most part adobe structures, should be worked on by union bricklayers. We are the ones who need to insure that California’s heritage will last into the next century. Ten (10) of the twenty-one (21) missions are in our jurisdiction.

Till next time.

Don Sullivan

P.S. Be sure to look into scholarship opportunities at the Union office.