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THE UNITED ASSOCIATIONJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018journalQuebec’s Highly SkilledProfessionals—On the Jobwith Plumbers, Pipefitters,and Welders Local 144,Quebec, MTLLes professionnelshautement qualifiésdu Québec—sur lelieu de travail avecles plombierset tuyauteurset soudeurs duLocal 144 àMontréalau QuébecPage 10
The Heart of the UALocal 502 Member MakesSure Christmas is for KidsBill Spinner is shown with volunteers EileenNelson Smith, on the left, and Suzi Weber.If you—or someone youknow—have given generously of your time and laborfor a good cause or havebeen involved in extraordinary charitable activities,we want to know about it.All submissions for thispage should be madethrough your local BusinessManager, who will forwardthem to the office ofGeneral Secretary-TreasurerPat Kellett. Submissionscan be emailed toUA-journal@uanet.org.Images should be highresolution (300 dpi).Please include as muchinformation as possible,as well as photographs,preferably in color.2Did you ever know aschoolmate, a friend, or aneighbor who neverseemed to have a warmcoat or even a pair ofwarm gloves during thecold winter season?Maybe your own familyhas experienced times when there wasn’tenough income to adequately clothe yourselfand your siblings.Bill Spinner, a member of Plumbers, Pipefitters and Service Technicians Local 502,Louisville, KY, and the co-founder and PastPresident/CEO of Schardein Mechanical, aLouisville-based signatory plumbing and mechanical contractor started in 1984, made apromise to his mother, Betty Spinner. BrotherSpinner reports that Betty was a school busdriver for the public school system in Kentucky.He said her empathetic heart recognized theclothing needs of many of the children alongher route, so she began volunteering her timewith an already-established shop with a childclothing program through her local KiwanisClub. She told her son, Brother Spinner, thathe could also do this. The needs of the childrenin their community were so great that shewanted him to get involved.In 1992, Brother Spinner took his mom’sadvice, and he started a “Clothe a Child” program with the help of his extended family andSchardein Mechanical employees. He wantedto do his part to provide adequate warm clothing for many grade school children in the Jefferson County, KY, public school system. BillSpinner said, “We started 25 years ago with mymother clothing 50 kids the first year. It wastotally financed by Schardein Mechanical.”The shopping experience was then called, “Secret Santa Shopping Spree!” Not only did theshopping spree provide warm coats for thechildren involved that year, but provided a toyas well.Brother Spinner and the Schardein Mechanical employees knew they wanted to help asmany children as possible in their community,so they reached out to their industry contacts,including other contractors, vendors, unionpartners, associations, and individuals, establishing a committed group of benefactors. Theprogram is now run through the Kiwanis Clubof Louisville, and Brother Spinner rigorouslyencourages more people to get and stay involved, both financially and physically. Morethan 250 volunteers were needed to grow thisinto the substantial program it is today. Thisyear, they clothed 577 children, and those children were able to take part in the shoppingspree for a new toy! The program, which is nowreferred to as “Christmas is for Kids,” remains ahuge success due to the generosity of theplumbing and mechanical community, whichdonates approximately 50,000 annually.International Representative Dave Poseysaid, “I think it’s one of the best things a personcan do for children if they have the means todo so. To see children at Christmas time withsmiles on their faces is priceless. It lets childrenknow that people care about them. As a child, Ican remember having the same experiencewhen someone reached out to my sister and meto buy us clothes and some toys for Christmas—that’s something you never forget.”Since its inception, more than 6,000 childrenhave received new, warm coats and toys becauseof Brother Spinner’s mom’s vision and BrotherSpinner’s continued commitment to remain involved. Brother Spinner’s goal is to help expandthe program’s outreach in his community.THE UNITED ASSOCIATION JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
VOLUME CXX, NUMBER 1 (ISSN 0095-7763)JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018journalTHE UNITED ASSOCIATIONContentsFEATURESDEPARTMENTSThe Pulse—The UA andRock ‘n’ RollReport of GeneralPresidentMark McManusA guest editorial by Dale Flood,Local 157, Terre Haute, IN,member and President of theAmerican Welding Society 8Upping the Anteon Communications8Quebec’s Highly SkilledProfessionals—On the Jobwith Plumbers, Pipefitters,and Welders Local 144,Quebec, MTLEditorial: GeneralSecretary-TreasurerPat Kellett10An Exciting New YearLies Ahead for the UAThe members of Local 144are currently on the job atthe Campus Mil for theUniversity of Montreal.106Job Well DoneThe members of Local 168,Marietta, GA, are commendedby Pioneer Pipe/PioneerGroup.30Les professionnels hautementqualifiés du Québec—sur le sitede travail avec les plombierset tuyauteurs et soudeurs duLocal 144 à Montréal au QuébecLes membres de la sectionlocale 144 sont actuellement autravail au Campus Mil pour1'Université de Montréal.104Counsel’s Corner1830Better Pay Attention—The Baseball Rule andAssumption of Risk32Local Union ReportsUA Canada—Proudly Canadian2017 United AssociationCanadian ConferenceActivities of UA membersacross the United Statesand CanadaConference Canadiennede l’associationunie 20171832Special thanks to Sylvie Filion, UA Canada Communications andMultimedia Associate, and Special Representative Stéphane Favronfor translating our UA Canada stories into French for us.2018/2019 UA ScholarshipFund ApplicationThe application deadline for the2018/2019 academic year UAScholarship Fund awards isJune 14, 2018.333633Nous aimerions remercier Sylvie Filion, associée aux communicationset multimédia à l'AU du Canada, ainsi que le représentant spécialStéphane Favron d'avoir traduit les articles de l'AU du Canada enfrançais pour nous.The UAWeb Internet address: http://www.ua.orgPostmaster: Address changes should be sent to Publications Office, The United Association Journal, Three Park Place, Annapolis, MD21401-3153.The United Association Journal (ISSN #0095-7763) is published nine times a year by the United Association,Three Park Place,Annapolis, MD 21401-3153. Periodicals postage paid at Annapolis, MD, and additional mailing offices. Printed in U.S.A. Publications mailagreement no. 40033123. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 2601, 6915 Dixie Rd, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A9.
PRESIDENT’S REPORTUpping the Anteon CommunicationsMark McManusGeneral PresidentOne of the essential tools to having a productive relationship is really pretty simple: Good Communication.Whether it is in a marriage or relationship, on a jobsite,as an employer, union member or leader, or as an enduser, you can have wonderful plans and innovativestrategies, but if those aren’t communicated effectively,then that relationship will certainly be hurt—possiblyeven fatally.Today the big challenge is to find the best way tocommunicate, especially with such a diverse and widespread membership as the one we have in the UnitedAssociation. Two countries, 50 states and 10 provinces—some of which speak a different language from English—makes it difficult and complicated.Fortunately, communication methods are changingbefore our very eyes. Most parents have a better chanceat getting a response from their kids through a textrather than expecting them to pick up the phone to talklive—or maybe that’s just my kids! It wasn’t all that longago that the UA General Office used telegrams to communicate with our local unions. That quickly morphedinto faxes, then into emails, and onto social media andbeyond. Social media—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter—has certainly changed the world. We are all probablywondering what’s coming next!It’s hard to believe that smartphones have really onlybeen around for 10 years, yet it’s just as hard to imagineyour life without one! This presents a challenge for all ofus. Prompt responses—even immediate responses—are4expected and are quickly becoming the norm. Evennews and media outlets have to be the “first” with anysort of breaking news—which seems to be breakingevery 15 minutes. This constant barrage of informationcan become overwhelming. We don’t always know whatto check first—our email, our Twitter accounts, or cablenews. It can be difficult to prioritize, but this lightningspeed of communications today can also be very usefuland helpful, especially to a widespread organization likethe UA.What I have learned in my first year as your GeneralPresident is you simply cannot underestimate the powerof any type of communication. This year, I wrote mysecond-annual, year-end letter to our 345,000 men andwomen of the UA in the old-fashioned “snail mail” waybecause of the lack of email addresses in our database.I’m hoping that next year I’ll be able to send this letterto you via email, especially for our traveling memberswho aren’t at home. That’s our goal.This was a personal letter from me to each of you, andit gave me a chance to share not only the highlights ofthe past year, but our excitement about what lies ahead.Last year, we learned, through some extensive surveys,that the rank-and-file like hearing from the UA’s leadership. If it’s a good idea or vision, or even if it’s controversial, it’s much better to have transparency and providethe explanation and thought process for what happenedand why. It also provides a way for us to stay connected,and that’s critical to our future.THE UNITED ASSOCIATION JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
Email is by far the preferred choice of communication, based on the rank-and-filemembers surveyed this fall. To answer that feedback, I am simply asking all local unionmembership, as well as their officers, to make a concerted effort to provide the UA withcurrent email addresses. You can update or add this information by logging in directlyto your member profile at uanet.org.At the same time, we also found out, overwhelminglyso, that the membership wants this correspondenceelectronically. Email is by far the preferred choice ofcommunication, based on the rank-and-file memberssurveyed this fall. To answer that feedback, I am simplyasking all local union membership, as well as theirofficers, to make a concerted effort to provide the UAwith current email addresses. You can update or addthis information by logging in directly to your memberprofile at uanet.org.There may be folks hesitant to do so out of concernsabout privacy or simply because they already receive somany emails every day. However, I’m certain you—likeme—didn’t hesitate much this past holiday season inproviding an email address for any online purchases. Itis not the intention of the UA to send a barrage ofemails out every day or every week. Your privacy is ofparamount importance, but at the same time, it is ourresponsibility to provide you with communications thatare pertinent to your livelihood. And in many cases, thisis time-sensitive information that needs to be disseminated ASAP.Over the next few weeks, we are preparing to rollout a new UA app for iOS and Android platforms toprovide you with real-time UA updates and information.It will be member-driven, and it is our hope that youwill use it and make suggestions on how it can be mostuseful to you.I firmly believe that an engaged and informed UAmembership and, conversely, an informed UA GeneralOffice, can and will do bigger and better things for thelives of all UA families. In May of 2017, the UA hired aCommunications Director to coordinate UA messagingto the public, politicians, end-users, contractors, and mostimportantly, the membership itself. Kristin Fleckenstein(kfleckenstein@uanet.org) is and will continue to be avaluable resource in this day and age of ever-evolvingcommunication. It is our collective goal to ensure allUA communication is relevant, timely, and educational.Thanks in advance for sharing in this endeavor, andwe certainly hope you will be actively involved throughemail and the UA app.Happy New Year!UNION PLUMBERS, PIPEFITTERS, SPRINKLERFITTERS, STEAMFITTERS AND SERVICE TECHS5
EDITORIALAn ExcitingNew YearLies Aheadfor the UAPatrick H. KellettGeneral Secretary-TreasurerThe start of a new year always brings with it lots ofus. It won’t be easy, but it’s a good problem to have!anticipation and optimism. We all look forward to whatAs we move forward with increasing our ranks, it isthe next year will bring, and we share the hope that itgreat to see so many of our local unions embracing thewill be better than the previous year.idea of organizing as never before. There is growing supIn the case of the United Association, 2017 was aport for the UA’s major organizing initiative, and that ischallenge, to say the least. We faced many tragedies thata very positive thing for all of us. We will need to recruitseemed to pile on one after the other, especially as theand train as many qualified tradespeople as we can if weyear came to a close. But the UA is resilient, and ourare going to meet manpower demands. The days aremembers and their families know how to face obstaclesgone when we can only rely on apprenticeship as a wayhead on, and that was especially evident last year with allto grow. We are organizing with an intensity, determinathat happened. So many of you gave so much to helption, and energy not seen for generations. This will makethose affected by hurricanes, fires, jobsite tragedies, andthe United Association much stronger and, in turn, meetsenseless violence—and that includesthose manpower demands.enormous generosity from our extendedAn important element of this deterUA family of contractors and suppliers.mination to grow is the positive relationThe compassion demonstrated by so manyship we have with our contractors. WeAs we look aheadhelped sustain us during these difficultwere given a solid basis on which to buildto the new year, alltimes.by those who went before us, and theAs we look ahead to the new year, allpartnership between management andindicators point toindicators point to what should be alabor is now at an all-time high. Together,what should be atruly outstanding opportunity for all UAthe UA and our employers are poised tocrafts—from homebuilding to heavyexpand our market share and take on alltruly outstandingindustrial work, including service andchallengers to our jurisdiction. With theopportunity for allmaintenance. The challenge for us will besupport of our contractors, we will conto keep our commitment to existing andtinue to open up new markets as we buildUA crafts—frompotential contractors to supply the skilledon our existing base. We are committed tohomebuilding tomanpower for this remarkable amount ofthe success of our employers, and together,work. It’s an unusual position for the UAwe will secure our fair share of the enorheavy industrialto be in, especially since the Great Recesmous amount of work that will be underwork, includingsion of 2008 seems like only yesterday. Ittaken in 2018 and beyond.is an exciting time for all of us, and I knowNone of this can happen without theservice andyou share our determination to make thesupport of our members. Your commitmaintenance.most of the work outlook that lies beforement to excellence and to doing a fair6THE UNITED ASSOCIATION JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
GENERAL OFFICERSMark McManus,General PresidentPatrick H. Kellett,Michael A. Pleasant,General Secretary-TreasurerAssistant General PresidentGENERAL EXECUTIVE BOARDPatrick M. Dolan, Jr.,Kenneth J. Broadbent,Daniel C. Hendrix,District No. 1, Connecticut,Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts,New Hampshire, New Jersey,New York, Rhode Island, andVermontDistrict No. 2, District of Columbia,Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland,Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania,Virginia, and West VirginiaDistrict No. 3, Alabama, Arkansas,Florida, Georgia, Louisiana,Mississippi, North Carolina,Oklahoma, South Carolina,Steven S. Breitlow,Stanley M. Smith,Steven Morrison,District No. 4, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas,Minnesota, Missouri, Montana,Nebraska, North Dakota, SouthDakota, Wisconsin, and WyomingDistrict No. 5, Alaska, Arizona,California, Colorado, Hawaii,Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico,Oregon, Utah, and WashingtonDistrict No. 6, Canada,Director of Canadian AffairsJames P. Moss,Mark Buss,Bradley M. Karbowsky,Executive Vice PresidentAdministrative Assistant to theGeneral PresidentAdministrative Assistant to theGeneral PresidentTennessee, and TexasEXECUTIVE OFFICERSJames MacDonald,Administrative Assistant to theGeneral President/CanadaDIRECTORSday’s work for a fair day’s pay lies at thecenter of all we do. You are the heart andsoul of this organization, and your skillsare what ensures the future of our membership and their families.When your General Officers say,“Thank you for a job well done,” we reallymean it. We know that everything we areable to achieve is because of each and everyone of you. Our pledge to you is that wewill work tirelessly to protect your interestsand to expand and strengthen the positionof the UA in the marketplace throughoutNorth America.So, as we welcome in 2018, I am honoredto be your General Secretary-Treasurer andto extend my best wishes to all our UAfamilies for a prosperous, safe, and productive New Year.David L. Barnett,Thomas G. Bigley,Virgil “Ed” Boone,Director of Pipeline andGas DistributionDirector of Plumbing ServicesDirector of Trade JurisdictionChristopher A. Haslinger,Brett C. McCoy,Michael P. Mulvaney,Director of Education and TrainingDirector of Metal TradesDirector of Energy and InfrastructureMartin D. Naseef,James E. Tucker,Director of HVACR ServiceDirector of Organizing and RecruitmentINTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVESLance J. Albin,Richard N. Allen,D. Shawn Broadrick,Alabama, Arkansas,Louisiana, and MississippiColorado, Nevada, Utah, andWyomingDelaware, District of Columbia,Maryland, Virginia, and SprinklerfittersKevin P. Carden,David J. Donato,Darren D. Jones,MichiganNew Jersey and PennsylvaniaArizona, New Mexico, and OklahomaRobert J. Lamb,William P. Meyers, Jr.,Roger D. Morgan,California and HawaiiIllinoisFloridaJohn J. Murphy,Bruce A. Myles,Richard L. Oliver,New YorkNewfoundland and Labrador,Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island,New Brunswick, and QualityControl Council of Canada (QCCC)Georgia, North Carolina, andSouth CarolinaMichael E. O’Mara,David L. Posey,Kenneth R. Ruggles,Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, andNebraskaIndiana and KentuckyOhio and West VirginiaGreg Sayles,Russell “Corby” Shelton,Scott Smith,Minnesota, North Dakota,South Dakota, and WisconsinTexasAlaska, Idaho, Montana,Oregon, and WashingtonTerence N. Snooks,Kurt W. Steenhoek,C. Daniel Watts,Ontario, Power Sector, andSprinkler Industry/CanadaPlumbingConnecticut, Maine,Massachusetts, New Hampshire,Rhode Island, and VermontHeiko P. Wiechern,Alberta, British Columbia,Manitoba, Saskatchewan,Yukon, and Mainline PipelineSPECIAL REPRESENTATIVESLarry S. Bulman,Stephane Favron,General OfficeQuebecTony Finelli,HVACR Service and Organizing/CanadaWendell Hibdon,William P. Hite, Jr.,Phillip F. Martin,Energy and InfrastructureOrganizingWelding/TrainingMike Mikich,Joseph A. Rohrer, Sr.,Lawrence A. Slaney,Pipeline and Gas DistributionOrganizingTraining/CanadaDavid L. Tolley,Phil Trucks, Jr.,Terry Webb,TVATennesseeGPC, NMA, and Fabrication/CanadaOfficial Publication of United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of thePlumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (AFL-CIO)UNION PLUMBERS, PIPEFITTERS, SPRINKLERFITTERS, STEAMFITTERS AND SERVICE TECHS7
The Pulse–The UA and Rock‘n’Rollby Dale Flood, Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 157, Terre Haute, IN, President, American Welding SocietyAs a Project Manager for Tri Tool Inc. in Rancho Cordova, CA, Dale is responsible for research and developmentand marketing of orbital weld equipment. He has extensive technica
Jan 02, 2018 · Local 157, Terre Haute, IN, member and President of the American Welding Society 8 Quebec’s Highly Skilled Professionals—On the Job with Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Welders Local 144, Quebec, MTL The members of Local 144 are currently on the job at the Campus Mil for the University of Montreal. 10 Les professionnels hautement
