QUARTERLY REPORTS
Report of International Representative Gabriel Perea
I
begin my report working in Las Vegas, NV, assisting Vice President/ Trustee Doug Ziegler. I would like to report we successfully negotiated a new contract for Local 162. It was a good agreement with a sizable increase over a three-year agreement. We also made other changes and improved the subsistence. As we continue to deal with Covid issues we have had to make many changes in how we conduct business. As the deputy trustee for Local 162, I have spent most of my time in Las Vegas. I am currently appointed to the Southern Nevada Roofers JATC committee. As a committee member and trustee of the Trust,
I have been working with Danny Jimenez who is our new apprenticeship coordinator. We have addressed some of the hurdles due to the virus and have started back with apprenticeship classes. We have made some real changes, including an outside classroom area and some new mock-ups. Brother Jimenez is doing a good job and is learning about running the JATC program. As the current supervisor for Roofers Local 27 in Fresno, I have continued to keep in touch with Business Manager Thomas Geiger. I am also active on the Central Valley Roofers JATC Committee and health and welfare Trust for the Fresno area. We have to hold Zoom
meetings to conduct business. It has its limitations, but we have adapted and are making it work. I have had to work from my home office when it’s not prudent to travel; however, I continue to check in with other locals as needed. As we all know, this election year will have a tremendous impact on all of our lives going forward. Keep in mind that we, as union members, have more than most to be thankful for. During this holiday season keep your union Brothers and Sisters in mind and families who might be going through tough times. I will close by wishing everybody a safe holiday season and hope the new year brings you prosperity, good health and happiness. ■
Report of International Representative Jeff Eppenstein
I
begin my report by congratulating President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their historical victory. Over 81 million Americans voted for change. In addition, another 74 million Americans voted to keep things as they have been the past four years. Clearly, we are divided nation. Our union brothers and sisters have also been divided in this election, but from the perspective of organized labor and workers’ rights, the best candidates were elected. Now we need to focus on building our membership, increasing work hours, and continuing to work safely on construction projects. Much of my time during this report was spent overseeing the trusteeship of Local 92, Decatur, IL. While the members and contractors
28
• The Journeyman Roofer & Waterproofer
in this local are very dedicated and work very well together, some tough decisions have been made and Local 92 will be merging with Local 97, Champaign, IL. With this decision comes a lot of work, such as rolling over the local’s 401(k) plan into the NRISPP, reallocating the wage addendum, and merging both JATCs to provide the best apprenticeship training for Roofers and Waterproofers in the area. We have also hired an administrative assistant who will work through this transition to strengthen the union office. I have also worked with newly elected Local 106 Business Manager Mike Durham and Business Agent Ben Macke in Evansville, IN. This area has always been very good for union workers, and with their continued hard work I am sure we will watch our membership numbers continue to grow.
At Local 119, Indianapolis, IN, Business Manager Brian Smith and Organizer Josh Land have been doing a great job with bringing in new initiates, tracking retention, and working with signatory contractors to develop high-quality training and communications to better labormanagement relations. In less than a year this local, which was at 250 members, has added 140 new initiates to the rolls—congratulations. We were able to have a joint District Council meeting in Chicago with most affiliates in attendance. The most important topic was the ongoing assault of our union by another unaffiliated building trades craft. The Carpenters have become extremely aggressive in reaching out to our members on job sites, our signatory contractors and even our business partners. Their false narrative is that we are peacefully
