Hard Hat - Fall 2013

Uniting ARCCAW members across Alberta

Fall 2013

Comfort Zone Camp life is more enjoyable for workers thanks to one Local 2010 shop

The Art of Boom

New courses will give members an advantage on the jobsite

A Perfect Partnership Training Centre nails together Trade Winds program and Habitat for Humanity

Around the Nation

A recap of the Canada Council Convention held in Newfoundland

Christm as golf tou parties info; results; rnament adm building inistration update

Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40063788 Return undeliverable mail to 200-15210 123 Ave Edmonton,AB T5V 0A3

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Executive Secretary Treasurer’s

REPORT

We Need Your Voice Martyn A. Piper

T

his is a response strongly opposing the application by a group calling itself the “Provisional Committee For The Industrial Scaffold Technician” – a group seeking to have something they call the “Industrial Scaffold Technician” declared a “Designated Occupation”.

The Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers (ARCCAW) represents about 9,000 scaffolders in Alberta. Our contractor partners are also opposed to a “Designated Occupation” and employ a majority of the industrial scaffolders as well as every other sector where scaffolding is utilized.

The ARCCAW ensures that workers we represent, including scaffolders, receive the best training possible. The UBC has invested $100 million in a 400,000 square foot International Training Center (ITC) in Las Vegas where staff from our Union’s many training centres receive world-class instruction. Union members do not pay for training and upgrading courses, even if they attend programs at the ITC. The ARCCAW also established a $23 million facility in Edmonton that includes two state-of-the-art scaffolding halls as well as additional training centres in Calgary and Fort McMurray. Since 2003 we have had 5,000 students attend the three-week scaffold training course, which is required per year and after completing 1,300 field hours. First, second and third year apprenticeship classes are offered on an ongoing basis along with a journeyman upgrading program. Our training component is strictly enforced and is the envy of many trade apprenticeship programs, as there is no advancement until completing the classes. Our dropout rate is minimal and we are extremely proud of our retention rates. We take scaffolding seriously.

The ACTC is funded by the Alberta Carpenters Training Fund, which is funded through employer contribution and collective agreements. Current funding for training, including scaffold training, is $0.55 for every hour an employee works in industrial construction for a contractor bound to the Collective Agreement, and $0.10 for every hour worked in nonindustrial construction. Employers also contribute $0.55 to training per every hour worked under the Union’s Maintenance Agreements. Yearly, the fund invests over $5 million into training, a good portion dedicated to scaffolding.

HARDHAT FALL 2013

Thanks to the fund we have been able to develop and provide one of the most comprehensive scaffolder apprenticeship programs in the world. Our dedication to the completion of apprenticeship is reinforced by our commitment to the various apprenticeship competitions. Employers and contractors in Alberta recognize the need for a trained, professional and safe workforce.

Together, the Union and its contractor partners have trained thousands of scaffolders and plan to train thousands more. The owner/clients have made it very clear that anything less than a properly-trained professional is unacceptable and it’s not uncommon for contractors to ask our members to present credentials before starting work. Even in many non-union settings, our ARCCAW standard is the certification that contractors look for, and by doing so their workplace is safer.

Allowing anything less in the scaffolding industry is not acceptable.

The goal of the Provisional Committee to have an “Occupational Designation” of “Industrial Scaffold Technician” will do exactly the opposite of Apprenticeship and Industry Training’s vision and mission statement of ensuring highly skilled workers and a high quality of training and certification standards.

Giving employers the authority to issue different levels of apprenticeship or journeyperson status won’t promote highly skilled people in the scaffolding trade, nor will it establish a high quality of training and certification. If the industry is going to consider any kind of designation, then we must aspire to the highest levels of safety and competence rather than reducing standards to the lowest common denominator. Scaffolding is one of the at-risk professions and if done by inexperienced hands can have extremely negative safety consequences. The Union, along with our contractor partners, has heavily invested to develop a scaffold training program of the highest standards to produce skilled, knowledgeable and safe scaffolders. The ACTC scaffolding program is the benchmark for the scaffold industry in Alberta. We are opposed to any recognition less than the high standard we demand of our scaffolders, in industrial or any other areas.

The plan for this “Occupational Designation” does not make sense. There is a significant public interest in this debate, particularly with respect to safety and it’s not limited to industrial construction. One notorious example is the 2010 incident where a person employed in scaffolding was videotaped tossing a scaffold clamp while perched many metres above street level. That incident, involving an employee of a member contractor of the Provisional Committee, took place on what is termed a commercial project – the Bow Tower in Calgary.

Our contractor partners represent a significant majority of the people employed in the scaffold industry. We wish it to be abundantly clear that together we are opposed to the Provisional Committee’s attempt to have a “Designated Occupation” of “Industrial Scaffold Technician”. We are not opposed, in principle, to recognizing that scaffolding requires a distinct skill set, nor are we opposed to establishing criteria required for certification of competency in all areas of work where scaffolding is utilized. However, it is our position that the occupation should remain as it currently is – undesignated, or if it is to be designated, only as a Compulsory Certification Trade.

Having a “Designated Occupation” of an “Industrial Scaffold Technician” will not benefit anyone in the scaffolding industry. Instead it will result in a diminishing standard of skill, knowledge and safety to the detriment of workers and the industry.

Starting October 30, visit these survey links and express your opposition to the “Designated Occupation” of an “Industrial Scaffold Technician.”

Employees Link: www.banister.ab.ca/AEAEscaffold eremployeesurvey Employers Link: www.banister.ab.ca/AEAEscaffold eremployerssurvey

Contents Undeliverable mail should be directed to ARCCAW 200-15210 123 Ave Edmonton, AB T5V 0A3 Email: lhelmeczi@albertacarpenters.com Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement # 40063788

PublisHeD FoR:

Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters & Allied Workers 15210 – 123 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T5V 0A3 Tel: (780) 474-8599 / Fax: (780) 474-8910 www.albertacarpenters.com

FEATURES

Fall 13

10 fit@work We’re all looking for balance in our lives but will balance help us achieve our goals?

By Matt Smith

12 strong Foundations

PublisHeD by:

Venture Publishing Inc. 10259 – 105 Street Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1E3 Toll-free: 1-866-227-4276 Phone: (780) 990-0839 Fax: (780) 425-4921 www.venturepublishing.ca

Local 2010 at PTI/Travco make camp life for workers more comfortable

By John Hardy

18 Value Added New courses provide members with more to offer contractors, which means more opportunity

By Tricia Radison

PublisHeR

Ruth Kelly

AssociATe PublisHeR

Joyce Byrne

20 more Than Just child’s Play

ARccAW eDiToR

Trade Winds program meets Habitat for Humanity and the result is two elegantly built playhouses

By Scott Rollans

Martyn A. Piper

DiRecToR oF cusTom conTenT

Mifi Purvis eDiToR

Jordan Wilkins ART DiRecToR

Charles Burke

AssociATe ART DiRecToR

DEPARTMENTS

4

note From the executive secretary Treasurer

Andrea deBoer

By Martyn Piper

AssisTAnT ART DiRecToR

Colin Spence

PRoDucTion cooRDinAToR

Betty-Lou Smith

PRoDucTion TecHniciAns

6

site lines Provincial and National Competitions; golf tournament; WCB turns 100

Brent Felzien, Brandon Hoover conTRibuTing WRiTeRs

John Hardy, Tricia Radison, Scott Rollans, Robin Schroffel, Matt Smith conTRibuTing PHoTogRAPHeRs AnD illusTRAToRs

Ryan Girard, Greg Halinda, Joey Podlubny, Kelly Redinger

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15 geared up

9

Tools to help you work better

22 on the level 23 Around the nation

Vice-PResiDenT, sAles

Anita McGillis

ADVeRTising RePResenTATiVe

Kathy Kelley

25 meet the Apprentice

sAles AssisTAnTs

Julia Ehli

Contents © 2013 by ARCCAW Inc. No part of this publication should be reproduced without written permission.

Important Phone Numbers

Edmonton

Fort McMurray

Calgary

Carpenters Training Centre

Carpenters Health and Welfare

Carpenters Pension

Industrial Workers

Millwright Local 1460 Local Union 1325 and 2103 Dispatch

24 instructor update

780-471-3200 780-743-1442 403-283-0747 780-455-6532 780-477-9131 780-477-9131 403-283-0747 780-430-1460 1-888-944-0818

26 Training & Apprenticeship Report

By Len Bryden

28 KidZone Back to school

29 local 1460 millwrights Report

By Bob Hugh

30 Parting shot 31 Training & events; in memoriam

on THe coVeR: Local 2010 consists of wall-to-wall membership at PTI Travco’s shop in Nisku PHOTO: Kelly Redinger HARDHAT FALL 2013

Site Lines

News in Brief

A roundup of news and events from around the region

Workers’ Compensation Centennial This year marks the 100th anniversary of the advent of the workers’ compensation system in Canada. It was in 1913 when Sir William Ralph Meredith, who later became chief justice of Ontario, delivered his now-famed Final Report to the Ontario legislature, ushering in the era of modern workers’ compensation in Canada.

Industrialized Canada in the early 20th century was a dangerous place. Health and safety standards had not yet been established. Accidents causing serious injury or death were not uncommon, especially in the resource and manufacturing sectors. Families were often left destitute following the loss of the primary wage earner. At the time, the only recourse for compensation was suing the person who caused the injury.

But, in those days, few workers could afford to hire lawyers to sue negligent employers or withstand the years of litigation often required for a successful outcome. The common law also erected a number of legal hurdles that inhibited a worker’s ability to recover. If the employer established that the worker had assumed the risk or had contributed to the cause of injury, there might be no recovery at all.

Meredith proposed a new law that redressed the harsh inequities of tort law. The new law would provide compensation on a no-fault basis and eliminate the common-law barriers to recovery. No lawsuit was required to achieve recovery and adjudication would be conducted on an expedient basis by an agency independent of the government and

with the authority to decide all questions under the legislation. Furthermore, employers would be called upon to fund the entirety of the system through a collective liability or mutual insurance model, with no monetary contribution from workers. However, workers forfeited their common-law rights to sue their employers in exchange for no-fault coverage. Courts and lawyers were no longer required.

The bold new system was inclusive. Under the former tort regime, only those few workers with sufficient resources and patience to successfully sue their employers received compensation. Under the new system, all workers injured in a covered industry were entitled to benefits. Ontario enacted its first workers’ compensation legislation in 1915. Alberta followed suit in 1918.

In the ensuing decades, there have been many changes to the workers’ compensation system in Canada. The concept of immunity has expanded to include not just a worker’s employer but all employers and workers in the system. The range and level of benefits have increased dramatically since Meredith’s day. Workers’ compensation bodies these days are multibilliondollar enterprises and act as administrative decision-making boards.

The advent of workers’ compensation in Canada precedes the introduction of medicare, employment insurance, the Canada Pension Plan and even income tax. It has a long and storied history and has undergone many changes to meet the challenges of an evolving workplace and society. Yet the basic principles espoused by Meredith in 1913 continue as the foundation for today’s workers’ compensation system.

Provincial Competition This year’s United Brotherhood of Carpenters’ Provincial Apprenticeship Competition saw Calgary’s Local 2103 take a clean sweep of the top three spots. The event, which was held at the Alberta Carpenters Training Centre (ACTC) in Edmonton on July 21 and July 22, featured the best apprentices from across the province showing off their skills in the trade. Benjamin Quintin’s name will be added to the long list of champions who have won throughout the contest’s rich history, now spanning more than three decades. Quintin’s victory earned him the opportunity to represent Alberta at the National Apprenticeship Competition in Newfoundland on August 23 and August 24. Robert Fannon was the runner-up, while Craig Burton rounded out the top three.

While Local 2103 swept the podium on the carpenters’ side, Edmon-

ton’s Local 1325 achieved the same for the scaffolder competition.

This event doesn’t have as long a history as the Carpenters’ Provincial Apprenticeship Competition does, but for the past five years scaffolding apprentices, too, have had their chance to shine. Daniel Lefurgey came out on top with Danielle Stark and Joshua Lewis crowned second and third place, respectively.

“I would like to thank each and every apprentice who participated in the provincial competition this past July,” says Len Bryden, director of training and apprenticeship at the (ACTC).

“I’d also like to thank our instructors who participated and everyone else who helped organize the event. Congratulations to everyone for a job well done.”

HARDHAT FALL 2013

Site Lines

News in Brief

The Nation’s Best

Alberta’s representative for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters’ National Apprenticeship Competition held in Newfoundland on August 23 and August 24 made his fellow Brothers and Sisters proud. Only two carpenter apprentices in the country ranked higher than Local 1325’s Benjamin Quintin, who walked away with third place at the national competition. Christopher Rogacki of Ontario and Chad Delaney of Newfoundland took home first and second place, respectively. Alberta’s millwright apprentice, Albert Mausolf, also represented his province proudly competing side by side with the best millwright apprentices in Canada.

“I’m very proud of everyone who participated in the competition,” says Len Bryden, director of training and apprenticeship at the Alberta Carpenters Training Centre. “Our apprentices did a great job and the competition was a success.”

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2013 National Apprenticeship Competition results: CARPENTRY: 1st: Christopher Rogacki (Local 27, Ontario) 2nd: Chad Delaney (Local 579, Newfoundland) 3rd: Benjamin Quintin (Local 2103, Alberta) DRYWALL: 1st: Jonathan Morash (Local 675, Ontario) 2nd: Kevin Riddick (Local 397, Ontario) 3rd: Barry McNeill (Local 1338, Prince Edward Island) MILLWRIGHT: 1st: Stewart Tonge (Local 2262, New Brunswick) 2nd: Mark Newman (Local 2039, Ontario) 2nd: Braden Boake (Local 1021, Saskatchewan) 3rd: Garrett Ellsworth (Local 1009, Newfoundland)

A roundup of news and events from around the region

Fore a Great Cause “The conditions were excellent,” recalls Martyn Piper, executive secretary of the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers (ARCCAW). “It was the perfect day for a round of golf.” The 13th annual Barrie Regan Golf Tournament, held at the Legends Golf and Country Club in Sherwood Park on July 19, was another successful entry to the annual fundraiser for both golf-going union members and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The event raised over $12,000 for the organization while 142 players took to the links. Special thanks to all of the volunteers who generously donated their time and effort to make this annual tournament possible and continue to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

RESULTS: Winning Team: Mike Dunlop, Brent Lee, Ralph Bellerose and Graham Gagne Longest Drive (Men): Dennis Traverse Longest Drive (Ladies): Jackie Gorde Longest Putt (Men): Phil Acheson Longest Putt (Ladies): Danielle Carr Closest to the Pin: Darcy Superkoski

Construction Nearly Done Construction is almost complete on the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers’ new administrative building in Calgary. The facility will eventually be home to the administration staff of the ARCCAW in Calgary. Located in the northeastern area of the city, just south of the Calgary International Airport, the new location will be more accessible for members using public transportation and easier

to locate than the current downtown site.

If this photo reminds you of the Alberta Carpenters Training Centre in Edmonton, that’s not a coincidence. The two buildings share the same design firm and the Calgary facility was engineered to complement the Edmonton location. Construction is expected to be completed early next year with staff moving in by spring.

HARDHAT FALL 2013

fit @ work

BAlAncIng AcT

By MATT SMITH

Don’t sacrifice your ultimate goals for the sake of finding balance

B

alance. Many describe it as working hard on the job while maintaining relationships with friends and family, all the while not taking life too seriously. Maybe it’s making healthy food choices that include fruits and veggies while ensuring junk food is limited to special occasions (it’s OK to indulge once in a blue moon). Or having a few beers after work to unwind from a challenging but rewarding week of all that life has to offer; after all, kicking back and having a few laughs is what keeps us young.

We all seem to be searching for balance and telling others how to find it, but does anyone actually know what the heck they are even saying? My definition of balance is going to be significantly different than my grandmother’s definition in the same way that my definition of football is going to differ from that of my friends in the UK. So what is balance and what does it give us? Some of us have a very busy and stressful work schedule for a few months each year, but it’s what allows us to take those extra months off during summer or afford some nice gifts for our spouse or children. Remember how impossible that extra trip seemed that one year? But working a bit harder made it happen. Life is less about having balance as the goal and more about using balance to achieve that goal. Read that last line over again, it’s very important. Every goal, lifestyle choice or future plan is going to require different habits, choices and sacrifices.

I’ll focus on the exercise portion of lifestyle and balance, but really it can be introduced into any area of our lives.

Careers, relationships, even learning a musical instrument if that’s what you’d like.

What you can define, you can create. What do you want and how badly do you want it?

Practicing the guitar five hours a day, seven

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HARDHAT

FALL 2013

days a week doesn’t exactly seem balanced to me, but it will definitely help you become an amazing musician.

So how does this idea of balance relate to fitness? We all say we want six-pack abs, a chiseled physique or the strength of a titan but if we are being truly honest, most of us are not willing to make the sacrifices required to achieve these results. It’s not because we can’t do it, it’s just not at all realistic with the lifestyle we want to live on a regular basis. We have errands to run, people to care for and work to do every day. For some of us, just finding time to sit down and eat lunch is a problem – let alone maintaining a diet that allows us to resemble Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The reason I use exaggerated examples such as six-pack abs or superhuman strength is to show that although most don’t want their lives to revolve around fitness, we need to sacrifice in order to lose that extra bit of weight, gain some muscle mass or just generally move

easier in day-to-day activities. Even a simple change is still a change. And that change needs mental awareness to solidify itself in your current lifestyle or else it will dissolve away like many of our past New Year’s resolutions.

The biggest question we need to ask ourselves when trying to define what type of fitness lifestyle we want is: why do I want to achieve this goal? When we figure this out and if it means enough to us, we can begin to find out what it’s going to take to be successful and if we are willing to do the things necessary to achieve it. Balance will simply reflect what we need to do on a regular basis to ensure we get where we want to go.

A good example to bring this all together is comparing someone who wants to increase their conditioning so they can do more hiking with their friends and someone who wants to climb to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Although both basically involve walking on an inclined surface, the two goals are vastly different.

The recreational hiker may just need to add several hours of weekly training into their schedule without really disrupting their weekly routine.

Although going home after work and watching TV is going to be replaced with some moderately challenging exercise a few times a week, it’s really nothing that drastic.

Sure, eating a little healthier to lose weight Matt Smith, CSEP-CPT, NASM-CES in order to enjoy the scenery instead of sucking wind and stumbling over tree stumps may not be ideal, but it’s also not going to kill you. On the other hand climbing to the top of the world without preparation for the task could very well do the trick.

A person wanting to literally climb a mountain will figuratively have to move mountains when it comes to their daily schedules.

Everything from physical preparations, survival techniques, understanding how to read a map and planning proper nutrition, all while keeping in touch with your team to support each other, will be vital in accomplishing the goal of reaching the top. Can you do all this by simply moving your weekly night out with the boys or girls to a different day? That might be all that is needed for the recreational hiker, but the future mountaineer will need an entire overhaul.

This drastic dedication may seem imbalanced to certain people,

Life is less about having balance as the goal and more about using balance to achieve that goal. but understand that when a goal is strongly defined it is balanced in terms of what needs to be done to accomplish it.

In the fitness world, as in other walks of life, in order to achieve your goals your lifestyle will probably not look like what most people define as balanced. That’s OK, to achieve greatness we must strive for greatness and do what others are not willing to do. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an advocate of living a happy life involving great friends, fun hobbies and even a piece of cake once in a while, but I also realize that achieving incredible results will at times require an imbalanced lifestyle that combines a higher level of thought, sacrifice and dedication to achieve. Don’t be the person who says they are going to change and then doesn’t. Greatness is a choice. Find your own balance to become great.

PHOTO: KELLY REDINGER

STRONG

Foundations Manufacturing modulars at PTI/Travco is gratifying for Local 2010 because of the company’s rock-solid relationship with the Union

By JoHn HARDy 12

HARDHAT FALL 2013

I

t’s all about relationships if you ask George Wilson, the focused and personable business representative of Local 2010 at the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers. “It has been almost eight years since I was assigned to represent the Local 2010 members who work at PTI/Travco in Nisku and I have always felt that building solid relationships and genuine two-way respect were key parts of the job.”

Wilson is enthusiastic about being involved in most aspects of the Travco relationship because of the company’s distinctive union workforce. “I call it wall-to-wall membership because the membership encompasses every trade - men and women who are

forklift operators, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, sheet metal mechanics, shipper/receivers and more,” he explains. “And I suppose it’s a bonus, but they are really a good bunch of people.”

He admits that representing Local 2010 members at PTI/Travco was initially a bit of a learning curve but, right from the beginning, it has been an experience that he enjoys. Wilson has been a Union member for 35 years with a background primarily in commercial construction.

Servicing PTI/Travco introduced him to something entirely different.

“This is a very unique but dynamic, manufacturing atmosphere,” he explains. “The work of our members involves all aspects of the manufacturing process. It’s a continuous learning experience and HARDHAT FALL 2013

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The company also values the mutually respectful rapport which I still find it extremely interesting. Everything that is manufactured has developed. “PTI has a very positive and productive relationship here – from dorms to kitchens and executive suite units – is handswith Local 2010,” says Robert Maze, senior vice-president of PTI on, created by our members.”

Group. “We all understand the competitive environment we operate The workers at PTI/Travco create modular facilities that are in, and the challenge all Alberta businesses face around employees, shipped to places like the oil sands, giving workers there a room to competitiveness and safety. The Union has been an important part stay and a place to eat while in camp. And, while other workers are of our team, helping us drive away from home occupying the and progress.” facilities made at PTI/Travco, The workers come to work and their shifts improvements This strong bond between these Local 2010 workers enjoy are away from the elements, warm as toast. Local 2010 and PTI/Travco was permanent employment at the It’s a very nice atmosphere, compared to recently put to the test with large indoor shop. “One big differwhat I was used to. the latest collective bargaining ence which used to be somewhat agreement this past summer. foreign to me, with my construcThis was the third that Wilson has been involved with and he says tion background, is that this an enclosed shop. The workers come to understanding the issues and the shared, strong relationship were work and their shifts are away from the elements, warm as toast. It’s vital factors to renewing the deal. a very nice atmosphere compared to what I was used to.”

“There’s really no magic to collective bargaining,” he explains.

Wilson underscores the importance and the value of maintain“There is always some good, some bad, some back-and-forth baring his consistent presence on the shop floor and a strong rapport, not only with his members but also with company management. And gaining, and invariably some challenges for both sides.” Fortunately, Wilson worked out a mutually acceptable agreement where Local according to Wilson, PTI/Travco is a great partner of the Union.

2010 members voiced their opinion in the ratification vote and a “These are really good folks with good attitudes and dispositions,” three-year agreement is now in place. Today Local 2010 workers at Wilson explains. “The employer provides various extras which just makes it a more enjoyable place to work: like pizza for the staff, com- the plant are busy and productive, enjoying the new terms and conditions, with an increase in benefits, Wilson says. “Negotiations are plimentary coffee and a cooler with fresh fruit and chocolate. Some never easy, but I can honestly say that it went a lot smoother with of the extras, such as safety ideas, are actually ideas that originated PTI/Travco, mostly because of our one-of-a-kind relationship.” from Local 2010 members on the shop floor.”

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HARDHAT FALL 2013

Geared Up Tools to help you work faster and smarter applications. In fact, the DWARA100 was found to have five times longer life on average than standard models.

A truly versatile attachment, it works with any drill bit, spade bit, hex shank bit, nutdriver, and impact ready hole saw. Find the DWARA100 right angle attachment at retailers in Alberta for $29.99, or visit www.dewalt.com for more information.

AUTO-LOCKING TAPE The good, old-fashioned tape rule is a timeless staple in every pro’s toolbox, but it’s now even more indispensable with Stanley’s new FatMax auto-locking 25-foot tape rule.

The FatMax combines the safety and ease of auto-locking tape rules with professional features like 11 feet of standout, making it an ideal product to use on the jobsite. Easy to operate with one hand while marking with the other, the tape blade automatically locks to extended length and retracts while the release button is depressed, offering maximum control. Switch over to manual mode with the override setting, turning the FatMax into a traditional retractable tape.

The 1.25-inch blade is coated with Mylar and BladeArmor to extend durability and life, and comes with a detachable True-Zero end hook system to ensure total accuracy no matter what you’re measuring. With storage for two hooks, it’s easy to switch between an oversized hook for framing or remove it altogether for regular use.

Available in home centres, mass retailers, ad hardware stores, the FatMax sells for $24.99. For more information, visit www.stanleytools.com.

KEEP IT TIGHT Small spaces call for smarter tools. Get tighter access than ever when drilling holes and driving screws in those hard-toreach spots thanks to Dewalt’s new right angle attachment.

Boasting a true 90-degree angle, the model DWARA100 was created with a mind to eliminate common issues like retention and durability for a superior product. It’s ideal for general contractors, steel framers, and other tradespeople who need precision access in difficult places.

At 1.75 inches long, the DWARA100 is one of the shortest attachments on the market and is compatible with your existing impact driver. It boasts an ergonomic, strengthengineered plastic handle and a floating ring magnet for fastener retention – enabling perfect alignment and holding power that works every time. The attachment also uses impact-rated gears, ensuring long life in high-torque

CLAMP UP Condense your toolbox and protect your lumber at the same time by choosing the new Stanley 2x4 Clamp. Designed to replace both bar clamps and pipe clamps, the 2x4 Clamp acts as that extra set of secure hands you need without damaging the wood from the clamping force impact.

Light and easily transportable, the clamp stands upright on two feet, providing balance and lift to all your projects.

It includes several innovations, like non-mar pads to keep your work surface pristine and clean. And its 400 lbs of clamping force increases significantly to 1,000 lbs when bolted to a 2” x 4”.

Best of all, the 2x4 Clamp works with any 2” x 4”: its length can be modified, and its heads can be inserted and repositioned anywhere. Find the Stanley 2x4 Clamp at home improvement centres for $24.99, or visit www.stanleytools.com.

HARDHAT FALL 2013

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Always Wear Safety Goggles. Copyright 速 Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.

TRADITION. PRODUCTIVITY. INNOVATION. These words are everything you know Stanley Tools represents.

This is the kind of variety, quality and innovation professional contractors and do-it-yourselfers alike have come to expect from Stanley, and those characteristics are clearly thought of for every tool we offer. We work continually to design products with real-world benefits that will see you through to the end of job after job. Whether you are doing your first home project or completing a full room renovation, Stanley has the tools you need for the job.

STANLEY. TOOLS THAT GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT. www.stanleyhandtools.ca

PHOTOs: ryan girard

Value Added

By TRiCiA RADiSon

Courses provide carpenters and millwrights with more to offer contractors, which means more opportunity

A

t first glance, the Certified Rigger and Signaler, and the Forklift/Zoom Boom (Power Industrial Truck Operator) courses might seem unnecessary to carpenters and millwrights. There was a time that you could get away with skipping these courses. Not anymore. Contractors are making it clear that they want millwrights and carpenters who have extra training, particularly in rigging and forklift operation, and the Alberta Carpenters Training Centre (ACTC) is responding to this demand by offering high-quality courses that get members quickly caught up to speed in these new areas.

Derrick Schulte, a dispatcher with the union, hears the demand almost daily. He says that requests for members with this type of training have skyrocketed about 40 per cent in the last couple of years. This working with and around machinery is now a part of the everyday job and safety-

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conscious contractors aren’t interested in people who aren’t professionally trained in these areas.

“Rigging and forklift operation are part of our job and to execute the work ourselves we have to understand what we’re doing and how to be able to use the equipment,” explains Schulte. “These courses assure contractors we can do that work safely.”

Randy Dwernychuk is an instructor who has taught the Certified Rigger and Signaler course. He explains that such courses aren’t in place to steal work from other trades, they are there to strengthen the existing skill sets of members so that the union can continue to have the most efficient workforce in the industry.

“The reason we do the rigging training is so our workers can lift precast concrete forms, hoist lumber or scaffolding equipment, or lift heavy

equipment,” Dwernychuk says. “We like to maintain our own work and if we don’t have carpenters or millwrights on the site with the required training, other trades are brought onto the site to do that work and we lose it.”

The Certified Rigger and Signaler course is a 40-hour course originally developed at the International Carpenters Training Center in Las Vegas and is offered at the Edmonton and Calgary ACTC locations. Over one week participants learn about the history of rigging, how to inspect and use a variety of wires, ropes and chains, and all about slings, shackles and any other rigging equipment you may come across at the jobsite.

The course also covers splicing rope and tying knots as well as the various types of cranes. The latter is important because it gives union members the knowledge they need to determine whether to use, for example, a hydraulic or lattice-type crane, and what size of crane is best for the particular application. For instance, if you have to lift a couple of tons but have to reach far to lift it, you need a larger crane than if you were lifting the same amount of weight without having to reach over something. This kind of knowledge has become more important to the industry over the years as an increase in activity brings more unfamiliar worksites, each with its own challenges.

Ensuring members can do the work safely is a priority for the training centre and that means giving people enrolled in the course the skills to calculate loads and the practice they need to lift things properly. Instructors provide participants with tables and formulas to calculate weight and centre of gravity so they can lift items straight up and with as little horizontal movement as possible. They also learn how to calculate how much weight is pulling on the

slings to determine if they have the right size of sling for the load and to determine the rigging hardware.

“If you are picking something up and you don’t know how heavy it is, that’s when accidents happen,” says Dwernychuck. “When we teach people to pick something up it comes straight up; it doesn’t swing sideways and drift around. We have all the rigging hardware, slings, shackles, everything they need for practicing.”

Dwernychuk also makes sure that students know the proper hand signals used in the industry so they can communicate with other workers while operating a crane.

This kind of fusion between hands-on training and critical theoretical knowledge is also an integral part of the two-day Forklift/Zoom Boom (Power Industrial Truck Operator) course. And, as always, the instructors take the course very seriously.

“This is not just a little classroom course that you automatically pass,” says instructor Leonard Lopatynski. “There is a full day in the classroom learning about the equipment, covering how to operate the equipment, safety issues and equipment inspections. If you don’t pass the exam, you don’t get to operate the equipment.”

To ensure that all participants get enough time on the forklift and zoom boom, which are both owned by the ACTC, class size for this course is limited to a maximum of 10 students.

That gives each student sufficient time on each piece of equipment, manoeuvring through an obstacle course and doing picks as set up by the instructor. Students who don’t feel entirely comfortable after their first run are welcome to repeat after everybody is finished. This ensures that everyone who takes the program will be comfortable operating the equipment when it’s needed on the jobsite.

Lopatynski, who also teaches a similar course on aerial work platform and scissor lift operation, has more than three decades of field experience and, during that time, has taken his fair share of training, too. He is impressed with the quality of the course, which, like the Certified Rigger and Signaler course, is the exact training that international trainers deliver at the Las Vegas facility.

“You learn a diverse amount of material and you leave knowing that you can safely operate the equipment. I sat in on another facility’s course that had 24 students who got tickets for four pieces of equipment in one day. This is not anything like that,” he says.

With forklift and zoom boom operation and rigging and signaling training under their belts, members don’t have to wait for other trades to move the material they’re working on. It’s something that’s always happened on the jobsite; learning to operate equipment out of necessity or learning rigging from one another. But these days with an increased focus on safety, workers must be professionally trained to do these kinds of jobs, and that training must go beyond just five or 10 minutes at the site before using the equipment.

“Members with these courses working for contractors will have a lot more opportunity for work, longer-term employment and opportunities for transfer from site to site,” says Schulte. “Every opportunity to gain more knowledge is valuable for our members and makes them more employable.”

Ultimately, having courses like these available adds value for contractors and union members alike, ensuring that carpenters and millwrights can meet the needs of industry while operating equipment as safely as possible.

HARDHAT FALL 2013

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By ScoTT RollAnS

A

Habitat for Humanity playhouse fundraiser builds some serious skills

playful idea has turned into a memorable project at the Alberta Carpenters Training Centre (ACTC) in Calgary this fall. Students with Trade Winds for Success (a 16week pre-apprenticeship Aboriginal training program) have been testing their carpentry skills by building two gorgeous and elaborate playhouses. Once they’re finished, the houses will be raffled off by Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta.

The project is the brainchild of Shane Whitmore, a long-time fixture with the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers (ARCCAW). For some time, Whitmore had been mulling over ideas for supporting Habitat, a well-known charity that builds affordable housing for families looking to own their own home. Recently, while

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his daughter chatted with him about getting a playhouse for her son, the light bulb went off. “It just clicked,” recalls Whitmore. “I called up Sandi Ferchau at Habitat for Humanity and talked to her about the idea, and she fell in love with it right away.”

Whitmore’s next call was to Len Bryden, director of training and apprenticeship at the ACTC in Edmonton. Whitmore hoped to borrow some space in the Calgary shop and to wrangle his own crew of volunteers to build the playhouses on weekends. However, Bryden pushed it one step further. “Len said, ‘I’ve got a Trade Winds to Success course starting right away in Calgary. We could do the playhouses as a project for the students.’ ” And just like that, the project landed in the lap of Trade Winds course instructor Hughie Bruce. Bruce jokes about being unwittingly sucked into

instill union values. “The job let them experience the union way of cooperation, of working as a team. Also, the value of volunteering and helping others.”

Twenty-five-year-old Albert Rowan, one of Bruce’s Trade Winds students, says he’s definitely taking away a lot from the project. “I learned quite a bit,” he explains, “like how to build a floor frame on the ground, if you have to move a structure after it’s built. And [how to build] door openings, windows, how to frame walls and roofs. We did a lot of hands-on tool experience, and a lot of power tools.” At the same time, Rowan says, the nature of the project brought out the kid in all of them. “It was actually quite fun.”

Whitmore says he’s not at all surprised by the stunning results. “Hughie Bruce is a perfectionist, so I knew it would turn out perfectly,” he says.

Whitmore is also quick to credit others for their role in the project’s success. “I went to the regional council, and got funding,” he says. “And Whitmore’s scheme, but he promptly rolled up his sleeves and banged the I went to my local down in Calgary and also got funding from there, too. project into a tangible shape. “I had a vision,” he says, tongue-in-cheek.

“It was Shane’s idea but he had no blueprints or anything, so I made up the They pitched in $2,000 apiece, to cover the cost of materials.”

The project is nearly complete, but Whitmore still looks forward to design.”

With the playhouses now nearing completion, it’s clear Bruce is more of seeing a few final touches. “Hughie’s daughters are coming in, and they’re going to paint rainbows on the doors. an artist than he’d care to admit. Apart from And there’s a little picket fence all the way their size – six feet by eight feet, with a threeWith features like custom-made around, and they’re going to be rainbow foot deck at the front – the houses wouldn’t solid-core doors, vinyl siding and coloured too.” look out of place in a developer’s brochure. components and basic scaffolding After the paint dries, the playhouses will “If you insulated these things and heated be transported to Habitat – a significant them, you’d be able to live in them,” laughs for access to the fully-shingled task in itself. “These playhouses are going Whitmore. roofs, the playhouses incorporate to weigh between three and four thousand With features like custom-made solid-core many of the same building practices pounds each,” laughs Whitmore. Not long doors, vinyl siding and components and basic found in full-sized residences. after that, the tickets will go on sale (visit scaffolding for access to the fully-shingled www.habitatsouthernab.ca for details). roofs, the playhouses incorporate many of “Habitat is going to try to raise around $10,000 for the two of them,” the same building practices found in full-sized residences. As such, says Whitmore says. “So, this is going to go to a very good cause.”

Bruce, they provided a much more well-rounded carpentry experience Over at Habitat, they certainly agree. “We at Habitat for Humanity than his students might have expected with a more conventional course Southern Alberta are grateful for the generosity of the community,” says project, such as a bench. The folks at Habit for Humanity weren’t the only Leslie Tamagi, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Southern ones to benefit from Whitmore’s idea.

Alberta. “It is with the support from groups like the ARCCAW we are able Bruce outlines some of the skills the students had to learn. “We were to build affordable housing and provide solutions for low income families able to teach them rafter layout for a hip roof,” he says. “They learned as a means to breaking the cycle of poverty.” soffit and fascia fundamentals, and why airflow is so important. Without If Whitmore has his way, this won’t be the last time he brings an idea airflow, warm air collects in the attic and can rot the sheathing. Proper to Bruce and his Trade Winds to Success students. The playhouses have venting also prevents ice build-up and ice dams.” brought together a whole range of positive forces – community service, The students also learned basics that will serve them well on any job meaningful training opportunities, and good old-fashioned fun. “We’ll site, says Bruce. “They learned basic framing layout and fundamentals. be doing more projects like this in the future,” Whitmore vows. “This They learned how to safely use power and pneumatic tools, and how to isn’t the end; it’s the beginning.” do a pre-job safety sheet.” And, above all, Bruce observes, the job helped HARDHAT FALL 2013

21

on the level

Bridge buiLDeRs

By LoRRAine ALbeRT, Community Aboriginal Liaison, Trade Winds to Success

T

he oil and gas industry and the Aboriginal community in northern Alberta have not always seen eye to eye. This is no secret. The land represents different things to the bustling industrial companies than it does to us Aboriginals who have been there for generations. However, our relationship has improved over the years, and a lot of that has to do with an innovative program that allows both parties to work together for common goals.

Bridges between industry and the Aboriginal community have slowly been forged and one example of this is the Trade Winds to Success Training Society. I believe that it is one of the first centre pieces to creating a mutual appreciation between Aboriginals and the oil and gas companies doing business up north.

The province-wide program connects local Aboriginal men and women with employment in the trades that can eventually lead to fulltime employment within the industry. We have success stories from all over Alberta, but the region that seems to be best suited for the Trade Winds program is here in the Fort McMurray area. Rather than having companies consistently importing workers from across the country and even outside of Canada, now industry needs to look no further than the backyard of its operations around Fort McMurray to discover talented Aboriginals prepared join the workforce.

The Trade Winds program is designed as a pre-apprenticeship training program with the aim of instilling the creativity and ingenuity of a relevant trade into members of the Aboriginal community. Our goal is to help Aboriginals interested in meaningful employment carve out a gratifying career in an industry that really is the backbone of our province. Potential career options through Trade Winds to Success include: boilermaker, carpenter, electrician, ironworker, millwright, plumber, insulator, steam/pipe fitter or welder.

Our program consists of three stages, deliberately laid out to slowly ease ambitious members of the community onto the path of success.

The first stage is two weeks of basic orientation. We want to make sure that people are aware of what a particular trade, carpentry for example, will consist of. And I’m not just talking about the work requirements, but also the hours and quality of life that a future tradesperson can expect. During this stage it’s important that our students opt for a trade that they will be passionate about. This is the opportunity for men and women to find an enriching career

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that can lead to a higher quality of life and years of waking up with determination and purpose when heading off to work in the morning.

Since this is the first step in the process, it’s vital that the step is in the right direction for them.

The second stage is based around upgrading. We ensure that each individual is adequately educated because our students need to pass the Alberta trade entrance exam before moving on to the actual training.

Stage three is the eight-to-10-week shop training. Here students have the chance to become comfortable with the hands-on work in actual workplace settings, usually at union facilities in Edmonton or Calgary like at the Alberta Carpenters Training Centre. These courses don’t just go over the elementary tasks that eventually become second nature to a tradesperson. They also lay out essential tool usage and how to be the safest worker possible. Safety is an essential approach to having a successful career in the trades, and it is part of the nucleus of the success and mantra of Trade Winds to Success.

Our website, tradewindstosuccess.ca, contains all of the information required for people looking to become involved. It also includes the stories of Brenda Hunter and Edward Joseph Chalifoux, two blazing stars of the program that have both found success and purpose in the trades. We would love to post even more success stories, but lately I’ve had trouble finding others to talk to because a convenient problem has arisen. Suddenly, everyone in the community seems a lot busier because more people are working and benefitting from the bustling economy that exists in northern Alberta.

around the nation

News and events from across Canada

Canada Council Convention Union members and industry leaders from across the nation gathered in Newfoundland on August 25 and August 26 for the biennial Canada Council Convention. The event was held in conjunction with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters’ (UBC) annual National Apprenticeship Competition and played host to various committees, industry experts, politicians and international UBC members. Special guests Douglas Banes, general vice president of the UBC, and Randy Stefanizyn, manager of corporate labour relations with Syncrude, were among the speakers over the two-day conference. This year was a special Canada Council Convention for the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers’ executive secretary treasurer Martyn Piper as he was elected president of the Canada Council.

HARDHAT FALL 2013

23

Meet the Instructor

By ROBIN SCHROFFEL

Lifelong Learner W

union. Distilled from a five-day, 40-hour course that instructors attend at the ITC, its components include theory, inspection, an exam, practical training, and a practical exam. Lopatynski’s intensive two-day class is limited to just eight to 10 students at a time, meaning each student gets plenty of hands-on time with the machinery before attempting Lopatynski’s obstacle courses on both the forklift and the Zoom Boom. “The course gives students a sufficient amount of time on the equipment, which makes them feel comfortable and trained before they are out on the job site,” says Lopatynski.

From the feedback he’s received, Lopatynski is confident he’s contributing to the growth and success of his fellow members, which works out well as that’s the part of his job he likes the most. “I like knowing that I’ve trained to the best of my ability and that people are going to leave here with a good sense they’ve actually been taught something that could help them on the job every day.”

LEONaRd LOpatyNSkI 24

HaRdHat FALL 2013

PHOTO: RYAN GIRARD

hether it was during his 30 years out in the field or it’s today as an instructor at the Alberta Carpenters Training Centre (ACTC), Leonard Lopatynski always makes a point of being a mentor and a student. On the jobsite as a carpenter he was always quick to go out of his way and pass his skills to the younger workers. During the past year and a half in his role as an instructor at training centre, he’s made sure to take on the role of a student too whenever he’s had the opportunity. He’s honed his own skills by upgrading, sitting in on courses taught by other instructors at the ACTC, and by attending sessions at the International Training Center (ITC) in Las Vegas. Why? It’s simple he says. “If you think in this world and this day and age that you know everything there is to know, then you must be perfect. But how many perfect people are there in the world?” he asks. “There’s always something you can pick up, and always something you can be taught by someone else, too.”

In part, this love for acquiring further knowledge is why Lopatynski decided to transition into the instructor side of the industry. Now he gets to pass down the knowledge he’s picked up from senior union members over the past three decades to the new up-and-coming members who are the future of the industry.

The topics that Lopatynski covers throughout the various courses he teaches encompass a wide-range of skills that might not be what immediately comes to mind when imagining a carpenter’s skill set. To Lopatynski, this is a direct sign of the times in the construction industry. His courses include, but are not limited to, industrial technical training (ITT), hoisting and rigging, aerial and scissor lifts, and forklift and variable reach rough terrain lift trucks. The knowledge and experience students gain from these courses is vital to their success on the jobsite, he says – and so is the paperwork that comes along with them. “The more documentation and the more accreditation you have in your wallet, the more employable you are,” he says.

The forklift and variable reach rough terrain lift truck (Zoom Boom) course is one Lopatynski feels is particularly excellent, especially when compared to similar courses offered outside the

Meet the Apprentice

By ROBIN SCHROFFEL

Never Too Old T

In a way, Eskiw is also apprenticing into a future role as an instructor.

He started part-time at the ACTC five years ago, but today he assists instructors with collecting materials and setting up the obstacle courses for the forklift and Zoom Boom course. And, he’s learning how to teach along the way, hoping to one day become an instructor and pass on his knowledge to apprentices in the industry. “We have very good instructors – my teachers never taught me like this in school. They have the knowledge to explain it and make it simple for you so you understand exactly what you’re doing. There is really no better way to learn the trade.”

PHOTO: ryan girard

hey say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks – just don’t say that around Marvin Eskiw. He may have graduated high school in 1979, probably before most apprentices in the industry today were even born, but you’d never know based on his enthusiasm. In fact, the only time his age really shows is when you consider his work experience. Eskiw was self-employed in the construction and renovation industry for more than two decades.

Money can’t buy that kind of experience, but Eskiw believes that there is always more to learn about the trade, even for a seasoned veteran like himself. These days, he works full-time as an instructor’s assistant at the Alberta Carpenters Training Centre (ACTC) – and on the books, he’s a second-year apprentice.

Eskiw decided to pursue his journeyman ticket in carpentry four years ago after the physical work he’d been doing for years began to take a toll on his health. Without a ticket, his career options were limited, so he went back to school with his eye on becoming a job site supervisor or instructor – both roles that require Red Seal certification. “My body is beat and broken, but I’ve been in the trade so long, it’s really the only thing I know how to do or want to do,” he says.

As someone who initially learned exclusively on the jobsite, Eskiw says that the training setting at the ACTC is a lot different than being taught in the field. While both may yield the same result, on the jobsite you learn the shortcuts, while in school you learn how you got there and why, increasing your ability and overall understanding, Eskiw explains. “When we were out in the field, everything was shortcuts. We didn’t spend time on calculators. You just knew that this was the angle to cut it at and you went and cut it and put it in place. How they teach you in class is to mathematically get all your answers, through equations and with a calculator.”

Despite his enthusiasm, he admits there have been some challenges in apprenticing so late in his career. “If I would have started when I was younger, it would have been a lot easier. It’s really tough to get back into school once you’ve been out for so long. You have to make yourself study – you can’t just dilly-dally and spend your nights at the bar and expect to pass. You really have to commit yourself.”

Eskiw points to the two-plus hours of homework he was doing nightly to pass the rigging course he took through the Union as an example of the kind of commitment needed to make it in the industry these days. Bringing the work home wasn’t something he was used to, but Eskiw admits it drastically improved his skills in the trade. “If I didn’t study, I wouldn’t have made it.”

MARvIN ESkIw HARDHAT FALL 2013

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REPORT

Training and Apprenticeship

Booming for Decades

W

hat a summer! New records continue to be set and I’m not talking about the temperature. No, I am talking about the incredible, unprecedented amount of ongoing and proposed construction developments happening not just in Alberta, but across Canada, particularly in Newfoundland and Labrador. We are now seeing many of our members who came to Alberta for work years ago pack up and head back home where things are starting to really boom there, too. Tens of billions of dollars are being spent. This is great news for people who have had to work away from their families for years. Skilled workers like our members are in great demand, and not just in Alberta anymore either.

But this can increase contractors’ anxiety when they are looking for these workers, and the entire Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers (ARCCAW) and all Building Trades of Canada are facing some increasing challenges right now with what could potentially be decades of non-stop development in different areas of this country.

The solution to this funnels back to training, and luckily for us the International United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Jointers of America takes this very seriously.

We continue to train full-steam ahead, all over Canada, with plans for more in Alberta in the coming years.

This summer also saw another Provincial Apprenticeship Competition for our carpenters and scaffolders in June, and again we saw some of the best and brightest of our apprentices have some fun and compete for some great prizes from our sponsors. Our first place carpenter was Benjamin Quintin from Local 2103, who went on to compete in NFLD at this year’s National Apprenticeship Competition (NAC), where he took home third place against contestants from across Canada.

Congratulations once again Benjamin. Our first place scaffolder in this year’s provincial contest was Daniel Lefurgey from Local 1325. I want to congratulate all the participants for another professional and fun event, both provincially and nationally.

After the NAC 2013 in Newfoundland and Labrador, I attended the 2013 Canada Council Convention where I was able to help report on the activities of the National Apprenticeship Training Advisory Committee (NATAC) with my fellow NATAC executive members Kelly Power (NFLD Training Director), and Colleen Dignam (Ontario Regional Council Training Coordinator). We had many guest speakers from all walks of our industry who opened our eyes to what is happening in the construction industry nationwide. It was a very worthwhile event put on by the folks from the Carpenters Millwright College and the Atlantic Regional Council.

More recently, I attended the Building Trades of Alberta yearly conference with our delegation from the ARCCAW, and again we listened to more leaders, contractors and owners in the construction industry tell us about their successes and challenges, and how we all share in this together. We heard more forecasts of hundreds of billions of dollars of work and development that will happen over the next 15 to 20 years in Alberta alone.

The jury is in. It’s time to start building more infrastructure on all levels, (marketing, recruiting, and training, training, training). This summer also saw the increased emphasis on companies hiring first-year apprentices, and there needs to be a more consistent, concerted effort on this. This is something we on the training side have been saying for many years. It’s vital that our first-year

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Len J. Bryden, Director of Training and Apprenticeship Alberta Carpenters Training Centre apprentices are employed right away. It has to be taken seriously if any contractor in Alberta, or anywhere else for that matter, wants to continue to build a much-needed workforce for what’s already on our doorstep, and what is heading our way.

I write this as I prepare to engage a group of our scaffolder Level 2 apprentices here in Fort McMurray tomorrow morning, to share with them what I have learned this summer. I will encourage them to do the right thing and become UBC professionals to make the rest of us members and our contractors proud.

Speaking of Fort McMurray, the ACTC is currently looking for an instructor to join the ranks at the Fort McMurray training centre.

To qualify for this position you must be a member in good standing with the UBC and you must possess a recognized journeyman carpentry certificate and an ACTC journeyman scaffolder certificate. This is a full time position with an annual contract. If you are interested please contact kim@abcarptc.ab.ca for more information or to submit your resume. Stay safe and keep up the good work everyone, I hope you had a great summer.

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KidZone

By ROBIN SCHROFFEL

Class List Maze

Start

Forklift: A forklift is a machine that can lift and carry heavy loads. Students learn how to drive one, then drive it through an obstacle course Rigging: Learn about ropes, knots, and chains, so you can lift building materials high into the air First Aid: If someone gets hurt at work or at home, this class will teach you how to help them Blueprint Reading: A blueprint is a picture that shows you exactly how to build something – a house, a bridge, or a machine.

Learn how to read a blueprint

Finish

You’ve studied hard in class, and now it’s time to take your forklift test! Drive the forklift through the obstacle course to earn your forklift license.

Q: What nails do carpenters hate to hit? (Answer below) Word Search Back to School BLUeprInT

mATH

Carpentry: Learn all about tools and the different ways of building things

forkLIfT

TexTBook

SCHooL

ConSTrUCTIon

Stair Construction: Staircases aren’t easy to build, but how else are we going to get upstairs and downstairs? This class is all about how to build stairs

BUILdIng

reAdIng

knoTS

TooLS

STUdenT

drIve

CArpenTrY

rIggIng

Confined Space Entry: It’s hard to work in a small, cramped space. When you’re working in a tiny, tight spot, this class will teach you how to be safe

LeArnIng

UnIon

TeACHer

fIrST AId

CLASSroom

SAfeTY

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HARDHAT FALL 2013

A: Fingernails!

Summer’s over, and that means only one thing: It’s time to go back to school. But did you know that the Union has a school, too? You may even have a family member – a parent, grandparent, aunt, or uncle – who goes there!

The school is called the Alberta Carpenters Training Centre. In many ways, the classes are just like yours: Students read textbooks, watch videos, listen to the teacher, and practice. But instead of normal classes like science, art, and gym, the students take courses that make them better at their jobs.

Who knows – if you grow up to become a carpenter or millwright, you could go to school there too!

Here are some of the classes that they teach at the Union’s school:

REPORT

Local 1460 Millwrights

The Driver of Union Growth

H

ere at Local 1460, we have 1,662 millwright members. It’s quite a number, but only 407 of these members are apprentices; 279 member apprentices and 128 probationary apprentices.

We are growing, but not at a rate sufficient enough to offset our anticipated attrition rate of around 30 per cent.

Also, a majority of our probationary apprentices are first year starting, which is unquestionably the hardest group to dispatch to the job site. Our probationary apprentices must work in the field for 480 hours, have a valid blue book and attend two training courses at our training centre. Only then are they eligible for membership and only after attending an orientation meeting. Not all of our clients and contractors embrace starting apprentices, especially the ones who do not have a blue book yet.

As an industry, we must embrace and mentor first year apprentices to help meet the manpower demands we are experiencing today and the ever greater demand we will experience in the near future. But, there are some programs in place as well as some industry leaders that encourage these apprentices who are the future of our industry. We have commitments, from owner/clients like Syncrude Canada and Shell Canada, to increase apprentice ratios on their job sites through the various contactors that work there.

Through several apprenticeship completion grants, the federal government is also looking at ways to increase the number of apprentices in the trades. Canada’s Economic Action Plan, released in 2009, saw the federal government make a commitment

to encourage skilled trades and apprenticeships by investing $40 million per year in the Apprenticeship Completion Grant (ACG), which complemented the pre-existing Apprenticeship Incentive Grant (AIG) launched in 2007. Both the ACG and the AIG represent a total investment of $115 million per year from the federal government. All apprentices registered in a designated Red Seal trade in the province or territory they received journeyperson certification are eligible to apply for the grants.

The ACG is a $2,000 taxable grant designed to encourage apprentices registered in a designated Red Seal trade to complete their program and become certified as a journeyperson. The ACG was launched in July 2009, with eligibility made retroactive to January 1, 2009 meaning that to be eligible apprentices must have successfully completed their training in a designated Red Seal trade and obtained their journeyperson certification on or after that date. Apprentices must apply by June 30 of the year following the completion of their certification. There are approximately 25,000 journeypersons in designated Red Seal trades across Canada who receive an ACG each year.

The AIG provides a taxable grant of $1,000 per year to those apprentices who successfully advance from one year (level/block) to the next in the first two years of an apprenticeship program in a designated trade. For the AIG, the apprentices must have completed the first year (level/block) or second year (level/block) of an approved apprenticeship program on or after January 1, 2007. Apprentices have until June 30 of the year following the completion of their level or block to apply for the grant.

Bob Hugh, Senior Business Representative Local 1460 Millwrights There is also the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program (ISRSP).

The ISRSP represents a national standard of training excellence in the trades and is highly valued by employers. In 2011 more than 264,000 apprentices were registered in the Red Seal trades. This number represented almost 80 per cent of all apprentices in Canada as well as a substantial portion of the overall workforce.

Apprentices in designated Red Seal trades can apply for a $1,000 taxable cash grant when they complete the first and/or second year or level of their apprenticeship training to a lifetime maximum of $2,000. Combined with the ACG and AIG, apprentices who complete their training and become certified journeypersons in a designated Red Seal trade could be eligible to receive a total of $4,000 from the federal government.

For detailed information on the grants, along with the application form, visit servicecanada.gc.ca or call 1-866-742-3644.

HARDHAT FALL 2013

29

Parting Shot

Tools of the Trade

Just as there was always a wide range of millstones used for various grains throughout the early days of the millwright profession, the types of tools that millwrights used for each stone was just as diverse.

It wasn’t uncommon for early millwrights to use up to four or five different mill picks on the job, depending on the particular grain the mill was working on and the challenges that the millwrights faced. Most millwrights had a single handle that could easily interchange all the picks required for the job, which was more efficient than hauling around four or five different handles.

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HARDHAT FALL 2013

UPCOMING

Training + Events

Meetings First Wednesday of each month: Local 1325 meeting Third Thursday of each month: Local 2103 meeting Fourth Tuesday of each month: Local 1460 meeting training alberta Carpenters training Centre The following is a sampling of training courses that are open for registration at the time of publication of this edition of Hard Hat. For full listing or more information on training courses, visit www.abcarptc.ab.ca or phone the Edmonton office at 780-455-6532 or toll-free at 1-877-455-6532.

All courses are at the Edmonton location unless otherwise indicated.

Blueprint Reading 1 & 2: December 9 to December 13, 2013 Certified Rigger and Signaler (CRS): December 9 to December 13, 2013 Commercial Door Hardware Installation Course: March 10 to March 14, 2014 (Calgary) April 7 to April 11, 2014 May 26 to May 30, 2014 (Calgary) H2S Alive: November 10, 2013 November 17, 2013 November 24, 2013 Industrial Technical Training: January 27 to February 9, 2014 March 24 to April 6, 2014 May 5 to May 18, 2014 May 12 to May 23, 2014 June 23 to July 6, 2014 OSSA Confined Space Entry and Monitor: November 15, 2013 November 23, 2013 November 29, 2013 OSSA Fall Protection: November 12, 2013 November 16, 2013 November 19, 2013 November 22, 2013 November 26, 2013 November 30, 2013 Period 1 Carpentry: May 20 to July 11, 2014 Period 2 Carpentry: January 6 to February 28, 2014 Pre- Employment Carpentry Program: March 10 to May 2, 2014 Scaffolding Journeyman Upgrade: January 6 to February 7, 2014 February 3 to March 7, 2014 April 14 to May 16, 2014 (Calgary)

In Memoriam

Scaffolding Level One: November 18 to December 6, 2013 December 2 to December 20, 2013 December 2 to December 20, 2013 (Calgary) December 2 to December 20, 2013 (Ft. McMurray) January 6 to January 24, 2014 January 6 to January 24, 2014 (Ft. McMurray) February 10 to February 28, 2014 February 18 to March 7, 2014 (Ft. McMurray) March 3 to March 21, 2014 March 17 to April 4, 2014 (Calgary) April 7 to April 25, 2014 (Ft. McMurray) April 14 to May 2, 2014 April 28 to May 16, 2014 May 26 to June 13, 2014 May 26 to June 13, 2014 (Ft. McMurray)

ARCCAW notes with sorrow the passing of the following members.

LOCaL 1325 Gordon Burrell July, 2013, Age 77 Liban Hussein July, 2013, Age 24 Philip Huttges June, 2013, Age 53 Milan Jojic September 2013, Age 72

Scaffolding Level Two: November 12 to November 29, 2013 November 12 to November 29, 2013 (Calgary) November 12 to November 29, 2013 (Ft. McMurray) January 27 to February 14, 2014 (Ft. McMurray) March 10 to March 28, 2014 March 17 to April 4, 2014 (Ft. McMurray) April 7 to April 25, 2014 April 28 to May 16, 2014 April 28 to May 16, 2014 (Ft. McMurray) May 20 to June 6, 2014 June 16 to July 4, 2014 June 16 to July 4, 2014 (Ft. McMurray)

Kevin MacLeod June 2013, Age 37 Michael Meister July 2013, Age 49 Jason Novakowsky June 2013, Age 43 Benjy Sheppard July 2013, Age 32

Scaffolding Level Three: November 25 to December 20, 2013 March 3 to March 28, 2014 March 31 to April 25, 2014 May 20 to June 13, 2014 June 2 to June 27, 2014 June 9 to July 4, 2014

Theodore Szymanski July 2013, Age 61 LOCaL 1460 James Bristow August 2013, Age 63

Standard First Aid Level C CPR/AED: November 23 and November 24, 2013

LOCaL 2103

UBC Builders Level and Transit: December 16 to December 20, 2013

Neil Joseph DeGraaf July 2013, Age 60

MiLLwrights training Centre Visit www.albertamillwrights.com for a current listing of training courses available.

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