Good day Union Family,

The Pension plan is hosting a pension/retirement information meeting on June 26, 2024, at 7:30 PM.

This meeting will be focused on understanding retirement, how the pension plan fits into retirement planning and other issues that need to be considered prior to getting to retirement age. There will be opportunities for questions during the meeting.

This meeting will be hosted at the Edmonton Union Hall and the Calgary Union Hall in person. Those who attend in person will be able to ask questions. However, this meeting will be conducted over Zoom and members who wish to attend virtually can be emailed a link to the meeting by contacting the Pension Manager Paige Lajoie through email. paigel@insulators110.com

This is a new process for our Pension Plan and hopefully we are able to answer all the questions the members have about the plan and help get people thinking about their needs in the future. I hope to see a large group attend and we can expand on the information for future meetings.

If you have any questions, please contact Paige Lajoie or myself at the Edmonton Union office, or Derek Stock at the Calgary office.

In Solidarity,

Kevin Lecht

Business Manager

Good day Union Family,

The Canadian Building Trades Unions, Government of Canada, and Skill plan have come together to develop online indigenous training for tradespeople.

I have been through the training and found it informative. I encourage all of our members to take the time to go through this program and provide feed back on how the training could be improved.

Thank you

Kevin Lecht

Business Manager

Good day Union Family

Reminder that the Local 110 offices in Edmonton and Calgary will be closed Monday May 20, 2024 for Victoria Day.  

The Business Agents and I can be reached by Cell Phone or by Email.

Doug Casemore Business Agent North dougc@insulators110.com

Stacy Edmondson Business Agent Central stacye@insulators110.com

Derek Stock Business Agent South dereks@insulators110.com

Kevin Lecht Business Manager kevinl@insulators110.com

In solidarity,

Dear Local 110 Family,

Local 110 Build Together Representative Kaitlyn Lambert, has been doing an outstanding job being an active participant and leader in the Building Trades of Alberta Build Together group. At the same time, she has been highlighting the positives for ladies moving into a unionized career path and of course mechanical insulation with Local 110. She is now going to take her knowledge and passion for women in the trades and help build the Local 110 Woman’s Committee as the Chair.

Why do we need a Woman’s Committee:

Our Local needs a Woman’s Committee now more than ever. Currently Local 110 has over 17% women in our membership, and through Alberta Apprenticeship the Insulator trade has the ninth highest involvement of women in the skilled trades. However, even with this level of participation, women still face challenges in the workplace that need to be addressed if our industry and Local are going to grow into the future.

The Woman’s Committee will be a way for women in our Local to connect with each other, work together to develop positive change, discuss the challenges they face in the workplace, and work together to overcome these challenges.

What will the Woman’s Committee do:

Most Union Woman’s Committees are focused on things like:

• Helping build equality between members.
• Helping union leadership with bargaining to ensure women’s workplace issues are part of the process.
• Supporting interest and involvement in the Local and Union events.
• Helping with recruitment and organizing efforts.
• Working with other woman’s groups to bring attention to common issues.

However, since our Local is unique I believe that the Local 110 Woman’s Committee will have to collaborate and build a direction for the committee that works for them and the Local. In my role as Business Manager, I will support the committee and be involved as much or as little as the committee feels is appropriate, and work with Chairperson Lambert to ensure the committee’s success.

If you are interested in joining the Woman’s Committee or have additional questions, please email Kaitlyn Lambert at k.lambert110@hotmail.com.

I ask that all members be supportive of this Committee and encourage every woman in our Local to join because the more involvement the Local 110 Woman’s Committee has the stronger Local 110 will be for all members.

In Solidarity.

Kevin Lecht                                                                          

Business Manager

Good day Union Family

Local 110 has been asked to help facilitate donations to help Brother Kim Croswell’s Family.

As some of you may know Kim has had a number of strokes and is in the hospital in Saskatoon Saskatchewan, with a very long road to recovery. With his Health and Welfare benefits coming to an end shortly. His daughter who is a resident of British Columbia has come to Saskatoon to help him in his recovery. Unfortunately, this has resulted in her not being able to work and since Kim’s residence is hours away from Saskatoon it has been costly for her to continue staying in the area.

Brother Dan Vick has provided a donation of two large prizes and the local will be putting up a prize for three thank you draws. Although you are not required to donate to be part of a draw it is encouraged to donate a minimum of $20 as all funds will be given to the family. This draw is open to everyone if they are affiliated with Local 110 or not. However, if you are drawn for one of the packages you must pick it up in person at the Edmonton or Calgary Union Hall.

If you would like to donate in person you can do so at the Edmonton or Calgary Union Halls, or you can call the Edmonton Union Hall at (780) 426-2874 and a donation can be made over the phone with a credit card.

If you have any questions please contact me at the Edmonton Union Office, listed above.

In solidarity,

Kevin Lecht

Business Manager

Dear Local 110 Members,

In the spirit of joy and gratitude, we extend our warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas and a joyous holiday season. As we come together to celebrate, I have been looking back with great pleasure on some positive highlights of the collective strength and resilience of our union.

This year our Local completed bargaining for the long-awaited new collective agreement. The over whelming acceptance of the memorandum by the membership is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our negotiating team. This agreement not only recognizes the valuable contributions of our members for our contractors, but also brings about positive changes that enhance our working conditions. Moreover, the wage increases that have happened in May and November reflect our commitment to fair compensation for the hardworking members who are the backbone of our union. This achievement underscores our collective effort to ensure that our members are fairly rewarded for their dedication and contributions.

This year our Pension Plan provided a 5% increase for our pensioners, recognizing their invaluable role in shaping the history of our union, and helping with the ever-rising costs of day-to-day life. At the same time active members were provided a $5 increase to the accrual rate. These gestures reflect our ongoing commitment to the well-being and dignity of all members, both present and retired.

As we take this time to celebrate these victories, I also want to express my gratitude to each member, and especially the members that have stepped forward to represent the members on the sites as Job Stewards for your unwavering support and dedication to our Local throughout the year. Your commitment has made all the achievements of the union possible, and we look forward to building on this momentum in the coming year. I would also like to give my thanks to the Staff, Business Agents, Executive Board Members and Trustees for all your hard work and time over this year.

To allow our team to fully enjoy the holiday season, our union office will be closed from December 21, 2023 to January 3, 2023. During this time, our dedicated staff will be taking a well-deserved break to recharge and spend quality time with their loved ones. The Business Agents and I will be available in case of emergency through email.

Thank you for your continued support and solidarity. Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In unity,
Kevin Lecht

Business Manager

Good day Union Family,

Over the last number of years ceramic fiber insulation has been used less and the material itself has been changed to reduce the number of fibers that are released during installation. However, the this is still a very hazardous material. In animal studies high levels of exposure has shown that the fibers are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs causing lung fibrosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Additionally, after ceramic fiber is exposed to high heat for prolonged periods the product become more friable, and the inner layer devitrifies into a form of crystalline silica that can cause silicosis.

Ceramic fiber is used for high heat applications, usually as a first layer prior to the installation of Cal-Sil or mineral fiber. Additionally, several of our clients have contractors utilizing ceramic fiber for “stuffing” of elbows and cutouts as it is quite flexible and easy to work with.

With every install or removal of insulation we are exposed to fibers that can result in long term painful health issues. The best way to ensure that you do not become one of our numerous members that are suffering from occupational lung issues is to wear a properly fitted respirator when working with or around any fibers. I have been just as guilty as most insulators in not wearing a mask, but I ask that you take your future health seriously and wear the respirator as much as possible. The other thing we need to do is have our biyearly Pulmonary Function Test and chest X ray. If you do happen to become sick early detection is the key to survival and documentation is the key to being properly compensated through WCB.

There is significant amount of information available about ceramic fiber insulation and all the products that we work with, I would suggest that when you have time research the products you are working with and protect your health.

If you any questions feel free to contact me at the Edmonton Union hall, or take the time to ask the Nurses or Doctors at the WOW center during your next Pulmonary Function Test.

In Solidarity,

Kevin Lecht

Business Manager

Good day Union Family,

I would like to congratulate Brother Andrew Doucet on being elected to the position of Trustee with the Asbestos Workers Pension Plan of Alberta. Mr. Doucet is a welcome addition to the team, and I am sure that he will help continue the sound decision making and good governance that has made our plan successful so far.

His position will run for a three-year term starting January 1, 2024.

In Solidarity,

Kevin Lecht

Business Manager

Good day,

Over the last number of days Local 110’s social media and emails have been flooded with copies of a video that has a Mr. Cartier being confronted by two individuals about the trapping and extermination of cats. I share in the disgust of these actions and hope that the proper authorities are dealing with this appropriately.

Mr. Cartier is not currently an active member of Local 110 and is not working for any of our signatory contractors.  

I do ask that the people who have been posting these videos as comments on condolence posts for our members who have passed away, please stop. Although I see that you are trying to get a reaction this is incredibly disrespectful to the memory of these members, their friends, and family members who have been seeing these posts over the last few days.

All of our social media is used to provide information about our Union and associated events or organizations. As such we will not be allowing these videos to be posted to our social media.

Regards,

Kevin Lecht Business Manager