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

Good day Union Family

Since, the Asbestos Worker’s Insurance Benefit Trust Fund of Alberta (Health and Welfare Plan) has moved from being an insured plan with Manulife to a self-funded plan, with only the life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, and travel medical covered by an insurance company, I have received a number of calls about the Travel Medical Insurance.

The Travel Medical Insurance for our Health and Welfare Plan is insured through iA Financial Group. The plan has a maximum of $1,000,000.00 of medical coverage for when a plan member or their covered dependents are traveling outside of their province of residence. The coverage starts when you leave your residence and lasts for 90 days from that date. If you are going to be away from your residence longer than 90 days you will only be covered for the first 90 days, after that you would have to purchase your own travel insurance for the remainder of your trip. Since, the travel medical coverage can be used for multiple trips in one year, you are required to return to your residence for a minimum 72 hours before the 90 days is restarted under the plan. If you do not return to your residence for the required time your coverage will only be for the number of days that are outstanding from the previous trip.

There are some exclusions from the Travel Medical coverage around pre-existing conditions:

This policy does not cover loss, fatal or non-fatal, caused by or resulting from a pre-existing or related condition whereby the Insured Person received Medical Treatment or required the use of medication during the three months preceding the date the Insured Person left their province of Residence.

Before the Insured Person’s departure from his province of Residence, the Insured Person must be stable under this plan, during the three months leading up to his departure from his province of Residence.

To be stable, the Insured person must not have:

• been treated, tested or consulted for any new symptoms or conditions;
• had an increase or worsening of existing symptoms;
• changed treatments;
• changed medications (other than normal adjustments for ongoing care);
• been admitted to the hospital for treatment of the condition;
• been advised of future treatments or tests planned for any existing symptoms or conditions.

This exclusion shall not apply to an Insured Person whose treatment was deemed, by the treating Physician or health care provider, as a routine follow up examination, nor shall it apply to an Insured Person whereby their use of medication is for a controlled and medically Stabilized Condition (diagnosed condition that requires consistent medical treatment), which was not medically compromised and whereby there was no change in either the medication or in frequency and usage, or dosage within the three months prior to departure.

In the end the Travel Medical Insurance is in place and covering our members to the same levels and the same way as when the plan was insured through Manulife. Unfortunately, shortly after the change from Manulife was made a member found that there was a difference in the process of coverage between Manulife and iA. This was brought to the attention of our Health and Welfare Administrator and me. Although it did take a few days the issue was corrected for that member and the adjustment was made to correct this issue going forward.

As the Health and Welfare plan has moved to a self-funded benefit it is important to me and the other trustees that proper coverage of our members and their families is maintained. If you have found any services that have not continued, please bring that information forward. Additionally, if there are services or prescriptions that are not currently covered by the plan that you see as beneficial, please put this in writing to the Trustees for future consideration.

If you have any questions about the process, please contact Health and Welfare Administrators or myself at the Edmonton union office.

In Solidarity,

Kevin Lecht                                                                          

Business Manager

Good day Union Family

Our new Provincial Construction Collective Agreement has been printed and can be pick up at the hall. However, the agreement can also be accessed online at https://clra.org/agreements/ under the Insulators tab.

In solidarity,

Kevin Lecht                                                                        

Business Manager

Good day Union Family
Reminder that Saturday is July 1^st, Canada Day. Local 110 Offices in Edmonton and Calgary will be closed Monday July 3^th.

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,