Fall 2013

In thisissue:LIUNA Backs Bridge Legislation

NWLETT Pitches in to help build 9/11 Memorial

Spotlight: Ryan Williams

Fall 2013 Class Schedule

Apprenticeship Graduates

NWLETT Utah site, InstructorsHonored

Utah and Habitat for Humanity

While not always publicized, on aver-age 25 bridges in the United States col-lapse each year. The average bridge in the U.S. was built to last 50 years – this bridge was 58 years old. The American Society of Civil Engineers calculates that we invest $12.8 billion annually in decaying bridges – far below the $20.5 billion needed, and far below the ulti-mate cost in lives and dollars if Congress continues to skirt its responsibilities.

Congress has been using the equiva-lent of duct tape to repair our nation’s bridges when what we need are long-term solutions and a long-term commit-ment to make significant and sustained investments in our transportation infra-structure.

“It is time to stop building roads and bridges in Iraq and to invest in building America for a change.”

Source: LIUNA.org

Terry O’Sullivan, General Presi-dent of LIUNA, made the follow-ing statement today regarding the

collapse of the Interstate 5 Bridge over the Skagit River in Washington State:

“Our nation’s approach to transporta-tion infrastructure is functionally obso-lete. How many more bridges must col-lapse, how many people must be hurt or die and how many billions of dollars must be drained from our economy be-fore Congress makes investing in the basic infrastructure of our country a priority?

“This latest bridge collapse must serve as a wake-up call to Congress and our nation to get serious about the dire state of America’s transportation infra-structure. While there were injuries, thankfully there were no deaths in this collapse – unlike the I-35 bridge failure in Minneapolis. As a major international artery between the U.S. and Canada, the economic impact due to lost com-merce is expected to be in the hundreds of millions.

“This latest bridge collapse is but a symbol of the serious and worsening de-cay of America’s infrastructure. About 25 percent of our bridges are structur-ally deficient or functionally obsolete.

LIUNA Says Skagit River Bridge Collapse is a“Wake-Up Call”

“Our nation’s approach to transportation infrastructure is functionally obsolete.”

-Terry O’Sullivan

Skill & Pride

A publication of the Northwest Laborers-Employers Training Trust Fund, serving Washington, Northern Idaho, and Utah.

Published quarterly by the

Northwest Laborers- Employers Training

Trust Fund

800.240.9112

E-mail: nwlabor@nwlett.org Website: http://www.nwlett.orgFacebook: www.facebook.com/

NWLaborersTraining

Director:Mike Warren

Assistant Director:Tom Reed

Editor:Kim Hart

Board of Trustees

Chairman:David J. Letinich

Secretary: Monte Geiger

Labor MgmtDale Cannon Loren Dennis

Alan Clune Brandon Dully

Dave Hawkins Rod Majors

Don McLeod Doug Peterson

Mark Reavis Carl Stewart

The trustees of the fund serve without compensation. They are

appointed by their respective organizations and meet quarterly to

review and set policy.

Skill & Pride

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LEGAL NOTICE TO ALL PARTICIPANTS: The Northwest Laborers-Employers Training Trust Fund, identification number 91-1283259, provides training and retraining for those in the industry and those already in the industry.

The Northwest Laborers-Employers Training Trust Fund admits students of any gender, race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, administration policies or other school-administration policies or other school-administered programs. For information about any existing or anticipated future courses of study sponsored or established by the plan, including any prerequisites for enrolling in such courses and for a description of the pro-cedure to enroll in such courses, please contact: Mike Warren, NWLETT, 27055 Ohio Avenue NE, Kingston, Washington 98346.

WE TRAIN PARTICIPANTS OF ANY RACE, COLOR, GENDER, NATIONAL AND ETHNIC ORIGIN.

LIUNA Applauds Rep. Rahall’s Legislation to Address America’s Bridge Crisis; Calls on Congress to Act Washington, D.C. (June 19, 2013) – Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Labor-ers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement in support of House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Nick Rahall’s legislation to help rescue our nation’s failing bridges:

“Nearly a fourth of our nation’s bridges are deficient or obsolete and in need of significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement. We applaud legislation introduced by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Nick Rahall. The Strengthen and Fortify Existing Bridges Act of 2013 would require the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program to help states restore or replace structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges and directs the Department of Transportation to speed up the implementation of new and improved bridge inspection standards and requirements.

“The recent collapse of I-5 Skagit River Bridge in Washington State and Minnesota’s deadly I-35W Bridge collapse in 2007 are tragic reminders of the cost of underinvesting in our nation’s basic infrastructure.

“LIUNA calls on Congress to protect the safety of millions of commuters who make dangerous crossings every day and to increase our nation’s competitiveness, which is being choked by obsolete bridges that are incapable of handling today’s transportation needs. Congress should pass Representative Rahall’s legislation.”

June Jobs Report Shows Progress But Not Full Potential Washington, D.C. (July 5, 2013) – Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – theLaborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement about today’sjobs report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“The addition of 195,000 new jobs in June and upward revisions for April and Mayexceeded expectations. Construction reached its highest level of employment in four yearswith a gain of 13,000 jobs but still suffers from nearly double-digit unemployment at 9.8percent.

“To make greater strides, we must reorder our nation’s priorities by turning away from thedestructive and failed policies of austerity and focus on addressing the dual challenges ofeconomic growth and job creation. We must make large-scale federal investments thatgenerate good-paying middleclass jobs while simultaneously enhancing our nation’smobility, productivity, safety and global competitiveness.

“It’s time to make infrastructure investment a national priority. Doing so will increase theeconomic vitality of working families across America while building the roads, bridges,highways, public transportation systems and other basic but critical public infrastructurethat our country needs to succeed in the 21st Century.”

Source: www.LIUNA.org

News from LIUNA

Apprentice Spotlight: Ryan Williams, Local 440

How did you hear of the Laborers Apprenticeship program? I was working non-union and spoke with Dale Bright at the local 440, to see what my options were; he advised me to test for the apprenticeship program. Why did you choose to join the program? I felt it of-fered more opportunity for me to learn and achieve proper training which will ultimately give me more options for work. What variety of jobs have you done since complet-ing your Apprenticeship?I’ve worked for Lakeside industries as a laborer and flagger, at JCM doing TBM work (tail gunner, segment expediter), and more: SEM tunneling, shotcrete hose tender, carpenter tender, general labor. I’ve also got-ten experience as a form setter. What area of work would you like to continue in or focus on or why? Nothing specific...all building re-lates in one way or another. What are some challenges that you have faced while working as a laborer? My biggest challenges have been people assuming since I carry the title of an apprentice, that I lack knowledge and know how. Other than that, everything has been a breeze. What have you found to be the advantages of being an Apprentice? The training has been a big benefit to me; there are good instructors that will take the time to teach you if you want to learn. There is also a wide variety of jobs that you can go and learn to do as well. Do you have any advice to new entrants in the Laborers Apprenticeship program? Pay attention to what is going on around you - it all relates and is similar job to job. Don’t just go to work to get a paycheck, go to learn something and better yourself, then get a paycheck; using the right tools and approach to the task at hand will make things easier and faster.

Apprenticeship Coordinator Tawny Sayers said, “Ryan has made a great name for himself and the Laborers. Former graduates from the Apprenticeship program have stated that he is the person they want to take direction from.

“As an apprentice, Ryan has been consistent with turning in his OJT reports and was actively involved in the choosing of his classes.

“Congratulations, Ryan!”

On July 17, 2013, four current and former instructors at NWLETT’s Kingston training site came together with fellow Laborers,

Carpenters, and Andersen Construction at Rota-ry Evergreen Park in Bremerton, Washington, to pour the foundation concrete for the Kitsap 9/11 Memorial.

The memorial, which has been in the planning stages since the early days after the events of 9/11, will feature both a twisted steel beam taken from the World Trade Center and a piece of Pentagon stone, as well as tiles displaying the names of those lost in the attacks.

After being displayed locally, on July 28, those pieces were brought to the site and were watched over by a dedicated group of volunteers until their permanent placement.

“We’re very honored and proud to have had the opportunity to work on such an important proj-ect,” stated NWLETT Training Director Mike War-ren.

More information and photos can be found on Facebook on both the NWLETT and Kitsap 9/11 Memorial Project pages, as well as at Kitsap-911Memorial.org.

NWLETT Instructors Pitch in for Kitsap 9/11 Memorial

NWLETT staff members Mark Carr, Scott Sanchez, Matt Humiston, Glen Freiberg, and Local 252 member Bobby Salazar pour concrete at the Kitsap 9/11 Memorial site on July 17, 2013.

FALL 2013 CLASSES

KingstonApprentice Level II40 hours 9/23/13 - 9/27/1312/9/13 - 12/13/13

Asbestos Worker40 hours 9/16/13 - 9/20/1310/14/13 - 10/18/1310/21/13 - 10/25/1310/28/13 - 11/1/1311/18/13 - 11/22/13

Concrete Basic80 hours9/16/13 - 9/27/1310/14/13 - 10/25/1311/4/13 - 11/15/1312/2/13 - 12/13/13

DOE Soil Erosion/CESCL16 hours 10/28/13 - 10/29/1311/18/13 - 11/19/13

DOE Soil Erosion/CESCLRECERT8 hours 9/16/13 10/7/1311/4/13 12/2/13

Forklift Safety16 hours10/30/13 - 10/31/1311/20/13 - 11/21/1312/16/13 - 12/17/13 12/18/13 - 12/19/13

General Construction80 hours9/16/13 - 9/27/1310/14/13 - 10/25/1311/4/13 - 11/15/1312/2/13 - 12/13/13

Grade Checking80 hours10/14/13 -10/25/13

Hazardous Waste Worker 80 hours 9/30/13 - 10/11/1312/2/13 - 12/13/13

Hoisting & Rigging - Basic 40 hours 9/30/13 - 10/4/1311/11/13 - 11/15/13

Hoisting & Rigging - Certification 40 hours 10/7/13 - 10/11/1311/18/13 - 11/22/13

Laborers Our Heritage40 hours10/28/13 - 11/1/13

OSHA 502 24 hours9/24/13 - 9/26/13

OSHA 510 40 hours12/16/13 - 12/20/13

Pipe Gravity80 hours11/4/13 - 11/15/13

Pipe Pressure80 hours9/30/13 - 10/11/13

Plan Reading40 hours9/23/13 - 9/27/13

SB3 - Tube & Clamp **40 hours 10/7/13 - 10/11/13

SB2 - System **40 hours 11/18/13 - 11/22/13

Traffic Control Supervisor RECERT8 hours9/17/13 10/8/1311/5/13 12/3/13

Traffic Control Supervisor 24 hours 9/18/13 - 9/20/1310/9/13 - 10/11/1311/6/13 - 11/8/1312/4/13 - 12/6/13

Transit & Level40 hours 9/16/13 - 9/20/13

Utah

September - December 2013

Satsop*

SpokaneApprentice Level II40 hours 12/16/13 - 12/20/13 Laborers Our Heritage40 hours12/9/13 - 12/13/13

Plan Reading & Road Excavation40 hours12/2/13 - 12/6/13

Safety and Hazard Awareness For Tunnels (SHAFT)40 hours10/14/13 - 10/18/1311/11/13 - 11/14/1312/2/13 - 12/5/13

Tunnel Rail40 hours 10/21/13 - 10/24/1311/18/13 - 11/21/1312/9/13 - 12/12/13

Tunnel Utilities40 hours 10/28/13 - 10/31/1312/16/13 - 12/19/13

Hazardous Waste Worker 80 hours 11/4/13 - 11/15/13

Concrete Flatwork40 hours9/9/13 - 9/13/13

ECS8 hours12/16/13 - 12/17/13

First Aid8 hours10/23/13

Financial Tools8 hours10/22/13

Forklift Certification32 hours11/5/13 - 11/6/1311/7/13 - 11/8/13

General Construction40 hours10/28/13 - 11/1/13

HazMat REFRESHER8 hours11/9/13

HWZ Specialist8 hours11/15/13 12/19/13

Laborers Our Heritage40 hours12/2/13 - 12/6/13 MSHA Part 4816 hours9/19/13 - 9/20/1311/21/13 - 11/22/13

MSHA Part 48REFRESHER8 hours9/21/13 11/23/13

OSHA 1012 hours9/27/13 - 9/28/13

OSHA 3040 hours10/14/13 - 10/18/13

*All Satsop classes consist of 4 10-hour days. Classes will be conducted 7:30-6:00 Monday-Thursday.** Scaffold Building (SB) classes will now be 40 hours and specific to the type of build.

Survival of the Fittest16 hours10/24/13 - 10/25/13

UFLAG 8 hours 10/21/13 11/14/1312/18/13 (RECERT - 4 hrs)

UTCM 24 hours11/11/13 - 11/13/13

Pasco

For class descriptions, visit us on the web at nwlett.org and click on the “Course Descriptions” line. The site has the most current listings for all classes, including refresher and recertification classes held at local union halls.

UTAHL-295 Salt Lake City 801.972.5380

WASHINGTONL-238 Spokane 509.328.6660

L-242 Seattle 206.441.0470

L-252 Aberdeen 360.533.5658

L-252 Olympia 360.357.6460

L-252 Port Angeles 360.457.6929

L-252 Silverdale 360.613.4073

L-252 Tacoma 253.383.1493

L-292 B Bellingham 360.733.0900

L-292 E Everett 425.259.5077

L-292 M Mt. Vernon 360.336.6159

L-292 W Wenatchee 509.662.9762

L-335 Vancouver 360.695.3318

L-335 L Longview 360.423.5690

L-348 Richland 509.420.4581

L-348 CW Yakima 509.452.4332

L-440 Seattle 206.329.1540

TO SIGN UP FOR CLASS CALL YOUR LOCAL UNION’S

BUSINESS MANAGER.

Apprenticeship Guidelines

The Northwest Laborers-Employers Training Program is proud to announce the latest graduates of the Apprenticeship program. These men and women have completed some 4,000 hours of intense hands-on and on-the-job training and are now considered Journeymen Construction Craft Laborers.

Congratulations, Graduates!

Chad EdwardsScott Sherman

Benjamin Walker

Local 238

Local 440

Leo ArredondoDarrin Qualls, Jr.

Shane SouthRobert Thackeray

Local 242

Local 292 - EUriah CornellMatt Ellingson

Joel Razo

Lisa Randolph

Local 252 - T

Orlando BarayKelly Espinoza

Manuel Olvera-GonzalesJose MunozKelly Young

Local 295

• Report OJT hours weekly.

• Accept any and all jobs offered for dispatch.

• Sign the out-of-work list (OOWL) when not working.

• Attend classes when scheduled.

• Keep your phone number and address current.

• Practice a good work ethic.

• Work safely.

James BobSpencer FlanneryEvan A. Johnson

Local 276

Local 335Kim Dimes-Garner

Local 348James Hasty*

Andrew OldhamManuel Plata-Riojas

Jeff A. Wilcox

Local 901Garrett Rader

Ryan BaileyBinyam Berhane

David CejaMitcheal Cheatham

Tony DeMieroForrest Dey

David FajardoFrancisco Gonzalez

Ryan HillestadAndrew JonesAmancio RuizEvan VickreyMichael Ward

Richard Whitaker, Jr.

Local 292 - WMathew Kaczenski

*First 6,000-hour apprenticeship grad!

News from NWLETT - Utah

by Alysia Burrows NWLETT Utah Site Administrative Assistant

I have been fortunate enough to volunteer for the Salt Lake Valley Habitat for Human-ity with a great group of ladies for 3 out of

the last 4 years. Some of us have skills and experience, while others have little or no ex-perience.

One of our ladies, Kami Higgins, helped with the concrete work on this particular build. What she learned in her Apprenticeship classes and training allowed her to assist in the place-ment of the concrete that will soon be the garage floor.

A lot of the work was hard and tedious, but no one ever complained. Whether it was digging trenches, hauling dirt by wheelbarrow, or mov-ing piles of wood, these ladies were willing to do whatever was asked of them. Our day was filled with the sound of laughter and camara-derie as we worked side by side.

At one point in the day, I found myself on the roof with Concetta. While she had had previ-ous experience, I’d had none at all (this was the first time I’d ever been on a roof as I’ve always had a fear of heights). To be there and overcome that fear was a huge accomplish-ment for me. I was able to gain the confidence I needed and now I know I can do this.

This home is being built for a single mom with two kids. This hits close to home to all of us: whether we have experienced single parent-ing ourselves, know someone who has, or was raised by a single parent, it meant so much to us to be able to help. We ended the day filled with pride and the knowledge that once this home is complete, we helped build it and in doing so helped make someone’s life just a little easier.

UT Women in Trades Help Build Habitat for Humanity

In 2008 the Utah Department of Transporta-tion (UDOT) gave the NW Laborers-Employers Training Trust the green light to train and cer-

tify our Utah members in flagging, as well as in Traffic Control Maintainer (similar to Washing-ton’s Traffic Control Supervisor). The 8 hour flag-ging class exceeds UDOT’s 4 hour class, and the TCM, now a 24 hour class (with the same pre-requisites as the WA TCS) exceeds UDOT’s 8 hour TCM (which has no prerequisites). Both of these classes have been extremely successful by pro-viding work zone safety as well as great job op-portunities. UDOT Traffic Safety Division has been very supportive of our program and we look for-ward to a successful partnership in the future.

In 2010 Robin Smith, Kingston site instructor, implemented another safety class in Utah. With the approval of Mike Warren, NWLETT Training Director, and the help of Jesse Loose, Utah train-ing site apprenticeship coordinator, and Diane Lewis, Local 295 Business Manager, the Highway Work Zone Specialist class was created. This 8 hour, “hands-on” class is given to those members who have a current flagging card from NWLETT. The class’ sole focus is on safety. Most of the day is spent outside setting up traffic control devices - members set up everything from signs, stands, barrels, arrow panels, and other devices in a safe environment, and learn how to iden-tify non-compliant devices, as well as how to develop an Internal Traffic Control Plan, or ICTP.

On June 28th, 2013, Robin was asked to speak at at the annual AFL/CIO Conference in Salt Lake City, where she gave a short PowerPoint presentation on these programs, as well as a short history of NWLETT. Afterwards, Robin, Jesse, and Diane were pre-sented with Work Place Safety awards given by the Utah State Labor Commission. This is a tre-mendous honor for Utah as well as for NWLETT, and we are extremely proud of their continuous efforts to making work zones safe places for all.

NWLETT Utah, Instructors, and Local 295 Honored at Conference

Join us on Facebook. We can be found here:

http://www.facebook.com/NWLaborersTraining

Safety, Health, and Your Personal Finances

Staying safe on the job and making sure you have a safe worksite is important for you and your family. It can also have a significant and lasting impact on your financial health and security.

One problem is that workplace injuries and illnesses oftentimes are not fully compensated. Many workers fail to file workers’ compensation claims because of the red tape, delays in payments or because chronic injuries and illnesses are not always compensated, due to the transient nature of work in construc-tion. Hearing loss is a good example. It normally oc-curs over many years of exposure on dozens of job sites. Yet, workers’ compensation claims must be filed against the insurer of the employer for whom you worked when an injury occurred. As a result, con-struction workers are rarely compensated for hearing loss, even though it has a dramatic effect, both eco-nomic and social, on their lives.

Maintaining good general health also plays a strategic role in personal finances. This is particularly evident in construction where work can vary by season and economic cycles, but workers do not get sick days and they do not get paid if they do not work. Without paid sick leave, Laborers often work as much as they can when work is available. They may work 10-12 hour days, six or seven days a week. They may work nights on road crews or asbestos jobs. All this takes a toll on their health and family life. It also means that many go to work because they need the paycheck, even though they are hurt, increasing the risk of perma-nent and career-ending injuries. Workers can “burn out” and be forced to leave the trade in their 40s or 50s. The economic impact is huge.

For these reasons, avoiding job-related injuries and illnesses and maintaining general health are matters not only of personal health but also financial health for every Laborer. By staying safe on the job, improv-ing safety on your jobsite, eating well, exercising and getting an annual check-up from your doctor, you can stay healthy, enjoy life, have a longer career and se-cure your financial future as well.

Source: Lifelines Online - Scott Schneider

Your Health & Safety

Representing the Utah Women in Trades for Habitat for Humanity are (L-R): Concetta Defa, Alysia Burrows, Kami Higgins, Synclaire Lucas, Diane Lewis, & Wanda Baca.

Photo: Ashton Goodell, Fox 13 News

Representing Laborers at the Utah State Labor Commission awards on June 28 (L-R): Diane Lewis (Business Manager, L-295), Dave Hickey (LIUNA National Field Mobilization Coordinator), Dustin Davis (apprentice, L-295) Bernie Rodri-guez (apprentice, L-295), Alysia Burrows (Admin Assistant, Utah training site), Margaret Weyland (Vice President, L-295), Jesse Loose (Utah train-ing site Apprenticeship Coordinator), Mike War-ren (NWLETT Training Director), Robin Smith (Instructor, NWLETT), Shawn Debenham (UDOT Traffic Safety Division), Perry Mace (E-board member, L-295), Danny Villa (Business Agent, L-295), and Elias Padilla (apprentice, L-295).

Photo: Holly Taggert

Color versions of photos can be viewed on our website and Facebook page.

Kingston, WA800.240.9112

Spokane, WA509.467.5239

West Jordan, UT 801.280.7195

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FALL 2013 NEWSLETTERSkill & Pride

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