Greetings from Mid-Michigan – The Great Lakes State!
Pure Michigan!
Michigan’s “unofficial” holiday is almost here; opening day of gun season on November 15th. The day a lot of Michiganders wait for all year, kind of like a kid with Christmas. Hunting generates a $2.3 billion economic impact in Michigan. That figure includes food and lodging expenses and equipment purchases totaling $1.3 billion. That’s quite a haul for merchants and business owners in the great state of Michigan.
Everyone should have received in the mail the letters to send into your Representatives, Senators and the Joint Select Committee on the pension crisis. Hopefully you signed and mailed them already. Any updates that we get on this crisis we will pass along to you as soon as we hear. If we don’t have your email address you may want to send it to us to keep updated on the situation.
Everyone should be contributing to their 401K. If you are not, please stop by the Union Hall and pick up a packet. We have them here and ready. With all that is happening with our pension, we need to be smart with how we are handling our money. Another aspect is contributing to the International PAC Fund which will help to put the right people in place in the political arena. We’re going to need all the help we can get. $ .05 per hour equals $2.00 per week or $ .10 per hour equals $4.00 per week. You can do more or you can do less. There is a page in the blue contract book (very last page) that can be filled out and given to your employer and they will deduct this amount from your paycheck weekly and send it into the International for you. We also have the forms at the Union Hall.
Remember to get out and vote on Tuesday, November 6th. We need to put the right people in place for our trade. The Michigan Building Trades has put out an endorsement list of politicians. We are not telling you who to vote for, but these are the people that will keep our trade in their best interest. We have a copy on our website along with copies of the list at the Hall.
Work is still very busy. We have nineteen Probationary Apprentices working. Tyler Butcher and Tyler Shaw were sworn into the Union at last month’s meeting.
Safety, Safety, Safety! We received new posters from NEIEP on the Nine Safety Absolutes. They are hanging in the Hall and in the classrooms. Please pay attention to them. These are processes all elevator companies should work within on a daily basis.
Please remember to call in when changing jobs, even if it is just for the day. We need to know where you are and when you are on vacation. And if you are asked to go into another Local to work, you must call that Local first and clear in with them, then you need to call us and tell us where you are going. It is just a short phone call, text or email.
Dates to remember:
November 4, 2018 Daylight Savings
November 6, 2018 Election Day – Go Vote!
November 11, 2018 Veteran’s Day
November 12, 2018 Veteran’s Day observed – Paid Holiday
November 15, 2018 Opening Day of Firearms Deer Season
November 22, 2018 Thanksgiving Day – Paid Holiday
November 23, 2018 Post Thanksgiving (Black Friday) – Paid Holiday
November 27, 2018 Union Meeting
Golden Rail Club:
Kalamazoo: 11.7.2018 First Wednesday at 10:00 am, Theo & Stacey’s, (by the airport) Portage
Grand Rapids: 11.19.2018 Third Monday at 9:00 am, New Beginnings, 1455 Michigan Street, NE, Grand Rapids
Lansing: 11.21.2018 Third Wednesday at 9:00 am, Zeus’ Restaurant, 6525 Pennsylvania, Lansing
Communication is the key to our success. Input by everyone is needed. This is your Local. Please get involved! If we all communicate, we will be a lot stronger and more successful.
Work Safe,
Mike Janca
