Business Manager Update 10/4/21
Brothers and Sisters,
There is a lot going on at Local 98 this fall. We have free flu shots in October, nominations for officers and delegates, as well as Turkey Night, in November, and elections in December. See below for more information on each of these events and, as always, we will be keeping the Local 98 website up to date with information on all of these events and more.
MEETINGS & Union Hall
The next Union Meeting will be held on Thursday, October 14th at 7:00 pm in person. The meeting will take place indoors at our Union Hall and all Covid restrictions in place will be adhered too. Masks are required WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE VACCINATED as too many of our members are not adhering to the CDC recommendations as I thought.
We will have FREE flu shots, blood sugar testing, and blood pressure checks available before the meeting on October 14th from 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm for members and their families.
E-Board Meetings
E-Board meetings are the first and second Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm. If you need to contact or see the board, please call V.P. Jim Cools at 734-307-9841.
Retiree Meetings
The next Retiree meeting will be Wednesday, October 13th from 12pm – 2pm at the hall. Please note, any existing Covid-19 protocols are still being adhered to for these meetings.
UNION ELECTION INFORMATION
Local 98’s Officer and Delegate Elections – At the Special Called Meeting on Thursday November 4th, 2021 Nominations will be held for the following offices: (1) Business Manager; (1) Financial Secretary-Treasurer; (4) Business Agent; (1) President; (1) Vice President; (4) Executive Board; (1) Recording Secretary; (3) Examining Board; (3) Finance Committee; (1) Inside Guard; (16) Delegate. Article 3 Section 1 of Local 98’s Bylaws defines eligibility for running for office: “Journeyman members eligible to hold office must have been in good standing in the local union for a period of two (2) years prior to the election. Section 121 of the U.A. Constitution 2016 Edition.” If a member has any questions on his/her eligibility or the Union Election Process, please contact Financial Secretary-Treasurer Jon DeRoo at (248) 762-9238.
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Plumbers Local 98 Training Center is NOW accepting applications for our Apprenticeship Program through December 31, 2021. If you know anyone who is interested, please direct them to the Training Center’s website plumbers98tc.org/apprenticeship.
For continuing education opportunities or classes, you can contact Training Center Coordinator Ryan Lyle at 248-585-1435.
DUES
You can pay your dues online, over the phone, or by mailing in a check. You can also set up auto-payments. If you have any questions or need to pay dues, please contact Kristina at 248-307-9800 ext. 4 or Jon DeRoo after hours at 248-762-9238.
GRADUATES
Congratulations to the following members who successfully completed the apprenticeship program on September 27, 2021 and are now Journeymen: Cortez Bens, Preston Chapman, Jeffery Chene, Tyler DeFrank, Zackary Diehl, Brandon Fisher, Gary Gmeiner, William Kelly IV, Cody Latimer, Kevin Malburg, Timothy Oakley, George Scott, Leon Starkey, and Dorian Tagai. Thank you for fulfilling all of your obligations. The future is yours, welcome to the NFL.
RETIREES
Congratulations to Brother Michael Milinko on his retirement. Wishing you all the best in the next phase of your life.
IN MEMORIAM
Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Brother Scott Monroe who passed away on September 18, 2021 and Brother Patrick Worden who passed away on September 29, 2021.
COVID-19 Information & Vaccine
Please visit ualocal98.com/covid-2 for the most current COIVD-19 updates.
SUB APPS/OOW CHANGES/BENEFITS
SUB pay is hit and miss as we are experiencing manpower adjustments. It is always a go for medical or COVID related injuries. It is your responsibility to fill out a SUB App when you are laid off, you have 48 hours to report a layoff. Call the Agent on the Books or come down to the hall to fill out a SUB App. It is your responsibility to make sure you are on the out of work list and your contact information is correct. If you’re still having unemployment issues call BAs Gary Glaser or Tom McWilliams. Both officers are administrators on the Must/Most program, contact them if you need help.
For any issues that are unresolved at BeneSys, please get the name of the person you are dealing with and contact Carlo, Jon, or the Union Hall immediately.
GOOD/WELFARE
From Business Agent Gary Glaser:
I’d like to thank all the 98 brothers that came out and helped with our Adopt-A-Highway Project on September 25th. Even though it was a very wet morning and not ideal working conditions, we all pulled together and still picked up over 100 bags of trash on I-94. It’s always great comradery and an excellent way for us to give back to our community. Thanks again to all the attendees for sharing your Saturday off work with us for a good cause! Kevin Dulapa, Michael Kalso, Tom Hamann, Daren Peel, Tony Szalkiewicz, James Emon, Jeffery Cushard, Garry Richardson, Nicholas Rodrigues, Brandon Bott, Chris Wright, Michael McCroy, Lance Pitcel, Duffy Callert, Paul Smith, James Cools, Rufus Hamilton, Tom McWilliams, and Jon DeRoo.
We are currently looking for Residential and Service Plumbers. This is a great opportunity to expand and grow, as many members are looking to retire. If you know anyone working Non-Union or is a past member that may be interested, have them call Organizer Rob Moses at 248-763-2187.
In solidarity I remain, Carlo Castiglione Business Manager Plumbers Local 98