FEBRUARY 8, 2021 BUSINESS MANAGER UPDATE
Brothers and Sisters,
On behalf of all your officers and staff, we hope you and your family are safe and healthy. This is not how anyone envisioned this chapter of our lives.
MEETINGS
Union Meetings are still on video due to the hall being closed. The next video will be posted on Thursday, February 11th at 7:00 pm. At that time the old video from January 14th will be pulled down. You can access this video on our Local 98 website at the member section under Member Zone. The next video Union Meeting after that will be March 11th at 7:00 pm. This will be the unfortunate norm until April 1st (hopefully). For virtual meetings we will follow the same rituals and officer reports as usual. The confidentiality of our business matters must be our priority. We will have to trust our elected officers, E-Board, and Committees to keep a transparent look at things down here. If you would like something added please call down and leave your suggestion. All bills will be previewed by the Finance Committee and recently our Executive Board. If you feel a need, you can set an appointment to ask questions. We will discuss with the officers and board a goal of having our State of the Union in March or if its possible move to summer or spring outdoors and in person.
E-Board meetings
E-Board meetings are the first and second Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. If you need to contact or see the board, please call V.P. Jim Cools at 734-307-9841.
Retiree Meetings remain cancelled.
DUES
By now you have received a letter about the status of your Union Dues and about the 2021 Dues Gift Program. Many of you have already taken advantage of this program. We are updating the systems at the hall in an effort to streamline the process. As of now, you can pay 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 Lodovisi at (248) 307-9800 ext. 4 or on her cell at (248) 331-7232. The 98 Dues Jackets are coming in weekly please call first to make sure your size is available and in stock.
COVID-19 Information & Vaccine!
As I write this over 459,000 Americans have died by Covid-19 related illness over 26.9 million people have contracted this disease. More than 27 million Americans have received a first dose, and more than six million have been fully vaccinated. This is now a set reality of everyday life. WEAR YOUR MASKS! Any concerns with COVID-19 safety protocols or lack of PPE contact the Business Agent in the area or the Union Hall.
Vaccines! We had a hiccup last week, but we are now cleared again. Plumbers Local 98 is covered in Detroit as an essential worker and if you are job related to the city of Detroit (this means any plumbing job in the city you may be working on) you can call 313-230-0505 between 9am & 8pm M-F to schedule an appointment at the TCF Center.
UNION HALL
The Union Hall is CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC. You will need to schedule an appointment to come to the hall. Properly worn masks are required. There is a COVID-19 questionnaire that MUST be filled out by everyone entering the Union Hall. All the officers are continuing to work remotely.
SUB APPS/OOW CHANGES
It is your responsibility to fill out a sub app when you are laid off. Please fill out SUB Apps electronically. This can be found on the web page under the OOWL section. If you’re still having unemployment issues call BAs Gary Glaser or Tom McWilliams. For any member issues dealing with benefits contact Jon DeRoo. If you are less than a year from retiring, please set a meeting with Jon today.
NOTE ON DISABILITY
If you are filing for Social Security Disability you will need to file for your Local 98 Disability Pension at the same time in order to make sure you get all your pension checks. Social Security normally takes at least a year and sometimes a lot longer. If you file for your Local 98 Disability Pension at the same time, then when you receive your award from Social Security, we will be able to pay you all the retro money owed.
POLITICS
The UA has launched a new grassroots activism tool. The new tool allows us to directly engage our elected officials on all kinds of issues. Right now, we have two campaigns open: one urging comprehensive infrastructure package with strong labor protections, like prevailing wage and PLAs, and the other urging an all-of-the-above approach when it comes to energy.
You can find these campaigns and more tools to find your elected officials or pieces of legislation at www.uagetinvolved.org/take-action.
We can’t hold our elected officials accountable unless we make our voices heard. It only takes a minute to take these simple actions to keep the UA strong.
LICENSE RENEWAL
For all continuing education opportunities or classes, call Training Coordinator Paul Baker at 248-585-1435. BAs Gary Glaser and Tom McWilliams are admins on the Must/Most program, contact them if you need help.
IN MEMORIAM
Our heartfelt and deepest condolences go out to the families and friends of our brothers who have recently passed; Henry Roose on January 25, 2021, Randolph Stone on January 30, 2021, and Robert Sich on January 31, 2021.
GOOD/WELFARE
Congratulations to Nicholas Herczak and Martin Juncaj who are now Journeymen Extraordinaires!
This month Plumbers Local 98 is partnering with Representative Lori Stone to promote her Diversity Toy Drive. The goal is to provide toys that are inclusive to the diverse community that Beaumont serves. As we know representation matters and children should have books, toys and dolls that represent them! You will find a link to an Amazon wish list on our Facebook page and the 98 website with suggested items. However, all diverse and representative toys, dolls, books, and games are appreciated. You can drop off your donation at the hall.
We are looking for Residential and Service Plumbers at this time. 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