March 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.
MEETINGS
Union Meetings are still on video due to the hall being closed. The next video will be posted on Thursday, March 11th at 7:00 pm. This is the annual State of the Union address covering the past year. We hope when it’s done you have all the information that has been requested. At that time the old video from February 11th 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 April 8th at 7:00 pm. This will be the unfortunate norm until May, hopefully we can be outside and try to get some time together by then. For virtual meetings we will follow the same rituals and officer reports as usual. We will have to trust our elected officers, E-Board, and Committees to keep a transparent look at things down here. 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.
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.
OTHER EVENTS
At this time the Cincinnati Softball tournament has been cancelled.
At this moment, the State Pipe Trades Convention is on for this summer for our elected delegates. More information will be passed on as we get closer to the 2nd week of June.
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 Lodovisi at (248) 307-9800 ext. 4 or on her cell at (248) 331-7232.
COVID-19 Information & Vaccine!
The most important web site we can give you for information pertaining to COVID-19 is as follows: Michigan.gov/protectmicommission. Or, if you would like to be a part of the conversation and join a workgroup, you can reach out to [email protected] or www.michigan.gov/covidvaccine for locations or information regarding COVID-19 updates. 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! Plumbers Local 98 is covered in Detroit as an essential worker. 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, or go to the website detroitmi.gov and click on the COVID-19 Vaccine Updates, for the most up-to-date information.
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. If you do have an appointment at the Union Hall, please use the south entrance. All the officers are continuing to work remotely.
SUB APPS/OOW CHANGES/BENEFITS
Due to influx of travelers, we are closing SUB pay to all except for medical or COVID related injuries. 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 issues that are unresolved at BeneSys, please get the name of the person you are dealing with and contact Carlo or Jon or the Union Hall immediately.
NOTE ON DISABILITY/RETIREMENT
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 of 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, when you receive your award from Social Security we will be able to pay you all the retro money owed. If you are less than a year from retirement, we suggest you set up a meeting with Jon DeRoo prior to your retirement date.
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 a 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
Time again to renew your State of Michigan Plumbing License. It is online and you can renew by going to https://aca3.accela.com/LARA (note mobile devices may not work with new site). If you are a Master and a Contractor for the same company, you may be able to have your fee waved. Any other questions EMAIL [email protected]. For all continuing education opportunities or classes, call Training Coordinator Ryan Lyle 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 sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of our brothers who we recently lost. Brother John Saie passed on January 13, 2021 and Brother Eugene Burke passed on February 9, 2021.
GOOD/WELFARE
We are pleased to introduce you to a new United Association Free College Benefit that is being offered as an additional benefit to our members and their families. We have partnered with Eastern Gateway Community College to offer our members and their families a way to work toward obtaining a college degree for free! Join us on Monday, March 15th at 7 pm for an informational virtual meeting. Keep your eyes out for an email, and we will also post the information on our website and Facebook. Please note: As of this time these classes have not been approved by the JATC Trust to take the place of the required Washtenaw Community College classes.
Join us for Macomb County Adopt-A-Highway week on April 17th thru 25th. Please call BA Gary Glaser (313)580-0148 or BA Tom McWilliams (248)752-2994 for more information and to sign up. This is a great volunteer opportunity for any high schoolers in need of volunteer hours.
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