Construction Maintenance and Allied Workers (CMAW)

Should have used CMAW millwrights

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:34:00 -0800

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP)--The Olympic cauldron has been lit to open the XXI Winter Games.

One of the cauldron lights didn't work, however, so only three of the final torchbearers actually lit the flame.

The final torchbearers were hockey great Wayne Gretzky, NBA All-Star Steve Nash, skier Nancy Greene and speedskater Catriona LeMay Doan, who was stuck posing and holding her torch.

The Olympic sports competitions begin Saturday and run through Feb. 28.

A Christmas message from Jan Noster

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:08:00 -0800

I'd like to take a moment to wish the best of the season to all Carpenters, Scaffolders and other Trades people in our Union and in North America - to all of the men and women who work in the same trade as the carpenter whose birth we celebrate at this time. I know the challenge continues for many working families as we weather this global recession that was certainly no fault of working people, and the news we have been hearing from around North America regarding the climate change and the economy has not been good news; but we are proud of the work we do, we will pull though this, and we do have pride that is expressed in our families, our homes, our jobs, our Union, and our hearts this season.

I would especially like to thank those trades people who have joined us or remained with CMAW in spite of adverse economic times. I sincerely hope that all our differences of opinion in our Union can be resolved in the seasonal spirit of peace and harmony. Some of our brothers and sisters around North America continue to attempt to make the UBCJA more democratic and sometimes at a great personal cost to themselves. Thank-you for your efforts.

We here in beautiful British Columbia are actively resisting raids by that same union that has lost its way as it tries to undermine our glowing light of Canadian autonomy-and just like the three wise men that followed a bright light on Christmas Eve so long ago, we will make it our destination. I would like to extend a challenge this holiday season to all Canadian members of the UBCJA, to join us and help us build a big strong, democratic, Canadian Union for Carpenters and other Trades people- a Union that works for its members - not against them, rise up, be brave and call us at (604) 437-0471. My best wishes to all of you for a safe and enjoyable holiday and a prosperous entry into 2010.

Jan Noster

CMAW President

CMAW wins substantial pay increase for employees of JVDMSI and GDMSI

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:11:00 -0800

Members working for JVDMSI and GDMSI will see there pay increase by 7% in the next three months. " Although we are still in a recession we were able to negotiate a good increase" says Jan Noster president of CMAW. "In the past year we have worked with the employer and deferred wage increases and bonus's to maintain market share, this is a good step in the right direction". Most Journeyman will now receive an hourly wage of $37.92 per hour plus health and welfare and pension benefits .

Click here to read the details of the proposed settlement.

Scaffolders blog shines a bright light on some of the shenanigans within the International Carpenters

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:07:00 -0800

A new blog titled UBCJA scaffolder sellout reveals some interesting tidbits about the International carpenters union and their BC branch, the BC Regional Council of Carpenters and their cousin CAST.

The blog features a download of the international's shameful CAST contract. It also details the UBCJA's departure from the AFL-CIO and the CLC, and reprints articles from various US union publications which expose some of the International Carpenters recent initiatives in the United States.

Give it a look.

http://ubcjascaffoldersellout.blogspot.com/

Building Trades United in Fight Against Carpenters Union Raiding

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:23:00 -0800

There is trouble brewing within the old American Brotherhood of construction unions. The UBCJA (American Carpenters) have now left nearly all other union organizations, including the Building Trade Department. As a result, internal conflict and chaos are the name of the flavour of day instead of solidarity and organizing,. It time to move past this old way of doing business:

See the news here

Some unions don't act like unions at all

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:26:00 -0700

They don't protect the interests of their members.

They don't come to your aid when you need help.

Their agreements with employers protect the boss's rights, not member rights

They tell their employers one thing, then tell their members something else.

The annual raiding period is coming, and you will be hearing from some of these unions.� It could be the International Carpenters who go by the name BC regional Council of Carpenters.� It could be their cousins, who go by the name CAST.� It could be the painters union.

Click here to find out more.

Fall 2009 Newsletter now online

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:53:00 -0700

Feature story from the Fall 2009 Newsletter:

New 1995 president plans to move forward

It was a home-run election victory this spring for brother Bill Duck -- Local 1995's newly elected president. Duck says it's time to move on and leave the past in the past. He's looking forward to working with a new slate of local executives who will provide new insight to the local that has been struggling for a while.

Knowing that things had to change within the local is what helped Duck persevere through the tough times. "I'm really feeling good about the new slate of executives who will offer fresh ideas as we plan our local's future." The five new executives could also help restore the working relationship between 1995 and CMAW Council.

Duck, who has been involved with the local since 1975 (then 452), says that he understands that members want to see harmony within our union. "Members are saying they're just plain frustrated with the negativity that has been getting us nowhere."

Duck says that the lack of harmony between 1995 and CMAW Council has been damaging and that it has even caused some members to choose other unions. "A lack of harmony gives an advantage to our competing unions. This needs to stop, now." Duck also hopes to work harmoniously with our parent union -- CEP. "I know they're there to support us and help to make our union stronger."

Click here to read the rest of the story.

The Situational Ethics of Union 'Raiding'

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:26:00 -0700

No subject arouses the passion of labor officials more than "raiding." In his blustery maiden address as president of the AFL-CIO, Rich Trumka won thunderous applause this week at the federation's convention in Pittsburgh by announcing that anyone daring to "raid an AFL-CIO union will find 1,000 organizers coming to the rescue of that union."

In unions that too often treat their own members like chattel, there are few threats greater, within the "house of labor," than an affiliate which tries to steal the dues-paying "property" of another.

The very term used to describe this activity conjures up images of unfriendly Native American visits to the first European colonies in North America. In labor circles, "raiding" almost always has a negative connotation.

Unless, of course, your own union is the one dispatching the "raiding party."

Click here to read the rest of the story.

CMAW makes it into the web's encyclopedia

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:48:00 -0700

CMAW now has an extensive entry in Wikipedia, which contains a relatively comprehensive history of its struggle to leave the International Union and establish itself as an independent Canadian construction union.

Click here to read the article.

Wikipedia is a multilingual , web-based, free-content encyclopedia project based mostly on anonymous contributions. Wikipedia's articles provide links to guide the user to related pages with additional information. It also has volunteer editors who review submissions such as the CMAW article and solicit suggestions for improvement of the article or more detailed documentation of sources for its contents.

Leader of Carpenters' Union and 9 Others Indicted in Corruption Inquiry

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:44:00 -0700

Nearly two decades after federal authorities moved to loosen the mob's grip on the New York City's carpenters' union and end a culture of contractor bribery, they announced new corruption charges on Wednesday against the union's leader and nine other union officials and contractors. The charges include racketeering, bribery, fraud and perjury.

The men were named in a 29-count indictment that alleges crimes similar to some set out in a civil racketeering lawsuit that Manhattan prosecutors brought against the union, the New York District Council of Carpenters and Joiners of America, in 1990. That case led to a 1994 consent decree and, later, a court-appointed corruption monitor; both are still in place.

The indictment was unsealed in Federal District Court in Manhattan hours after a 6 a.m. roundup in which seven of the defendants were arrested, some as they prepared to go to work. It charges that in exchange for bribes valued at about $1 million, they helped corrupt contractors steal millions of dollars more from the union and its benefit funds by allowing contractors to pay members cash wages below union scale without benefits, hire illegal aliens and nonunion workers and skip contributions to the union's benefit funds.

The 20,000-member district council, which oversees 11 local unions around New York City, has remained not only a major player in the city's labor movement but also a major force in its politics, despite a history of mob influence, labor racketeering and bribery.

Indeed, six weeks ago, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's re-election campaign put out a news release announcing that the union had endorsed his bid for a third term.

The release included a video clip showing Michael J. Forde, the district council's executive secretary-treasurer, who is now indicted, giving the mayor a rousing introduction at a union event and sealing his support for Mr. Bloomberg with a hug.

Mr. Bloomberg, asked on Wednesday for his response to the indictment, said he was surprised and that he hoped the union members themselves would not be hurt, calling the situation "sad."

"I don't know whether any of the charges that I read about late this afternoon are true or not -- I'll leave that to the courts," he said. "It's the men and women of the carpenter's union that have endorsed me, and I'm thrilled to have it."

The charges, a result of a lengthy investigation by Manhattan prosecutors, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Labor Inspector General's Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, were not Mr. Forde's first brush with such accusations. He and another district council official went to trial on bribery charges involving the union in state court twice in recent years, with the first case ending in a conviction that was later overturned, and the second in acquittal.

Lev. L. Dassin, the acting United States attorney, who announced the charges in a news release, said that the union's leaders had failed to protect their members.

"Instead of protecting the financial interests of union members and their families, corrupt union officials and the contractors who bribed them are charged with betraying the carpenters' union and its benefit funds to enrich themselves," he said.

Gary Rothman, a lawyer for the district council, said he was reviewing the indictment. "We understand that the charges are serious, but we also believe in the presumption of innocence and we will have a further statement as the situation becomes clearer," he said in a brief statement.Two years ago, prosecutors unsuccessfully sought to remove the union's court-appointed monitor, known as the independent investigator, saying his investigations were "superficial" and "incomplete." The investigator, William Callahan, defended his tenure on Wednesday, saying he had been "aggressive" and "effective."

Among the others charged in the new indictment with Mr. Forde and the other union officials was Joseph Olivieri, a benefit funds trustee and executive director of the Association of Wall, Ceiling and Carpentry Industries of New York. F.B.I. reports and law enforcement officials say Mr. Olivieri has a long history of ties to the Genovese crime family, the powerful Mafia clan that for generations has held sway over the union.

While the indictment makes passing mention of another Genovese figure, it does not charge that organized crime wielded any influence over the union. But law enforcement officials said the investigation was continuing.

"Rather than doing what they were elected to do -- safeguarding wages and benefits for union members -- they took cash and other bribes to turn a blind eye on contractors' schemes to cheat the rank and file," Joseph M. Demarest Jr., who oversees the New York F.B.I. office, said in the news release.

Mr. Forde, who was attending a conference in Canada, surrendered about 3 p.m. after returning to New York. The prosecutor in the case, an assistant United States attorney, Lisa Zornberg, said at his arraignment that he had tested positive for cocaine and marijuana.

His lawyer, Andrew M. Lankler, declined to comment, and a lawyer for Mr. Olivieri did not return a call seeking comment. Two defendants, Finbar O'Neil, a contractor, and Michael Brennan, a shop steward, remained at large.