August Union Meeting

Our next Union meeting will be Thursday, August 5th at 6pm at the Union Hall. Newly elected officers will be sworn in. Hope to see you there!

Picnic

Well once again our annual 291 picnic was a great success! There were 120+ years of service pins given out from 5 to 65 years. Congratulations to all, your years in the Brotherhood add up to so much more than numbers can explain. Food was excellent, prizes were many, and camaraderie was as only our Brotherhood could bring. Hats off to all the Sisters and Brothers that made this event happen! We could not have done it without you!

Picnic Volunteers

If you are interested in helping out at our summer picnic this year, please call the hall and let us know as we always are in need of volunteers.

July Monthly Meeting

Please join us this Thursday the 8th for the July meeting of Local 291. 6 p.m. at the Union Hall. Hope to see you there.

JULY MEETING CHANGED

Please be aware that the July Union Meeting date has been changed from July 1st to July 8th.
6 pm at the Union Hall.

June Union Meeting

Thursday, June 3rd is the date of our monthly union meeting. 6 p.m. See you there!

Just a Reminder

Wednesday April 28th is Workers Memorial Day. There Will be a Candle Light Vigil at the Fallen Firefighter Memorial, 1775 West Shoreline Drive along the greenbelt in Boise, 7-8pm. Please join us in memory of all those who have been killed or injured on the job. Let us all work together to make sure workplace safety is our #1 priority.

GRACE CARROLL ROCKY MOUNTAIN LABOR SCHOOL

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE!

Now is the time to get your applications in to apply for one of 10 scholarships being giving away by the Boise Central Trades and Labor Council. The Idaho State AFL-CIO also has 2 scholarships available to be given away. We have all the applications at the Union Hall.

The Rocky Mountain Labor School is a great opportunity to take some great labor related classes. The purpose of the school is to provide information and training so local union members can make their organizations more effective instruments for the promotion of the cause of organized labor.

This years school will be held at Lewis Clark State College in Lewiston Idaho, July 11-17, 2010

WORKER'S MEMORIAL DAY

Wednesday April 28th is Workers Memorial Day. The Boise Central Trades and Labor Council will be holding an event to mark this most important day to honor our Brothers and Sisters who have met with tradgedy in the workplace. It will be at 7 p.m. at the Fallen Firefighters memorial on Shoreline Drive in Boise. See you there.

April Union Meeting

Thursday is the April Union Meeting at 6 pm. See you there! If you have not been to a meeting lately it is a great time to become involved. Be a part of YOUR Union!

House Dedication

Congratulations to the Nuro family! They are the new residents of our latest Habitat for Humanity home at the humanity Lane complex. Many thanks to all our volunteers who gave up their time to complete another project while giving back to our great community.

Goodbye Bills

Two construction bills postponed until 2011
by Dani GriggPublished: March 4,2010 Time posted: 10:58 amTags: Associated Builders and Contractors, Construction, John Goedde, Kate McCaslin

Idaho State Capitol Building
As Idaho’s legislature plows through proposed legislation, trying to avoid a repeat of the record-length session of 2009, time is becoming scarce for new bills to be introduced.
Two bills falling victim to time constraints were being pushed by the Associated Builders and Contractors, a group that fights for the interests of non-union construction companies.
A few days before the anti-union bills were scheduled to be heard by the Senate State Affairs Committee, the bills’ supporters met with Senate leadership and decided that waiting until next year would probably be a better strategy.
Both of the bills being lobbied by ABC sought to eliminate advantages given to contractors that employ union workers in obtaining building contracts.
The first, the Open Access to Work Act, sponsored by Sen. John Goedde, R-Coeur d’Alene, would have made it illegal for government entities (at the state level or below) to require that a project be done with union-only labor.
The second, the Fairness in Contracting Act, would have made it illegal for unions to offer supplemental funds to building project owners in Idaho in effort to secure jobs for union companies where non-union bids might be lower.
Sen. Monty Pearce, R-New Plymouth, championed the latter bill.
“It was determined that because of time - it was just so late in the legislative session - that rather than trying to hurry the bills and push them through, we would be better off to wait and have a full hearing on their merits and go through the full process next year,” said Kate McCaslin, president and CEO of ABC’s Inland Pacific Chapter.
Lawmakers are targeting March 26 as an end date for the session, and Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Geddes said the goal is reasonable based on the status of current pending legislation and the budget.
He added that March 8 is the target date to have all house bills transmitted to the senate and vice versa, so the number of bills being printed is tapering off.
“If we do end the session at the end of March, we’re reaching the point where a bill just simply doesn’t have time to make it through the process,” he said.
McCaslin said ABC is disappointed by the setback, but plans to be back in full force next year.

Habitat for Humanity

Please join us this Saturday February 27th at 8 a.m. to help trim out the 3rd of 3 houses in this complex. It will be another great day of camraderie and Brotherhood. 9088 Humanity Lane, off Maple Grove between Northview and Ustick. Please call the hall for any further information.

OSHA 10 and OSHA 7600

Payette Nuclear Power Plant

A public hearing is scheduled for Monday, February 22nd, 7 PM at Payette High School, 1500 6th Avenue South. The Payette County Planning and Zoning Commission, recently recommended a change to the county's comprehensive plan allowing AEHI to move forward. That change is now headed to the county commissioners for approval. If this is of interest to you please show up and offer your public testimony in person.

Work in Local 424 Edmonton Alberta

Currently there are only 5 locals in the 9th district that have been invited to man this work in Alberta. If the manpower need crosses into the 8th district, Local 291 will be providing the needed information to its members at that time.

Code of Excellence

We have a few spots left for our next Code of Excellence class, this Thursday February 11th at the Union Hall. Please call and sign up if you wish to attend.

IDAHO ELECTRICAL BOARD "SPECIAL" PUBLIC MEETING

Please try to join us Thursday, February 4th, 2010 as the Proposed County-Option Legislation hits the floor. We need your help to defeat this plan. It is not good for the industry.
Division of Building Safety, 1090 E. Watertower St. in Meridian. see you there.

Romar Electric

If you have worked at Romar Electric in 2009 and missed todays meeting, please contact the union hall at 343-4861.

Health Care Call In

On Wednesday, call toll free 1-877-3-AFL-CIO (1-877-323-5246) and urge your representative to support working families by voting for health reform that:1. Does not tax our health care benefits 2. Requires employers to pay their fair share; and 3. Reduces cost—the best way to do this is with a public health care option

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

As we head into 2010 I wish everyone health and happiness, and along with all of you hope that this year we see some economic upturns along with some jobs come our way.