CURRENT NEWS
This area of the website will be constantly updated, providing you with the latest information on policies, stories of interest, and important notices. Make sure to read through this page, as well as all the other pages on this site to stay informed!
UPMC NOW REQUIRES I.C.R.A. CERTIFICATION
Any member that is sent out to work an any UPMC hospital will need a 24-hr I.C.R.A. training class. I.C.R.A. introduces students to containment issues and requirements within a hospital setting. Hands-on exercises building containment areas, as well as proper conduct & awareness training are also discussed. Please call the Training Center as soon as possible to schedule yourself for the class. As always, classes fill up fast, so even if it's not listed on the schedule, call and get put on the wait list for the next available time it's offered.
50 YEAR MEMBER PRESENTED WITH GOLD CARD
On November 3, 2010, at the regular membership meeting, Brother John Jackson Jr. was presented with his well-deserved Gold Card and gold watch for fifty years of service as a member in good standing. Brother Jackson was first initiated in November, 1960 and was the father of Local #373 Field Representative John(JJ) Jackson III.
LOCAL #373 RECOGNIZED FOR A JOB WELL DONE!
At the February 2, 2010 regular membership meeting, Vice President and Regional Manager Dennis Martire, along with President and Business Manager of the Laborers' District Council of Western Pennsylvania Philip Ameris, spoke to the membership and presented the Local with an award for dedication and efforts in mobilization of voters for candidates who support working families for 2009.
QUICK NEWS BRIEFS!
WE'RE ON FACEBOOK!
Facebook is the number way to communicate on the internet right now. Local #373 has joined the show and now has a page of its own. Click the image below to check us out. Make sure to "LIKE" our page.
LABOR DAY PARADE 2011
Pictures from this year's Labor Day Parade have just been posted. Thanks again to all those who came out despite the bad weather.
FILL OUT YOUR HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRES!
Remember to fill out your health questionnaires and get a physical before March 31, 2012. For more information, please click on the "Health/Welfare" link.
EMAIL ADDRESSES WANTED!
In order to provide you with the latest information about political topics and other things, the Local will be asking you to provide an email address so we can add it to our contact information. Please feel free to call the office and let one of the agents know at any time.
LABORERS' MOTORCYCLE CLUB
The Laborers' Motorcycle Club, unaffiliated with Local #373 or the District Council, is now offering patch sets(colors), starting at $60 each. Long-sleeve t-shirts will be soon to follow as well.
PENN HILLS SCHOOL BOARD SIGNS PLA!
On Monday, August 27, a meeting was held with the Penn Hills School Board to determine the feasibility of a "Project Labor Agreement" with the Pittsburgh Building and Construction Trades. A "PLA" ensures that all work performed will be union using union tradesmen. Local #373 officers and members turned out in great numbers, along with officers and members of others trades, hoping to drive the point home. Afterward, the Penn Hills School Board voted to implement the use of a PLA!!!
PHILIP AMERIS HONORED FOR HIS SERVICE
On Thursday, February 13, 2011, Laborers' District Council President and Business Manager Philip Ameris was honored for his dedication and commitment at the third annual Mid-Atlantic Community Fund dinner. Business Manager Ameris was presented with the annual Samuel Staten Person of the Year award.
A CALL TO ARMS TO PROTECT OUR JOBS & FUTURE!
An open letter from your Executive Board
"Make no mistake about it. Unions and their members are under attack, and it's not just happening in Wisconsin and Ohio. It's happening right here in Pennsylvania and it's only going to get worse unless our members take notice and, more importantly, take action. Efforts by the Republican Party and others to strip away the rights of labor and freeze or reduce hard-earned wages and benefits gained through collective bargaining are gaining momentum around the country, and we are all to blame for letting this occur
When Wall Street collapsed as a result of gross mismanagement and pension investments suffered, we allowed the blame to be shifted from corporate executives to public unions and their members who had long contributed and funded their own pension plans. When unemployment soared and jobs and industries were shipped to foreign markets, we allowed unions and organized labor to be the scapegoat for what were, and continue to be, failed economic policies. When health care costs skyrocketed despite record-breaking profits of insurance carriers and health care companies, it was unions and public sector employees who were blamed for the audacity of demanding, receiving, and deserving such fringe benefits. The blaming of the country's economic woes on unions and the middle class worker was not an accident. It was the strategy and greed of far-right conservatives who deliberately swayed public opinion based on economic fallacies and falsehoods.
Nothing unites a people more than a common enemy. First it was the banks, then it was the government, and not it is the unions and public sector workers, and we are allowing it to happen. We are allowing it by electing public officials who care more about their popularity and personal gain than what is is best for their constituents and for the country. We are allowing it by not letting our positions be known to our local, state, and federal legislators on even the most basic of topics. We are allowing it by not speaking up to defend our rights and our value.
We can not allow this to continue. Our very livelihood depends on each and every one of us taking a stand to let our elected officials know of our opinions, the importance of our work and our contributions to society. The working men and women of the union building trades have long contributed to the quality of life of Pennsylvania and of this country. It is the laborer, carpenter, ironworker, electrician, plumber and so many other building trades workers who have built America. We can not stand idly by while a select few tear America down for their personal gain.
That is why it is more important today than ever before that we let our elected officials know that we do not support policies that undermine collective bargaining or that fail to fund programs and institutions that promote education, bridge and highway construction, and other infrastructure improvements. We can not sit by idly and assume that others will speak for us. We all need to get more involved.
Writing to legislators and other public officials is one of the most effective means of participating in government. We can't emphasize enough how important or meaningful it is for an elected official to hear directly from his or her constituents. The squeaky wheel truly does get the oil. Make some noise!
Take a few minutes to write to your legislator about your support of our union and for the working middle class. Don't worry about grammar or punctuation. Don't worry about it being composed on a computer. If you want to type a letter, that's fine. If you want to handwrite it, that's fine also, as long as it's legible. You can even Tweet it. But they have to hear from you.
They need to know your position on worker's rights, on organized labor, on safety at the workplace. Most of all, they need to hear from you. For maximum effectiveness, limit your letter to one subject at a time. Be brief, be factual and relate your comments to how they affect you personally as a member of the Laborers' District Council of Western Pennsylvania.
Timing is critical. The sooner a letter is sent, the better are your chances of influencing a legislator's position. If they don't hear from their constituents, there is no reason or incentive for them to support our cause.
If you don't know who your representative or senators are, visit the "POLITICS" link above. But take action as soon as you can. Our union brothers and sisters in Wisconsin and Ohio are learning the hard way what it means to become complacent and let others decide their fate.
Finally, in the next election, take your voting privileges seriously. Don't think that your vote doesn't count. It does, as does the vote of every one of your friends and relatives. We need to be proactive and no longer reactive. Your union will continue to speak on behalf of our organization, but your voice can be just as powerful. USE IT, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"
DIANE SAWYER REPORT ON USA MADE ITEMS
Did you all see that Diane Sawyer did a special report where they removed ALL items from a typical, middle class family's home that were not made in the USA?
There was hardly anything left besides the kitchen sink. Literally. During the special, they showed truckloads of items - USA made - being brought in to replace everything and talked about how to find these items and the difference in price, etc... It's interesting that Diane said that if every American spent just $64 more than normal on USA made items this year, it would create something like 200,000 new jobs!
"I was buying food the other day at Walmart and on the label of some products it said 'from China'. For example, the "OUR FAMILY" brand of the mandarin oranges says right on the can "from China". I was shocked so for a few more cents, I bought the Liberty Gold brand or the Dole since it's from California."
Are we Americans as dumb as we appear -- or -- is it that we just do not think while the Chinese, knowingly and intentionally, export inferior and even toxic products and dangerous toys and goods to be sold in American markets?
70% of Americans believe that the trading privileges afforded to the Chinese should be suspended.
Why do you need the government to suspend trading privileges? DO IT YOURSELF, AMERICA!!!
Simply look on the bottom of every product you buy, and if it says 'Made in China' or 'PRC'(and that now includes Hong Kong), simply choose another product, or none at all. You will be amazed at how dependent you are on Chinese products, and you will be equally amazed at what you can do without.
Who needs plastic eggs to celebrate Easter? If you must have eggs, use real ones and benefit some American farmer. Easter is just an example. The point is do not wait for the government to act. Just go ahead and assume control on your own.
THINK ABOUT THIS: If 200 million Americans refuse to buy just $20 each of Chinese goods, that's a billion dollar trade imbalance resolved in our favor...fast!!!
If most of the people who are reading this matter would plan to implement this for just one month. That is only one month of trading losses, but it will hit the Chinese for 1/12th of the total, or 8%, of their American exports. Then they might have to ask themselves if the benefits of their arrogance and lawlessness were worth it.
Remember, just one month!!! START NOW!!!!