July 2017

Message from the Business Manager:

Well it’s good to finally be back at work. The Doctors have all

released me and gave me the green light to return. Giving thanks to

God, all your prayers, and all the great Doctors I had, I am now

totally Cancer free.

I want to also thank all the members and my staff at Local 421 for

taking care of business in my absence. Now I’m looking forward to

getting back and settling back down in my office.

Although I was unable to attend the meeting to ratify the new MCA

Contract because of a scheduled meeting with the UA, I was able

to be a part of the negotiations and I think we have a really good 3-

year Agreement. I want to thank the Committee, Bob Hughes,

Bobby Collins, Keith Batson and Evelio Martinez for working so hard

to get it done.

We have a great deal of work about ready to begin and we could

possibly be looking at needing over 400 welders, fitters and

apprentices between now and Christmas which is great, but

because work is really good across the entire country we will need

to be calling on our Organizers and members to help us find the

manpower. So if you know of any really good men and/or women

who would be good candidates for membership, let us know and we

will set them up for testing and interviews.

I wish you all a happy and safe Fourth of July,

Skip Howard.

The 421 Communicator

February 2017 June 2017 James R. Drum (96) Edwin Bellamy(329) March 2017 Donald R. Crider (436) William “Stub” Whittaker(391) April 2017 Marvin Nicholson (640) Wayne C. Griffis (785) May 2017 Danny Treadwell (96) Carroll McEntire(227)

I t i s wi th our deepes t regret that

we must inform you o f the

pas s ing o f the fol lowing Brothers

and/or Si s ter s :

Directory

Charleston

Business Office

2556 Oscar Johnson Drive

N. Charleston, SC 29405

843-554-3655

843-529-1226 Fax

Concord Office

285 Litaker Lane

Concord, NC 28025

704-721-0517

704-721-0518 Fax

Laurens Office

1476 Fleming St. Ext.

Laurens, SC 29360

864-984-9702

864-984-1951 Fax

Wendell Office

350 East 4th Street

Wendell, NC 27591

919-231-8005

919-231-8054 Fax

*Please send all mail including

payments to the Charleston

Office.*

Email Addresses

Skip– skip@ualocal421.org

Bob– bob@ualocal421.org

Keith– keith@ualocal421.org

John– john@ualocal421.org

Joe– joe@ualocal421.org

*Please put 421 member on

subject line.*

Websites

www.ualocal421.org

www.ua.org

Please notify us at either the Charleston or

Concord office if you have a change of

address or phone number. It is very

important for us to have current information

for mail outs and automated phone calls.

**Also notify NEBA of any address changes**

Please DO NOT contact Core

Management in regards to Pension,

Annuity, Hours or Insurance. They are no

longer our Benefit Administrators and

therefore will not have any information

for you. If you have any questions please

call our office at 843-554-3655, NEBA at

1-800-842-5899 (Pension and Annuity) or

Stacie Bartlett at 843-214-5344

(Insurance)

Brothers and Sisters,

As most of you know work is slow in our jurisdiction. We see that changing in the

coming months, especially with the High purity and Plumbing work. Members

with special skills such as Med-Gas and Orbital Welding are in high demand. If

you’re not working take the time to upgrade your skills at one of our Training

Centers, if you are working Local 421 offers online training.

NORTH CAROLINA: McKenney’s is ramping at the Charter Data Center in

Charlotte. Kinetics is completing an outage at Baxter in Marion. TFS has work in

the Fab Shop. Brecke Mechanical is picking up more work at Cargill in

Fayetteville. AC&R Specialist is starting second phase at the Smithville Plant in Tar

Heel. Novo Nordisk and Warsaw projects have been pushed out; we expect start up

later this year.

SOUTH CAROLINA: CR Meyer has added manpower at First Quality Tissue in

Anderson. CB&I Fab Shop, BKI and HT Lyons are holding steady. McClintock &

Turk in Beaufort stills needs a GMA welder. Midwest Mechanical needs Plumbers

with Med Gas certification for the MCCU Hospital project in Charleston. RM

Mechanical is starting a new project at Swiss Krono in Barnwell in July.

Work forecast around the country continues to be strong especially for combo

welders, fitters with rigging certifications and fitters with tube bending experience.

Keith Batson,

Local 421 Dispatcher

Special Announcement:

If you are three months behind on your

dues, you will be required to pay a

minimum of two months. Especially if you

are currently employed.

JATC

From Your President

Hello Brothers and Sisters:

We have all seen it before, here it is again.

Ways to kill your union brotherhood.

1. DON’T COME TO UNION MEETINGS.

2. BUT IF YOU DO – COME LATE.

3. IF THE WEATHER DOESN’T SUIT YOU – DON’T COME AT ALL.

4. IF YOU DO ATTEND A MEETING – FIND FAULT WITH THE WORK OF THE OFFICERS AND OTHER MEMBERS.

5. NEVER ACCEPT AN OFFICE – IT’S EASIER TO CRITICIZE THAN TO DO THINGS.

6. NEVERTHELESS, GET SORE IF YOU ARE NOT APPOINTED ON A COMMITTEE: BUT IF YOU ARE APPOINTED, DO NOT ATTEND THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS.

7. IF ASKED BY THE PRESIDENT TO GIVE YOUR OPINION ON AN IMPORTANT MATTER, TELL HIM YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY. AFTER THE MEETING TELL EVERYONE HOW THINGS SHOULD BE DONE.

8. DO NOTHING MORE THAN IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. BUT WHEN OTHER MEMBERS ROLL UP THEIR SLEEVES, WILLINGLY AND UNSELFISHLY USING THEIR ABILITY TO HELP ALONG, HOWL THAT THE UNION IS BEING RUN BY A CLIQUE.

9. ( My Favorite) DON’T BOTHER HELPING NEW MEMBERS OR APPRENTICES – LET EVERYONE ELSE DO IT.

COULD THIS BE YOU?

Become Involved, be part of the solution and don’t feed the problems.

John Sciadini, President Local 421.

John Sciadini

Reminder for all Apprentice’s that have not submitted their $50 nonrefundable book deposit,

this is to be sent to the Concord Training Center only!

JATC

Information

Make sure to always keep your certs current, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!!

Check the website often (www.ualocal421.org) for new and updated classes that are listed for any required continuing education. There will be more online courses in the months to come for UA members. Watch for Victaulic and High Purity training in your area.

Remember to check the website for upcoming classes over the summer months, OSHA 10, 30, brazing and continuing education.

There will be Weld testing at the Concord Training Center on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. We are also offering Weld testing at our Wake County Training Center in Wendell on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. Must call ahead to schedule any testing with that location’s Instructor. Any requested testing in Charleston or Laurens will have to be pre-scheduled.

Anyone interested in UA STAR exams (HVAC, Plumbing & Pipefitting), please contact the Concord Training Center for information

Please listen to ALL ROBO calls from Local Union 421 as they always involve important information!

The JATC is looking for Instructors for ALL Training Centers. If you have the ambition to share your knowledge with others, please send your resume’ to John: john@ualocal421.org.

2017 Standard for Excellence and Work Referral

In order to be eligible for employment, every member or applicant must

complete and sign (both sides) and return to the business office no later than

January 31st. You can return by US Mail, Fax or Email. If you are currently on

out of work list you will maintain your position if the form is completed and

returned by the 31st, if the form is not completed and returned by the 31st your

name will be removed and placed on the list in order received. You CANNOT be

referred to any job until this form is completed and returned to Local 421

Business Office. This is a yearly requirement.

Lead Burners Brothers and Sisters,

I am approaching retirement age and I feel it is time for someone new to take

over the Business Agent position for the Lead Burner Division of Local Union 421.

It has been an honor to serve in this position and special privilege to work for our

Business Manager Skip Howard, It has also been a privilege to work for and with

Bob Hughes, both during negotiations and our day to day business.

Our Contract negotiations are coming up in less than a year and I feel it is very

important for our new Business Agent to be firmly established in his position

before that time comes.

As I said it has been an honor and privilege to serve the Lead Burners and I wish

everyone the best of luck in the future.

Bill McNabb

Business Agent, Lead Burner Division

Local Union 421

As we move into and through the hottest months of the year it is more

important than ever that

our members take precautions against the threat of heat stroke and

exhaustion. Though

temperatures are soaring all over the United States, we seem to be the most

vulnerable here in

the South. They may seem like common sense to each of you, but the steps below

serve as an

important reminder to those of you in the field who are important to us!

• Drink water every 15 minutes, even if you are not thirsty

• Rest in the shade to cool down

• Wear a hat and light-colored clothing, if possible

• Learn the signs of heat illness and what to do

• Keep an eye on fellow workers

• Build a tolerance to the heat/slowing increase

workload

Be safe and stay cool out there!

Submitted by:

Stacie Bartlett

Benefits Coordinator

Eph 2:10: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do

Select Changes to the UA Constitution From the Desk of General President Mark McManus

Burial Expense Benefit: Based on the recommendations of the UA Burial Benefits Committee, the delegates adopted a net Burial Expense Benefit of $2500.00 for all members in the United States and Canada with at least six months of membership in good standing. Apprentice Voice and Vote: By a roll call vote of 2,089 to 1,320, the delegates extended the rights of the voice and vote for Local Union meetings and in Local Union elections to apprentices who have successfully completed their third year of apprenticeship. See Section 148(b) of the new UA Constitution. This action followed a lengthy debate in which a variety of perspectives were represented. I was and am very proud of the way that delegates on all sides of the issue conducted themselves. Travel Card Dues: For the first time since 1992, the Convention approved significant updates to the Travel Card dues provisions of the UA Constitution (Sections 219 and 221). The cornerstone of these updates is a requirement that Local Unions remit a portion of the working assessments they collect from a traveler back to the traveler’s home Local. The remittal provisions only apply to U.S. Locals, in part because a more robust remittal program is already in place in Canada. Per Capita: Based on the recommendations of the General Officers, over the next five years Local Union will be subject to a single $2.00 increase in the per capita for members under the age of 65. This increase will not take effect until January 1, 2018. UA Vice Presidents: The delegates approved amendments to the UA Constitution restricting eligibility to run for office as a UA Vice President to members who are full-time salaried officers of a Local Union or District Council within the District they seek to represent. UA Vice Presidents who no longer serve as full-time salaried officers of a Local Union will be required to resign their UA Vice President position within 30 days.

Submitted by: Bob Hughes

Union meeting

Saturday July 8, 2017 at 10:00 am

285 litaker lane

Concord, nc 28025

P l u m b e r s & P i p e f i t t e r s

L o c a l U n i o n 4 2 1

2 5 5 6 O s c a r J o h n s o n D r .

N o r t h C h a r l e s t o n , S C

2 9 4 0 5

Or Current Resident

Benevolence Fund Committee Members

Ray Smith (Chairman)-336-972-0922

Donald Bean-336-953-4718

Carl Dean-828-217-3432

John Tilley, Jr. –336-830-1723

If you are in need of assistance, or you know

a fellow Brother and/or Sister in need

please contact one of the Benevolence

Committee Members above.