NEWS
Employer Portal Updates
We are excited to announce the upcoming release of new and improved features for the employer jobsite reporting portal. This latest update focuses on reporting enhancements along with improving your overall user experience.
New: Work day / early start
We've added a section on the job reports to report the regular hour work day. If the job starts prior to the typical 8:00 AM, an early start request is created to inform the district council for confirmation and approval.
Revised: Make up day reporting
Reporting workflow update for this type of job instance. A reporting request is created and sent to the district council for confirmation and approval.
Along with email notifications on these new request types, new pages have been added to view the statuses of requests between the employer and district council.
Improved: Job detail list views
Supplemental job reports (Overtime, Make up Day, etc.) have been reformatted in the system and are in easier to read list views.
The update will be released within the upcoming weeks.
Our goal is to improve job reporting and communication between the employers and the district council. Your feedback is important to us. If you have suggestions for improving the system, please let us know your feedback by filling out a short survey.
STAR Program Calendar
April 1 is the beginning of the Annual STAR Year. Classes are held at the Apprenticeship School. Visit our training schedule page for a list of courses and requirements.
Location
1101 N. Taft Avenue
Berkeley, IL 60163
Winter 2017 Newsletter
Letter From The Business Manager / Secretary Treasurer:
Well another year has come and gone. This year has sure been an eventful one for District Council 14 members. As we look forward to the upcoming holidays let’s pause and look at some of the highlights of the past year.
DC 14 negotiated a new contract with both the Painters and Drywall Taper Contractors Associations. Utilizing the survey that was sent out to all our painter and taper members the agenda was set on what our members wanted. With a strike looming, we secured a 4-year contract that benefited both labor and management while guaranteeing higher wages, a secure health insurance, and pension over the next 4 years.
Our website (pdc14.com) has given our members better access to what is happening in their union. It also has created a mechanism to track contractors and general contractors that are both union and non-union, so we can get a better grip on work being performed in DC 14’s area, as well as hold our representatives and organizers accountable for their job performance. Using this information, we have stepped up pursuing more union work for our members.
Numerous pickets and demonstrations have turned non-union jobs into man days worked by our members. Our latest “Job action” has been pursuing “Intersection Media” currently doing work for the Chicago Transit Authority. You may have seen our demonstrations or heard of them on the radio. The Law firm Goldberg, Weisman and Cairo had a $500,000 contract with Intersection Media for advertising on buses all over the city. To support the District Council #14 and Union labor they have pulled their contract with Intersection Media. We thank them for the supporting our Union and all Union work.
With the new contract we have developed a new Market recovery initiative, which helps our contractors bid competitively on jobs that would normally go non-union. So far, this year it has brought in approximately 15,000 union hours with full wages and benefits for DC 14 members. We look forward to this growing even larger with our contractor’s support in the upcoming years.
We will be returning to Blue Cross/Blue Shield for our Health insurance on January 1, 2018. In an effort to save our funds money and a promise of little inconvenience to our members we changed our insurance in 2017 from Blue Cross /Blue Shield to Cigna Health Care. During this past year we received many complaints from our members that there were problems with providers and claims being covered. Because of inconveniences to our members and their families we decided this change proved to be too much.
The Painters and Tapers STAR (Safety Training Award Recognition) gave away their 11th car. The Glaziers raffled off their 10th Car at their Star banquet this year. Both programs also raffled off big screen tv’s, computers, gift cards and numerous of other prizes. All in the effort to keep our members safe on job sites.
Painters and Tapers District Council 14 has given over $312,000 in scholarships to our members families going to college this year.
We held our 13th annual picnic for District Council #14 members and their families, with over 1500 attendee’s. A good time was had by all with good food, clowns, games and live music.
The young Lions committee has increased in size and participation. Holding meetings on the second Tuesday of each month. This year’s Young Lions events included a paint ball event, food drive with the “Golden can awards” for the local that collects the most canned food for the food pantries, Football banquet at the District Council, and a young workers Investment seminar held at the apprenticeship school.
The DC 14 Women’s committee on Organizing has continued growing and lending a hand with different events from helping with the Annual book bag give away, Labor Day parade, and having a Candle Light Bowling event. They also participated in the annual Women Build Nations Conference at the Hyatt Regency McCormick place. Where over 1600 women from around the nation were in attendance. They also hosted a Chicago Women in the Trades Job fair at the Painters training facility, where young women wishing to enter the trades receive some hands-on training demonstrations by the Dry wall, Glazing, and Painting instructors.
Glaziers Local 27 has had 73 new apprentices starting at their training facility. The Glaziers, Painters and Tapers are looking at becoming a fully accredited training facility. This gives the graduates of all three training programs the potential of receiving college credits after graduating from the apprenticeship program.
There is a merger of locals 273 and 180 that is currently in the process and should be complete by January 1, 2018.
We have had numerous politicians visit both our Union Hall and our training facilities to better educate them of what our union and our trades are all about. Most were amazed at our Training facility and programs that are required to be a true tradesperson at no cost to the tax payers.
We have had Dollars Against Diabetes Collections, Political Rallies, Blood Drives, Urban league book bag give away, Numerous volunteer painting events for special Olympics, veterans homes and the underprivileged.
These are but a few of the things going on behind the scenes at the Painters District Council. As we enter the holiday season know that your union is working to make next year even more successful.
Better yet come get involved with the union to help make 2018 the best year ever.
John Spiros Jr.
Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer
Sign Up for Members Text Alerts
We're now offering text message alerts for all members who opt in. Want to be the first to know the latest news and information? Email us at info@pdc14.com and provide your cell number to be added to the list.
Must provide Member Name, Cell Phone number and Local Union number or request will be denied.
Use the following email link to get started: Sign up for text alerts
Spring 2017 Newsletter
Letter From The Business Manager / Secretary Treasurer:
Spring has sprung and so has the construction season in the Chicagoland area. This year looks to be very busy with working hours going up even further than they were last year. Along with the increased hours we will be dealing with the challenges that come with it. Things like meeting our increased Qualified manpower needs, Policing the industry for cheating contractors and non-union contractors trying to steal our unions work. These challenges can and will be met through our apprenticeship programs, Journeyman upgrade classes and, OSHA certifications. Your unions Business Representatives and Organizers due diligence will also enforce our foot print in the construction industry.
As many of you know one of the biggest challenges facing us this year is that our Current Painters and Drywall Tapers Collective Bargaining agreements are set to expire May 31st. Though difficult at times, we at District Council #14 are fully committed to the needs of the current market environment and as well as our members needs while working through negotiating those respective agreements. We are committed to secure a strong presence not only for this year but for years to come for our members and their families. This will be done by strengthening our pensions, health insurance and pushing to secure new sources of work that was lost years ago, so our members have a continuous flow of work. We don’t take this task lightly and will do all we can not to go on strike. But as the saying goes HOPE FOR THE BEST BUT PREPARE FOR THE WORST.
If we are forced to have a strike, we have set up a Strike fund to help preserve our future. Picket duty pay will be paid to current members of Painters’ District Council #14 that walk a line for our union. This is to help supplement out of pocket losses in wages you may have incurred during the strike.
In this newsletter, you will find a reprint of a card that has been handed out for years entitled “A GOOD UNION MEMBER”. Please read it and follow the advice given for respecting your union or any union picket lines you may encounter this summer. There are over 14 unions currently in negotiations as of the printing of this newsletter. Any one of them may be forced to go on strike so be prepared.
For updated information on our contract negotiations you can contact your Local Union Representative, or check our website at www. pdc14.com. We are also offering text message alerts for our members. To sign up for text messages please call the council at (312)421-0046 or email us at info@pdc14.com please include your name, cell phone number, and Local Union number.
Remember “United we Stand, Divided we Beg!” —and We are not Begging!
John Spiros Jr.
Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer
EVENTS
