Two Proposed Amendments to Bylaws
Two proposed amendments to the Local 340 bylaws will be voted on at the November 19, 2008 general membership meeting. Each amendment will become a part of the bylaws if a simple majority at the November 19th meeting vote in favor of the amendment(s).
- Amendment Change #1: The travel expense paid to those attending the general membership’ or an executive board’ meetings will increase from $10.00 to $20.00. NOTE: THIS AMENDMENT WAS ACCEPTED
- Amendment Change #2: The starting time for the general membership’ and the executive board’ meetings would change from 7:30 p.m. to 6:00 P.m. NOTE: THIS AMENDMENT WAS REJECTED
100% of 340 Members Taking Recent Fitter’s Test Pass
All six Local 340 members who partici-pated in the City of Minneapolis fitter’s program, and met all of the course requirements, passed the program’s culminating fitter’s test. Hats off to Local 340 brothers Paul Bakke and Mark Varney who again did an excellent job as instructors for this successful program.
Meet More Grievance & Negotiating Members
KENDALL GROENEWOLD
This is Kendall’s first time on the Grievance and Negotiating Committee, although he has been a steward representing Home Care department for over ten years. Born and raised in the SW corner of the state in Worthington, Brother Groenewold ventured to Mankato after high school to further his education. He then made his way to the Twin Cities after a brief stint in Waseca working for a plumbing concern, where he initially took on a job maintaining 480 apartments. He then spent two years with a Heating and Air Conditioning company before joining Minnegasco in 1990 in the Home Care department where he has remained since.
Initially Kendall was encouraged to get involved in the union by then neighbor Ian Brown. As he became a regular at union meetings union officials Tom Veldhouse and Dick Musenbrock took it one step further and persuaded Kendall to run for union steward, emphasizing to him that the union needed some younger representatives. Kendall is an avid hunter, fisherman, and golfer. However, Brother Groenewold has let snowmobiling go to the wayside as he happily devotes more time to his family, which includes his wife and two children.
MIKE HARTEL
Brother Hartel graduated from Columbia Heights H.S. in 1970 and spent the next four years in a variety of jobs. He had a photography business, did some community theatre, performed at a dinner theatre in Landfall, and worked for the Chimera Theatre in St. Paul as theatre photographer and publicist. In 1974 Mike hooked up with the Air Force for a four year stint. He was sent to Altus, Okla-homa where he was trained and then worked as an air traffic controller. In 1978 Mr. Hartel enrolled at the University of Minnesota. Mike was able to work summers at Minnegasco as his Dad was employed in Customer Service. By 1980 Mike decided to seek full time employ-ment with the company and was hired. He worked his way through a variety of helper jobs (including helper on the last 340 Large Main Crew) until he moved to Meter Installation where he remains.
Mike has been a steward since 1991, has been on the 3 person union finance committee since 1989 and has been on the Grievance and Negotiation Committee through 3 prior contract negotiations. In his spare time Brother Hartel likes to golf and collect sheet music and just completed his 8th year on the Columbia Heights charter commission.
BRUCE HEMINGER
Bruce was as he puts it “a Minneapolis boy from day one” graduating from Roosevelt High School. After a two year hitch in the army Bruce tried his hand at a number of jobs and was not quite sure where he was headed until he hitched on with Minne-gasco in 1978 in the Customer Service Department. Brother Heminger’s first work location was the unique Northeast Warehouse at 1144 Fillmore NE., and except for temporary transfers to the street for a couple of summers, has remained at “home” in Home Care since 1978. Since 1998 Mr. Heminger has been a Master in Home Care, and has also been an instructor for HVAC classes on a volunteer basis.
Early on in his career Bruce ran into a little trouble with the com-pany and was greatly assisted by the union and in particular Charles McCoy. Seeking to return the favor, Bruce decided to become involved in the union. He has been union steward since the early 1990s, has been on the union finance committee for over ten years, and was on the Grievance and Negotiation Committee once before. Bruce is kept busy in his spare time occasionally hunting or fishing and enjoying his time with his wife and 3 children.
Another Successful HVAC Course Taught by Masters
Again this year Local 340, in conjunction with the company, sponsored a series of night classes for appliance techs seeking to become HVAC Techs. These night classes, which consisted of 60 hours of classroom and hands on training, were conducted on the employees own time. Local 340 President Ian Brown wishes to sincerely thank dedicated 340 brothers Tim Boettcher, Jon Van Steenbergen, and Bruce Heminger who again helped instruct these classes voluntarily while off the clock.
A Little Street History
- Company street crews installed the first gas main at Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis near the Mississippi River in 1870. This main carried manufactured gas for the company’s 192 customers to illuminate their newly installed gas lamps. (Cost of installation = $15). These gas lights replaced the smelly and messy kerosene lamps. The first gas flowed through the Nicolet main on November 22, 1870.
- In 1891 the Minneapolis Gas Light Company had 104 miles of main and 3,900 gas light customers. The mains were made of yellow pine logs and were lined with tar. The pine logs were roughly 10 feet long and 13 inches in diameter. All of the gas traveling through the mains was manufactured from coal at our “gas works” plant located near our current River Building. There were periodic drips located on the wooden mains where oil and contaminants were drained. The manufactured gas produced these unwanted contaminants.
- In the 1920s a street “trencher” was developed to dig trenches for gas mains. Employees operated the trencher 16 hours a day in temperatures as low as -19 degrees with up to a foot of frost on the ground. It operated until 11:00 p.m. at night with few complaints from residents as they desired that gas be hooked up to their homes and were more than willing to put up with the noise. The “trencher” itself was a weird looking, very long contraption with wheels in front that looked like “army tank wheels” and large wheels with spokes in the back. It took many men to operate the “trencher” and had lights to function at night.
- In 1931 the “Berguson Hush House” was developed by the street. A street crew was laying main near the Swedish Hospital and wanted to avoid disturbing the patients. A portable house was placed over the paving to be removed, enclosing the noisy equipment and its operators. One wonders the effect this had on the long term hearing of these employees as this was before hearing protection was employed. A note: Swedish Hospital was quite anxious to be hooked up to gas – they cooked 37,000 meals monthly & cooking the meals with gas would be cheaper and easier.
- In 1935 street crews for the company piped gas lines to the Ford Plant in St. Paul, Fort Snelling, and the Minnesota Soldiers Home.
- In 1953 demand for natural gas continued to grow. Local 340 street crews laid over 97 miles of main with more than a million feet of trenches dug and filled. (Ten thousand services were installed that year).
- Local 340 crews laid the first plastic main in 1962. This dramatic new material was reeled off a giant spool directly into the ground as the ground was plowed.
Local 340 & Company Looking at Creating New Combination Work Positions
Local 340 is working toward the possible creation of two new work positions under the jurisdiction of our union. Although talks with the company are still in their preliminary stages, the goal would be to get more work back “in house” instead of contracted out. The new positions would likely be titled “Collector/Meter Investigator” and “C&M Helper/Meter Investigator”.
Two GasWorker Old-Timers, Their Story
Below are two short biographies of gasworkers from the early years of our company. Although Andrew Saltness was never a union member, this was only because there was never a union in existence at our company during his years of his employment. Severin Swanson did become a member of the forerunner of Local 340 – in 1937 when our union was first recognized by the company.
ANDREW SALTNESS
Mr. Saltness was one of the first Minneapolis Gas Light Company employees. He came to Minneapolis from Norway in 1875 and began working for the company in 1877 (the company was founded in 1870). Andrew drove a one-horse wagon along the Minneapolis streets pumping drips from mains. Drips were the accumulation of water and light oils condensed from the manufactured gas which would cause pipeline stoppages or a drop in pressure (the early gas mains were made of wood).
After a few years Saltness’ horse went blind, but the horse knew the route so well that he continued to do the route without his vision. Andrew Saltness became a fitter in 1882 and later a street foreman, the job from which he retired.
SEVERIN SWANSON
In 1886 Mr. Swanson began his employment with the Minneapolis Gas Light Company as a laborer in the street department. It was all manual labor with a pick and shovel in those days. Later he was promoted to fitter and in 1898 he was promoted to foreman in the street department. During his 50th year with the company, in 1937, he joined our union, as this was the year the company officially recognized our union. Five years later in 1941 he retired after nearly 55 years of continuous service with the company.
A Note Concerning THREE Paycheck Months
Twice each year Local 340 members receive three pay-checks in a given month. (This year it occurs in May and October). Historically the last (or third) paycheck of the month was considered a “free” paycheck in that NO insurance deductions (medical, dental, life, optical) were taken from the check. However 340 Financial Secretary Mark Overman reports that with the company’s current computer system a policy change has occurred. Now it is the middle (or second) paycheck in these three paycheck months that would have no insurance deductions taken out or could be considered the “free” check.
Local 340 and Company Receive United Way Award
Local Vice-President Charles McCoy proudly reports that GasWorkers Local 340 in conjunction with the company have received a 2007 Best of Award from the Greater Twin Cities United Way. The award was presented for the labor management partnership that helped improve lives and strengthen communities. The award was presented at a Local 340/Company LMC meeting. These LMC (Labor Management Committee) meetings were started to improve relations between the union and the company.
Local 340/Company Reach Safety Incentive Agreement
The union and the company have agreed upon a safety award program for 2008. For a Local 340 member to qualify for the safety awards they must NOT have: 1) a Recordable Injury (resulting from NOT following established safety practices); 2) a Lost Time Injury (resulting from NOT following established safety practices); and 3) a Preventable Vehicular Collision.
Each Local 340 member will receive a $20 Target gift card for each quarter that he/she is incident free. In addition if the individual is incident free throughout 2008 they will receive an additional $50 gift card (which would total, if incident free all year, $130 in gift cards for the year). Note that per I.R.S. regulations these safety award gift cards will be subject to tax.
Keep in mind if an individual has one chargeable incident in 2008 they will lose 6.5% of their 2008 variable pay (1/16th of their variable pay). If they have two chargeable incidents in 2008 they will lose ALL of their variable pay for 2008. As already explained any chargeable incident will cause no $20 gift card award for that quarter and the individual will also not receive the additional year end $50 gift card.
Local 340 President Ian Brown urges all GasWorkers to continue to follow safe work practices and to always use personal protective equipment when needed or required.