local no. 68 union meetings · plumbers local union #68 newsletter www .plu6 8.com march-april 2019...

Plumbers Local Union #68 Newsletter March-April 2019www.plu68.com

ISSue No. 218 NeWSLetteR MARCH-APRIL 2019

LOCAL No. 68 UNION MEETINGSThe next Union meeting in Houston will be held on May 9, 2019 at 6:00 pm at 502 Link Road inHouston, Texas.

*Please turn cell phones off, or on vibrate and remove all hats before Union meetings begin.*

PLUMBERS LOCAL UNION NO. 68 OFFICER NOMINATIONS / ELECTIONSOn May 9, 2019 at the regular scheduled union meeting, nominations for officers will be held. Section 121 of the United Association

Constitution states that no member shall be eligible to be nominated for office in any Local Union unless he shall be a Journeyman

member and shall have been a member of the United Association and the Local Union in good standing for at least a period of two (2)

years immediately prior to the election. Any journeyman member who owes or has paid a reinstatement fee within a period of two (2)

years immediately prior to the date of election shall not be eligible to be nominated for office in any Local Union.

Persons nominating candidates for office must be journeyman members or apprentice members who have successfully completed their

third apprenticeship year at the time of making such nomination. In addition, such persons must be in good standing at the time of

making such nomination.

Election days and locations are as follows:Thursday, June 6, 2019 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm - Houston Union Hall

Friday, June 7, 2019 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm - Houston Union Hall

Saturday, June 8, 2019 8:00 am to 5:00 pm - Houston Union Hall

Saturday, June 8, 2019 8:00 am to 12:00 pm - 4841 Leopard St. - Corpus Union Hall

Saturday, June 8, 2019 8:00 am to 12:00 pm - 695 Chamberlain St - Beaumont Union Hall

Saturday, June 8, 2019 8:00 am to 12:00 pm - 3232 Briarcrest Drive, Room 108 in Bryan

Plumbers Local 68’s Annual

Hot Dog Nite was held at the

union meeting on April 11th.

Those in attendance enjoyed

James Coney Island hot dogs,

chips and drinks.

HOT DOG NITE

Plumbers Local Union #68 Newsletter March-April 2019

City of Pasadena

District A – Felipe Villarreal

District B – Bruce Leamon

District C – Don Harrison

District D – Sammy Casados

District E – Cody Ray Wheeler

District F – Phil Cayten

District G – Cary Bass

District H – Thomas Schoenbein

City of Dickinson

Position 2 – Sean Skipworth

Position 6 – William King III

Dickinson ISD

District 5 – Rhonda Hart

College of the Mainland

Position 4 – Dawn King

City of Stafford

Mayor – AJ Honore

Position 1 – Alice Chen

Stafford MSD

At-Large – Ash Hamirani

At-Large – Greg Holsapple

City of Sugarland

District 1 – Mohammad “Jazz” Aijaz

District 2 – Nabila Mansoor

Fort Bend ISD

Position 3 – Jim Rice

Position 5 – Allison Drew

Position 7 – Ferrel Bonner

Lamar CISD

District 4 – Sofia Sheikh

District 7 – Alex Hunt

Pearland ISD

Position 5 – Dona Kim Murphey

Position 6 – Joseph Say

Position 7 – Al Lloyd

City of Beaumont

Mayor - Becky Ames

Ward 1 -Taylor Neild

Ward 2 – Jefferson Fisher

At-Large – William R. Sam, Sr.

Port of Beaumont

At-Large – Joseph “Tulue” Egland, Sr.

City of Nederland

Mayor – Jeff Ortiz

Ward 4 – David Guillot

CITY ELECTIONSThe following candidates have been endorsed by the Committee on Political Education for the upcoming city elections.

eLeCtIoN DAY IS SAtuRDAY, MAY 4, 2019

CONTRACT CHANGES EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 2019The Rio Grande Valley Contract was voted on and passed by the membership to accept the following:

Rename the Collective Bargaining Agreement from Rio Grande Valley to Coastal Bend

ARtICLe IV – eCoNoMIC PACKAGe

JOURNEYMAN:$1.00 per hour Cash Wage increase

$ .10 per hour to Working Assessment

$ .40 per hour to Insurance ($.20 for Provisional classification)

$ .05 per hour to Apprentice Training Fund

Apprentices hourly cash wage shall be based on a percentage of the cash wage paid to Journeyman, which are as follows:

WAGE OPENERS To be effective 4/1/2020, 4/1/2021, 4/1/2022

ARtICLe XIX - teRRItoRIAL JuRIDICtIoN

Section 34 –

Rename 34 (a)

Add Section 34 (b) –

The following counties may be removed from this agreement for the purpose of forming a new contractual agreement: Brooks,

Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Star, Willacy and Zapata. The Union will give the signatory contractors of the Coastal

Bend Agreement thirty days notice prior to the implementation of the new agreement comprised of the previously listed counties.

ARtICLe XXVI - DuRAtIoN

Four-year agreement, effective April 1, 2019 and continue until March 31, 2023

1st Period change from 55% to 60%

2nd Period change from 61% to 65%

3rd Period change from 66% to 70%

4th Period change from 72% to 75%

5th Period change from 78% to 80%


Congratulations to those members who won a Plumbers Local Union 68 Knife, Rockets, Dynamo, Sabercats, UH Basketball, or Rodeo tickets

at the March union meeting in Houston are: Ivan Torres, Andrew Martinez, Aaron Rodriguez, Carlos Rodriguez, Deric Perry, Haley

Ernsting, Rodolfo Cantu, Johnny Benitez, Felix Nieves, Charles Stanley, Gerardo Hernandez, Ismael Hernandez, Agustin Ibarra, Cesar

Lorenzo, Lillian Ramirez, Jason Maldonaldo, Joshua Vasquez, Tommy Gray, Benjamin Rubio, Victor Garcia, Manuel Gutierrez, Alexis

Martinez, John Mata, Broderick Grissett, Ricardo Molina, Jorge Galvan, and Keith Coffin.

Congratulations to those members who won Astros tickets, Dynamo tickets, Sabercats tickets, or a PLU 68 knife were: Tony Renfro,

Wilbert Cernosek, Luis Godinez, Enid Thomas, Ricardo Ponce, Tam Mai, Tommy Gray, Kyle Ernsting, David Gillis, Joseph Bell,

Mark Obregon, Brian Phipps, Rigoberto Zuniga, Victor Garcia, Ricardo Molina, Hector Ojeda, Deric Perry, Manuel Gutierrez, and

Jim Dixon.

Congratulations to those members who won a Plumbers Local Union 68 Knife or t-shirt at the March union meeting in Corpus Christi

were: Chris Craddock, Elisa Caballero, James McMinn, Aaron Ortiz, Kevin Holder, Mark Davidson, Jesus Prezas, Eli Salazar and

Albert Valent.

RAFFLE WINNERS


Congratulations to the newest members of Plumbers Local 68 who were initiated in March. Those initiates were Journeymen:

Donald Flippo and Jack Washington. Apprentice initiates were: Nicholas Becerra, Samuel Delacruz, Joshua Flores, Carlos

Mendez, Quindarin Taylor and Cory Witkowski.

Congratulations to the newest members of Plumbers Local 68 who were initiated in April. Those initiates were Journeymen Vincent

Lenford and Lorenzo Luna. Apprentice initiates were Joseph Bell and Otto Yavita-Arteaga.

Congratulations to the newest members of Plumbers Local Union 68 who were initiated in March at the Corpus Christi quarterly

meeting. Journeyman initiate was: Jesse Jones. Apprentice initiates were Andrew Hinojosa and Loren Wicke.

NEW INITIATES

FROM THE DESK OF BUSINESS AGENT CHATO WOODARDIf you are interested in Plumbing Service, please contact Business

Agent, Brother Chato Woodard at (713) 869-3592. It will help if

you have a resume to submit to him with the experience you have

so he is able to forward it to any service contractors that are

looking to hire. This applies to both Journey Workers and

Apprentices.

FROM THE DESK OF BUSINESS AGENT JEFFREY LABROSKIIf you are a member out of work and you live in the Bryan/College Station area, please contact Brother Jeffrey LaBroski at 713-869-

3592 or [email protected].

2019 ANNUAL SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT – HOUSTONWe will be hosting our annual Saltwater Fishing Tournament starting Friday, May 3, 2019 with weigh in and lunch served on

Saturday, May 4, 2019. It will be held in San Leon, Texas.


CITY OF HOUSTON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS BOARD VACANCIESBelow you will find information regarding the different committees

that need to be filled within the city of Houston. If you are interested,

need more further information or wanting an application, COPE

Chairman, Brother Rick Lord can be reached at the union hall (713)

869-3592.

Chairman Brother Jeff LaBroski and your Community Improvement Committee are pleased to announce the 2019 Scholarship

applications will be available starting Monday, April 29, 2019 and will be due back by 4:30 pm Friday, June 21, 2019. Scholarship

applications will be available for pick up only at the Houston Union Hall or you can call 713-869-3592 and request to have an application

mailed to you. To be eligible for a scholarship you must be a:

PLUMBERS LOCAL UNION NO. 68 SCHOLARSHIPS

*Eligibility will follow Plumbers Local Union 68 Health and Welfare Fund plan rules when referring to spouses and dependents.

Dependent child of member* Current Member Spouse of Member*

Members can now pay union dues online by logging in to the

members only section at www.plu68.com. If you have not used the

site before, you must register to have access to the credit card

portal. The payment system is for dues only and you must be in

good standing. If you have become delinquent (owing 4 or more

months), you will not be able to make a payment online.

In accordance with the By-Laws, payments for the current month

can be made until 4:30 pm on the last day of the month. The credit

card portal will then be shut down for processing. Call the

Financial Secretary office at the union hall if you have questions

or website issues.

PAYING YOUR DUES

Houston Clean City Committee: (Looking for about 5 individuals)

https://houston.granicus.com/boards/w/b44c131b5903a652/

boards/14066

http://www.houstonbeautiful.org/

Houston Recovery Center: (Looking for 1 person)


boards/14210

Commission on Disabilities: (Looking for 3 people)


boards/14089

The majority of TIRZs will be filled in the coming months. For these,

COH prefers individuals who live in the TIRZ, followed by people

who own land or businesses in the TIRZ. COH then considers

individuals who live right next to the TIRZ.


boards/14093

https://www.houstontx.gov/ecodev/tirz.html

More information on City of Houston Boards & Commissions is

available on their webpage www.houstontx.gov/boards.

NOTE: If applying for any of these positions, please notify theHCLA BCC by email to www.gcaflcio.org/office

City of Houston Plumbers Code Review Board Vacancies2-27-19

Positions 2,3,5, and 6 will be available for new members.

MEMBERS:

6 members appointed by the Mayor and approved by City

Council and 1 member designated [as a] City Department

representative.

POSITIONS:

Positions 1 & 2: filled by professional engineers registered by

the State of texas who are actively engaged in the design of

plumbing systems.

Positions 3 & 4: filled by duly licensed master plumbers.

Position 5: filled by a degreed engineer who is in the employ

of a local gas utility company.

Position 6: filled by a member at large.

Position 7: Chief Plumbing Inspector for the City of Houston.

TERM: The terms of office for the appointees to Positions Nos. 1, 3,

and 5 shall expire on the second day of January of odd-numbered

years, and the terms of office for the appointees to Positions Nos. 2,

4, and 6 shall expire on the second day of January of even numbered

years; however, each member shall continue in office until his/her

respective successor shall have been appointed and qualified.

CHAIRPERSON: Appointed by the Mayor.

QUORUM: A majority of the members.

COMPENSATION: Each member of the Board shall receive $50.00

for each meeting he/she attends at which a quorum is present;

provided, however, those members who are employees of this

jurisdiction will be paid only for those meetings they attend that are

neither held during nor continue beyond their regular working hours.

Members shall not be compensated for more than three meetings in

any one calendar month.

More information on City of Houston Boards & Commissions is

available on their webpage www.houstontx.gov/boards.

NOTE: If applying for any of these positions, please notify theHCLA BCC by email to www.gcaflcio.org/office

As you all may be aware the Sunset Advisory Commission’s

recommendation has come to form and is now HB 1670 and SB

621. Your full-time elected officers have been diligently pursuing

many different options and meeting with the State Representatives

to keep the bill from becoming law. We have been making

progress with the help from our members going online and voicing

their opposition to HB 1670 and SB 621. We are still in the fight

at this point, but we have a lot more work to do.

At the April 11, 2019 union meeting, the membership voted to hire

a lobbyist to help bring in more votes both Democrat and

Republican on the House side. Please stay tuned to our Facebook

page, newsletters, and union meetings to get the latest information.

Always remember that this is not a union or nonunion issue, but

an industry wide issue. If you have any questions, feel free to

contact any of your full-time officers at the union hall (713) 896-

3592.

Pictured below is the Plumbers March at the Capital. Plumbers

Local Union 68 secured four buses (two from Houston, one from

Beaumont, one from Corpus Christi) and met at our State Capital

on March 12, 2019 to discuss the issues of the Texas State Board

of Plumbing Examiners with the State Representatives. Thanks to

our members (and their wives and families) and your full-time

officers who participated in this event. We turned a lot of heads

in Austin that day and we continue to do so with everyone

emailing and calling their State Representatives.

SUNSET ADVISORY COMMISSION UPDATE



HAPJAC – CONTINUING EDUCATION CLASSES

Continuing education Upcoming CE classes will be held:

Texas Pipe Trades Association in cooperation with Texas State Joint Apprenticeship and Journeyman Training/Education Committee

of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry is offering the 2019-2020 six-hour (6) Continuing Education Course to licensed plumbers.

This course meets the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners requirements for license renewals. Contact the training Center

at 713-861-3202 or 800-891-8900 or email [email protected].

Houston - 454 Link Road

May 14 & 16, 2019...................................5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

May 18, 2019 ............................................8:00 am – 3:00 pm

June 18 & 20, 2019...................................5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

June 22, 2019 ............................................8:00 am – 3:00 pm

June 25 & 27, 2019...................................5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

texas City – 2010 5th Ave North

June 29, 2019 ........................................... 8:00 am – 3:00 pm

April 23-26, 2019 State Apprenticeship Contest

April 29, 2019 Plumbers Local 68 Scholarships Applications Available

May 3 & 4, 2019 Houston Saltwater Fish Tournament

May 9, 2019 Houston Union Meeting @ 6:00 pm (Officer nominations)

May 27, 2019 Memorial Day (contract holiday)

June 6-8, 2019 Plumbers Local 68 Officer Elections

June 13, 2019 Retiree Club Meeting @ 11:00 amHouston Union Meeting @ 6:00 pm

June 15, 2019 HAPJAC Banquet @ 7:00 pm

June 17, 2019 Coastal Bend Union Meeting @ 6:00 pm

June 21, 2019 Plumbers Local 68 Scholarships are due

July 4, 2019 Independence Day (Contract Holiday)

July 5, 2019 Complex closed

July 11, 2019 Houston Union Meeting @ 6:00 pm

IMPORTANT DATES

STORK CLUB

Congratulations to Brother

Sam Santos and his wife

Rosalinda on the birth of

their daughter Gigi.Gabriela Giselle Santos

was born July 6, 2018

weighing 7lbs, 4 oz, and

measured 19’ long!

Congratulations to the Hickey Family on

the birth of their Grandson, Jameson

Keith Hickey. Jameson who made his

debut on February 22, 2019 weighing 5 lbs.

15 oz. and measured 18 inches long.

Jameson is being held by his proud

grandpa and Local 68 member, Brother

Ronnie Hickey!

NEWSLETTERPLUMBERS LOCAL UNION #68

P.o. Box 8746

Houston, texas 77249-8746

54 HOUSTON, TEXAS

ALLIED PRINTING TRADESCOUNCIL UNION

LABEL ®

Sincerely and Fraternally,

Robert “Wayne” Lord............ Business Manager

William “Bill” Venable, II ...... Financial Secretary / Treasurer

Rick Lord .................................. Business Agent

Jeff LaBroski............................ Business Agent

Chato Woodard ....................... Business Agent

Brian Granger .......................... President/Organizer

Glen Kirkham ........................... Organizer

Jeremy Pavlich ........................ Organizer

Robert L. Cross........................ Director of Training

CLIP HERE AND SAVE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERSUnion Hall (713) 869-3592

(800) 798-1074

Fund Office (713) 869-2592

(800) 833-2980

Training Center (713) 861-3202

(800) 891-8900

Credit Union (713) 869-9053

Website www.plu68.com

�

Brother Waylon Couch (51) of Spring, TX passed away March 21, 2019. Brother

Couch was a UA Apprentice Member of 6 years, being initiated in February 2013.

Brother Paul owens (66) of Point Blank, TX passed away March 25, 2019. Brother

Owens was a UA Retired Member of 45 years, being initiated in February 1974.

Brother Patrick Nelson (62) of Houston, TX passed away March 30, 2019. Brother Nelson was a

UA Retired Member of 38 years, being initiated in February 1981.

Brother Conrad Meadows (85) of Carrollton, TX passed away April 2, 2019. Brother Meadows was

a UA Lifetime Member of 57 years, being initiated December 1961.

Brother Richard Miner (40) of Katy, TX passed away April 4, 2019. Brother Miner was a UA

Apprentice Member of 4 years, being initiated in July 2015.

In MemoriamIn Memoriam

local no. 68 union meetings · plumbers local union #68 newsletter www .plu6 8.com march-april 2019...

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