June 2015

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It is hard to believe 2015 is almost half

over and summer is once again upon us. This

year however is different, this year brings us

a marked improvement on the employment

outlook for our membership. I can comforta-

bly share that our signatory employers are

beginning to call for both journeymen and

apprentices. This is a long awaited turn of

events, and we anticipate the work outlook to

remain strong especially when we consider

the hard work Brother Ron Miller has been

doing at the Los Angeles Orange Counties

Building and Construction Trades Council

ensuring that new projects are covered with

project labor agreements which will provide

our members with work for years to come. If

you are interested in knowing what is happen-

ing in the area I encourage you to speak with

Doug, Jeremiah or Jeremy they can tell you

all about the various projects in their area.

Not too long ago the Plumbers (UA)

joined forces with the Electricians (IBEW)

and the Sheet Metal Workers (SMART) to

form the Coalition for Responsible Equitable

Economic Development Los Angeles

(CREEDLA). At this time we are working on

approximately 150 future projects with vari-

ous developers. Through our combined ef-

forts we have enjoyed several victories in the

last month with four (4) of the project devel-

opers committing to use the best contractors

for the Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing

(MEP). If this joint venture continues as it

has, we expect to realize a good amount of

work hours for our membership.

Local 78’s membership recently voted

on the upcoming July 2015 wage allocation.

With this next wage allocation we will see a

2.5 percent increase in our total package.

Over the past ten years, since July 1, 2005,

the members of District Council have seen

about a 47 percent increase in our wage and

benefit package and we have been able to

not only maintain the 13th check for our

retirees, but they have enjoyed an increase

in the amount of the checks. This is a great

accomplishment, given that the past five (5)

years have brought a down economy to the

area. Following is the breakdown for the

recently adopted wage increase allocation.

The membership of District Council re-

cently voted and passed Option I as the

next wage allocation.

Package increase of 2.5% or $1.65(*) to be

allocated as follows:

$1.25 Taxable Base Wage

$0.10 Retirees Christmas Benefit

$0.15 Pension Benefit

$0.05 LMCC Benefit

$0.10 HRA Benefit

* (Current journeyman package $65.67 x

2.5% = $1.65). Total package effective July

1, 2015 will be $67.32.

As the Business Manager of Plumbers

Local 78 it gives me great pleasure to an-

nounce that one of this year’s recipients of

the California State Pipe Trades Scholarship

is Alyx Navarro the daughter of our member

Brother Danny Navarro. Alyx will receive

$2,500.00 from the California State Pipe

Trades and the Executive Board of Local 78

has approved an additional $2,500.00

matching scholarship from Local 78. On

behalf of the membership of Local 78, I

offer Alyx a heartfelt congratulations and a

sincere wish for continued success.

On a final note, I have had several

contractors share with me that they are ac-

tively seeking quality foremen, detailers and

general foremen if you have contemplated a

move and would like to be considered

please email me your resume and I will pass

it along. Additionally, if you are a sharp

journeymen with good organization and

computer skills please send me your re-

sume ,we have contractors looking for a few

good plumbers that can be trained for open

foreman positions. By now I should not

have to remind you to make sure your certi-

fications are current, but I know that several

members have lost out on recent dispatch

calls as they did not have up to date certs. It

is up to you to make sure you are prepared

for the next dispatch call we make to you.

In closing, I want to remind everyone

that Plumbers Local 78 will be having their

membership picnic on October 10, 2015, at

Six Flags Magic Mountain, if you would

like to RSVP please do so by calling Tawni

Patrick at the hall at (213) 688-9090. Please

be sure to attend our next membership meet-

ing on September 10th and do not forget the

nomination meeting on November 12, 2015.

For more details on the upcoming election

please read the Notice of Nomination Meet-

ing and Election Notice in this publication

of the Drips.

Fraternally,

Gary L. Cook

Business Manager

Drips From The Faucet

News Views Gossip

Visit Us On The Web! www.uaplumber78.com

Candidate Eligibility Requirements:

No member shall be eligible to be nomi-

nated for office in any Local Union un-

less 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 years immediately prior to the elec-

tion. Any journeyman member who

owes or has paid a reinstatement fee

within a period of two years immediately

prior to the date of the election shall not

be eligible to be nominated for office in

any local union.

Required to Nominate a Candidate:

Any member of the United Association

and the Local Union in good standing

may nominate or second a candidate.

General Election schedule:

In the event of contested nominations, a

mail ballot election will be held. Ballots

will be mailed to all members in good

standing, at the members last known ad-

dress, on or about November 16, 2015.

Ballots will be tallied at 8:00 A.M. on

Saturday, December 12, 2015 at: LA

BUILDING TRADES, 1626 BEVERLY

BLVD, LOS ANGELES, CA 90026.

In accordance with Sections 121-124 of

the Constitution of the United Associa-

tion of Journeymen and Apprentices of

the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of

the United States and Canada, a Nomina-

tion Meeting is called for officers of

Plumbers Local Union 78 for a 3 year

term beginning January 2016. Nomina-

tions will be at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday,

November 12, 2015.

Location: Los Angeles Building Trades

1626 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90026

Offices to be filled:

President

Vice President

Recording Secretary

Inside Guard

Executive Board

Finance Committee

Examining Board

Business Manager, Financial-Secretary-

Treasurer

Business Representatives

Delegates to District Council No. 16

Building Trades Delegates

County Labor Federation Delegates

By-Laws Committee

Building Committee

Voter Eligibility Requirements:

No member shall vote at any election of

any description unless he has been a

member in good standing in Local Un-

ion 78 for a period of one year prior to

the date of election as provided for in the

United Association Constitution, By-

Laws, and Rules of Order.

Apprentices are not allowed to vote ex-

cept where this is necessary to comply

with the Federal, State, and/or Provincial

laws.

Employers who desire to maintain their

membership in the United Association

and Local 78 shall not be eligible to

vote.

N O T I C E O F N O M I N A T I O N M E E T I N G & E L E C T I O N F O R O F F I C E R S O F P L U M B E R S L O C A L 7 8

Drips From The Faucet

Next Membership Meeting will be held:

Date: September 10, 2015

Time: 5:00 P.M.

Place: LA/OC Building & Construction Trades Council

1626 Beverly Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90026

Please plan to attend this meeting.

REMINDER • REMINDER • REMINDER

Call the Hall as soon as you get laid-off. Your

sign in date may qualify you for unemploy-

ment dues.

Make sure your certifications are updated.

Keep your email , phone number and mailing

address current with the Union Hall.

There will be a membership picnic October 10,

2015. Please RSVP with Tawni Patrick by call-

ing the Union Hall at 213/ 688-9090.

the public that depend on the systems we

install? As the materials change and become

easier to install the systems are becoming

more complicated. We need to support

strong codes, standards and certification.

This helps separate us from the non-union

who don’t have the easy access to the educa-

tion and training that will be required to do

the work we do. I know this will be unpopu-

lar amongst many of us but it is a great tool

to ensure that our members are doing the

work. Plus remember I am not only referring

to the non-union, but also those basic crafts

like the labors and carpenters that like to do

our work. Remember the A&J Training

Centers are there to help our cause and excel

us to the next level making us more attractive

to the employer and opening the door to dif-

ferent areas within our industry.

LAUSD, District employees (Unit E): Eve-

ryone should have received the retro bonus

for years 2013/2014. Everyone should also

be receiving the retro pay for July 2014 to

date. I really need to ask something of the

district plumbers, first we couldn’t have ne-

gotiated the contract we did without the help

of board members that actually care about

the state of the district facilities. I will tell

you that there is a board member that wants

you to pay for your medical benefits. We

had board members that understood the role

of the Health Benefits Committee and recog-

nized the work that is put into keeping the

costs and quality of the benefits to the high-

est standard possible. In this last election we

lost two of those board members. We had

requested help from district employees to

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

Here we are heading into summer with

hopes that many of the slated projects will

soon be hiring. The amount of projects on

the horizon is amazing with even more pro-

posed. Several large projects have already

started and should be calling for manpower

soon. Two more projects across the street

from the Staples Center and the Convention

Center have broken ground and the hole is

being dug. Between those two projects there

are five high rise towers, the shortest being

thirty eight stories.

The Carson City Council has unani-

mously approved the building of a football

stadium and with some interest of some NFL

teams we may actually get to build a stadium.

Also recently reported on the news are the

plans to build another stadium downtown for

a professional soccer team. That would be

built where the old sports arena is. We’ve

waited a long time for this and it’s close.

I’ve been in this industry and in this local for

a long time, during such time I’ve seen many

changes in what we do and how we do it.

We now have the trimble, pro-press, pex,

cpvc and pods (prefabricated bathrooms) all

of which are being used on our projects, all

of which use less people. We are in a state of

emergency after several years of drought the

cost of water is going to become astronomi-

cal. The Governor will be mandating chang-

es in what we do and how we do it. We can

expect to see changes in water sizing, waste

and water systems and water reuse. How can

we protect our industry? How can we protect

phone bank or walk precincts, just a couple

of hours on a weekend to ensure the continu-

ation of the benefits you enjoy. If it wasn’t

important to the wellbeing of what we try to

accomplish, higher wages and benefits we

wouldn’t ask. These are your benefits you

and your family have without you paying

part of the premium. We want to keep these

benefits as long as possible and we need the

right people in the right position.

LA City employees under MOU 2 &

MOU 13: We are still in negotiations. At

the coalition table we have been in media-

tion trying to finalize a couple things. At our

table we are resolving as much as possible,

the part and pieces that pertain to our units

only. We are very close to an agreement,

but unfortunately there is no way to know

exactly when we will finish, especially when

working with the coalition. I will try to keep

you as informed as much as I possibly can.

Please be sure to take notice of the

events coming up this summer and make

plans to participate. We always have a great

time at the membership picnic and golf tour-

nament, but we always wish we had more

participation from our brothers and sisters.

Fraternally,

Douglas Marian

Business Agent Douglas Marian

Drips From The Faucet

Congratulations

Local 78 Retirees

James A. Guerrero

Arthur J. Moreno

James D. Sunstedt

Please take a moment to pray and remember the fol-

lowing Brothers and Sisters who have passed away.

John D. Griesbach

William R. Henry

Hyman Weiser

Raymond C. Wilcox

Organizer Jeremy Diaz

will have work that is covered by plumb-

ers. You WILL need your TWIC card to

work on these projects. If you have any

questions on how to obtain your TWIC

card please contact me at the hall. Also at

the meeting a Port Wide Project Labor

Agreement was discussed and the Com-

missioners wanted to see a draft within 60

days. Once that meeting is set to review

the draft we will need support so be on the

lookout for an update email.

Service Plumbers

We still have signatory contractors

looking for experienced service techs. If

you have experience or know someone

who does please have them contact me at

the hall.

Looking for Contractors

Plumbers Local 78 is actively looking

for plumbing contractors. The membership

recently approved an incentive program to

compensate members that help identify

viable contractors. Once they sign a Master

Labor Agreement, and stay in good stand-

ings with the Trust Fund for six months

the member will receive $500.00.

Local 78 Softball

On March 7, 2015, the Local 78 soft-

Dear Brothers & Sisters:

Here is what’s happening in and

around Long Beach.

A Historic Night

On April 7, 2015, members from

Plumbers Local 78 and Building Trades

went to Long Beach City Hall for what has

become a historic occasion. On that night

the City Council unanimously approved a

Citywide Project Labor Agreement! This

agreement is the first of its kind as it encom-

passes over 500,000 city construction pro-

jects. This agreement was a long time com-

ing as I have be involved since 2007. None

of this could have been possible without the

hard work and dedication our members have

put forth. I would personally like to thank

Kevin Harvey, Ronnie Williams, Camaran

Aguirre, David Grody and Alex Walker.

These Brothers put in numerous hours vol-

unteering their time to benefit the future of

our membership. Next time you see them

make sure to thank them for their efforts.

Long Beach Port Update

On April 27, 2015, the board of harbor

commissioners voted unanimously to extend

the Project Labor Agreement to cover Phase

2 and Phase 3 of the Middle Harbor in the

Port of Long Beach. The next two phases

ball team played in a tournament in Hun-

tington Beach. We ended the day with an

undefeated record of 4-0. We have a really

strong team this year and we have our sights

set on winning the LA/OC Building Trades

tournament, and would love to have your

support at the tournament on July 18, 2015.

If you can attend the tournament is being

held at Big League Dreams at 2100 S. Az-

usa Avenue, West Covina, California,

91792.

Jobs Update

Demolition has begun on the 250 mil-

lion dollar renovation of Rancho Los

Amigos Rehabilitation Hospital.

Several Long Beach Unified schools

will undergo renovations and moderni-

zations this summer.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy

summer.

Fraternally,

Jeremy Diaz

Drips From The Faucet

Business Agent Jeremiah Ashmore

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

The Local 78 apprentice contest was

held on March 14, 2015, and I want to con-

gratulate all the participants; Camaran A.

Aguirre, Matthew F. Navarro, Richard P.

Schol, Juan C. Silverio, Andrew M. Smith

and Alexander J. Wilson. Camaran A. Aguir-

re won the Local 78 contest and represented

Local 78 in the State Apprentice Contest held

May 6th and 7th at the Sacramento Training

Center. Congratulations Camaran on your

achievement. Local 78 is encouraging any of

our apprentices to come out and compete in

the local contest in 2016. We look forward to

seeing you next year.

County

Its almost that time again. We will be

entering negotiations with the County around

the beginning of July. I will keep you updated of the progress as we proceed. If you

have any questions feel free to contact me at the office.

Just a friendly reminder

Don’t forget to reserve your

spot in this year’s Golf Tournament

Fundraiser. Sport are filling fast,

you don’t want to miss out!

Fraternally,

Jeremiah Ashmore

Shown Above: Camaran A. Aguirre Local 78’s

contest participant.

Reasons to Participate

On behalf of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Plumbers Joint Apprenticeship Committee, we would like to request your continued

support and participation with our Apprenticeship Golf Tournament Fundraiser. Due to charitable donations and participant involve-

ment, our fundraisers have been a great success.

We hope to continue expanding the education and involvement of our apprentices within the industry. In order to guarantee our

success in this venture we would like to count on you for your participation in this year’s upcoming 6 th Annual Apprenticeship Golf

Tournament being held on August 1, 2015.

All proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Apprentices and Apprenticeship program of the Los Angeles Metropolitan

Plumbers JATC.

Affiliate's:

Complete this registration form and return with your payment.

Please Make Checks Payable to: Pipe Trust Fund

Address: 1111 W James M Wood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015

Phone: (213) 688-9090 Fax: (213) 627-4624 Cell: (213) 448-2724

TAX ID: 95-3942172

If paying by credit card please complete:

Name on Credit Card:_______________________________

Credit Card Number:________________________________________________

Expiration Date:____________ Security Code:______________

Signature:_________________________________________________________

Sign Up: Company Name:

Contact Name:

E-mail: Phone No.: ( )

1) 2)

3) 4)

Name of Golfers:

Sponsorship Opportunities

(Choose One)

Event Sponsor: $2500+

1 Musty Putter

4 Golfers 1 Hole Sign 6 Raffle Tickets per Golfer 1 Drink Ticket Per Golfer

Platinum Sponsor: $1250 4 Golfers 1 Hole Sign 4 Raffle Tickets per Golfer 1 Drink Ticket Per Golfer

Gold Sponsor: $550 4 Golfers 1 Hole Sign 2 Raffle Tickets Per Golfer

Silver Sponsor: $350 2 Golfers 1 Hole Sign 1 Raffle Ticket Per Golfer

Hole Sponsor: $150 1 Golfer 1 Hole Sign

Single Golfer: $90 1 Golfer

Annual Apprenticeship Golf Fundraiser

Drips From The Faucet