This page features news from the local, district, and the IAM, as well as other union news and industry updates.

At left is journeyman fitter Rick Jenkins stating “We have a good relationship with our employer, our workforce is stable and the members take a great deal of pride in the fact that they produce one of the best ocean-going tugs in the world,”

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Maritime Machinists tug at Global market
Quality workmanship creates world product demand!

New Brunswick Federation of Labour elects first full time president

 


Maritime Machinists tug at Global market
Quality workmanship creates world product demand!


Georgetown P.E.I. – Having a level playing field, competing in a Global Economy, maximizing market potential; terms the media uses to describe the daily challenges businesses must overcome to be successful. But life in the business world is not always fair and sometimes you have to create your own level playing field and your own market to be successful in a Global economy. Irving Shipbuilding of Halifax, specializing in small complex vessels is a case in point.

The building of large cargo vessels is almost exclusively the domain of Korean and Chinese shipyards and cruise ships slide down the ways in yards in Scandinavia and Germany, Canada created a market niche for itself too. While the rest of the world is building big, Irving is capturing its share of the small vessel market. The world’s largest bulk carrier, the mega oil tanker, Hellespont Fairfax – a wonder of modern construction - can’t get in and out of port without assistance from a vessel a fraction of its size – the Canadian designed and built Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tug is a fine example.

Whether it’s nudging giant bulk freighters through the Panama Canal or up the St Lawrence River, no task is too big for these tugs. The ASD tug is a product of an Irving subsidiary, East Isle Shipyard and the pride of the workers who build them, the 96 members of IAMAW Local Lodge 1934. “We currently produce about three vessels a year and the goal is to get production up to five vessels annually,” said Lodge president Rick Jenkins. “We now have five under construction and we’re bidding on another eight, so things are looking promising.”

The tugs are 101 feet long and 37 feet wide and weigh just over 500 tonnes. Originally designed by renowned naval architect, Robert Allan, Irving has refined the design based upon the input from its customers. Based on a common hull design, the tugs can be outfitted with a range of propulsion machinery, deck machinery and other options. With twenty of these vessels delivered or on order, they represent one of the most successful ASD designs in the world today.

“These vessels can either be built to order or offered for sale during the construction phase to ensure that delivery times match the requirements of our customers,” said Jenkins. “We have a good relationship with our employer, our workforce is stable and the members take a great deal of pride in the fact that they produce one of the best ocean-going tugs in the world,” Jenkins said.

 

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New Brunswick Federation of Labour elects first full time president


Moncton N.B.  – Delegates to the 47th annual Convention of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour made history this week when they nominated and elected their first full time president.

Brother Michel Boudreau of CUPE was elected as the Federation’s new president. He replaced Blair Doucet of USWA who retired after a six-year term. Machinist delegates to the three day convention included Richard McGuire, President of IAMAW Local Lodge 835, Edmond Lamoreux, Recording Secretary of Local Lodge 1505 and Brian Beaton, GLR and member of IAMAW Local Lodge 2418.

The IAMAW made history of its own at this convention when both Richard McGuire and Edmond Lamoreux were elected as Alternate Vice Presidents to the Federation’s Executive Board, representing unions with under one thousand members. George Leaman of the Backers Union and Kyle Houlston of the Moncton Firefighters Union were elected as the two Vice Presidents.

The convention, which ran from May 1-4, also featured a solidarity march by delegates to Moncton City Hall in support of the 48 members of ATU Local 1290 who have been on strike at Codiac Transit since April 8, 2005. The demonstration was an attempt to facilitate the resumption of negotiations.