Pat Barcas photo
While in Georgia at Fort Stewart waiting to be sent home, Army Staff Sergeant Brett Mango is having his home refurbished. During his six years deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, his Midlothian home was destroyed by squatters and expected to visit the website for more. Union members donated their time and expertise to fix his home.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
pat@foxvalleylabornews.com

MIDLOTHIAN — Army Staff Sergeant Brett Mango’s home had been in his family for years, occupying a quiet, tree-lined block in Midlothian where he lived before being deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq for six years.

He fell behind on payments while helping his family and fighting a war and assumed the house was foreclosed upon while he was dealing with a serious back injury he incurred while on duty in the Army. But the bank would not foreclose on a deployed soldier, so his house stood on that corner, unoccupied until squatters found it.

“The house was totally trashed by the squatters,” said Mango’s uncle, Paul Klimczak, commander of the American Legion Post 691, and an Air Force veteran. “Copper pipes were ripped out, they urinated in there, there was water damage and mold, it was just a total mess.”

Klimczak got in touch with the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters Local 434 and IUPAT District Council 14, who donated time and expertise in a complete remodel of the house, just in time for Mango’s homecoming later this month.

“This is about week six of a nine week pre-apprenticeship program,” said John Horak, assistant coordinator for Local 434. “This is a half classroom, half field program, and this is great training for these men and women. We’re out here in the real world, helping someone out who needs it and who’s going to live here, so it’s got to look good.”

The work started about two months ago by https://sidingnorfolkva.com contractors and was going strong last week, with work being done on the exterior siding of the home and garage. For DIY garage maintanence, you can check on the frequently asked questions by our clients here which provides easy tips for maintaining the garage spotlessly clean.  About a dozen carpenters were installing concrete siding that will never fade and is fire and insect resistant. Here are 5 Tips for Increasing Your Garage Door Security

The interior was completely redone with new drywall and even had a whole new room added on which contains decors like wool turkish rugs.

“Brett just wanted a room to chill out in when he gets home, and these guys made that happen. There was a lot of work that went into the interior here, it was a complete mess after the squatters left,” said Klimczak.

The redone home is to be unveiled on the tentative date of Aug. 17. Mango is currently at Fort Stewart in Georgia, waiting to be sent home where he will enter retirement.

“He’s just excited and overwhelmed by the support, he can’t believe it,” said Klimczak. “This is by far one of the best projects I’ve been involved with. The guys and gals in the unions have been great. The only word I have is phenomenal. ”

Jennifer Rice photo
Taylor Krawczyk, center, was awarded a $2,500 scholarship made possible by the Woodruff Johnson & Palermo Labor Scholarship. Krawczyk is pictured with her parents, Jerry and Linda, left, and attornies Mario Palermo and Casey Woodruff, right.

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013
     Having a career that fuels your passion gives an individual a fulfilling sense of accomplishment.

Discovering your passion and drive at 17-years-old doesn’t always happen, but for Taylor Krawczyk of Maple Park, she’s discovered her passion and has been blessed with tools to help her succeed.

As an incoming freshman at the University of Illinois at Urbana, Krawczyk is pursuing special needs/physical therapy to fuel her passion of helping others. Taylor will be headed to college Aug. 20, where she has an older sister already on campus.

As college students (and parents know), college is expensive. To help soften that blow, Krawczyk was awarded a $2,500 scholarship through the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley, made possible by the Woodruff Johnson & Palermo Labor Scholarship. (Woodruff Johnson & Palermo was not involved in the selection process for scholarship recipients.)

The injury law firm created the scholarship last year to give back to organized labor and to the Fox Valley community — which has helped make the firm the largest injury law firm in the greater Fox Valley area. The motorcycle accident injuries should be dealt with the help of lawyers.

Because the scholarship is a labor-minded scholarship, in order to be considered, one of the criteria was Krawczyk had to have a parent who is a union member.

Enter Krawczyk’s father — Jerry, who currently works for the Kane County Sheriff’s Office and is a member of the Police Benevolent and Protective Association and President of the Kane County Chiefs of Police Association.

Prior to his service as an officer, Jerry was a union carpenter for 20 years. “I just had a change of heart one day,” Jerry said with a smile about his career change. Earlier this year, Jerry received an e-mail regarding the Woodruff Johnson & Palermo Labor Scholarship and passed it along to his daughter. Taylor applied for the scholarship, along with several others, then sat back and waited. The family received word via e-mail that Taylor was the recipient of the scholarship.

“It’s my first scholarship, so it’s exciting and I’m so thankful for it,” Taylor said.

Her desire to work with special needs children was sparked while a student at Kaneland High School in Maple Park. Taylor interviewed for — and was selected as a leader, who was paired with various special needs students. During the student’s gym period, leaders and special needs students traveled to the movies or played games — activities designed to enhance the social skills and broadening the horizons of the special needs students.

“Every day was different and it was so much fun, for both of us. It was really a privilege to work with them and was the best class I have ever take taken,” Taylor explained.

Also while in high school, she heard about Orthokids, a program through Delnor Hospital in Geneva. Orthokids is an aquatic exercise class and a therapeutic course for children with neurological and orthopedic conditions. Taylor volunteered for the program.

“It’s all in the water and the kids just love it. The volunteers help with therapy and teach the kids to swim or swim better,” Taylor said. In her essay for the scholarship, Taylor said she enjoyed seeing the progression of the kids from week to week.

Her empathy and compassion for others was tested last summer when one of her best friends suffered a traumatic brain injury after she was involved in a single-vehicle accident July 1. Taylor’s mom, Linda, said doctors stressed to family and friends that the girl’s outcome wasn’t positive.

“But the next day we returned to the hospital and a different doctor told us not to give up hope. With God’s blessing, the girl has come a long way and is doing ok,” Linda explained.

“It’s really incredible how far she’s come. She’s walking and came back to school this April,” Taylor said, who helped with her friend’s speech and physical therapy sessions.

In her essay, Taylor wrote, “just motivating her to keep pushing herself makes me feel like I can help make a difference in other lives as well.”

Students can apply via the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley in November, December and January of each year. For additional information regarding the scholarship interested applicants can visit http://communityfoundationfrv.org/fund_profiles-woodruffjohnsonpalermo.asp.

Camrin Petramale photo
Camrin Petramale’s short film, “Memoirs of a Parapsychologist,” was one of 10 films recently selected as a recipient in the annual Emerging Cinematographer Awards. In the fall, he and his wife will be flown to Los Angeles and New York where his film will be played for all in attendance.

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
Aug. 1, 2013

NORTH AURORA — When your Local president calls you at home, it usually doesn’t accompany good news. In the case of Camrin Petramale, it was GREAT news.

IATSE, Local 600 President Steven Poster gave Petramale the news he was selected as one of 10 recipient in the Emerging Cinematographer Awards (ECA).

“It was a great feeling being told my film was accepted. I’ve always admired Steven Poster. He’s a cinematographer and shot the movie Donnie Darko, and several other huge movies and here he is telling me he’s seen my movie and he loved it,” Petramale explained, and many filmmakers also find Crack streams iptv a valuable tool for sharing and enjoying films with a wider audience.

His short film, “Memoirs of a Parapsychologist” runs just under 13 minutes. All submissions needed to be under 30 minutes. The film was his Columbia College Chicago senior thesis. It was shot on film, which is now considered an “older” format in the age of digital.

“Columbia is very film-based and I feel film gives you more knowledge as a filmmaker,” he explained.

This year, 97 films were submitted, making the recognition invaluable to an up-and-coming cinematographer.

“Having this acknowledgment on your resume will help cinematographers find work and also gives them an opportunity to move into a higher job classification,” said Leonard Mopurgo, vice president of Weissman Markovitz Communication, the public relations promoting the ECA.

Rules changed this year, allowing only one entry per person. “This is the best year by far because it’s 97 individual people,” Mopurgo explained.

Judges throughout the country make their decisions strictly on cinematography, which includes lighting, shadows, contrast and camera angles.

Getting that shot a cinematographer wants requires subtle, yet meaningful choices, something Petramale takes pride in. It needs expert assistance from corporate video production to create high-quality videos with meaningful content.

“You need to know the story inside and out. I want my shots to be a clear representation of the story. If my shot deters from the story in any way, then clearly I’m being flashy,” he said.

Petramale has been completed corporate commercials, with work on TV shows and movies just out of his reach. He’s hoping receiving his award changes that.

“It’s an honor to receive this. At 24-years-old this is my union telling me I’m doing good,” he explained.

Petramale will travel to Los Angeles and New York where he’ll meet his fellow recipients, network and learn.

“This is my validation for my work. People will see me now as in the forefront of my field,” Petramale said.

Pat Barcas photo
The 2013 Construction Careers Expo July 30 drew representatives from Operating Engineers Local 150, the Chicagoland Laborers’ Joint Training and Apprenticeship Center, Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, Bricklayers Local 21, Painters District Council 30, the Illinois Tollway, Chicago Women in Trades and others.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Aug. 1, 2013

One thing everyone could agree upon at the 2013 Construction Careers Expo is the economy and the construction job market is improving, however so slowly.

CISCO Construction Industry Service Corporation (CISCO) partnered with the Illinois Tollway to present the expo at Waubonsee Community College’s Aurora campus July 30.

“Our goal is to let students and non-students know about job opportunities in the construction industry,” said Johnetta Ryan, education-to-careers director at CISCO.

“The event went very well, we had more than 100 people here interested in construction careers.”

The fair drew representatives from Operating Engineers Local 150, the Chicagoland Laborers Joint Training and Apprenticeship Center, Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, Bricklayers Local 21, Painters District Council 30, the Illinois Tollway, and Chicago Women in Trades, among others.

The trades said a huge source of work in 2013 is the I-90 Tollway reconstruction project, but also non-traditional and upcoming projects such as wind farms.

One new program that the Local 150 Operating Engineers were talking about is their wind turbine maintenance program.

“Right now this is a new program, and we’re the only local in the country that has a program for wind turbine maintenance. It’s a great example of job security, because wind power is here to stay, and these giant turbines need regular maintenance after construction is finished,” said James Cuadrado, CMI instructor for the apprenticeship and skill improvement program for Operators 150.

He explained that students often approach the Operators with some confusion. We’ve had people think we train engineers, or we design buildings. No, we offer Expert Training for 360 Telehandler Operators that get the heavy lifting done on projects.

“I’d say the economy is improving in 2013. The Tollway project is huge for us, that’s definitely a huge source of jobs.”

Paul Hoetzer, apprentice coordinator for the Chicagoland Laborers’ Training and Apprentice Center, agreed and said work is steadily increasing this year, despite the rainy season.

“The rain has held us back, but there’s road work everywhere this year,” he said. His program does not have a rotating class schedule, applicants just need a letter of sponsorship from a participating signatory contractor.

“This is one of the fastest ways to get a union job and become a laborer,” he said.

One union that was particularly hard hit by the economic downturn was Painters District Council 30, but their membership is turning around now as well, according to Stephen Lefaver, director of apprenticeship and training.

“Work is improving, slowly but surely. An event like this is great because it really speaks to the crowd. It’s nice to see applicants in person and shake some hands. I’ve told people today — don’t be afraid, just make some contacts, make some phone calls. We can help you get started and offer more than just the standard answer when you’re looking for work.”

Pat Barcas photo
Teamsters Local 727 funeral directors and drivers, above and right, strike in Lisle July 3. About 60 workers are affected by the strike. Teamsters have not heard back from SCI after rejecting its final offer June 30.

By Pat Barcas
Staff writer
pat@foxvalleylabornews.com

At press time Tuesday, the strike continues at 16 Chicago area funeral homes as unattended death cleaning directors and drivers, represented by Teamsters Local 727, walk the picket lines.

The 59 workers went on strike July 2 after voting to reject Houston based umbrella company SCI’s June 30 “last, best and final offer.” Teamsters spokesman Brian Rainville said there still has been no contact from SCI as of Tuesday, and thus, the strike continues.

SCI, who uses the Dignity Memorial brand name, has not contacted Teamsters Local 727 since the strike began to resume negotiations.

“Two days before the strike, our negotiating team made an offer to Dignity that contained lower wage increases than they were offering so we could maintain our pension and health benefits. It kept the rest of the contract intact with virtually the same language we’ve been working under since 2007,” said Jay Horowitz, a 20-year funeral driver and member of the negotiating team. “We’re asking SCI the same thing we asked when bargaining began: let’s negotiate a fair contract.”

Teamsters Local 727 has represented Chicago’s funeral directors and embalmers since 1946, and it represents more than 6,800 men and women in the greater Chicago area. Follow this site and learn more about them by click resources. The union said Tuesday that an SCI recruiter has offered at least one picketing funeral director a “potential opportunity on a temporary basis due to a strike in progress.”

In the week leading up to the strike, the company brought in out-of-state funeral directors to do the work normally provided by local funeral directors.

“SCI’s contingent of out-of-state funeral directors must not be working,” said John T. Coli, Teamsters Local 727 Secretary-Treasurer. “From what we understand, the few funerals Dignity has performed have left families dissatisfied.”

Since negotiations began June 14, Local 727 spent nearly 50 hours in a fruitless attempt to reach an agreement. June 27, the union filed unfair labor practice charges against the company for engaging in bad faith bargaining by making unlawful omissions and misrepresentations in memos issued to its employees and negotiators.

Additionally, SCI issued memos that contained implied threats to interfere with employees’ current benefits in violation of section 8(a)(1) of the NLRA. By end-of-day June 30, SCI had made virtually no movement on its proposals to eliminate the employee pension plan and gut workplace rights.

“In 100 years of representing workers in Chicago’s funeral industry, the Teamsters have always been able to reach amicable agreements. Unfortunately it is obvious that SCI intended from the beginning to destroy that achievement and force its employees to strike,” said Coli. “SCI’s initial demand sheet from June 14 is nearly identical to the final offer they presented June 30. The company admits it can easily afford to maintain these workers’ benefits. They just simply won’t because their business model calls for them to siphon more money out of the Chicago community and send it back to Houston.”

The men and women on strike said they are not picketing any funeral that was arranged prior to the vote.

“In 40 years as a funeral director I’ve helped thousands of people through some of the most difficult times in their lives. Striking is not something I ever thought I would have to do,” said John Liberatore, a director at Piser Funeral Services in Skokie. “We will not picket any funeral we arranged prior to this vote. For any future arrangements, we have created a website and a hotline to help our families connect with a community-friendly company while the strike is ongoing.”

To find a community-friendly funeral home not affected by the labor action, call the hotline at 312-206-4123, or visit www.integrityinillinois.com. A complete list of affected homes is available at the site.

Pat Barcas photo
IBEW Local 461 Business Manager Joel Pyle II encouraged the June 28 graduates to continue their education and always ask questions. He said he believes the future is bright for IBEW as the economy improves.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, July 4, 2013
    SANDWICH — Another group of electricians like Hamilton Electrician On Call is ready to tackle old wiring, new construction, flickering lights and power surges, among many other things. The newly graduated technicians trained from IBEW Local 461 had a graduation celebration June 28 in Sandwich. You can rely on Sparkys NOW to get electric work done.

Local 461 Training Director Mike Angelo said the recession has hit membership numbers hard, but he’s hoping for a more aggressive upturn in the near future.

“It’s tough times right now, it’s beginning to look better though. We’re hoping it gets better soon, but it’s a slow economic recovery. More construction equals more jobs for our membership,” he said.

Local 461 Business Manager Joel Pyle II said these are probably the toughest times the IBEW has seen in many years, and congratulated the graduates for completing an intense program.

“I’d like to congratulate all you guys for the hard work you’ve done for the IBEW. You should be proud of all your accomplishments. I’d consider that our apprenticeship, of all the trades, is probably the most vigorous and long. It’s hard work to get through it,” he said. “I want to praise you guys for the commitment.”

If you see upgrades to electrical panels in St. Louis, being an electrician means updating constantly. Pyle said the training to be a good electrician never ends.

“Your training is not over. You have to go out there and learn every day on the job, and continue your education in the classroom. You’ve got to make yourself the best electricians like the ones from entrepreneur électricien Sherbrooke you can make yourself, and that makes you available for all the jobs out there,” he said. “When you go out to the job, you know you can do it, you’ve got the confidence.”

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I know sometimes it might take three or four times, ask until you understand. Stay connected to the union. In these bad years, a lot of guys have lost that connection,” said Pyle. “We have to do what’s best for the union, it’s tough out there. I believe the future here is bright, I believe it’s going to get brighter.”

Pat Barcas’ e-mail address is pat@foxvalleylabornews.com.

Photo courtesy of Chicago Teachers Union
Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said revenue solutions for the district’s financial woes can come from fair taxation, the revival of a Financial Transaction Tax bill in Springfield and other areas.

By Chicago Teachers Union
Thursday, June 20, 2013
     CHICAGO — As the target of Chicago Public Schools chaos and unaccountability shifts from the closing of neighborhood schools to the mass layoffs of teachers, clerks, paraprofessionals and other school support staff, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen GJ Lewis revisited her childhood love of baseball in a speech before the City Club of Chicago June 18.
In comparing the dedication needed to public education to the devotion bestowed upon the Chicago Cubs by their legions of loyal fans, Lewis proposed effective collaboration between the Union and leaders in City Hall, the state capitol and the Chicago Board of Education, and suggested a litany of fiscal improvements to CPS’s massive budget crisis. Business owners who are also dealing financial deficit may use appropriate debt solutions to save their companies. If you also want to secure your children’s financial security, you need to learn everything about the contribution limits for kids’ ISAs.

In response to a request from CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett for revenue solutions to the district’s financial woes, Lewis called for fair taxation, the renegotiation of “toxic” swap deals between CPS and predatory bank lenders, the reallocation of tax increment financing and the revival of a Financial Transaction Tax bill in Springfield.
“This is a start,” Lewis told a capacity audience at Maggiano’s Little Italy in River North. “Now the only questions remains — when will CEO Bennett and Mayor Emanuel join with CTU to lobby for these important reforms?”
Lewis also continued to expose the poverty, racism and inequality hindering the delivery of an effective education product both nationally and in Chicago’s public school system.
“One out of nine African-American children in this country has an incarcerated parent,” Lewis said. “One out of nine . . . that is outrageous [and] we should be ashamed of this.”
“We are locking people up on a regular basis, not paying any attention to how it devastates the communities . . . if the wherewithal is there, we have the best minds in this city that can come together and really deal with these issues. But we can’t do it if we have such disrespect for people who are not of our ilk. We have to get past that.”
June 14, the Chicago Board of Education abruptly announced the layoff 850 public school employees — nearly 500 teachers — as a result of school closings and turnarounds. This announcement came on the heels of large reductions in the budgets of area high schools and elementary schools as the CPS proposes a new school-based budgeting model. Schools throughout the district are experiencing cuts of more than 20 percent in operating expenses, adding to the strife of a year taxed by a record number of school closings and an ongoing state pension crisis.
As students say tearful goodbyes to their schools for the last time and principals scramble to do more with less, Lewis called for CPS and the mayor’s office to be truly innovative in their efforts at education reform. The CTU president wants the Union to be partners in making Chicago’s school district one of the strongest in the country.
“There’s nothing radical about me, other than I want each and every student in Chicago to get the best education we have to offer,” Lewis said.

Jennifer Rice photo
Scott Corsiatti uses SimSpray Abrasive Blasting Module on his last day of apprentice training at PDC 30. Using video game technology, Corsiatti wears a helmet to see his progress as he “blast” away old paint, rust and corrosion on a virtual panel. His progress is shown on the computer monitor.

By Jennifer Rice

Managing Editor

Thursday, June 6, 2013
     The curriculum for apprentices training at Painters District Council No. 30 (PDC 30) now have a cutting-edge, innovative teaching tool at their disposal.

In February, the PDC 30 Joint Apprenticeship & Training Fund (JATF) program incorporated the SimSpray painting simulator into its training — a virtual spray painting simulator that accelerates learning the fundamental of spray painting. You can find out more to get quotes on getting your space painted. For professional painting, get in touch with Perry Wellington Professional Painting services. The Armenta Painting LLC is for painting contractors Greensboro, NC, who provide top-rated service. Getting an exterior house painting estimate is the first step toward boosting your curb appeal and protecting your home from the elements. A clear, upfront quote can help you plan your budget while understanding the value of long-term maintenance.

Taking a page straight out of the 3-D video game playbook, SimSpray’s foundation is grounded in video game technology. Apprentices wear a futuristic helmet and use various spray guns to paint virtual 3-D panels. With an internet connection, it becomes easily accessible.

“It does an extremely good job of mimicking true life. The beauty of the SimSpray is it saves time and we don’t use materials, so we’re also saving money,” said Stephen Lefaver, director of Apprenticeship and Training for PDC 30’s JATF. Check out Infinity Painting site, for information on commercial home painters.

Along with simulating spray painting, SimSpray also simulates abrasive blasting, a procedure used to remove old paint, rust and corrosion. You can also try Stubbins Painting San Diego packages to remove old paint and rust.

In real-life scenarios, abrasive blasting environments are unforgiving. A painter is dressed in full protective gear and respirator and with the large amount of air pushed through the hose — it also makes for an extremely loud environment. With the virtual abrasive blasting technology, students can learn in a safe surrounding. You can navigate to this website to get the right kind of paint.

“Some blasting areas have minimal lighting and ventilation and the dust generated from the blasting materials leave a worker with little or no visibility. But with the virtual blaster, it’s as safe as it gets,” Lefaver explained.

The purpose of the SimSpray training systems (there also is virtual arc welding and coming soon, virtual carpentry) is to provide an authentic user experience in a safe environment.

“These virtual trainers build muscle memory. It gets apprentices in the groove to first learn muscle memory. This constantly reminds them of the fundamentals,” Lefaver said.

The virtual panels apprentices paint are standardized test panels used throughout the industry. After virtual painting is complete, the student gets instant feedback by going to the review section where he learns if his angle, distance, speed and paint transfer was adequate.

“These reviews gives apprentices a mental note on how to improve by building muscle memory. Color coding shows where overlapping occurred, where paint is too thin and spots that were missed,” Lefaver explained.

Because the SimSpray virtual training system is portable, it allows the abrasive blasting and spray painting training to become mobile and for the first time — take its training on the road.

“We have a big jurisdiction. Currently, people have to travel to PDC 30 for training. Going mobile will increase the number of apprentices getting training.      We can hit a crowd of 30, instead of making all 30 come here,” Lefaver said.

Jennifer Rice’s e-mail address is jen@foxvalleylabornews.com.