By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012
     According to the Construction Safety Council, a non-profit organization based out of Hillside, construction represents the largest single purpose industry in the U.S., representing nearly six percent of the workforce. But it’s also the industry with the highest number of occupational fatalities, accounting for 20 percent of the total work related deaths.
     That’s why the Council offers the 145 hour construction safety administrator certificate course, from Dec. 1 to March 15 at their headquarters in Hillside.
     The course has a maximum of 25 people, and has been put on for a decade. A variety of clients attend the class, including contractors, people in the insurance industry, and those that just want to brush up on safety.
     “People who have been hurt on the job, or who have seen people get hurt, they come in and they’re very dedicated and enthusiastic, because they have a cause,” said Beverlee Alberico, business manager for the Construction Safety Council. “We also have recent college graduates come in and get a feel for the industry, employers who send employees, and people who have been in the industry for 25 years and just feel they want to switch roles into more of a safety supervisor.”
     She said the course is great for networking and industry contacts as well.
     “People bond over the length of the course, and people get together after class. They also get the contact info of all the instructors who come in,” said Alberico.
     The class has outside experts come in to consult on a wide variety of topics, including scaffold use, first aid, crane safety, construction record keeping, fall protection, steel erection, concrete placement and fire protection and control. Class members will also take field trips to job sites and manufacturing facilities.
     “It’s just a great, worthwhile course that attracts a variety of people. You get so many different perspectives, it’s really interesting,” said Alberico. “People often wait to register until the last minute, but we limit the class to 25, so register early.”
     The 145 hour construction safety administrator certificate course costs $2,325. For further information, visit www.buildsafe.org.

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

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Sept. 27
     The dust has settled since the Chicago Teachers Union strike ended and teachers and students returned to class last week, but what did the teachers get out of it, and what influence will the strike have on the November election?
     The National Council on Teacher Quality, a think thank that “advocates for reforms in a broad range of teacher policies at the federal, state and local levels” analyzed the strike and released a report. They say the teachers won, more or less.
     “From our perspective, the proposed contract can be summed up as generally moving the district in the right direction — mostly steps forward but a step back here and there,” the report stated. “It does keep pace with national reforms. On balance it is more positive than negative. Some of the most positive changes like the longer school day predate the contract and are a result of state law or previous negotiations.”
     Indeed, it does look like the teachers won a lot as the CTU encourages a “yes” vote this week as preparations start towards ratification.
     They got more money for school supplies, more than 600 new teachers to be added to teach art, music and P.E., greater leeway in testing accommodations, textbooks on the first day of class, caps on class sizes, special ed teacher assistants, more special education teachers, and more social workers and nurses.
     Aside from the ramifications the strike had toward a better quality education for Chicago students, the strike also had national political ramifications, as both Republican candidate Mitt Romney and President Obama weighed in on the situation.
     Romney commented only on the first day of the strike, a statement that Obama criticized for politicizing the strike.
     “I am disappointed by the decision of the Chicago Teachers Union to turn its back on not only a city negotiating in good faith but also the hundreds of thousands of children relying on the city’s public schools to provide them a safe place to receive a strong education,” said Romney in the statement. “Teachers unions have too often made plain that their interests conflict with those of our children, and today we are seeing one of the clearest examples yet.”
     Obama was put in an awkward spot as he could neither take the side of his former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, or the teachers union. The strike also kept him out of Chicago for fundraising while it was going on.
     “I just really get frustrated when I hear teacher bashing as evidence of reform,” Obama said in a “Today Show” interview that aired on NBC Sept. 25. “All across the country people want results. It was very important, I think, for Mayor Emanuel to say, ‘Let’s step up our game,’ and it was important for the teachers union to also say, ‘Let’s make sure we’re not just blaming teachers for a lot of big problems out there. Let’s make sure we’ve got the resources.’ So I’m glad it was resolved, but I do think that from the perspective of Democrats, we can’t just sit on the status quo or say that money’s the only issue. Reform is important also.”

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

Pat Barcas photo
Larry Spivack, regional director for AFSCME Council 31, speaks about the state’s underfunded pension crisis Sept. 19 in a meeting held in Downers Grove. He said the problem is fixable if unions are at the table when a solution is worked out. Many in the packed room voiced frustration over paying into the system but not getting anything in return.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012
     DOWNERS GROVE — There is no clear cut resolution to the state’s $83 billion pension deficit problem, a complex hole that has been dug over the past decades, caused by fund mismanagement by the state. There is more money going out than coming in, and it’s about to get a lot worse.
     Hans Zigmund, association director and economist from the Governor’s office of management and budget, said pension obligations eat up about 15 percent of the state’s revenue fund each year, but that number will rise sharply soon.
     “Next year, it will probably go to about 17 percent. By 2030, it will be 23.5 percent. By 2040, we will need $14 billion per year to service the pensions. That’s a lot of money under any tax structure,” he said.
     Zigmund was part of a panel of speakers invited by the League of Women Voters of Downers Grove, Lisle and Woodridge to speak Sept. 19 in Downers Grove. Also speaking were Larry Spivack, regional director for AFSCME Council 31, Illinois State Senator Christine Radogno, and Richard Ingram, executive director of the state Teachers’ Retirement System.
     All spoke frankly about the impending crisis to the packed room.
     “Are people getting screwed? Absolutely. But we have to have this conversation,” said Ingram. “There is a lot of good in Illinois. We can fix these problems.”
     Everyone agreed a solution must be met, but no specifics were discussed.
     Gov. Quinn has proposed the General Assembly raise the state retirement age to 67, and to increase state employee contributions by three percentage points, which obviously doesn’t sit well with people who have paid into the pension their whole lives, expecting something in return when they retire.
     “I need to hear you guys take responsibility. Every day I hear it’s me, it’s my fault, I’m taking too much. I work hard everyday, you take my sweat, my spirit, my blood, now you’re going to take my money, and it’s not fair,” said Ann Marie Coli, a state probation officer and member of AFSCME Council 31 during the question and answer session. “I’ve worked all over this county, good and bad neighborhoods. We need help out there. It’s getting bad.”
     Spivack agreed, saying worker quality of life is suffering and will continue to do so until a resolution is found.
     “Quality of life is what needs to be talked about here. It is a structural revenue system. We can solve much of this by eliminating corporate tax loopholes,” he said. “We should not be funding the state government by stealing from the pension system. Everyone seems to agree with that, but we still do it.”
     Karen Glenn, an AFSCME Council 31 member who works for the state department of human services, said the state government has not kept any promises to her, and she’s mad about it.
     “Even though I’m a public employee, I’m still a human being. How do I maintain a normal lifestyle with these wages?” she said. “Most of my friends have left the state, but I want to stay here, despite possibly losing my pension. I’m at a catch 22 — who speaks for me other than my local?”

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

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Thursday Aug. 2
     The budget for state disability dollars is acceptable now, but according to some disability lawyers, Illinois needs to address a long waiting list of patients who need state aid. People can contact disability lawyers in Charlotte to get more information.
Kevin Casey, director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities for the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) said the state needs to come up with a long term plan that addresses the waiting list of about 1,000 people. Casey spoke at a community town hall event July 26 hosted by State Senator Linda Holmes (D–Aurora) in Aurora.
“There are four states in the country that don’t have a long waiting list for people who need support,” said Casey. “And those are states that produce oil. My job is to solve that problem in Illinois.”
Casey said in the last three to four years, his program has been treated “as well as it could be treated” budget-wise by the state legislature.
“My fear though, is the deficit in Illinois will get so bad they’ll be forced to cut our budget,” he said.
Casey’s department serves 35,000 people with physical and intellectual disabilities in Illinois.
Holmes said she fears the number of people in need will rise sharply soon.
“My concern is that the number is going to keep growing, especially with all of the adult caregivers aging, and the rise in autism. More people will need state aid,” she said.
Casey said the program needs a lot of work.
“We provide a lot of good services to a lot of good people. But the program needs a ton of work,” he said. “There is still a very long waiting list and we need a long term plan to get out of it.”
The Department of Human Services is one of Illinois’ largest agencies, with more than 13,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $5.4 billion. Illinois created DHS in 1997 to provide the state’s residents with streamlined access to integrated services, especially those who are striving to move from welfare to work and economic independence, and others who face multiple challenges to self-sufficiency.
Casey said it’s not only the caretakers that are getting older, but the patients themselves.
“There are two ends of the spectrum — kids who need help when they’re finished with special education, and people when they’re older. How do we provide care for people getting older? It’s going to be a difficult process because people with disabilities face the same things when they get older, in addition to the disabilities they face throughout their lives,” he said.

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

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
ASTORIA, N.Y. — Over the years, the Davison brothers have searched for information on their father, Robert “Bob” Davison, who was a bombardier in the Army Air Force during WWII in the 73rd bomb wing on a B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber.
They had little if any documents from the time their father served in WWII. If given the time, Bob Davison may have told his sons about his combat missions aboard the B-29 planes he flew. Unfortunately, Davison died from a heart attack when he was 47, on June 27, 1967.
After WWII, Davison joined the Air Force Reserves and became a member of the New York Police Department. He made his way up the ranks to sergeant.
His son Jeffrey was 11 when his father died. “The loss of my father still hurts,” Davison said. “He touched so many lives. He had a very profound effect on people. My uncles still talk about him to this day,” he said.
For these reasons, the Davison brothers occasionally search the Internet for information on their father, coming across various bits of news on the plane he was on — Miss Behavin’. In late May they decided to search once again. They were feeling nostalgic — Memorial Day was approaching.
They came across a Fox Valley Labor News article on Auroran Paul Linden. He was a radar operator on Miss Behavin’ and flew 39 combat missions. The article was written during the summer of 2011. The Davison brothers wondered if Linden was still alive? Did he fly with their father, and if Linden did, would he remember Bob Davison?
Another search on the Internet led to a phone number and address for Paul Linden. “I’m a little more reserved and I thought, ‘this Paul Linden is now 89, maybe we should write him a letter instead of calling him,’” Jeffrey said.
His brother John wanted to call. So they did. It was Memorial Day evening. On the other end, Paul Linden picked up the phone.
“We talked to Paul for more than an hour. It really was astonishing,” Jeffery said.
Paul Linden remembers the phone ringing Memorial Day evening. The two men on the other end said their father, Bob Davison, was on his crew. “When they mentioned the name, I said, ‘that was our bombardier for 39 missions,’” Linden said.
For more than an hour, Linden talked to the Davison men. “I still remember him. I have a good mind yet and very vivid memories of things that took place,” Linden said. “They found me after almost 70 years. It’s unbelievable.”
During the war, Bob Davison was responsible for bombing targets. He flew in the nose of the B-29, “because that’s where you saw the target as you came up on it,” Linden remembered. “Bob would press a button to open the bombay doors, and he was the one who let the bombs go.”
He told the Davison brothers there were times that a bomb would get hung up on shackles and get stuck. It was the sight gunner’s job to make sure all the bombs were gone, but it was Davison’s job to get the bomb loose.
“He’s put on a safety strap, open the door and climb out there. Usually, just giving it a kick would be enough to make it go. Bob would do this over Japan. He did it very well,” Linden said.
Time was of the essence. Linden explained that every bomb had a safety wire. Once the bombs start moving, the safety wire comes out of the bomb and activate. “Now, if it’s hung up, we know that wire’s been pulled and Bob’s got to move fast. He was a good bombardier,” Linden said.
These stories and memories about their dad were what Jeffrey called, “an absolute gift.”
“It’s so easy to forget what a difference one person can make, but just look at the gift [Paul’s] given everyone in my family. He’s connecting people to events that happened so long ago,” Jeffrey said.
After so many years, Linden was able to open doors that had otherwise been closed for the Davison family. Doors that Jeffrey never thought would be open.
To better allow the Davison family to re-connect with their father, Linden mailed them more than 100 pages of documents he’s saved, which contain photographs and news clippings.
“These children had nothing on their father. It was the least I could do,” Linden remarked. “A child needs to know something about their father.”

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

Pat Barcas photo
Don Thompson, 91, of Aurora, takes the ride of a lifetime aboard a vintage 1944 North American Aviation SNJ-5 airplane. He gives a thumbs up prior to take off.

By Pat Barcas
Staff Writer
Don Thompson, 91, said he doesn’t think of himself as being a daredevil, but some might disagree with his humble assessment.
“No, not really,” he said with a smirk. “I used to ride dirtbikes, and I’m considering skydiving. I’ve never done that.”
Thompson conversed happily as he prepared to go for an aerobatic flight Sunday at the Aurora Municipal Airport aboard a vintage 1944 North American Aviation SNJ-5 airplane, a single engine advanced trainer used during World War II and the 1950s.
Thompson is a United States Navy veteran who flew missions protecting merchant ships from enemy submarines from 1942-1946 in the PBY Catalina, an amphibious aircraft. He flew a similar aircraft to the SNJ-5 during his training for the Navy.
The hour long flight Sunday was set up by Herschel Luckinbill, a veteran himself who is an ambassador for Honor Flight Chicago. The Gauntlet Warbirds, a company offering aerobatic and scenic flights aboard vintage aircraft out of Aurora, provided the plane and pilot for the flight.
Luckinbill said he set up the flight by talking to the owner of the Gauntlet Warbirds, Greg Morris.
“He was happy to help. I set up the date about three weeks ago, he called last week and said we are all set,” said Luckinbill. “I also ordered the weather today,” he joked.
Sunday was, of course, a beautiful day, 75 degrees and sunny, sandwiched in between two mediocre weather days. Light, puffy clouds dotted the sky above the airfield. A great day for flying.
The flight took Thompson and pilot Vess Velikov about 15 miles away over farmfields to the southwest, flying at an altitude of 6,000 feet and a maximum speed of 150 knots.
Velikov sat in front of Thompson in the two seat aircraft, which has controls for both men. They both wore helmets with visors, a flight suit, and parachutes, just in case.
“Our whole mission is for you to have fun. We’ll do whatever you want,” said Velikov to Thompson in the pre-flight briefing room, where safety protocol and a flight plan were gone over.
The plan was for Velikov to take off, travel to the training airspace, and then let Thompson take the controls. From then on, the veteran would be allowed to do whatever he felt comfortable doing, from level flight all the way to the Cuban Eight, an aerobatic maneuver that sees the plane do two loops in quick succession.
“I’m gonna do everything,” said Thompson with a smile, showing that he maybe is more of a daredevil than he led everyone to believe at first.
The nonagenarian Thompson could definitely be described as “fit as a fiddle.” He spryly climbed into the small cockpit of the plane with little help, while many World War II vets have trouble boarding a passenger plane. His daughter-in-law, Mary, said he still fits perfectly into his Navy flight suit, which he retired from in 1960 when he exited the Navy reserve.
“The cool thing is, there are not many vets left that can do this, walk right up to the airplane and get in,” she said. “It’s a great thing, he’s having a great time.”
“This is definitely bringing back memories,” said Thompson, who said he wasn’t nervous at all about the flight and had nothing but kind words about Luckinbill. “I’m grateful toward Herschel, I knew he could get this done, he can get anything. He’s quite the operator.”

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

By Jennifer Rice
Managing Editor
After a ball game on Friday, two days before the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, Auroran Milton Card ran into his hometown buddy, Eugene Fitzsimmons.
Neither man knew the other was stationed at Pearl Harbor, but happy to be re-acquainted, they agreed to go ashore on Sunday, Dec. 7, after Fitzsimmons got off duty at 4 p.m.
They never met up and they never saw each other again.
On Sunday morning, the Imperial Japanese Navy executed a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, which consisted of two waves. It took the lives of 2,402 military men and women and wounded another 1,282.
Fitzsimmons was aboard the USS Arizona, which sank during the attack, killing 1,102 of the 1,177 manned crew. Card recalls seeing the battleship sink into the bay and remembers saying, ‘Oh, man,’ because he knew his friend was aboard.
“He was an electrician and I figured he was below deck, on duty,” Card said. “That must have been a hell of a horrible death. They did their day in hell. I think they ascended straight into Heaven.”
Card and six other Pearl Harbor survivors were honored Monday during the 42nd Annual Pearl Harbor Day Memorial Luncheon presented by the Navy League of the United States Aurora Council and the Rotary Club of Aurora.
This week marks the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, an anniversary Card can’t believe. “That was such a long time ago,” he commented. It’s gratifying for him to come every year, (missing only one, due to back surgery). He doesn’t so much care for the publicity, but he understands it’s an honor to be a survivor and to attend the event.
“This is put on every year, and it helps the younger people know what Pearl Harbor was all about. A lot of them don’t know what Pearl Harbor is,” he said.
Along with Card, other survivors honored at the event included Tom Decker, George Hettinger, John Terrell, Joe Triolo and Clarence Wills. Survivor Ed Block was unable to attend.
Keynote speaker Rear Adm. David F. Steindl, Commander, Naval Service Training Command, headquartered at Naval Station Great Lakes said that none of the men and women at Pearl Harbor knew their fate. Yet on Dec. 7, 1941, they awoke and rose to the challenges that morning.
“You fought fires and flooding. You administered aid to the wounded and you fought against our nation’s enemy,” Steindl explained. “You did heroic things that day and continue to do so, over the last seven decades.”
He talked about Pearl Harbor survivors’ valor, character and their ability to unite for a common cause. These are words Card let’s roll off his shoulder. “I was just very lucky that day,” he contends.
He recalls seeing two bombs on the port side for the ship miss their mark by 20 feet. “If they would of hit, I wouldn’t be talking to you now,” he said.
After the last Japanese attack, Card was going to volunteer with three of his friends to go fight fires on the USS Pennsylvania, which was in dry dock. As they were about to leave their ship — the USS Tracy, the captain instructed Card to stay aboard.
“He said, ‘You’re a cook and you’re qualified on that .50-caliber as a loader, get back aboard ship.’ So I stayed,” Card recalled.
While his three friends were aboard the USS Pennsylvania, fires reached ammunition lockers and ignited, killing them. Of the three, all that was found was one man’s dog tags and a piece of material from another man’s shorts, with his name on it: John Pence.
“Pence was my double. We had the same features, same kind of hair. Some thought we were brothers,” Card said. “I guess my double was killed and I survived.”

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