BY: THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF IRON WORKERS LOCAL 17

THE NEXT REGULAR UNION MEETING:
December 1, 2009 at 6:00 PM

OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS:
Officers Meeting: December 1, 2009 at 5:00 PM
Executive Board Meeting: December 16, 2009 at 5:30

RETIREES' CLUB MEETINGS:
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 All retired members are welcome. The meeting begins at 10:00 AM at the Union Hall.

Stewart reports are now available online. You can access at www.ironworkers17.org/sub/steward_reports. Please email to: union@ironworkers17.org.

INTERNATIONAL APPROVALS:   BOOK NO:

INTERNATIONAL HONORARY:
JOHN SIMAK 1158533

INTERNATIONAL LIFETIME PENSION:
JOHN HORVATH 1027070

INTERNATIONAL WITHDRAWAL:
JOHN GRAHAM 1263530

DEATHS: BK #: DOD:
JAMES MOORE 349977 10/21/09
FRANK BEKELESKI 612031 11/15/09
DAVE TOMAZIC 887473 11/15/09

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SUSPENSIONS & SUSPENSION WARNINGS
Effective 11/1/09 the following members were suspended for lack of dues:

l name	f name	member_no
AMER	NADER	1413984
HILLIARD	MIKE	980335
MARTZ	SCOTT	1399709
QUINN	GERALD	1227846
ROGERS	KEVIN	1403707
SCHAFER	MATTHEW	1406928
SCHOSSLER	JOSEPH	1394784
VIDAL	WILLIAM	1411362

The following members are scheduled for suspension on 12/1/09 if dues payment is not received by 11/30/09:

member_no	l name	f name
1227928	BAER	MICHAEL
985691	BELTER	JOHN
1163856	BENNETT	GERALD
1346039	BOYETT	TRAVIS
1388542	BROWN	DARREN
1233817	CAMPBELL	MARK
1391887	CARTER	GEORGE
1147515	CHAPON	JOHN
1300975	CIRULLO	GUY
1156847	CLAY	WILLIE
1147707	CONNELL	SCOTT
1237751	DOBROWSKI	STEVE
1108392	ESTVANIK	NICHOLAS
1113423	EVANS	JOHNNIE
1324763	FAZIO	DEAN
988370	FERGUSON	GERALD
1305433	GRAHAM	ROBERT
1312122	HAMILTON	RICHARD
1211192	HARPER	PAUL
975450	HEINRICH	TIMOTHY
1228386	HERSTINE	KEVIN
1367940	HOUDEK	RICHARD
1383439	HOWARD	MARTIN
1354693	JOHNSON	WILLIE
911808	LOGAN	MICHAEL
1209563	LONG	TERRY
1163860	LUTHER	BYRON
1298237	MALONE	JASON
1316417	MARTIN	MICHAEL
1263550	MC COMBS	RICHARD
1311849	MORROW	SCOTT
1314105	PARRELLA	DINO
1349447	PINSKE	MICHAEL
1237738	ROBINSON	TIMOTHY
1155418	SALINSKY	JOHN
1177503	SCHUETTE	RONALD
1413985	SHAW	LARRY
1175633	SIMBOLI	ANTHONY
1164521	STAUBS	JOHN
1339035	STERLE	GERALD
1298231	SWANK	KENNY
1163960	THACKER	DANNY
1311855	TOKIC	JOSEPH
1298213	TRANTER	LANCE
1175746	UNGER	DARRELL
1379781	VIZER	MICHAEL
1227856	WHITELY	MARK
1249309	WISE	JAMES
1374911	WOLFE	MICHAEL

UP COMING EVENTS…

CHILDRENS CHRISTMAS PARTY

Local 17 has scheduled a children’s Christmas Party on Saturday, December 5th between 11 am to 2:00pm. The party is held for our member’s children and grandchildren, ages 10 and under. We need volunteers to help wrap gifts, set up and clean up for the party. We will decorate and wrap the gifts on Thursday December 3, 2009. We will start wrapping at 4:00 PM until finished. Any interested persons please contact Carole at the union office to volunteer. PLEASE GET INVOLVED AND VOLUNTEER, IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

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HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY:
The Union Hall will be closed on Thursday, November 26TH and will re-open on Monday, November 30th, 2009
in observance of the Holiday.

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY:
The Union Hall will be closed on Friday, December 25rth and will re-open Monday, December 28th in observance of the Holiday.

NEW YEARS HOLIDAY:
The Union Hall will be closed on Friday, January 1, 2009 and will re-open on Monday January 4, 2009.

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ATTENTION ACTIVE JOURNEYMAN AND APPRENTICE MEMBERS:
Pursuant to the motion passed at the October meeting regarding a Holiday bonus for active journeyman and apprentice’s, your Holiday Bonus check for $75.00 will be available at the union hall for pick-up during the period of Monday, December 15, 2009 through Monday, December 29, 2009. All remaining checks will be mailed on the 30th of December. To be eligible for the Holiday bonus, you must be an ACTIVE JOURNEYMAN OR APPRENTICE WITH AN OCTOBER DUES STAMP. Your October dues must be paid by December 1, 2009 to qualify for the refund.

These checks are valid for ninety (90) days; December 15, 2009 through March 15, 2010. All uncashed checks will automatically void after ninety days on March 16, 2010. Checks returned to us by the US Postal Service for insufficient addresses will be held until the ninety day limit for pick-up. NO checks will be reissued after March 15, 2010. Please remember it is your responsibility to keep a current address on record with the union hall.

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HEALTHY LIFE SCREEING RESULTS
Listed below are the aggregate results of the Healthy Life Screening test conducted on October 3rd and October 10th. We have not yet received the results from the November 7th testing date.

Echocardiogram Of The Heart Screening For Left Ventricle Dysfunction:
NORMAL: 96.8%
MODERATE SEVERE: 3.2%

Carotid Artery Ultrasound/Intima-Media Thickness Screening For Plaque Build-Up And Blood Flow:
NORMAL: 98.9%
MODERATE SEVERE: 1.1%

Abdominal Aorta Ultrasound Screening For Aneurysm:
NORMAL: 100%

Ankle Brachial Index Screening For Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD):
NORMAL: 94.7 %
MODERATE-SEVERE: 2.1%
MILD: 3.2%

Blood Pressure Screening:
NORMAL: 29.8%
MODERATE-SEVERE: 28.7%
MILD: 40.4%
NOT TAKEN: 1.1%

As you can see from the results listed above, a significant concern as a whole is high blood pressure. If you tested Mild to Moderate-Severe for high blood pressure it is imperative you contact your physician.


High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard. It also makes the walls of the arteries hard. High blood pressure increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, the first- and third-leading causes of death for Americans. You may understand the risk better if you can visualize what's going on inside your body:

Your heart
If you work hard lifting weights, your arm muscles will enlarge. In the same way, when the heart has to work harder for an extended time, it tends to enlarge. When your blood pressure is too high, your heart has to work progressively harder to pump enough blood and oxygen to your body's organs and tissues to meet their needs. The heart muscle stretches and thickens, and the heart stops functioning properly. A significantly enlarged heart has a hard time meeting the demands put on it and can fail.

Your arteries
Arteries are the vessels which carry blood throughout your body. When your blood pressure is too high, the arteries become scarred, hardened and less elastic. This occurs to some degree in all of us as we age, but elevated blood pressure speeds this process, which is called 'hardening of the arteries' or atherosclerosis.

Hardened or narrowed arteries may be unable to supply the amount of blood the body's organs need. If the organs don't get enough oxygen and nutrients, they can't function properly. There is also a risk that a blood clot may lodge in an artery narrowed by atherosclerosis, depriving part of the body of its normal blood supply.

If the arteries that supply blood to the heart become clogged, blood flow to parts of the heart is slowed. When one vessel is completely closed off, blood ceases to flow to part of the heart, and portions of the heart muscle are damaged. This is a heart attack.

Narrowing of the arteries may also cause chest pain, called angina pectoris. Narrowing of the arteries in the legs causes cramping and pain because the tissues are not getting enough oxygen.

Your brain
Stroke may be caused by the progressive narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain. When blood flow becomes inadequate, brain cells are robbed of oxygen, and they die. Narrowing of the vessels also leads to a situation where a blood clot cannot move through the arteries; it blocks the flow of blood and deprives the tissue beyond of oxygen. About 80% of strokes are caused by the blockage of an artery in the neck or brain.

People who suffer a stroke often are left with paralysis on one side of the body and loss of speech.

A stroke is an emergency just as is a heart attack. Its symptoms are:

• Weakness, numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg – particularly on one side of the body
• Difficulty speaking or understanding simple statements
• Blurred or decreased vision in one or both eyes
• Sudden, unexplainable and intense headache
• Dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination, especially when combined with another symptom
• Sudden nausea, fever and vomiting – distinguished from a viral illness by the speed of onset (minutes or hours vs. several days)
• Brief loss of consciousness or period of decreased consciousness (fainting, confusion, convulsions or coma).

Your kidneys
High blood pressure can cause narrowing of the arteries in the kidneys – just as in other parts of your body – which can lead to kidney failure.

The primary function of the kidneys is to filter toxic chemicals from your blood. This process is accomplished in specialized structures inside the kidneys. The blood pressure of the vessels inside these filtering structures is critical for their proper functioning.

When the arteries are narrowed and thickened by high blood pressure, blood flow to the filtering structures is reduced, and they cease to function properly. The amount of fluid that the kidneys can filter is reduced, leading to kidney failure. Toxic materials build up in the body. People with kidney failure need to undergo dialysis – use of a machine as an artificial kidney – and may ultimately need a kidney transplant.

The kidney has its own feedback mechanism to maintain optimum blood pressure to assure its proper functioning. When this internal mechanism senses that blood pressure is too low, it tries to compensate by raising blood pressure, which begins a deadly spiral of higher and higher pressure.

Your eyes
As in other parts of your body, the blood vessels inside your eyes may also narrow and harden due to uncontrolled high blood pressure. This can cause clot formation and bleeding inside the eye, which leads to vision impairment and even blindness.

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
You can take steps to prevent high blood pressure by adopting a healthy lifestyle. These steps include maintaining a healthy weight; being physically active; following a healthy eating plan, that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and lowfat dairy foods; choosing and preparing foods with less salt and sodium; and, if you drink alcoholic beverages, drinking in moderation. For severe to moderate detection there are prescription medications available.

Please Note: Because no screening test can screen for every possible cause of stroke or heart disease, it is possible to have a normal screen with Healthy Life Screening and still suffer a stroke or heart attack. Specifically, they do not screen the coronary arteries, the arteries surrounding the heart. If you are experiencing symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY. Do not delay, regardless of your Healthy Life Screening results.

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WELDING CERTIFICATION:
The Training Center will be open the third Saturday of every month for welding instruction and certification. If you are interested in welding instruction or recertification, please contact the Training Center Office to schedule an appointment. All Training and Testing is done free of charge. With the exception of: A re-testing fee of $50.00 will be charged for all RE-tests due to lack of work record.

ATTENTION STATE CERTIFIED & INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED WELDERS: As a reminder to those members with State Welding Certification and registered with the International Welding Certification Program, it is your responsibility to keep your State Certification & International work recorded current. Welder employment records should be completed on the appropriate form, which includes the project name or number, the Contractor name, start and finish dates for the project on which you welded, supervisors name and their signature, along with a contact phone number. These forms must be submitted to ODOT and the International every six (6) months. If you are unsure on how to fill out these forms or you need additional forms, please contact the apprenticeship for assistance.

CONTACTS:
Training Center Phone: 216/685-1781
Training Center Fax: 216/685-1544
Jim Gilronan, Coordinator
Scott Munnings, Instructor

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As part of our Drug Free Workplace policy, Iron Workers Local 17 will provide assistance to any member who is seeking help for substance abuse. Through the EASE@WORK program qualified professionals are available to assist you in dealing with drug and/or alcohol related issues. These services are provided on a strictly private and confidential basis. Iron Workers Local 17 pays the full cost for Voluntary Self-Referral Services for Chemical Dependency Issues (Based upon three (3) sessions) and Positive Drug Screen Referrals (Based upon three (3) sessions) through the Ease@Work program. We feel this offering is an investment in your health and productivity.

This Employee Assistance Service is accessible to you twenty-four hours a day with weekend counseling appointments available throughout Northeast Ohio. You can access this service by calling:


Remember that the program is strictly voluntary, confidential, private, and pre-paid. We all have very busy lives that demand our attention and it is sometimes difficult to find the time to take care of ourselves. Know that help is available to you when you need it.

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING RANDOM DRUG TESTING: It is imperative that those members currently holding a drug free card, be aware and understand the requirements of random drug testing. If you currently have a valid drug free card, you are required to comply with random drug testing. These random tests are many times scheduled right after or before your yearly testing is done. Even if you have just recently renewed your yearly drug card, and have passed, you are still required to appear for a random testing. Random drug testing is done at the discretion of MMC, and a special notice advising you of a scheduled (RANDOM TEST) is sent to your current address. Please be aware if you do not appear for a scheduled RANDOM TEST nor have a valid excuse from random, or do no go to a collection facility prior to the RANDOM TEST DATE, you will become INELIGIBLE under the terms of the Drug Policy.

DRUG TESTING DATES & TIME:

SATURDAY December 12, 2009 8:00 AM TO 11:00AM
SATURDAY January 9, 2009 8:00 AM TO 11:00AM