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Comments

T.J. McHale
10/27/2008 7:44pm

That was truly moving im going to print it and hand it out. I am a new apprentice for local 3 you showed a lot of heart thanks.

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Joe K.
11/21/2008 11:23pm

Very interesting stuff. no one seems to realize any of this stuff is floating around in motor rooms or even on the roof of buildings. i just found this website today I am a first year apprentice. i will talk to some of the guys at the shop about this. hopefully this upcoming contract someone will bring this up! thanks.

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Brian
12/08/2008 6:46pm

Time to get out of this industry while you can, its not too late.

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Jim Lawrence
04/17/2009 9:46pm

Preach it brother.

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05/02/2009 8:37pm

Thanks Fellas for your input.
For all those who have been around as
long as I have and actually worked in this industry ( skaters not included) the above message could not be any clearer.
God Bless all Elevator Mechanics.
May his Angels always keep us safe.

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mikeyg
08/05/2009 8:49pm

I might be a little late for a comment,I just found this Website.
To the apprentices,make sure you have all the safety equipment to do the job.
(mask,safety goggle, eye ,ear protection,gloves)
As you know when you took this job it was told to you it is dangerous,dirty,hard work.never do any work that you think is unsafe.ask your mechanic to show you the proper way to do a job (hopefully he is a nice guy)the industry is getting much stricter on safety some of the small shops have come around with better safety records
but they still have a way to go.
remember safety starts with you.
the rewards are great if you stick with the industry.
PS I know plenty of retired elevator men not to say the don't have a pain her and there but if you look at any blue collar job who doesn't have a pain here and there. when you retire from local 3 you will have medical benefits not like some other union..

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09/06/2009 9:45pm

Thanks Mike,
Never to late to comment.
Safety is of utmost concern in this industry and I'm glad you are serious about it. Your chances of injury are much much better than those who do not care about safety.Injuries can also occur during times of repeated stress. Stress can be dished out to the unknowing mechanic by a tyrant boss. This is a subtle but deadly form of abuse. If you find yourself in a state of constant exhaustion,unhappiness just Stop! Just Stop and think.You have many options.Do not allow yourself to be abused by anybody,in any way shape or form whether it be your Boss, mechanic, helper...etc. Even if it means quitting your job! Be aware. Work safe and God Bless.

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Ken Eyler
10/30/2009 7:10pm

Anyone in IUEC Local #10 that reads this has got to have only one thought in mind...Dale Dotson. Dale was an Otis man to the core. Great guy, friend to all. His nickname was either Dr. Dirt or Groundhog. Service was his game. Half his truck was tools and parts, the other was safety equipment. Always do things the safe way and not the fast way. He worked a long and fruitfull career for Otis Elevator. Finally at the age of 59 he retired on a Friday. The following Saturday (8 days later) he was taken from all who knew and loved him. He retired with all his fingers, toes, eyes etc. Not doing anything killed him. He was a good man and great friend.

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11/03/2009 3:38pm

Dear Ken,
Thank you. Let your words be prophetic. That all elevator mechanics follow practices of safety as well as did Dale. That all elevator men respect one another. Ken stated, Dale was a good man and great friend. All mechanics should speak of each other in the same way.
We are family and union brothers.
Let us never forget.
Let us all keep Dale and other departed brothers always in our thoughts and prayers.
John

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03/06/2010 3:50pm

March 2010
This month I want to reach out to all mechanics. If you could make any changes to the Elevator Industry what would it be?

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07/25/2010 6:21pm

Is everybody that Happy?

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John Fellin
08/03/2010 7:12pm

August 2010
July was one of the hottest months on record. New York was truly a baked apple.
Motor rooms without A.C. or ventilation were stifling as I recorded motor room temperatures reaching into the mid 120's.
We have another month ahead of us before things begin to cool down. What have you been doing to keep cool?

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08/13/2010 4:47am


Have you heard of Super Routes?

I have heard that some of our competitors are thinking about implementing super routes.

Here's how I hears it will work.
Mechanics routes increase to 80,90 ,100+ cars. They only perform maintenance.
The area Foreman runs and answers the shutdowns.


I have been working in the field for 32 years. This is not the first time some one has tried this. It is in my opinion
this is a desperate attempt at damage control. Companies are losing business
and need to come up with a quick solution to appease their customers and return to profit levels. It does work for only a short time. That's the idea.
The time element is the key.
Enough time is given to make the company look good temporarily, resign a contract make a profit just in time to watch to watch it all unfold, crash and burn. There is another dark side. It also leads to layoff in the end. Areas are broken onto quadrants ( 4 parts ).
The foreman is the 5th part.
when the route begins to show signs of strengthening ( remember it is only temporary ) then the weakest mechanic gets let go from one of the quadrants and the foreman is shuffled in to replace him.

This idea was conducted back in the late 70's I should know, I protested
back then and predicted layoffs.
It all came to fuition.
The concept failed.
The company made money.
The men were laid off.

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08/31/2010 4:05am

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08/31/2010 4:14am

It is to my attention that in recent months mechanics compliant in
resigning giving a 2 weeks notice out of respect so that the company can find the replacement and ease transition into the route were stopped dead in the tracks by being let go on the spot!

There are a number of steps you can take if you are a victim to this type of arrogant hostility.

Start by contacting your union!
Nuff said.

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10/21/2010 4:57am

Got a call the other day from a senior veteran mechanic.
He is a dedicated hard working family man. Took his family on a beautiful vacation. First day back at work he was called into the office and was let go. This man is not a slacker and works
his 40 hours a week. He is older and not as fast as the younger mechanic. His experience makes up for his lost
speed due to age. There was no reason to let him go.Fortunately he found work immediately and decided not to
pursue and litigate. This is a sound warning to all my brothers.
We are living in strange times. Dedication,Intelligence does not seem to be the leading factor in keeping your job. Majority of the men in the industry are seniors.
(Late 40's to 50's)
The skills and experience does not make money for a company that appears more and more to lean towards more profit sacrificing quality by utilizing the younger man who can run job to job as an available body to answer night calls in which at times the car usually is left shut down due to inexperience or the call becomes repeat. The customer is happy with the 24 hour response but is told the car is down for parts. He is never the wiser.
The senior man usually ends up making the correct repairs. It will come to a point that a company may invest in more runners than fixers. How does a senior man keep his job until he retires?
Does he hold back his experience or put or trade in his talents and experience for a pair of cheap running shoes?

Let's take time out and pray that we all make the right decision.

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11/08/2010 3:30am

Would like to reach out to the brothers in the field with the following question.

How are you holding up under the current economic crisis in America?

Have you suffered cuts in pay?
Burdened with extra work?
What are you doing to survive?
Share your experiences and advice.

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11/15/2010 3:27am

To my understanding a recent study by
A recent article in MetroNews 11/15/10
reported,

Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that women whose jobs require them to work very hard or very fast but who have little to say over their day to day tasks were 88% more likely than those in less stressful jobs to have a heart attack.

Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States.

You can find job related death stats on my website in the Local 3 section. It will frighten you. Education is the key to success and possibly long life.

Please work safe and in moderation.

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Local 18
12/02/2010 11:36am

Curious minds would like to know the amount of women that are working and the amount laid off in locals 1 and 3?

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12/02/2010 12:28pm


Great Question,
In the 30 plus years I have been employed the numbers were always small in large companies. You could literally count the women employed on one hand. Bases on my experience Large companies 100 to 200 strong employed no more than half a dozen women. My company currently employs 4 women that I know of. If I were to take an educated guess I would say that roughly 2% of the industry is made up of women.
John Fellin

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Local 18
12/02/2010 4:03pm

I am curious to know how many of them are laid off industry wide. I am one out of 13 woman in my local. Thanks for the fast response.

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12/02/2010 6:42pm


The Elevator Industry has been good to mechanics during the toughest of times but the economy has the last say.
Bosses do not like to let talented workers go men or women. I have seen the few women in the industry work incredibly hard and pull their own weight especially in the maintenance division. Modernization and Repair is another story as these laborious fields can wreak havoc on any gender.

John Fellin

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Glenn Davis
12/07/2010 3:08pm

Hello John...

I'm a former member of LU3 EE div. I moved to sunny Florida some years ago. I'd advise anyone sceptical of their union to look at the industry in florida. This is the future of the industry without unions. 150, 160 car routes, doing inspections, termination for little or no reason, technical supervision by non elevator people, companies motivated strictly by profit, the loss of the comradre' of other elevator men... by company policy. NO FRATERNIZING WITH MEN FROM OTHER COMPANIES!

SUPPORT YOUR UNIONS!!!

Glenn

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12/08/2010 3:55am

Thank you,
Glenn,your observations are right on the money. The policies that feed corporate America are driving it full speed into the ground. Greed is at the steering wheel. I have always stated,and it's my heart felt opinion that you can determine the state of the economy by the strength of the unions inside the United States. The union is the emulation of the True American rooted family.It nurtures,educates,disciplines and rewards. When you have no family you are nothing more than a wandering nomad, a man without a country focused on surviving, thinking only of yourself with total disregard of others. To all union brothers and sisters.
Take heed and support your unions.
You will be supporting America, the greatest country in the World.

Thank you Glenn Davis

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