58 The ELEVATOR CONSTRUCTOR Local Roundup LOCAL 84 LOCAL 84 • Reading, Pennsylvania Greetings from the Great Northeast. We have had a whole lot going on here in Local 84 recently. We held elections at our monthly meeting for both Executive Board and trustee positions. Congratulations to Jim Colvin, Mike DeBenedetto and Joe Rafferty on their new appointments. Several months back Brothers Sonny Falcone and Jay Bostick both passed their Mechanic’s Exam. Kudos to you both. I, along with several of our officers, recently attended a Reading City Council meeting. It was interesting to watch people from across the community take the time to be at this meeting and voice their opinions. The reason for our attendance was due to a newly proposed ordinance regarding requirements of contractors to have an approved apprenticeship program in place. The responsible contractor’s ordinance (RCO) would require that any contractor bidding on a publicly funded job in the City of Reading that is over $250,000 must have an approved apprenticeship program in place. There were several business owners in attendance who spoke out against this ordinance. That paled in comparison to the number of union tradesmen who showed up and voiced their support for this new legislation. I was pleased to watch the ordinance pass and look forward to its implementation. This is a terrific opportunity for the organized labor movement in Berks County, PA. It also serves as an example of how we can directly impact our situation within local government. I am sorry to report the sudden passing of Laura Hunter Langan. Laura is the wife of Local 84 President Mike Langan and mother to Local 84 Brother Zach Symuleski. On behalf of everyone at Local 84 I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to all the family and friends whose lives were touched by Laura. Please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers. We also had an incident with a member commuting to work. Local 84 Brother Mathew Pekuri was involved in a serious automobile accident on his way to the jobsite recently. He sustained serious injuries and will have a long road to recovery. A GoFundMe has been set up to help him out while he is going through all of this. I have to say that I am blown away by the support of IUEC members and their families across this country. The fact that people are willing to donate and help someone out when they are in need is a beautiful thing. It makes me extremely appreciative to be a part of the IUEC. Please keep Matt and his family in your thoughts and prayers as well. That’s about it for now. I remind everyone to please drive safely. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time in the morning and do not rush. It is not the end of the world if you are late to the job. Safety starts when we walk out our front door. Don’t forget to come to the meetings, every third Wednesday of the month at the Riverwalck. Hope to see you there. Fraternally, JAMES HEIMBECKER IUEC LOCAL 84
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