SPECIAL NOTIFIED MEETING: As outlined above, the April Union Meeting is a Special Notified Meeting ~ Please note, this is also a date change, from the third Friday to the fourth Friday of the Month. This is necessary due to our attendance at the Legislative Conference.

SAM VISCARDI:  We were saddened to hear that on March 17^th, 2008, at age 84
Brother Sebastian P. Viscardi passed away. Sam was the Business Manager for our Local Union from 1974 - 1983 and his dedication and contributions to this Union, along with his tough, hard work ethic will be with us always. His legacy to Local #46 will be long remembered and appreciated by all of us. Thank you, Sam. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Viscardi family during this difficult time of loss.

RETIREE MEETING:  This is just a reminder that the first meeting for the "Retirees Club" for 2008 will be held on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 10:30 am.  All are welcome!  Come and join your fellow union brothers.

VOLUNTEERS: Thank you to the many members who have called in or signed the sheet and have offered to help out with a few of the charity events or projects we have coming up. Time is a very precious commodity and giving up a small piece of it helping others is not only time well spent it is always appreciated. Spending a bit of that time with your Union Brothers and Sisters is even better.

WAGE ALLOCATION; At the March 21^st Union Meeting the membership allocated the $1.55 wage increase for May 5, 2008. Our financial position within all of the funds was discussed and reviewed and with a unanimous vote we elected the following distribution:

Annuity Fund -------- .25¢ per hour
Health Fund --------- .05¢ per hour
Local Pension ------- .35¢ per hour
National Pension --- .18¢ per hour
Wages ---------------- .72¢ per hour
Work Assessment - .07¢ per hour
Base Rate Increase .72¢ per hour

Wage sheets will be available at the hall in the near future.

AWARDS PRESENTED; At this meeting we also presented the "Certificates of Appreciation" we received from the Rochester Labor Council for our participation in the 2007 Labor Day Parade. The Local received a certificate for "Most Creative" and individual certificates were presented to: Brent Hungate, Bob Dille, Eric Sharp, Damien Abbondanzieri and Matt LaJoie for their participation and contribution to the event.  Congratulations to all!  Now, let's get ready and make the 2008 Labor Day Parade bigger & better!

WORK REFERRALS: Hopefully we will all be returning to work soon so please remember that a work referral must be completed at the hall BEFORE you can return to work. It is a very important part of the process. Please take the time to do the right thing.

FIREPOT ARCHIVES: Looking for a past Labor News issue of "The Firepot"? Beginning with the January 11, 2008 issue they can now be found on our website @ www.smw46.com.

ROCHESTER ROTARY SUNSHINE CAMPUS: As I stated in the previous Labor News article we have joined forces with all of the trades to build a large pavilion at the Sunshine Campus. Work has begun, the Bricklayers have started the foundation and pillar work and the trusses have been ordered and should arrive within the week. GJV Enterprises is donating the support brackets for the main support beams and we will be scheduling multiple work dates in the very near future. As soon as the schedule is set we will be in touch with all that have volunteered. We are still on task to complete the project by mid May

For those of you who are not familiar with this outstanding facility, the Rochester Rotary Sunshine Campus was established in 1922 to meet the needs of children with physical disabilities. In 1973 it was relocated to its current site on 157 acres in Rush, New York. Each year, over 5,700 people from more than 75 not-for-profit organizations live the experience that is the Sunshine Campus. It is completely accessible to people with all types of disabilities but what makes this place so unique is that it was developed so that children with physical disabilities just get to be kids during their stay. Whether they visit during Rochester Rotary's summer camping program or at other times throughout the year these children finally have the chance to do something, or be someone that they might not otherwise have a chance to do.
That is why we fully support this opportunity to be part of such a worthy cause.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: Gerry Diodato, Mike Kelly, a group of apprentices and several members working with Monroe Piping and Sheet Metal are in the process of putting the heating system together for a local Habitat for Humanity House in the city of Rochester. Making a difference in our community is what we do and on behalf of all the members of Local #46 we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for efforts and your generosity, you make all the difference.

  CBA:    ADDENDUM 5           Shanty, Rain Gear & Safety

Section 1.  If there is not a suitable place on the project for an employee to change clothes or eat lunch, same shall be provided by employer.
Section 2.  Rain Gear:  The employer agrees, when employees are required to work in foul weather, the employer shall provide rain gear.
Section 3. The employer shall provide all safety equipment and all personal protective equipment as may be required pursuant to OSHA regulations or job specific requirements.
All members of Sheet Metal Workers Local #46 and all signatory contractors agree to implement and abide by the current edition of the ITI Sheet Metal Safety Handbook.