Attention

The next Retiree Breakfast is scheduled for June 28^th beginning at 9:00 A.M. at Westgate Lanes.

Fraternal News

• Death Benefit: It is with great sadness to report that Brother Dean Smith has passed away. We are on Death Benefit #368 Dean Smith.  Death Benefits can be paid over the phone, in person or online at ualocal776.com.
• Welcome: Brandon Baldridge, Jaylen Reynolds, Ashton Musil, Aaron Kimmet, Collin Williams and Bryce Doyle were sworn in at the March union meeting. If you are working with any of these new members, be sure to welcome them to Local 776!
• Congrats!: Congratulations to Brothers Jeremy Newman and Aaron Brown.  Their wives both had babies recently!

Future Events to put on the Calendar

• Union Meeting: Wednesday April 17^th, 2024 at 7pm
• UA Weld Test: Saturday April 27^th, 2024 at 8 A.M.

Please call Melissa no later than noon the Thursday before to sign up and to check on the status of the test session.

• Apprentice Contest: Local 776 has the honor of hosting the 2024 Ohio Apprenticeship Contest during the week of April 22^nd -25^th.  This will be a great opportunity to invite anyone to our training center that you know is interested in the apprenticeship.

JATC

• Thank you to anyone who has reached out to help volunteer for the upcoming apprenticeship contest. We are still in need of a few more volunteers for Monday April 22^nd to help set up and for each evening helping with the hospitality room, if anyone is interested, please call Kiel at the Training Center.
• Congratulations to Charles Bohn (Pipefitter) and Josh Wehri (Welder) who will be representing Local 776 at the 2024 OSA Apprenticeship Contest!
• The Weld lab will be closed during the week of April 22^nd due to the apprenticeship contest that we will be having.

Business Manager Comments       

Last month the body voted down the proposed contract.  We are continuing to schedule meetings with the contractors to try and bring back a solid contract for ratification.  If that happens, we will reach out to all the job sites and notify everyone of the special meeting for ratification.  If we are unable to come to an agreement with the contractor’s group, we won’t be able to get into IRC until at least the week of May 6^th.  Please watch the mail for further information since there will probably need to be a couple of special meetings for ratification of the contract (if we reach an agreement), motions for appropriations of wages and a secret ballot vote for appropriations.

The National Pension just sent out a notification that due to the critical shortage of workers in the industry they have approved a temporary waiver allowing retirees to return to work with the proper paperwork.  This will last until June 30, 2026.  If this is something that you are interested in, please reach out to me.  This is for the National Pension only.

A while back we had posted that the July union meeting would be moved this year due to the OSA State convention, which is also reflected in the 2024 calendar books.  The state convention is now scheduled for the week after our normal meeting, so we will hold the union meeting on the normal date of July 17^th.  Please make this correction in your calendar books.

Fraternally,

Brad P. Wendel

Business Manager/ Financial Secretary – Treasurer