change change change

With the recent resignation of CAO Tully Clifford i felt it was time for another article. At the time he was recruited i felt that it was odd that we had to get a CAO all the way from California. However it refreshed my memory about a conversation i had with a previous CAO prior to his leaving. We came to know each other fairly well during his term and had a few "off the record conversations". Before leaving he explained that the mayor and council are too concerned about micro-managing and will not allow the people they hire to do their jobs. This opnion was reinforced after dealing with a couple of recreation direcors that " didnt work out". This did not surprise me given the amount of supervision we have gone through at the municipal office at that time. He also related to me that the word is out there and it will be very difficult for the municipality to attract the type of people they need to turn things around for this community. Through my involvement with minor soccer and the ski hill i have dealt with the previous mayor and various councils and i realize exactly what they were referring to. I just wonder is there any other community that has gone through as many CAO's , Rec Directors and Public works superintendants as this one has over the last ten years? I also wonder what the local media is going to do to put a positive spin on this . The Promoter seems fair in their reporting but we all know the position the Herald took prior to the last election and their count down for change. I would also like to hear what the group that approached municapal affairs to have the previous council removed is saying now.  So much for change.
change, change, change
change, change, change

If I were your brother
could I spill your blood on me
We, who share a mother
would we spite the sons
she sees?

Walls are crumbling
cities are burning
the presidents on tv
bombs are falling
the fire is rain
as walls close in on me

change, change, change
change, change, change

If Fate brought out a leader
would you kill him for your cause
Though he be your sole salvation
pull the trigger without pause


Faith is crumbling
cities are burning
the war's on cable tv
Hope is falling
the fire is rain as
walls come down on me

change, change, change
change, change, change

If there's one solution
there could be one for every man
who cries for constitution
finds belief inside of "can"

The clouds are lifting
The houses, the homes
The soaps are on tv
and me, asleep somewhere
in this country
basking in the dream

change, change, change
I'm basking in the dream

USW local 7884 has a tentative agreement

 Over the last few months the  USW Local 9346 bargaining committee has recieved a lot of critisism for their timing on calling the strike at the Sparwood mine. Many of the critics felt that they should have timed it to better line up with the collective bargaining at Elkford. Before i go further on this i will explain that the bargaining committee works independant from the executive committee. The bargaining committee has two members from the executive ( the local president and grievance chairman) plus four others elected from the membership at large. They will formulate a bargaining strategy and gather information from the membership to start the bargaining process for a new collective agreement. The executive committee basically runs the local and deals with the company in administrating the contract. The two committees may meet and seek direction during the negotiation process but it is the bargaining committee that will reach a tentative agreement with the company. After that the executive has the same right as the rest of the members and that is to voice their opinion and vote on the offer. Our collective agreement expired October 31/2010 and the Elkford agreement expires on May 1/2011. From our previous negotiation process in 2005/2006 I can tell you that each local will do what it takes to get a contract for their own members. The locals do work together throughout the terms of their individual contracts but cannot make deals that would affect their own bargaining position. Their obligation is to their membership only during negotiations, that is the proper thing to do. As a matter of fact on April 29/2006 the Elkford Local 7884 actually reached a tentative collective agreement before theirs had expired the last time the two locals lined up their bargaining process. That left Sparwood local 9346 hanging in the wind. We eventually settled without a strike because the bargaining committee felt they lost their bargaining power. The company offer was recomended to the members and was narrowly accepted. The members were very bitter over this--- flash forward five years.  When our strike was called on January 30/2011 it was felt under the circumstances it was the best time to do it. The expression was used that it was a train that was not going to be stopped. Many of our members were still upset over the previous settlement in 2006. The mood was there and some members were pushing for the strike before Christmas. Our strike started after the negotiating committee turned down the companies offer on January 30/11. We were given another offer that was recomended to the membership on March 14/11 it was turned down 56.9% by a ballot vote. Again on April 2/11 we voted on another recomended offer this time it was accepted by 59% of  the membership. Both votes were close and split the workers, exactly what the process was intended to do as viewed by the company. The Elkford Local had already started negotiating in March and reached a tentative deal  April 28/11 just before their contract expires on May1/2011. They surpassed our deal without going on strike. Had we still been out on strike the offer to the Elkford Local would have been even better than what they got now. Our issues still linger and will lead to another strike in 2015. The company likes to refer to these issues as slight variations of their collective agreements. Lets see bussing from your community and a pension plan are only  slight variations. See you in 2015.     "Any fool can criticize, condem and complain and most fools do" ---- Benjamen Franklin

How we got here

The history of the Crowsnest Pass has always been directly tied to the mining indusrtry as we all well know. The health of these mining companies has had the most effect on our local economy and in recession years that can be devastating. The early 1990`s were no different and because of bankruptcy issues the local giant Westar was shutdown at two of its operations across the border, A third mining operation Byron Creek was experiencing severe layoffs and the job opportunities in the area were minimal. Housing prices plummeted and laid off workers were either letting them go or selling them cheaply. One residence in my neighborhood sold for somewhere in the low 20.000 dollar range. At that time I was laid off as well but managed to get work elsewhere and hang on to things. Over the next decade things gradually improved and production at the mines went up the same scenario our parents had gone through. Then the developers came to town and with it all the hype. Now this same residence i refered to earlier is listed and sells for around $86,000 which i thought was worth about $50,000. The new owners are esstatic and told me how glad they were to get in before the housing prices go up. This is when it hit me Peter it doesn`t matter what you think its what the rest of the world is willing to do. Watching them push dirt around at the River Run development and advertise for a 200 boat marina at Trouts Landing looked ridiculios to me but people were buying into it. By now one counciller and a former counciller were actively promting the Bridgecreek developments and the mayor would soon join in. Another remarkable thing happens the demand for housing in Alberta magically goes up and housing prices soar provincewide, the same residence is now listed in the $160,000 range. Now i am thinking Peter you really missed the boat this time you are so headstrong in your beliefs you do not see what others are willing to do.  Unfortunately time and reality has put things back into perspective and i am actually looking like i made some good decisions here sure i could have taken some risk ( nothing ventured nothing gained) but i did not see those as opportunities to make money. What is unfortunate is that people with long standing ties to this community and realized what was unfoalding would continue to be part of the deception of what was happening there. Thats the way i see it ---Peter Rosner

Famous Quotes

Recentlly a follow blogger ran the Quote " The world is run by those who show up" I did a little research on this quote and this is what i found, couldnt have said it better myself.  It kind of goes hand in hand with the quote from Mahatma Gandhi " Be the change you wish to see in the world" This is kind of ironic considering  there was a lenghty discussion on the popular site facebook the other day. The discussion revolved around the state of affairs of the Municipality, why their are no businneses left and that the community is turning into a ghost town. I voiced my opinion as well as others and it was a good discussion. Again it got me to thinking.

The world is run by those who show up

Posted by: justiceserved in Court Management, Human Resources, Personal

The saying the world is run by those who show up is attributed variously to anonymous sources or to an engineering expert, Robert B. Johnson, in an article in the Journal of Management in Engineering (Jan/Feb 1999 — Volume 15, Issue 1, pp. 90-92). It succinctly describes what most of us observe in our personal and work lives  …  that people tend to fall into two groups: those who are disengaged from the world around them or those who are active participants trying to shape the future.

Do you ever notice when someone gets an award, you often learn that they are also coaching their children’s Little League team, serving on the local food bank board of directors, and chair of a committee in their professional organization? Do you ever notice that there are a limited number of people you reliably can turn to when you need something done? Is it a surprise that these same people are usually in both categories?

So what’s the deal? We’re all busy, and many of us are fortunate to also have loving families that deserve our attention and limited free time. Why should we also be expected to provide community service and philanthropy? There are no easy answers, but here are some general tips  …

Charity begins at home
There is nothing more important in your life than taking care of your family and raising healthy children if you have them. Individuals should not feel pressured to take on more than they can reasonably be expected to accomplish, especially if the extracurricular activities significantly diminish one’s family life.

Acting as a role model
Notwithstanding the first tip, children need good role models and should learn early on that public service and caring for the community are not only good things, but should be expected. Balancing these priorities is the trick.

Shaping the future
Have you ever been bemused when someone complains about politicians, but then admits that they don’t vote? The same can be said of a lot of things including public policy, effective government, youth recreation and our profession. Decisions, policies, laws and programs are put into place by governing boards, citizen groups and professional organizations that rely heavily on volunteer leadership. It’s one thing to have a good idea, but it’s another thing entirely to manage, fund and determine how that idea is put into practice. Those who show up actually end up doing it.

Where you can participate
I can’t tell you where you can best serve in your community. That decision should be driven first by your interests and talents, and second by community needs. In your profession, start by joining and actively participating in your professional association, whether than is on a local, state or national level. Nationally, that would mean active participation in the National Association for Court Management. If you are a court technology specialist, look into the Court Information Technology Officer’s Consortium and the Forum on the Advancement of Court Technology.

And be sure to say hello if we meet at one of these NACM, FACT or CITOC gatherings.

Competition and Progress

Its called progress, there was a time when our parents used to shop at the corner store then we all went to the IGA and now they drive to Wallmart. We complain about the local businesses but do not do enough to support them ourselves.  I know they dont always have the product we are looking for but if we supported them more they might just start having more products on the shelf.  Its called competition but is it a good thing for the crowsnest pass. Over the years i have seen many businesses come and go many because there just isnt the population to support that particular product but others had to close because of competition. I realize competition is what maintains the standard and without it that may decline. That being said we can only support so many restuarants, video outlets and grocery stores. If a local restuarant has been providing a quality product at a reasonable price for decades should their business have to suffer while the public tries out the latest ventures that were given a license. Where is the public conscious on this? As we have seen the established ones last while the new ventures dont always survive. There are of course exceptions to that and they are from people who work as hard at their venture as the established ones do. any thoughts ?     

lets put things into perspective

This morning while travelling over to sparwood i came across a hitchhiker. This is nothing unusual for me as i normally offer them a ride and help them out if i can. What surprises me most times about these individuals is how carefree they are towards life. When you engage them in conversation you find out they may have taken two weeks to get across the country getting various rides some shorter than others. This fella was no different started in Blairmore this morning after arriving from Medicine Hat last night. Took him two rides just to get to outside of Coleman where i picked him up. Started out at 7:30am i picked him up at 9am. He went on to explain he was on his way to Mission Vancouver. No timeline, when he gets there he joins the homeless and collects bottles to get by. Not worried about pensions or a roof over his head or even when he gets there. He goes on to say that everyone is too scheduled, have to be here and there, have to do their job right or get scolded by their supervisor. He had been in the workforce  for years but it just beat him up and he had enough. He gets by  not worried about where he sleeps at night . Tells me he takes life one hour at a time not a day at a time as is the conventional thinking. I said to him you got a good point there i said i travel this route every morning on the way to work through some very dangerous road and weather conditions and my life could change instantly, but i am expected to be there. So yes taking your approach to life one hour at a time is sometimes the best decision you can make. I dropped him off in Sparwood went to the meeting where we argued about pensions and wages and working conditions. This guy got out of my truck smiling at the world and thanked me. I got out stressed about the strike, my coworkers, our fight for a retirement plan, timelines and working conditions and so on

Why bother bloging

Because of the popularity of social networking bloging has become another way to get the message out there or another avenue of communicating and recieving peoples opinions. You could say the state of the municipality of the crowsnest pass triggered this site. I have always been fairly vocal about the councils and issues that the citizens should be concerned about. Previously i did not spend much time on the computer but that changed last may of 2010 while i was in Ottawa . During my stay there i would  review our local papers online, keep in touch through facebook more often and then that led to reviewing blogs written by citizens of the CrowsnestPass. Some of those blogs were nothing more than political posturing while others were from people with a genuine concern about the state of municipal affairs and the future of the Crowsnest Pass. There was a lot of political unrest in our community and with the upcoming elections it was only going to get worse. This got me thinking. While touring Ottawa  i realized just how much they have done to preserve history as we all know from the Parliament Buildings. But more than that the neighborhoods still have the small corner stores much like we had here when we were growing up, it sure adds character to the city.  A lot of this was not set out to be preserved under direction of the city ,but vauled enough by each neighborhood that they continued to support these small busineses. If you had lived here in the CNP when each community had life to it and businesses were thriving you know exactly what i am saying. As a community i feel we are missing some of that, we cant turn back the clock but at the same time we should be conscious of where we came from. Growing up here most kids were the same they come from large families for the most part,had very little, but made the most of it. In the future i will be writing about growing up here and the people that had influence in my life and am looking forward to your contributions

Old man take a look at my life--(Neil Young 1971)

While driving home this morning after spending the night at the union hall in Sparwood i turned on the radio. It was 7:30 AM and the first song to come on was this classic by Neil Young and yes it was kind of eerily coincidental. You see my father was also a union man and president of the United Mine Workers Local 2633 that represented the workers at Coleman Colleries. One particular moment that stands out in my mind is when i was still in high school and my father got a call later on in the evening that a worker had got caught up in a conveyor belt up at the Vicary mine  north of coleman. Later on in life i would have to deal with these type of situations myself as i have served both the United Mine Workers and the United Steelworkers over the last thirty years in various capacities. Many times during stressful periods in the workplace i have asked myself what drives you to continue to do this and i really dont have an answer other than to know what i have done for others. I was asking myself this same question a few years back while retuning home from a union school in Kimberely B.C. While driving home and reflecting on the  seminar, again asking myself why  i do this i got my answer. It was around 2:30 PM when i noticed an individual from the human resources department going home and checking out his property. Oh i am sure he had somebodys permission to leave the minesite at that time but did it matter he answered to nobody. On many occasions i have had to endure the hipocrosy of this same individual as he would lecture an employee because of their misgivings. Are signs like this coincidence or something deeper,  i am sure we have all had them on issues that are personal to us.

On Strike

today is the third day of our strike which began Sunday January 30 at 8:00 PM. The main issues are the employers contribution to our Group Benefit RRSP, retiry benefits and some language concerns. There are other issues on the table as well  but these "strike" at the heart of the workers. Presently the employer contributes 5% of eligible wages to our RRSP and we contribute 4%. All contributions are locked into the group RRSP and are not available until you quit or retire. Eligible wages is all regular, vacation and call out hours earned and are paid into the plan every two weeks. When compared to other mining operations that have a pension we fall far short , their contribution level has been costed at $10,000 per year per person ours averages around $3000-$3500 per employee. This has to change. Also we contribute 4% of our earnings ourselves, that is compulsory and is locked in . For accurate information on this strike google USWA LOCAL 9346. For more on this strike check out the January 31/2011 edition of the globe and mail or go to the businees news network i will include the link. http://watch.bnn.ca/business-day/january-2011/business-day-january-31-2011/#clip410265