Spotlight on Region 9
Local 1 Washington members are busy repairing and retrofitting buildings damaged by February’s magnitude 6.8 earthquake. “Thanks to our seismic codes, the newer masonry buildings stood up to the quake quite well,” says Local 1 President Dennis Becker, “but many of our beautiful and historic brick buildings, built around the turn of the century, really took it on the chin.”
One of these buildings, the Pacific Medical Center, a brick, stone, and terra cotta structure rising from South Seattle’s Beacon Hill, suffered major damage. Built in the 1920s, the 184,000 square-foot former U.S. Marine Corps hospital now serves as an office building.
All of the corners failed on the PacMed building, as it is known by locals, causing large sections of brick, terra cotta, and concrete backup to break away. Local 1 members working for Pioneer Masonry Restoration are salvaging, repairing, and replacing PacMed’s masonry. They have sorted through the materials, cataloged them, and laid them out in the Center’s parking lot. At present, they’re repairing the individual pieces of the puzzle, injecting epoxies into cracked terra cotta and using Jahn mortars to conceal cosmetic damage. To avoid future damage, KPFF Consulting Engineers have custom designed an anchoring system for securing Pioneer’s restoration work safely to the wall. The new system is built to withstand future seismic episodes.
Local 1 bricklayers working for Fairweather Masonry are rebuilding PacMed’s corners and are currently replacing brick at its higher elevations. A crew of seven Local 1 bricklayers and three apprentices will be on the job until early next year.
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| Dismantled terra cotta sections are being repaired by Local 1 members at ground level. |
Local 1 WA apprentice Dane Whittaker makes cuts for the Fairweather crew atop the PacMed Center. |
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Local 1 bricklayer Jim Ferguson rakes a brick joint adjacent to one of PacMed’s many repaired terra cotta details. |
Local 3 Washington/Idaho President Tim Thompson reports that members are working on a variety of projects across Eastern Washington and Idaho. The Local is using its Industry Enhancement Program to organize new contractors and assist current signatories to successfully bid work.
“The Local’s Management Committee determined that organizing and market recovery are the most effective ways to guarantee the continued health of our industry and Local,” says Thompson. “I’m confident we’re heading in the right direction,” he adds.
The University of Idaho campus is undergoing major changes as Local 3 WA/ID members and Aden Masonry implement a new
campus master plan, intended to create a resident-minded
atmosphere on the school’s Moscow campus.
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Kacey McCulley puts a head
joint on a 12-inch brick. This Lewiston, ID resident
just completed his apprenticeship.
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Jason Hammond checks for plumb. He signed with Local 3 last year because of the “caliber of people
and quality
of benefits.” |
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| Using a margin trowel, Local 1 bricklayer Jason Neikes points up the business side of a massive 40 foot brick panel built on a slight (303 degree) radius that will be erected by BAC members in San Mateo, CA. |
Members of Local 1 Oregon continue to enjoy good employment opportunities, and Local 1 Business Manager John Mohlis says the construction outlook is strong in spite of reports of a softening economy.
“Portland, unlike many other cities on the West Coast, has not overbuilt. The forecasts point to long-term, sustainable growth for the area,” says Mohlis. “We’re poised to take advantage of this outlook through our organizing and training activities.”
BAC crews have been busy with a variety of work, including a light rail project, and expansions at Portland’s Emanuel Hospital. In addition, refractory work is scheduled to begin soon on a major maintenance project for a Portland glass producer.
The L.C. Pardue brick panel plant in Portland is another good source of work for Local 1 members. The plant, which produces an estimated 500 to 1,000 square feet of product per day, employs six to ten bricklayers and two to three apprentices—rain or shine. These members construct panels generally using modular brick measuring 3.5" x 2.5" x 11.5". Currently, a crew of Local 1 bricklayers is building panels for the new San Mateo, California headquarters of Siebal Software.
“We can produce our panels for 10% less than pre-cast,” says owner Lennie Pardue. “We provide a superior product at a substantial savings over competing materials including glass and aluminum.”
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| Sky Train’s new Braid Street Station’s tile installation in Vancouver. |
Members of Locals 1 and 3 British Columbia are completing work on twelve new stations for Sky Train, Vancouver’s rapid transit system. Each station contains 6,000 to 12,000 square feet of 12" x 12" and 12" x 16" porcelain tile set in full mud atop a fracture membrane. On average, six Local 3 members, working for BAC signatory Star Tile, work five to twelve weeks on each station’s tile installation.
Block work on Sky Train stations is being performed by Local 1 members working for Acme Masonry Ltd., Gima Masonry Ltd., and ConForce Ltd., which is responsible for ornamental pre-cast work. Each station employs six to ten Local 1 members.
Sky Train’s project labor agreement ensures that Vancouver residents end up with well built stations, and the building trades workers receive fair wages and benefits. It also creates organizing opportunities for both Locals—thanks to a provincial mandate requiring all craftworkers to hold Trade Qualification (T.Q.) certification.
Sky Train’s new Millennium Line, which runs from Vancouver Community College to 4th and Columbia Streets in New Westminster, is the product of building trade support, community involvement, and environmental concern.
“Transportation officials asked neighborhood artists to participate in specific design elements for each station,” says Local 3 Business Manager Guy Zecchini. “Environmental impact has also been addressed, as system bridges have been built as clear spans to reduce the project’s impact on rivers and streams.”
“Our crews are taking special measures to prevent wastewater containing mortar from running off into storm drains and streams,” adds Local 1 Business Manager Rob Tuzzi.
When completed, the new line will move 25,000 commuters per hour on trains running at convenient four-minute intervals.
Local 1 BC members and Star Masonry Ltd. are turning a dream into reality for St. Patrick’s parishoners by building a new church and gymnasium. More than $1 million of masonry work is going into the new facility. Under the guidance of Star Masonry principal Andy Citton, Local 1 members are paying special attention to quality and detail. The project will use 120,000 Norman brick, 12,000 pieces of natural stone, and 3,000 pieces of synthetic Arriscraft stone.
“In order for materials to perform, they have to be installed correctly,” says Citton. “We are using a type 10 mortar with lime for the Arriscraft. The formula ensures that a good permanent bond is made with the material. We butter the material much like thinset is applied to tile. The dark-colored mortar will eventually blend with the mortar used on the church’s brickwork, making for a durable and attractive finished product,” says Citton.
“I know what it’s like to work in the freezing rain with bloody finger tips,” said Citton. “Bricklayers need to make a decent living, and as fair contractors, we need to bid jobs in a way that ensures fair wages and enough profit to keep us all going. We need to take care of our industry as if it is a family business, a business we all depend on.”
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| From left, Local 3 BC Business Manager Guy Zecchini, BAC Region 9 Director David Sheppard, Star Masonry Ltd. principal Andy Citton, and Local 1 BC Business Manager Rob Tuzzi discuss masonry trends. |
Twenty-five year Local 1 bricklayer Roberto Zanotto, right, explains how he and his coworkers devised a new anchoring system for the St. Patrick’s project to Local 1 BC Business Manager RobTuzzi. Zanotto learned bricklaying in his native Traviso, Italy. |
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