The Informer
Dec. 2009
This edition published
by Submisions for Feb. issue to: |
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The InformerDec. 2009 |
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The Informer Newsletter Member Services Executive Members Committees Other Services Downloads Communications etc Items of Interest |
John Klein
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Dan Pope - ddpope@sympatico.ca |
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Pam Martin - pfreyc521@rogers.com |
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Klaus Biemann - kbiema8867@rogers.com |
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By John A. McDonald, Webmaster
On November 30th, 2009, we launched a major security upgrade for the caw4304.ca Union website. The Members’ Area now requires individual log-ins, using your Employee ID and your own password. Until December 19th, a temporary password (which is the old password) allows you to log on and change the password to one of your own choice. Once this simple step has been completed by all Union members, our site will finally be secure.
Before I go any further, let me repeat that last point: After Dec. 19th, all unchanged passwords will be changed to random passwords. If you have not previously registered your email address, new log-ins will only be possible by contacting the webmaster.
Please log in now and update your password.
You will find the password update area under “Edit Profile” in the new Members’ area. When contacting the webmaster, you must provide your full name, Employee ID, and your email address. I can be reached at caw4304@rogers.com, or, when not driving, at 519-241-5623.
The idea behind this upgrade came from our experience of moving the email list to an online database. Once these addresses were located on a secure, remote server, they became available to the entire executive, and were quickly updated. The list grew from about 200 names to approximately 344 names in just six months. The list was no longer held captive on my own hard drive at home, and so became much more useful. This is basically the concept of Web 2.0, where websites are dynamic and interactive, without static pages, but consisting of constantly updated content, generated by the users themselves.
At the November Union meeting, the quote from 3D Technologies was approved, and development began. I spent a full day reformatting the Excel membership list that I’d constructed over the last three years. Our programmer at 3D Technologies, Pat Neuman, suggested we incorporate an existing template called WordPress with the new security system. Together we spent the next week testing and debugging it. Then, at almost midnight on November 29th, I redirected the pages in the old Members’ area to the new area. We were live!
While the new log-in procedure was fairly straightforward, I nonetheless spent a frantic few days sorting out problems with people who had forgotten the existing password, or were otherwise confused. Overall, though, I got overwhelmingly positive feedback from our members. The launch was a success!
I must add here that the launch of the new Members’ area has delayed my work on publishing this Informer.
The best feature of the new security system is the self-service feature of the membership list. Except for your name and Employee ID, you can now edit all your own personal information. You can upload your photo, add your cell number, and, best of all, write a short description about yourself.
Please note that only your name, phone number and email address are visible in the Membership Directory. The rest of the information you see in the Edit Profile section is only available to your Union Executive. If you delete your mailing address, this only hides it from your executive. Please leave your address in, and keep it current. You can even select to not be included in the Membership Directory if you wish. Your information is still stored in the data base, but not shared with fellow Union members.
One thing to bear in mind when accessing the Membership Directory: pages may take up to ten(10) seconds to load. Each page has to be constructed from scratch, using PHP to access the data base, so please be patient.
What’s next for our new secure website?
There will be a vote at the Dec. 16th meeting to reactivate The Great Debate. If this passes, the name of the person writing will automatically be listed at the bottom of the post. A moderator can also delete any inappropriate posts. Keep in mind that access to the members’ area is a privilege which can be revoked if there is abusive and/or slanderous behaviour by anyone on The Great Debate. Come out and vote your opinion at the next Union meeting.
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Herman Van Der Westhuizen |
Another possible future development is a Car Arrangements page. I am currently working out the logic for this page with fellow driver and computer programmer, Herman Van Der Westhuizen, Operator 421 from Cambridge. If we get membership approval, and if we can sort out the technical difficulties of creating such a page, we’d like to launch it sometime during the Winter sign-up. Basically, we want to move to the website the radio chatter about who can take a car from wherever to wherever. When the page is complete, you should be able to look up what crew is best suited for you to make car arrangements with, and how to contact them. It should also list what arrangements are currently in place, should you be working for someone on their day off. There would also be an area to record where to leave your keys, etc. If you like the sound of this, please come out to the Union meeting and let us know.
Other possible developments could be a Give-away/Trades page. This may be a bulletin-board type of page where people could post their requests. Members could also sign up, using RSS feeds, to receive constant updates via email every time this page was updated. No more constantly running over to the board at the garage to see if there is anything interesting! However, at this point, this is just an idea.
And, of course, when we are in negotiations a little over a year from now, this new Members’ area will be the primary way members communicate with one another.
Finally, I’d like to thank all who assist me in keeping this website up to date and growing: Wayne Bell, who originally started the website, and who does most of the Signup updates; Monica Menner, who maintains the Chief Steward, Violence Prevention, and other pages on the website; Darlene Wilson, who edits the Safety page; Zeke Baker, who maintains the South Ops area; Charlie Wolf, who maintains the Calendar page; and Louie McPhail for his previous work on the old Membership Directory page.
By Fernando Bralha
Two week ago, I was planning on taking my 3 weeks vacation to go to Brazil (it has been 5 years since I was there). I’d be flying there this winter, like the migrant Canadian geese, to the hot summer weather in Brazil (+35°C and plus). But, in order to be part of the Olympic Winter Games, and to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I changed my plans.
Things happened fast.
Since I started the application process for a Bus Operator position to work in Whistler, BC (approximately 90 km from Vancouver), it took only four days – four intense and busy days, updating my resume, writing a cover letter, reading the manual, doing an on-line test, and a 20 min. phone interview. Four days contacting many people by phone and email, either in Kitchener or Whistler – until finally on Nov.12/09, last Thursday, Bingo!!! - I received an offer of Employment.
GRT is sending a group of approximately a dozen drivers; four of them are from Cambridge. Besides myself, Reto Swaniga, John Livingstone and Gord Whyte have applied and also received an offer of Employment. We are going to represent GRT. We will be like Ambassadors from GRT to the world, in Vancouver, Feb., 2010.
Although I am the “least of the dozen,” I’m glad to be part of this selected group, and excited to join the Bus Operator team for the Olympic Winter Games in Feb.2010. We’ll be staying in a hotel in Squamish, a small city located half way between Whistler and Vancouver.
I applied for a Leave of Absence (LOA) during the second week of February. Even before I finally received the LOA, I sent my signed offer back (Nov.17), accepting Whistler’s offer.
Finally, I’d like to thanks John A. McDonald for his amazing effort encouraging and helping other drivers to apply. John provided, in the Union website (caw4304.ca/olympics). Under the Heading “Come drive for the 2010 Olympics,” everything we needed to know to apply… and then some. I’m still reading all the information available there. He included 15 steps covering the hiring process, with all the required documents, people to be contacted, phone numbers, websites, etc… These 15 steps were the most valuable in helping me apply.
Thanks, John! - Without your help, I still would be struggling, trying to find out all those steps for getting an offer. You really make a difference in other people’s lives.
I’m taking my camera with me to Whistler, and when I’m back, I’ll have a lot to share with my fellow drivers. And I’m sure this will be an experience I’ll never forget.
Note: amigos means friends in Portuguese
By John A. McDonald, Editor
First, there was Team Canada. Now there is the brand new “Team GRT!” Thirteen drivers and two mechanics from GRT, including myself, are going to the Olympics as Transit Operators for Whistler Transit. Don Pigeau, a Service Attendant, has also applied, but has not yet been hired. Most of us will be at the 2010 Winter Games for the entire month of February. At this international event, it is our goal to make the Region and this Local proud of its representatives.
Management has fully supported sending its operators to the Winter Olympics. They provided a letter of recommendation and a free driver abstract for each of us. They granted a total of eight operators varying amounts of Leave of Absence. The rest of us managed to take sufficient vacation time, lieu days or give-aways to cover our time out West. Harold Klooster, our Union Chairperson, was able to provide us with some good advice as well.
One of the most amazing things I’ve experienced is the huge number of drivers who came up to me and said, “I would have loved to go with you, but…...” I’d say almost half of the operators will be travelling with us vicariously!
To help our brothers and sisters go with us virtually, we will be posting photos and commentary live from British Columbia on the new “GRT Olympic Team Blog” located here: blog.caw4304.ca. Each member of Team GRT has been given a log-in so that we can individually upload photos and thoughts while at the Olympics. I’m hoping that each of us will publish an average of one photo per day on the blog. The blog is also available on the kiosk computers in the drivers’ rooms. Don’t forget to click the “Comment” area below each post and leave us your comments.
I will also be running Google Latitude most of the time on my Smartphone so that you can track me as I roam around British Columbia. This is a GPS-based program that allows my friends to track me on the Internet in real time on a Google map. Go to google.com/latitude for more information. I must personally invite you to view my location, so email me at sirjohnamcdonald@gmail.com if you want to sign up and travel along.
Most of us will be flying out on January 27th, with training starting on Jan. 28th for three to five days. Regular service will begin on Feb. 4th and continue 24/7 until Feb. 28th. Our flights are paid for, and lodging will be in several three-star hotels in Squamish, BC. They provide two meals a day, and pay $24.05 per hour. I plan on flying home on March 1st.
We have not yet been assigned shifts, but they range from 8 hrs/5 days per week, or 10 hours /4 days per week, to 11.5 hours per day with 4 days on, and 4 days off. There are also split shifts and night shifts. One of the hiring conditions was that we had to agree to work whatever was necessary. My opinion is that a change is as good as a rest, so I’ll adjust to whatever they have for me.
We all look forward to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
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(Pending) |
Bob Arseneaut |
Steve Hubner |
(Don Pigeau –Service) |
No Photo |
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Adam Baker (Mechanic) |
Paul Lalonde |
Dan Pope |
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No Photo |
Fernando Bralha |
John Livingstone |
Marc Reilly (Mechanic) |
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Debbie Elliott |
John A. McDonald |
Warren Schnarr |
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Des Fitzgerald |
Krys Nuhn |
Reto Swaniga |
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Gord Whyte |
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By Gino Chirila
The world is changing. It always has been changing, but the thing that is new today is the incredible speed at which it happens. Nothing is the way it used to be years ago, not even what it used to be months ago.
The only thing that has never changed in over ten years has been the Time Schedule of Route 12 between Fairview Mall and Conestoga Mall: eighty-seven minutes in rush hours, and seventy-two minutes during the evening and at night. On Saturday and Sunday, it is the same, seventy-two minutes. It was the same ten years ago.
They built two new terminals on the path of Route 12; we have more traffic lights; we have four-way stops; the car traffic has doubled in the past decade, but we still have seventy-two minutes for Route 12.
We carry on wheelchairs, even two on the same bus, which means extra minutes. We carry on strollers and senior citizens. We have bike racks, and carry on bicycles, but the time is still seventy-two minutes.
The volume of customers on Route 12 has risen four to five times. Sometimes we stop at all the bus stops on Fairway Road, Bleams Road, Strasburg Road, Block Line, Westmount, Highland Road, Fischer Hallman, Keats Way and University, but the time is still seventy-two minutes.
We carry on people with big luggage from shopping centres. On Saturday, when everybody is shopping, and Fairway Road is backed up like never before, we still have seventy-two minutes.
The winter is here: icy roads and snow, and frustrated passengers because they wait in the cold weather. But we still have seventy-two minutes.
Every second customer has a cell phone, and most of them are talking loudly on our buses, but we still have seventy-two minutes.
How did this happen? How can we do this job under these conditions and still keep our route within seventy-two minutes?
The truth is that we, the GRT bus drivers, are the people who make this schedule work. At what price? They don’t know. Scheduling people are working upstairs in a very quiet environment. They do not spend eight hours in the noisy buses with coarse language around them, with people insulting them, under the pressure of time and the connections they have to make. Sometimes, I truly believe, they are so far from the reality of the street that they are living in a parallel world. Nothing from our reality can touch them. They don’t have too much imagination, and sometimes I have reason to believe they really do not understand what is happening out there on the street.
In these circumstances, the service we provide to senior citizens and people with special needs could be improved. I am not wondering about the students. I am wondering about the regular customers who pay $55 a month for a bus pass, and they are not able to get a decent ride home.
Have you ever seen a 70-80 year old lady getting panicked in a crowded bus, filled with students, when she doesn’t believe she will be able to get off the bus at her stop?
The communication between us, the drivers, and the scheduling people is almost non-existent.
If anybody in this company knows exactly what is happening out there, it is us, the GRT drivers. But what is really bad is the scheduling people do not even want to listen to us. If we have a problem, if we notice something wrong, there is a procedure that we have to follow, and that takes a lot of time. In this day and age, when information travels from one continent to another in seconds, from Mars to the Earth in minutes – today, when humanity is discovering images from other galaxies a thousand light-years away thanks to technology – we at GRT cannot communicate properly from one day to another in the same building. There is something wrong!
I was told that if a customer calls the mayor, complaining that he didn’t get into a bus because the bus was crowded, the mayor calls management, and things change fast. Is that true?
No problem. I am going to call the mayor. I will tell him what I am doing for a living, and I will tell him that I had to let ten customers go without a bus ride Tuesday night at University and Seagram – people who were waiting for the bus for 40 minutes – and why that happened. If that is the faster way to improve something, then that is what I am going to do.
Is anybody out there? Can you hear me now? Good.
By John A. McDonald, Chairperson of the Elections Committee
2010 will be an election year for your Local. Beginning at the January meeting, we will be accepting nominations for the six-member Elections Committee. If there are more candidates than positions available, elections for the Elections Committee will be held on Feb. 17, 2010, the day of the February Union meeting.
There may be several vacancies on the Election Committee. I have decided, after serving for six years, that it is time to move on. I feel that I have accomplished what I set out to do on this committee, and it is time to bring in some new blood.
The thing that gives me the most satisfaction is that I have been able to digitize our membership directory. Just this past month, I have been able to transition this over to the website where it runs now on a self-serve basis. Part of the role of chair of the Elections Committee was to keep our membership list up to date. However, the task of adding new hires and deleting retirees from the database can now be done by either the Treasurer, or Recording Secretary, or even the webmaster.
This is an excellent place for new members to begin their committee experience. However, there are a few rules to be aware of:
Also, keep in mind that while you may only conduct three or four elections and ratification votes during your term, these are very long days. We typically begin balloting at five in the morning and don’t finish until ten at night. And there are usually one or two by-elections to deal with as well. But this is the committee that is tasked with protecting the democratic rights within our Local. What could be more important?
Nominations for Officers of Local 4304 will be held at the April Union meeting in 2010, with elections for officers to be held the same day as the May meeting.
Nominations for committees will be held at the May meeting, with elections for committees to be held the same day as the June 2010 meeting.
Step up and be part of the solution. Help build on the heritage our ancestors in the labour movement have built for us.
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Harold Klooster presents Tom with his watch |
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Tom Gross’s family |
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Serge Ianni congratulates Tom on his retirement |
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Party organizers, Lori Miller & Jacky McKie |
This year’s annual Union Christmas Party was another huge success, with 198 people attending. We were at a larger venue, the Serbian club on Fischer-Hallman, so no one had to be turned away. Tickets sold for $20 per person, which was very reasonable, considering the great dinner they served.
Decorations were done by Union members Linda Paluveer, Darlene Rilling, Karen Phelan, Laszlo Bori and Jacky McKie. The Union donated $500, and the Charity Club donated another $200 toward door prizes. The Charity Club also donated poinsettias for the tables.
This year there was a new attraction in the form of professional photography by operator Rhonda Guenther. Rhonda shot photos almost none-stop all evening, with printouts immediately available. She donated all the proceeds to the Children’s Wish Foundation. A total of $650 was raised.
After the meal, tickets were drawn for door prizes, which went on for quite a while. Then the dancing began, with DJ Brad keeping people on the floor most of the night.
I’m not sure how the organizers, Lori Miller and Jacky McKie, will be able to top this year’s event when 2010 rolls around. Well done, ladies!
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Photographer, Rhonda Guenther, hard at work. Rhonda donated her profits of $650 to the Children’s Wish Foundation. |
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Des and Lydia have a blast on the dance floor. |
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Dan Pope with his wife |
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Laszlo Bori |
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Norma Switzer and friend |
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Martinella and Rudi Naumann. |
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Marty and Darlene Wilson |
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Our gracious host, Jacky, working the crowd |
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Karen Phelan picks up her prize |
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Scott likes the party! |
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Gino and Howard win a door prize |
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The dance floor was hopping all night |
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Sue McIntyre with her son, Dean |
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Sheila Andrew (aka Sugar) collects her prize |
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Shelly and Cheryl dance up a storm |
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Heidi loves to dance |
By Lazlo Bori
The global warming scare tactics used by all levels of government and environmentalists are largely based on “SURFACE TEMPERATURE READINGS.” These reading have only been taken since the late 1890s. Since North America was undeveloped at that time, these stations were few and far between.
Accurate temperature readings did not get wide acceptance until WWI. Early thermometers were scattered across the land, placed in the middle of grassy fields, away from trees and buildings. They were housed in a 2’ x 2’ louvered wooden box, about 5’ off the ground, and had a door for the metre reader to open and take daily readings, and were in use until the 1960s.
Throughout the years of temperature measurements, no one realized that there was a fundamental flaw with these readings. No one thought about the finish coat on the boxes. In other words, not all boxes were painted the same.
An experiment was conducted to see how accurate the temperature readings were. Three boxes were used, all the same size, all at the same height, and all three in an open, grassy field. One was left unfinished, one was coated in white latex paint, and one was whitewashed. These were the typical finishes used for the last 70 years.
The temperatures were taken every day for several weeks. When the data was compared, the unfinished box’s thermometer recorded temperatures 6 degrees higher than the one painted with white latex,. The whitewashed box had temperatures 2-3 degrees higher than the white latex. As anyone can see, each box had a different reading for the same temperature.
One would figure that with this information, and new technology, temperature recordings would become more accurate. Totally wrong. Temperature recordings now are worse than ever. The new monitoring stations are mounted on a single pole, and look like an overgrown telephone insulator. These stations are monitored by a wide variety of people such as police, firemen, librarians, and local radio stations, and they have been placed in convenient locations, but not useful locations.
They have been placed at the edge of paved parking lots, next to the cooling fans of air conditioner units, steel cell phone towers, and asphalt rooftops. These monitors have recorded notable temperature spikes, thus making global warming seem real. In the U.S.A., 31,500 atmospheric scientists signed a petition debunking the myth of global warming. Yet the government and the environmentalists ignore them. Something to think about are scare tactics, propaganda, communism, totalitarianism, and worst of all, the L.R.T.
By Carl Hayes
They tell me the world is round, and that you and I are causing catastrophic global warming. I don’t buy it. Anyone with any common sense would know that these are vile rumours and a conspiracy to take away our freedoms and empty our pocketbooks. The world has never looked like a globe to me or anyone else, and it was bitterly cold last winter. You can bet your carbon-belching snowmobile that it’s going to be miserably cold this winter. Crazy scientists, money grubbers and left-wing pinkos at the U.N. are to blame for this widespread nonsense. Somebody called Pythagoras, that Isaac Newton character and others, started the “round earth” rumour. Arrhenius, Lotka, Callendar, Hutchinson, Seuss (you know who he’s probably related to), Revelle, Keeling and a bunch of others made up this global-warming stuff. Everyone just followed along without really thinking about it. Then there are those map makers and solar panel builders who are making a bundle out of it, not to mention Gore and his ‘Disney’ movie. It’s in their economic interest to push this silliness. What’s even worse, those pinkos at the U.N. are trying to take over the world. They want us to think that we’re burning up, and dizzy from going ‘round in circles on a hot planet. While we’re in the drugstore looking for seasick pills, extra ice and sun block, they’ll be taking over the country behind our backs!
None of them fool me. This is still a free country, and you can still think for yourself and believe what you want. I say, trust your own eyes and head. The world is a giant flat disk floating in space (on the back of a giant snail, in my opinion) and it’s definitely not getting any warmer. Remember how cold and rainy it was nearly every weekend last summer?
I have read about all kinds of scientists claiming that the world is round because they can measure how it curves. Other scientists say that their ice-core drillings show that there’s more carbon now in the air than there has been for hundreds of thousands of years. They claim that temperatures go up when carbon goes up, and it’s going up because of us. What’s more, there are reams and reams of scientific studies to prove it.
That’s no proof. I can’t see how much carbon there is, just like I can’t see a round earth and I can’t see gravity. I’ll bet you can’t either. So I say - Baloney!
They say all the scientists, like those charlatans Galileo and Einstein, are supposed to be convinced of a round earth. Supposedly they can prove, mathematically, that we live on a globe.
The climate scientists say that they all agree that more carbon means more of a greenhouse effect, and that we’re causing it.
Along with Al Gore, the International Panel for Climate Change, representing thousands of climate scientists worldwide, even won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for their work. Plus, they say that the only scientists denying it are either not climate scientists, not scientists at all, or work for places that are funded by oil companies. (Now why would oil companies be interested in denying global warming?)
They even say that the scientists who are, or were, advising those paragons of environmental responsibility - Bush and Harper - at the U.S National Academy of Sciences, admitted global warming. Bush and Harper wisely ignored their advice.
Half the time, these so-called climate scientists can’t even give us the time of the next rainstorm, and we’re supposed to believe them about something years away? Give me a break.
Then there’s all those explorers and sailors and astronauts who say they not only get back to where they started, proving the earth is round, but also say they’ve seen it with their own eyes. It’s just like all those so-called eye-witness accounts claiming that they’ve seen the melting glaciers and ice caps, rising oceans, changing vegetation and the animal extinctions because of global warming. I say - Yeah, right, buddy. What have you been smoking?
Planes, boats, trains, satellites are all supposed to operate on the assumption of a beach-ball earth, and that’s why we can predict where they will go. They tell me that they can predict where the earth will go if we keep pumping out the greenhouse gases.
What are they saying?
People everywhere in the millions and even in the billions, if someone like the eminent British scientist James Lovelock is to be believed, will die in the near future from starvation, wars over scarce food and water, new diseases and collapsing societies. They warn me that it won’t be so much us, as it will be our children and grandchildren who will have to live (or die) through it all.
Global warming is already supposed to be causing wars over resources in places like Darfur, making oceans rise, and drowning islands in the Pacific, melting the glaciers that feed the rivers, which millions of people depend upon for water, and causing crop failures from the heat.
They tell me our leaders know much of this, but they don’t want to tell us the whole truth. They are not only afraid we won’t elect them if they tell us how much we need to change our lifestyles, but they’re also worried about losing all the corporate funding.
The media won’t tell us the whole truth for fear of losing readers and advertising dollars.
Industry won’t tell us because their shareholders are afraid for their investments.
Besides, they say we are all in denial because we love our money and all the junk it buys. No one wants to give up anything for the future. We’re all fiddling while Rome burns.
But hold on. I’m not in denial. As you just read, I don’t deny anything, especially the truth! It’s all lies, lies and more wretched lies!
That, folks, is my modest rebuttal. This is still a free country. Believe what you want to, and fight the power!
I propose that we buy those SUVs, those honkin’ big pickups that we use just to carry our groceries in, take those flights, and buy all the toys you can possibly stuff your over-heated house with. But just don’t go too far - you don’t want to reach the end of the world.
Jacky McKie
Women’s Committee
Some of the following signs can be similar to typical age-related changes, so if your loved one is experiencing them, it may NOT be Alzheimer’s disease. But it is important to schedule an appointment with a doctor if you suspect Alzheimer’s disease. Early symptoms can vary, but some of the early warning signs include:
Short-term memory loss: Difficulty remembering recently acquired information is the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, the stem that forms new memories – that actually takes information and encodes it in the computer that is your brain – that system breaks down, so you cannot effectively acquire new information, says Dr. Lan, M.D. PhD. and Professor of Neurology and Director of the Emory Cognitive Neurology Program in Atlanta.
Difficulty solving problems is another early symptom. Also, difficulty following a plan (i.e. a familiar recipe) and solving problems, such as financial issues. Many people have problems with judgment, such as poor money decisions.
Problems with familiar tasks: People may suddenly have a hard time doing something very familiar to them, such as driving to the store, or using the television, or forgetting to bathe. It’s also not unusual for a person with this disease to lose interest in hobbies, social activities, and work. When these issues become a problem, it is time to adapt the home environment to reduce the chances that your loved one will get injured.
Time-related confusion: Keeping track of time can become difficult in people who have Alzheimer’s disease, resulting in mixing up of dates, and confusion about the passage of time. Remove alcohol, since drinking alcohol can make confusion worse.
Vision problems: A person may have trouble reading, difficulty distinguishing between colours, and problems judging distance. Secure medications. You may also want to ask the pharmacist to use child-proof caps on medications. Patients may forget they have already taken their medication.
Word confusion: The person may start finding it difficult to follow a conversation, either getting lost in the conversation, or having problems recalling a word. Be patient, they are trying to keep up.
Losing things: Since it can be hard to retrace steps in early Alzheimer’s disease, the person may misplace things and not be able to find them. They may go for a walk and lose their way home. Install locks. As patients begin to have difficulty distinguishing between day and night, that can lead to wandering out of the house at any time.
Mood changes: Alzheimer’s disease can sometimes result in uncharacteristic moods and personality changes, including confusion, depression, suspicion, fear, and anxiety. Remove or lock up firearms, cleaning supplies, hazardous chemicals or potentially dangerous items like kitchen knives and scissors. Power tools and other objects that can be used as weapons should be removed or secure, as well.
There is no way to predict exactly how Alzheimer’s disease will progress, since it varies among individuals. Alzheimer’s patients will eventually need full-time care, as they will be unable to care for themselves. The house should be well lit, with an even level of lighting, to avoid causing your loved one to become disoriented. Night lights could be installed in hallways, bedrooms and bathrooms, including grab bars for bathing, and no-slip grip strips in bathrooms and showers.
Although there is currently no way to halt or reverse Alzheimer’s, there are a number of benefits of an early diagnosis. Getting an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis before severe symptoms set in gives people time to consider their legal, financial, care, and logistical options for the future. While the diagnosis may be terrifying, your ability to handle the prospect of that kind of change and come to any sort of peace with it is going to be far better earlier in the disease as opposed to later, says Dr. Lan.
Participants at Operation Christmas Child shoe box processing centre
By John A. McDonald
How many times have you heard your kids say, “I wonder what I‘m getting for Christmas?” Our culture has become so materially oriented that the true meaning of Christmas has been all but lost. It is about what we can get rather than what we can give.
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Daughter Rebekah McDonald with her shoe box |
This is why I love Operation Christmas Child. They organize the giving of thousands of shoe boxes full of Christmas presents that are sent overseas to third-world children who might otherwise receive no presents at all.
The best part is that I can get my daughter to stop thinking about herself for a while and learn to give to others. It is the fourth year that we have participated in this outreach program. Rebekah really enjoys going shopping with me, helping choose what she thinks a little girl who lives in some shack might like.
We then sign up to work in the processing centre in Waterloo where tens of thousands of shoe boxes are inspected and repacked, ready for shipment to Central America, Africa, and other needy places. It is a fun night of sorting through the shoe boxes at the former NCR building, along with some 200 volunteer workers.
My thanks goes to Paul Eckmier for organizing GRT’s participation.
This year, the drivers and other workers at GRT donated over 44 boxes filled with Christmas presents. Well done, everyone!
Union Works By Monica Menner
ATTENTION RE: ASBESTOS EXPOSURE
ASBESTOS WORK WAS PERFORMED AT THE STRASBURG ROAD GARAGE ON JUNE 19, 2009 IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
- FLEET AREA BY UPHOLSTERY ROOM, MEZZANINE AND STEAM BAY
- MAIN ANNEX IN ROWS 1A7 TO 1A10
AND ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2009
- IN THE MAIN ANNEX AT ENTRANCE TO DISPATCH
- IN THE TIRE STORAGE AREA
DUE TO IMPROPER PROTECTIVE MEASURES, WORKERS IN THESE AREAS MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO FRIABLE ASBESTOS.
IF YOU WERE IN THE ABOVE AREAS ON JUNE 19, 2009 OR SEPTEMBER 30, 2009, THE MINISTRY OF LABOUR HAS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU FILL OUT A PEIR REPORTING FORM TO ENSURE DOCUMENTATION IN THE EVENT THAT FUTURE HEALTH PROBLEMS ARISE DUE TO ASBESTOS EXPOSURE.
YOU CAN OBTAIN A PEIR REPORT FORM FROM THE HEALTH AND SAFETY BOARD IN THE DRIVERS ROOM AT THE STRASBURG GARAGE.
NOTE: IF YOU HAVE INTERNET ACCESS PLEASE SAVE A TREE AND VISIT THE HOME PAGE OF OUR CAW WEBSITE TO FILL OUT AN ONLINE FORM.
A frequent issue I’m informed of is the difficulty of getting a change off when a bus is causing discomfort which leads to or aggravates an existing injury. Some supervisors say ‘I don't have any buses but I can try to get you one in an hour.’ If a driver continues to drive a bus knowing it is causing them injury then they are willingly putting themselves at risk and will have issues with WSIB in the event an injury occurs which prevents them from driving. Common sense dictates that the driver respond by saying: “This bus is causing me injury, and I will be parked right here until you have another bus for me.” You have now fulfilled your duty under the Health and Safety Act. As a supervisor, responsibility under the Act is to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances and to give direction on the measures and procedures to be taken for protection of the worker.
Remember: No worker shall use or operate any equipment or work in a manner that may endanger himself, herself or any other worker.
Another concern that has come to my attention is that there are some members who feel they are on a ‘management hit list’. Our primary duty as a bus driver is to provide safe, reliable and friendly service. A supervisor’s primary duty is to monitor us and assist with our primary duties. Personality conflicts can and will happen at times, but it should never get to a point where one feels continually harassed. If you feel you are being more frequently monitored compared to other co-workers, please let your Union know. The Union takes these concerns very seriously. If you are one of these members, please discuss these concerns with your Union rep.
There are two new pages on our Union website. Visit the Olympics and LRT pages for information on these topics. There have been changes in accessing our website. Please look for more information on these changes from John A. McDonald. Also, for those of you who remember Paul Burgoon, you can visit the Items of Interest link on the Chief Steward page and catch up by reading ‘Notes from Tonga’. I’m sure he’d be glad to receive holiday greetings. On that note….
I would like to take this opportunity to wish EVERYONE and their families a very un-politically correct Merry Christmas!
An employee has a legal right to say, ”If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated or cause an effect on my personal working conditions, I request that my union representative be present at this meeting. Without representation present, I choose not to participate in this discussion.” |
Ambassador John Klein |
Tribute to John Klein |
Honouring John Klein |
Friendly Smile |
What does $14.37 Get You? |
How Will LRT Affect You? |
Merry Christmas |
New Operators |
Website Security Upgrade |
Let’s Go To Vancouver |
Team GRT |
Another Point of View |
2010 Elections |
Tom Gross Retires |
Christmas Party 2009 |
Environmental Issues |
A Modest Rebuttal |
Alzheimer’s Disease |
Giving, Rather Than Getting |
Union Works |
ContributorsLocal 4304 members helping out with this issue were: Biemann, Klaus
|
Write to us:
informer@caw4304.ca
The Feb. edition will be published by
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The Informer is a publication of CAW Local 4304 and is intended to educate and inform the members. The views expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the CAW or Local 4304. The Newsletter Committee reserves the right to edit for clarity and fact. Material of a sexist, racist or defamatory nature will not be printed.
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In the Driver's Room, the operators were talking about John and the kind of person he was. Over the radio Monday evening, I heard many calling Russ Davis, asking what they could do to help in any way with the funeral planning. It seemed that Russ was aware of the arrangements. I called on the radio to Russ and asked if any thought had been given regarding an honour guard for John. I suggested it would be nice at the end of the funeral service, as John's casket was carried to the funeral coach, that an honour guard could form and the pallbearer's could carry him past. Russ thought this would be wonderful, and asked if I could take care of it.
By Klaus Biemann
There is no monetary value on good health, believe me. When you’re in your bus, take a good look at your customers. We have a lot going for us.
