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PAGE 3
IRCC QUARTERLY UPDATE- AUGUST –SEPTEMBER 2009
VOLUME 21, NUMBER 3
IRCC Instructors Roll-Up Sleeves to Hon Their
Instruction Skills And Develop New Testing
Regional Manager for DC-Taylor Brian Hig-
gens, Branch Manager (VP) Bo-Meyerseick
and DC-Taylor roofing superintendent, and
IRCC Hayward Site instructor Ray-
mundo Jimenez—
with his national “Most
Valuable Player” award presented by the
NRCA at its annual convention in Las Vegas.
Raymundo, who has trained apprentices in
the IRCC program since 2004, was up
against NRCA member-employee contestants
from each of the 50 states— another indica-
tion of the high standard for excellence main-
tained by IRCC’s instructor corps.
Once a year IRCC’s elite corps of apprenticeship trainers (see photo - page
one) hole-up for two days comparing notes on their respective classroom experi-
ences and getting an 8-hour refresher course in the various aspect’s of teaching
their apprentices how to become skilled journeypersons. During their first day,
the instructors became the students as ‘Train-The-Trainer’ Instructor Lori Miller
delved into the science and art of developing an engaging lesson plan. Miller, who
has a masters’ degree in curriculum development, put the trainers to work devel-
oping specific lesson plans for their roofing mechanics aimed at “engaging and en-
tertaining” as a prime motivator for learning and retaining information. They also
received instruction on making their work-shop hands-on labs more user-friendly,
with particular emphasis on including extra assistance to workers whose language
skills in English make it difficult for them to absorb some of the materials. (Note:
IRCC instructional materials and workbooks come in English and Spanish.
Breaking in to groups, the instructors then put their lesson plans to work,
and took turns in the speaking and presentation mode.
‘Day Two’ was committed to test development for the IRCC’s recently up-
dated and expanded subject workbooks.
Strong Proponent of Mandating Unionism for All Workers
President Obama’s continuing agenda of organizing
America under the union label has taken antother disturbing step
forward by his recent appointment of Service Employee’s Interna-
tional Union’s lead attorney Craig Becker.
Becker, an unabashed proponent of unionization of the
entire U.S. workforce put’s it this way:
"At first blush it might seem fair to give workers the choice
to remain unrepresented. But, in granting this option, U.S. labor
law grants employers a powerful incentive to campaign for a
vote of no representation."
With these blunt words, published in a "labor studies"
journal article, radical union lawyer Craig Becker dismissed the
notion that workers should have any say whatsoever, whether
as individuals or collectively by secret ballot or "card check,"
over whether or not they are unionized.
In justifying his extremist position, Mr. Becker, associate
general counsel for the Service Employees International Union
(SEIU) and the AFL-CIO, resorted to an extraordinary analogy:
Just as U.S. citizens cannot opt against having a congressman,
he contended, workers should not be able to choose against
having a union as their monopoly-bargaining agent.
“Nearly 90 percent of private-sector workers lack union
representation because the law does not mandate it," he com-
(Continued on page 6)
Obama’s Latest Pick For NLRB Panel
Is Blatant Attack On Worker Right To
Rebuff Union Organizing Efforts
The IRCC Quarterly Update is a publication of the
Indpendent Roofing Contractors of California, Inc.
Comments and articles from members and readers are
encouraged; please write to:
IRCC Quarterly Update
7041 Koll Center Parkway—Suite 245
Pleasanton, CA 94566
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Steve Galli - President- (510-886-0197)
Steve Nash - Vice President - (650-937-1299)
Ralph Wedge - Treasurer - (707-763-5475)
Jack White - Secretary – (408-971-1777)
Tom Asbury (209-825-3042)
Peter Madsen - Member (916) 361-3327)
Steve Amend - Treasurer- (707-584-9750)
Brian Higgins—Director (925-603-1100)
Jack White - Director – (510-568-8384)
Allen Brooks- Director- (925-983-3799)
John Cleasby - Director - (415-822-6565)
Dave Waskey - Director (510-372-2100)
Ken White - Director- (510-547-6332)
MONTEREY BAY CHAPTER
Pete Scudder, President (831-373-7212)
Dick Ross, Secretary Treasurer
(831– 394-8581)
Tony Alameda, Board Member (831-728-2197)
Executive Director/Exec. VP
John Upshaw - (925 -600—7022)
roofpro@ircc.org
Lorelei Ostrander
Administration Programs
lorelei@ircc.org
Q
UARTERLY
UPDATE