"I would like to take a moment and thank you and the men for our shutdown work at the Caterpillar plant in East Peoria over the 4th of July weekend. The project we were working on was critical to the operation of the entire East Peoria complex. The fitters assigned to the project were not only skilled tradesmen but proved to be hard workers who helped us complete the project ahead of schedule. The success of this project signifies the team effort of Kroeschell and Local 353 and is a compliment to both organizations."
Rick Pruchniak, President
"This is just a short note to express my appreciation for the efforts that the pipefitters of Local 353 put in during our recently-completed outage here at the Clinton Power Station. Their performance was outstanding. I feel as good about the performance of what I view as temporary Illinois Power employees from your local as I do about our own permanent Illinois Power Employees.
I mentioned when I had called, on you prior to the start of the outage that we intended to pay a bonus if we achieved certain goals. The bonus could range from $ to $150 depending on the number of goals achieved. One of those goals is still pending – that Clinton Power Station will operate for 30 days without having to shut down for an outage-related problem. We should know the outcome of that goal by the end of June. If we achieve that goal, we will be paying $105 to each individual from your local who participated in a good part of our outage. If we miss that, the payout will be $75. We will be sending the check to them directly.
Again, I express my appreciation to you and to them, and I would be happy if you would extend that appreciation to those who worked here. My hope is that we will not have to use you again until 1993 for our next outage, but when that does roll around, we definitely will be calling on you. Thanks again."
J.S. Perry, Senior Vice President
"Stone and Webster Engineering Corporation has been performing maintenance and modification services for Illinois Power Company at Clinton Power Station since August 1985. In the fall of 1994 Stone & Webster and Illinois Power Company reached an agreement to utlilize the United Association Valve Training Program for valve repair work for Refueling Outage 5 (RF-5) scheduled for the second quarter of 1995. As part of this agreement, Illinois Power Company insisted that pipefitters performing valve maintenance must possess a certification card verifying their successful completion of the UA Valve Training Program.
In February 1995 we notified Business Manager Larry Dawson and International Representatives Randal Gardner and Tommy Sweat of our anticipated valve repair workforce requirements for RF-5
The RF-5 outage started on March 12, 1995 and was finished on Aprile 29, 1995. During the outage, 66 valves were reworked to correct identified problems, 150 valves were repacked with Chesterton packing, and 10 valve packages were worked to perform inspections or modifications. All of this work was done by 112 pipefitters with UA Valve Training Certifications supported by about 30 other pipefitters. This work was done in a short period of time with a high degree of quality with only minimal rework required.
We want to take this opportunity to thank you and all of the representatives of the United Association for this exceptional effort. We will undoubtedly market this success story with our current clients and with perspective clients in the owner community."
David O. Ellenberger, Manager, Labor Relations
During the recent refueling outage (RF-2) at Clinton Power Station, pipefitters from UA Local 353 were required to perform a wide range of piping modification and renovation work, including the provision of full valve repair services.
UA Local 353 craftsmen met this challenge is an professional manner. The work performed by these craftsmen includes, but is not limited to, the work categories listed on the attached pages.
I would like to extend my personal appreciation to all of the members of your local for their assistance in the successful completion of R-2.
S.A. Huntington, Supervisor Maintenance Service-Production