Say What!

Hermanos y Hermanas,

I hope this article finds you and yours settling in the new year. Work has been picking up, and several Bay Area shops have been looking for manpower for projects in Sacramento and the Bay Area. After we sent out the yearly Christmas card to all the members, we got several cards back that were not deliverable. If you have moved recently, changed your email, or have a new phone number, please call the hall and let us know. Staying in communication with the members is one of our top priorities. I want to thank those of you who came to the Christmas Meeting last month, we had 78 members in attendance. We are planning several events for 2026 and will be using our Event Committee for all of them. If you would like to be on the committee, please give me a call.

 Recently you should have received a notice from the Bay Area Painters and Tapers Pension and Annuity Trust Fund that is invested by John Hancock. The notice informed the participants:

 “Beginning with the first quarter of 2026 the quarterly administrative fee deducted from your account to cover the expenses of the plan will increase from $20.75 per quarter to $48.75 per quarter. In an effort to continue attaining a fair and equitable allocation of plan expenses every participant will have the same amount deducted from their account to pay the plan’s administrative services. The new fee of $48.75 will be reflected on your first quarter 2026 statement. Fees and expenses are not unique to this plan all retirement plans have them in one form or another the payment of the reasonable expenses allows us to continue to administer the plan in your best interest you should pay attention to these fees that they can impact your account balance over time.”

I am sure that you have questions about future increases to the plan, when I have the answers, I will get them out to you. 

At the November Membership Meeting the members in attendance voted in order to have increased attendance to have a Meeting Attendance Raffle. Here are the rules.

• Members of Local 1237 must attend 8 meetings between January 2026 through November 2026. If a member attends 8 meetings, they will receive a jacket and will be entered into a raffle held during the December Membership Meeting. 
• If a member attends more than 8 meetings, they will get another entry ticket into the raffle. Limited to 4 raffle entries per member.
• The first place winner will receive a $500.00 gift card or a prize valued at $500.00.
• The second place winner will receive a $300.00 gift card or a prize valued at $300.00.
• The third place winner will receive a $200.00 gift card or a prize valued at $200.00.
• If there are any issues or decisions to be made, the Executive Board will have the final say.

The by-Law Committee is still working on the Local by-laws and are working towards getting the final draft completed so we can have DC16 and the IUPAT approve them for the members to have a ratification vote. We will give a progress report at the February meeting. I hope to see more of you in attendance.

STAR’s 2026

January 10, 2026 

1^st Aid/CPR/AED – West Sacramento

January 17, 2026

Fall Protection – West Sacramento

MEWP/Booms & Lifts – West Sacramento

January 31, 2026

1^st Aid/CPR/AED – West Sacramento

Scaffold/Swing Stage – West Sacramento

January 2025 Birthdays

Manuel Aguilera

Baltazar Alas

Kyle Bobb

Jesus Cerda

Cameron Crow

Eli Day

Mark Durham

Irvin Flores

Ismael Galvan

Raul Garcia

Karl Griffiths

Richard Haberman

Andrew Hess

Ian McDonald

Jose Mendez Avila

Johnathan Meyers

Alberto Montes de Oca

Leonel Murillo

Timothy Ringor

Ronnie Rose

Marco Solano

Jerny Vang

Michael Zapata