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July 13, 2011 Teamsters Are ‘All Hands on Deck’ During Heavy Storms The heavy winds and fierce rains that have drenched Chicago over the past few weeks are no match for Local 700 Teamsters – especially when they have tens of thousands of pounds of equipment behind them. “It’s definitely a coordinated effort,” said Jesse Gonzalez, Local 700 Road Supervisor at O’Hare International Airport. “It's all hands on deck.” When a big storm hits, Teamsters at O’Hare focus on one thing: FOD. Foreign Object Debris can range from small nuts and bolts to a large piece of roof from an aircraft hangar. If just one object gets swept up in an airplane’s engine, it could severely damage it. “It’s over $1 million for an engine, and just a single nut or bolt could rip up the whole thing,” said Mark Chasen, Local 700 Motor Truck Driver at O’Hare. Drivers use Sweepers, Magnet Sweepers and FOD Blankets to clear debris. Sweepers clear smaller objects while the FOD Blanket can catch large objects like tree branches. “It’s a mesh, canvas blanket – usually three of them – that’s pulled on the back of a truck,” said Gonzalez. “Think of it like a genie’s blanket.” In addition to sweeping up debris, Local 700 members at O’Hare corral stray baggage and shipping carts. In addition to luggage, these carts can also hold a variety of imports and exports. “It would not be uncommon to see a cart of oranges, or some other product, spilling out on the runway during these storms,” said Gonzalez. In the event that a cart spills, the crew determines whether a sweeper can be used, or if the products need to be picked up by hand. Whatever the crisis is during a storm, Gonzalez says after a while, nothing surprises a Teamster. “After 20 years, nothing is strange to me. To the outside, yes. But to me? No.” |
William P. Logan, President 1300 W. Higgins Rd. Suite 301 CONTACT YOUR STATE LEGISLATOR: UPCOMING EVENTS Monday, May 28 Wednesday, July 4 Saturday, August 4 |
