Special Committee Concurs in Paying Canadian Officers, Reps in Canadian Dollars

March 2002 IBEW Journal

The special IBEW committee authorized by delegates to the 36th International Convention in San Francisco, California, has ruled that pay and pensions for the union’s Canadian Officers and International Representatives should continue to be paid in Canadian rather than U.S. dollars. IBEW locals in Canada have always paid their International per capita in Canadian currency.

The decision by the 12-member committee in its one-day meeting in Washington, D.C., on February 11 upheld the report of the Law Committee, which had recommended non-concurrence with the proposal to switch to U.S. dollars. The vote was 11-1 in favor of continuing to pay in Canadian dollars. The recommendation to send the issue to a special committee was adopted by delegates to the San Francisco convention after extensive floor debate.

IBEW International President Edwin D. Hill greeted the committee members in Washington and put all resources of the International Office at their disposal for needed facts and background.

The committee considered many issues, including the results of a survey of 11 other international unions which found that eight pay their Canadian representatives in Canadian dollars and three pay in U.S. dollars. The special committee also noted that records show that in the 1950s, when the Canadian dollar was valued higher than its U.S. counterpart, pay and pensions were in Canadian currency. The Canadian dollar is now worth about 62 cents compared to the U.S. dollar. Officers and staff had paid into their retirement fund in Canadian dollars until 1996 when they were no longer required to contribute.

Following the vote, Vincent A. O’Reilly, Senior Executive Assistant to the International President who assisted the committee, told the members that he has been involved in "many of these types of committee meetings in the past and the professionalism that was shown here today is rare in many other organizations."

The committee members were: Melvin Horton, Fifth District International Vice President, Chair; John Cole, Canadian (Eighth District) IEC Member and Business Manager of Local 37, Fredericton, New Brunswick; Steven Alger, Business Manager, Local 261, Groton, Connecticut; John Briegel, Business Manager, Local 254, Calgary, Alberta; Frank Conner, Business Manager, Local 2, St. Louis, Missouri; Timm Driscoll, Business Manager, Local 2150, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Joseph Fashion, Business Manager, Local 353, Toronto, Ontario; Marshall Johnson, Business Manager, Local 113, Pueblo, Colorado; Troy Johnson, President/Business Manager, Local 2021, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Marvin Kropke, Business Manager, Local 11, Los Angeles, California; Joseph Maraia, Business Manager, Local 363, New City, New York; and Howard Ritchie, Business Manager, Local 26, Washington, D.C.