Local 385, Pittsburgh, PA, members Randy Graham,
left, and Curtis Beckman, right, on a utility pole at the
Shenango Valley Mall, Hermitage, PA, to help raise
awareness and donations for Western Pennsylvania
tornado victims.
L.U. 385 (as,catv,ees,em,es,et,fm, govt,ptc,rtb,rts,s,se&ws),
PITTSBURGH, PAOn Saturday, Nov. 23, 2002, two longtime members
employed by Adelphia Communications Corp, Hermitage, PA, volunteered
to spend 24 hours atop a utility poleall for a good cause. Bros.
Curtis Beckman and Randy Graham braved cold weather to help raise
awareness and donations for victims of the Nov. 10, 2002, tornado
that whipped through areas of Western Pennsylvania, with winds exceeding
115 miles per hour.
Family members and other Adelphia workers supported
the two men from the ground, and local restaurants donated coffee
and lunches that the men ate atop the pole. Curtis and Randy were
allowed bathroom privileges as long as one remained on the pole.
To stay warm, the technicians wore heavy jackets, pants and gloves
and donned red, white and blue hard hats over hoods. The utility
pole was located near the entrance to the Shenango Valley Mall.
The event was planned in conjunction with the Salvation Army, and
volunteers collected cash and food donations.
A special thank you to all the volunteers and to
all who participated in this great fund-raising event. Together
we can make a difference.
Local 405, Cedar Rapids, IA, members and family
collect cards from the Salvation Army Angel Tree.
They are from left, the Dan and Missy Whitehall
family, Mike and Kimberly Brenneman family,
Dewayne and Stephanie Olney family and Barbara
Shepherd.
L.U. 405 (em,i,rtb&spa), CEDAR RAPIDS,
IAOn the morning before Christmas, I was feeling very honored to
be delivering a $1,000 check from Local 405 to the Iowa City Crisis
Center and Food Bank. We voted at a recent meeting to give equal
gifts to the Iowa City and the Cedar Rapids Food Banks, the Cedar
Rapids Boys and Girls Club, the Madge Phillips Center and the Linn
County Salvation Army. Certainly, my delivery was not the only one
taking place this day.
The local also approved a $1,000 sponsorship for
the Johnson County Angel Tree. This Angel Tree is a seasonal Salvation
Army project that assists parents with Christmas purchases for their
children. Sponsors collect angel cutout ornaments representing a
child from the tree, and they purchase a gift that a parent will
be able to give to their child. Four families had a great time making
these purchases, and we pray that our efforts helped make Christmas
a little warmer for 44 children.
We thank everyone who participated. It is good
to know that our Brotherhood has such goodwill, even with the work
situation getting us down this past year.
L.U. 415 (c,govt,i&u), CHEYENNE, WYAfter
many hours of research and considering the pros and cons, the Wyoming
JATC has adopted daytime classroom training. Each class year will
attend class at our training center in Casper for alternating weeks
during the yearly session. Traveling apprentices will be housed
in Casper at no expense while away from home.
As we fine-tune our organizing efforts in the Gillette
area, we welcome our new Organizer Patrick Cerney. It will be a
long and tedious task and we wish him success with this difficult
endeavor. Work is very slow right now, the slowest it has been in
10 years. There is tremendous opportunity in the Gillette area,
and it would be a great help to organize an area that has been very
unfriendly in the past. The Two Elks powerhouse project is still
on hold and we will get the word out as soon as something is definite.
Please mark your calendar to attend the 100-year
anniversary party to be held on Sept. 13, 2003, in Cheyenne. When
you receive your invitation, please fill out the enclosed RSVP and
plan to attend.
Our condolences to the families of Bros. Jon Reel
and Greg Wallace, who passed away.
L.U. 449 (catv,em,i,o,rtb,rts,spa&u), POCATELLO,
IDLocal 449 had a banner year in 2002, with over 600 traveling
brothers and sisters working in our local for the past few months.
In December 2002, there was a major layoff on one
job that had over 700 electricians working over the past few months.
At this writing, we have 420 members on Book II. We want to thank
all the brothers and sisters for the wonderful job they did and
for all their help. I dont expect to see a lot happen here in the
next few months.
I would like to wish everyone a prosperous New
Year. Local 449 should have a good upcoming year and be able to
keep our membership and several travelers working.
We offer our condolences to the families of Ray
Wingert, Floyd Hallinan, Marshall Helm, Truman Wilson and CM "Buck"
Gulbranson, who passed away.
Congratulations to newly retired Bros. Gary J.
Triplett, Robert Allen, Roy Frisk, Bill Pappani and Lyle Carson.
From left, Local 457, Meriden,
CT, Rec. Sec. Ernest DAgata,
Doctor George Gentile (uncle
of Treas. Fran Gentile) and
Local 420 member Hank
Pustelnik at a NUVETS event.
L.U. 457 (u), MERIDEN, CTLocal union
officers and members attended a two-year celebration for Northeast
Utilities veterans (NUVETS) on Oct. 31, 2002.
NUVETS is an employee veteran group established
two years ago by union and nonunion veterans employed by Northeast
Utilities to recognize and support veterans from all eras in all
branches of the military service. The group sponsors worthwhile
community events and raises money for Veterans Hospitals and other
veteran charities. Veterans are urged to join this worthwhile group.
L.U. 503 (t&u), MONROE, NYNegotiations with
Warwick Telephone, which began on Nov. 7, 2002, continue to be in
progress. Mirant negotiations are scheduled to begin April 2003.
The Local continues to hear numerous arbitration cases. Updates
will be given at the next monthly meeting.
As a reminder, the General Meeting is held the
second Monday of each month. Check the bulletin boards for specific
unit meeting dates.
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