Local 340, Sacramento, CA,
Pres. Larry Meredith, left,
presents Bus. Mgr. A.C.
Steel-
man (accepting on behalf of
Local 340 members past,
present and future) a
symbol
of gratitude and commitment.
L.U. 340 (em,i,o,rts&spa), SACRAMENTO, CA Our 100th Anniversary celebration
was a huge success, with attendance over 1,100. Special thanks to the Centennial
Committee for the many hours of dedication and hard work and to the many other
locals for their support. Guest speakers included Int. Pres. Hill, IEC Chairman
Milt Foster, IEC Rep. Pat Lavin, Ninth District Int. Vice Pres. Michael Mowrey
and Dept. of Industrial Relations Dir. Chuck Cake. The Local was presented with
many awards and resolutions, and the members are still talking about their pride
in commemorating the accomplishments of all Local 340 members since 1902.
Pres. Larry Meredith gave a heartfelt speech about being a union member and
taking pride in your trade. Sadly, Bro. Meredith passed away on Jan. 12, 2003,
at the age of 49. Bro. Meredith, a 25-year Local 340 member, served as president
since January 1999. He was not only a strong leader of our local, but took the
essence of brotherhood into every aspect of the community that touched him and
his family. Bro. Meredith is the son of retiree Bro. Rance "Fred" Meredith,
brother of Bro. Tom Meredith and father of apprentice Bro. Andrew Meredith. Our
local has lost a true champion who will be sorely missed.
It is with great sorrow I also report the passing of Local 340 active member
Bro. Dan Paterson and traveling Bro. Lynn Waters (Local 322), and the following
retired members: Bros. Edgar H. Hart, Neal E. Landrum, Elmer Lindke (father of
Bros. Ken and Fred Lindke), Frederick Orsi and Alex Zanze. Our thoughts and
prayers go out to their families.
Work is still slow, and we have quite a few members on our out-of-work books.
Our monthly re-sign seems to be going well in keeping the books cleaned up.
Thanks to locals employing our traveling members.
L.U. 354 (i,mt,rts&spa), SALT LAKE CITY, UT Salt Lake sends warm wishes to
everyone. We are looking forward to a better year in 2003.
December 2002 was a very busy month. The retirees held their annual Christmas
party at the hall, and it was nice to see everyone dressed up and having a
wonderful time visiting with old friends. The childrens Christmas party was
also held in December and was well attended. Santa was there for pictures with
the kids, and we also had clowns making balloon art and other arts and crafts.
The kids had a great time. I would like to encourage each and every member to
get involved with their local.
L.U. 364 (catv,ees,em,es,i,mt,rts &spa), ROCKFORD, IL At this writing, work
remains slow in our area. There are a number of decent sized projects on the
agenda and we are hopeful that work will pick up soon.
In December 2002, Local 364 held its first Christmas party at our union hall,
and approximately 200 children enjoyed the afternoon of fun, food and
activities. The children got a chance to sit on Santa Clauss lap to tell what
they wanted for Christmas. They also had their picture taken and received a
gift.
A clown, better known as Local 364 Bro. Rich Paul, led the kids in all sorts
of singing and dancing, and Bro. Ty Hillman played Santa. Thanks to both for a
great job. Thanks also to helpers, Sue Kindred and Tracy Golden, wives of Bros.
Todd Kindred and Darrin Golden, and to all who made this wonderful event
possible.
These Local 380, Norristown, PA, members worked
on the recently completed
275,000 square-foot data
center for Richards Electric.
L.U. 380 (ei,es,i&it), NORRISTOWN, PA One of our newly signed contractors,
Richards Electric, recently completed a major project for PFPC in King of
Prussia, PA, with a very tight construction schedule.
Our members, with the help of travelers, completed a 275,000 square-foot data
center. They installed two 1500 KW generators, two 3000-amp main switches, over
200,000 feet of conduit, pulled over 800,000 feet of cable and installed 450
security devices, 2,000 light fixtures and 1,900 receptacles. The amazing thing
was that it was completed in only 12 weeks, and at the peak of the job about 100
electricians were working together as a team. The owner of this new banking
facility and Richards Electric were extremely pleased with the on-time
completion. The president of Richards Electric said that he could never have
managed such an undertaking without the help of the IBEW.
Special thanks to Gen. Foreman Kevin McKernan, Foreman Bob McCoy, Dave
Klingman, Ron Pucci, Mike Barnes, Don Stilley, Rob Maxwell, Steve Regar and all
the IBEW members on this project.
L.U. 424 (as,ees,em,es,i,mo,o,ptc, rtb,rts,spa&u), EDMONTON, AB, CANADA The Scotsford and Muskeg River projects are completed. Upcoming jobs at UE 1 and
Cenesee mean full employment shortly. The lull has enabled the local to return
to basic salting. Formerly it was in stripping mode since all our members and
some 1,400 travelers were working steadily.
In Calgary, Unit 2 successfully organized Gescan. This was a difficult
campaign that proved once again that every vote counts one vote meant a
majority. In Unit 1 Edmonton the response from apprentices to organizing is very
good, but we still have difficulty getting enough journeymen willing to go out
and organize. Members should be aware that getting shops to become signatory is
not the only criteria of success in organizing. During times of high employment,
the ability of the union to control available manpower also has merit.
Negotiations are underway on a new agreement as the current two-year contract
expires in May. Plans for celebrating our 75th anniversary are "all ahead full."
Members will be advised through newsletters and unit meetings of various events.
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