L.U.
1 (as,c,ees,ei,em,es,et,fm,i, mt,rts,s,se,spa,st&ws),
ST. LOUIS, MO-On Oct. 23, 2003, the St. Louis Chapter National Joint
Apprenticeship and Training Committee hosted a banquet to recognize
154 Local 1 members who finished their apprenticeships.
Guest speakers included: IBEW Local 1 Bus. Mgr. Stephen Schoemehl,
IBEW Eleventh District Int. Vice Pres. William C. Eads, and St.
Louis Chapter NECA Branch Mgr. Doug Martin. Graduates were presented
with gifts and group pictures were taken to round out a memorable
evening.
Please be advised of the following member deaths: Billy Creason,
Robert Roesch, James Wilkson, James Militzer, John Laubersheimer,
Samuel Nixon, Joseph Baccala, Kenneth Schwent, Angelo Fahrenkrog,
Marion Sauer, Clyde Buff, Janet Nash, Louis Tacchi, John Hilsman,
John Hirschbuehler and David Wright.
L.U.
8 (i&mt), TOLEDO, OH-Local 8 will host the 2004 Wireman's
Golf Association Tournament in August 2004, and we hope to welcome
many traveling brothers and sisters to Toledo. Come early, bring
the family, and visit the Toledo Zoo, COSI, or Cedar Point Amusement
Park or enjoy some walleye fishing in Lake Erie. Just call our hall
and we'll try to give you some helpful information.
The work situation continues to be terrible, and very few of our
members are finding work elsewhere. Some sizable projects are being
discussed, but nothing confirmed.
Ohio is spending big money on new schools but much of that work
is going to non-signatory contractors, since the Republican State
Legislature took prevailing wage rates off school construction.
The Republican Party has controlled all state offices in Ohio for
more than 10 years-and the state has never been in worse fiscal
shape. Remember that next November and support labor friendly candidates.
The present administration, both state and federal, wants to see
unions disappear.
L.U.
15 (u), DOWNERS GROVE, IL-Our members at Kincaid Fossil
Generating Station overwhelmingly ratified their contract proposal
on Sept. 26. The four-year contract includes wage increases each
year and improvements in the pension plan and contractual language.
The union continues efforts to improve labor-management relations
at Midwest Generation. It is in both parties' interest.
Local 15 and Exelon's subsidiaries (Business Services Group, ComEd
Energy Delivery and Exelon Nuclear) signed a Memorandum of Agreement
on a two-year contract extension. If ratified by the membership
in December, the Voluntary Separation Plan and medical benefits
will be extended until Sept. 30, 2007, for Exelon Nuclear; and to
Sept. 30, 2008, for BSC and CED. The pension plan is extended for
all three groups to Sept. 30, 2008.
Our Organizing Dept. is working on several campaigns. We are confident
of success in more than one.
In a memorial tribute to two young
Local 17 journeyman linemen, Donny
Sheridan and Duane Sheridan, who
died in separate, non-work related
accidents, their fellow lineman
created an arch with their bucket
trucks for the funeral processions
to pass through. Both Duane and
Donny were the nephews of Pat
Sheridan, a longtime Local 17
member.
L.U.
17 (catv,em,lctt,o&u), DETROIT, MI-DTE Energy Company,
parent of utility Detroit Edison, wants to amend PA141 (DE-REG)
legislation to fix the Electric Choice Program and prevent severe
financial damage. We beliveve we're moving slowly toward a similar
situation that transpired in California. We must keep a watchful
eye on these proposals as they unfold because, let's fact it, DTE
Energy Company is our largest employer and if DTE is not healthy
it affects the union.
With the layoffs we experienced in October, many of our journeyman
linemen are out of state staffing work in other parts of the country.
Also, we are proud that we have approximately 15 apprentices staffing
union contractors out of town as well.
With sadness, we report the loss of Bros. Ira Peterson, Donny Sheridan
and Duane Sheridan.
L.U.
21 (catvgovt&t), DOWNERS GROVE, IL-As unbelievable as
it seems, Lucent is close to getting away with ignoring a contract
and putting 250 IBEW members into the CWA, against all parties'
will. The Bush federal court and an arbitrator refuse to enforce
the law. There are still other related arbitration rulings pending,
but this represents a "mopping up." Hello, is this America?
In public employee bargaining, Vermillion County agreements should
be settled as you read this, after difficult and lengthy negotiations.
City of Chicago 911 bargaining continues with no end in sight. These
negotiations are hard because of Bush's massive cuts in revenue
sharing to states and cities.
We are training hundreds of stewards and activists for the fight
this spring with the union-busting SBC. We currently have nearly
1,000 advanced grievances and over 200 arbitrations hung up at SBC.
This is right from the playbook of the union buster. We will be
ready for anything when bargaining begins.
Speaking of union-busters, Comcast bargaining continues. Our members
are hanging tough. All members are encouraged to call the Local
21 hotline at (630) 415-2711 and check the Web site at www.ibew21.org
regularly.