L.U.
728 (em,i,rts&spa), FORT LAUDERDALE, FL--The annual
picnic was held Jan. 17, 2004, with 1,200 members and their families
attending. Brothers and sisters had a chance to chat with IBEW Int.
Pres. Edwin D. Hill and Construction and Maintenance Dir. Mark Ayers,
who stopped by for a little deep-fried turkey and some stimulating
conversation. Our traveling brothers did a great job preparing 26
turkeys.
Many members brought a non-perishable item to donate to the community.
Some 833 pounds of non-perishable goods were collected. The union
food bank was re-stocked with 451 pounds of food and the remaining
382 pounds were donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank, a local non-profit
organization. An additional $150 was collected for food vouchers.
Well Done!
On Nov. 20, 2003, more that 185 brothers and sisters joined thousands
of other union members from around the country to march in Miami
to make our voices heard against the Free Trade Area of the Americas.
This was just the first of many actions that must be taken to stop
FTAA. Many of our apprentices joined us for their first real opportunity
to participate in an action of solidarity.
Voter registration is critical. Register! You have a voice, make
it heard! VOTE!
L.U.
756 (es&i), DAYTONA BEACH, FL--Our 2003 Christmas party
was a great success with about 100 members and their spouses attending.
Congratulations to retired Bro. Bob Iler on winning the grand prize
T.V.
Our annual picnic is coming up soon. We will send out information
on the specifics.
The work picture is still slow but it is hoped that the Operations
Support Building II job at Kennedy Space Center will start to pick
up soon. The in-town work is holding its own. Some small work is
being bid at Kennedy Space Center and some of our contractors are
bidding on it.
In this election year, Florida is a big battleground state. In
2002, approximately 90 percent of our members were registered. If
you are not registered, stop by the hall and get a registration
form. The AFL-CIO is doing a big member education drive. We must
get out to VOTE! George W. stole the last election. Lets not allow
that to happen here in Florida again.
L.U.
804 (i&o), KITCHENER, ON--The world in which we live
is controlled by politics and those who control the political process
control the purse strings responsible for the development of infrastructure.
Whether at the federal, provincial or municipal level, those in
power make the decisions. They control the fate of new construction.
For years, many of our sister locals have been politically active,
and our local has just recently begun to become politically active.
We must continue to build and grow our political action and awareness
program. We must take it to the next level. Political involvement
will allow us the opportunity to meet the movers and shakers involved
in our communities and afford us the opportunity to discuss the
benefits associated with unionized construction. Our goal is to
educate our members on the importance of political action and involvement.
Labor must make certain its voice is heard where and when it counts--in
front of the decision makers who control the flow of capital. There
is no doubt that political involvement pays dividends. As we build
our political program we will, over time, come to be recognized
as a powerful force.
L.U.
1116 (em,lctt&u), TUCSON, AZ--The following members
recently retired: Thomas Gallagher, Doug Bingham, Julie Pawlak,
Fran Lopez, Joe Maderas, Johnny Badilla, Eddie Flores, Gerald McNeely
and Melvin McGrew. Bro. Thomas Gallagher served the local as business
manager, president and Executive Board member. His dedication made
this local a better one for all members.
We continue our organizing efforts by approaching new hires about
the benefits of union membership and by encouraging active member
involvement and attendance at monthly union meetings. We utilize
the Internet to view the IBEW Web site, a valuable resource to stay
abreast of political issues that affect organized labor and read
about the triumphs and struggles of other locals. To date, our organizing
efforts at UES/Gas have gained us 30-plus members.
Also, thanks to 7th District Int. Rep. George L. Crawford, we recently
held two outstanding Industrial Stewards Training classes in Springerville
and Phoenix for our UES/Gas, SES/Supplemental and TEP Springerville
stewards.
L.U.
1900 (u), WASHINGTON, DC--Our members at Frederick Gas Company
in the 'Clerical' group ratified their contract Oct. 31, 2003. The
'Physical' group ratified their contract July 31, 2003.
Our Executive Board appointed Roy Green to serve as the Frederick
Gas Board member.
As of this writing, our members at Mirant Mid-Atlantic have been
working under the companys implemented 'Terms and Conditions of
Employment' since August 10, 2003. These 'Terms and Conditions'
were Mirants last, best and final offer. The National Labor Relations
Board rejected the charges originally filed by Local 1900. Local
1900 is appealing the NLRBs decision and, at this writing, no meetings,
have yet been scheduled.
The contract for our members at PEPCO expires May 31, 2004. At
press time, negotiations were scheduled to begin in spring 2004.
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