April 2005 IBEW Journal
New Union Hall
L.U. 46 (c,em,i,rtb,rts,cs,es,mt,mo, mar,as,et&st), SEATTLE, WA—Bar-B-Q Night, the second Wednesday of each month—also known as the night of the general meeting—has become better attended as word gets out and more members attend meetings at the new hall. We are enjoying our new kitchen facilities and the comfy chairs in the conversational areas. We intend to utilize our kitchen more by creating social occasions for our members like pancake breakfasts, spaghetti feeds, maybe have a theme each month and celebrate it. Cinco de Mayo?! St. Patty’s Dance? Oktoberfest? We hope there is enough enthusiasm—as well as volunteers—to bring such ambitious plans to fruition.
Nominations for local union officers and board members are scheduled for the May general meeting. The local union election will be held in June. Consider what type of role you’d like to play in our union for the next three years. Our hall’s success depends on the experience and cooperation inside the hall just as much as out in the field. We continue to present leadership classes for interested members, and they might be a great start to define what makes "Union" important to you, and why you are important to the union too.
Karlena Bromiley, P.S.
Volunteering and Waiting
L.U. 48 (c,em,i,rtb,rts&st), PORTLAND, OR—Local 48 remains very busy doing volunteer work for the Portland, OR, and Vancouver, WA, Habitat for Humanity and will continue to do so. Many man-hours are being donated every week for these projects, which provide affordable housing for low-income families. As the "GW" Administration plods along, low-income families are finding it harder to afford homes. Habitat helps to combat this issue.
The greater Portland/Vancouver metro area has been successful in fighting off the expansion of Wal-Mart stores. Hillsboro, OR, rallied to deny access and now Gresham, OR, is waging a battle to keep Wal-Mart out. Once into rural areas Wal-Mart drives out family and smaller businesses and provides less than living-wage jobs. Wal-Mart also puts high volumes of traffic into areas designed for neighborhood levels of traffic.
As spring approaches it is hoped that larger jobs will break and get our members back to work. Oregon and Washington both still lag behind the nation in job growth and have high unemployment numbers. The expansion of the South Waterfront, Oregon Health Sciences University and the Tram up Pill Hill may get started by spring.
Dave Jacobsen, P.S.
Worker Education Program
L.U. 58 (em,i,rtb&spa), DETROIT, MI—Analysts predict we will experience an increase in construction this summer. In Detroit the work picture has been so slow for the last three years, it can only improve. Over 1,000 are on Book I.
News reports project airport renovations in spring 2006 with a second phase in 2009. No talk about additional work for the 2006 Super Bowl in Detroit. Save a phone call and use 58’s Web site for daily job calls: www.ibewlocal58.org. Consider traveling if you are close to expiring your benefits. Work is reported in Flint, Lansing, Ann Arbor and Toledo. For those willing to go farther, work also was reported in Tampa, Miami, L.A., Vegas, San Antonio, Fresno and San Bernadino. The agent of the day will make calls for you.
The negotiating advisory committee is meeting to discuss the $1.80 contract disbursement in June. Please give them guidance by returning your surveys.
Remember the upcoming Worker Education Program at the union hall. Learn more about the political, economic and media issues that impact our lives as working people.
We remember all our members who died last year, especially Ed Paticca, former assistant business manager, and Doreen Bortman, former Apprentice Committee member.
Kathy Devlin, P.S.
Toyota Plant
L.U. 60 (i), SAN ANTONIO, TX—The Toyota Manufacturing plant here in San Antonio is starting to roll. We are starting to see the Books move and look forward to putting out travelers in the summer of 2005.
Our recruiting efforts are going well, thanks to our member development staff. We have had great turnouts at our weekly open house. It’s a sight to see nonunion service trucks in front of our building, while the hands are inside our union hall getting informed on how they are being shortchanged.
Local 60 would also like to remind all our traveling members to re-sign by the 10th of every month. Also to brothers and sisters who are heading our way, remember to sign up on the ERTS system in your home local; also, you will need a current OSHA 10 certificate and a Code of Excellence class to take a call to Toyota. Classes will be available at a discounted rate for IBEW members on our Books.
We really do have the best deal in town so let’s work hard together to make things even better.
Armando Rodriguez, A.B.M.
Market Recovery
L.U. 68 (i), DENVER, CO—Local 68 is moving forward in an attempt to better working conditions, productivity and the work picture. We have currently trained and pre-trained 29 members in the art of being a steward. The local also has moved forward to train as many members as possible in the Code of Excellence. Many thanks to Int. Reps. Carl R. "Rick" Baer, Guy P. Runco and Ted C. Jensen for the top-notch training. The first Code of Excellence job will be Children’s Hospital, a job that was secured through Market Recovery.
The difference between Intermountain Electric (union) and Ludvik (non-union) on a low bid of $23,313,099 was only $349,901—not much, but as a result of market recovery our members will have 182,641 hours of work.
Through the joint efforts of Locals 12, 113, 969 and 68, House Bill 1103 is moving through the political process. HB-1103 changes the apprentice to journeyman ratio from 3-1 to 1-1. We believe this will turn out safer and more qualified journeymen to the work force.
Once again thanks to all the locals that have put Local 68’s traveling brothers and sisters to work.
Larry O’Neill, Pres.
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