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July/August 2005 IBEW Journal

Work Slowing

L.U. 196 (govt,mt,o,t&u) ROCKFORD, IL—Our outside work is slowing down as the utility company has said they will only commit to the middle of July. If you’re looking for work, call. We still may need journeyman linemen.

Our telephone work is slow; the phone companies are releasing some work. The hard part is they usually shut the door on us and open it freely to the IUOE. We have made some progress lately.

We will continue to struggle the next few years not only with other labor organizations but with our federal government. The Bush administration has put some tougher reporting laws on labor organizations and not on big business. This new reporting has and will cost the locals more revenue. We need to make changes in the next elections. You and I know who our enemies are and it isn’t the IBEW. Everyone remember to vote in every election. Attend all training and always attend your regular monthly union meetings.

Edgar R. Mings Jr., B.M./F.S.

Congratulations, Bro. Konicek


Local 204 Bro. Gerald
"Ole" Konicek celebrates
his retirement.

L.U. 204 (t&u), CEDAR RAPIDS, IA—Our deepest sympathy goes out to the families of the following members who passed away recently: James Burke, retired coal handler from Burlington Generation Station, who passed away March 11, 2005; Wilber Ralph, original charter member of Local 204, who passed away March 28, 2005; Dick North, floor operator at Prairie Creek Power Station, who passed away April 17, 2005; Clarence Shill, 55-year member, retired Gas Department foreman from Marshalltown, who passed away April 16, 2005; and Harold Dealey, retiree from Muscatine, who passed away March 6, 2005.

Local 204 sends belated congratulations to Gerald "Ole" Konicek on his retirement effective June 1, 2004. Ole started with Iowa Electric in 1965 as a utility man, then worked as a coal & ash man, moving up to mobile equipment operator, then worked as an operating engineer helper, before becoming a mechanical maintenance man. Ole served Local 204 as a union steward, Plant Safety Committee member, and also served on the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee.

Randy Drummer, P.S.

Memorial Day Tribute


Local 210 members gather for a
Workers Memorial Day tribute on
the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

L.U. 210 (u), ATLANTIC CITY, NJ—Many Local 210 brothers and sisters participated in this year’s Workers Memorial Day tribute on the Atlantic City Boardwalk (see photo). We honor the memory of all who have fallen. They will never be forgotten.

Among the walkers who attended, John Essl (pictured far left) retired from the Substation Department in June after 27 years as an IBEW member. Other members retiring recently include Dave Brown (Deepwater), with 23 years of service; Tom Rehr (Communications), 35 years; Frank Hofacker (OH), 35 years; and Terje "Ted" Thogersen (OH), 39 years. Best wishes to all on a happy and healthy retirement. Those of us who learned from your experience will pass it on with pride.

Dene Krason, R.S.

Election Results

L.U. 223 (em,govt&i), BROCKTON, MA—We are glad to announce the reelection of several dedicated officers, and others who are eager to help out our Brotherhood.

Local 223 election results are as follows: Bus. Mgr./Fin. Sec. Timothy Cayton, Pres. Robert Revil, Vice Pres. Brian Hubert, Rec. Sec. William Melon, Treas. David Fenton; Delegates to IBEW Convention Ernest Correia and David Fenton; Executive Board members Francis Welch, Joseph Revil, Scott Ramsey, Brian Callahan, Maria Fidalgo, Leo Dube, Thomas Ross and Jay Medeiros; and.Examining Board members Steven Barry, Thomas Carvalho, Joseph Boyd and Edward Allaire.

We wish continued success for those reelected and we applaud those brothers and sisters who stepped up to offer the local their help. Thank you all. As of this writing we are enjoying good employment, with a few travelers in the area and good outlook for the near future. Wishing all our members a safe and prosperous summer.

David Amaral, P.S.

The Utility Industry

L.U. 245 (govt,lctt,o,rtb&u), TOLEDO, OH—I recently participated in my first "resource sharing" experience—where one plant with limited resources shares its people with another plant with limited resources for refueling outages. (By the way, this was a pleasant experience thanks to Local 29’s hospitality.)

I’ve been in the utility industry 35 years. When I was first hired we were a small business serving northwest Ohio. Today, we are part of corporate America stretching to the East Coast and serving the northeastern United States. We have half as many employees and twice as much work.

Today we pay more for benefits and get less in return. Today the corporations make more than twice the profit, yet we only get half the raises we used to get. Power outages happen twice as often, yet we have less than half the resources to respond to them. We get half the service and benefits; the company gets twice the profit at half the cost—deregulation at its finest.

The IBEW has worked hard on these issues, but the deregulation lobby has deep pockets.

Unions and union members are the only voice working people have today. Stay politically aware and politically active. The IBEW Web site is a good start: www.ibew.org. Please get involved. Working people depend on you.

Ray Zychowicz, P.S.