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September 2005 IBEW Journal

IBEW Lifesaving Award

L.U. 949 (t&u), BURNSVILLE, MN—Bro. Ronald E. Peters, retired service representative for Alliant Energy/Chatfield area, was presented with the IBEW Lifesaving Award and pin for his part in rescuing Bro. Bob Weber, a trouble-line patroller. When the helicopter Bro. Weber was riding in crashed upon takeoff in August 2004, Bro. Peters was at the city shop and heard on the scanner that a copter had crashed. Knowing Bob was doing aerial line patrol that day, Ron jumped into a truck and headed to the landing area. Upon finding the aircraft lying on its side on top of pilot Perry Walton, Ron set up the truck and lifted the helicopter with the material handler.

Both Bro. Weber and the pilot were transported to St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester and have since recovered from their injuries.

Bro. Peters’ quick thinking and action saved the life of the trapped pilot and provided quick assistance to Bro. Weber—all two days prior to Peters’ retirement date. That’s leaving in style. Great job, Ron!

Cy Grover, P.S.

‘Red Stick’ News

L.U. 995 (i,o,rts&spa), BATON ROUGE, LA—Congratulations to the Local 995 graduating class of 2005. The local hosted a dinner July 7 to honor the graduates. Paul Lherisson won the Baton Rouge Area Electrical JATC 2005 Outstanding Apprentice competition. He will attend the NJATC National Training Institute at the University of Tennessee. We are very proud of the entire class of outstanding new journeymen.

Local 995 honors apprentice Micah Morris, who is serving with the U.S. Army Reserve in Iraq. He previously served one year in Afghanistan. We pray for his safety.

In the name of security, the government is pushing mandates that call for certification and performance evaluations in our very technical trade. The world is changing and we must change with it. As IBEW officers have often noted: “We cannot claim the work if we cannot perform the task.”

Ongoing journeyman training classes are available and will increase employment opportunities.

Congratulations to Bro. Mike Clary as he enters his sixth month as president of Local 996. He is doing a great job working with Bus. Mgr. K.E. Russell and our Executive Board. We thank former president Earl Long, who retired in April, for his dedicated service to the local.

Keith W. Brand, P.S.

Political Activism

L.U. 1049 (lctt,o&u), LONG ISLAND, NY—Congratulations to Bus. Mgr. Ralph Ranghelli on his appointment as president of the New York State Association of Electrical Workers (NYSAEW). The NYSAEW is the lobbying arm of the IBEW for New York state. Politics play a large role in our everyday lives. Decisions made in Albany (i.e. the LIPA transition) and Washington, D.C. (Social Security, pension and energy deregulation) affect every aspect of our daily lives.

We all need to get involved in the process so that we can affect positive change for ourselves, our families and all working people. One way you can affect change is to get involved in the Governmental Affairs Committee. Throughout the year the committee tracks issues and legislation and helps elect representatives who will support the hard earned rights of working families. You can also contribute to the IBEW Local 1049 COPE Fund. And finally, you should always vote. To get involved, contact Dir. Ellen Redmond at the union hall.

Thanks to Organizer Robert Podlaski and the Organizing Committee for contributing to our continued growth, prosperity and strength. They recently organized All Aspects Inc., a machinery and equipment hauling company. Organizing victories ensure the work in our jurisdiction will be done by Local 1049 members.

Thomas J. Dowling, R.S.

A Top PAC Contributor

L.U. 1191 (u), WEST PALM BEACH, FL—Congratulations to Vice Pres. and PAC Committee Chmn. Joe Brennan. Thanks to his hard work and dedication, our local is one of the top contributors among the System Council U-04 locals.

Thanks to all our members, we had a good voting turnout out for the recent election of local union officers. All of our current officers were re-elected for another term. Two new members, Ed Browder and Keith Lamoureux, were elected to the E-Board. Kevin Mueller, our financial secretary, was elected as delegate to the International Convention. Congratulations to our officers and E-Board members.

This summer we sent delegates to the IBEW Utility Conference in Baltimore and the Fifth District Progress Meeting in Birmingham. In October, our local will send delegates to the Membership Development Conference in Las Vegas. We will have reports from these delegates at our monthly meetings.

Our annual picnic was another success, thanks to the hard work of Brad Baldwin and Lou Ferrante. Visit our Web site at www.ibewlu1191.org to view pictures of the picnic. See you at the next union meeting. Work safe.

Harry Thomas, P.S.

Election Results

L.U. 1249 (catv,lctt,o,t&u), SYRACUSE, NY—We held our local union elections in June and our newly elected officers are: Bus. Mgr. John Bishko, Pres. William C. Boire, Vice Pres. David T. Burnett, Fin. Sec. Tina M. Prosonic, Rec. Sec. Stephen S. Karboski and Treas. Jerry J. Ashlaw. Executive Board members are: William C. Boire (chairman), Charles D. Brigham, Timothy J. Dillon, Michael T. Dougherty, Richard J. French, Timothy J. Keck and Dennis J. Morgan. Congratulations to all!

Also congratulations to our newest journeyman linemen: Craig Changelo, Justin DeSantis, Matt Lastowski, Jason Nesci, Kennard Walter and Wilson Wild. It’s good to see a group of fine young men make journeyman.

Work remains fairly good in our area. The Flat Rock Windmill Project has started and it looks as though many of our people will be headed that way. Distribution is starting to pick up throughout the area also.

With sadness we report the passing of Bros. Joseph Sullivan, Maxwell Page and Thomas C. Robbins Jr. Our deepest sympathy to their families.

Remember, brothers and sisters: Buy union-made products.

William C. Boire
Asst. B.A./Pres./P.S.