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Anew national alliancebetween the InternationalBrotherhood of ElectricalWorkers and an association

of investor-owned and public utili-ties is bringing labor and manage-ment together to confront industrychallenges.

More than 200 union and indus-try leaders came to Washington, D.C.,June 27 to found the National LaborManagement and Public AffairsCommittee. There have beenregional LAMPACs for years—thefirst was formed in 1959—but thisis the first effort to establish anationwide labor-managementcommittee in the utility industry.

“The time is right for a new,cooperative relationship betweenlabor and management in the utilityindustry,” International PresidentEdwin D. Hill said at the meeting.“We have much more to gain byworking in partnership than we doby getting mired in adversarial bat-tles that benefit no one in the longterm.” The IBEW represents approxi-mately 220,000 utility workers.

One of the group’s top priori-ties is to help craft new environ-mentally friendly energy policiesthat can create new jobs. “It’s in both sides’interest to come together on the legislativelevel to confront the issue,” said UtilityDepartment Director Jim Hunter.

In 2007, the IBEW and an IBEW-repre-sented utility, American Electric Power,

teamed up to promote an idea that uses tradeas an incentive for newly industrialized coun-tries to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, aplan that could serve as a model for futuregreen legislation.

“With concern over energy prices andtheir impact on the environment at an all-time high, we must speak with a strongvoice—and one that is united as possible—on national affairs,” Hill said.

Edison Electric Institute PresidentThomas R. Kuhn also addressed the Junegathering. “When people look back 30 yearsfrom now, they can say the change we neededstarted today,” he said. EEI is an associationof shareholder-owned electric companies.

Another issue the group willaddress is the skilled labor short-age. “Training and recruitmentwas ignored for too long thanksto deregulation and we need toplay catch-up,” Hunter said.

The IBEW has alreadyentered into agreements withlocal utilities from Seattle toDetroit to establish regionaltraining centers. In May, anationwide program to buildtraining centers was solidifiedwith the creation of a Taft-Hartley trust, jointly adminis-tered by the IBEW and signatoryutility companies.

The lead the IBEW hastaken on training and recruit-ment and its adoption of a util-ity code of excellence has shownthat it is in the industry’s bestinterest to build a relationship,Hunter said.

Also addressing the meet-ing was Rep. Rick Boucher(D-Va.), chairman of the HouseEnergy and Commerce Energyand Air Quality Subcommittee,which is writing the nation’sfirst mandatory greenhouse gascontrol measure.

“We are determined to get our energypolicy right, but we need your help so we arenot stuck with the false choice of jobs or theenvironment,” Boucher said.

One of the meeting’s highlights was thepresentation of three American flags thatwere flown over the Capitol building in honorof LAMPAC’s founding to President Hill,Kuhn and Mark Crisson, president and chiefexecutive officer of the American PublicPower Association.

The national group will be governed by asteering committee made up of one appointeefrom the EEI, two from investor-owned utili-ties and three from the IBEW. �

2IBEW membership up

Electrical work endangers troops

3Nielson Media techs join IBEW fold

Outside safety alliancesaves linemen

A new IBEW face in cyberspace

4North of 49°

5Circuits

Legislative Update

Organizing Wire

Safety spotlight

6Transitions

7Local Lines

14Editorials

Letters to the Editor

Who We Are

I n t e r n a t i o n a l B r o t h e r h o o d o f E l e c t r i c a l W o r k e r s Vol. 2 | No. 8 | August 2008

I N T H I S I S S U E

Utility members will benefit from a new national labor-managementcommittee, National LAMPAC, founded in June.

IBEW, Utility Industry Meet in the Middle

Renewed Organizing Push Increases IBEW Membership

The last eight years have been toughon the labor movement. A weak econ-omy, an unfriendly president, aNational Labor Relations Board in

the hands of a hostile majority and anaggressively anti-union spirit among manyemployers have not made organizing easy.

But despite the many obstacles, theIBEW has reversed the trend in decliningmembership to see steady growth in nearlyevery branch of the Brotherhood since itlaunched its ambitious membership develop-ment plan in 2006.

“A” membership, largely in construction,broke new records in November 2007 and hascontinued to increase each month since (See“Standout Locals Organize Record Number ofMembers,” Electrical Worker, July 2008).Additionally, “BA” membership reversed adeclining trend, creating increases in overallmembership. After dipping below 700,000total active members only one year ago, theIBEW has increased its number to nearly710,000, with total membership rising for15 of the previous 17 months.

“The combined efforts of local and districtofficers, organizers from the InternationalOffice and the commitment of rank-and-filemembers to organizing have really turnedthings around,” said Buddy Satterfield, SpecialAssistant to the International President forMembership Development. “Thanks to thestrong backing of International PresidentEdwin D. Hill and the International VicePresidents, our long efforts are finally begin-ning to bear fruit.”

Philadelphia Local 614, one of thefastest growing locals in the union, picked upmore than 1,000 new members in the lastyear thanks to an aggressive organizing effortat the utility PECO. The campaign finallycame to fruition last spring with the ratifica-tion of the first contracts in May 2007 for thecall center and energy delivery units.

What’s the local’s recipe for success?Consistency and patience, Local 614 BusinessManager John Brown said. “It took 25 monthsof negotiating to get our first contracts and wewouldn’t have achieved that if the negotiatingcommittee didn’t give 100 percent to theeffort and if we didn’t have the support of allof our employees the entire time,” Brown said.

A strong internal organizing drive byLaurel, Miss., Local 1317 has netted morethan 200 members in the last year. The local,which represents manufacturing workers atHoward Industries, Inc., operates in the right-to-work South, meaning they have to continu-ally recruit new members from the shop floor.

But by educating employees about theirrights and illustrating the benefits that comefrom being a union member, the local hasbeen recruiting on a regular basis, said Local1317 Business Manager Clarence Larkin. “It’s

a constant process to keep the union aliveand growing,” he said. Organizer MariaGonzales has also helped the local in reachingout to the increasing number of Latino work-ers at the plant.

Dallas Local 69 recruited 380 new mem-bers after a successful organizing drive atTXU—Texas’ largest utility—was solidifiedwith the signing of its first contract thisspring, nearly two years after employeesvoted for union representation.

The campaign started when the com-pany threatened to subcontract more than500 jobs and reduce their benefits. “It was awake-up call that got the employees moving,”said Local 69 President Scott Smith.

A joint team of local, district andInternational representatives led the intensivegrassroots mobilization that covered nearly theentire state. “Timing is everything in organiz-ing and this was one of those opportunities togo for it,” Smith said.

Only a half an hour away from the Local69 union hall is one of the IBEW’s newestand fastest-growing locals. Arlington Local220 was chartered in January to representmore than 580 manufacturing and utilityworkers and outside linemen.

Already more than 300 workers are readyto join Local 220, thanks to a targeted internalorganizing drive at different work sites. Thenew local’s strategy for growth is “carefullyidentifying the issues that are important tothe workers you are trying to organize,” saidSeventh District International RepresentativeGeorge Crawford. “Don’t make pie in the skypromises, but do talk about how the union willstick by you through thick and thin.”

Other standout locals that have con-tributed to the IBEW’s growth include EastWindsor, N.J., Local 827, which organizednearly 600 new members; Downers Grove,Ill., Local 21, which organized more than 400members; and Honolulu Local 1186, whichorganized more than 300 new workers. �

2 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008

2005 resignation letter that the electrical infra-structure was “a disaster waiting to happen.”

St. Louis Local 1 member Joe Clarkson,serving with the 245th Army MaintenanceSupport Company, was stationed in Iraq in2005. KBR electricians installed the wiring inhis barracks without the use of wire nuts tohold the cables together. Instead, theytwisted the wires and put tape on them.

“There was no quality control, and theworkers were completely exploited,” he said.“It’s no wonder there have been accidentsand fatalities.”

U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.)began pressing Defense Secretary RobertGates in March for details regarding the acci-dental electrocution of U.S. troops over thelast five years in Iraq. The Senate ForeignRelations Committee also heard testimony inApril from Gen. David Petraeus, the Americancommander in Iraq, about conditions at manyU.S. bases. But inspections of KBR-run facili-ties only began after Petraeus suppliedCongress with additional information in lateJune about the most recent casualty.

Formerly named Kellogg, Brown & Root,KBR is an anti-union corporation that isamong a few companies awarded no-bid con-tracts by the Bush administration immediatelyfollowing the Iraq invasion. The former sub-sidiary of Halliburton (of which Vice PresidentDick Cheney was once CEO) is one of manycorporations tasked with rebuilding in Iraq. �

Troops Endangered by Shoddy Electrical Work

Following 13 deaths of Americans due toelectrocution, the Pentagon in Juneordered electrical inspections of allmilitary facilities in Iraq maintained by

KBR, Inc., a contractor that has received bil-lions from the government to house and feedAmerican troops there and in Afghanistan.

Several of the deaths and other electricalaccidents occurred in showers and swimmingpools at U.S. barracks maintained by KBR,angering many who say duty in a war zone isdangerous enough.

“Whoever is responsible for this needs tobe held accountable,” said Kansas City, Mo.,Local 53 member Marijane Green, whose twosons are active duty Marines. “I’m very con-cerned that we are sending troops over thereunder these circumstances.”

Green, a clerk at the Kansas City Boardof Public Utilities, said one son recentlyreturned from Iraq and the other will belikely be deployed there in early 2009. Shesaid she has written to local lawmakers andmembers of Congress.

“Our troops have to deal with IEDs andrifle fire,” Green said. “They shouldn’t have toalso worry about taking a shower or goingswimming. It’s unbelievable.”

One of the most recent accidents causedthe death of Green Beret and Staff Sgt. RyanMaseth. The 24-year-old Pittsburgh native waselectrocuted in January while taking a showerat his base, a former palace compound near

the Baghdad airport. He died due to faultygrounding, though his family was initially toldthat Maseth brought an electrical appliancewith him into the showers. Maseth’s family hassince filed a wrongful death suit against KBR.

The New York Times reported in May thatAmerican electricians working for KBR consis-tently stressed to management that poorlytrained and underpaid employees were produc-ing unsafe work. One KBR worker said in his

Kansas City, Mo., Local 53 member Marijane Greenhas two sons who are active duty Marines.

Newly organized TXU membershammer out a first contract.

w w w. i b e w. o r g T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008 3

Managers at Nielsen Media in theNew York metropolitan area andNew Jersey had already defeatedtwo union campaigns by techni-

cians who install the devices that track tele-vision viewer preferences for the renownedNielsen ratings. When IBEW organizersbegan a third campaign in February, thecompany looked for some new tactics.

Managers at the highly-profitable globalenterprise set up an outing for their crews toattend a Mets game. But the bosses foundout that it’s not so easy to duck the union.Members of New York Local 3 posted a score-board message reading, “The Mets WelcomeNielsen Techs and Local 164 IBEW,” the localunion organizing the technicians. The com-pany managers were fuming, but their work-ers were getting a taste of the widespreadinfluence of the IBEW.

In June, the Nielsen work force voted 14to 6 in favor of union representation by JerseyCity, N.J., Local 164. Lead Organizer MarcAisen worked with Region 1 CoordinatorSteve Rockafellow and Local 164 OrganizerSteve Clay on the campaign.

Wage rates for the trained electronic tech-nicians are dependent upon the number ofreports received from the TV units they install.They were upset with stagnating pay due toconditions out of their control, like malfunc-

Outside linemen, the men and womenwho set poles, string line and repairtransmission and distribution equip-ment, have traditionally held one of

the most dangerous jobs in the country. Thehazards that come from working in the indus-try are many: fatal electrocutions, burns andhigh falls, just to name a few. More than 600line workers have been killed or injured onthe job in the last decade alone.

While danger is nothing new for line-men, both the IBEW—which representsnearly 20,000 outside line workers—andmany employers found the number of fatali-ties and injuries in the industry too high.

“A lot of members said they didn’t wanthave to go to another funeral and neither didtheir managers,” said IBEW Safety DepartmentDirector Jim Tomaseski.

So four years ago the IBEW, the Occupa-tional Safety and Health Administration, andsome of the leading power line contractors,along with NECA and the Edison ElectricInstitute, an association of utilities, formed aunique alliance to reduce the number ofdeaths and injuries plaguing the industry.

The OSHA Transmission and DistributionPartnership, thanks to its emphasis on jointlabor-management collaboration and safetyeducation, has reduced accidents at the par-ticipating companies by nearly half, with 2008expected to see the largest drop yet.

By studying industry fatality and injurydata to discover the most common causes ofaccidents, a team of partnership representa-tives recommends new work rules and pro-cedures. The practices—which in manycases go above OSHA-mandated safetyrules—are adopted by each of the companiesas official policy.

“We weren’t interested in making changesin just our part of the industry, we wanted seeit go nationwide—union and nonunion,”Tomaseski said. Already utilities that aren’tpartner to the alliance have started adoptingsome of its recommendations.

The partnership has also developed twoOSHA-accredited training courses of 10 and20 hours in length that have been widely givenin the participating companies and are avail-able to anyone in the industry.

The alliance will be renewed thisSeptember. “We’ve made a lot of progress, butwe’re still not done yet,” Tomaseski said.

For more information, visitwww.powerlinesafety.org. �

tioning equipment or participants who are paidby Nielsen, but don’t use the devices properly.

Despite the workers’ concerns, theorganizing campaign stalled after a majorityof workers had signed cards.

Aisen told leaders of the committee thathe was thinking of closing down the campaign.“They stepped up and rose to the occasion.”

E-mail communications among the tech-nicians were a key to the organizing win.

One technician wrote, “I believe ourteam in N.Y. is by far some of the best, mostprofessional people I’ve ever worked with.We look out for each other. And as a union

we will be even tighter than we are now.”Nielsen tried several tactics in its effort

to defeat the campaign, including bringingsome previously-transferred technicians backto New York to vote against the union.Organizers said that the company also triedto divide the workers along racial and ethniclines. Both tactics failed, but Nielsen hasnevertheless challenged the union’s win atthe National Labor Relations Board.

Organizers are confident that the unionis in Nielsen’s New York jurisdiction to stay.And the word is out that technicians at otherNielsen locations are paying close attention. �

OutsideLine SafetyPartnershipHavingImpact

High Ratings for IBEW at Nielsen Mediain New York

Technicians atNielsen Media meetafter voting forrepresentation byJersey City, N.J.,Local 164.

The IBEW’s new Web siteat www.ibew.org repre-sents a quantum leap for-ward in the way the

union makes its presence knownin cyberspace.

Launched July 3, theenhanced site—complete withnext-generation graphics andvideo news stories—gives mem-bers easier access to informationabout political activities, organiz-ing information and more thor-ough coverage via the IBEW NowNews Blog.

“As technologies change, ourupgraded site ensures that the IBEW stays atthe forefront of delivering timely, importantinformation to our members, while giving acomprehensive overview of our union to thosewho potentially are looking to join us,” saidIBEW International President Edwin D. Hill.

The newWeb site will provide a launchpad for other interactive cyberspace events likelast spring’s State of Our Union message for the

utility branch, which was broadcast live fromHollywood onwww.ibew.org. That webcast isstill available for viewing on the new site,accessed through the utility branch section.

Visitors may also stay current on unionnews with The Electrical Worker and TheIBEW Journal. Links to the constructionbranch’s video sites Hour Power and ElectricTV may be reached from the home page. The

drop-down menus at the top of the homepage lead to other helpful links, such asInternational Office departments, the Councilon Industrial Relations, IBEW pension plansand related labor sites.

For grassroots mobilizing, the Member-ship Development Library is an ever-evolving,one-stop shop for organizers. Found in theLocal Connections section, the library providesmembers with the tools for efficient activism,including general campaign materials, ready-to-print handbills and material from last year’sMembership Development Conference.

The refined design yields easy access totools like the local union directory and asearchable database for available jobs in theU.S. and Canada. Travelers can change theiraddresses online; future site upgrades willallow members to process pension applica-tions and change beneficiary forms online.

The site’s ramped-up video contentwill feature at least three stories at a timeshowcasing IBEW members and activists,projects and events, union history andorganizing highlights. �

IBEW Launches New Web Site

4 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008

which are union-run funds that help signa-tory contractors compete with nonunionones, from using employer contributions.

This isn’t the first time Alberta’s govern-ment has clashed with the labour movement.In 2007 it was widely criticized for enteringinto a free trade agreement—the Trade,Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement—with British Columbia without a vote in thelegislature or consultation with voters. TILMAgives corporations and individuals the right tosue provincial governments and their officialagencies over any regulation, public policy orlaw deemed harmful to investment.

Next door in Saskatchewan, the right-wing government of Premier Brad Wall—elected in November 2007—introduced twoanti-union pieces of legislation, Bills 5 and 6, inMay as part of its effort to weaken the voice oforganized labour.

Bill 5 takes away the right to strike forthousands of public sector workers while Bill 6amends the provincial Trade Union Act to givemore power to employers to interfere in unionactivities and hold up union organizing drives.

In British Columbia, the government ofGordon Campbell has undermined workers’rights since it came into power in 2001.

Now Campbell is trying to push Bill 42—the Election Amendment Act—through the

legislature, which would tie the hands oforganized labour in the next election. Thelaw would place spending limits on advertis-ing by public advocacy groups, while increas-ing spending allowed to political parties—amove that will greatly enhance the power ofthe ruling Liberals.

At the First District’s progress meetingin late August, building a grassroots politicalmobilization of IBEW members will be one ofthe top priorities. “What’s going on out Westis a wake up call for us,” Flemming said.

To read a longer version of this article,visit www.ibew1st.org. �

Les gouvernements de la droite desprovinces de l’Ouest du Canada inten-sifient attaques législatives contre lemouvement syndical, semant l’inquié-

tude à travers le pays, alors qu’on craint quel’agenda anti-syndicaliste qui pourraitéventuellement se répandre à l’est du pays.

“L’Alberta, la Saskatchewan et laColombie-Britannique veulent dresser unmodèle qui viserait à réduire les normes detravail au plus bas dénominateur communpour l’ensemble du Canada; il faut donc queles syndicats y mettent un terme” déclarePhil Flemming, Vice-président internationaldu Premier District.

Aussitôt réélu, le Premier Ministre del’Alberta, M. Edward Stelmach, s’estempressé de faire plaisir à ses amis de l’in-dustrie de la construction non-syndiquée.Le gouvernement progressiste conservateura adopté au mois de juin, le Projet de loi126, Loi modifiant la loi sur les relations detravail dont les dispositions visent directe-ment les métiers de la construction.

En fait, le projet de loi rend inefficace

le placement de syndicaliste à l’interne caril rend illégal à quiconque n’ayant pas été àl’emploi de la compagnie pour une périodeminimale de 30 jours précédant la tenue duvote, de prendre part audit vote pour lechoix d’un syndicat. Le nouveau règlementaccorde également à l’employeur une péri-ode de 90 jours pour tenter de convaincreles travailleurs de laisser tomber leur syndi-cat après le vote.

“Ils peuvent ainsi empêcher toute syndi-calisation dans le métier” souligne GerryDonnelly du Conseil des métiers de la con-struction de l’Alberta.

Une deuxième section de cette loiempêche l’utilisation des contributions del’employeur dans les fonds syndicaux d’amélio-ration de la part du marché, fonds qui sontadministrés par le syndicat et qui servent auxentrepreneurs signataires pour faire concur-rence aux entrepreneurs non-syndiqués.

Ce n’est pas la première fois que le gou-vernement de l’Alberta défie le mouvementsyndical. Il avait beaucoup été critiqué en2007 après avoir signé l’Accord sur le com-

merce, l’investissement et la mobilité de lamain-d’œuvre (ECIMMO) avec la Colombie-Britannique, en contournant la procédurelégislative normale et sans consultationpublique. Cet accord autorise les entrepriseset les particuliers à intenter des poursuitescontre les gouvernements provinciaux etleurs organismes officiels pour toute régle-mentation, politique publique ou loi qu’ilsconsidèrent défavorable à l’investissement.

De son côté, le Premier Ministre BradWall, du gouvernement de la droite de laSaskatchewan, élu au mois de novembre2007, a déposé deux projets de loi anti-syndi-caux au mois de mai (Projets de loi 5 et 6)afin d’affaiblir le mouvement syndical.

Le projet de loi 5 enlève le droit degrève à des milliers de travailleurs dusecteur public tandis que le projet de loi 6amende la Loi sur les relations de travail dela province en accordant plus de pouvoiraux employeurs pouvant s’ingérer dans lesactivités du syndicat et arrêter les cam-pagnes de syndicalisation.

Gordon Campbell du gouvernement

libéral en Colombie-Britannique a, pour sapart, continué de miner les droits des tra-vailleurs depuis son entrée au pouvoir en 2001.

Maintenant, Campbell essaie de faireadopter le projet de loi 42—Loi modifiant laloi sur les élections; les syndicats se retrou-veraient donc les mains liées lors desprochaines élections. La loi devrait prévoirune limite dans les dépenses pour la public-ité diffusée par les groupes de pressionpublics tout en accordant une augmentationdes dépenses pour les partis politiques, unemesure qui augmenterait considérablementle pouvoir contrôlant des libéraux.

Lors de la prochaine Conférence canadi-enne du Premier District qui se tiendra à lafin du mois d’août, une de nos principalespriorités sera d’organiser une action auniveau local pour une mobilisation politiquedes membres de la FIOE. “Ce qui se passedans l’Ouest du pays devrait sonner l’alarmechez nous” poursuit M. Flemming.

Pour lire une plus longue version de cetarticle, visitez www.ibew1st.org. �

Right-wing governments in Canada’swestern provinces are intensifyinglegislative assaults on organizedlabour, and there is concern that

the anti-labour agenda could migrate east.“Alberta, Saskatchewan and British

Columbia are setting up a model that willend up pushing working standards to theirlowest common denominator for all ofCanada if labour doesn’t stop it,” said FirstDistrict Vice President Phil Flemming.

Alberta Premier Edward Stelmach didn’twait long after his re-election to do a favor forhis friends in the nonunion construction indus-try. In June, his Progressive Conservative gov-ernment passed Bill 26, known as the LabourRelations Amendment Act, whose provisionsare aimed directly at the building trades.

The bill effectively bans salting by makingit illegal for anyone to take part in a unionelection who hasn’t been employed for at least30 days before the vote. The new rules alsogive employers a 90-day window to pressureworkers into giving up their union after a vote.

Gerry Donnelly from the AlbertaBuilding Trades Council of Unions said“they’ve pretty much shut down organizingin the trade by this.”

A second section of the bill preventsMarket Enhancement Recovery Funds,

North of 49°

Right-Wing Provincial Governments Target Unions

Au nord du 49° parallèle

Les gouvernements provinciaux de la droite ciblent les syndicats

Trade unionists in British Columbia protest Premier Gordon Campbell’s anti-labour policies.

Credit:

Joshua

Berson

w w w. i b e w. o r g T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008 5

IBEW Helps Pennsylvania Contractor Get the Job Done RightIt was an ongoing problem.Deborah and BradleyRineheart, owners of thesoutheast Pennsylvania elec-trical contractor ProElectric, would take out ahelp wanted ad in the localnewspaper. Each ad wouldbring around 30 applicants,but after giving potentialemployees a basic codereading and math test, therewould only be one or twoleft still worth interviewing.

“We would get appli-cants who would put ontheir resume years of expe-

rience only to find out they haven’t had a day of training,” Deborah Rineheart said.As a small, four-man contractor looking to expand, the Rinehearts didn’t have the time or

money to waste doing shoddy work over, so the skilled manpower shortage was putting a realsqueeze on their business. “We’re quality oriented,” Deborah Rineheart said. “We have to getthe job done right the first time.” Then one day last September she got a call from York, Pa.,Local 229 organizer Matt Paules.

Paules, newly elected business manager of Local 229, saw the same newspaper ad. Hetold her that Local 229 could help the company with its staffing needs and requested a meet-ing. It ended up being the right message at the right time.

Still, they were apprehensive at first. “Initially, there were some negative connotationsabout organized labor that we needed to clear up,” Paules said.

What was really attractive for the Rinehearts was the IBEW and NECA’s training pro-gram. Paules gave them training books and curriculums to look over. They were impressed.Also attractive were the Pennsylvania Initiative’s new job classifications and flexible crewratios, which would allow Pro Electric to remain competitive.

“It gave me a level of comfort knowing that when someone tells me they are a journeymanor a construction wireman, I know exactly what their ability level is,” Deborah Rineheart said.

After nearly six months of weekly meetings, Pro Electric signed with Local 229 inFebruary. Since then, the company has expanded its operations, winning contracts for jobsthroughout southern and central Pennsylvania and all the way into Maryland. Having a steadysupply of IBEW electricians has been key to its growth. �

Organizing Wire

Pro Electric owners Deborah and Bradley Rineheart, center and right,signed up with York, Pa., Local 229 in February thanks to the work ofBusiness Manager Matt Paules, left.

Is Your Sunscreen Burning You?It’s summer and the beach beckons. Butbefore you dig into the sand, remember thatspending too much time under the sununprotected can have severe consequences.Overexposure to the sun—or sunburn—isnot only painful but can also lead to skincancer, the most prevalent form of cancer.

The most deadly form of skin cancer ismelanoma, which forms in the skin cells thatmake the pigment melanin—often as a mole.The U.S. National Cancer Institute estimatesthere will be 62,480 new cases of melanomain the United States alone in 2008, and about

8,420 deaths caused by the disease.Most people expect sunscreen to protect

them from any harmful affects of the sun. Butnew research indicates that many of the sun-screen products on the market do not protectagainst harmful Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays,which doctors now know can cause long-termdamage and skin cancer. The SPF—sun pro-tection factor—rating placed on all sun-screens only reflects the lotion’s effectivenessin blocking UVB rays, long linked to sunburn.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administrationis developing regulations that would set stan-dards for testing and labeling sunscreens forUVA protection as well as for UVB. Strong rec-

ommendations for the new regulations wouldassign a star rating system—from one to fourstars—to gauge the lotions’ effectiveness inblocking UVA rays. Ratings for UVA would bebased on two tests, one to measure the sun-screen’s ability to reduce the amount of UVAradiation passing through it, and a second tomeasure the product’s ability to prevent tan-ning and potential long-term skin damage.

Any new labeling featuring the UVA rat-ings won’t appear on products until 2009. Earlydetection is important in the treatment of skincancer, and limited exposure is critical to pre-vention. Use common sense, don’t overdo itand find a sunscreen that really works. �

Legislative Update

Circuits

Alaska Local Hosts Wellstone Grassroots Campaign SchoolMembers of Anchorage, Alaska, Local 1547, are gearing up for the 2008 elections with some pow-erful lessons learned in May, when the local sponsored a grassroots campaign school conductedby Wellstone Action, a non-profit organization set up to honor the memory of former MinnesotaSen. Paul Wellstone, who was killed with his wife and daughter in a 2002 plane crash.

“Our local has quite a bit of experience in political campaigns, but it always helps to learnsomething new,” says Melinda Taylor, communications director. The two-day school, attendedby several Local 1547 members, included sessions on developing effective messages andimproving persuasive skills, conducting member-to-member efforts and dealing with the press.

Bill Wielechowski, Local 1547’s associate general counsel and a state senator, attendedthe campaign school. He says that he appreciated the chance to “meet with other labor peo-ple, learn new techniques and get excited about political change.”

The training, delivered by accomplished activists, was down-to-earth, says Taylor, in thetradition of Wellstone, who was “plain-spoken and didn’t run away from who he was.”

In addition to its labor program, Wellstone Action, founded by Wellstone’s sons David andMark, sponsors schools for college campus activists and Native American leaders, and an effortnamed after the senator’s wife, Sheila, to combat domestic violence against women.

More information is available at www.wellstone.org. �

Congress Defies Bush toSupport AmtrakWith millions of travelers and daily commutersparking their cars and climbing onto passen-ger trains, the House passed an unprece-dented $15 billion funding bill for Amtrak inearly June. The 311-104 vote in favor of the billis enough to override a threatened veto byPresident Bush, who claims the bill does nothold Amtrak “accountable to taxpayers for itsspending decisions.”

Even longtime critics of Amtrak partedcompany with Bush. Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.)said upon the bill’s passage, “Nothing could bemore fitting to bring before the Congress today,on a day when gasoline has reached $4.05 agallon across the United States on average.”

Last year, a record 25.8 million passen-gers took Amtrak. The railroad expects rider-ship to grow to 28 million in 2008. May’sincome from ticket sales was up over 16 per-cent from 2007. That month was the busiestin Amtrak’s 37-year history. Amtrak expertsestimate that half of the passenger growth isattributable to high gas prices.

The Bush administration has alwaysdeprived Amtrak of funds “under the erro-neous assumption that private interestscould do a better job providing passengerservice,” says Railroad Department DirectorBill Bohné. Democrats and Republicans inCongress, he says, have “finally rejected ideo-logical arguments” and studied the experi-ence of other nations where public fundinghas created clean and efficient alternativesto automobile travel.

The bill includes a program of federalmatching grants to help states initiate orexpand rail service. A controversial compro-mise in the legislation requires theDepartment of Transportation to request pro-posals from private enterprises to establish ahigh-speed rail service that would reducetravel time between Washington and NewYork City to two hours or less.

Many of Amtrak’s supporters inCongress are concerned that the remainingbulk of the carrier’s spurs would suffer if theNortheast Corridor, its most profitable asset,was privatized. �

Spotlight on Safety

6 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008

RetiredJames F. Combs

James F. Combs, SeniorExecutive Assistant toIBEW Secretary-Treasurer Lindell Lee,retired August 1, endinga 38-year Brotherhoodcareer that includedpioneering efforts intracking pension fund

investment performance, promoting share-holder activism and moving the union intoelectronic record keeping.

“When I notified President Hill of myretirement, I told him that I had hope that Ileft the IBEW a better place. I’m gratifiedthat he told me that I did,” says Combs,thanking the members of Cumberland, Md.,Local 307 for getting him started on hisunion career.

Combs joined Local 307 in 1969 afteractive-duty service in the U.S. Navy Seabeesas a construction electrician in Iceland andVietnam. After being licensed as a journey-man wireman in Maryland and neighboringWest Virginia, Combs was elected to thelocal’s executive board in 1974, winningoffice as business manager in 1980.

The son of an electrician, Brother Combshas two brothers who also became IBEWmembers. Roy, now deceased, was a memberof Trenton, N.J., Local 269. John retired as amember of Luke, Md., Local 1653.

During 11 years of service as Local 307business manager, Combs became a familiarname in labor and community life in WesternMaryland. He served as president of theCumberland-Hagerstown Building andConstruction Trades Council and as a civil serv-ice commissioner for the city of Cumberland.He attended Allegany Community College. In1984—at the age of 39—Brother Combs wasnamed the David J. Lewis MemorialOutstanding Labor Leader by the WesternMaryland Central Labor Council. He was theyoungest individual to receive the award.

Combs, who twice served as a delegate toDemocratic national conventions, is currentlycampaigning for a seat on the CumberlandCity Council.

Appointed as an InternationalRepresentative in 1991, Combs worked in theInvestments Department on employee bene-fit issues. In 1998, he was appointed directorof the newly-created Employee BenefitsDepartment.

Soon after his appointment, Combsspearheaded the IBEW Investment TrackingSystem, tracking the International’s andlocal unions’ pension investments to estab-lish the union’s percentage of ownership inhundreds of companies.

Brother Combs was an early proponentof using the union’s shares as leverage overcompany policy, attending shareholder meet-ings and meeting with other activists to for-mulate resolutions.

Combs’ proudest accomplishment is thecreation of a Web-based Electronic ReciprocalTransfer System, or “ERTS,” as it is known,which allows traveling electricians to transfertheir pension and health and welfare benefitsto their home local union funds.

In 2002, Combs was appointed executiveassistant to Secretary-Treasurer EmeritusJerry O’Connor, and in 2005, Senior ExecutiveAssistant to Secretary-Treasurer EmeritusJon Walters.

“My latest project is not completed, butit is one of the best I’ve worked on,” saysCombs, describing the Brotherhood’s newnational 401(k) plan, which will be availableto all branches of the union.

“There is a huge demand for manpowerin many of the IBEW branches,” says Combs.“I believe that our current leadership has putus on the right path to meet those demands.”

He and his wife, Carol Jean, plan tobuild a new house in his retirement. Runningbetween the new construction, his campaignfor city council and his grandson’s baseballgames will leave little time for travel, butCombs, a father of four and grandfather toseven, says, “I hope to get to some places I’venever been.”

The officers and members of theBrotherhood wish Brother Combs and hisfamily health and happiness in his retire-ment and thank him for his lifelong serviceto the IBEW and to the labor movement. �

DeceasedDouglas Cloud Sr.

The IBEW regrets toreport that formerFourth DistrictInternationalRepresentative DouglasCloud Sr. died on July 2at the age of 69.

Brother Cloud wasinitiated into Hamilton,

Ohio, Local 648 in 1959. An inside wireman,he worked for various companies throughoutthe area, eventually rising through the ranksof the local to become recording secretary,president and business manager.

Cloud became a Fourth DistrictInternational Representative in 1988, where heserviced more than 35 locals in the construc-tion industry. Cloud set up trainings for newofficers and business managers and oversaworganizing trainings across the Fourth District’sfive states and the District of Columbia.

“In our area, he was looked at as being

the leading mind of construction projects,”said former Fourth District Vice PresidentPaul Witte, who emphasized Cloud’s attentionto detail, efficiency and creative thinking.Cloud worked closely as Witte’s right-handman, offering leadership and guidance whiledealing with issues concerning contract nego-tiations and grievances.

“He helped us navigate through sometough waters and always ensured we followedpolicies,” said Buddy Satterfield, SpecialAssistant to the International President forMembership Development, who served as busi-ness manager of Washington, D.C., Local 26while Cloud represented the Fourth District.“He was a straight shooter, but he always usedhumor to get his point across.”

Cloud moved to D.C. in 1999 to work out ofthe Construction and Maintenance Departmentat the International Office, retiring in 2001.

IBEW history runs deep in the Cloud fam-ily. Brother Cloud’s son Frank is an inside wire-man now serving as business manager of thesame local his father once led. Cloud’s other

son, Doug Jr., is a journeyman lineman alsowith Local 648, and grandson Doug Cloud III isa journeyman wireman with the same local.

Frank noted the high standards hisfather set for both the family and the move-ment at Local 648.

“Our father was the type of man who, ifyou met him once, you never forgot him,”Frank said. “He is known around this area forbeing a great labor leader and for striving tobe the best at whatever he did. His passionfor the Brotherhood was unmatched.”

Cloud graduated from Fairfield HighSchool and completed specialized laborcourses at Ohio State University. Brother Cloudwill be remembered for his various activities inthe Hamilton area, including honorary mem-bership in the VFW and the Fairfield OptimistClub, as well as coaching sports for his childrenand others in the community.

The officers, staff, and membership ofthe IBEW convey our deep condolences toBrother Cloud’s wife, Peggy, children, and tohis many grandchildren. �

Transitions

If you are attending the 45thDemocratic National Convention

Aug. 25-28 in Denver, theIBEW Political Department wouldlike to know. Please e-mail thefollowing information to

ibewpoliticaldept@ibew.org:

Name

Local union number

Mailing address

Telephone number (office)

Telephone number (cell)

Shirt size

ATTENTIONDEMOCRATICDELEGATES!

w w w. i b e w. o r g T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008 7

Motorcycle Charity RunL.U. 6 (c,i,st&u), SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Theninth annual Summer Motorcycle Charity Run,benefiting St. Anthony Foundation, was a greatsuccess. We exceeded our goal of raising $25,000for this very worthwhile charity, which meets theneeds of the hungry and homeless in SanFrancisco 365 days a year. This year, membersenjoyed a scenic ride to Yosemite National Park.

Local 6 Pres. Terry McKenna, Vice Pres. HenryHinds and Treas. Frank O’Rourke announced thatthey will not seek reelection to our ExecutiveBoard. We thank them for their dedicated service toour local union and wish them well in the future.

Plans are under way for our upcomingCharter Anniversary Celebration, to be held Sat.,Feb. 21, 2009. We are excited about commemorat-ing this momentous occasion, and we look forwardto seeing many of our friends from throughout theIBEW in attendance.

Local 6 will be represented at the secondannual IBEW Solidarity Ride hosted by Local 1250in Rapid City, SD. This event will coincide with theSturgis Motorcycle Rally. This is a wonderful way toexperience the beauty of our nation, while enjoyingthe company of brothers and sisters from through-out the IBEW.

Emily S. O’RourkeUnit 1 Chair/P.S.

Advancing Labor’s CauseL.U. 16 (i), EVANSVILLE, IN—Over Memorial Dayweekend in May, Local 16 sponsored a retreat forthe express purposes of uniting the membership,clarifying the goals and aspirations of labor, andequipping new leaders to pass on information andlabor’s vision to future generations. LeadershipEvansville served as the facilitator for this event.This organization has been actively involved withbringing groups of individuals together, primarily inthe business community, for common civic objec-tives. A diverse array of brothers and sisters, fromfirst-year apprentices to members with over 30years of service attended the retreat. For many ofthose present, this was their first opportunity tofeel included in setting the direction for their local.

The Health and Welfare Fund that providesmedical, dental and vision insurance for Local 16recently presented its financial report. It wasgood to see that its reserves continue to grow,even in a difficult and challenging market. Withthe continued close scrutiny of its resources bythe trustees, and a stable employment environ-ment, it is hoped that cost increases will notneed to be enacted for some time.

Donald P. Beavin, P.S.

Scholarships AwardedL.U. 26 (ees,em,es,govt,i&mt), WASHINGTON,DC—Local 26 is pleased to announce the winnersof this year’s scholarship awards: Meaghan Conlonand Tyler Shymansky. Meaghan is the daughter ofBro. Michael Conlon and resides in Eldersburg,MD. She will be attending Mount St. Mary’sCollege. Tyler is the son of Bro. John Shymansky IIIand resides in LaPlata, MD. He has completed hisfreshman year at the University of South Carolina.Our best wishes to these exceptional individuals.

Our golf outing in May was a huge successand the largest to date. We thank everyone whoparticipated, sponsored and volunteered!

With regret we report that the following mem-bers passed away since our last article: Charles Q.Connell, Carl J. Catlett, John W. Hancock, EdwardT. Howerton, William M. Reedy, William T. Hughes,Fred R. Reh, Jerry L. Griffin and Michael A. Ross.

Congratulations to the brothers who retiredsince our last article: Ross D. Catlett, Larry S.Hairfield, Frederick P. Mace, Willis Martin, DaleL. Moye, Harry E. Clegg, Jean P. Delort, RaymondHarbin, Clarence W. Harris, Jasper Johnson,Kenneth Ratliff, Richard S. Roberts, BruceRonkette, Robert L. Smith and David L. Williams.

Charles E. Graham, B.M.

Coast Guard Vessel ProjectL.U. 38 (i), CLEVELAND, OH—Local 38 membersare working for Herbst Electric on a U.S. CoastGuard ice breaker, the Neah Bay. Work on the vessel

Service Awards CeremonyL.U. 8 (as,em,i,mar,mt,rts,s&spa), TOLEDO, OH—Our service awards ceremony held May 1 was agreat success, with approximately 350 members inattendance. Local 8 members and retirees with 25years or more of service represent a total of 36,216years! These are men and women to whom theIBEW owes its gratitude. Without their determi-nation and endurance through the struggles, wewould not be enjoying the benefits we have today.It was wonderful to hear all of the fond memoriesof old. I heard more than once: “He was my firstjourneyman.” Many thanks to those who attendedand to our staff who organized the event.

Work has been slower than we want, butcalls are coming in. We look forward to the sum-mer projects/shutdowns. Kudos to our businessoffice and the area building trades for turning theKroger project around. Keep up the good work.

It is not too early to start studying for the pres-idential race. We need to support those politicianswho support working men and women. Thanks toour members who are active in the precincts—yourwork is making a difference. Let us pull together tosupport the best candidate for the job in November!

Ben “Red” Tackett, P.S.Jim Kozlowski, B.M.

is being done on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland.Our members, pictured in the accompanying photoin the craft’s pilot house, have been working on apropulsion system upgrade by changing out the oldpneumatic system to digital controls.

Lake Erie Electric has begun work on thenew juvenile detention center and court houseat 93rd and Quincy and should start staffing upthis summer.

Herbst Electric continues to hire membersfor several of its bigger projects, including theBrookpark Ford plant and Ben Venue Laboratories.

Please remember to check out Local 38’snew Web site www.ibew38.org for informationon all events and functions.

Dennis Meaney, A.B.M.

Graduation CelebrationL.U. 42 (catv,em,govt,lctt&o), HARTFORD, CT—On Sat., April 26, IBEW Local 42 held our secondannual dinner dance and apprentice graduation atthe Goodwin Hotel in Hartford. Distinguished guestsincluded IBEW Second District Int. Vice Pres. FrankJ. Carroll; IBEW Int. Rep. Richard Panagrossi; JohnBaker, former training director of Northeastern JointApprenticeship Training Committee (NEAT); cur-rent NEAT Training Dir. Jason Iannelli; and NEATAsst. Training Dir. Jack Skilton.

Local 42 Bus. Mgr. Peter Abrahamsenexpressed gratitude to John Baker, who recentlyretired after 22 years of service to NEAT. John waspresented with several lineman plaques from Local42 members and NEAT staff. A warm thanks to John,who administered training of the majority of linemenwho work or have worked throughout the Northeast.

Local 42 also celebrated the graduation of 19journeyman linemen. These linemen graduated afterapproximately 31/2 years of training through theNEAT Apprenticeship. Congratulations to Bros. MarcBelhumeur, Joseph Bramanti, Samuel EncarnacionJr., Francis Flanagan, Steven Foster, JosephFrederick, Robert Garabedian, Daniel Hartley, Peter

Local Lines

(as) Alarm and Signal

(ars) Atomic Research Service

(bo) Bridge Operators

(cs) Cable Splicers

(catv) Cable Television

(c) Communications

(cr) Cranemen

(ees) Electrical Equipment Service

(ei) Electrical Inspection

(em) Electrical Manufacturing

(es) Electric Signs

(et) Electronic Technicians

(fm) Fixture Manufacturing

(govt) Government

(i) Inside

(it) Instrument Technicians

(lctt) Line Clearance Tree Trimming

(lpt) Lightning Protection Technicians

(mt) Maintenance

(mo) Maintenance and Operation

(mow) Manufacturing Office Workers

(mar) Marine

(mps) Motion Picture Studios

(nst) Nuclear Service Technicians

(o) Outside

(p) Powerhouse

(pet) Professional, Engineers and Technicians

(ptc) Professional, Technical and Clerical

(rr) Railroad

(rtb) Radio-Television Broadcasting

(rtm) Radio-Television Manufacturing

(rts) Radio-Television Service

(so) Service Occupations

(s) Shopmen

(se) Sign Erector

(spa) Sound and Public Address

(st) Sound Technicians

(t) Telephone

(u) Utility

(uow) Utility Office Workers

(ws) Warehouse and Supply

Trade Classifications

Local 42 Bus. Mgr. PeterAbrahamsen (center)displays lineman plaquepresented to retired NEATTraining Dir. John Baker(left). At far right is cur-rent NEAT Training Dir.Jason Iannelli.

Local 38 members working for Herbst Electric ona U.S. Coast Guard ice breaker, the Neah Bay, areshown in the vessel’s power house. From left: BobGreller, Steve Bohm, Mark Maroon and Brian Koons.

8 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008

• Required Colorado electrical contractors whoemploy apprentices to meet certain federalemployment standards.Unfortunately, Gov. Ritter didn’t see the

advantages of this proposed legislation.We extend our deepest sympathy to the

families of our lost brothers: John G. Martinez,John Armentrout, Charles L. Hinkle, GilbertMartinez, Donald Forsberg and Carl D. Peterson.They will be missed.

Ed Knox, Pres.

JATC Facilities ExpandedL.U. 76 (c,i,rts&st), TACOMA, WA—Apprentices arethe future of our industry. To insure they have pro-ductive and dynamic careers, we are obligated tomake sure they have all the skills and trainingneeded for success. The Southwest WashingtonJATC committed itself to this task by remodelingand expanding the current facilities from 6,000square feet to 11,400 square feet. The expandedspace includes: LON works, conduit bending, com-puter and motor control labs, four basic classrooms,a conference room and a teacher workroom. Theprocess, from plan development to completion ofthe remodel, has taken only 18 months. We thankthe members of the JATC Committee, Dir. TonyLewis, teachers and staff for their tireless effortsduring this transition period. When apprenticesenter the field as journeymen, the most importanttool we give them for their toolbox is knowledge.

Mac McClellan, P.S.

Habitat ProjectL.U. 80 (i&o), NORFOLK, VA—Work has beensteady and looks to stay that way through the fall.

In June our local held its election of officers.Congratulations to: Bus. Mgr. Matt Yonka, Press.Kenny Bunting, Vice Pres. Charlie Sawyer, Rec. Sec.R. Warren Kilgore, Treas. Carey Rumpf; ExecutiveBoard members Terry McPhillips, Lee Norton, PaulGuerra, Dave Schaeffer, Tim Campbell, JamesHughes; and Examine Board members DaveBoudloche, Alan Lamb, Jeremy Martin, Nick Lopesand Woody Gregory.

Also in June, Local 80 members took part ina Habitat for Humanity house building blitz. Wethank Bryant Ritter Hewitt Electric for supplyingmanpower for work on the project. The localthanks the following members for their help inmaking the project a success: Bros. Elvin Whitley,Dave Clarke, James Burke, Scott Tucker, DaveSchaeffer and Guy Grimsley.

Dave Schaeffer, P.S.

United Way ‘Day of Caring’L.U. 86 (ees,em,es,i,rts&spa), ROCHESTER, NY—At the 2008 United Way Day of Caring, IBEWLocal 86 active and retired members worked hardas volunteers at The Vineyard, a Rochester com-munity farm, along with members of LaborersLocal 435. The Vineyard is a 3-acre working farmand community garden located in the northeastside of the city at 126 Sander Street.

College students volunteer there throughthe summer working with neighborhood kidsshowing them how to grow fruits and vegetables.Our job was to clean up and prepare the groundsso the gardeners could get started.

Ron Freida, A.B.M.

Dedication & ServiceL.U. 102 (c,catv,i,it,o&t), PATERSON, NJ—Ourlocal elections were held June 3 for the offices ofpresident and business manager. Congratulationsgo out to Pres. Alan Schell and Bus. Mgr. LouBaram for retaining their positions for anotherthree-year term. The “E” team is looking forwardto the new term in a progressive manner. Theircombined experience and leadership will benefitour local by protecting our interests and promot-ing our values. The president and business man-ager would like to thank the entire membershipfor their support. They also wish to congratulateand recognize all the officers and agents for theirdedication and past service for a job well-done.

A new committee was established and ischaired by Bro. Jason Marrion, an Iraq War vet-eran. Jason was deployed in Iraq for over twoyears. While doing his tour of duty, he put hiselectrical skills to good use. This new committeewill help the families of our local brothers andsisters who are serving in the military to copewith their financial burdens while the membersare actively deployed. The committee sponsoreda successful fund-raiser, a beef steak dinner withanother scheduled for late October.

Ed Fredericks, P.S.

Apprentice GraduationL.U. 146 (ei,i&rts), DECATUR, IL—Hope all areenjoying the summer and that work has beenprosperous. We still await word on the FutureGen project, but we have learned that the statehas released funding for the Secure Energy coalgasification project. Work on that project isexpected to begin in 2010.

Local 146 members had a great time at theeighth annual golf outing and the annual pokerrun. Members also volunteer at the MaconCounty Fair and the Decatur Celebration.

The apprenticeship graduation banquet washeld May 17 at the Eagle Creek Resort. New jour-neyman wiremen are: Kelsey Ashcraft, KellyBlakey, Wayne O’Dell, Brian Shultz, NicholasPerry, Shannon Perry, Earl Taylor, NathanVaughn, Darin Yantis and Rob Reynolds.Graduating telecommunication installers are:Nick Goeckner, Harry Harden and Nicholas King.Congratulations to co-apprentices of the yearKelly Blakey and Shannon Perry, and telecommu-nications apprentice of the year Harry Hardin.

We are saddened to report the passing ofLocal 146 retired members Roger Mills, OralDeichmann, Paul Daley and Robert Skelton. Ourcondolences to their families.

Rich Underwood, R.S.

Lapa Jr., Jonathan Lavallee, Christopher Ming,Edward Peck, Evan Pelaccia, Jeffrey Rago, TimothyRubino, Brian Skorupski, Jeffrey Sylvester, Jon PaulThompson and Luke Tuleja.

John Biehn, P.S.

Election Year ActivitiesL.U. 58 (em,i,rtb&spa), DETROIT, MI—As usual,Local 58 is a frequent gathering place for electionyear activities. Already, we have hosted candidateendorsement screenings, various Democratic dis-trict meetings, and Labor Day parade planningsessions. It’s “time for a change” for Michigan andin Washington. This is not a year to sit on thefence, or we’ll end up trying to survive four moreyears of the failed policies that have seriouslydamaged our country. McCain may be a war hero,but that doesn’t make him our friend.

Work is still very slow in our area. We arelooking forward to some industrial jobs breakinglater in the year, but there are no hard and fastpredictions. We would certainly like to see ourbrothers and sisters come home.

The Local 58 Community ServicesCommittee recently donated labor for a successfulramp-build for pensioner Charlie Stewart, a 55-year member. Local 58 volunteers worked underthe able leadership of Bill Helwig, ramp coordina-tor for United Way. What a great feeling to be ableto help one of our own retain his independence.

Elaine Crawford, Pres.

Legislative EffortL.U. 68 (i), DENVER, CO—June 5 was an event-ful day for Local 68. Colorado’s Gov. Bill Ritterchose the unfortunate action of vetoing HouseBill 08-1170, commonly referred to as the“Electricians’ Bill.”

House Bill 08-1170 would have:• Required all apprentice electricians to be con-tinuously enrolled in a federally-certifiedtraining program throughout the duration oftheir apprenticeship.

• Established continuing competency standardsfor master and journeyman electricians.

• Established new education standards regardingalternative energy technologies, and new train-ing requirements for electrical apprentices.This would have helped to establish (and main-tain) minimum safety standards, and to pre-pare electrical apprentices for their careers.

Attendees gather at a Local 68 retiree luncheon held in May. Service pins awarded at the luncheonrepresented a combined total of 2,250 years of collective IBEW service.

Local 58 Bus. Rep. Rep Bill Green (left) and Treas.Mike Conflitti are among the Local 58 volunteerswho helped build an access ramp for retiree CharlieStewart, a 55-year member.

Local 146 apprentice graduating class of 2008. Front row, from left, Nick Goeckner, Darrin Yantis, NathanVaughn, Kelly Blakey, Kelsey Ashcraft, Brian Schultz; middle row, Harry Harden, Shannon Perry, RobertReynolds, Earl Taylor; and back row, Nicholas King, Wayne O’Dell and Nicholas Perry.

Local 86 members volun-teer at United Way Day ofCaring community gardenproject. From left are IBEWvolunteers Mike Young, PaulYatteau, Steve Ginovsky,David Johnson, David YoungSr., Tamie Goodale, BillYoung and Bob Denoto.Behind the camera weremembers Michelle Millerand Art Salvione.

w w w. i b e w. o r g T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008 9

August 30 Golf OutingL.U. 150 (es,i,rts&spa), WAUKEGAN, IL—Itsurely comes as no surprise to anyone readingthis that our work situation continues to lookbleak. The book is still climbing and at least 15percent of the local is out of work. The best thingto do to keep your benefits and continue yourcontributions to your pension is to go on the road.

The JATC has accepted eight inside wiremanapprentices and two communications technicians.The application process will be open again shortly.

The golf outing date is set for Aug. 30. Pleasecall or stop by the hall to sign your foursome upand pay your fees. It will be a good time for all.

Brite Lite Sign Co. was organized after manyyears of attempts to do so. Kudos to Bill Holst forall his hard work on this effort. Mike Sodaro wasalso involved in bringing this success to fruition.

Bro. Ron Azzone, who now lives in Florida,donated a banner to the local. The banner wascreated at his graphic arts business.

We recently lost retired Bro. Robert Heisler.Bro. Heisler was a gentleman and a fine electri-cian. He enjoyed a long retirement.

Wendy J. Cordts, P. S.

Thanks to TravelersL.U. 158 (i,it,mar,mt&spa), GREEN BAY, WI—Workin Local 158 has slowed down a little bit after avery busy and hectic spring. We had full employ-ment as well as employing about 100 travelingbrothers and sisters. Our thanks to all who helpedus staff these jobs through some trying times.Negotiations have been ongoing, with our NECAInside and Residential agreements complete. Wehave many more agreements yet to settle.

Local 158 held its 88th annual banquet inMarch, which was well-attended despite all thework going on at the time. Everyone enjoyedgood food, refreshments and conversation.

Donald C. Allen, B.M.

2008 JATC GraduatesL.U. 194 (i,o,spa&u), SHREVEPORT, LA—The2008 graduates of the Shreveport Area ElectricalJoint Apprenticeship and Training school werehonored at a banquet on May 30. Those graduat-ing included: Jason Allums, Ryan Brown, DannyCall, Chris Cypher, Tim Johnson, Michael Kelley,Tammy McCall, Michael Smith, Keith Taylor,Jeremy Traylor, Thomas Wilkerson and JasonYoung. The Outstanding Apprentice is RobertFowler Jr., who is also the JATC 2008 LouisianaState Outstanding Apprentice. Robert’s late father,Robert Fowler Sr., was the 1968 JATC OutstandingApprentice. Awards for five years of perfect atten-dance went to Robert Fowler, Tammy McCall andTim Johnson. Bro. Fowler also received the FrankLeadaman Award of an IBEW watch for attendingthe most union meetings as an apprentice.

Local elections were held June 3. Officers

elected were: Bus. Mgr./Fin. Sec. William TerryReynolds, Pres. William Neil Dixon, Vice Pres.Charles E. Collins, Rec. Sec. David L. Rawls, Treas.Thomas H. Ashworth; Executive Board membersJames Andrew Cory (chairman), Charles C. Arehart,Robby L. Wilson, Tony M. Lafisca, Chad E. Lux; andExamining Board members Steven A. Bogues,Anthony G. Prestidge and Jason D. Dampier.

Terry Reynolds, B.M./F.S.

Three Scholarships AwardedL.U. 234 (i,rtb,rts&spa), CASTROVILLE, CA—Our E-Board, with the approval of our member-ship, was pleased to initiate and sponsor anIBEW Local 234 scholarship for graduating highschool seniors in each of the three counties thatmake up our local.

Three students will each receive a $500scholarship payable on their behalf to the collegethey will attend in the fall. Each student submit-ted a 500-word essay on one of the following top-ics: “What is the IBEW and what has it done toenhance organized labor”; “Why the organizedlabor movement is important in the United Statestoday”; or “How the union movement played a keyrole in the life and well-being of my family.”

We are delighted to award scholarships to:Amalia Slovacek, San Benito County, attending theUniversity of California at Santa Cruz; SarahKulich, Santa Cruz County, attending CaliforniaPolytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo;and Sarah DeMateo, Monterey County, attendingSan Jose State University. Amalia is the daughterof Local 234 member Stephen Slovacek; SarahKulich is the sister of Local 234 members MatthewKulich and Michael Kulich; and Sarah DeMateo isthe daughter of Local 234 member Ron DeMateo.We congratulate all the scholarship recipients.

Stephen Slovacek, P.S.

Governor’s Mansion Solar JobL.U. 236 (catv,ees,govt,i,mo,rtb&t), ALBANY, NY—The New York State Governor’s Mansion, in thefirst phase of what is being called “Greening theMansion,” received solar panels installed byIBEW Local 236 members. The new photovoltaicpanels were installed over the pool house andwill produce 3.5 kilowatts of energy. This fall a

larger installation of solar panels on the roof ofthe carport will provide 46.5 additional kilowattsof energy to the mansion.

The “Greening the Mansion” project is amodel for New York homeowners to follow to maketheir homes more environmentally friendly. This isan ongoing project to reduce energy usage neededto run the everyday activity at the mansion.

The leader of the crew that completed thework was our own Local 236 member EdwinKnott. Ed is a longtime proponent of alterativeenergy sources. He has installed many projects ofboth wind generation and solar panels for over20 years. Ed has also instructed courses on pho-tovoltaic power installations right at our trainingcenter. Great job, guys.

Mark Lajeunesse, Pres./P.S.

Apprentice Graduation DinnerL.U. 246 (ees,i,rts&spa), STEUBENVILLE, OH—Nine inside wireman apprentices recently completedtheir five-year apprenticeship program. IBEW Local246 and the Steubenville Division of NECA cele-brated the apprentices’ graduation with a dinnerceremony at Timber Crest Inn, Burgettstown, PA.

The nine graduates advanced to journeymanstatus; eight of them also earned enough collegecredits to be awarded associate degrees in TechnicalStudies from Jefferson Community College.

This is the second group to complete thetraining and to also receive college degrees.NECA Division President and SteubenvilleApprenticeship Director Anthony Shreve praisedthe journeymen for their dedication and profes-sionalism. Shreve also acknowledged their familymembers who supported the men as they worked,attended training and took college classes. “Thisclass maintained a 92.4 percent grade point aver-age during the five years of training,” said Shreve.The graduating apprentices received certificatesof completion from the U.S. Department of Laborand NJATC. Additionally, they were awardedIBEW/NECA class insignia rings.

Congratulations to the new journeymen:Scott Anthony, Michael Badgley, Jason Beebe,Patrick J. Berkey, Tad Daily, Jesse Harvey, BrianMyers, Greg Serafini and Robert Simms.

Phil Diserio, Pres.

Stewards Training SessionL.U. 266 (u), PHOENIX, AZ—Our annual ValleyUnion picnic was held May 3 at the Pera Club.We more than doubled attendance from last yearand everyone enjoyed the fellowship.

We held a stewards training session at ourhall on Sat., April 12. Attendees came from here inthe Valley (Phoenix vicinity), Coronado GeneratingStation in St. Johns and from Navajo GeneratingStation in Page, AZ.

The training session was facilitated by RonCollotta, Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service.We really appreciate the great job he did. Topicsincluded stewards’ rights and duties, Weingartenrights, past practice, and what is/isn’t a grievance.

Our attorney Stan Lubin presented informa-tion on note taking methods and responsibilities.He stressed the importance of making note oftime, place, witnesses and statements at thetime of occurrences. Stan reminded everyone toalways have a notebook & pen or pencil handy.We thank Stan for all his time and information.

Bus. Mgr./Fin. Sec. Pam Cornelissensreviewed various work situations and led a dis-cussion as to how they should be handled. She

explained why various situations should orshould not be grieved, depending on how thecontract covers those situations.

It was a great day and everyone enjoyed thefellowship and information provided.

Wanda Waldo, A.B.A.

Training Dir. Campbell RetiresL.U. 280 (c,ees,em,e,i,mo,mt,rts&st), SALEM, OR—Summer is upon us and we have ended anotheryear of apprenticeship classes in our local. Thisyear is different than most because we are sayinggoodbye to Bro. Dan Campbell, who has been ourtraining director for almost 20 years. Dan tookover our program when we were renting spacefor our classrooms. Now we have a state-of-the-art facility that is the pride of any program. Withhis knowledge and guidance, our JATC is themodel for the state of Oregon because Bro. Danalways “did it right” in the eyes of the Bureau ofApprenticeship and Training.

The job of training director is very difficult,but Dan made it look easy. As a staunch tradeunionist, he was always on the side of labor whenmaking presentations to the state governor orlabor commissioner to promote our IBEW skills.Above all, he is and will always be a good unionbrother. We wish him and his wife, Elise, a happyretirement and hope to see him and his family atthe Local 280 picnic on Sat., Sept. 13, at Timber-Linn Park in Albany!

With sadness the local mourns Paul Myler,Ken Meredith, George Chapman, Daniel Castilloand Harold Mulkey.

Jerry Fletcher, Pres.

‘Day on the Hill 2008’L.U. 292 (em,govt,i,rtb,rts&spa), MINNEAPOLIS,MN—Local 292 had its second annual “Day on theHill” on April 22, in part to drum up support forthe Mall of America Phase II Expansion. Roughly200 members of the local union collaborated atthe state Capitol in St. Paul in an effort to fightfor nearly 7,000 construction jobs and another7,000 badly needed permanent jobs that theexpansion would provide. The state is in a periodof economic downturn and the project would helpto jumpstart the construction market once again.

The super-regional mall located in the TwinCities suburb of Bloomington has over 40 millionvisitors annually, 10 times the state’s second mostpopular tourist destination, and exceeds all otherstate tourist destinations combined. The expan-sion project would account for approximately $120million in state sales taxes during the construction

Local 194 honors theShreveport, LA,Electrical JATC 2008graduating class.

Among his other duties, Local 280 Bro. DanCampbell (right) serves hamburgers and hot dogsto apprentices on the last day of school. Bro.Campbell recently retired as the local’s longtimeJATC training director.

Local 236 members installed solar installation projectat the New York State Governor’s Mansion. Fromleft: Fred Warden, Mark Fahd, Charles Hyde Jr. andEdwin Knot.

phase alone. A project of this magnitude is neededto help put back to work the estimated 20 percentof unemployed craftsmen across the state. IBEWLocal 292 members have become a brand at theCapitol in their signature red shirts showing sup-port and political action at the state level.

Brandon Romann, B.R./P.S.

Industrial ProjectsL.U. 294 (ees,em,i,rts,spa&u), HIBBING, MN—Our work picture is starting to improve, with acouple of our larger industrial projects on thehorizon. We ratified a new three-year contractfor the Hibbing Agreement with raises and otherimprovements to the contract. We have projectlabor agreements for our larger industrial workand have had success with them on many of ourcommercial projects.

When you have elected officials who aresupportive of prevailing wages and unions in gen-eral, a lot of good can happen. The Novemberpresidential election will have a major impact onwhether we as a union movement are to survive.Eight years of Bush have just about wiped out thelower and middle class. There is a huge mess to

10 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008

clean up and we know that John McCain wants tostay the course set by Bush. Shame on him!

As of this writing, the local was scheduledto hold an election of officers in June.

Scott Weappa, B.M./F.S.

‘Green Up Day’ VolunteersL.U. 300 (govt,i,mt&u), MONTPELIER, VT—Members of IBEW Local 300 recently participatedin Green Up Day in the city of South Burlington, VT.

The Local 300 contingent, which includedJean Watkins, Matt Lash and electrical appren-tices Willie Kasongo and Jared Titus, bravedsteady rain to pick up garbage along SouthBurlington’s Gregory Drive, Kimball Avenue,Shunpike Road and Williston Road on May 3.Kasongo and Titus received credit toward theyearly community service quota that all IBEWLocal 300 apprentices are required to meet.

“Our members work just as passionately forthe community as they do for their employers,” saidWatkins, IBEW Local 300’s training director. “Givingback is part of the fabric of this union. Despitedemanding job and classroom schedules, IBEWapprentices volunteer hundreds of hours each year.”

Always the first Saturday in May, Green Up Dayis a statewide initiative that promotes responsibleenvironmental stewardship and litter-free communi-ties. The event is coordinated by Green Up Vermont.

Matt Lash, P.S.

Wyoming JATC GraduatesL.U. 322 (govt,i,it,lctt,o&u), CASPER, WY—OnMay 31, the Wyoming Electrical JATC turned out21 new journeyman wiremen, 16 from CasperLocal 322 and five from Cheyenne Local 415.

Congratulations to all the new brothers andsisters! These young men and women are fineexamples of what the JATC does to bring new

craftsmen into our industry. The 16 graduates fromLocal 322 are: John Washburn, Chad Peterson,Dennis Robertson, Alex Dickinson, Robert Price,Robert Hicks, Angela Bare, Zach Walsh, AdamOestreich, Chris Linton, Andy Curtis, BrandonJohnson, Dominic Guiterrez, Josh Clark, BrandonFarris and Scott Paustian. The five graduates fromLocal 415 are: Scott Bremer, Jason McMillian,Jason Russell, Jarrod Gose and Morgan Becker.

The graduation ceremony was held inCasper with over 200 people in attendance,including family and friends of the new wiremen,IBEW officers, NECA representatives, contrac-tors, state of Wyoming officials, and KarenSwindells, director of the Wyoming State Officeof Apprenticeship, U.S. Department of Labor.

At the ceremony Wyoming Electrical JATCTraining Dir. Rocky Anderson received a certifi-cate from the Department of Labor for “meritori-ous service” in recognition of outstanding serviceto the national apprentice system. Rocky is onlythe second person in Wyoming ever to receivethis prestigious award!

Chris Morgan, P.S.

76 Apprentices GraduateL.U. 332 (c,ees,i&st), SAN JOSE, CA—Local 332had its 2008 apprenticeship graduation ceremonyat the Fairmont Hotel on June 6.

Inside wireman graduates were: DiannaBowman, Raul Campos Jr., Mark Cosentino,Santiago DeVera, Jared Farwell, Carlo Garcia,Edwardo Garcia, Jerrimia Garcia, Stefan Garlick,Adam Gaspar, William Hawthorne, Aaron Kiner,Kristopher Lara, Erik Matteroli, Casey Milheim,Mario Moncada, Erik Nelson, Luis Perez, ZackeryPerry, Jason Ratliff, Jeff Rudd, Alfredo Santa,Antonio Solis, Allen Springer, Paul Sudano, CraigTomasello, Sergio Torres, Nam Trinh, Jeffrey Turner,Vincent Viramontes, Mitchell Williams, KurtisYoung, Christopher Zoccoli and Donald Zoccoli.

Sound and Communication graduates:David Boggs, John Bruce, Antonio Cervantes,Jesus Flores, Anthony Gonzalez, GilbertoHernandez, Patricio Lomas, Justin Leavitt, AdanMartinez, Raul Martinez, Magdaleno Mendez,Siegmund Nogaj, James Parish, Michael Rios,Gabriel Rodriguez, Jose Rodriguez, ClarkSantamaria and Steve Silva.

Residential graduates: Mike Charnoski,James Corvi, John Dang, Ralph Diaz, MichaelFontes, Sidronio Gonzales, Felipe Jarero, MatthewJones, Gustavo Lopez, Salvador Mendoza, ValentinMendoza, Frederick Mock, Nikki Nisby, JoanneO’Sullivan, Michael Obeso, Keoki Pamintuan,Adolfo Ramirez, Ismael Reyes, Noe Romero,Michael Sadlowski, Gregory Sorci, KevinWindham, Michael Worth and Joseph Ybarra.

Congratulations to the new Local 332 jour-neymen. The local is proud of all the graduatesand wishes them the best of luck.

Gerald Pfeiffer, Pres.

Celebrating SuccessL.U. 340 (em,i,rts&spa), SACRAMENTO, CA—Due to the excellent tutelage of our apprentice-ship instructors, 23 new journeyman insidewiremen, 14 sound & communications installers,and two residential wiremen received journey-man certificates and other awards at a gradua-tion celebration in May.

The next day, we hosted an informationalseminar attended by nearly 100 members andspouses on how to prepare for retirement.Presentations were given by representatives of thelocal pension trust, the NEBF, the Internationaland Social Security. Members agreed the seminarwill help them when it is time to put away thetools. It was like going full circle—from a newjourneyman graduation ceremony one night, to aretirees workshop the next day where we see howmembers reap rewards for their IBEW service.

Many travelers are working in our jurisdic-tion on several of our large projects; it appearswe will stay busy for quite some time. Travelershave had no problem obtaining California StateCertification, due to the help of our JATC. Pleasenote, however, state certification is not recipro-cal. If you plan to work anywhere in California,you must be California state certified.

We mourn the passing of active memberKenneth E. Warner and retired members JamesS. Hostetter, Russell S. Poppleton, Richard Kraft,Jack E. Surritt and Robert W. Terry.

A.C. Steelman, B.M.

VOTE CommitteeL.U. 354 (i,mt,rts&spa), SALT LAKE CITY, UT—Local 354 members are getting involved with theupcoming elections. We established a V.O.T.E.Committee (Voice of the Electricians), whichresearches labor friendly candidates and getsthis important information to our members sothey may make an informed decision on Nov. 4.IBEW members can make a difference by makingtheir voices heard.

Local 354 welcomes the following new con-tractors to the IBEW: NAVA Electric, KendalElectric, Ace Electric, Red Mountain Electric,and Wasatch Dairy Services. We look forward tolong and prosperous relationships together.

The Northern Unit held a steak fry on May 9.The party was well-received with over 90 mem-bers in attendance. It was good to see some ofthe retired members from former Local 217. Wethank Chmn. Lance Howerton and his unit mem-bers for the food and prizes.

Work in Utah has been good for the last fewyears and we look forward to many more goodyears with the great members and contractorswho are willing to provide quality electricalinstallations on time, under budget and in a safeand workman like manner.

Manya Blackburn, R.S.

Local 340 congratulatesthe 2008 apprenticegraduating class.

Wyoming Electrical JATC 2008 apprentice graduates from IBEW Locals 322 and 415. From left, front row,Scott Bremer (415), Jason McMillan (415), John Washburn (322), Chad Peterson (322), Dennis Robertson(322), Jason Russell (415), Alex Dickinson (322); back row, Robert Price (322), Jarrod Gose (415), RobertHicks (322), Angela Bare (322), Morgan Becker (415); and from 322, Zach Walsh, Adam Oestreich, ChrisLinton, Andy Curtis, Brandon Johnson, Dominic Guiterrez, Josh Clark, Brandon Farris and Scott Paustian.

IBEW mem-bers ofLocals 294,160 and 242are workingon a projectat MinnesotaPower’sTaconiteRidge WindFarm in Mt.Iron, MN.

Local 292 members Andrew Melander (right) andTodd Folta, with their children, attend rally at theMinnesota State Capitol to show support for theMall of America expansion.

w w w. i b e w. o r g T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008 11

LMCC Leadership DinnerL.U. 364 (catv,ees,em,es,i,mt,rts&spa), ROCK-FORD, IL—Int. Pres. Edwin D. Hill was thekeynote speaker at our local’s annual LMCCLeadership Dinner held May 20.

The program began with Local 364 Bus. Mgr.Darrin Golden introducing Int. Pres. Hill. Speaking infront of a nearly overflow crowd, Pres. Hill congratu-lated Local 364 members for the work we have donein our jurisdiction, achieving and sustaining a highpercentage of market share and high union density.He also warned us to guard against becoming com-placent with what we have accomplished, as somelocals and some unions have done to their detriment.

Int. Pres. Hill spoke about the Code ofExcellence and outlined the benefits of the pro-gram, stressing to our membership that each ofus is responsible for doing our part as profession-als to satisfy our customers. He also emphasizedthe importance of organizing, which is the back-bone of every union including the IBEW

On behalf of Local 364 members, we againthank Int. Pres. Hill for attending and speaking.It was a great honor to have him here.

Ray Pendzinski, P.S.

Youth in Construction DayL.U. 380 (ei,es,i&it), NORRISTOWN, PA—Local 380recently hosted two nationally respected authoritieson today’s electrical industry. In the audience wereLocal 380 apprentices and journeymen, NECA con-tractors and local clients. NJATC Exec. Dir. MichaelCallanan outlined what he envisions for IBEWapprentice and journeyman training classes in thefuture. Callanan encouraged the future journeymento continue their education through journeymantraining. He also discussed certification.

Peter Cockshaw, construction industry analystand founder of Cockshaw’s Labor News and Opinionnewsletter, spoke about the construction industryand how unions can increase their market share.

Local 380 participated in the OSHA Youth inConstruction Day at the Plymouth Meeting Mallconstruction site. Attending were OSHA represen-tatives, public officials, construction industry lead-ers, and high school students from a technicalschool. Interactive construction safety stationswere set up on-site. A station run by IBEW electri-cal contractor Carr & Duff showed proper confinedspace entry and rescue. An Iron Workers stationshowed crane safety techniques. An OperatingEngineers station featured a crane simulator.

Local 380 was featured in a recentConstruction Users Roundtable magazine articlethat reported our local’s success in implementingthe Code of Excellence program on many proj-ects, and how that has helped build a great rela-tionship with our end users.

Scott R. Sheldon, P.S.

Three-Generation IBEW FamilyL.U. 424 (as,ees,em,es,i,mo,o,ptc,rtb,rts,spa&u),EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA—Eighty yearsago in June, Local 424 was founded by a group of11 railway electricians, who were granted ourcharter in 1928.

Our local is pleased to recognize threemembers of the Leffler family, each from a differ-ent generation, who are Local 424 members.Family “patriarch,” Bro. Jay Leffler, became amember in 1956. Many journeymen around heretoday, when still apprentices, worked with Jay astheir journeyman. Before he retired in 1985, Bro.Jay brought his son Kurtiss in to join the union.

Bro. Kurtiss was initiated as an apprenticein 1980 and became a journeyman, always work-ing through the IBEW including a nine-yearperiod with Edmonton Local 1007. Working inthe commercial and industrial sectors, he hasserved as a foreman and general foreman. Bro.Kurtiss is actively working at his craft, currentlyon the Petro-Canada Refinery project.

Bro. Jay’s grandson, McKerry Dobbins, joinedLocal 424 as an apprentice in 2001. Now a journey-man, he works primarily industrial construction.When talking with any one of these three familymembers, their belief in the ideals of the IBEW isobvious. What also comes across is the respect andadmiration that the son and grandson have for thefamily patriarch, referring to him as “mentor” and“teacher.” The local is strengthened by having suchcommitted members as these.

Dave Anderson, P.S.

‘Oprah’s Big Give’ VolunteersL.U. 426 (i,lctt,o,spa,t&u), SIOUX FALLS, SD—On April 18, IBEW Local 426 was proud to be apart of an “Oprah’s Big Give” community serviceproject. A Sioux Falls elementary school, theLaura B. Anderson school, was chosen as benefi-ciary as it is located in one of Sioux Falls’ poor-est neighborhoods. The project contributed$5,000 from an advancement fund to buy 35 bicy-cles and helmets for the grade-school children.Local 426 thanks all who participated and helpedmake this a successful event.

Congratulations to former IBEW EleventhDistrict Int. Rep. David Feller on his April 1 retire-ment. Dave has been a Local 426 member for 42years and was the local union business managerfrom 1974-1975 and again from 1977-1998. He hadserved as International Representative since 1998.

Work at this time is very good, with Book1clear and several travelers working. We thank allthe travelers who helped out last year on theethanol plants in Aberdeen and Watertown.

Jon Olson, P.S.

Picnic & Service PinsL.U. 428 (govt,i,rts&spa), BAKERSFIELD, CA—What a picnic! With members and families wehad close to 1,000 adults and kids. There wereloads of great prizes donated by our generouscontractors and sponsors, entertainment for thekids, and a horseshoes tournament for adults. Wecongratulate and thank the cooks and servers fora job well-done. The food was outstanding.

We had one 70-year member, Ben Billington,who couldn’t make it to the picnic. Ben is admired byall who know him. Our 55-year members are RichardArambula, Fred Driscoll, Jack Hensley, Donald Lane,Buryl Vance, Charles Whalen; 50-year members—Thomas Alexander, Clarence Clerico, Homer Shaul,Robert Ulrich; 45-year members—James Barry,Arthur Gray, Dell Hemingway, William Hoffman, JohnJohnson, Lester Johnson; 40-year members—Kenneth Floyd, Frank Kramer, Jimmie Mahan,Richard Traynor, Richard Weatherford; 35-year mem-bers—Donald Braun, Michael Dewitt, Carl Jarrett,Jerome Stroud, JohnWilkins; 30-year members—James Baker, Sammy Barr, Casey Baxter, Les Bragg,Louis Cemo, Anecito Damo, Robert Dator, DentonHamilton, Dana Howard, Daniel Keeter, DuaneMoore; 25-year members—WilliamMoore, DavidReed; 20-year members—Jim Bias, Bill Cleveland,Michael Coleman, Richard Curtis, Timothy Embry,Darren McKinsey, Dirk Obenshain, Rick Oxford,Thomas Ryan, Bryan Taylor and James Vickers.

Ivan Beavan Jr., P.S.

Turtle Creek Casino ProjectL.U. 498 (c,catv,em,i&spa), TRAVERSE CITY, MI—At this writing our local is nearing the end of theTurtle Creek Casino Resort project, located inWilliamsburg, MI. This project has provided workfor many of our members over the past year. The

Cold Springs Compressor Station near Kalkaska,MI, is getting under way and should help put somemembers to work through the summer and fall.Our members recently ratified a three-year Insidecontract. We welcome all new Inside, Residential,and CW/CE members.

Our local recently lost retired memberJames Dippre. Our condolences go out to Bro.Dippre’s family on his passing.

Timothy R. Babcock, P.S.

Bill 76 Closes LoopholeL.U. 502 (c.em.i,it&t), ST. JOHN,NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA—On Friday, May 30,the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly gavefinal reading to Bill 76—an Act to amend theIndustrial Relations Act, prohibiting the practiceof “double breasting.” This hopefully brings to anend a two-year battle waged by the IBEW andNew Brunswick Building Trades unions to endthis anti-worker practice.

Our strategy of stripping key nonuniontradesmen has caused nonunion rates to rise byas much as 10 percent in our jurisdiction and hasleft some contractors with few or no journeymen.

Local 502 is proud to welcome new mem-bers Dan Seely, Norm Dechenes, JasonBlanchard, Norm Costello, Mike Cosman, JeffLeblanc, Dale Kilpatrick, Bill Conway, CraigMiller, Troy Crossman, Mike McNamee, BillJeffers, Darren McGinnis, Joe Cormier, JoeHenderson, Dave Walker and Pat Carlson.

At this writing, the local union election is infull swing with a full slate of candidates tochoose from. Good luck to all.

Local 502 recently sponsored trainingcourses in Arc Flash Safety.

Thanks to brothers from Locals 2166 and1555 for their help on local projects.

Dave Stephen, P.S.

Capt. Cruz Donates FlagL.U. 518 (i,rts&spa), GLOBE, AZ—Air ForceCapt. Daniel Cruz, son of Local 518 member EloyCruz and Eileen Cruz, flew his A-10 “Warthog”fighter jet into the war zone of Afghanistan, car-rying an American flag on the mission. Capt.Cruz sent the flag back to Local 518 to be dis-played at the union hall. [See “IBEW on Duty”article and photo in The Electrical Worker, July2008.] We support the troops serving in combatzones and hope for their safe return home.

The work picture is still good in our local area.We are working on five copper mines in the local’sjurisdiction and have some work at three powerplants in our northern district. We are looking atnew technology to help us use alternative energysources to power our hall into the 21st century.

George Mesa, E-Brd./P.S.

Celebrate Labor in SeptemberL.U. 538 (i), DANVILLE, IL—Mark your calen-dars! September offers several opportunities tocelebrate labor. Monday, Sept. 1, is Labor Day.The Danville parade begins at 10 a.m., followedby the Westville parade. The 2007 Local 538 float,designed by Juan Chavira, took first place inboth parades. Stop by the hall and look at thepictures and awards, if you missed the parade.

The Local 538 picnic will be held Saturday,Sept. 13, at Forrest Glen Preserve; informationwill be arriving in the mail.

Local 498 member Tom Jezak stands near the emer-gency generator at the Turtle Creek Casino Resort.

IBEW Local 426members assist onan “Oprah’s BigGive” communityservice project tobenefit childrenattending a SiouxFalls, SD, elemen-tary school.

Local 424 Bus. Mgr. Tim Brower (seated, left)congratulates three generations of the Leffler family,all IBEW Local 424 members: retired Bro. Jay Leffler(seated, right), Bro. McKerry Dobbins (standing, left)and Bro. Kurtiss Leffler.

At Local 364’s annual Leadership Series Dinner atGiovanni’s Restaurant, IBEW Int. Pres. Edwin D. Hillspoke about the IBEW Code of Excellence andorganizing and took questions from the membership.

Tuesday, Sept. 16, is the local union meeting;meetings are held on the third Tuesday of eachmonth at 7 p.m. Please help us congratulate ScottGrubbs and Rick Omundson on their successfulcompletion of the apprenticeship program. TheJATC has selected the following new appren-tices: Scott Callahan, Jacob Campbell, BrockDeffenbaugh, Josh Ferguson, Josh Howard, TravisHutchings, Tyler Thurman and Troy Walton.

Kathie Porter, Training Dir.

100th Birthday CelebrationL.U. 584 (ees,em,es,i,rts,spa&u), TULSA, OK—InSeptember 1907, IBEW Local 584 opened its doorsin what was then still Indian Territory, USA. Lessthan two months later, this territory becameOklahoma, the 46th state. A short time later,Charles Bertalot was born in this new state, andall three of these events have been tied togethervirtually since that time.

Bro. Charles Bertalot recently celebrated his100th birthday, surrounded by friends and family,most of whom were members or retirees of Local584. Union members attending included Local584 Bus. Mgr. Mike Burton, Debbie Bagby, RogerClark, Bob Anderson, Zeke Secrist, Bruce Gass,Jack Anderson, Mike Markham, Sam Robinson,Bob Bryan, Max Leaverton and Charles BertalotJr., who is also a retired member of our local.

The senior Bro. Bertalot, born March 20,1907, was initiated into the IBEW on Jan. 7, 1942.He remains bright-eyed and active, and was able toattend the Local 584 centennial celebration inSeptember 2007, where he received a plaque, pre-sented by Int. Vice Pres. Jonathan B. Gardner,commemorating his 65 years of service to IBEWLocal 584.

Johnny Patterson, A.B.M.

Graduation CeremonyL.U. 606 (em,es,i,rtb,spa&u), ORLANDO, FL—Thegraduating class of 2008 had their ceremony at theFlorida Hotel. Guest speakers were Rachel Hutter,representing Walt Disney World; Local 606 Bus.

50-Year MembersL.U. 654 (i), CHESTER, PA—In 1958, a total of32 employees of the C&W Electrical contractorwere organized into Local 654. Now, there arenine of us retired former C&W employees whoare celebrating 50 years as IBEW members, and Irecently spoke with several of them.

As for myself, I enjoyed working out of thelocal and meeting interesting people. Nowretired, I am proud to have a son who is a mem-ber of Local 654.

Bro. Lou Papili said the pension plan paidoff and it’s great to have a comfortable retire-ment. Bobby Hart, who set up the Health andWelfare and Pension Plans, said the local offeredmany opportunities. Lou McCauley says he’shappy as a clam and enjoys time with his wife,kids and grandkids.

Herbie Osborne, who was a steward, dis-cussed how well we were treated by the local.John Papili sounded great on the phone; he isenjoying retirement and thankful to the local. AlSimeone said our local should be proud for beingone of the early locals to open its door to minori-ties. Lou Filippone praised the local and enjoysretirement. Lou is playing golf, going to StoneHarbor and enjoying his family. I was unable tocontact Jimmy Smith.

T. Francis “Jeep” Hanley, P.S.

Meeting ChallengesL.U. 684 (c,i,rts&st), MODESTO, CA—Since thebirth of our union during the wiring of America inthe late 19th century, a time when workers facedappalling working conditions and deaths by fallsand electric shock, challenge has made us. Andnow, in this new millennium, with a recession ofjobs and opportunity and the weakening value ofour dollars, we are headed for a rough ride ahead.

With new IBEW organizing techniques suchas those shown in Florida and elsewhere, alongwith PLAs based on our code of excellence and newtechnologies in solar power generation, we willstart to turn this thing around and not fade away.

Thank you to our neighboring locals forhelping our members through this hard time.

Torrey Newton, P.S.

Karn/Weadock Power PlantL.U. 692 (i,mt&spa), BAY CITY, MI—We have 80members on Book 1. We just can’t seem to clearthe book. Summer is here with many jobs sched-uled to start, and some going nonunion.

We just finished the new 241-foot conveyorwith telescopic chute at Consumers Energy’sKarn/Weadock power plant. A lot of the work wasdone in outdoor Michigan winter weather.

It all starts with coal, eastern and westernU.S. coal. The plant uses 3 million tons a year,further helping other parts of our country.Karn/Weadock is Consumers Energy’s largestpower plant site, capable of producing over 2,500megawatts of power to fill the needs of over 1.3million consumers, and paying more than $10million a year in property taxes, further helpingthe local government. The fly ash and transferbuilding projects are almost complete, with baghouses coming early next year (projects to meetEPA criteria), and the new power plant coming(waiting on Michigan PA 141). It’s good the plantis working with our union. Coal is a U.S. resourcethat we don’t have to depend on other countriesfor! Thanks to Karn/Weadock for continued sup-port using Local 692 and for keeping the site a100 percent union work force.

Our condolences go to the family of Local692 member Jerome “Jerry” Fortin, who passedaway in March.

Tom Bartosek, P.S.

Service Award RecipientsL.U. 700 (em,i,o&spa), FT. SMITH, AR—Servicepins were awarded in May to members with yearsof service ranging from 10 to 55 years. At areception held prior to the regular monthlymeeting, 19 members received pins.

Pin recipients were as follows: for 10 yearsof service—Tim Carte, Leonard Davis, CharlesMcKinney, Gary Rankin, David Reiss, JamesRicketts; for 15 years—Mike Lovell; 20 years—Russell Thomas; 25 years—Steve Strunk, CurtisWalbe; 30 years—Burl Carter, Tom Martin; 35years—James Horton, Kenneth Phillips; 40years—Eyul Smith; 45 years—Danny Layne; 50years—Jack Fraley: 55 years—William Cooperand Donald McAlister. We congratulate all ourmembers who received pins.

The IBEW “American Time” watch was pre-sented to Bro. Burl Carter in honor of his having

12 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008

IBEW Local 636EnersourceTeam D-Divisionhockey tourna-ment champs.

Local 584 retired Bro. Charles Bartalot Sr.,a 65-year member, recently celebrated his 100thbirthday with Local 584 officers and members.

IBEW Local 538 Asst. Bus. Mgr. and JATC memberRex Modglin (left) presents Rick Omundson with the2008 Outstanding Apprentice Award.

IBEW Local 692 members recently completed workon a new conveyor with telescopic chute atConsumers Energy’s Karn/Weadock power plantlocated near Bay City, MI.

Mgr. Harry Brown; and Robert Coppersmith, NECA.Congratulations for all your hard work, graduates.Christopher Stump received an engraved watch forachieving perfect attendance. Outstanding appren-tices were Wayne Wright, Michael Nesbit, NathanFeinburg and Andres Salazar.

“Every American citizen has the right to vote.Hundreds of thousands of armed forces membershave died to preserve our government and ourright to vote. The citizens of this country who areeligible to vote—but do not—commit a grave dis-service to those who died in wars defending theUnited States.” The above was written years ago byauthor David Manier, and it conveys an importantmessage for this election year.

With deepest regret we report the deaths ofBros. Clarence Lewis, Ron Kennedy, Ray Bonnerand Charlie Jones. Our thoughts and prayers goto their families.

Janet D. Skipper, P.S.

Hockey Tournament ChampsL.U. 636 (as,catv,em,spa&u), TORONTO, ONTARIO,CANADA—On June 21-22 Kim Carmichael, fromEnersource Hydro Mississauga, participated in a200-km bike “Ride to Conquer Cancer” from Torontoto Niagara Falls to benefit The Princess MargaretHospital. We invited members to show support toKim and this great cause. We’re proud of you, sister!For more info please visitwww.conquercancer.ca.

The 2008 Ontario Electric Utilities HockeyTournament was held March 28-30. The eventamassed many teams frommany utilities andunions. Great thanks to the host utility PowerStreamInc. for a job well-done and congratulations to thevictorious IBEW Local 636, Enersource Team thatwon the tournament. Congratulations, guys!

Congratulations to our members atPowerStream, Veridian and Simcoe CommunityServices, who recently ratified their contracts.Good luck to the members at Horizon Utilities,Wasaga Beach Hydro and Orillia Public Works,who are currently in or preparing for upcomingcontract negotiations.

Robert Mogus, P.S.

Local 606 honors apprentice graduating class of 2008. From left, front row, Aaron Hoover, Dennis Misorek,Adam Champion, Jorge Camacho, Luis Benejam, Michael Stines and Christopher Stump; back row, MichaelNesbit, Rajeev Mann, Michael Miller, Mark Baldridge, Andres Salazar, Anthony Stines, Saymon Attalla, BrettErwin, Nathan Feinberg, Lemuellee Quinones, Wayne Wright, Robert Merriam and Jean-Richard Fisher.

w w w. i b e w. o r g T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008 13

served for 20 years as president of Local 700. Hewas recently re-elected (no opposition) to anotherthree-year term.

Congratulations to apprentices BrandonCroom, Jerry Carter and Matt Foster on complet-ing their apprenticeship.

Debbie Carter, P.S.

Projects to Gear UpL.U. 702 (as,c,catv,cs,em,es,et,govt,i,it,lctt,mo,mt,o,p,pet,ptc,rtb,rts,se,spa,st,t,u,uow&ws), WESTFRANKFORT, IL—The work picture continues toimprove this year. The Prairie State EnergyCampus project is slowly coming out of the ground.August is scheduled for setting the steel. We cur-rently have 59 journeyman wiremen on the project.

The Dynegy-Baldwin Energy Complex scrub-ber project and the LeFarge Cement Plant proj-ect will gear up in the fall.

At this writing, we have 33 journeymanwiremen on the Out of Work Book 1 list, with allapprentices working.

Outside construction and line clearance workcontinues to be strong. Local 702 is continuing itsorganizing efforts in our Missouri jurisdiction.

Brothers and sisters, please work safe,attend your union meetings—and in Novembervote your job.

Marsha Steele, P.S.

Work Picture UpdateL.U. 704 (catv,em&i), DUBUQUE, IA—As of thiswriting at the approach of spring, our work situa-tion was improving with everyone on Book I work-ing. At press time, work looks good for thesummer. Existing projects are scheduled to peakin the coming months.

Local 704 and local contractors are alsoworking hard to secure the work at a proposedHormel plant to be constructed in the industrialpark of Dubuque.

With regret we report the passing of tworetired members, Bros. Joe Willenborg and MarvinDalsing. Bro. Willenborg was initiated in 1963. Joestarted his career with Tri-State Electric Co.

Bro. Dalsing died from complications ofasbestosis. Marv was a 50-year member of Local 704,where he held many offices including that of presi-dent. Prior to his retirement, Marv was the managerof Morse Electric Co. in Dubuque. We extend ourcondolences to the families of these men.

Ron Heitzman, P.S.

Annual Retirees BanquetL.U. 712 (c&i), BEAVER, PA—Local 712 held itsannual retirees banquet on April 19 at theMonaca Turners facility. We honored all Local712 members who retired from the IBEW in2007. We were privileged to have in attendanceat this years’ banquet IBEW Int. Pres. Edwin D.Hill and Third District Int. Rep. John E.Malagise, both of whom are Local 712 members.

This year’s honorees were: Bros. Roger Iben,John Troutman, Bud Gamble, Kurt Neff, DonSmarsh, Mike McBurney, Butch Wilson, Bob Nixon,Tom Ross, Louis Zicarelli and Rich Stockunas. Awonderful evening of fellowship was enjoyed by all,as stories were exchanged among friends aboutyears of experiences on and off the job.

Work remains slow in our local and wethank our sister locals for the employment theyare currently providing our out-of-work members.

See you at the meeting!

Larry Nelson, P.S.

‘Successful Activities’L.U. 716 (em,i,lctt,rts&spa),HOUSTON, TX—I hope thisfinds all gainfully employedwith work in your jurisdiction.We appreciate other localunions putting our members towork. Hopefully we can returnthe courtesy. Houston hasplenty of work at this time withmore coming.

We have had numeroussuccessful activities since ourlast article, namely our Local716 Golf Tournament, ourBrotherhood Bash Picnic, andthe MS 150 bike ride. Check our

Web site www.ibew716.net for future events.We congratulate our graduating class of

Teledata and Inside apprentices on a job well-done.We had 53 Inside apprentices graduate and threeTeledata apprentices graduate. Thanks to all of ourinstructors at the Houston JATC for their efforts.

Our retirees enjoyed a luncheon to celebratethe retired members who received their 50-, 55-,60-, 65-, and 70-year service pins. We owe thesemembers our gratitude for paving the way beforeus. Thanks to all for your many years of service.

We encourage all our members to partici-pate in the PAC fund as well as our local unionDeath Benefit and Sick and Accident Fund.Remember, please exercise your right to vote.

John E. Easton Jr., B.M./F.S.

Commercial Projects StartingL.U. 816 (i,o,spa,t&u), PADUCAH, KY—Workremains steady with many commercial projects start-ing early summer. Members should be busy with theNational Guard Armory, Murray Hospital, MarshallCounty Hospital, Murray State University dorms andthe West Kentucky Technology Center projects. The

Uranium Disposition Service (UDS) project is keep-ing members busy at the United States EnrichmentCorp. (USEC) plant. Upcoming negotiations includeWest Kentucky Rural Telephone, Hickman-FultonRural Electric Cooperative Corp. andWest KentuckyRural Electric Cooperative.

The fall golf tournament is scheduled forSept. 13 at Drake Creek. The annual retireemeeting is scheduled for Oct. 4 at the CherryCivic Center.

Greg Hobgood, B.M./F.S.

Tribute for ServiceL.U. 876 (as,catv,govt,lctt,o,t&u), GRAND RAPIDS,MI—Bro. Rex DeVree recently received a plaquein tribute for his 25-plus years as a dedicatedAmerican Line Builders Apprenticeship Training(ALBAT) instructor for our apprentice linemen.Local 876 Bus. Mgr. presented the plaque.

Rex was initiated into the IBEW in 1971and worked under the 876-A construction agree-ment for eight years during his own apprentice-ship training and after becoming a journeymanlineman. He then went to work for Tri-CountyElectric and was employed there for 21 years.

In addition to his duties as an instructor forALBAT, Rex served as a former president of thelocal union and as assistant business manager. Infact, he recently was appointed once again as aLocal 876 assistant business manager. Rex is aproven asset to the local union and we all wel-come him back to the staff.

Robert W. Edmonds, P.S.

Numbers Growing in TucsonL.U. 1116 (em,lctt&u), TUCSON, AZ—In these daysof people losing jobs, we have been fortunate tobuild up our work force with our apprenticeship pro-gram. Recently 14 TEP pre-apprentices completedtheir year-long training and now step into theirapprentice safety boots for some intense training.

Our union members in Cottonwood,Prescott, Lake Havasu, Kingman, Flagstaff, ShowLow, Springerville and Tucson have all done anoutstanding job throughout the summer to keepthe work force accident free, a safety record weare proud of. Thanks to all of you for keepingthose power services going throughout the hotArizona summer monsoons.

By now, we are well into various contractnegotiations in both Tucson and Springerville; withthe cost of everything from health insurance to

Local 816 members at West Kentucky Rural Telephone gather asthey start to work.

Attending Local 712’s April retirees banquet are, from left, back row, Rodger D. Iben, John R. Troutman, Bernard N.“Bud” Gamble, Third District Int. Rep. John E. Malagise, Int. Pres. Edwin D. Hill, Kurt V. Neff, Donald Smarsh, Local712 Bus. Mgr. Frank E. Telesz Jr., Local 712 Pres. John A. Kochanowski; front row, Michael L. McBurney, Burton A.“Butch”Wilson, Robert E. Nixon, Thomas Ross and Louis Zicarelli. Not pictured is retiree Rich Stockunas.

Local 700 service award recipients, from left: JackFraley, a 50-year member, and 55-year membersDonald McAlister and William Cooper.

LOCAL LINES continued on page 16IBEW Local 716 maintenance group members (in blue) alongside Texan Electric brothers, shown at theAgrifos Plant in Houston, are helping the union take back the ship channel work.

Local 876 Bus. Mgr. Keith Sarns (right) presentsplaque to Asst. Bus. Mgr. Rex DeVree.

On page three of this issue, there’s a story about theIBEW’s redesigned Web site, www.ibew.org. This ismore than just another new look for the site; it’salso symbolic of a movement toward a greater use

of Web technology to further the goals of the Brotherhood.With this new site, we are making a commitment to

keep our members, and the public, informed on a more regu-lar basis, with news on the activities of the IBEW coming ona daily basis. The new graphics make the site easier to readand to navigate, and we will make greater use of video to tellour story to the world as well.

This isn’t just about putting out a better looking Website. As our union addresses issues like organizing, growth,recruitment of new workers into our industries, expanding

our expertise in alternate energy installation and maintenance, legislative action and numer-ous other activities, our members need to be better and more quickly informed. So too, ourallies in the community and political world will be looking to us for information. This site is amajor way in which we will provide that.

The print medium will continue to be a core part of the IBEW’s media operation, as ithas been since the beginning of our Brotherhood, but an increasingly wired world demandsthat we increase our presence in cyberspace. Like the Internet itself, our site is always a workin progress. We look forward to hearing your comments about how to make it the best Website in the labor movement.

The Electrical Worker’s first editor, James T. Kelly, could have never predicted the worldof video news, blogs and online job databases when he took the job more than 100 years ago.But his objectives—to inform our members on what’s going on the shop floor, Capitol Hill andeverything in between and create a unified, public voice for trade unionism in the electricalindustry—are still important goals of the IBEW. �

I n t e r n a t i o n a l B r o t h e r h o o d o f E l e c t r i c a l W o r k e r s

HOWTO REACH US

We welcome letters from our readers. The writer should include his or her name, address and, ifapplicable, IBEW local union number and card number. Family members should include the localunion number of the IBEW member to whom The Electrical Worker is mailed. Please keep lettersas brief as possible. The Electrical Worker reserves the right to select letters for publication and editall submissions for length.

Send letters to:Letters to the Editor, The Electrical Worker, 900 Seventh Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001Or send by e-mail to: media@ibew.org

©2008 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. on Union-made paper.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Electrical Worker, 900 Seventh Street, N.W.,Washington, D.C. 20001.

The Electrical Worker will not be held responsible for views expressed by correspondents.

Paid advertising is not accepted.

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40011756.Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:P.O. Box 503RPO West Beaver CreekRichmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6

The Electrical Worker was the name of the first official publication ofthe National Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in 1893 (the NBEWbecame the IBEW in 1899 with the expansion of the union intoCanada). The name and format of the publication have changed overthe years. This newspaper, along with the IBEW Journal magazine,now published quarterly, now constitute the official publications ofthe IBEW and seek to capture the courage and spirit that motivatedthe founders of the Brotherhood and continue to inspire the union’smembers today. The masthead of this newspaper is an adaptation ofthat of the first edition in 1893.

14 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008

As thousands of U.S. service members risk life andlimb every day in the heat of desert combat, recentheadlines herald a disturbing and inexcusable dan-ger lurking far from the firefights.

Since the start of the war in 2003, 13 troops died in Iraqnot as a result of hostile fire, but by inefficient and sloppy elec-trical work provided by military contractor KBR, a former sub-sidiary of Halliburton and the former Brown and Root—one ofthe most vehemently anti-union contracting firms ever. Suchwork has electrocuted troops in showers and swimming poolsand killed soldiers in fires resulting from faulty wiring.

A front-page July New York Times article trumpeted thebad news. In 2007, “electrical problems were the most urgentnoncombat safety hazard for soldiers in Iraq,” the paperwrote, citing an official Army statement. Hundreds moretroops have received nonlethal shocks—sometimes daily—from the poor electrical work per-formed by KBR electricians. In a recent six-month period, nearly 300 electrical fires damagedor destroyed American facilities in the country.

Since the dawning of our Brotherhood, the IBEW has taken an occupation that had a 50percent fatality rate and helped to create a strong and effective safety ethic. Our graduatesfrom the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee program are the finest in thenation, demonstrating precision and sound decision-making on the job and always searchingfor improvements in safety.

Remember, this is an administration that has repeatedly put our sons and daughters inharm’s way without the tools needed to safely get the job done. I am talking about Humveeswithout adequate armor and troops without enough helmets and flak jackets. The same lackof thoroughness and follow-through is now widely known to be present at KBR-run bases.

As a union, we strive to ensure our members have everything they need to get the jobdone professionally, efficiently, and—most importantly—safely. Our leaders owe the sameto our troops. �

F R O M T H E O F F I C E R S

EXECUTIVEOFFICERS

Edwin D. HillInternational President

Lindell K. LeeInternational Secretary-Treasurer

INTERNATIONALEXECUTIVECOUNCIL

ChairmanRobert W. Pierson

First DistrictJoseph P. Calabro

Second DistrictMyles J. Calvey

Third DistrictJohn R. Clarke

Fourth DistrictJackie E. Goodwin

Fifth DistrictStephen Schoemehl

Sixth DistrictGregory A. Lucero

Seventh DistrictPatrick Lavin

Eighth DistrictRick Dowling

INTERNATIONALVICE PRESIDENTS

First DistrictPhillip J. Flemming

Second DistrictFrank J. Carroll

Third DistrictDonald C. Siegel

Fourth DistrictSalvatore J. Chilia

Fifth DistrictJoe S. Davis

Sixth DistrictJoseph F. Lohman

Seventh DistrictJonathan B. Gardner

Eighth DistrictTed C. Jensen

Ninth DistrictMichael S. Mowrey

Tenth DistrictRobert P. Klein

Eleventh DistrictCurtis E. Henke

THE ELECTRICALWORKER

EditorEdwin D. Hill

C. James Spellane

Mark Brueggenjohann

Mike Nugent

Malinda Brent

Len Shindel

Carol Fisher

Alex Hogan

Lucas Oswalt

James H. Jones

Lindell K. LeeInternational Secretary-Treasurer

A National Disgrace

Getting Our Message Out

Edwin D. HillInternational President

w w w. i b e w. o r g T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008 15

Young folks better not tell Nate Turner, aChicago Local 134 inside wireman andexecutive director of the Chicago Labor

Management Cooperation Committee, that theywon’t consider taking a temporary loss in wages toenter an apprenticeship program that will lead themto a lifetime of job security and high earnings.

“I went from $525,000 a year as an NFLplayer to a $20,000 per year apprenticeship,”says Turner, who was drafted by the Buffalo Billsin 1991 and played in two Super Bowls after acelebrated career at the University of Nebraskathat included major bowl games each year.

Today, Turner, the son of a 38-year Local134 journeyman wireman, visits high schoolsand community organizations to recruit minorityapplicants to apprenticeship programs.

“It’s fulfilling work that can change lives andgive hope to families for years to come,” saysTurner, a graduate of Chicago’s Mt. Carmel HighSchool, a football powerhouse that producedPhiladelphia Eagle’s quarterback Donovan McNabband former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Simeon Rice.

Turner was signed by the Carolina Panthersafter four years with the Bills. “I hurt my kneeand that was that,” for his NFL career, saysTurner, who went on to play professional rugby inAustralia before returning home to care for hisfather, Nate Sr., when he suffered a stroke. Hisfather died in 2001.

After an unsuccessful tryout with the St.Louis Rams, Turner was out of professional sportsoptions. He looked around and decided to followin his father’s footsteps and enter the electricaltrade. “I saw how well my father was taken careof by his union benefit plans,” says Turner. He firstentered Local 134’s residential apprenticeship,then transferred to the commercial program.

After topping out of his apprenticeship,Turner, a married father of two, served as a stew-ard on the five-year, 93-story, Trump Towers con-struction project.

“I took the same effort and work ethic that Iput into becoming a professional athlete—blockingfor great players like Thurman Thomas—and put itinto the trade,” says Turner, who was appointedLabor Management Cooperation Committee direc-tor in 2006. “I try to get the message out aboutwhat a blessing the trades are, how one can seethe product of his/her skills exhibited in buildingsall over town.”

And he revisits the all-important benefits thatled to his own career choice. “I tell young peoplethat being a tradesman can be the differencebetween being able to take a sick child to the county

hospital or to the Center for Advanced Medicine.”“Every high school is full of students who

think that they are going to play professionalfootball or basketball. I tell them that there areonly 56 players on an NFL team and 15 on anNBA team,” says Turner. “They have a betterchance to be a doctor or a lawyer. They need aPlan B and the trades are one of the best.”

Douglas Garcia met Turner when he cameto address a pre-apprenticeship training class.“While I’m Latino and he’s African-American, itintrigued me that, despite all his trials and tribu-lations, Turner really enjoyed being an electri-cian,” he says.

Garcia, 37, who joined the pre-apprentice-ship class after being released from incarcera-tion, is working as a roofer apprentice. AtTurner’s urging, he has placed his name on thewaiting list for the electrical apprenticeship. �

Former NFL Player Blocksfor Chicago Apprenticeships

Lettersto theEditorLettersto theEditorProud Member RememberedOur father, Anthony J. Zafarino Sr., died on October 16, 2007. He was a proud member ofthe IBEW. Back in the 1970s, he encouraged us to participate in an IBEW talent contest,which we won. He loved music, his country, and was a World War II veteran of the Navy.Our older brother Anthony J. Zafarino Jr. is also a member of the IBEW today because ofour dad. Our Dad was the chief of maintenance for the Health & Hospital Corp. for the Cityof New York. He was very proud to be a union member and had a picture of Harry VanArsdale Jr. hanging on his office wall for years. He was born in Manhattan in 1918, theson of Italian immigrants. Married for 66 years, his wife Agnes Valenski Zafarino of Polishdescent died four years before him. A Perry Como look-alike, Anthony was a man of greatintegrity, loved by many for his singing, his laughter and his humility. He is survived byidentical twin daughters Maria and Michele, son Anthony J. Zafarino Jr., grandsonsAnthony J. Zafarino III and Frankie; granddaughters Carolyn, Jennifer and Anne Marie andgreat granddaughters Selena and Angelina.

Maria Mulligan & Michele NicholsonDaughters of Anthony J. Zafarino Sr., Local 3 member, New York, N.Y.

A Grateful Union DaughterI wish I could shake the hand of the IBEW organizer who helped linemen in Maine organ-ize into Local 1837 many years ago. Just one of those union jobs has made such a bigdifference in the opportunities in my life that I want to buy that organizer a cup of coffeeand say, “Let me tell you a little story.” My dad, Larry Sargent, had grown up so hungrythat he actually loved Army food when he was drafted to fight in Vietnam. After returningand starting a family, he showed up at Central Maine Power every week for a year untilthey hired him. He worked as a union lineman through 14 Maine winters and, later, as ahot sticker though 16 Arizona summers.

Many, many people over the years have told me that he was the hardest workerthey’d ever known. I’m deeply thankful for the big things (college education) as well as thesmall things (Christmas presents, braces) that were made possible because of the IBEW. Itseems like daily I was reminded that the union was the reason that my sister and I got adecent start in life. I try to pass on this precious legacy to others by working for the unionmovement, alongside many great member activists. I feel like I am working with myheroes. My dad was diagnosed eight years ago with a terminal Agent Orange-related ill-ness. He cried the day they told him he couldn’t work anymore, and died 18 months later.More than 100 linemen from Arizona Public Service took the day off to attend his funeral.The IBEW made a better life possible for him and his family—with plenty of food foreverybody—and for that I am thankful beyond words.

Jennifer SargentDaughter of Local 1837 member Larry Sargent, Manchester, Maine

If you have a story to tell about your IBEW experience, please send it tomedia@ibew.org.

Who We Are

If you would like to receive yourElectrical Worker via e-mail insteadof in your mailbox, contact us atmedia@ibew.org. Give us your name,IBEW local union number, card num-ber and e-mail address and wewill send you the link to access TheElectrical Worker electronically.

Get Connected

Turner, a former pro football player, is executivedirector of the Chicago LMCC.

IBEW PHOTO & VIDEO CONTESTIBEW PHOTO & VIDEO CONTESTAttention Photo & Video Buffs!Photographs have the power to inspire and motivate.With improved technology and the rise of video on theWeb, the ability to make moving pictures is accessibleto many. We have expanded our photo contest thisyear to include video productions.

Also new with this year’s contest is that the IBEWmembership will pick the winners on www.ibew.org.

Keep an eye on future issues of the Electrical Worker and the Web site forthe announcement of when the judging will begin.

Seewww.ibew.org/special/08PhotoContest.pdffor complete contest rules and entry forms.

DEADLINE

Oct. 24, 200

8

Credit:

EdMaher

16 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r � August 2008

gasoline being what it is, we really need to sticktogether for the benefit of all. Remember toattend your union meeting and keep informed.

Congratulations to our newly elected localunion officers.

R. Cavaletto, P.S.

1220 Members Win SPJ AwardsL.U. 1220 (rtb), CHICAGO, IL—The ChicagoChapter of the Society of Professional Journalistsgave their Peter Lisagor Awards to IBEW Local1220 members for excellence in the line of duty.

Nathan Delack, CBS camera operator, wasthe videography winner for his “Winter Solstice”piece. “It was really a special night because I grewup in the Chicago suburbs and always wanted towork for a Chicago TV station and now I was evenrecognized for my hard work,” Delack said.

Tim Boyd, camera operator, PBS\WTTW, wasa finalist in the same category for “The Foods ofChicago: A Delicious History.”

Also, at CBS Mike Klingele, AlifMuhammad, and Bond Li took second place forthe best investigative series, “Out of Order.”

Mike D’Angelo, WGN-TV, was a finalist in thesoft news category for shooting “Façade Project.”

The Lisagor awards are named for PeterLisagor, former Washington bureau chief of theChicago Daily News. Lisagor was one of thenation’s most respected and best-known journalists at his death in1976.

The Chicago office of BexelBroadcast Services hosted a two-day DUET training class for unionmembers. “Continuing education isa vital component to keep our juris-diction,” said Local 1220 Bus. Mgr.Madeleine Monaco.

Jim Sterne, B.R./P.S.

Degree in Telecom TechnologyL.U. 2324 (t), SPRINGFIELD, MA—On May 29,17 members of IBEW Local 2324 received diplo-mas from Springfield Technical CommunityCollege. All had participated in the college’s NextStep Program. The program allows contract qual-ified Verizon associates who are members of theIBEW to earn an Associate in Applied Sciencedegree in telecommunications technology from a

participating college.Congratulations and best wishes for contin-

ued success to these Local 2324 graduates. Theyare: Kathleen Adamczyk, James J. Armstrong,Christopher Cote, Eric Delaney, Jesse Kovalsick,Mark Charles McCormack, Stanley L. McCoy,Brian J. Moran, Joseph J. O’Brien, Mark A. Olson,Paul Pharmer, William T. Pritchard, Ryan P.Quinto, Scott Rogers, Lisa J. Russell, JamesAnderson Todd and John J. Yarasavych.

Joe Floyd, P.S.

Council Member RetiresUTILITY SYSTEM COUNCIL U-7—System CouncilU-7 wishes Bro. Brian Beakman and wife Sharon,daughter Jennifer and son-in-law Jason all thebest in Brian’s retirement. In addition to his serv-ice as SCU-7 delegate, Brian also served Lancaster,NY, Local 966 as business manager/president. AnIBEW member for 31 years, he previously servedhis local as union steward, E-Board member,E-Board chairman and vice president.

Bro. Mike Lutz replaces Bro. Beakman asthe Local 966 business manager/president. Lutzalso serves as SCU-7 secretary-treasurer. Bro.Bob Smith is a new SCU-7 delegate for Chatham,NY, Local 1143. Smith is business man-ager/president of Local 1143.

Don S. Tuttel, P.S.

System Council U-7 officers and delegates congratu-late Bro. Brian Beakman (fifth from left), formercouncil delegate and Local 966 business man-ager/president, on his retirement. From left are SCU-7 delegates Larry Townley, Local 249 vice president;Tom Addy, Local 83 business agent; Bob Smith,Local 1143 business manager/president; GaryBonker, Local 83 vice president; Bro. Beakman;SCU-7 Pres. Dan Addy, Local 83 business man-ager/president; SCU-7 Sec.-Treas. Mike Lutz, Local966 business manager/president; and Mark Valerio,Local 249 business manager/president.

Among the Local 2324members who recentlyreceived diplomas fromSpringfield, MA,Technical CommunityCollege are, from left:Mark CharlesMcCormack, MarkOlson, Brian Moran,Stanley McCoy, LisaRussell, Eric Delaney,John Yarasavych andJoseph O’Brien.

Local Linescontinued from page 13