the electrical worker march 2011

8/7/2019 The Electrical Worker March 2011

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With his colorfulimage of a mem-ber carefullywelding conduit,

Blain Logan of St. Joseph,Mo., Local 545 showcasedthe muscle and nose-to-the-grindstone effort it takes toget the job done netting thegrand prize in the 2010 IBEWPhoto Contest.

His entry was the run-

away favorite in online vot-ing by members and thepublic in January.

Judges previewed morethan 360 submissions for thecompetition. The finalistsgarnered a record 12,000votes for the 15 images thatappeared at www.ibew.orgin December and January.

Voters awarded Casper,Wyo., Local 322 member EzraKelly second place for his vividrendering of power lines gliding overan icy landscape.

Mike Muscat of Poughkeepsie,N.Y., Local 320 placed third with atongue-in-cheek underwater shot of afellow lineman who coupled safety garbwith scuba gear to fix a downed pole.

W W W . I B E W . O R G

First Place Winner ($200)

Blain Logan , St. Joseph, Mo., Local 545

Last summer, while schoolchildren beat the record Midwestern heatwith ice cream and trips toair-conditioned malls, wireman travelers Logan and Jim Amossuited up in bulkyfire-retardantgearand face shieldsto weld carbon steel conduit at theConoco refineryin Alton, Ill.

On a particularly hotday, Logan snapped hisphoto of Amos a Jacksonville, Fla., Local 17member putting thefull weightof his bodyon a pipe tosecure one ofthe trickier welds.

Doing this kind ofworkcan be rough, Logansaid. Youre in reallytight environmentsand you almosthave to stand on yourheadsometimesto get the weld.Then youve got the heaton top ofthat. I tookthispicture toshow mydad and fellow IBEW brothers how hard itwas.

We dontusuallydo a whole lotof welding in the trade, he said.Butwhen thatwork falls in our jurisdiction, we want to show that werecapable ofdoing an excellent job.

I N T H I S I S S U E

F I R S T P U B L I S H E D I N 1 8 9 3

I N T E R N A T I O N A L B R O T H E R H O OD O F E L E C T R I C A L W O R K E R S Vol. 5 | No. 3 | March 2011

PHOTOCONTESTWINNERScontinuedonpage2

14 TH ANNUAL IBEW PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS

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T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r| M a r c h 2 0 11 3


N.Y., Pa., Lawmakers Crack Down onWorker Misclassification

Laborunionsandsmall busi-nessownersfrom acrossNewYorkcametogether latelast year tosupportone of

themost far-reaching legislativecrackdownson employersthat mis-classifyemployees as independentcontractors.

FormerGov. David Patersonsigned the WageTheftPreventionAct lastDecember, which toughenspenalties againstemployersthat arefound guiltyof misclassification andprovides additional protectionsforemployees. Firing a workerwho

charges wage theftwill carry apenaltyof up to $10,000. The lawgoes into effectApril 12.

Worker misclassification hasbeen widespread in the state.James Parrot, chief economist forthe Fiscal Policy Institute, estimatedthat 10 percent of New Yorks work-ers are misclassified as independ-ent contractors.

Affectedworkersaredeprivedof protectionunderlaborlaw andareineligible forworkerscompensation.Andlaw-abidingbusinessesare forcedtocompetewithotherswhodontpayprevailingwages,SocialSecurity taxes

andovertimebylabelingemployeesindependent contractors.

Ithurtsourcontractorsthatplaybythe rulesand treattheiremployeesfairly, saysThirdDistrict InternationalRepresentativeLarryDavis.

States and localitiesnationwidelose outon $8billion in revenuebecause of worker misclassification.

Davissays the IBEW and NECAcontractors mobilized heavilybehind N.Y.s WageTheft Act and itsconstruction counterpart theConstruction Industry FairPlayAct,which went into effect lastOctober.That law clarifies the difference

between full-time employees andindependent contractorsin the con-struction industry.

Underthe [act] all construc-tion industry workers would be pre-sumed to be employeesunless theymeet specificcriteria thatwouldlead to theirclassification as inde-pendent contractors, says billsponsorstate Sen. George Onorato.

Both bills are expected tobring millions in tax revenue to NewYork, garnering $150 million to helpstate officials preserve vital govern-ment programs.

Pennsylvania passedsimilarlegislationlast October, whenformerGov. EdRendell signeda bill thatmakes it a third-degree felonyforaconstructioncontractor toknowinglyengagein workermisclassification.

While the practice is not asrampant in the electrical trade as itis in other sectors of the construc-tion industry, it has been a growing problem that has put the squeezeon honest contractors both unionand nonunion, saysThird DistrictInternational Representative RandyKieffer.

OnCapitol Hill, MassachusettsSen. John Kerry and Rep. Jim

McDermott (Wash.) introducednational legislation last year thatwould beef up enforcementof worker classification regulations.

International RepresentativeDan Gardner, IBEW Political andLegislativeAffairs Department, saysthatit will be hard forCongress tocontinue to ignore the issue if morestatesfollow New Yorks andPennsylvaniaslead in cracking down on worker misclassification.

Misclassificationis oneof thebiggest challenges facing thebuilding trades, butI thinkitsan issuethat

electedofficialsacrossthe countryareready tomoveon,Davissays.T

SanFrancisco labor activists protesta construction contractor found

guilty by state officials of cheatingworkers out of wages andbenefits.

Whats the Tax Debate All About?

T o make some sense outof the tax debate in the U.S.,we talked toAndrewFieldhouse, a federal

budgetpolicyanalystat theEconomicPolicyInstitute.

Fieldhousehas beenstudying thetaxproposalsof Rep.PaulRyan(R-Wis.),the newchairmanof theHouseBudgetCommittee. Ryanis con-sidered oneof theGOPs leadingspe-cialists oneconomicpolicy.Some of FieldhousesanswerstoquestionsaredrawnfromhisEPIBriefing Paper,PaulRyans Planfor MillionairesGainandMiddle-Class Pain.

EW:Rep.Ryan hastalkeda lot about a value-added tax,whichhesayswould befairer than todaysincome taxesand would encourage businessesto invest in creating

jobs. Whatis a value-addedtax? Fieldhouse:Avalue-addedtaxis abroadconsumptiontax thatis leviedon goodsandservicesat everystageofproductionbutultimatelylandsonconsumers. Illgiveyouan exampleusinga 10percenttax.Youbuya bicy-cleat a storefor$150.Theretailerbought the bikefor$100from a pro-ducer, which paid$10 ofvalue-addedtax.Theretailmark-up is$50,sothe retailer owes$5 totheIRSandkeeps$45.Whilethe producerandretailerphysicallymakethepayments

to theIRS, thefull $150 cost, including all$15of the tax,ultimatelylands ontheconsumer. UnderRyansplan, anew8.5 percentvalue-added taxwouldbe bakedintotheprice of goodsandservices.

EW:Ryan says a value-added tax isfair because everyone pays the same taxes.

Fieldhouse:Everyone doesnot paythe same taxes.Thats the problem.And Ryan isnt justproposing avalue-added tax. Hes proposing toeliminate taxes on corporate incomeand to reduce taxeson money madefrom investments.

Workerswho haveyearlyincomesof$25,000oreven $100,000yearly,spenda muchhigherfractionof theirincomeonfood,clothes,gasolineandotherneeds than theverywealthydo.They alsocollectlessinvestmentincome.So insteadofbeingfairer,Ryanstax ismoreregressive, forcing workers tosubsidize thereducedtaxeson theverywealthy.This leads tomoreeconomicinequality.It isnotgoingto helpoureconomicrecoverybecauseit willdecreaseconsumption.

Ryans Roadmapto AmericasFuture,published in 2010, wouldslashMedicare, Medicaidand SocialSecuritybenefitswhile depletingtaxrevenuesby lettingwealthytaxpayersoffthehook.TheonlyAmericans

whowould have their taxes raisedarethose whomake between$20,000and$200,000.Themiddleclass wouldpay higher averagetaxrates thanmillionaires.Thisis anunprecedented reversalof progres-

siveU.S. taxpolicy.EW:If Ryans plan isnt fair and doesnt workto improve our economy, what would?

Fieldhouse:Wehave twoproblemsrunning together a cyclical down-turn in theeconomyand a longer-termstructural problemcausedbytheexportof U.S.manufacturing,globalcompetition andchronicunderinvestmentin publicgoodssuchas education, researchandinfrastructure.So deficit spending onstimulus measures toput joblessAmericansbackto workis absolutelynecessary, and thoseinvestmentscan boostlong-term productivity.

EW:But some politicians say that we should handle our nationsfinances just like Americanshandle our household finances.Arent deficits dangerous?

Fieldhouse:A so-calleddouble-diprecession, whichcould result fromprematuredeficit reduction,wouldbea worsealternative than expand-ingour deficit.As wework tostrengthenthe recoveryand put

America back towork,however, wecantakestepsto reduce ourlong-term deficit.Again,its aboutwhatchoices we make.The Ryan Roadmapis riddled with policies that ignorethelessons learned from theGreat

Depressionand underscored by theGreat Recession. Ryansplan stillswearsby thefailed Bush-eraeco-nomicpoliciesof cutting taxes forthewealthy whileneglectingthe middleclassand national investments.

Insteadof cutting Medicare orshifting costs tostates, manyof whicharealready in financial trouble, thefederalgovernmentshouldexert pricecompetition, perhaps througha pub-lic insurance option,to bringdownthecostsof healthcare,which is thebiggestlong-termbudgetchallenge.Insteadof movingto anunfair taxsys-tem,we shouldraisethe tax onmil-

lionaires andtax capitalincomefrominvestmentsat thesamerate asordi-naryincome, which,unlikethe Ryanplan,wouldincrease taxrevenue andnarrowincome inequality.

Unemployment wontcomedownimmediately, but,usingtaxrevenues,we could expandinvest-ment in ourdecaying infrastructure,putting constructionworkersbackonthejob,and putjoblessyoungerworkers towork inprograms thathelpcreate a stronger, morecohe-siveU.S.society likeAmeriCorps, thePeace Corps andTeachforAmerica.T


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4 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r| M a r c h 2 0 11

IBEW Member Training:A Key to Workplace Success

A nyone lookingfor proof of the time-honored adageknowledge is powershould meetSandy

Theriot.For theNew OrleansLocal130member, courseworkoffered by theIBEWsEducation Department hasboosted hereffectivenessas a shopsteward, helping her increase heradvocacy byensuring thatfellowwork-ersareasproductive,professionalandcompetitiveas theycan be especiallyin thischillyeconomicclimate.

The 30-year member said thedepartmentsCode of Excellence

steward training has helped herbecome asolid champion formem-bers at signatory contractorFrischhertzElectric.

The knowledge I receivedthrough the training was a definitekey to workplacesuccess,Theriotsaid. As a steward, you have theopportunity to clearlyillustrate whyitsimportantto strivefor excellenceon the job.This helps us learn toworkwith our contractors to makethem more profitable and efficient.And we need that otherwise wedall be unemployed.

Since 1988, theEducation

Departmenthasoffered trainings formembersacross thespectrum,frombusinessmanagers to rank-and-filemembers. DepartmentDirector JanSchwingshakl saidthatwiththeecon-omy inits currentstate andunionsonthedefensive,now isa crucialtime formembersto up their training.

Education is even more impor-tant now than it has been in the pastbecause of the heightened union-bashing that is going on,Schwingshaklsaid. The bettertrained ourmembers are the moretheyunderstand abouthow their

union benefits them, their employerand theircommunities the betterwe are able to fend offbaselessattacks and create more activists.Thatcreates a stronger IBEWforworkers and theirfamilies.

Poughkeepsie,N.Y., Local320Business ManagerJohn Kaiseragrees.Afterbeginning thetwo-part NewBusinessManagerTraining lastyear,Kaisersaid hefeelsmore confidentgoing intonegotiationswith employerCentral HudsonGas andElectric inApril,whenhe will bargain fora goodcontract forthe 530memberson site.

Kaiser, who served as a shopsteward for two decades at the util-ity, said hes equally impressedwith the level of education hiscadre of nearly 30 new stewardsreceived though the EducationDepartment, especially in the waythey handle grievances.

Before the trainings, some of the newerstewards felt tentativebut afterwards, theywere encour-aged and confidentto do the bestjob possiblefor the membership,he said. Theywalk into the doorarmed with information.

Kaisersaid high-quality train-

ing leads to added professionalism,and that encourages the companyto have more dialogue with the localunion, he said. It helpspromotethe IBEW as the work force of choicewhen managementhas a good rela-tionship with the local.

At the same time, the training aims to ensure thatmembers fullyunderstand theirrights on the job,he said. If managementcallsyouin, you are entitled to representa-tion. Making sure workers have avoice is partof whatmakes the rela-tionship work.

The Education Departmentoffers 11 different trainings (seesidebar). More than 150,000 mem-bers have taken the ConstructionOrganizing Membership EducationTraining (COMET) since its inceptionin 1991, and the IBEW StewardTraining turned out 1,300 newactivists last year alone. Leadersare looking to roll out new trainingsthis year, which will feature strate-gic campaign planning for organiz-ers, a comprehensive course inunderstanding collective bargain-ing and more.

Schwingshaklsaid thatsuchtrainings are beneficial to memberson every level of the union.

Without the knowledge of whatyour rightsare in the work-place,youre prettymuch at themercyof the employer andyou canbe sure theyknow whattheirownrights are, shesaid. So any train-ing will help a memberat any levelbecome more powerful in his or herplace of employment.

Theriot, who has attendedIBEW womensconferences and vari-ous seminars, said that the topicstaughtat the steward training

should resonate with any memberof the union regardless of whethertheyhave aspirations to move into aleadership position.

The training gives you somefundamental toolsto reach out topeople on the job, she said. Youlearn aboutconflict resolution andbrokering agreementsbetween par-ties. It helpsyou dialogue withyourcolleaguesbetter and achieve mutu-ally beneficial goals.You learn howbe more tactful, a better listener anda strongerasset to the company andthe membership.

If you love the IBEW, you willseekout tools to makeyourself abetter educated person and a bettertrade unionist, shesaid.Educationthroughthe InternationalOfficecancertainlyhelp withthat.

ForKaiser, constant refinementis the path to growth personallyand professionally.

Theres nota day thatgoesbythat I dont learnsomething in thisjob to help me workmore effectivelyon behalfof the membership, hesaid. Itslike I tell my kids: theres

no such thing as school is out.Yneverstop learning.

Members interested in boosing theirskillsare encouraged tospeakwith theirbusiness managaboutsetting up trainings. Businmanagerslooking for course opptunities should contact theirdistrvice presidents to requestclasses

Formore informationaboutEducationDepartment includinpartnershipwith theNational LaCollege visitwww.ibew.org. T

What Courses Does the IBEWEducation Department Offer?

TRAINING: RECOMMENDED FOR:

Member Orientation Any member

StewardTraining New and experiencedstewar

Local Union LeadershipTraining Local union officers andsta

New BusinessManagerTraining New businessmanagers

FirstContractNegotiationsTraining Newly organized negotiatincommittees

Collective BargainingTraining Local union officers, staffanegotiating committees

COMET Construction local union me

COMETTrain theTrainer Members designated bythebusiness managers to teachthe COMET

Memberto Future Member Members who have completCOMET

Code ofExcellence Business managers, officers,and members

Code ofExcellenceSteward Those designatedby their bumanagerto beCOE Stewards

GregCarter,Tucson, Ariz., Local 1116 treasurer,employee of Tucson Electric Power

Thesteward training teaches you to lis-ten with your ears and notyourmouth.The course gave me toolson how toclearly inform workers that theywere

entitled to representation in frontof management and to letthem know their rightson the job. I lookforward to taking moreclasses in the future.T

CherylSanders,Kennewick, Wash., Local 112 president

TheCOMET,Codeof Excellence trainingsand more have helped me successfullywork with ourcontractor over issueslikewages, hoursand working conditions.The classesIve taken have guided and

helped me along the way.T

JulieCosenza,Buffalo,N.Y., Local2199 businessman

If given the opportunity to be at thbargaining table again (for clerical wers atNational FuelGas Co.), with tIBEW training, I will be as preparepossibly can be.T

How Has the IBEWs Educational Training HelpedYou?


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Calif. Members Make Repairs toMassive Space Antenna

Membersof SanBernardino,Calif.,Local 543 atNASAsGoldstone Deep

Space Network CommunicationComplex are completingsomething of a space mission in the middle of the Mojave Desert: repairing andupgrading the massive 70-meterantenna thathas played a key rolein many celebrated experimentsinthe scientific community.

DeepSpaceStation14 is theoffi-cialnameforthe largestof 11 anten-nasat thecomplexthathavetracked

extraterrestrial activityfor decades.Since lastApril,IBEWmemberslikeSeymourUnpingcohave beenpainstakingly rehabbingDSS-14which stretcheslongerthana footballfield withnew wires, bearings andothercomponents that will help the9-million-pounddevicebetter rotatehorizontallyand trackvertically.

One ofthe biggest jobs isinstalling new cables in theantenna,said Unpingco, a membersince 2000. Weve taken hundredsof cablesthat are as long as1,000feetand run them from the tip oftheantenna, all the wayinside the

machine, through the device andinto the nearbycontrol room.There, techniciansdecode the mam-moth amountsof encrypted, top-secretdigital data captured by theantenna into useable information forscientists and engineers at JetPropulsion Laboratory a researchand development center thatoper-ates NASAs DeepSpace Network.

Three times a week, Unpingcostraps onsafetyharnessesfor workon theharder-to-reach areas of thedish.An aerialliftextending ashighas240feet enables himto maketrickycableinstallations.Other

times, heventuresto thehighestpartof theantenna 300 feet viaa lad-derto makeelectricaladjustments.

Its intimidating the firsttimeyou go up there, he said.

Butits necessaryto getDSS-14backup and runningfor Local 543members like Lorraine Koger to helpmonitor spacecraft and photographdistantinterstellar events.

As a LeadSpace OperationsController, Koger workson site withengineers at Jet PropulsionLaboratory to monitor everything

from roverson Mars to asteroidsonthe edge of the solarsystem.

You get to be a partof scien-tific history, she said. We dontgetthesame kind ofglory[as astro-nauts do], butwere the hub of com-munication. Wesee whatsgoing onwith the multimillion-dollar space-craft, which isvery important.

I wouldnttrade this workforanything, shesaid.

Unlike their counterpartsin themannedspacesector, who are fac-ing the end of the shuttle era, mem-bers of Local 543 recentlynegotiateda five-year agreement.

Read more in the ElectricalWorker Online atwww.ibew.org. T

A San Bernardino, Calif.,Local 543 memberusesan aeriallift to repair the largest antenna at NASAsGoldstone DeepSpaceNetwork Communication Complex.

December International Executive Council Meeting

Minutes and Report of The International Executive Councils Regular Meeting

The regular meeting of the InternationalExecutiveCouncil wascalled to order at 8:30a.m., by Chairman Pierson, on Tuesday,December 14, 2010, in Washington, D.C. Othermembersof theCouncil in attendance wereLavin, Briegel,Calabro,Calvey,Clarke, Riley,Schoemehl, and Lucero.

International President HillInternational President Edwin D. Hill met withthe membersof the International ExecutiveCouncil a number of timesto discussa varietyof mattersaffecting all branchesof theBrotherhood.

International Secretary-Treasuerer LeeInternational Secretary-Treasurer Lindell Leepresented financial reports covering the IBEWPension Fund and the Investment Portfolio of the Brotherhood both inCanada and in theUnitedStates.

LegalDefensePayments for legal defense, madefrom theGeneral Fund, were examined and approvedin accordance with the requirements of ArticleX, Section 1, of the IBEWConstitution.

FinancialReportsThe International Secretary-Treasurersreportsfor thevariousfundsof theBrotherhood were presented to the membersof the International Executive Council, exam-ined and filed.

PerCapita Objection Plan andLM-2ReportsMembersof the council discussed and com-pleted their individual IBEW Reporting Formsfor the IBEW PerCapita Objection Plan.

ChargesFiledwith TheInternationalExecutive Council AgainstChengadSridhar,Retired Memberof Local Union 3, IBEW, byStevenSchwartz,BusinessRepresentativeof Local Union 3, IBEWOnSeptember20, 2010,chargeswere filedwiththe International Executive Council againstChengadSridhar,Card Number D835246,forviolation ofArticleXI,Section6 (d)of theIBEWConstitution,by StevenSchwartz,Card No.D273725, a businessrepresentativeof IBEWLocal Union 3,New York,New York.

Aftera thorough review ofthe facts, presentedby the Hearing Officer, International

Representative John E. Malagise, itis thedetermination of the International ExecutiveCouncil thatBrotherSridhar isguiltyof thechargesbrought againsthim by BrotherSchwartz, of violating ArticleXI, Section 6 (d)of the IBEW Constitution Prohibition of Work. Itis a conditionfor admission to pen-sion benefits, includingvested pension rightand the continuation thereof, that the mem-bershall notperform anyworkof anykindcoming under the IBEWs jurisdiction eitherfor compensation or gratis.

Itis alsothedecisionof theInternationalExecutiveCouncil toorderhimto remitall PBF Pension Benefitsthat he hasreceivedsinceJune 2010, untilthe present time,toInternational Secretary-Treasurer Lee.Furthermore,BrotherSridharis directedtoredeposit hismembershipcard withLocalUnion3, and topay backper-capita payments.

ChargesFiled withTheInternationalExecutive Council AgainstArthurCirimele, RetiredMember of Local Union 6, IBEW, byMichaelYarbrough,an Officerof LocalUnion 6,IBEWOn March 31, 2010, chargeswere filed withthe International ExecutiveCouncil againstArthurCirimele,Card NumberX85684, for vio-lation of ArticleXXIV, Sections 2 & 5,ArticleXXV, Section 1(a),(f), and (g) of the IBEWConstitution, by MichaelYarbrough, Card No.D404305, an officerof IBEW Local Union 6,Martinez, California.

Aftera thoroughreviewof thefacts,presentedby theHearingOfficer, InternationalRepresentativeTimDixon,it isthe determina-tionof theInternationalExecutiveCouncil thatBrotherCirimeleis guiltyof thechargesbroughtagainst himby BrotherYarbrough,of violating Article XI,Section6 (d) ofthe IBEWConstitutionProhibitionof Work. It isa condition foradmissionto pensionbenefits,including vested pensionright andthe continuationthereof,that themembershall notperformanyworkof anykind coming underthe IBEWsjuris-diction either forcompensationor gratis.

Itis alsothedecisionof theInternationalExecutiveCouncil toorderhimto remitall PBF Pension Benefitsthat he hasreceivedsinceMarch2007, until the present time,toInternational Secretary-Treasurer Lee.

Furthermore,BrotherCirimeleis directed toredeposithis membershipcard withLocalUnion6, and topay backper-capita payments.

International Executive CouncilAmendment to theRulesandRegulations, andthe SummaryPlanDescription, of theIBEW PensionBenefitFundWHEREAS, the proceduresused when a mem-ber who is receiving pension returns to workin the electrical industrywithout notifying theIBEW Pension BenefitFund (Fund) wererecently modified by the InternationalExecutiveCouncil (IEC) to permitthe imme-diatesuspension ofthe benefit; and

WHEREAS, the modified procedures, alsoestablished a twostep processof action,firstby the InternationalSecretary-Treasurer(I.S.T.) andsecond bythe IEC ; and

WHEREAS,it hasbeendeterminedthatthistwo-stepprocessis unnecessary, especiallywherechargesarefiledagainsttheretiredmemberunderArticleXI of theConstitution;and

WHEREAS, the IECwishesto streamline theprocesswhile maintaining the original intenttosuspend benefitsin a timely manner.

NOWTHEREFORE, forthe reasonssetforthabove,the IEChereby adopts theattachedamendedlanguageto theSPDand Rules andRegulationson this14thday ofDecember 2010.

Thisamendment was adopted and signed byall membersof the council. The original docu-mentation, aswell as the amended language,

has beenfiled and properlyrecorded.StaffPension Plan RecommendationsThe 2010 Actuarial Valuation Results, andDecisionsReport, asprepared byactuary firmCheiron, for the Officers, Representatives andAssistants Pension Plan and the OfficeEmployees Pension Plan, were considered bythe membersof the council. Afterhaving deliberated on the recommendationspre-sented, the membersof the council concurredand adopted the actuarial recommendations.

LocalUnion(s) Under InternationalOfficeSupervisionInternational President Hill advised the coun-cil membersthat there are no local unions, asof thismeeting, underthe supervision of theInternational Office.

ArticleXX andXXI CasesThere hasbeen no activityunder eitherArticleXXor ArticleXXI.

Retirement of OfficeEmployeeApprovedKathyMangum, Secretary III, Grade 6Membership Development DepartmentEffective November2, 2010

Total Questionable Disability PensionsApproved

Membership in L.U.Sturgill, RobertH. Jr. 0024Sherwood, Wayne L. 0115Murphy, Thomas G. 2330

Applications forVested Right toPensionBenefits Approved

Membership in L.U.Vasilia, Peter L. 0441Houle, Barbara J. 0577

BirthDate ChangesMembershipin I.O.

Morton, James E. 0005

Membership in L.U.Gutie rrez, Jorge U. 0003MacNeil ,Cl iffordS. 0103Frolick, James A. 0303Strong, Robert L. 0424Cross, Tom A. 0529Franz, Edward F. 0530Adams, Sonny 0570Pyper, Edward 0804Gray, Mark J. 0855Snow, John R. 2330

The Next RegularInternationalCouncil MeetingThisregularly scheduled meeting wasadjourned on Wednesday, December 15,2010, at2:00 p.m.The next regularmeeting of the International ExecutiveCouncil will com-mence at8:30 a.m., on Thursday, February3,2011, in Bonita Springs, Florida.

For the International Executive CouncilPatrick Lavin,SecretaryDecember2010

The IEC acted on numerous applicationsunder the IBEW Pension Benefit fund. For acomplete listing, consult www.ibew.org,clicking on the International Executive Council link on the About Us page.T



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Ontario is on the cusp of anew energy revolution,thanks toLiberal PremierDalton McGuintys pro-

posed energy plan, which aims tomodernize the provinces electricalsystem and make it NorthAmericasleading center for alternativeenergy technology.

The$87 billion, 20-yearplan willbuild offof lastyearsGreenEnergyActby makingseriousinvestments inwind, solar andhydropowerdevelop-ment, while encouraging energyeffi-ciencyprogramsand transmissionlineconstruction, including a new4,000-megawatttransmissionline inSouthern Ontario.

McGuinty hasalso calledforthe construction of two new nuclearfacilities.

Thegoalis tohaveOntariogener-atenearly20,000newmegawattsfromrenewableresourcesby2018.Lastyearsbill,which invested$5 bil-lionin solar, windandsmartgrid tech-nology, whileofferingincentivesforrenewablecompanies toset upshopintheprovince,hasalreadygiventhegreenindustrya bigheadstart.

All this meansnew jobs forelec-tricianstrainedin renewabletechnol-ogy,alongwithnew manufacturing andutilitypositionsto support theburgeoningindustry potentiallycre-atingthousandsofnewIBEWjobs.

We have a ready-made workforce with experience in renewableenergy, along with the training facilities needed to turn out moreworkers, says Alex Loula, directorof government and public relationsfor the IBEWs Construction Councilof Ontario.

The IBEW currently doesmostof the wind energy work in theprovince, while making inroadsintothe burgeoningsolarpowermarket.Lastyear, members of Sarnia Local530 completed workon the largestsolar farm in NorthAmerica.

Solarhas definitely picked upbecause of the green bill,saysLocal 530 BusinessManagerMichael Cataford, who is gearing upfor two new photovoltaic projectsthat are projected to putmore than200 IBEW membersto work.

The construction councilrecently unveiled a green training

curriculum training program forlocals, including a train-the-trainercomponent so every IBEW electricianin Ontario will have the opportunityto getup to speed in photovoltaicsand wind turbine installation.

TheGreen EnergyAct spurreda gold rush of investment, Loulasays.The planned nuclearplants

will also mean lotsof work forIBEWjourneymen.

Keyto the Green EnergyActssuccess has been its feed in tariffprogram, which guarantees a stablerate of return for renewable energyproviders, along with domestic con-tent regulations that require that amajorityof green energycompo-

nents be produced in Ontario.Siemens Canada recently

announced that it was building theprovinces first-everwind blademanufacturing plant, whileSamsung has committed to making a $7 billion investmenttoward anew wind towerplant in Windsor.

The governments energypoli-

cies are likely to be a keyissue inext fallselections, with the opsition ProgressiveConservativesattacking the plan as unsustainab

FirstDistrictVicePresidentPFlemmingsaid,A modernizationOntarioselectricalsystem is longoverdue.We cantjust keepkickintheproblemdownthe road.T


North of49 | Aunord du49parallle

Ontario Energy Plan Means New Jobs, Investment

Le Plan nergtique de lOntario prvoitla cration de nouveaux emplois ainsique de nouveaux investissements

La mise jourdu Plannergtique propos par lePremierministreDaltonMcGuinty pave lavoie une

rvolutionen faveurdune nouvellenergie pourlOntarioqui clbraitlautomne dernier les100 ansducommencementde llectrificationde la province.Grce ceplan visant

moderniserle rseau dlectricitde la province,lOntariodevientunchef de file enAmriqueduNorddans ledomainede lnergiepropre.

LadoptiondelaLoisur lnergievertea tlepointde dpart delamisejourdeceplande20ansquiprvoitdes investissementsde 87milliardsdedollarsqui serontrpartisentrelnergie solaire,lnergie oli-enneetdesprojetshydrolectriques,afinde favoriser lesprogrammes def-ficacitnergtiqueet la constructiondenouvelles lignesdetransport, no-tammentla nouvelle ligne de4,000mgawatts entre Bruce etMilton,

dansle Sudde lOntario.McGuinty prvoit aussi quela province devra investirdans laconstruction de deux nouveauxracteurs nuclaires.

Lobjectif est daugmenter larserve dlectricit provenant desources renouvelablesdici 2018afin que la province puisse produireprsde 20,000 nouveauxm-gawatts. Le projet de loi qui prvoy-ait, pour lanne dernire, des in-vestissements de 5 milliardsde dol-lars pour lnergie solaire, lnergieolienne etla technologie descomp-

teurs intelligents, offrantainsi desincitatifs aux entreprisesdnergiealternativespour implanter desusinesdans la province, a dj don-n une bonne longueur davancedansle secteurde lnergieverte.

Cela reprsente de nouveauxemploispour leslectriciens quali-fis dans le domaine de la technolo-

gie de lnergie renouvelable et denouveauxpostes dans le secteurdela fabrication et des services publicspourdesservir cette industrie enplein essor ce qui favorisera lacration de milliers de nouveauxemploispour la FIOE.

Nousavons djla main-duvre qualifie et exprimentedans le secteur de lnergie renouve-lable,en plus destablissements deformation professionnellences-saires la formationde travailleursadditionnels dclareAlexLoula,Directeur, relationspubliquesetgou-vernementales pour leConseilde la

constructionde lOntariode la FIOE.LeConseil sertde groupe den-cadrement pour13sections localesde la construction en Ontario.

Laplupartdes travaux relislnergieoliennedanslaprovincesontactuellementexcuts par laFIOEquigagnedu terrain ettendsesacti-vitsau march florissantde lnergiesolaire.Desmembresde laS.L.530deSarniaont travaill laconstructiondelaplusgrande fermesolaireenAmriqueduNordetles travauxontt terminslannedernire.

Lessorde lnergie solaire

est, sans aucun doute, un desrsul-tats de ladoption de la Loisur l-nergieverte dit Michael Cataford,Grantdaffairesde laS.L. 530 quise dit prt pourles deuxnouveauxprojets solaires photovoltaques quidevraient procurer du travail plusde 200 membres de la FIOE.

LeConseilde laconstructiona

inaugurrcemmentunprogrammedeformation dans ledomaine delnergievertepour leslocaux;ce pro-grammeinclutune Formationdesformateurs afinque chaquelec-triciende laFIOEen Ontariopuisseavoir lopportunit dtre la finepointedans linstallationdesystmesphotovoltaqueset doliennes.

La loi sur lnergie verte a en-gendr une rue vers lor avectousces investissements. La constructiondes deux racteursnuclairesamnera assurmentbeaucoupdemplois pour les compagnonsqualifisde la FIOE, affirme Loula.

Le Plan nergtique delOntario est le premier planstratgique coordonn dans lhis-toire de la Province, qui permet lafoisaux entrepriseset la FIOEdedterminerles futursbesoinsenmain-duvre dans lindustrie delnergie. Cela nous permetdeprvoirla demande de main-du-vre long terme etde planifier enconsquence ajoute-t-il.

LeProgrammede tarifsde rachatgarantisconsistanten unestructureoffrantun tauxde rendementstablepour lesfournisseursdnergie renou-

velable, etdesexigencessur lecotenudomestique faisanten sortequunemajoritdesprojetsdoliennes etdesprojets solaires devrotre produitsenOntario,a tlacldusuccsde laLoisur lnergiev

LentrepriseSiemens Canadannonc rcemmentquelleconstrla toute premire manufacture d

pales doliennes dans la provincette nouvelle suivaitlannonce investissement de 7 milliardsdedollars par la compagnie Samsupour linstallation dune nouvellusine doliennes Windsor.

Nous voulons tablir debonnes relationsavecSamsungelesrenseignersur tous lestravauxquenous avonsdj excutsdale secteur de lnergieoliennetoujoursen respectantles chanet lesbudgets dclare Loula.

Il y a de forteschances que politiques gouvernementales surlnergie renouvelable soientun

ment cl lors deslections proviciales prvuespour lautomneprochain, avecles Conservateurslopposition qui sattaquent cePlan mettanten doutesa viabilit

Le confrre Phil FlemmingVice-prsidentinternational pouPremier District, nest pas du mavis. La modernisation du rsedlectricit de lOntario aurait ddbuter il y a longtemps. Nousnpouvonspas continuerde reportle problme plus tard et laisserfuturesgnrations auxprisesavcesproccupations.T


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IBEW On Duty

Conn. MembersReturnfromIraq, AfghanistanMembers of New Haven,Conn.,Local 90 recently welcomed hometwo of theirown following deploy-ments in the Middle East.

Journeyman wireman BrendanToth and second-yearapprenticeJohn Coggshall returned to theConstitution State late last yearafterserving in Iraq and Afghanistan,respectively.

ForToth, itwas thefinale of adistinguished military career

including active duty and thereserves that spannedfourdecadesand included missionssuch as helping trainsoldiers inIraqsemerging army.Toth retired

from theArmyReserves effectiveDecemberof lastyear.

Itsbeen a privilegetoserve,

saidToth,whoearnedtherankofcom-mandsergeantmajor, receivedtheBronzeStar foracts ofmerit andwasawardedthe Legionof Meritforoutstandingserviceandachievement

uponhisretirement.Toth said one of his proudest

accomplishments was helping ensure addedsecurity in astill-volatile countryby boosting the Iraqiarmedforces.

The improvement the Iraqi

soldiers have made iscommend-able,Tothsaid. Alot ofbad guysdont like them, but theyre putting themselvesout there and doing something brave. Weve offeredthem the opportunity for successand theyre rising to the challenge.

Im happy I wasable to makea contribution, he said.

While Toth traveled throughIraq on assignment to oversee train-ings,Coggshall served as militarysecurity in Laghman Province ineastern Afghanistan providingsafetyto area civilians. The 26-year-old

worked with theAfghan army andpoliceforce tosecure polling sta-tions during elections.

Coggshallenteredthe appren-ticeshipvia Helmets toHardhatsAgreatprogram,he said. Hisfather, Ray, a Local90 retiree andNavyveteran during theVietnamWar, helpedspark Johnsinterestinthe trade.

The localhasbeenveryhelpfultomeduringmydeployment,Coggshall said.Local leadersworkedtohelpcatchhim up oncurriculumandhavemade arrangementsfor himto retainhisseniority at signatory

contractor PierpontElectric.Coggshall saidhe appreciated thewelcomehome reception themem-bersheld forhim andexpressedgrat-itudefor the locals offerto payforhisbooks thisyear a$400 value.

With combatbehind them,family time will take more priority inboth members lives.

Toth is eager to spend moretime with his wifeSharon and 16-year-old son Kyle. Hes going to beoffin college in a year and a half, soI want to getin all the time I can,Toth said.

ForCoggshall, startinga family

ofhis ownwilltakecenterstage. Heproposedtohisgirlfriend, Megan,firstthing when hewalked offtheplanefromAfghanistan.The wedding is tentativelysetfor September 2012.

Local leaderspraised theserv-ice ofboth men.

Im overjoyed thatourbroth-ers were able to return from harmsway with no injuries,said BusinessManagerFrank Halloran. Were allhappy that John and Brendan aregetting back into the trade and areenjoying the benefits of the free-doms they foughtfor.T

OrganizingWire

Calif. Satellite TechsGoIBEWMore than 20 satellite techniciansatthe Point Mugu NavalStation inSouthern California joinedSanBernardino Local 543 last fall, win-ning a 5-percentwage increase andotherbenefits in theirfirst contract.

Lack ofclarityoverwagescalesconvincedemployees of RomeResearchInc., a militarycontractor,thattheyneededthe stability ofaunion contract.One of them con-tactedLocal543organizerRay Nichols

about joiningthe local lastsummer.Forming a volunteerorganizingcom-mittee,pro-unionemployees quicklysignedup themajorityof theunit.

Having more than 10 collective

bargaining agreementswith otherunits already, the companyagreedto majoritysign-up.

Managementwas veryrespon-sive tothe wholeideaofthe union,saidemployeeJoshCollas.They wereusedtodealing with unionworkplacesanddidntseeit asa problem.

A subcontractor thatworksforRome Research opposed the drive,spreading anti-union informationamong employees, butmostwork-ers stuckwith the IBEW.

We went in there to confrontanti-union rumors, and challengedeach one, said Local 543 Business

ManagerJerry Koger.New Local 543 memberMikeWhiteford, a 30-yearveteran of thecommunications industry, having been in a couple ofunionsin hisprofessional career,says thathe didnot considerhimselfeither pro- oranti-union before deciding to organ-ize. But he wasparticularlyimpressed with the professionalismof the IBEW, he says.

Itwas a great experience allaroundand ithas already paidoff formeandmy co-workers,he says.T

Spotlight on Safety

ElectricalSafety:TheresAnApp forThatThe National Electrical SafetyCode

has been the guidebookfor electri-cal workers looking to safeguardthemselves, their co-workersandthe general publicfrom on-the-jobhazardsfor more than a century.

Now accessing the code is assimple as whipping outyoursmart-phone.

TheInstituteof ElectricalandElectronicsEngineers launched thefirst-everNESCmobileapplicationlastfall.Thenew appallowsusers toeas-ilyreferto thecode a comprehensivesetof practical rules andguidelinesforelectricalsafetyduring theinstalla-tion, operation,ormaintenance of

electricsupply, communicationlinesandassociatedequipment using theirsmartphoneor iPad. ItcanevenbedownloadedusingiTunes.

The app features an arrayof tools to increase usability, including bookmarking and a searchfeature.

The IEEEsmobile applicationaddsa new dimension of accessibil-ity andvalue to the industryby mak-ing it easierfor workers to do theirjobsmoresafely and effectively,saysIBEWSafetyand HealthDepartment Director JimTomaseski.

It is available fora free 30-daytrial atwww.standards.ieee.org . T

BuildingTradesPromotes HealthScreeningProgramWhenconstructionworkerssignedonforjobsat nucleardefense facilitiesdecadesago,theyexpecteda decentpaycheckfortheirhardwork.Buttheydidntexpect tobecomeseriouslysick.

Over thepast severalyears,increased knowledgeabout thehealthrisks of nuclearcontaminationhaspromptedmanyagenciesandgroupsto spearhead healthinitiativesfor the thousands of workers includ-ingmanyIBEWelectricians who

developedcancerorotherillnessesfrom exposure toradiation,silicaorberyllium at jobsiteslikeColoradosRockyFlats Plant orSouthCarolinasSavannahRiverSite.

Since 1996, the Building &Construction TradesDepartment,AFL-CIO, hasoperated its free, com-prehensive National MedicalScreening Program forunion mem-bers who developed diseases orotherconditionswhile working forthe Departmentof Energy or itscon-tractors in the nuclearweapons

industryfrom the 1950s through theearly1980s.

We all know how dangerousthis workwas, and thats whyweregrateful that [thisprogram] hasscreened 23,000 of ourmembers todate,said Building TradesPresidentMarkAyers. Of those, 21percent showed evidence of lung disease, he said.

This is a program thatourmembers cant afford notto takeadvantage of, Ayerssaid.

Byvisiting www.btmed.org,members canget informationonpro-grameligibilityand benefits, includ-inga free medical screeningexam todetectwork-relatedillnesses.

The site also includes links tonationwide outreach offices, infor-mation about possible compensa-tion and otherresources.

Identificationof current andpossiblyfuture medical issuesandadviceof howto increase onesqual-ityof life are the keystonesof thispro-gram,saidIBEWSafetyandHealthDepartment Director JimTomaseski.

Thescreening programiscoordi-natedby theCenter forConstructionResearch andTraining, thehealthandsafety research and trainingarmof theBuilding& ConstructionTradesDepartment.T

New Haven,Conn.,Local 90member BrendanTothserved in Iraq.

Local 90 apprentice JohnCoggshall, second from right,presentsa flagto local leadersafter his tourin Afghanistan.

Management wasvery responsive tothe whole idea of the union. Josh Collas, Rome Research Inc.employee


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9/20



Auberly House (also known as the BoysTownof the East) participated in an annual carnival forthe children. Local 29 and the CommunityService

Committee provided gamesand prizes.Also, twoDM-52 digital microscopes were purchased forusein AuberlyHouse classes.

Through theSharingand Caring Program,weadopted20 disabledveteransfor an evening,pro-viding a dinner cruiseon theGatewayClipperFleet.

Westriveto makea differencein ourcommuni-ties.Thanksto BillWebbfor hishelp withthis article.

Kim Washburn, R.S.

Reviewof2010 EventsL.U. 41 (em,es,govt,i,se&spa), BUFFALO, NY Withthe newyear underway, we can take a lookback at2010.The workpicture startedslow lastyear andthenfinally picked up in the summer and hasremained steadysince then.

Julybrought the retirementof Mike Franey, ourpresident for the past31 years. In August we heldour Local 41 Annual Outing.The turnout wasgoodand so wasthe weather. Itsa great eventto enjoygood food, catch up with old friends and meet newones. InSeptember, Local 41 held our AnnualCharityGolf Outing benefiting MercyFlight, raising more than $10,000. We also had a rafflefor BuffaloBillsseason ticketswith the proceeds benefiting Roswell ParkCancer Institute. In October, Bus. Mgr.Anthony Coppola announced thathe planned toresign at the end of the month due to upcomingsur-gery, recovery time and then retirement. We wishhim well. In December, we held our AnnualChildrensChristmasParty. Bro. Jim Devany and hisvolunteers did a wonderful job decorating the halland organizing the party.

As we look ahead in 2011, we anticipate work

to remain fairlygood throughout the year. Lookforupcoming events in ournewsletters.

Michael J. Gaiser, B.M.

Service to Community L.U. 43 (em,i&rts), SYRACUSE, NY The lastquarterof 2010 was a very good employment periodfor us.Thiswas despite thefact that we had more than 72inches of snowfall during a three week period inDecember. An early March refuel outage at NineMile Pointshould startthe springseason and beginanothergoodyear forus.

Throughout2010, our first- and second-yearapprentice classes involved themselvesin a laborof love.The first-yearclass collected donations and

nonperishablefoods for the Food Bankof CentralNewYork. When theydelivered the itemsto theFood Bankwarehouse on Dec. 23, their donationstotaled 1,695 pounds.

Not to be outdone, when thesecond-yearclassfinished with their bottle, can and donationdrive, they had enough to purchase $2,350 in toysfor sevenCentral NewYorkarea hospitals.Theaccompanying picture showsthe giftsdelivered toGolisano ChildrensHospital inSyracuse.

At the final drop-off, ourapprentices hadraised and distributed $5,000 in food, clothesandtoys. We congratulate all of themfor theirgreatexamples of brotherhood and communityservice,which exemplify what the IBEW isall about.

Jim Corbett, P.S.

SDG&ETransmission LineL.U. 47 (lctt,mo,o,u&uow), DIAMONDBAR,CA With St.PatricksDayapproaching, letshope the Luck of the Irish improvesthe job picture formanyIBEW mem-bers throughout thecountry.

We ended2010 with ourLocal47AnnualChristmasParty.

Workremains

strongfor ourOutsideConstruction.The SanDiegoGas & Electric

SunriseTransmissionLine projectbrokegroundinDecember.The117-milelinerunsbetweenImperialCountyandSan Diego.It willcreateapproximately200jobs.The project isbeingcompleted undera projectlaboragreement(PLA)with SDG&Eand Local47.Ourroof-topsolarPLA withSouthernCalifornia Edisoncon-tinuesto provideworkforourmembersandmembersofotherIBEWlocalsin ourarea.

A firstever three-yearagreementwithMowbrayTreeService was ratified.The agreementincludes significant wage increases, medical/dental

and pension benefits, andtookeffect Jan. 1, 2011.

A new one-yearUnderground Agreementwas ratified.

OurmembersatSCEreceived a scheduled4 percentwage increaseon Jan. 1.

We mourn the pass-ing of Leonard P. PaulPippin, DougGotheridgeand Martin Kozdrey IV. Ourthoughts and prayersarewith their families.

Worksafe, live well,workunion.

Stan Stosel, P.S.

ServicePinsAwardedL.U. 51 (catv,lctt,o,rtb,t&u), SPRINGFIELD, IL At theDecember 2010 unitmeetings, Local 51 presentedyears-of-service pins to members. Receivingservicepinsat theConstruction Unitmeeting were:for fiveyearsof service Steve Biesada, Josh Ceperich, Jeff Copper,Ashley Ray,George Roach, Brandon Roller,Charles Tinerand PaulZigler. For10 yearsserviceTim Cart, Don Kacir, D.J. Kroeschel, Brad Moore andDuane Westhafer. MarkRunyon and CraigSassreceived 15-year pins. JasonCarl, Craig Norvell andGeorge Pence received 25-year pins. JerryBradshawand Mike Bradshaw received 30-yearpins. JulieBrandtand Ed Jeffery, 35-year pins; BillyBurnette, a40-year pin;Gary Harris, a 50-yearpin; RayDarling,a 55-yearpin; and William Pittman, a 60-year pin.EarlBushfromthePeoria, IL,Unitreceived a 55-yearpin. NobleCollinsfrom the Champaign, IL, Unitreceived a 50-yearpin.Congratulationsto all! Intotal, 451 members receivedservice pins in 2010.

Congratulationsto Local 51Sister EmilyGreen,an Ameren-Illinois Poweremployee, on completing the Senior Engineering Representative exam!

Thanks to IBEW Local 51 component unitsandmembers for the generoussupportof charitiesandorganizationsthat provided assistance forneedyfamilies during the recent holidayseason.

Local 51 wishes all IBEW members and theirfamilies a safe, prosperous 2011.

Dan Pridemore, B.R.

WelcometoNewMembersL.U.53 (lctt,o,rts&u),KANSASCITY, MO At thiswrit-ing, ouroutside construction is stillslow and itdoesnt appearthere will beany bigchangesin thenear future. Weare innegotiations with ourlineclearance/tree trimmingcontractors, andasusualtheyare taking a toughstance. These membersworkvery hard forthewagesandbenefitstheyreceiveandit isa constantbattle to tryto gettheir wageratesto wheretheyshould be.

Wesettled agreements with two coop-eratives. Bus. Rep. Dexter Drerup negoti-ated a three-yearextension at Laclede

Cooperativefor a 3 percentwage increasethe firstyear, 3.5 percent thesecond yearand 3.5 percent the third year. Bus. Rep.BruceVanCompernolle negotiated a five-yearextension at WestCentralCooperativefor a 3.5 percentwage increase the firstyearand 3.75 percenteachyear thereafter. Thegood thing waswe did not give anything upto getthese settlements.Good job!

Wealso ratifiedour first agreementwithour newly organizedgroup,CleanCoal

SolutionsServices, LLC. It is a five-year agreementandwe feel a verygood first agreement.The first yeareveryonereceiveda $1an hourwage increase, in thesecondyear a 3.25 percentincrease,thirdyear3.25percent,fourthyear3.5percentand fifth year3.75percent.Welcometo ournew membersat Clean Coal.

Hopefully, the newyear will bring more work

to everyone. Remember, worksafe, attend unionmeetings and get involved.

Robert E. Stuart, B.M./F.S.

AnnualTrapShootL.U. 57 (lctt,mo,o,t&u)SALT LAKECITY, UT TheAnnual Local 57Trap Shootwas held in November2010. Participants and attendeeshad a great time.The 1st place award went to the team of Tom Baker,Jason Baker, Porter Baker, Drue Palmerand EricGarcia. Ericand Tom tookHighGun honors,Tomsbeing theSeniorDivision.Second place went to theteam of Jesse Davis, Larry Walker, BrockBateman,Tom Westand Dustin Huntsman.Congratulationstoboth teams.Thanksto all who participated and alsoto the sponsors of thisannual event.

A Christmas surprise wasdelivered to afamilyin need in eastern Idaho.The employeesof RockyMountain PowersShelleyDistrict adopted a fam-ily ofeight through theSalvationArmy.The employ-ees not onlyprovided gifts and needed itemsfor allsix kids, but also provided a Wii gamingsystemforthe wholefamily, dinner, and a nice giftcard for theparents. A big thank-you goes to everyonefor thesupport and generosity, which helped brighten aneedyfamilysChristmas.

Scott Long, P.S.

HabitatforHumanity ProjectL.U. 103 (cs&i), BOSTON, MA More than 30 Local103 members, both apprentices and journeymen,recentlywired our12th Habitatfor Humanity home

on a chillymorning lastDecember.Bus.AgentLouAntonellishad no prob-lem organiz-ingvolunteersfor such a wor-thy cause. Ourguyshavebeenfantasticabouthelping with thevol-unteer efforton everyhome.The

Local 43 members deliverholiday gifts to a childrens hospital inSyracuse, NY. Fromleft are: Local 43 members Nigel Holmes, Todd Durantini, BillTowsley,Rick Geremski andDan Mahar.Joiningthegroup areDurantinis young son Todd anda hospitalrepresentative (at right).

Local 47member GregFensterman, a cablesplicer with SCE,receivestheJack K. HortonAward forhis quick response asa Good Samaritanto aid victimsof anaccidentat an off-roadraceinLucerne Valley.

Local 51retiredmembersdisplayserviceawards. Fromleft:Ray Darling,WilliamPittmanand GaryHarris.

Boston Local 103journeymenand apprentices gatherto wirea Habitatfor Humanityhome.


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Local Lines


Local 103 electricians and techniciansmade quickworkof it, rough wiring the three-bedroom home inless than four hours.

This is thefourth ofsix homeswe have wiredfor Habitatin Bedford, MA, and our12th overall fortheGreater Lowell and SouthShore chapters.

Itsbeen a win-win for Local 103 andforHabitat. We are done well before noon and every-one can getback to theirfamiliesand commitmentswhile providing Habitat with a first-class electricalinstallation. Everyone enjoys the camaraderie andcontributestheir electrical expertise while showing younger members how to give backto the commu-nity and that is what the IBEW and Local 103 areall about.To get more involved with Local 103Habitatprojects, contactthe business managersdepartment at (617) 436-3710.

Ken Tallent, P.S.

SwearingIn HeldL.U.111 (em,govt,lctt,mt,o,rtb,spa&u), DENVER,COItwas anhonorto have EighthDistrictInt.Rep. GuyP. Runco presentat theExecutiveBoard meeting onDec. 3,2010,to swearin several newlyappointedofficers.Bro. MikeKosteleckywill fillthe unexpiredterm asLocal111president,and Bro.Pat Quinnwillcompletethe termas recording secretary, replacing Mike inthat post.Bro.Ron Gearywas appointedtothevacant position on theExecutiveBoard.

Bro. Kostelecky is a linemanfor PublicServiceCompanyof Colorado, working on the westernslope. Mike has been a member in good standing since 1996. He hasserved on the Executive Board,as recordingsecretaryand as a core memberon thePSCo Injury PreventionTeam; he holds safetyrulesand protectionsas his priorityin keeping the mem-bers informed and safe.

Bro. Quinn isa lead utility workerfor PSCoand hasbeen a member in goodstandingsince1992. He began his career in the construction unitand then moved to PSCo.

Bro.Geary is a 20-year memberworking withTri-StateGeneration & Transmission in Craig, CO.Ron previously served on the Executive Board andlooksforward to serving the remaining term. He isan electrician specialist.

Mike Kostelecky, P.S.

PacificPower NegotiationsL.U. 125 (lctt,o,t&u), PORTLAND, OR Asis often thecase, cooperatives, municipalities and PUDs arewatching the localscollective bargaining withPacific Power.The company has made numerousproposals thatwill be detrimental to the member-ship, including moving to a 70/30 premium, whichcurrently is unheard of in the industry.

Members recognize thatbusiness operations

will continue to change as employers try to weatherthe recession. However, it is important that employ-ers balance those changeswithout putting unfair

burden on employees. We arefacing numerouschallengesand need members to be educated withfactsduring these difficult times. Research youremployers costsand business objectives,so wecan negotiate effectively to preserve our wages,hours, and working conditions.

Talkto coworkers,familyand neighbors. Issuessuch as increased medicalpremiums orunfavorablechangesto retirementplansarenot restricted to theutility industry. Allmembersare encouraged to regis-terforaccess toour Web sitewww.ibew125.com, soyoucankeep upto date with progresson notonlyPacificPowerbut other negotiationsas well. Educateyourselfand bepreparedto getinvolved.Therewillbesufficientopportunitiesforallmembersto help.Areyouready tostepup?

Travis Eri, B.M./F.S.

Thanks toVolunteersL.U. 141 (ees,i,o&u), WHEELING, WV Workin thearea is slow. Work is starting on an area hospitaladdition, alsosome workon coal minesites andgas drilling sites. Hopesof converting a local powerplantto biofuel were lostwhen the plantshut downinstead of upgrading.

We had a verysuccessful 2010Christmasparadeseason.Thanks to all who came outto sup-port us.Special thanksto those who donated timeto decorate and/or participate in the floatsadven-tures thispastholidayseason.The social commit-tee did it again byputting on anotherstellarChristmas party!Thankyou, guys! Congratulations

also to all service pin recipients.

Justin Klempa, V.P./P.S.

85 th Anniversary Celebrated

L.U.145(em,i,o,rts,spa&u), ROCKISLAND, IL Local145 proudlycele-brated its85th anniversaryat a din-nerdancelast October. Morethan325members andguestsenjoyedaneveningof great foodand danc-ing.Longstanding memberswere

recognizedfor their years of serviceto ourindustryasourSixthDistrictInt. Vice Pres.LonnieR.Stephensonpresented individualswith 50-,55-and 60-year serv-icepin awards.

TheVietnamveteranstravelingmemorial, TheMoving Wall,made a stopwithinour jurisdiction.Membersvolunteered theirskills toensure thewallwasilluminatedfor nighttime viewing,whichallowedvisitorsto observethis stirring,inspiringtributetothosewho madethe ultimatesacrifice inVietnam.

Local145 also notessomeof theothervolun-teerprojectsundertakenby ourmembers.Theseincludedinstallationof inside andoutside holidaylightingat theCenterfor Active Seniors in Davenport,Iowa.Also,at EaglePointParkinClinton,Iowa,Local145membersstrungmorethanhalf a million lightsalong a 1.1milenetworkof roadsto celebrate theholidays for theannual Symphonyof Lights dis-play!Thankyou, volunteers!

We wish a happy, prosperous2011 to all IBEWmembers.

Steve Long, P.S.

LocalFeatured onIBEW Hour Power L.U.191 (c,i,mo,rtb&st),EVERETT, WA--Congratulations

toLocal 191andits membersfor theircontinuedhardwork. Local191is featured onIBEW HourPower( www.ibewhourpower.com).The NEBF isfunding jobsthroughout thecountrywith approximately$10billion total inassets.They providethe financing withan agreementthat thejobsare 100percentunion.TheNEBFis paidbackallfundswith interestuponcompletionof a project.Themediacompany(OswegoCreative)hiredby theI.O. cameto ourlocaltointerview themembersand contractoraboutthe pro-gramfora video tobe presentedon IBEWHourPower.VECAElectricis thecontractoron theIGC(IntergateColumbia)Mod 4 project. [Seephoto,below .]Weareproud thatthisprojectis a Code ofExcellence job. Allthemanagement andmemberswent throughtheCode ofExcellence classbeforebeginning thejob.

We encourage membersto get involvedwhetherby attending a union meeting, volunteering

on a committee, or taking part in a communityect. Education, communication and teamworkkeys to our success.The future of ourlocal is ihands. Lets be the onesto drive it.

Rob Bulldog De Velder

WorkPicturea BitBrighter L.U. 193 (i,lctt,o,rts,spa&u), SPRINGFIELD,Thanks again to all those who planned, attendand received their years-of-service pinsat the 193Christmasparty. Itwasa good time and wattended despite thefrightful weather.

The inside workscene is slow with 89 injourneyman wiremen on BookI and 250 traveBookII.

The workpicture looksa little brighter foearly2011. The Dallman 3 Scrubber Project, thtinuing workat theSpringfieldSanitaryDistritheSt. JohnsHospital renovationshould hopethin the numbers for local handson BookI.

The IllinoisState Conference, whose chais Local 193 Bus. Mgr. Dave Burns, hasbeen wing tirelessly on the TenaskaClean EnergyPropassed in the Illinoisstate Senate, it would res10 million man-hoursfor central Illinoislaboradditional peripheral jobswould be createdsuas the mining of Illinois coal.

As we saw in 2010, elections are extremimportant, and ourbusinessagenthas a lot of psuasion when he can mention that Local 193 hX amountof registeredvoters. Remember thmayorRichard Daleyof Chicago: Ifyou donyou dont count!

Don Hudson,

Local 145celebrates its 85th anniversarywith a diner dance. From left, front row, are: Elwood Odie Marshall, DickGaskey, Harry Randall, BillTeichman;middle row, David Skip Kapolka, Int.Vice Pres. Lonnie R. Stephenson,Arnie Koloc, TomStechalin,Bob Moellenbeck,Bus.Mgr.Scott Verschoore; andback row, Gus Tripilas, RayWells, Pres. CarltonWills, Corky Pieper andGary McMahill.

IBEW members working with VECA Electricon theIGC Mod4 project include, from left:Jerry Boyce, Justin Dugger, JasonJudd,GaryKemp,JimHall, JimLester,Jonathan Ohlund, Gary Kilpatrick, BillMirand, R. JohnMontgomery,Dave Karp, Walter Parks, RoyMoon, MikeBlackburn,MikeTrout,Josh Suarez, JerryWeaver, Randy Curry,Josh Kelly, Jimmy Ortega andCharlesMoniz.

IBEW Int. Rep. GuyP. Runco(third fromleft)swearsin Local111Rec.Sec.Pat Quinn (left) andPres. MikeKostelecky(second fromleft).At farright is Bus.Mgr./Fin.Sec. MichaelByrd.

Local 141Bus. Mgr.JohnClarke(right)congratulates55-year service pinrecipient Stan Jasinski.


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Report fromBloomingtonL.U.197(em&i), BLOOMINGTON,IL Last December

our locals annualChristmasparty wasenjoyedbyallwhoshared in thefestivities.Congratulationstomemberswho receivedservicepinsat theparty.Recipients included:for 10yearsof service AngieMiller; 15years MikelMisch,Tom PeasleyandBernie Uszcienski;20 years Beth Sylvester; and30years Greg Potter.Thanksto allwho helped outset-tingup, organizing, andcleaningup afterthe party.

Atpresstime, a picketis setup at the cornerof VeteransPkwy. and VernonSt. at the constructionsite of theVitaminShoppe underway.Thanks tomembers who have walked picket thus far;youhave braved the cold, snow and rain to stand upforfairwagesand conditions. Rough weatherwontstop the IBEW fromstanding up forwhat we believein organized jobs! As members, please do notpatronize businessesthat do not use ourlabor. Forupdates, please check the do notpatronize list

on the localsWeb sitewww.ibew197.org.Thanks to the locals thatare employing ourmembers who are out of worklocally. Remember toget involved withyour local union and stay involved!

Mike Raikes, P.S.

Informed& InvolvedL.U. 245 (govt,lctt,o,rtb&u),TOLEDO, OH Greetings.Thankyou to all memberswho collectedfor theSalvation Armyduring the winter holidays. We arealways collecting nonperishable food, toiletries,clothing and childrens toys for those in need.

Todaystarts thenewanti-union, anti-middleclass andanti-workingfamily agenda of newlyelected representatives inCongress. Weface a rough

road forthenexttwo yearsin theHouseof Representatives.Please watch whatis goingon inboth thestate andfederal legislatures.Within the

state,thelaborfamily isin fora roughridefor thenext four years.Wewill bethe next target, afterthepublic sector andteachers, of thenewgovernorandtheOhioState House.We need to bemorein tunewith what isgoingon andit probablywouldbe agood ideaif wechange theradio station occasionallyandgetadditionalinformationfromother sources.

On a brighter note, workis picking up and wehaveseveral major projects that are eitherin theplanningstages, or will startvery soon. Thisis greatnewsand we lookforward to a brighter2011 for ourconstruction members.

Wewishyou alla goodyearahead.Pleasebecomemoreactive inyourunion.UnionmeetingsarethesecondThursday ofeverymonth. Welookforwardtoseeingyouthere. Pleasecontinuetoworksafely!

PhilipC. LaCourse, Pres.

WorkPictureLookingUpL.U. 257 (em,i,rtb,rts,spa&t), JEFFERSON CITY, MOWell, 2011 is looking up for the mid-Missouri Local257 area with only a handful ofmemberson thebooks. Work is fairlysteady compared to the lastfewyearsand looking bright for the future in ourarea with a few big projectsour contractorshavereceived, and projects being bid.

We are currently in negotiationsfor our insidewiremen. By the time thisarticle is published, mostof us should know the fate of our contract, but I willinclude in ournextarticle the detailsof our newcontract! We also are in negotiationswithAZZ-Central Manufacturing.AZZ-Central manufactureslarge industrialswitch gear.Good luck to all on ourcurrent and upcoming negotiations.

Ourcondolencesgo outto familiesof mem-bers who passed away recentlyduring 2010:Mitchell Berendsen, Sid Schaffer, Jerome Bax,Harold Rackersand Orval Lenger.

Congratulationsto our recent 2010 retiredmembers: Rodney Henrey, DavidCook, LarrySchubert, David A. Brunk, Ronald Holzhauser,Thomas Oligschlaeger, DannyThomas, DonaldMattingly, Daniel Lindenbusch,Andrew Turner,JamesH. NevinsJr., Billie Pritzel, RichardSmith,GregoryWoods and DaleAdams.

Support yourlocal unions, so we can keep ourunionsstrong!

Ryan Buschjost, P.S.

FamilyHolidayCelebrations

L.U. 269 (i&o),TRENTON, NJ After a nearly 40-yearvacation, Santa returned to Local 269 lastDecember. An ornate red chair, a spunky elf andjollySaintNickhimselfset thestagefor Local 269sfirstFamily Christmas Nightsin manyyears. Bus.Mgr. SteveAldrich wasthe sponsoras well as pro-ducer of the 2010 event.

Memberschildrenand grandchildrencame totheunionhall to tellSanta theirChristmas wishes.Bro.SeanCullenplayedSanta andBro.EdStackhouse played Santashelper elf.The childrenreceivedtwo presentseach, aswellas a special win-terknithat with theIBEWlogo.Eachfamilyreceiveda free 5"x 7"picture.Thechildrendisplayedtheirholiday spirit as theycoloredholidaypicturesonmurals hunginsidethe meetinghall. Approximately180childrenparticipatedalong withtheir families.

Weplanto make this anannual eventto bringtheChristmasspirit to evenmore membersfamiliesnextseason.Special thanks toTracyWarney,RachelChamberlain,TerriNagel andTaraMonte, whodonated theirtime to makethis event so successful.

D. Brian Proctor, P.S.

Contract AgreementsL.U.309 (i,lctt,mo,mt,o,rts,spa&u),COLLINSVILLE,ILTheyear 2010ended withnumerousagreementsbeingsettled. Contractsbargained wereOutsideLineConstruction,NelsonTree, Meter Reading,A&ADrilling,CerroCopper, In-LandTechnologies, and theResidentialagreement.

The work picture on the Inside Branchremained stagnant for almostall of 2010. Workforthe Outside Linesuffered layoffsat the end oftheyearbut the outlookis promising.

Throughthecollectiveeffortsofourgenerousmembersand Bro. RonScottsideato holda raffle,ourDistressed MemberFundis nolongerdepleted.

Welostoneof ouroffice staffthroughretirementinFebruary.JudyBaczewski began workingherein1996 andwillbegreatly missed.Local309and allourmemberswishhera long, happy retirement.

Rememberto worksafe and have a great 2011.

ScottTweedy, A.B.M.

CommunityActivitiesL.U. 347 (em,i,mt,rtb,rts&spa), DESMOINES, IALocal 347, like many otherentities, gets involved in

communityactivities during the month of December. In 2010, Barb Mentzer spearheaded theLocal 347 childrensChristmasparty. Joe Rivas and

Rod Olson worked countless hours on improve-ments and connections for the annual Make a WishJollyHoliday Lightsdisplay.The local also promotedtheToys forTots program in the central Iowa area.All the brothers and sisters who joined these andothervolunteerprojectsare commended.Theseprojects are the highest orderof communityout-reach in which we can be involved.

A Pin Party/Recognition Night is scheduledforSaturday,March5. Five60-yearpins and ten55-yearpinsare to be awarded! Also, in the planningstagesis a golf outingfor thissummer. Stay tuned.

Mike Schweiger, P.S.

UnionEventsa SuccessL.U. 349 (em,i,mps,rtb,spa&u), MIAMI, FL We held

our 2010 annual picnicin October. Nearly 500 mem-bers and familyturned outfor greatfood, refresh-ments and goodfun.

FortheFriendsof Labor luncheonlastDecember,approximately400 friendsattendedforagreat lunchand socializing. Alsoin Decemberat theChildrensChristmasParty, toysandprizesweregivenaway. Hamsand turkeysweregivento themembersat theparty.Santa dida greatjob asalways.

Special thanksto Pres. David Karcherand theEntertainment Committeefor setting up theSantahouse and decorationsfor theChristmas partyand also for planning andsetting up all the eventsthe union hall holds eachyear. We thankall themembers, their families and everyone involved whohelped with eventsfor a great job once again.

Local 349 officers andstaffwish everyone agood yearahead. Hereshoping thisyearwill be a

betterworkingyearfor all.Rememberour troopshere and overseas. Wehopefor a safe return homefor all.

An informed membership is a strong member-ship.Attend union meetingsto stayinformed andmakeyour localstrong.

Frank Albury, P.S./Exec. Brd.

2010 Graduation Ceremony L.U.351 (c,cs,i,it,lctt,mt,o,se,spa&t), FOLSOM,NJCongratulations toourgraduating classof 2010.Agraduationdinnerandaward ceremony washeldNov.20,2010,at BallysHotel& Casinoin AtlanticCity.

GraduatingfromourInsideElectricalprogram

Local 197 members Mark Miszka andDennisNolantakea day off work to walk picketat theVitaminShoppe construction site.

Local 245 retireesAndy Horvath(left) andArt LaLondering the bellfor the Salvation Army holidaydrive.

Attending a Local 269familyChristmascelebrationare, from left: baby Emily Hullfish(daughter of Sister Billie Hullfishand Bro.Mathew Hullfish); Bro. Sean Cullen as Santa;and, as Santashelper, Bro. Ed Stackhouse.

Local 351sgraduating apprentice class of 2010gathers fora groupphoto, joinedby Bus. Mgr.Edward Gant (standing, frontrow, atleft)and Pres.William Hosey (standing,frontrow,at right).


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were:EdwinF.Alicea,Jay H.Ball Jr., MatthewR.Becker, JosephBeltran, JosephA. Cinalli, SeanR.Cowan,StevenP.Cunniff,NicholasR.Dimatteo,

SamuelDimeo,Natalia M.Fritchman,FrankA.Hinds,MatthewS. Judge,Kevin P. Kilroy, Nicholas J.Levinson,KevinT.Martinelli,JosephJ. McCrane, NicholasMelchiorre,Casey P.Murphy, Giantonio Nistico,EdwardH. OwensIV,JohnC. Parks,AlbertM. Patroni,KevinG. Pettit,WilliamE.Pizzuto,EdwardJ.Postalwaite, RobertJ. Powell,BryonD. PowellJr.,FrankD.Quinton,ThomasJ. Russo,NicholasF.Samartino,Jason J.Silk,NakiaJ. SimmonsandThomasF.Zane.

Graduatingfrom ourTelecommunicationspro-gram were: Josh E. Banning and RobertA.Turner III.

The outstanding apprentice award went toKevin Kilroyand William E. Pizzuto.

Perfect attendance award recipients were:Kevin Kilroy, Willilam E. Pizzuto, Giantonio Nistico,Nicholas Melchiorre and NicolasSamartino.

Daniel Cosner, P.S.

ServiceAwardsPresentedL.U. 357 (c,i,mt&se), LAS VEGAS, NV As Local 357embarks on its 80th anniversary, we look forwardto being a driving force in green energy and infra-structure.

OnDec.9, 2010,at theRetireesChristmasParty,thelocalrecognized thosewhohaveguided andgrownourlocalto whatit istoday.Bus. Mgr.DavidJonespre-sentedserviceawardsas follows:For 40years of service AlanFogg,DarrelFogg andPhillipFrank;for45years JamesMaguire andJamesSanderson;50years GeraldConger,RobertHarrison,PaulHawkins,RodgerHerman, PaulHurst, JohnJeffery,William Lambert, LowmanLatta,GeorgeMcDonald,JohnRobertson,Earl SmithJr.,BoydToliver, OrvilleWilliamsandGeorgeWooten; 55years ArthurAvant,

JamesBledsoe,GilbertFirmenich,Hugh Jenkins,RichardKoeb, RobertPriceJr.,RichardPullan,CharlesScott,RusselScott,Jaye SharpJr.,EarlSheff,CharlesTaneyJr.,GordonWood, CharlesYatesandRichardZeiter;60 years JohnCotton,WilliamEllis, FredLucas,RobertProcterand DoyenSmith; andfor65 yearsJackHarrity.[See photo, below .]Specialthanksto allthemembers fortheirdedicatedserviceto Local357.

Aaron L. Jones, P.S.

Get Involved in 2011L.U. 359 (u), MIAMI, FL Thanks to all memberswhowere active in the 2010 midterm elections. Ourefforts were extensive with much enthusiasm bymembers on the long drives and doorknocking campaigns. Itwasnt all invain, aswe did get some

friends of laborelected in thestate and elsewhere.Thenuclearapprenticesare progressing well.

Wehave manytalentedmemberswho areinstructorsatthe nuclearsiteandput ina lotof time indevelop-ingmaterial, along withthe college,to getthese

futureplant workerstrainedin their careerfield.Congratulations toall those unionworkers who

areinvolvedas instructors, notonlyat thenuclearsitebutalso those throughoutthe area whotrainappren-tice linemen, cable splicers,meter readers, etc. May2011seea newthrust in training thosewhowill suc-ceed us.We arepushing thecompanyto understandwhythereis a need to train futureworkers.

The officersalso commend the workof ourmembers on the propertyof the Florida Power &LightCompany, the Cityof Homestead and LakeWorth. Rememberto work by the rulesand besafe.

Local 259 extends condolences to the familyof Bro. Brian Biers, who was fatality injured in a trafficaccident. He is missed byall.

Work safe and attend union meetings.

Steve Flynn, F.S./P.S.

AwardRecipientsHonoredL.U. 375 (catv,ees&i), ALLENTOWN, PA Local 375held itsannualChristmas partyon Dec. 12 lastyear.The 77 children and their families attending enjoyed a visitfrom Santa, who heard each childswantlist. A magicshow opened the afternoonsfestivitiesand was enjoyed by all. We thankthehallsofficestaffand everyone who helped with thismemorable event for the children.

At theNovember membershipmeeting,severalbrothers were recognizedfor 35 yearsof service toLocal 375 andto ourlocalcommunity: PaulBreininger,Milt Hilmer, Frank Horvath, Don Kernechel, DaveKocis, ChrisMakovsky, John Netwall, CraigSiegfriedandSteveVuchak. Also, two members were recog-nizedfor theirretirement: Bros. Ralph Freed and

RonSmolko.

With greatsadness we announce the passing of Bro. Ronald Lavoie Jr. He was involved in a workrelated industrial accidentat CalpinesBethlehem

EnergyCenter. Local 375 extendsour deepest con-dolences to his family.

We also mourn the lossof brothers whopassed away in 2010: BarryBeil, Augie Duran, DaveLink,Tim Link,Aden Meyers Jr.,StanleyParks,Raymond Schaffer Jr. and Michael Stover.

Alan Rex, P.S.

HabitatforHumanity ProjectL.U. 379 (i,o&rtb), CHARLOTTE, NC On Dec. 4, 2010,Local 379 began its journey in helping others in ourcommunityby starting ourfirst project with Habitatfor Humanity in Charlotte.VolunteersTommy Hill,Tom Beamon, ChrisWegener, GegoryLavrik, MikeHill and JerseyMike all worked togetherto completea small repair project. It tookaboutfour hours, andin the process theyreplacedsome old, broken out-lets with new GFCI (groundfaultcircuit interrupter),added smoke detectors, replaced some broken con-duits and added outdoorGFCI to help update thishouse to National Electrical Codestandards. Alsoinvolved in this project wereTommyGeorge,Adrian

Beck, Matt Ruffand JohnBartlet, who went to thishouse on an earlierdateand made the list of whatneeded to be fixed. Wethankall who helped andwe lookforward to ournextproject with Habitat,continuing to build ouroutreach programs.

We also had a suc-cessful Salt class, and agreat Comet class withthe first-year apprentice-ship. Also, we congratu-late Bro. ScottThrowerfor receiving the 2010Brotherhood of theYear award.

Scott Thrower, Pres.

WorkOpportunities ImproveL.U.429 (em,i,lctt,o,ptc,rtb&u),NASHVILLE,

workthisyearshouldimprove to thepointthat wneed travelingbrothers andsistersfor theinsideaoutsideworkat thenew NashvilleConventionCandthe $1billionHemlockSemiconductorCorpproject.Weare gratefulto allthe locals thathaveworkedour membershipduringthesehardtimeshopewe canrepaythebrotherhoodonceagainb

workingtravelersby latespring.Twill bea needfora lotoflinementimeto timeat theHemlockconsttionproject.Theplant willproducmaterials usedto build solarpanel

Thanks to all who helpedmake ourChristmas float a big cess in the 2010 NashvilleChrisparade.The retirees breakfast wvery enjoyable; thanks to all whparticipated.Thanks also to eve

one who attended the locals mebershipChristmas party, which a hit.

Local 429 and Nashville wmake a comeback afterthe challenges wevefafollowing theflood and otherconcernsabout tlossof some large employers. It has been and continue to be an uphill challenge for ourmemship and contractors, butby sticking together wwill prevail.

Please attend ourunion meetingson the fand third Mondays of each month.Support eaotherand our local union.

Gerald A. Grant,

NewProjects Underway

L.U. 441 (as,i&rts),SANTAANA, CA Desptough economictimes, one area in our local hrecentlyseen a surge in work. Withfour majorects in the cityof Anaheim, approximately32our members have enjoyed steadyemploymenseveral months and will hopefullyremain empthrough 2011.

One of our employers, Morrow Meadowtwo of the majorprojects. One is a 450 megawcogeneration powerplant, which should be ontoward the end of thisyear. Anotherproject issix-floor hospital for KaiserPermanente.The nKaiserfacilitywill also include a six-floor hossupportbuilding, a seven-storyparkingstructuand a generating planton sitefor the entire facBoth projectsare being constructed under projlaboragreements.

Saco Electricis employing members atDisneylandfora new themed section at the paCarsLand, which is slated to open in early20

MassElectricandSteinyCo. have been hworkwith approximately 60 membersworkin

Local 357 Bus.Mgr.David Jones (standing, farright)congratulatesservice award recipients.

Local 375honors35-yearservice award recipients andrecent retireesat November 2010 meeting. From left, front row, are: Chris Makovsky,Bus. Mgr. Brett Helfrich, Paul Breininger, Milt Hilmer, Pres. David Reichard; back row, FrankHorvath, JohnNetwall, DonKernechel,Steve Vuchak, RonSmolko(retiree),and Craig Siegfried. Notpictured are35-yearaward recipient Dave Kocis andretiree Ralph Freed.

Among the Local 379 Habitatfor Humanityvolunteersare,fromleft: Greg Lavrik, Jersey Mike, Chris Wegner, TomBeamon, Mike Hilland Tommy Hill.

IBEWLocal441 members displayunion bannerat KaiserPermanenteHospital constructionjobsite in Anaheim, CA. MorrowMeadows is the electrical contractoron the project.


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the railroad, performing a total modification of theMetrolink rail line.

Even with these projects, we hope tosee

widerimprovement in ourwork picture in 2011.Rich Vasquez, B.R.

GreatWorkPictureL.U. 449 (catv,em,i,o,rtb,rts,spa&u), POCATELLO,ID Atthe end of 2010 we conducted a HolidayDonation Drive, where ourmembers volunteered toman the LMCCTrailerand hand out hot chocolateand coffee to anyone who gave a donation.All theitemscollected went to the charityin the townwhere the itemswere raised.

The trailerwe use was builtby the LaborManagementCooperation Committeefor solartrain-ing andfor differenteventsto getour name out tothe public. We also formed a club called 449 LadiesAuxiliary. The club isdesigned to educate mem-

bersfamiliesaboutwhy it isimportantto be unionand to teach laborhistory, since it is not being taughtin the schools anymore; we hope that peoplewill passon the information and teach theirchil-dren.The club will also let ourmembers spousesgetacquainted.

We have beenvery lucky with the work in ourlocal thisyear; our future work picture looksgreatas we a have a couple of biggerprojectscoming andwill pickup some of thesmaller onesalso. I thankall those who helped us staffour work.

Rodney James, Pres./A.B.M.

GivingBack to Community L.U.453 (govt,i,rtb,rts&spa),SPRINGFIELD, MO Asthe2010holidayseason came andwent, ourlocalunionand itsmembersdonatedtimeandmoneytogood causeswitha monetarydonationto theVictoryMission atthe area Kum & Goconvenience store.Manyapprenticesand journeymenparticipatedin

bellringingfor theSalvationArmy at theBattlefieldMall.Thank youto allwho gave oftheirtime.

Local union meetingsare held the second

Thursday of each month at6:30 p.m. Please try toattend.

Kevin McGill, P.S.

Bus. Mgr. KrauseRetiresL.U. 499 (u), DESMOINES,IABus.Mgr.DonKrause retiredJan. 1,afterserv-ingas a full-timeunionofficer forthepast21 years.He previouslyserved asstew-ard,chief stew-

ard, treasurer,presidentandbusinessrepre-sentative;healso servedonthe Negotiating Committees

since 1984. At his lastE-Boardmeeting, Bro.Krausewaspresentedwith a tripto Hawaiifromthe mem-bership.He wasextremelymovedby thesupporthereceivedfrom localunionmembers.

Also, atthe December2010 meeting of theIowa Utility Conference, membersof the Nebraska Utility Conferenceawarded Don with the NolandAward, In Recognition of Outstanding Service andLeadership Within the Labor

Movement in theState of Nebraska. Since Local 499 islocated in Iowa, this was a veryspecial award forBro. Krause.

Don was also given a beauti-ful plaquefrom the IBEW forhisyearsof service at the InterUnionGasConference.Thiswasdone atthe conference lastSeptember.Workingwithall the Internationals

at theGasConference is something Don loved, and he will be missed in the distribu-tion workshop.

RandyPhillipswas appointed business man-ager to fill the remainder of Donsunexpired term.Elections will take place this summer.

George Fong, Pres.

SolarPhotovoltaicProjectL.U.551 (c,i&st),SANTAROSA,CA Anotherphoto-voltaicproject isunderway inour local.Any jobrightnowis welcomednews,but renewableenergyworkisa bonus.CupertinoElectricis notonlythe subcontrac-torbut thegeneralcontractoras well onthis schoolproject,saysforemanJoshEvangelo.He alsoreportedthatlandingjobs asthe general contractoris a trendCupertinoElectricplansto moveforwardwith.

CasaGrande HighSchoolas well asPetalumaHigh,both in Petaluma,CA, arebeing retrofittedwith just over 1 megawattof powercombined.Theseschools willhave canopiesbuilt on theirparking structures, whichwill notonly provide shaded park-ingbutalso will reduce electricity costto theschools

bymorethan $200,000per year over thenextfiveyears; theproject is projectedto producesavings of more than $6,000,000 over thenext25 years.

Local 551 has classes on design and installa-tion ofPV systems.This classis free to any IBEWmember. Formore information call the union hall at(707) 542-3505.

The work picture is stillslow, butwith theelection of Gov. Jerry Brown to lead our finestate weare hopeful tosee thatpicture turn around.

Denise D.Soza, B.R./P.S.

FundingforRetrofitLighting L.U. 553 (i,mt,o&ws), RALEIGH, NC The nuclearpowerhouse Sharon Harrishad a layoffandSaintGobain glassplant hasa shutdown fora new line,which has juststarted hiringfor the newyear.Theglassplant will hire approximately 10 local mem-bers for the new line replacement.

With weather breaking, maybe the work willbe prosperous thisyear. Especially significantisthat stimulus funding iscoming in to the area for

retrofit lighting. Raleigh has a change in the airwithretrofit lighting and the green technology coming toNorthCarolina.A few membersof Local 553 werefortunate to work on a 1 megawattphotovoltaicsys-tem project in Murphy, N.C. in the jurisdiction of Ashville, NC, Local 238. [Seephoto, below, shot at the Local 238 solar project jobsite.]

Solarphotovoltaicpower is a technologyof the electrical industrythat the IBEW is increasinglyharnessing around the country.

David A. Ingram, P.S.

NewYear, NewLeadershipL.U. 557 (i,mt,rts&spa), SAGINAW, MI 2011 marksthe beginning of thefirstfullyearin officefor ourlocalsnewly elected officers.Sweeping changeswere made across the board in our 2010 elections.Since our lastarticle, we havesworn in a new busi-ness manager. Bus. Mgr. David Small has been

entrusted to guide our local into the next challeng-ing decade. We know David will do an outstanding job, ashe has demonstrated during his firstmonths

in office. We also thankRobert Orr for the fine jobhe did while serving as business manager.

Also newlyelected are: Pres. RussellCombs,Vice Pres. MarkKrieger,Treas. Paul Dupuis Jr.,Sec.Evan Allardyce; Executive Board members JohnHagarty, Josh Iles, Bill LinkJr., ChrisNickodemus,RobbStanickand Rob White; Examining Boardmembers Joe Eickholt, Randy Halasand Bill Miner.

Thestate of Michigan hasa new governor forthe firsttime in eightyears. Although the midtermelections were not as favorable aswe would haveliked, we must strive to make the bestof things.2011 will be an importantyear forour local, ourstate and ourwhole country. We mustall try to uniteto pull ourselvesout of the economiccrunch andlookforward to betterdaysahead.

Evan Allardyce, P.S.

Event & FellowshipCte.L.U. 573 (as&i), WARREN, OH Ournewly formedEvent & FellowshipCommittee held a Santa partylast year at the hallfor ourmembers withyoung children.The party included craftsfor the kids, doorprizes and a special visitfrom Santa and his elves,who brought goodie bags for all the children.

Wethankcommitteemembersfor alltheirhardworkand weextenda specialthank-youto Pres.KevinMillerandBus.Mgr. JackMorsefor embracing thespiritof theholidays andagreeingto play therolesof Santaandheadelf.The partywas a greatsuccess andwe hopeto make it anannual tradition.

Local 573 wishesall union brothersand sis-ters a happyand prosperousyearahead!

David Bush Jr., P.S.

SpringWork PictureImprovesL.U. 601 (i&rtb),CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, IL Thebooks in Local 601 are looking better with 38 onBookI, 355 on BookII and no apprenticesout of work, thanksmostlyto the shutdown at LaSalleNuclear Powerhouse.The local has more than 40handsat the powerhouse now and it should top outat approximately 90 electricians.Spring looksbet-ter for the local with afew projects at the Universityof Illinois andCarle Hospital. Five windfarmsshould bestarting in the spring. Even with thisworkwe do not anticipate getting into book II.

Now that the 2010 elections are over, we asunion members still need to keep informed on whatlegislation iscoming upfor a vote and how our

elected publicofficialsare voting both locallyandnationally. It is important thatwe inform ourlegisla-tors on how we want them tovote.

At ourlocalsannualChristmas party last year,the turnout wasgreat. It wasa good timefor all whoattended. We thank the people who helped to puton a greatparty.

Dan Hatter, P.S.

Photovoltaic InstallationL.U.611 (catv,es,govt,i,lctt,o,spa,t&u),ALBUQUERQUNM A15-kilowattsystemwasrecentlyinstalled ontheroofofourlocalunionhall.All thepanels installedwereIBEWmadeandpurchasedfroma factoryinNashville,TN.The initialinvestment willbe well worth

Local 499then-Bus. Mgr.Don Krause receives theNoland Award at December 2010 conference.

Santa Rosa, CA,Local 551membersworkingwithCupertinoElectric installed solar photovoltaicprojectsat twoareahigh schools.

Local 553 members David Ingram(left) and MikeDuckworth (secondfrom left) joinLocal238job steward Perry W.Ledbetterat thejobsite of Local 238s photovoltaic project.

Local 449membersstaffed the LMCC Trailer to conductaHolidayDonation Drive benefiting area charities.

Local 453apprentices Zach Hohlt (left) and ChanningBlack (right) ringthe bellfor theSalvation Army. Theyare joined byyoungTrystanBlack,along formoralsupport.


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it inthe end.The projectwasdoneby unioncontractorUSElectricandtookapproximately12 daysto com-plete.Thanks,guys; youdid a greatjob.

BrianCondithas joined ourstaffafter working foreightyearsas chief ofstafffor then-governor BillRichardson.As a one-time assistantand organizer,Brian brings experience and leadership and will bea benefit to our local. Welcome aboard, Brian.

I hope everyone hasa good yearahead. Thisyear, make a commitment to attend at leastfourunion meetings. Meetingsare held the thirdSaturday of each month at 10 a.m.

Local 611 extends condolences to families of our members who recently passed away: RaymondMontes, Walter D.Gentry, Buford B. Staggs, MerleO.Clark, Gordon K. Dawson, William D. OhrandGilbertMascarenas.

Darrell J. B

the electrical worker march 2011

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