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

President Barack Obama and formerMassachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney both saythat it’s time to restore the AmericanDream—the reputation of our nation as a

place where those who want to work find jobs and con-tribute to society, a land where the sons and daugh-ters of workers can honor the opportunity to rise tolead our finest institutions and our nation itself.

We don’t question the sincerity of eitherman’s commitment to our highest values.

But elections are about choices. And, as pro-gressive and practical trade unionists, we need to

decide which candidate’spolicies have and will putour economy and workingfamilies in the best positionto weather the storms of achanging and uncertainworld for the next four years.

Democrats have criti-cized Romney for failing topropose any comprehensive

plan to speed America’s economic recovery.But there is one exception to this critique.

And—as IBEW members decide how to vote inNovember—that exception makes all the differencefor everyone in our nation who works hard andplays by the rules.

Mitt Romney, as this issue of the ElectricalWorker amply reveals, has been absolutely clearand unambiguous about his opposition to unionsin America.

Romney has pledged to continue the war onunion members that has been waged by hisRepublican cronies from Wisconsin to Indiana, fromMaine to Michigan. He supported Gov. John Kasichin his move to block collective bargaining in Ohio, abill that was overturned by a campaign and referen-dum led by organized labor.

If we value our right to a voice on the job, ourright to negotiate with our employers for decent wagesand benefits and, most of all, a society that grows from

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

Printed in the USA 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. 6 | No. 10 | October 2012

VOTE YOUR FUTURE continued on page 2

2 | Romney vs. Obama: Side by Side on the issues

Paul Ryan’s evolving conservatism

3 | Mitt Romney’s union-free America

4 | Under Obama, new GI Bill, hiring initiatives help vets

Job growth under President Obama

5 | Bill of Rights marches on, in Tampa and Charlotte

6 | Nev. members defend retirement security

Fla. working families campaign for Obama

7 | Stumping for progressive favorite in Mass.

Protecting Your Vote

8 | North of 49°

9 | Transitions, Spotlight on Safety

10 | Local Lines

18 | Joint Officers Editorial

19 | Letters to the Editor

Who We Are

20 | Fee Payers Plan

Note: In Memoriam will return in November.

VOTE YOUR FUTURE

Two Visions for America

� Values—those ideals that ourleaders and potential leadersconsider most important—arearticulated and given significanceby the policies that they promote orenact. The election of 2012 is aboutchoosing the best policies for aneconomic recovery in America.

the middle of the income scale outwardinstead of from the top down, IBEW mem-bers would be making a grave mistake toplace the leadership of our nation in thehands of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.

The Obama administration hasfour years of accomplishment that are awindow into the values of our presidentand his running mate, Vice President JoeBiden. We believe that Barack Obamaand Joe Biden represent the mainstreamvalues of fair play and economic justicethat gave rise to America’s middle class.

Their record and their campaigndeserve the support of all IBEW members,not just in words, but in action to helpbring more members, neighbors andfriends out to exercise their right to vote.

From taking decisive steps to wardoff a second Great Depression to saving theU.S. auto industry—a controversial deci-sion opposed by Romney and others—toprotecting the jobs of public workers andpassing legislation on pay equity forwomen, President Obama has showncourage and compassion for working fami-lies. President Obama and Joe Biden havestated time and again that these are justbeginning steps to economic recovery.Despite progress, both men acknowledgethe ongoing pain and challenge of jobless-ness and diminished opportunity and arecommitted to seeking innovative solutions.

In stopping medical insurancecompanies from denying coverage toAmericans with pre-existing medical con-ditions to appointing Supreme Court jus-tices who reject the anti-worker extremismof their right-wing peers, President Obamahas faced down some of the heaviest andmost personal attacks of any U.S. presi-dent with grace and patience.

Even where the IBEW and otherunions have disagreed with PresidentObama—as we have on his endorse-ment of free trade agreements—we havenever questioned his overarching com-mitment to making lives better for menand women at the bottom and middle ofour economic spectrum.

There couldn’t be a sharper con-trast between the Obama-Biden recordon supporting middle-class prosperityand the Romney-Ryan endorsement of“trickle-down” economics, a failed policythat professes to help working Americansby giving tax breaks to the wealthiestfamilies in our nation, slashing ournation’s social safety net and letting themost powerful corporations set ournation’s political agenda. Since theCitizens United Supreme Court decision,those same corporations have beenfreed to spend unlimited amounts ofcash with the intent of overpowering thevoices of organized labor and others whoare fighting to preserve our democracy.

We don’t tell our members how tovote. We ask only that our votes bebased upon weighing all the facts andthe records of those who profess tostand by our side.

We encourage members to readand respond to the articles in this issueof the Electrical Worker by mail or onlineat media@ibew.org or on the IBEW’sFacebook page. �

Continued from page 1

2 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 2

VOTEYOUR FUTURE

Two Visions for America

OBAMA AND ROMNEY:

Stark Contrast on Workers’ Issues

Obama Romney

Project Labor Agreements

“We reversed the ban on project laboragreements, because we believe in[them] as part of a strategy to rebuildAmerica.”

(Speech to the AFL-CIO Building Trades,4/30/12)

“One of the first things I’ll do—actuallyon Day One—I will end the govern-ment’s favoritism towards unions andcontracting on federal projects, andend project labor agreements.”

(Speech to Associated Builders &Contractors, 2/23/12)

Davis-Bacon

Ahead of passing the 2009 stimulus,which included prevailing wage provi-sions: “We need to strengthen Davis-Bacon, and make sure any newinfrastructure projects we’re proposingadhere to Davis-Bacon standards.”

(Speech to the AFL-CIO Building Trades,4/15/08)

“I will fight to repeal Davis-Bacon.”

(Speech to Associated Builders &Contractors, 2/23/12)

Right-To-Work Laws

“I believe when folks try and take collec-tive bargaining rights away by passingso-called right-to-work laws—thatmight also be called ‘right-to-work-for-less’ laws—that’s not about economics,that’s about politics.”

(Speech to the AFL-CIO Building Trades,4/30/12)

“I believe in right-to-work. I will fight forright-to-work … hopefully, we’ll havenational right-to-work” [legislation].

(Speech at Tea Party rally in Oakland County,Mich., 2/23/12)

Workplace Safety

Appointed Secretary of Labor Hilda L.Solis in 2009, whose OccupationalSafety and Health Administration devel-oped a campaign to reduce deadly fallsin the construction industry, as well asother initiatives. Under Obama, on-the-job fatalities have dropped to historiclows, down an average of 18 percentfrom the Bush administration’s levels.

(Source: Department of Labor Statistics)

Supports a GOP-sponsored House billbarring federal regulations that couldpositively affect workplace safety untiljobless rate drops below 6 percent

(Source: AFL-CIO report).

Supports Ryan budget that woulddecrease OSHA funding to below-2008levels

(Source: National Safety Council).

Paul Ryan inWashington: From Moderate toHard Right

Mitt Romney’s selection ofWisconsin Rep. Paul Ryanas his running mate gavethe Republican ticket

added definition, as Ryan’s views aboutaltering Medicare and Social Securitycame into sharper national focus.

But IBEW members living in Ryan’sdistrict say they’re concerned that thecandidate’s plan to change Medicareinto a partial voucher system whileretooling Social Security could wreakhavoc on their bank accounts.

“A lot of our members simply areno fans of Ryan,” said Racine Local 430Business Manager Chris Gulbrandson.“We’ve got many members who aren’tyet ready for retirement but who haveput 25 years in. They’re nervous thatwhat they’ve worked toward and paidinto is going to look significantly differ-ent when they retire.”

Ryan was elected to the House in1998 and has been re-elected with com-

fortable margins in Wisconsin’s FirstCongressional District, a swing district inthe southeastern part of the state.Fifteen years ago, he supported policiesthat were popular among many workingfamilies of both major political parties.

“We’re very disappointed in Ryan,”said Madison Local 159 member DaveBoetcher, who coordinates governmentaffairs for all inside locals affiliated withthe Wisconsin State Conference. “Paulhad always been a supporter of Davis-Bacon, but over the last few years,there’s been some strong developmentin his opposition to protecting workers’wages and benefits. It might be more ofthe effect of the Republican echo cham-ber—that even though a candidate mayhave said something else earlier inoffice, now they all say the same thing.”

Now, Boetcher said, Ryan has flip-flopped on many issues he previouslyembraced. “Today he’s againstMedicare, Social Security, unemploy-

Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) once supported Davis-Baconand other pro-worker policies, but has ‘flip-flopped,’ says Madison Local 159member Dave Boetcher, governmental affairs coordinator for the WisconsinState Electrical Conference.

“Here’s what I propose. Paul Ryan can take all thevouchers he is proposing to replace Medicare with andgive them to his fellow congressmen and senators to buy

health care. If it works for them, thenI’ll get on board with the vouchers, too.”

Louis RodriguezChicago Local 134 retiree, journeyman wireman

Photo used under a Creative Commons License from Flickr user Tobyotter.

In a post-Citizens United world, anti-worker organizations are able to digdeeper into their pockets to con-

tribute to politicians supportive of theiragendas. The landmark 2010 SupremeCourt decision allows unlimited andanonymous donations from corpora-tions and wealthy individuals to specialinterest groups—called “super PACs”—advocating for particular candidates.

But regular political action com-mittees still have to leave a paper trail,and the Associated Builders &Contractors’ PAC donations show thegroup throwing their weight behind alegion of anti-union candidates in stateand federal races. According to datareleased by the Center for ResponsivePolitics, the 2012 election looks to beanother banner year for ABC’s dona-tions, almost all of which has been allo-cated to anti-worker lawmakers.

As of September, the group hadspent $1.2million to elect Mitt Romneyand other politicians who opposeunions:

Virginia: The group’s No. 2 recipi-ent so far this year is Virginia RepublicanGeorge Allen, who has received $11,500.Allen recently unveiled his “Freedom toWork” agenda, a platform that wouldrestrict PLAs and repeal Davis Bacon-level wages while touting the state’sright-to-work laws.

Ohio: In battleground states likeOhio, ABC has donated $11,250 to JoshMandel, who’s running against Sen.Sherrod Brown, a proven labor ally witha 100 percent lifetime voting recordfrom the AFL-CIO. ABC’s total contribu-tions to anti-worker candidates in theBuckeye State exceed $64,700.

Montana:Worker-friendly Sen.Jon Tester is campaigning to createlocal jobs, close tax loopholes that pro-mote outsourcing and rebuild stateinfrastructure. ABC has given his oppo-nent Denny Rehberg $10,000 this year.

Massachusetts: The group gave$10,000 to Massachusetts Sen. ScottBrown for his effort to defeat challengerElizabeth Warren—the architect of theConsumer Financial Protection Bureau,which was established in response tothe 2008 financial crisis.

Pennsylvania: Anti-union candi-dates in the Keystone State received atotal of $32,000 from ABC.

Romney has received $13,000 fromthe group—the highest individual dona-tion from ABC this election year.

For more, visit www.opensecrets.org and search for “AssociatedBuilders & Contractors.” �

Follow the Money:ABC Donates toAnti-WorkerCandidates

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

When GOP presidential can-didate Mitt Romney spokein February at theAssociated Builders &

Contractors conference in Phoenix, hisanti-union rhetoric found an eager audi-ence. Speaking from the podium, he said:

“If I become president of theUnited States, I will curb the practice wehave in this country of giving unionbosses an unfair advantage in contract-ing. One of the first things I’ll do—actu-ally on Day One—I will end thegovernment’s favoritism towards unionsand contracting on federal projects, andend project labor agreements. And I willfight to repeal Davis-Bacon.”

This sparked riotous applause fromthe audience, to which Romney said, “Ididn’t know that was going to get that kindof response—I’d have said that earlier.”

He concluded his remarks by slam-ming the Employee Free Choice Act,adding “I will fight for right-to-work laws.”

Far from a one-off performance infront of a sympathetic audience,Romney’s anti-union stance has beenfurther enshrined by the RepublicanParty. At the GOP’s convention in Tampa,Fla., in late August, the party issued itsofficial platform, part of which exactlyechoes Romney’s speech to ABC.

The 2012 GOP platform states:“We will restore the rule of law to

labor law by blocking ‘card check’ … Wedemand an end to the project laboragreements … and we call for repeal ofthe Davis-Bacon Act … We support theright of states to enact right-to-work lawsand encourage them to do so …

Ultimately, we support the enactment ofa national right-to-work law.”

While the party’s 2008 platformacknowledged “both the right of individ-uals to voluntarily participate in labororganizations and bargain collectively,”this year’s platform makes no directmention of collective bargaining. Instead,it salutes anti-worker lawmakers likeWisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and OhioGov. John Kasich—whose crackdowns oncollective bargaining sparked massiveprotests in their states’ capitals. The GOP2012 platform states, “We saluteRepublican governors and state legisla-tors who have saved their states from fis-cal disaster by reforming their lawsgoverning public employee unions.”

IBEW International President EdwinD. Hill said that the party’s mention ofthe GOP governors “is just a smoke-screen to endorse union busting. Theseextreme politicians have used the eco-nomic downturn to their advantage byattacking teachers, firefighters, nursesand other dedicated public servants.

“For our industry, the GOP’s attackson PLAs and Davis Bacon—mixed withtheir support of a national right-to-worklaw—would undo decades of hard-wongains at the bargaining table and on thejob site,” Hill said. “I encourage everymember to go on the Internet and watchRomney’s speech to ABC so they can seefor themselves where the candidatestands on issues of critical importance toour families’ futures.”

Watch here, and share with friends:www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq6SuTzR67A. �

‘One of the first things I’ll do—actually on Day One—I will end the government’sfavoritism towards unions and contracting on federal projects,’ Mitt Romneytold Associated Builders and Contractors members in February.

Romney: Union Busting WouldBegin on Day One

ment insurance—it’s saddening. It’soften hard to find someone in theRepublican Party who is reasonable onunion issues. To have one who was withus start sliding away is worrisome.”

A native of Janesville, the candi-date’s family owns Ryan IncorporatedCentral—a construction company thatemploys members of the OperatingEngineers. Ryan worked for a short timefor the family business before embark-ing on his political career. Boetcher saidthat Ryan’s tilt further toward the anti-worker wing of his party is ironic.

“Paul has seen firsthand how aunion company offering good wagesleads to productive workers, which leadsto a stable business, which leads togrowth. He’s done payroll, he knows thisindustry. And the building trades in thearea has gotten along with him over theyears. But whether it’s a personalchange on his part, a Tea Party push, orwhether he’s just going along with theGOP—that’s anyone’s guess.”

Last month, news organizationsrevealed that Ryan, who has voted manytimes to repeal Obamacare, applied forfunds under the president’s AffordableCare Act to build a new community healthcenter in his district. Gulbrandson calledthat “extremely hypocritical.”

“You see guys like Ryan say over

and over how bad the law is—but thenyou quietly ask for money?” he said.“Either be for [Obamacare] or against it.You can’t have it both ways.”

Mother Jones recently reported thatwhen tens of thousands of demonstratorstook to the Wisconsin statehouse lastyear to protest Gov. Scott Walker’s dracon-ian crackdown on collective bargainingrights for public employees, Ryan referredto the demonstrations as “riots”—a termthat riles Gulbrandson.

“Our members were there, andthey were very far from riots,” he said.“They were pretty peaceful demonstra-tions. But even now, people are gettingin trouble trying to make their voicesheard. There’s a new law here thatdoesn’t allow you to bring signs into thecapitol. There were a few people ticketedthere last week for having anti-Walkersigns. It’s like, ‘Free speech is OK as longas we can tell you what to say.’”

When talking with his membershipabout the election, Gulbrandson says,“It’s an old adage, but I tell people to ‘voteyour paycheck.’ You’ve got to consideryour wallet and see who’s looking out foryour interests. And it’s not Mitt Romneyand Paul Ryan. Just giving tax breaks tothe rich hasn’t worked in the past, and it’snot going to work in the future to get uswhere we need to be as a country.” �

In August, vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan made a campaign stop in frontof seniors in Florida—a heavily contested swing state. Appearing at his sidewas Ryan’s 78-year-old mother, Betty, who Ryan used to push his agenda of

ending Medicare as we know it while repealing the Affordable Care Act.But a recent report by Harvard economist David Cutler shows that the plan

could slap current—and future—seniors with skyrocketing health care costs. In arecent analysis of Cutler’s research, Think Progress reports:

“Current seniors would … have to pay more for preventive, hospital, andphysician services should Romney and Ryan repeal the Affordable Care Act, facingan increase in health spending of between $7,900 and $18,600 over the course oftheir retirement.”

And it gets worse. If Obamacare is repealed and the Romney/Ryan plan goesinto effect—which it will in 2023, if they’re elected—researchers estimate healthcare costs for today’s workers will balloon tremendously. The chart below showsprice increases in out-of-pocket Medicare spending for future generations.

Source: Center for American Progress calculations based on data from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office

GOP Medicare Plan = Bad Medicine

29 years old

39 years old

49 years old

54 years old

If you are now…

$331,170 more

By the time you’re eligible for Medicare, you would pay…

$59,450 more

$124,626 more

$216,631 more

T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 2 3

VOTEYOUR FUTURE

Photo used under a Creative Commons License from Flickr user Austen Hufford.

VOTEYOUR FUTURE

4 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 2

Obama’s Record Strong on Support for Veterans

Presidential candidate MittRomney drew comment frommany quarters when he failedto acknowledge the sacrifices

of active duty troops fighting inAfghanistan in his acceptance speech tothe Republican National Convention.

Some were willing to forgiveRomney’s omission. But the incidentdrew attention to the Obama administra-tion’s record of achievement on support-ing veterans, one that was featured in aspeech to the Democratic NationalConvention by IBEW-supported U.S.House candidate Tammy Duckworth, run-ning in Illinois’ 8th congressional district.

In 2004, Duckworth, the formerAssistant Secretary of Public andIntergovernmental Affairs for the U.S.Department of Veteran’s Affairs, lostboth of her legs and one arm co-pilotinga Blackhawk helicopter while serving inthe National Guard in Iraq.

Said Duckworth, “When it comes toour men and women in harm’s way, wehave a clear choice on November 6 …Barack Obama will never ignore ourtroops. He will fight for them …This elec-tion is about whether we will do for our fel-low Americans what my crew did for me,whether we will look out for the hardest hitand the disabled, whether we’ll pull

together in a time of need, whether we’llrefuse to give up until the job is done.”

During the last four years the Obamaadministration has:

Expanded Access to Education forVeterans. President Obama pushed forthe Post-9/11 GI Bill as a senator andensured its successful implementationas president. As of March 2012, the VAhas issued approximately $17.5 billion inPost-9/11 GI Bill benefit payments for710,000 veterans or family members.

Passed Tax Credits for Hiring Veterans.In November 2011, the president signedinto law the Returning Heroes Tax Credit,which provides businesses that hire vet-erans with a credit of up to $5,600 perveteran, and the Wounded Warriors TaxCredit, which offers businesses that hireveterans with disabilities a credit of upto $9,600 per veteran.

Supported Hiring Initiatives forReturning Vets. Two bills in the 2013budget will provide preference to veter-ans for grants to enable them to becomepolicemen and firefighters. TheDepartment of Health and HumanServices is giving priority in physicianassistant grant awards to universitiesand colleges that help train vets for

careers as physician assistants. TheVeterans Job Corps conservation pro-gram would put 20,000 veterans back towork over the next five years protectingand rebuilding America.

The president established anInteragency Council on VeteransEmployment, an initiative designed totransform the federal government into themodel employer of America’s veterans.

Dave Boetcher, a Madison, Wis.,Local 159 member and a former memberof his state’s Board of Veterans Affairs,says the Obama administration hashelped establish and fund regional med-ical clinics for veterans. Boetcher says,“Access to VA healthcare has incrediblyincreased since many veterans wereforced to travel three to four hours to a VAhospital even for routine services.”

Here’s a list of other administrationefforts on veterans health care:

• The president signed into law land-mark legislation to fund the VA’shealth care budget a year in advance.

• New rules streamlining the process andpaperwork needed by combat veteransto pursue a claim for disability pay forpost-traumatic stress disorder. The VA

has expanded its mental health pro-grams, hiring more than 3,500 mentalhealth professionals since 2009.

• The “Caregivers and VeteransOmnibus Health Service Act,” provid-ing veterans and their family care-givers who were seriously injured inthe service a monthly stipend, access

to health insurance, mental healthservices and counseling.

• Joining Forces, a new comprehen-sive national initiative to mobilizeall sectors of society to give ourservice members and their familiesthe opportunities and support theyhave earned. �

20120112010200920082007

Signs the Recovery Act

Announces federal assistance to GM & Chrysler

Small Business Jobs Act of 2010

Two years of private sector job growth

300,000

200,000

100,000

0

-100,000

-200,000

-300,000

-400,000

-500,000

-600,000

-700,000

-800,000

-900,000

President Obama takes office

Num

ber o

f Job

s

“For their service and sacrifice, warm words of thanks from a grateful nation are more thanwarranted, but they aren’t nearly enough. We also owe our veterans the care they werepromised and the benefits that they have earned. We have a sacred trust with those whowear the uniform of the United States of America. It’s a commitment that begins atenlistment, and it must never end.”

– President Barack Obama, March 19, 2009

Private Sector Job Creation

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 2 5

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

VOTEYOUR FUTURE

America’s Second Bill of RightsPromoted at DNC, RNC

Supporters of the Second Bill of Rights were out in force at both majorpolitical conventions to get signatures and spread the word to delegatesand politicians: it is time for Capitol Hill to get serious about revivingAmerica’s middle class.

In Tampa, Fla., site of the Republican National Convention, working familiesmarched outside the Tampa Bay Times Forum with a six-foot-square banner enumerat-ing America’s Second Bill of Rights, which outlines a broad agenda to help restore theAmerican dream: the right to full employment and a living wage, the right to full partic-ipation in the electoral process, the right to a voice at work, the right to a quality edu-cation and the right to a secure, healthy future.

“It was bi-partisan,” says Fifth District International Representative BrianThompson. “If we could get a Republican to sign that bill, we welcomed them to do it.”

In attendance were mostly labor union affiliates of the West Central (Tampa)Central Trade Council standing out in neon yellow T-shirts—comprised of members ofthe American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; the InternationalAlliance of Theatrical Stage Employees; the Communication Workers of America; theNational Association of Letter Carriers; the American Postal Workers Union; theUnited Association; the IBEW; and others.

Their ranks were thinner due to Hurricane Isaac’s pummeling of the Gulf Coastand Florida’s West Coast two days earlier, leaving tens of thousands without power,and pulling Tampa’s IBEW utility members onto storm duty.

The Republican delegation, which a day earlier had drafted the most conserva-tive, anti-union platform in the history of the GOP, remained oblivious to the laborgathering outside.

“Other than one or two people that may have been walking [along the paraderoute] from time to time, no one from the convention was around,” Thompson says. “Itreflects the GOP’s disregard of the working people in general.”

In Charlotte, N.C., host of the Democratic National Convention, union activistsand other pro-worker advocates spent Labor Day celebrating union history andbringing the message of America’s Second Bill of Rights to Democratic delegates.

“Everybody was excited,” said IBEW Local 379 Business Manager Bob Krebs.“This was a once-in-a-lifetime event for a lot of people.”

The North Carolina labor movement was out in full force, including members ofthe Communications Workers of America, the Teamsters, the United Auto Workersand the IBEW.

In the state with the lowest union density in the country, Krebs said that theconvention offered an opportunity for members to show their union pride whilestressing the need for real economic solutions from politicians.

“The workers’ bill of rights goes back to our principles—not just what we wantas unionists, but for the rest of America,” he said. “We need to make people awareof why these rights are important. Things like the right to a voice at work ought tobe common sense. And we need to show politicians that we’re planning to holdthem accountable if they want our support at the ballot box.” �

Workers in Tampa sign America’s Second Bill of Rights outside the RepublicanNational Convention in August.

F or Montana working families,there are two things on the linethis November: keeping the U.S.

Senate out of the hands of anti-workerextremists and stopping right-to-worklegislation dead in its tracks.

Pro-worker Sen. Jon Tester is in atight race with Tea Party activist Rep.Denny Rehberg. An advocate for farmersand veterans, Tester has a built a strongrelationship with the state’s labor move-ment to help create good jobs anduphold decent working conditions.

“Jon’s been a strong advocate forMontana families, someone who seesunions as partners, not adversaries, inputting the economy back together,”says Eighth District InternationalRepresentative Don Herzog.

Tester’s defense of the middleclass against corporate special interestshas made him one of the top targets ofwealthy anti-worker groups like the Kochbrothers-funded Americans forProsperity, which is spending millionson negative TV ads throughout the state.

“The sheer number of misleadingand nasty ads against Jon is incredible,”says Herzog, who also serves as theIBEW’s grassroots political coordinatorfor the state.

He says the IBEW is working at cut-ting through the negative spin and educat-ing members on Tester’s stands on theissues that affect them: prevailing wage,project labor agreements, rights on thejob and retirement security. He hashelped a group of MasTec satellite workersfile charges with the National LaborRelations Board over unlawful firing andharassment of employees who were tryingto organize for better working conditions.

Tester is also proposing a constitu-tional amendment to overturn theSupreme Court’s Citizens United ruling,which gives corporations the right tosecretly donate unlimited funds to politi-cal campaigns.

“All Denny Rehberg cares about is the1 percent,” says Butte Local 44 AssistantBusiness Manager Dan Flynn.

The race for governor is anotherkey campaign for the IBEW. AttorneyGeneral Steve Bullock is hoping to suc-ceed term-limited Gov. Brian Schweitzer.Bullock, who has made a career of fight-ing for consumer rights, is facing formerRep. Rick Hill.

Hill is a supporter of so-called

right-to-work legislation, which wouldweaken the voice of working familieswhile strengthening the power of bigcorporations.

Hill has outraised Bullock by a2-to-1 margin, but Flynn says grass-roots mobilizing—phone calls, doorknocking and workplace leafleting—canbeat back the GOP’s money advantage. �

Ohio voters made history lastyear, repealing Gov. JohnKasich’s anti-worker Senate Bill

5 by overwhelming margins. The legisla-tion would have eliminated collectivebargaining rights for public employees,including teachers, cops and firefighters.

Led by a massive grassroots coali-tion of public- and private-sector unions,along with community, civil rights andstudent groups, the SB 5 recall move-ment not only upheld public workers’rights but put a freeze on efforts to intro-duce right-to-work legislation.

Now working families there are gear-ing up to keep the anti-worker specialinterests on the run by re-electingPresident Obama and Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Joe Biser, a 20-year member ofColumbus Local 683, says theRepublicans have “become so radical-ized, they killed bipartisanship. Andthat’s why Congress hasn’t been able todo anything about the jobs crisis. Iremember when [GOP SenateRepublican leader] Mitch McConnell saidhe wanted Obama to fail. Well, if thepresident fails, the country fails becauseit means he isn’t able to focus on jobs.”

The journeyman electrician, activein the anti-SB 5 campaign, is workingwith the IBEW’s grassroots political pro-gram to educate members and theirfamilies about what a Romney presi-dency would mean for middle-class fam-ilies in Ohio.

“He represents all those who aretrying to take away our way of life—every-thing we’ve fought for that has garneredus a spot in the middle class,” Biser says.

Local 683 Business Manager MarioCiardelli says education and building a

member-to-member network is key tovictory in November. “Some memberswho aren’t plugged into the local get alot of their information about politicsfrom the endless attack ads running onTV and from right-wing talk radio,” hesays. “We’re asking them to turn off theTV and focus on the real issues: job cre-ation, Davis-Bacon, retirement security,project labor agreements, right-to-work.And on all those issues Romney and theGOP are on the other side.”

Ciardelli says Brown has been aleader on the issues affecting workingfamilies: fair trade, job growth and work-ers’ rights. “He’s stood with us and Ohiowhen it counted, and we don’t forget that.”

The IBEW is also mobilizing in sup-port of Issue 2, a ballot initiative thatwould reform the way Ohio’s congres-sional districts are redistricted, placingauthority in the hands of an impartialstate-appointed commission. “It’s abouttaking the partisan politics out of redis-tricting, so you don’t have these gerry-mandered districts that don’t fairlyrepresent Ohio voters,” says Ciardelli. �

IBEW’s Ohio activism hasn’t let upsince voters rejected SB 5 last year.

continued on page 6

“We have to prevent right-to-work laws from spreading.We can never give up ongetting candidates electedwho will honor unionrights and the right ofworkers to organize.”

Jacquie FieldsTreasurer, Local 21

Chicago

Montana IBEW Campaigns to Block Right-to-Work-For-Less

Ohio IBEW Activists KeepPro- Worker Momentum Alive

IBEW Mobilizes for Races

VOTE YOUR FUTURE

6 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 2

F or Vacaville, Calif., Local 1245 mem-ber Tom Bird, the fight to upholddecent retirement security for work-

ing Americans is an ongoing battle. In2009, the former NV Energy lineman, alongwith fellow Local 1245 retirees, took ontheir former employer when the utilityannounced it was slashing promisedretiree health benefits. In 2010, Bird andother members of the Nevada chapter ofthe Alliance for Retired Americans traveledthe state to protest Republican U.S. Senatenominee Sharon Angle, who endorsedprivatizing Social Security and Medicare.

Now, Bird and members of theLocal 1245 retiree club are gearing up totake on the Romney-Ryan plan to under-mine America’s retirement safety net.

Republican presidential candidate

Mitt Romney’s decision to nameWisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his runningmate raised red flags for many seniors.

In his 2010 budget plan, Ryan, who

serves as House Budget Committeechairman, called for partially privatizingSocial Security, diverting payroll taxesinto private funds, and ending the guar-antee of care under the Medicare andMedicaid programs.

“If Paul Ryan’s blueprint for under-mining Social Security and Medicare

comes to pass, a lot of seniors will end upon the street, simple as that,” says Bird.

Bird says that members of theNevada Alliance for Retired Americans areworking on educating retirees throughoutthe state and registering voters.

“Millions are being spent on adswith half-truths,” says Bird. “We’re edu-cating people on the facts on a one-on-one basis.”

Also on the line in Nevada is con-trol of the U.S. Senate. Rep. ShelleyBerkley has the support of the labormovement in her run against incumbentSen. Dean Heller, who supported Ryan’splan to end Medicare and voted to slashvital job-training programs.

Las Vegas Local 357 AssistantBusiness Manager James Halsey says thatRomney and Heller have made clearwhose side they are on: the anti-unionAssociated Builders and Contractors.

“They want to abolish project labor

agreements and prevailing wage,” he says.Halsey tells members that a vote forRomney is, in essence, a vote for nonunionHelix Electric, a leading ABC contractor.

The IBEW is also focused on localraces, from school boards on up. “Everyelected position in this state has some-thing to do with whether or not we canget good jobs, so we have to be involvedat every level,” Halsey says.

He says he understands why somany members get turned off by elections,with all the negative ads and false prom-ises, but attacks on the middle class byanti-worker politicians means the IBEWhas no choice but to take a stand and sup-port worker-friendly candidates.

“We’re reaching out beyond justunion households,” says Bird, who livesin rural northern Nevada. “We’re seeingbig-time special interest money comingin here, but we think grassroots activismcan turn the tide.” �

Nevada IBEW Mobilizes to Defend Good Jobs, Retirement Security for All

A s Republicans gathered inTampa, Fla., for the GOP nationalconvention in August, IBEW

members gathered on the streets out-side the Tampa Bay Times Forum to talkto delegates and others about theSecond Bill of Rights and the importance

of a strong middle class.The pro-worker rally was a kickoff

for the fall election season, which hasseen unprecedented activism on thepart of union members throughout thestate—and for good reason. TheSunshine State is a major battlegroundin the November election, as both MittRomney and President Obama seeFlorida as a vital win in their path to thepresidency.

And the IBEW is playing a key partin keeping Florida in the hands of pro-worker politicians. Its message for mem-bers and their families, says FifthDistrict International RepresentativeBrian Thompson: you can’t afford aRomney presidency.

“He’s come out against prevailingwage and project labor agreements, andfor a national right-to-work law,” saysThompson, who serves as the state’sgrassroots political coordinator. “All thingsthat lower living standards for workers.”

To prove his point, Thompson hasbeen showing clips of the formerMassachusetts governor’s speech beforethe anti-union Associated Builders andContractors last April, in which Romneyinveighed against “union bosses,” at IBEWmeetings throughout the state.

“We’re using his own words,” says

Thompson. “It shows it isn’t just cam-paign rhetoric on our part.”

Florida was scene to massive ral-lies last year in response to Gov. RickScott’s efforts to eliminate project laboragreements and collective bargainingrights for teachers, firefighters andhealth-care workers.

Verizon employee and TampaLocal 824 member Jason Smith saysScott’s attacks on working peoplecaused many IBEW members who votedfor the governor in 2010 to develop acase of buyers’ remorse.

“I run into members all the timewho admit to me they really regret votingfor him,” Smith says. “Too many mem-bers didn’t do their homework, a mis-take we don’t want to see repeated.”

The IBEW is also supporting the re-election of Sen. Bill Nelson and pro-worker congressional candidatesthroughout the state.

“These folks have been there onimportant issues that affect our mem-bers and middle class families,” saysThompson.

“We got phone banks up and run-ning, we’re knocking on doors and talk-ing about the election at every meeting,”says Thompson. �

“I’m involved in the 2012 elections because I don’twant to lose the rights that we have—like women’srights, the right to choose and our right tonegotiate. As union members, we won’t agree oneverything. But if we don’t come together tosupport candidates who will stand up for coreissues—our human rights—like earning a decentlivelihood and securing decent medical care, we

will hurt ourselves. What good isfighting for gun rights if you don’thave a job and can’t afford a gun?”

Medina JohnsonDurham, N.C., Local 289

Florida IBEW Working Families Unite Against Romney-Ryan Ticket

IBEW retirees are warning residents about how budget cuts advocated by Paul Ryan would affect their peers.

In 2010, Massachusetts Sen. ScottBrown (R) shocked the politicalworld by winning the low-turnout

special election to replace the late Sen.Edward Kennedy, a major upset in thisreliability Democratic state.

Most disturbing for many unionactivists is that Bay State union voters,who overwhelmingly went for PresidentObama in 2008, favored Brown by asmall margin.

“It was a huge wake-up call for us,”says Boston Local 2222 member PaulFeeney, a Verizon technician who alsoserves as the local’s legislative director.“Somewhere along the line we forgot totalk to our members about the issues,and engage them in their communities.”

But Feeney says the labor move-ment learned its lesson, and is gearingup to oust Brown and elect long-timeWall Street critic and consumer advocateElizabeth Warren to the U.S. Senate.

“She’s a proven fighter for the mid-dle class,” he says. “And a fighter for

keeping good jobs in the Commonwealthof Massachusetts.” She also supportsVerizon workers, calling on the companyto sign a fair contract with its employees.

The company and its union havemaintained an uneasy peace since astrike over a year ago. Talks to renew thecontract that expired last year have notyet yielded an agreement.

Creator of the Consumer FinancialProtection Bureau, a new federal-level reg-ulatory agency which protects consumersfrom the predatory behavior of big banks,Warren faced opposition from SenateRepublicans who blocked her nominationto head it because of their opposition toany new regulations on Wall Street.

“She understands how importantit is to get people back to work and howunions can play a role in getting theeconomy moving,” says Worcester Local96 President Bob Fields.

Feeney says the IBEW is workingwith the state AFL-CIO to reach out toother members in workplaces and intheir communities.

“We can’t say, ‘This is who the union

endorsed, go vote for them’,” he says.“They need to know the issues and whythe IBEW made the endorsement it did,because we need our people talking totheir friends and families about Warren—at Little League games, neighborhood pic-nics, anything going on in the community.”

Brown portrays himself as aneveryman and a friend of working fami-lies, touring the state once again in hisnow famous pick-up truck, but his votingrecord tells a different story.

He voted against working families29 times according the MassachusettsAFL-CIO and has a history of cozy rela-tions with big-money lobbyists, fightingto water down regulations on Wall Streetspeculators and voting against theDavis-Bacon Act and paycheck fairnesslegislation meant to guarantee equalpay for equal work.

Brown also joined with otherRepublicans in killing pro-jobs legisla-tion, including the American Jobs Act,which would have created more than10,000 construction jobs.

“He talks middle class in front of thecameras, but when the rubber hits theroad, he’s on the other side,” says Feeney.

“Who cares about a pick-up truck?”says Fields. “Warren gets that Massachu-setts needs a senator who will put themiddle class and jobs first, not corporatespecial interests or GOP extremists.” �

Massachusetts IBEW Takes on Wall Street’s Favorite Senator

VOTEYOUR FUTURE

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T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 2 7

Here are SIX SIMPLE STEPS you can take on Election Day, Nov. 6, to protect yourvoting rights.

� Make sure you know the location of your polling place and your correctprecinct.Many have changed, and a vote at the wrong place may not be counted.

� Bring identification to the polls, preferably a government-issued photo IDwith your registered address.Check your state’s Web site now to ensure you havethe proper ID. Several states (Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Tennessee)have passed strict photo ID laws and require a government-issued photo ID.

� Ask for help from poll workers and check posted signs if you have questionsor need assistance.

� Make sure you cast a vote. If you are in line when the polls close, you areentitled to vote and should stay in line.

� If you are offered a provisional ballot, ask if you can cast a regular ballot byproviding additional ID or by going to another polling place. If no alternative is availableor practical, cast a provisional ballot and follow up after Election Day. You can call theElection Protection Hotline (1-866-OUR-VOTE) before you leave the polling place.

� If you have a voting rights problem, talk to the chief election official or avoting rights volunteer at the polls, or call the toll-free nationwide Election ProtectionHotline, 1-866-OUR-VOTE, a project of a coalition of groups including the AFL-CIO,promoting voting rights.

Source: Election Protection coalition: www.866ourvote.org/about

Six Steps to Protect Your VoteMake sure your vote counts!

Pa. Activists Tell WorkingFamilies: ‘The Choice is Clear’

On Aug. 11 nearly 40,000 people gathered in Philadelphia to stand up for theembattled middle class and America’s Second Bill of Rights, which would entitleevery American to decent work, education, medical care and retirement security.

Speaking before the crowd, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey said:“I’m here to renew my commitment as a U.S. senator to not only the Second Bill

of Rights, but to renew my commitment to your future … the working men and womenof Pennsylvania. This country will only be as strong as you are strong.”

Energized by Aug. 11, IBEW members are now taking the fight to every precinctin the state, making phone calls and knocking on doors to help re-elect Casey, whohas one of the strongest pro-worker voting records in Congress.

Activists are also gearing up to re-elect President Obama in one of the biggestbattleground states in the country.

“Mitt Romney had made clear he is coming after our rights and benefits if he iselected,” says Third District International Representative Mike Welsh. “For workingPennsylvanians, there is a clear distinction between the two candidates—on retire-ment security, workers’ rights and on jobs.”

And while there are still some Republican officials in the state who stand withworking families on key legislative issues, including prevailing wage and project laboragreements, Romney and GOP Senate candidate Tom Smith are on record as oppos-ing everything from boosting the minimum wage to federal PLAs.

Welsh is heading up the union’s grassroots political program, which is register-ing voters and getting information to members from Pittsburgh to York. “It’s aboutgoing one-on-one with the members because they are our greatest resource,” he says.

Union members are also working to elect pro-worker representatives to theHouse of Representatives and the state legislature. One of them is Rep. Mark Critz,who represents the former steel center of Johnstown in the western part of the state.Union members mobilized behind Critz in the Democratic primary earlier this yearbecause of his strong stance on trade and workers’ rights and are now working to re-elect him in November. He is facing Keith Rothfus, who is backed by big money anti-worker special interest groups. �

Local members in Massachusetts rally for Elizabeth Warren, Democraticcandidate for U.S. Senate, who established the Consumer FinancialProtection Bureau.

At the 38th IBEW InternationalConvention in Vancouver,British Columbia, last year,delegates overwhelmingly

passed a resolution stating that organiz-ing “continues to be among the highestpriorities of the IBEW.”

For IBEW members in the UnitedStates facing lingering high unemploy-ment, well-funded anti-worker politicians,corporate special interests and aggres-sive anti-union employers, organizingisn’t an option anymore—it’s a necessity.

For members in Canada, a strongereconomy and friendlier labour laws meanthe IBEW faces a less dire landscape, butincreasingly anti-union provincial govern-ments and the emergence of a new genera-tion of workers with little union experiencemakes the challenge of growing theBrotherhood there no less a priority.

“The First District isn’t taking any-thing for granted,” says International VicePresident Phil Flemming. “We are takingan aggressive and proactive approach tobuilding the IBEW to continue to makesure it remains the right choice for thenext generation of electrical workers.”

And in the six years since the 37thconvention voted for a per capita increaseto fund organizing, the First District hasbeen swimming against the tide of declin-ing union ranks, growing by nearly 750new members in the last year alone.

The Electrical Worker recently satdown with First District InternationalRepresentative William Martindale, whoalso serves as Region 6 membershipdevelopment coordinator, First DistrictOrganizing Coordinator Mike LeBlanc,Political Action/Media Strategist MattWayland and Lead Organizer Rod McVicarto talk about IBEW organizing in Canada.

Q: What is the state of the First District’smembership development program? Arethere particular areas of focus?

A: Just as in the United States, ourorganizing program is split in two: con-struction and professional and indus-trial. For years construction organizingwas a touchy subject and not every localunderstood its importance. Not any-more. It is widely accepted now that wehave no choice but to grow.

Out West we are focused on some ofthe mega-projects in the oil and gas indus-try—which is booming because of drillingin the oil sands—where we face increasedcompetition from nonunion contractors.

The professional and industrialgroup have campaigns involving ourRailroad System Council 11, techniciansin wind, solar and co-generation plantsas well as communications and alarm

workers. We have nationwide campaignswith Sears and CP Rail and are in theearly stages of a blueprint that will focuson call centres.

Q: What new approaches are beingused to attract unorganized workers?

A:We’re pushing to make social mediaan integral part of membership develop-ment. We’re also trying to use technologyin other ways, the best example being inNew Brunswick where Fredericton Local37 handed out flash drives containingpro-IBEW material to white-collar workersat NB Power. Our organizers are alsousing YouTube and special campaignWeb sites to spread the word.

We’re getting more into trying toshare our efforts with the community andthe public at large, proactively buildingrelations with the media like putting outpress releases about campaigns.

Our NextGen effort to reachyounger workers is also a key compo-nent to organizing, as many nonunionworkers in Canada are under 35. ANextGen committee in a local can act asa volunteer organizing committee, help-ing staff identify targets and provide vol-unteers for campaigns.

Q: Talking about politics, howimportant is political action tomembership development efforts?

A: Provinces with labour-friendly govern-ments are much fairer when it comes toprotecting employees’ rights on the job.Organizers should be aware of the politi-cal situation in their provinces and getinvolved in political action because anti-worker governments such as in BritishColumbia or Saskatchewan directly harmour efforts to grow.

Q: What is the IBEW doing to improvelabour’s image?

A: We’ve adopted the Code ofExcellence, which is winning overemployers and employees to the IBEWbecause of our public commitment to

perform a hard day’s work in a safeand professional manner. We’re alsotalking about starting an advertisingcampaign that will brand us as protec-tors of the middle class and leaders inthe community.

Today’s labour market is changingat alarming rates and organizingremains a top priority in the First Districtso we are taking every possible step toensure we are reaching the unrepre-sented and future workers of our indus-try. We are dedicated to remaining thestrongest force in the electrical industryand continue to focus on our goal, to bethe first choice of workers in Canada. �

8 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 2

North of 49° | Au nord du 49° parallèle

IBEW Organizing North of 49°

Syndicalisation au Nord du 49° parallèle

Lors du 38e Congrès interna-tional de la FIOE qui a eu lieul’année dernière à Vancouver,en Colombie-Britannique, les

délégués ont adopté, avec une majoritéécrasante, une résolution à l’effet que lasyndicalisation « doit continuer de fig-urer parmi les plus grandes priorités dela FIOE ».

Pour les membres de la FIOE auxÉtats-Unis qui sont confrontés à la per-sistance d’un haut niveau de chômage,à des politiciens anti-syndicalistes bienfinancés, aux intérêts particuliers desentreprises et à l’attitude agressive desemployeurs anti-syndicalistes, la syndi-calisation n’est plus seulement uneoption, mais bien une nécessité.

Avec des lois sur le travail plusfavorables et une économie plus solide,la perspective est moins sombre pourles membres de la FIOE au Canada;toutefois, le nombre grandissant de gou-vernements provinciaux anti-syndical-istes et l’émergence d’une nouvellegénération de travailleurs ayant peud’expérience syndicale, rend tout aussiprioritaire le défi d’accroître les effectifsde notre Fraternité.

« Nous ne prenons rien pouracquis! Nous avons adopté uneapproche très proactive et dynamiquepour renforcer la FIOE dans tout lePremier District, afin de veiller à ce quenotre Fraternité demeure le bon choixpour la prochaine génération de tra-vailleurs en électricité » affirme PhilFlemming, Vice-président international.

Au cours des six années qui ontsuivi l’adoption d’une résolution lors du37e Congrès, visant à augmenter la capi-

tation afin de financer les activités de syn-dicalisation, le Premier District est allé àcontre courant de la tendance à la baissedes effectifs, en réussissant à syndiquerprès de 750 nouveaux membres au coursde la dernière année seulement.

Suite à une demande récente dujournal l’« Electrical Worker », plusieursconfrères du Premier District, notammentWilliam Martindale, représentant inter-national et coordonnateur de la syndical-isation pour la région 6, Mike Leblanc,coordonnateur de la syndicalisation,Matt Wayland, représentant—Action poli-tique/Stratégie médiatique ainsi queRod McVicar, responsable de la syndical-isation, sont venus parler des activitésde syndicalisation de la FIOE au Canada.

Q. : Où en est le programme visantl’accroissement des effectifs? Existe-t-ildes domaines d’intérêt particuliers?

R. :Comme aux États-Unis, notre pro-gramme de syndicalisation se divise endeux parties : le domaine de la construc-tion et le domaine professionnel etindustriel. La syndicalisation dans lesecteur de la construction a été un sujetdélicat pendant longtemps et peu desections locales en comprenaient l’im-portance. Mais plus maintenant!Beaucoup de gens admettent que nousn’avons maintenant d’autre choix qued’accroître nos effectifs.

Dans l’Ouest, nous nous concen-trons sur des projets d’envergure de l’in-dustrie gazière et pétrolière, en pleinessor avec le forage dans les sables bitu-mineux, où nous faisons face à une con-currence accrue des entrepreneurs

anti-syndicalistes.Dans les autres régions du pays,

nous examinons de quelle manière lesentrepreneurs non syndiqués, provinci-aux ou nationaux, contribuent le plus àl’érosion de notre part de marché etcomment nous pouvons y mettre fin.

Q. : Avez-vous adopté de nouvellesapproches pour attirer les travailleursnon syndiqués?

R. : Nous nous servons aussi de la tech-nologie d’autres façons et le meilleurexemple est celui de la section locale 37de Frédéricton, au Nouveau-Brunswick,qui a distribué des clés USB contenant dela documentation pro-FIOE, à tous les colsblanc d’Énergie NB. Nos agents de syndi-calisation ont également recours auxmédias sociaux tels que YouTube et à dessites internet spéciaux pour les cam-pagnes afin de transmettre leur message.

Comme plusieurs travailleurscanadiens non syndiqués ont moins de35 ans, notre démarche de l’initiative« NextGen » pour rejoindre ces jeunes,constitue également un élément clé dela syndicalisation. Un comité de jeunesNextGen établi dans une section localepeut agir en tant que comité de syndical-isation bénévole et aider à déterminerles cibles et fournir des volontaires pourles campagnes.

Q. : Quels sont les plus grandsobstacles que la FIOE doit surmonter?

R. :Cela varie d’une province à l’autre,mais il y a deux obstacles majeurs aux-quels nous nous heurtons au pays.

Premièrement, de nombreux Canadiensont une image négative à l’égard dessyndicats : ils croient que nous sommesde gros bonnets intéressés seulement àleur argent ou que nous cherchons tou-jours à faire la grève. Nous devonschanger l’opinion publique à notre égardcar cela nuit à nos efforts de syndicalisa-tion. Le deuxième obstacle se situe auniveau des gouvernements provinciauxde droite qui essaient de rendre la syndi-calisation encore plus difficile et quimenacent de déréglementer les élé-ments clés du secteur de l’énergie, cequi nuit aux travailleurs syndiqués.

Q. : Que fait la FIOE pour redorerl’image du syndicat?

R. :Nous avons adopté le Code d’excel-lence qui réussit à rallier les employeurset les employés à la FIOE, en raison denotre engagement à l’accomplissementd’une longue journée de travail demanière sécuritaire et professionnelle.On parle aussi de lancer une campagnepublicitaire nous désignant comme desdéfenseurs de la classe moyenne et desleaders dans la collectivité.

Le marché du travail d’aujourd’huichange à un rythme effarant et la syndicali-sation demeure une priorité pour lePremier District, alors nous prenons toutesles mesures possibles pour rejoindre lestravailleurs non-syndiqués et les futurs tra-vailleurs de notre industrie. Ce ne sont quequelques exemples de notre engagementà rester la force la plus puissante dans l’in-dustrie électrique et demeurer fixés surnotre objectif être le premier choix des tra-vailleurs au Canada. �

DECEASEDJon Henrich

With great sad-ness, the IBEWannounces thedeath of retiredThird DistrictInternationalRepresentativeJon Henrich on

July 27. He was 73.Brother Henrich, a native of

Lancaster, Pa., served as business man-ager of Bethlehem Local 1600 beforejoining the Third District staff in 1989. Heretired in 2002.

Third District International VicePresident Don Siegel says, “Jon was apassionate trade unionist who alwayscared deeply about his home Local 1600and the IBEW. “

An Air Force veteran who served dur-ing the tense days of the Cuban MissileCrisis and participated in combat mis-sions in Lebanon and Vietnam, Henrich, ajourneyman lineman who retired from PPLin 1995, negotiated contracts with mostmajor utility companies in Pennsylvania,New Jersey, New York and Delaware.

Henrich served as vice president ofthe Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and treasurerof the Capital Area Labor ManagementGroup and on the boards of directors ofthe labor departments of Penn State andIndian Universities. He was a member ofthe Veterans of Foreign Wars, theAmerican Legion and the Elks.

A graduate of Lancaster CatholicHigh School, Brother Henrich receivedcertificates in labor relations fromAntioch College, Cornell University,Millersville University and Penn State.

After retirement, says Siegel,Henrich was IBEW’s representative on theboard of the Pennsylvania Alliance forRetired Americans. While some full-timeunion representatives leave union andpolitical activism behind when they retire,Siegel says, “Jon stayed very engaged inpolitical affairs and advocating for retireesand we spoke often about both.”

During his days on pension, Henrichalso spent time fishing and helping hiswife, Betty, raise llamas on their farm inLeola, Pa.

On behalf of the officers, staff andmembership, the IBEW sends our deep-est condolences to his wife and family. �

RETIREDTerry Luckett

Fourth DistrictInternationalRepresentativeTerry Luckettretired effectiveAug. 1 after morethan 40 years ofservice to the IBEW.

After completing a standard two-year probationary period for new appren-tices looking to join the union, BrotherLuckett was initiated into Louisville, Ky.,Local 369 in 1971. By the time he toppedout in 1973, he had honed his skills byworking for a handful of contractors inand around his hometown of Louisville.

“When I first started out, I was look-ing for a stable career and was told thatthe electrical trade was a good way togo,” Luckett said. An auspicious conver-sation with neighbor Chester Massie—aLocal 369 member—at a church picnic

piqued Luckett’s curiosity. Massie wasthen chairman of the local’s apprentice-ship committee. “He told me I could bemaking as much as $5.25 an hour as ajourneyman,” Luckett said. “That wasgood money in those days.”

The next few years saw Luckettincreasing his activism in the local, serv-ing on the COPE committee, the athleticcommittee and the picnic committee. Heserved as an assistant business agentbeginning in 1977 and was hired as afull-time organizer in 1990. Five yearslater, the membership elected Luckettbusiness manager.

“One of my biggest goals during thattime was to make it possible for our mem-bers to work at home and not have to relytoo much on travel jobs,” a challenge miti-gated by aggressively increasing marketshare in the local’s jurisdiction, he said.“At the time, we had a market recoveryfund that allowed us to hire three full-timeorganizers who could get out into the fieldand organize our territory.” A key strategywas meeting with employees at nonunionshops, who contributed to a groundswellof bottom-up organizing. “We workedhard to stand up for workers who were get-ting abused by their employers.”

IBEW International President J.J.Barry appointed Luckett an InternationalRepresentative in 2000 to service 35 con-struction locals in Maryland, Ohio,Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginiaand his home state of Kentucky. Buildingthe Brotherhood in this diverse area pre-sented unique challenges and opportuni-ties, Luckett said. “States like Ohio, WestVirginia and Maryland are much morelabor-friendly. Then you have a right-to-work state like Virginia and some anti-worker policies in Kentucky where it’stougher to get labor laws enforced.”

Luckett took courses through theUniversity of Kentucky, IndianaUniversity, the National Labor Collegeand other institutions to bolster his skillsas an organizer. He also served on the4th District Strategic PlanningCommittee. Luckett attended the lasteight IBEW International Conventions.The first six he attended were as a dele-gate from his home local, and for the lasttwo he was part of the International staff.

He looks forward to spending timewith his wife, Patty, and his four chil-dren, nine grandchildren and great-granddaughter. Other plans includeimproving his golf swing and travelingwith family members.

On behalf of the entire union mem-bership, the officers and staff wishBrother Luckett a healthy, enjoyable andwell-deserved retirement. �

RETIREDJerry Wilson

First DistrictInternationalRepresentativeJerry R. Wilsonretired July 1.Initiated intoKitchener,Ontario, Local

804 in 1968, Brother Wilson worked onprojects as a journeyman wiremanthroughout the province. In 1972 hebecame the local’s recording secretary.

“No one wanted to run and thebusiness manager knew that I nevermissed a union meeting so he asked if Iwould put my name into contention,”Wilson says.

Appointed assistant businessmanager eight years later, he waselected business manager in 1987.

During his time in office, he intro-duced the open-door policy, whichgranted membership to any qualifiedelectrician, substantially increasingLocal 804’s market share.

Wilson also served as president ofthe local building trades council. Under hisleadership, the building trades convincedToyota to build its first plant in Ontariounion. And the car manufacturer continuesto build its facilities union today.

“We promised a steady supply ofgood, skilled workers and that is whatthey got,” he says.

Appointed InternationalRepresentative in 1999, Wilson servedas executive assistant to InternationalVice President Phil Flemming.

“Our office is responsible for theentire country, so Phil and I werealways busy, traveling from coast tocoast,” he says.

In retirement, Wilson plans tospend more time with his wife, Terry, attheir cottage on Lake Huron and travelingthe world. The couple has four childrenand eight grandchildren. His son Andyfollowed him into the trade, and is also aLocal 804 member. Brother Wilson alsohopes to spend more time on his prizedHarley-Davidson motorcycle.

“Never had much time to ride itwhen I was working, so I’m looking for-ward to hitting the road,” Wilson says.

The officers and brothers of theIBEW wish Brother Wilson great healthand much happiness in his retirement. �

Transitions Spotlight on Safety

Campaign Seeks to Stop Construction FallsStarted in April by the National Institutefor Occupational Safety and Health, the“Stop Construction Falls” campaignstates its mission in the title: stop work-place falls, which account for a third ofconstruction fatalities yearly, with 200deaths reported in 2012 alone.

A partnership between theNational Institute for OccupationalSafety and Health and the NationalOccupational Research Agenda, anorganization that works to find relevantsafety topics to research in the construc-tion industry, the effort provides inform-ative material for employers, explainingthe proper gear and attitude needed toprevent on-site falls. More than 30organizations, including OSHA, Harvardand the IBEW, joined to spread the mes-sage about preventing construction falls.

“It’s all about reaching out and giv-ing the information that we know,” saidCenter for Construction Research andTraining Executive Director Pete Staffordin a radio interview. “We know what todo, we just have to get the word out tothe industry.”

The goal of this national campaignis to prevent fatal falls from roofs, lad-ders and scaffolds by encouraging resi-dential construction contractors to:• PLAN ahead to get the job done safely.• PROVIDE the right equipment.• TRAIN everyone to use the equipmentsafely.Along with serving as a hub for

already existing safety information, thesite also hosts a number of originalmaterials produced by the campaign.Fliers for safety practices when workingon roofs, ladders and scaffolds are avail-able from the campaign Web site, inEnglish and Spanish. Also on the site isan informative video titled “Don’t Fall forIt,” which features stories from construc-tion workers whose lives were perma-nently affected by their injuries.

Since the campaign’s launch, theCenter for Construction Research andTraining has sent more than 5,000videos to employers.

In the past year and a half, 36 fallsoccurred involving IBEW members, threeof which were fatal, said IBEW SafetyDepartment Director Jim Tomaseski.

“So many of our workers are in theseconditions every day,” said Tomaseski, “Ifyou’re not paying attention to the rules,following safety procedures, it’s not amatter of if a fall happens, it’s when.”

The National Institute for Occupa-tional Safety and Health plans to updatethe site frequently. The “Stop ConstructionFalls” campaign is available to view atwww.StopConstructionFalls.com. �

Circuits

Huntington Shipyard Graduates Apprentices

Huntington-Ingalls Industries, the shipyard that received a $2 billion contractfor a new amphibious assault ship, recently graduated 295 students from itsfour-year apprenticeship school for metals trade workers. A number of thegraduates are members of Pascagoula, Miss., Local 733.

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“We promised a steadysupply of good, skilledworkers and that iswhat they got.”

Local Lines

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Work Picture SteadyL.U. 8 (as,em,i,mar,mt,rts,s&spa), TOLEDO, OH—Hello, brothers and sisters. I hope everyone is enjoy-ing the fall season.

Work has remained steady with the bookhovering around 100 members. A few calls havealso made it to Book 2. We have a few bigger proj-ects going on including the reformer project at BP,the new addition at the Jeep plant, and work atMonroe Powerhouse.

Congratulations to our JATC apprentice gradu-ating class of 2012. We are proud of these new jour-neyman inside wiremen. Now it’s time to put allthat knowledge to work and show everyone thatIBEW members are the highest skilled electricians.Take pride in your work.

The political season is upon us. Please keepin mind which politicians have our best interest atheart; your livelihood could very well depend on it.

Remember to work safe.

Bryan Emerick, P.S.

Elect Pro-Worker CandidatesL.U. 16 (i), EVANSVILLE, IN—The IBEW congratulatesthe class of 2012 JATC apprentice graduates. Thesenew inside journeyman wiremen are: Joshua D.Adler, Joshua W. Adler, Jason R. Armes, John A.Bland, Roxie L. Brodie, Aaron M. Claybrooks,Anthony A. Etolen, Ryan J. Farthing, Brock T.Franzman, Chad S. Graman, Sean E. Jones, JoshuaA. Kiefer, Joseph R. Kraemer, James S. Mersinger,Jacob M. Mills, Jason D. Moll, Matthew B. Mullen,Ryan J. Schnarre, Cody B. Schnautz, Eric C. Schulz,Jason E. Stoermer, Jesse J. Teeter, Joseph M. Vallar,Mark E. Weiss, Samuel E. Wilder and Wytoshie C.Winchell. This year’s academic award winner isJoshua A. Kiefer, and the John D. Brenner MemorialAward went to Matthew B. Mullen.

Indiana will soon have the opportunity toeither elect pro-labor candidates, or continue see-ing its standard of living destroyed. This year’sopposition actively promotes national so-called“right to work” for less and tax breaks for thewealthiest, while adamantly rejecting the benefitsof the Affordable Care Act. It is imperative thateveryone stand together by supporting PresidentBarak Obama; U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly, who is run-ning for re-election; candidate for U.S. CongressDavid Crooks, former member of the Indiana Houseof Representatives; candidate for governor JohnGregg, former member of the Indiana House ofRepresentatives; and like-minded people—in theirquest to take America back from the privileged few.

Donald P. Beavin, P.S.

Picnic at Motorplex RacewayL.U. 22 (i,rts&spa), OMAHA, NE—The Local 22Annual Picnic was held June 30 at the Mid AmericaMotorplex Raceway near Glenwood, Iowa. Even withtemperatures in the upper 90s, there was a turnoutof 250 to 300 people throughout the day. There wasplenty of car racing to watch, and members couldrace their street cars against each other on the dragstrip. The highlight was the kids games. The kid’ssmiles and laughs reminded us why we do this. Thefood was also excellent. Attendees enjoyed adoughnut machine, snow cones and varioussnacks—and a delicious dinner of featherbones(riblets) and potato salad was served, which madefor a very complete day.

On the work picture, one of our signatory con-tractors announced they have the new Google DataCenter job in our area. This will be a fast-track proj-ect but will employ more than 250 members at peak.

In Local 22 Area B, another signatory contrac-tor picked up the $2.3 million electrical installationat the Grand Island National Guard ReadinessCenter. The Area B Code of Excellence Committee inColumbus, NE, has designated this as a Code ofExcellence project. There are other projects on thehorizon that we are watching. Work is still slow over-all but seems to be picking up.

Chris Bayer, P.S.

JATC Apprentice GraduatesL.U. 24 (es,i&spa), BALTIMORE, MD—The Baltimoreand Eastern Shore JATC Committees held their grad-uation completion ceremonies on Friday, July 13.Forty-three Baltimore apprentices and eight Eastern

Shore apprentices were recognized for their comple-tion of the five-year Inside Program. JATC Chmn. and50-year IBEW member Joe Boddiford and Local 24Bus. Mgr. Roger Lash were joined by new journey-men Tim Andersen and Chris Barry congratulatingthe graduates. Adam Scott received awards forhighest total grades, and Charles Cossentino Jr.received awards for perfect attendance.

Congratulations also go to Bros. Mike Maksimand Dave Springham, both of whom graduated NTIin Anne Arbor in July.

Roger M. Lash Jr., B.M.

Union Activities & SolidarityL.U. 26 (ees,em,es,govt,i&mt), WASHINGTON, DC—We held our two summer picnics and enjoyed greatfood, music and family fun in Manassas, VA, onJune 16, and in Edgewater, MD, on Aug. 4.

The annual AFL–CIO Capital Area SportingClays Shoot was June 1. Local 26 was proud to be amajor sponsor. The Local 26 team placed second inthe A division and first in the B division.

In April, the Local 26 Motorcycle Riders’ Clubheld its Poker Run Ride. The club plans to hold thisevent annually. Over 130 riders participated to benefitthe charity Special Love for Children with Cancer. Theclub presented a check for over $8,000 to the charity.The next poker run ride will be in spring 2013. Bothwork and play unit our local as a tighter-knit “family.”Hope you could participate in one of these activities.

Reminder: Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6. It isextremely important that we help re-elect ourfriends in national, state and local races.

We mourn the recent passing of several mem-bers: James B. Scheff, Norman A. Arnott, Migel A.Parchment, Raymond W. Jones Jr., Richard N.Rosario, Ronald C. Pelkey and Joseph J. Licausi.

Best wishes to recent retirees: Charles W.

Altman, Richard W. Bartlett, Mark A. Bridegum,James R. Coulter, Michael T. Lundregan, ChristopherP. Swann, Lennox P. Dempster, Bruce H. Besmen,Terry Brown, Walter I. Carroll, Cleotis Doyle, James M.Fox, Michael E. Hughes and Frank E. Laddbush Jr.

Charles E. Graham, B.M.

Good Work OutlookL.U. 38 (i), CLEVELAND, OH—Projects like FairviewHospital keep generating a good work outlook forour jurisdiction (see accompanying photo, pg. 11).The new emergency room is a $5.5 million electricalproject that will employ additional Local 38 mem-bers as it progresses.

Currently, the new Cleveland ConventionCenter/Medical Mart job and the new Eaton WorldHeadquarters each have over 100 members workingon site with many man-hours to go on both projects.

ESI Electric was awarded the ThistledownRacetrack job, and US Communications & Electricwill do all the data work on the project. Caesar’sCasino is the new owner. The project includesadding slot machines and a total building renovation.

Contracts will be awarded soon for all build-out work inside the new 18-story Ernst & Youngoffice tower.

If you haven’t received an e-mail from merecently, that means we don’t have your current e- mailaddress. E-mail is a good way for us to send youinformation about job opportunities, political news,etc. We also send e-mail blasts for free give awayitems. To get on the e-mail blast list, contact Eileenat the hall or e-mail her at eponting@ibew38.org.

It is extremely important that you are regis-tered to vote for the Nov. 6 election and that yousupport labor friendly candidates. Mitt Romney isanti-labor. He vowed to end PLAs, repeal DavisBacon laws and support a national “right to work”

Local 24 JATC graduates are joined by JATC Dir. Dave Norfolk (second from right), Coordinator NeilWilford (far right) and Bus. Mgr. Roger Lash (far left).

Trade Classifications(as) Alarm & Signal (ei) Electrical Inspection (lctt) Line Clearance Tree Trimming (mps) Motion Picture Studios (rr) Railroad (spa) Sound & Public Address

(ars) Atomic Research Service (em) Electrical Manufacturing (lpt) Lightning ProtectionTechnicians

(nst) Nuclear Service Technicians (rtb) Radio-Television Broadcasting (st) Sound Technicians

(bo) Bridge Operators (es) Electric Signs (o) Outside (rtm) Radio-TelevisionManufacturing

(t) Telephone

(cs) Cable Splicers (et) Electronic Technicians (mt) Maintenance (p) Powerhouse (u) Utility

(catv) Cable Television (fm) Fixture Manufacturing (mo) Maintenance & Operation (pet) Professional, Engineers &Technicians

(rts) Radio-Television Service (uow) Utility Office Workers

(c Communications (govt) Governmentmow) Manufacturing Office Workers

(so) Service Occupations (ws) Warehouse and Supply

(cr) Cranemen (i) Inside (ptc) Professional, Technical &Clerical

(s) Shopmen

(ees) Electrical Equipment Service (it) Instrument Technicians (mar) Marine (se) Sign Erector

Efforts are made to make this list as inclusive as possible, but the various job categories of IBEW members are too numerous to comprehensively list all.

In the September issue of The ElectricalWorker, there were editing errors in the cap-tion for the photo accompanying Raleigh,N.C., Local 553’s Local Lines article. BusinessManager Ronald L. Cockman’s name wasmistakenly omitted from the caption, andInternational Representative Benny J.Hunnicutt’s name was listed incorrectly as“Denny.” We regret the error. �

Correction:

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(for less). I’ve shown the video at union meetings ofhim saying this to ABC contractors. For more infor-mation, visit Web site www.ibew38.org.

Dennis Meaney, B.M./F.S.

Great Union TurnoutL.U. 42 (catv,em,govt,lctt&o), HARTFORD, CT—Local 42held its Chartered Fishing Trip, which was a suc-cess. We also held our Annual Family Picnic. We had789 people attend this year. This was the largestturnout ever in Local 42’s history of events.

In July, we had lots of storm work in Ohio,Detroit, Maryland and West Virginia. Thanks to all ofour Local 42 brothers and sisters for safely restoringthe power.

Local 42 was invited to Local 104’s AnnualLineman’s Rodeo held July 28 in New Hampshire.Our team was made up of three lineman apprentices:David Williams, Michael Chemerka and Shane Ezyk.They all did very well in the rodeo events. We thankthem for all the hard work and lots of practicing theydid for this rodeo. We also thank Local 104 for invitingus and giving us a fun-filled day and great food.

Jacquelyn Moffitt, P.S.

New Contract RatifiedL.U. 46 (as,c,cs,em,es,et,i,mar,mo,mt,rtb,rts&st)SEATTLE, WA—The Local 46 membership ratified anew Inside Construction contract. The new contractis a positive gain considering the economic climate,giving no significant concessions and gaining valu-able language.

The economic package for this contract guar-antees a $1.15 increase through 2012. Starting in2013, the journeyman wireman wage and benefit

package increases each year according to a chartreflecting total Inside Wiremen hours in the Local 46jurisdiction from the previous 12 month period.

According to the chart, the increase rises alongwith work hours. If total hours worked are less than3.5 million, the increase equals $0.50. Between 3.5million and 4 million hours, the increase equals$1.00. Between 4 million to 4.5 million hours equals$2.00. If work hours total between 4.5 million and 5million, the increase equals $2.25. A $3.00 increaseis given for 5 million to 5.5 million hours, and a$3.25 increase is given for 5.5 million to 6 millionhours. If total hours worked are between 6 millionand 6.5 million, the increase equals $3.50. Shouldwork hours exceed 6.5 million, an increase of $3.75is triggered. Our average over the last 12 years is4.36 million hours.

There will be an additional increase of $0.45on Sept. 2, 2013.

Angela Marshall, Rep.

IBEW48.COM/VOTEL.U. 48 (c,em,i,rtb,rts&st), PORTLAND, OR—Brothersand sisters, our new Web page for IBEW Local 48

voter/volunteer information went live in earlyAugust. The purpose of this site is to provideLocal 48 members with relevant informa-tion—on campaign issues, ballot measuresand political candidates—to make informeddecisions that protect our middle-class,union way of life as we approach the Nov. 6,2012 general election. We have videos fromBus. Mgr. Clif Davis, active members, andpoliticians who have proven themselves astrue friends of the IBEW. Information postedincludes relevant articles and a volunteerschedule.

Your local mailed a letter and voterregistration form if you were shown as notbeing registered or if you have moved andnot updated your registration. IBEW Local48 views voting as part of our civic duty

and we are trying to reach our goal of 100 percentvoter registration. We believe Your Vote Does Count.

This informational Web page is a freshattempt to engage you in the election process, andgive you an opportunity to ask questions, give feed-back and make suggestions. For more informationvisit Web site www.IBEW48.com. If you have anyquestions, please contact Joe Esmonde by e-mail atjoe@IBEW48.com.

Robert Blair, P.S.

Labor 2012 Kickoff—‘Turn Out to Volunteer’L.U. 68 (i), DENVER, CO—Labor 2012 kicked off instyle on Saturday, Aug. 25. Several good friends oflabor spoke to start it off, including Colorado stateReps. Angela Williams and Mark Farandino.

Local 68 members in the crowd included ChrisBoardman, Cliff Sterling, Jeremy Ross, Kurt Lieder, TomRutherford, Zack Esquibel, Joel Holden, Jim Perizzoloand Ed Knox. Also representing both Local 68 and herown union was Cris Kirschenman, an office adminis-trative professional with Local 68 and president ofOPEIU Local 5. [See photo, above.]

Please turn out for volunteer efforts—espe-cially now. The Nov. 6 election is just around thecorner. Phone banking and canvassing will becomeever more important in communication!

Also, please watch your mailbox for endorsedcandidates and issues. We always realize andrespect that how you vote is your personal decision;but we’ll nevertheless provide you with guidanceregarding workers’ rights and organized labor.

We extend our deepest sympathy to familiesof our recently deceased brothers: James O.Jeltema, Robert D. Choury, James D. Jeanelle, HaroldS. Pranger, Robert E. Shelton, James E. Thompson,Hilmer “Gus” E. Swanstrom, James E. Massaro andJacob M. McPhie.

Ed Knox, Pres.

Apprentice Graduation BanquetL.U. 96 (i), WORCESTER, MA—At the annual appren-ticeship banquet in May, graduating apprentices werehonored. The presenter was Edwin “Ted” Coughlin,who ran Coughlin Constructions Services, a businessthat’s served the Worcester area for over 125 years.Ted addressed the group with a focus on continuingtheir education and solar technology advancements.

This year’s graduates are: Justin Beauregard,Adam Chaffee, Timothy Cote, Nathan Daniel, CoreyGustafson, Robert Mosher, Justin Nordquist,Benjamin Olen, Ekaterina Pashkevitch, AndrewTurcotte and Brian Valk. Congratulations!

The Local 96 election of officers was held inJune. Thank you to all past officers and Board mem-bers for your service. Also, thank you to the ElectionJudge Harry Hart and the tellers for your assistance.Congratulations to all elected officers and boardmembers: Bus. Mgr. Leo Miller Jr., Pres. RobertFields, Vice Pres. John Horgan, Rec. Sec. TimothyWest, Treas. Luke Carpenter; Executive Board mem-bers George Carpenter, Thomas Maloney, DavidMartinelli, Joseph Messier; and Examining Boardmembers Sean Courtney, Kevin Fitman, KevinLarocque and Zephirin Mondor.

This is a big election year and we need toshow our support for the candidates who backworking people and union causes. To learn moreabout the candidates the local endorses, or to vol-unteer as a supporter, contact the hall or visit usonline at www.ibewlocal96.org.

Luke E. Carpenter, Treas./P.S.

A crew of Local 38 wiremen from Lake Erie Electric working at Fairview Hospital. From left: ForemanMike Holztrager, Dave Audie, Steward Vince Conforto, Joel Rohfeld, Jim Toothman, Daryl Sinclair,Robin Roub, Mike Park and Dan Michaels.

Local 42’s team participated in the Annual Local 104Rodeo in New Hampshire. From left are: Bus. Mgr. MiltonR. Moffitt Jr. and lineman apprentices David Williams,Mike Chemerka and Shane Ezyk.

Local 96 apprentice graduates joined by instructors Tim West (far left) and Lenny Ciuffredo (far right).

Attending Local 68 Labor 2012 kickoff event are, front row, Chris Boardman (left), Zack Esquibel, JimPerizzolo, Cris Kirschenman, Kurt Lieder; back row, Tom Rutherford, Ed Knox and Cliff Sterling.

Local Lines

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Contract NegotiationsL.U. 108 (ees,em,es,lctt,mar,mt,rtb,rts,s,spa,t&u),TAMPA, FL—Greetings from IBEW Local 108 in Tampa!We have been quite busy lately and don’t anticipatea break anytime in the foreseeable future. Pres.Chris Parsels and Unit 6 Rec. Sec. Bill Cate attendedthe Florida AFL-CIO Convention in Hollywood, FL.Convention activities included political phone bank-ing to contact our fellow union brothers and sisters,meeting candidates, and voting for the candidateswe would endorse for upcoming elections.

In July, Pres. Chris Parsels attended the IBEWFifth District Progress Meeting in Orlando, FL, andgot updates on the Duke Energy and ProgressEnergy merger, as well as the ITC and Entergy dealfor the transmission grid spanning from the GreatLakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

At this writing we were scheduled to startnegotiations with Tampa Electric Company, WEDU,and Seminole Electric in the next few months.Members should be sure to attend their unit meet-ings so they can stay informed.

We thank and congratulate the following Local108 members who retired recently: Don Delancey, a47-year IBEW member and former Sensor Systemsemployee; and former TECO employees Lee Service(42 years of IBEW service), Terry Sweat (40 years ofIBEW service) Charles Mobley (38 years of service),Carl Montalbano (36 years), Sam Vasquez (30 years),Cecil Nedd (26 years) Steve Wade (26 years) andMario Herce (17 years).

Bill Cate, P.S.

100thAnniversary CelebrationL.U. 110 (em,i,rts,spa&u), ST. PAUL, MN—Thank youto Bro. Joe Lubitz, chairman of the 100 YearAnniversary Committee, for providing the Local 110article below. It was through his dedication that theanniversary event went so well.

“On July 28, IBEW Local 110 celebrated our100 year anniversary in St. Paul. The weather wasexcellent and we had over 3,000 attend this familypicnic. The 34th Infantry Division Red Bulls HonorGuard presented the flags, followed by a moment ofsilence. U.S. Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobucharalong with U.S. Reps. Betty McCollum and KeithEllison addressed the crowd. The tent we had forshade was the largest assembled in St. Paul (100' x260'), just shy of a football field. We had a total ofsix Mississippi Riverboat cruises with about 300people per cruise. All of our raffle prizes were madein the USA or hand made by our members.Mancini’s restaurant served 2,000 steak dinners,500 chicken dinners and 500 macaroni and cheesekid’s meals. Schell’s Brewery, the only union brew-ery in Minnesota, supplied Schell’s beer, Grain BeltPremium beer and Nordeast beer. Thank you, broth-ers and sisters, for a family celebration that we willremember. Thank you to my committee, the office

staff, officers of our local union, volunteers whohelped that day, with a special thank you to mywife, Julie. It would not have happened withoutyou all!” – Joe Lubitz

Brian Winkelaar, P.S.

2012 Graduation CeremonyL.U. 112 (c,i&st), KENNEWICK, WA—On July 13, Local112 celebrated 26 apprentices completing our JATCprogram and becoming journeyman inside wire-men. Local 112 was fortunate to have two very spe-cial speakers at our 2012 graduation ceremony.

First, Ninth District Int. Vice Pres. Michael S.Mowrey addressed the graduates. After congratulat-ing them, Vice Pres. Mowrey spoke about the impor-tance of honoring the oath they all took at initiation.

NJATC Exec. Dir. Mike Callanan then addressedthe grads and challenged them to do three things:1) Continue your education; take classes to improveyour skills. 2) Teach your apprentice; remember yourbest journeyman and try to follow his/her example.3) Go to the job with the right attitude, displayingthe right behavior every day.

Local 112 thanks both Vice Pres. Mowrey andDir. Callanan for taking time out of their busy sched-ules to attend our 2012 graduation ceremony.

As always, Local 112 is very proud of our grad-uating apprentices. This year, seven of the 26 gradsachieved craft certification. Valeriy Gis completedthe five years with a 93.6 percent grade point aver-age; Rod Worthington had a 96 percent GPA; andKris Tuura had a class high of 97.4 percent GPA.

Local 112 is blessed with two outstandinginstructors, Greg Greiner and Greg McMurphy.Training Dir. Dennis Williamson and Office ManagerSasha Mshar also do an outstanding job at ourTraining Center.

Joe Legard, Organizer

Nov. 6 Election Day ChoiceL.U. 124 (ees,em,i,mar,rts,se&spa), KANSAS CITY,MO—The Kansas City work picture is finally lookingbetter, but there’s not much work yet for book two.We are in the process of using the construction elec-trician/construction wireman classifications.

Our nation has an election coming up and thechoice for labor has never been easier. Mitt Romneytold the Associated Builders and Contractors that ifelected he would end project labor agreements hisfirst day in office. He also promised to end DavisBacon prevailing wage laws and implement “rightto work” (for less) at the federal level. Romney alsohas a record of outsourcing American jobs to low-wage foreign workers; one example is the massivesteel mill in Kansas City that his company divestedand offshored. Romney’s stances make the choiceeasy for working families because his economicplan creates more jobs in China than in the U.S.

We remember recently deceased members:Ronald F. Adair, Frederick Brownlee, William L.Eckart, Gerald F. Fredericks, Hugh A. Gardiner,Charles C. Griffey, William J. Leary, Rick McEvoy,James B. Taylor, Phillip Thomas, Darwin F.Thompson and Steve D. Waisner.

Congratulations to newly retired members:Roy A. Carroll, Gary S. Enloe, Jack Feeling, Richard W.LeValley, Hrydorij Mychalczuk, Jack Oberndorfer,Max Ralston, Richard R. Raines, Raymond L. Schaaf.Harvey M. Stewart and Christopher H. Weber.

Steve Morales, P.S.

100thAnniversary GalaL.U. 146 (ei,i&rts), DECATUR, IL—Local 146 has pow-ered the prairie since 1912 and on September 8 wecelebrated at our 100th anniversary gala. It was atremendous event and great to see so many IBEWmembers and guests attending.

Our annual Labor Day parade and picnic inSeptember were themed “Rebuilding America’sPast.” The crowd was the largest in recent years andit was great to see so many apprentices participate.Thanks to all for your support. Journeymen andapprentices alike also volunteered at the MaconCounty Fair, Decatur Celebration, and Habitat forHumanity projects.

The Local 146 work picture was not favorableover the summer. The Taylorville Energy Center proj-ect never made it out of the state legislature—onceagain, another reason to elect labor-friendly candi-dates in November. Several Local 146 membershave secured employment in sister locals, and wethank those locals.

Check out our newsletter at www.ibew146.com—and if you are in the Decatur/Mattoon area, seethe Red Light and Green Light lists before shoppingand support those businesses that support us. Youcan also find us on Facebook.

Congratulations to recent retirees: Terri Fraley,Darrell Weakly, Jim Clark, Jim Nance, Dennis Donoho,Bruce Harshbarger and Jim Bopp. Thanks to all foryour years of service.

Our deepest sympathy to the families of ourrecently deceased members: John Jones, GeorgeHadley and Carl Moyer. These brothers will beremembered.

Please VOTE in November and support Pres.Barak Obama.

Rich Underwood, R.S.

IBEW Utility Conference:Infrastructure & Work ForceL.U. 160 (lctt,o&u), MINNEAPOLIS, MN—The 2012IBEW Utility Conference was held in Houston, TX, inJune. Local 160 had a delegation present. IBEWUtility Dept. Dir. Jim Hunter and his staff put on a

wonderful conference. Houston Local 66 did a greatjob hosting the conference and welcoming atten-dees. It was good to compare our issues in theMidwest with the other areas of the U.S. andCanada. One topic discussed was the aging workforce. Companies seem slow to realize they muststart hiring replacement workers. There was discus-sion about coal-fired power plant closings and thepotential building of nuclear plants. People whowork in the power industry understand that renew-able forms of energy are important sources for gen-erating electricity, but they can’t replace coal ornuclear. Thankfully, the IBEW is out front leading theway, working with utilities to try to find solutions toextending the working lives of aging power plants.

“This is the most important election ever”may sound cliché—but in 2012 it’s true. If the labormovement doesn’t stand up to “Citizens United”and the big money which that infamous court rulingon campaign finance ushered in, we may never getanother opportunity. So it’s time to vote for thosewho stand with labor. And when labor friendly peo-ple are voted into office, we have to hold themaccountable. So get involved for the sake of thelabor movement and the middle class. Make sureyour voice is heard on Election Day Nov. 6.

James P. Brereton, P.S.

‘Cast a Vote for Workers’L.U. 196 (govt,mt,o,t&u), ROCKFORD, IL—As we headfor fall, the work picture here has been very steadyand the outlook is promising. A bad decision by theIllinois Commerce Commission in May on the newformula-based rate increase for ComEd has slowedthe planning a bit, but work should continue toimprove in our area.

Local 196 recently participated in the thirdannual Northern Illinois Sporting Clay shootthrough the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) andwe enjoyed a day of brotherhood while breaking afew targets. Participants had a good time and Ihope support for the USA continues to grow in theIBEW; they do a great job at their events.

In July we received a very good decision for theIBEW Outside Branch from the National LaborRelations Board on a jurisdictional issue that wentto a hearing back in December of 2011, but it waswell worth the wait.

As all of organized labor is under attack by somevery opportunistic radical conservatives, our onlychance is to put feet on the street, educate our mem-bers on the real political issues—and actually walk intothe booth and cast a vote for the labor friendly candi-dates in our area. No vote equals no future. Get on it.

Eric Patrick, B.M.

Apprenticeship GraduatesL.U. 222 (o), ORLANDO, FL—Greetings to all. OurJune meeting was well attended and Bus. Mgr. MikeBell was pleased to present Bro. Butch Goff with his50-year service pin. [Photo, pg. 13.] Bro. Goff hasbeen a journeyman lineman, assistant businessmanager and company owner in his 50 years ofservice. He has served in each of these roles with asense of dedication and integrity that makes youproud to have worked with and for him. We hopeButch has many more years of IBEW service in him.

We also congratulate our members whorecently completed their SELCAT apprenticeships:journeyman linemen Steven Eggers, Eric Estrada,IBEW Local 110 celebrates its 100 Year Anniversary in St. Paul, MN.

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Randy Maxwell Jr., Daniel Wamsley and UndergroundTechnician Thomas Pitts. Local 222 wishes thesemembers the best in their IBEW careers.

Southeastern Line Constructors Apprenticeship& Training (SELCAT) is an educational partnershipbetween the Southeastern Line Constructors Chapter,National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)and local unions of the IBEW.

Bill Hitt, A.B.M.

2012Apprentice GraduatesL.U. 226 (em,i,rtb,rts&spa), TOPEKA, KS—Congratulations to the Local 226 apprentice gradu-ating class of 2012. [See photo, at right, top.] Thegraduates, joined by Instructor Greg Whitworth,gathered for the photo in front of the local’s 3.6 kWsolar array that they helped install in October 2011.

Graduate Josh Price received the 2012Coleman Morris Outstanding Apprentice Award.Local 226 is proud of all the graduates and wishesthem success in their IBEW careers.

Robert Bausch, Organizer

A Salute to 2012 GraduatesL.U. 234 (i&mt), CASTROVILLE, CA—Our local hasthe honor and pleasure to introduce to the con-struction industry our 2012 Graduating Class ofInside Apprentices.It is especially noted thatJoaquin Correa-Mickel and Jesus Ramirez both hadperfect attendance for all five years. Jeff Flippin dis-tinguished himself as our Outstanding GraduatingApprentice, and has earned the honor of attendingNTI this year. We recognize and salute all the gradu-ates for their years of dedicated hard work. Theymake us proud to commend them to an industrythat is constantly growing and changing. We lookforward to working side by side with them.

Stephen Slovacek, P.S.

Kudos to JATC GraduatesL.U. 236 (catv,ees,govt,i,mo,rtb&t), ALBANY, NY—Asthe fall season is upon us, we wish to look back andsay congratulations to our 2012 apprentice graduates.In June, we held a graduation dinner to honor 33 menand women who completed the JATC apprenticeshipprogram to become Local 236 journeyman wiremen.

We also recognize our newly elected officers,who were sworn into office at our July meeting bypast president Phil Clemens. Congratulations to:Bus. Mgr. Donald Rahm, Pres. Mark Lajeunesse,Vice Pres. Skip Goyette, Rec. Sec. Paul Fitzmaurice,Treas. Michael Torres; and Executive Board mem-bers Randy Angerosa, Richard Boyd, William Bulger,Kerry Chesterfield, Eric Folmsbee, Geoffrey Haydenand Steven Rifenburg.

We hope everyone had a safe and enjoyablesummer, and we urge everyone to get involved aswe prepare for the very important Nov. 6 presiden-tial election.

Michael Torres, P.S.

Welcome to Newly Elected OfficersL.U. 280 (c,ees,em,es,i,mo,mt,rts&st), SALEM, OR—The Local 280 election is over and we welcome ournewly elected officers: Bus. Mgr. Tim Frew, Pres.John Close, Vice Pres. Jeremy Bate, Treas. Tim Miller,Rec. Sec. Larry Fisher; At-Large Executive Boardmembers Julie Emmett, Matt Forsberg, LynnMcDonald; and Examining Board members MikeEastland, Travis Johnson and Jeremy Kroon.

We also congratulate the following new journey-man, who completed their JATC apprenticeship: DavidAnderson, Jeremy Bate, Clint Burgess, Billy Burress,Kevin Carlile, Shawn Ceniga, Jerry Clowers, JasonCook, Matthew Crowl, Kevin Cryer, Ryan Davis, DavidDixon, Ross Ellis, David Fahlgren, Alfred Fleming,Matt Forsberg, Nicholas Frye, Robert Giles, MatthewGilmore, Stephen Goodman, David Hammang, LukeHarris, Vicki Horton, Ryan Johnson, Joseph Jorgensen,Chet Kendall, David Kikendall, Garret Lane, SeanMcAllister, Justin McKay, Adan Mendoza, RichardMeyner, Brian Mohatt, Michael Popish, JoshuaPowell, Trase Privratsky, Charles Read, Carlos Rivera,

Curtis Rutherford, Reza Shahparast, Adam Simpson,David Slack, Ryan Stroup, Rick Sturgess, DonnieThompson, Curtis Towns, Vernon Unruh, ChristinaVanLeeuwen and Matt Vohs.

Thanks to JATC Dir. Dave Baker for making ourwelding class a reality! Instructors Tom Mann and TyWinegar have done an outstanding job of preparingstudents to certify.

Work safe and vote for candidates who supportlabor and working families on Election Day Nov. 6!

Jerry Fletcher, P.S.

November Election & SolidarityL.U. 292 (em,govt,irtb,rts&spa), MINNEAPOLIS,MN—The general election in November is aboutdefending our standard of living and way of life inMinnesota, our jobs, children’s education, healthcare and our future. We need to ensure friends oflabor get elected and gain a majority in theMinnesota Legislature so we can take so-called“right to work”(for less) off the agenda.

“The most important word in the language ofthe working class is solidarity.” That quote from thelate labor leader Harry Bridges (1901-1990) hasmuch deeper meaning now. The legendary BillBailey added: “In unity there is strength. We canmove mountains when we’re united and enjoy life—without unity we are victims. Stay united.”

Over 120 members attended the IBEW 292 GolfTournament at the Fox Hollow Golf Club in Rogers, MN.Thanks go to Fox Hollow for taking care of our mem-bers during the excessive heat. The putting contestwas successful, with large contributions made to ourfood shelf by our winning members. Bus. Mgr. RodgerKretman is pleased we were able to bring the IBEW292 Golf Tournament back to the membership.

The first half of our office remodel is complete.We are staying on the same floor of the UnitedLabor Center in Minneapolis, moving across thehall. The entire office space will be completed inOctober, at which time we will hold an open house.

We thank all our members for respecting thework rules of neighboring locals, especially duringcontract negotiations. By supporting other unions,and especially IBEW local unions, we reinforce theideals of brotherhood and solidarity.

Carl Madsen, P.S.

Vermont Utilities MergerL.U. 300 (govt,i,mt&u), MONTPELIER, VT—During themonth of June, Gaz Metro, parent company of GreenMountain Power Corp. (the second largest electricalutility in Vermont), purchased Central VermontPublic Service Corp. (the largest electrical utility in

Local 234 inside graduating class of 2012: Daniel Lujan (left), Ricardo Rubio, Enrique Lara, DavidEspinoza, Berardo Trujillo, Matthew Kulich, Joaquin Correa-Mickel, Jeff Flippin and Kasey Jeska.

Local 222 Bus. Mgr. Mike Bell (left) presents50-year service award to Bro. Butch Goff.

Local 280 welding class students train to certify. From left, welding students David Fahlgren,Mike Popish, Ryan Covey, Kevin Scavera, Mark Davis, Troy Grant, Rick Sturgess; and instructorsTy Winegar and Tom Mann.

Local 226 congratulates the class of 2012 apprentice graduates. From left: Jason Patterson, LukeThompson, Nathan Dickson, Jared Brock, Jacob Wilson, Brian Carlson, Daniel Courter, Neil Olejnik,Brent Varney, Kevin Norton, Instructor Greg Whitworth and Josh Price.

Local 236 congratulates the Tri-City JATC class of 2012.

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Vermont). Both companies will combine assets toform the largest utility in Vermont—servicingapproximately 70 percent of Vermont’s electricalneeds. Both groups are represented by IBEW Local300 and have separate and distinct bargainingagreements. GMP and the union are engaged in thetask of formulating and negotiating a single agree-ment. We wish both groups well.

Members employed with Vermont Yankee rati-fied a one-year extension on their agreement withthe owner, Entergy Corp. The union and Entergy willhave continued discussions to create alternativemedical plans that meet the needs of both parties.

The new apprenticeship year is under way andwe wish all members of the apprenticeship a pro-ductive training season. We encourage all appren-tices to take control of their own destiny. The unionallows you a voice—utilize it.

Local union officers encourage those mem-bers who are not registered to vote to please do so.Exercise your right to the democratic process.

Please keep in mind that safety is first.

Jeffrey C. Wimette, B.M./F.S.

Annual Golf OutingL.U. 306 (i), AKRON, OH—On Saturday, July 7, ourannual Local 306 Golf Outing was held at ParadiseLake Country Club. Despite the record-breakingheat, everyone had a good time. The 1st place prizewas awarded to Bob DeGeorge and Dave Nutt. The2nd place prize went to Jim Bush, Tim Meighen,Dan Martin and Norm Yanik. Congratulations to all,and a big thank you to Local 306 Pres. MikeKammer, Cyndy Colley, Jim Deckert and Bob Lathamfor helping set up and run the outing.

During any election year there are many polar-izing issues that divide us as voters. But fair wages,safe working conditions, affordable health care, andthe right to collectively bargain are issues that wecan all agree on and that should be of the utmostimportance to everyone. The attack on the workingclass grows each day. If we are to continue fightingagainst the attacks, we must elect like-thinkingfriends and allies. It’s up to us to help those whowould help us. This will no doubt be a close elec-tion, so please make every effort to “Get Out theVote.” Remember, every vote counts.

With sadness we report the loss of Bro. RonaldKeller and retired Bros. Stephen Marshall, HowardWood and Kenneth Mong. We send our condolencesto their families.

Thomas Wright, P.S.

Brothers Helping BrothersL.U. 320 (catv,t&u), POUGHKEEPSIE, NY—Shown inthe accompanying photo (at top, center) are Local320 members, joined by family members of Bro.Tony Roberts, as they pause while sheet rocking andinstalling heating equipment in the Roberts’ house.

Bro. Tony Roberts, a 20-year IBEW member,works at the Dynegy Northeast Generation Rosetonand Damskammer power plants as a 1st class yard-man. He has faced some difficult times in the lasttwo years.

Bro. Roberts suffered a serious motorcycleaccident on his way to work; at that time, doctorsfound that he needed major heart surgery. Afterrecovery from the accident, Bro. Roberts had theheart operation.

Only three weeks after his surgery and while

he was recovering at home, the family house caughtfire, destroying the second floor and heavily damag-ing the first floor. Due to many complications andunforeseen delays, the rebuilding stretched on.

Subsequently, Local 320 Bus. Mgr./Pres. JohnKaiser, with the help of shop steward Mike Hichakand local member Frank Canino, organized thesheet rocking party. Approximately 15 members par-ticipated during the course of the day lending ahand carting, cutting and installing sheetrock whileothers installed the heating system. Pres. Kaisersaid: “This is what a local is, helping our fellowbrothers and sisters during their tough times. Someof the members came to the job site directly fromcompleting working the midnight to 8 a.m. shift.They are there for each other.”

John P. Kaiser, B.M./Pres.

A New Outlook & New ContractorL.U. 340 (i,rts&spa), SACRAMENTO, CA—Local 340had a busy summer—teaching and learning!

We held three Member-to-Member classes.Afterward, local officers, staff and rank-and-filemembers who attended the classes went housecalling. We visited our own members as a way to re-energize the local membership.

This new Ninth District class, which teaches aone-on-one approach to union members, was actuallythe idea of a Local 340 member several years ago.While attending a Comet Class, Bro. Tom Davis con-cluded that members sometimes become complacentabout their union and thought it would help to reachout to members on a personal level to share ideas.

This class and this approach have been wellreceived. We intend to continue monthly member-to-member action, as we have seen members wevisited getting more involved with the local. Theyattend meetings, help at the annual picnic, volun-teer to get out the vote in the November election,which is crucial for unions, etc. Success!

Organizer Scott Steelman arranged to haveBro. Matt Kolbinski, Pro Union Consulting, teach theNew Contractors class this summer. It was wellattended by interested members. After completingthe class, Bro. Leonardo Velasquez became an IBEWLocal 340 inside signatory contractor. Welcome toFour ACE Electrical Services Inc.! Two other membersare interested in signing up also. Again, success!

Reporting the loss of members is never easy.Retirees Hiram Jones, Elmer Kunz, Wes Rhodes andLou Roberts, former lineman, have passed away. Wealso lost active member Bro. Danny Roberts.

Don’t let anyone silence our union voices. Votein November!

A.C. Steelman, B.M.

Work Picture Picks UpL.U. 354 (i,mt,rts&spa), SALT LAKE CITY, UT—Fortunately, during the spring and summer months,the work in Utah increased enough that we wereable to put a large number of traveling brothers andsisters to work.

To that fine group of skilled men and womenwho travel around the country helping man thework in areas where the work picture is picking up,Local 354 says thank you for a job well done.

The Annual Service Award Party in July was wellattended. The local started a new tradition of pre-senting a gold watch to retirees when they reach 50years of service. It was great to seemembers enjoying the camaraderie,food and drink—and listening to someof the stories shared is always a high-light. Notably, retiree PeterSpangenberg received his 65-year pinand gold watch. Congratulations to allthe service award recipients. Thank youto everyone who helped make the pinparty a success.

Bus. Mgr. Rich Kingery wasappointed last spring by Int. Pres.Edwin D. Hill to sit as a representativeof labor on the Council of IndustrialRelations. It is a great honor for thislocal to have our business managerchosen to preside with fellow businessmanagers over the cases of locals thatare fighting to keep their standard ofliving as high as possible even intough times. Thank you, Rich, foraccepting another huge responsibility.

Manya Blackburn, R.S.

Appointed to Labor PostL.U. 364 (catv,ees,em,es,i,mt,rts&spa), ROCKFORD,IL—Congratulations to Bus. Mgr. Darrin Golden onhis recent appointment as a vice president of the

Illinois AFL-CIO. Bro. Golden was appointed to serveout the term of a board member who retired and hewill run for re-election in the fall. He is the first per-son from the Rockford area to hold the position ofstate AFL-CIO vice president.

The general election is fast approaching andwe are pulling out all the stops to elect friends ofworking families such as: Pres. Barack Obama;Cheri Bustos, candidate for the U.S. House ofRepresentatives from the 17th Congressional Districtof Illinois; Steve Stadelman, candidate for theIllinois Senate; Illinois Sen. Mike Jacobs, who isrunning for re-election; and Carl Wasco and MikeSmiddy, candidates for the Illinois House.

When union people get out and vote, usuallyunion candidates win. And when union membersget out and work campaigns for friends of workingfamilies, our chances to elect those candidatesgrow exponentially better.

Local 364 Bros. Charlie Laskonis and TyHillman recently traveled to Philadelphia to repre-sent Local 364 joining thousands of union memberswho participated in the labor-wide Worker’s Standfor America rally. The focus was to bring the messageof America’s Second Bill of Rights to the public andfocus national attention on jobs, economic opportu-nity and restoring the American dream for all.

Charlie Laskonis, B.A.

Officers Sworn InL.U. 388 (em,i,rts&spa), STEVENS POINT, WI—IBEWLocal 388 is saddened by the death of Bro. JamesJoseph Blonien. James passed away April 28 at age54. I had the privilege, like many other members, tohave worked alongside Jim and can honestly callhim a brother and a friend. Jim leaves behind a wifeand daughter. He will be greatly missed by all whoknew him.

Local 388 newly elected and re-elected officers are sworn in. From left: Bus. Mgr./Fin. Sec. DeanMiller, E-Board members Jeff Starr and Jason Kay, Vice Pres. Stephen Parrott, E-Board membersJohn Klosinski and Robert Cyran, and Pres. John Danczyk.

Meeting after a press conference are: Local 364 Bus. AgentCharlie Laskonis (left), U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, U.S.House of Representatives candidate Cheri Bustos and Local364 Bus. Mgr. Darrin Golden. At the press conference,Bustos vowed to fight for working families and Sen. Durbinnoted that she will deliver on that promise.

Members of IBEW Local 320 gather with the Roberts family.

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

At the time of this writing, our Biomass EnergyProject is extremely slow at manning up; as far asmanpower goes, we are not sure how far into bookone it will get or if it will get into book two at all. Itappears that other projects are starting up aroundthe country; hopefully traveling brothers and sistersfound employment somewhere over the summer.

Local 388 held its election of officers andDean Miller was sworn in at our July meeting as ournew business manager/financial secretary alongwith our other newly elected and re-elected officers.Congratulations to all of our officers. The membersand I also wish to say thank-you to former businessmanager Dave Northup for serving this local for somany years in so many capacities.

Local 388 officers are: Bus. Mgr./Fin. Sec.Dean Miller, Pres. John Danczyk, Vice Pres. StephenParrott and E-Board members Jeff Starr, Jason Kay,John Klosinski and Robert Cyran.

Guy LePage, P.S.

75th Anniversary CelebratedL.U. 412 (u), KANSAS CITY, MO—Happy 75th birthday,Local 412!

On Aug. 11 this year, Local 412 celebrated the75th anniversary of its founding. From its humblebeginnings, Local 412 has represented membersworking in the electrical utility industry since 1937.Currently, Local 412 has more than 800 membersworking under its agreement. The members work infossil fuel plants, combustion turbines, and windturbines in the states of Missouri and Kansas.

Debi Kidwiler, P.S.

Annual Pancake BreakfastsL.U. 424 (as,ees,em,es,i,mo,o,ptc,rtb,rts,spa&u),EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA—July marked the25th annual Local 424 Members PancakeBreakfasts in Calgary and Edmonton done by therespective Unit Retirees.

Calgary held their pancake breakfast for about200 Unit 2 members on the first Friday of the 10-dayCalgary Stampede festival. After the breakfast, theyserved a lunch menu featuring Bro. Dave Handley’sown smoked, spice-rubbed roast beef, and barbe-cue fare. They raised $153 (through donations) forthe Unit 2 Retirees. A salute to “Executive Chef”Dave Handley, “Sous Chefs” Asst. Bus. Mgr. RonDavis and Unit 2 Chm. Darcy Duthie, and theCalgary Retirees for a job well done.

On July 20, the opening of Edmonton’s 10-dayexhibition, Unit 1 Retirees did a full breakfast, andlater a lunch menu, serving about 260 membersand raising $671. Thank you to the retirees andspouses who helped out. Special thanks to BBQChefs Dick Owen, Dennis Unguran and Bob Hunter.

On July 14, Tina Stevenson, wife of memberScott Stevenson, once again did her usual exem-plary job organizing the Unit 1 Kids Picnic with thehelp of a few members and retirees. Kids enjoyedcotton candy, BBQ goodies, juice drinks, games,face painting and a “bouncy house.”

July was a busy, fun month in this local … andthe weather cooperated for all three venues!

Dave Anderson, P.S.

IBEW Members Restore PowerL.U. 466 (em,es,i&rts), CHARLESTON, WV—The dere-cho of June 29 hit the wonderful state of WestVirginia with a crippling blow. It was followed bymultiple storms hitting the state for the followingthree weeks. Power outages were reportedly theworst ever in the state’s history. Most of us were outof power for a week and many were out two weeks.Thank goodness for our many brothers from otherstates who came to our aid in the miserableweather that was well over 90 degrees every day.Surrounding states were hit hard also making itextremely difficult to get help fast. I met and per-sonally thanked two groups, one from Florida andone out of Ohio. IBEW brothers from other neighbor-ing states, including Alabama, also traveled here tohelp restore power. We are extremely grateful for allthe IBEW brothers who came to our aid.

I am truly proud to be a member of an organi-zation whose many members are true brothers, notonly to their union members but to all mankind!Local 466 active and retired members as well as allof West Virginia salute and thank all the IBEW mem-bers for their assistance.

With regret we acknowledge the passing of thefollowing brothers: Clyde Edelman Jr., Larry Angle,Ken Balsom, Mickey Moore and 71-year member JackCraze, who was age 91. They will be missed.

Larry Fogarty, P.S.

Steps to Recover Market ShareL.U. 520 (i&spa), AUSTIN, TX—Newly elected Local520 officers are: Bus. Mgr. Chris Wagner, Pres. LanePrice, Rec. Sec. Ann Pannell and Treas. MarkSherrell. Elected Executive Board members are:Gaynell Wilson, Mike Barnes, David Grossman,Eddie Kincaid, Billy Payne, Dale Slaughter and TerryTindall. Elected to serve on the Examining Boardare: Gabe Flores, Philip Lawhon and TommyWilliamson. Congratulations to all.

Bus. Mgr. Wagner reported meeting withCentral Texas NECA, Local 72 and District representa-tives regarding ways we may recover our market andpromote use of organized labor in the central Texasarea. To show signs of cooperation, the LMCC jointlyapproved an advertisement in the ConstructionNews monthly periodical for the central Texas area.We look forward to the challenges before us and relyon the strength of all our brothers and sisters as wemove forward in all our endeavors.

Lane Price, Pres./P.S.

‘Thanks to Fellow Locals’L.U. 530 (i,o&rtb), SARNIA, ONTARIO, CANADA—Aug.10 marked Local 530’s annual golf tournament.Unfortunately rain that day forced the cancellationof the golfing event. Those who stayed enjoyed theafternoon in the 19th hole with cold beverages anda steak dinner.

With limited work over the past few monthsand nothing in the foreseeable future as of this writ-

ing, Local 530 would like tothank the following localsfor employment opportuni-ties: Ottawa Local 586,Sudbury Local 1687 andRegina Local 2038.

Local 530 is sad-dened by the recent pass-ing of Bro. Rick Davidson.

Al Byers, P.S.

ApprenticeGraduating ClassL.U. 540 (i), CANTON, OH—Local 540 extends congratu-lations to the 2012 JATCApprentice Graduating Class.

The recent graduatesare: Mike Gordon, Jeff Trissel II, Chad Rumbold,Tim Sawyer, Andrew Kline, Andrew McCarty,Charles Williams, Scott Thomas, Nathan Istnickand Logan Schmidt.

We are proud of the graduates and wish themmuch success in their IBEW careers.

Jerry Bennett, P.S.

Organizing Blitz a SuccessL.U. 558 (catv,em,i,mt,o,rtb,rts,spa&u), SHEFFIELD,AL—At this writing, work across the jurisdiction issomewhat slow, but the fall outage at the TVA BrownsFerry Nuclear Plant will begin Oct. 26 and will be aboost for our members as well as some travelers.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama, Inc.located in Huntsville has begun groundbreaking onits expansion, but we do not expect calls until earlyspring 2013.

In other news, Local 558 hosted an OrganizingBlitz in August with organizers from Louisiana,Mississippi and Alabama assisting, as well as stateorganizing coordinators from the Fifth District.Thank you, brothers, for all your hard work and ded-ication on a successful blitz.

At Local 558’s August union meeting, a pres-entation of service pins was held; eligible membersreceived service pin awards for 25 to 70 years ofservice. Special congratulations and thank you toeveryone for their longtime IBEW membership andfor making this local what it is today!

Mac Sloan, Mbr. Dev.

A New Meeting HallL.U. 666 (i,mt&o), RICHMOND, VA—The regularmeeting on July 13 was held in our newly openedmeeting hall at 1400 East Nine Mile Road inRichmond. The new facility is fantastic. Please joinus on the second Friday of each month to attend ameeting and check out our new home.

Newly elected officers were sworn in duringthe July meeting for a three-year term.Congratulations to: Bus. Mgr. James H. Underwood,Pres. Harry F. “Freddie” Zahn IV, Vice Pres. James A.Bell, Rec. Sec. John C. Gandy, Fin. Sec. Larry R. Jarvisand Treas. Maynard E. Dowdy.

Local 540 class of 2012 JATC apprentice graduates.

Among Local 558 service award recipients are, from left: former business manager LanceBlackstock (50 years of service), former apprentice director Bud Blackstock (55 years of service),P.E. Wesson (60 years), James I. Beavers (65 years) and Grant Azbell (70 years).

Charleston, WV, Local 466 thanks all the fellow IBEW members fromsister locals outside the state, including the brothers pictured, whohelped restore power after fierce summer storms.

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Newly elected Executive Board members are:David L. Clarke, William M. Faina, Jason “J.D.”Jenkins, Christopher S. Phillips, Omar A. Rafey andHenry W. White.

Examining board members are: Anthony L.Coleman, Brad Bullock, Christopher Hitchcock,Phillip Bullock and Jarod Clouse.

Thank you to everyone putting their energyinto working for our local!

Charles Skelly, P.S.

75thAnniversary & Retirement CelebrationL.U. 692 (i,mt&spa), BAY CITY, MI—Our local held ajoint 75th Anniversary and Retirement Celebrationat the Double Tree Hotel on Friday, May 11. Notably,the electrical wiring at that hotel was done by ourIBEW members with skill and union pride.

We congratulate all the retirees and thank themfor their years of service and dedication to Local 692.Members honored for their retirement were: MarkAllen, Wayne Diveley, Ronald Ervin, Richard D.Hubert, Donald Jezewski, Wayne L. Lewis, MiltonSimmons, Thomas Theisen, David Varner, RaymondVermeesch, Albert E. Casey, Kenneth Cislo, DennisGandy, Douglas Harshman, Alan Haynes, William B.Koenig, Gary Koenig, Timothy Lappin, Michael Loll,Dennis Moore, Mark Pawlak, Tim R. Peil, NathanShawl, Roy Trumble, Charles Voisine, Grant Williams,Michael Chaffin, Daniel J. O’Leary, Ronald Eurich,Donald Martin, Charles Miller, Michael Potter,Thomas Ryder, Michael Schutt, C. Gil Archambo,Thomas Barbeau, Thomas Bejcek, Gregory Bentley,

Patrick Bouchard, Terry Brandenburg, MatthewGottleber, Jerry Potter, Carl Ruffertshofer, DouglasStickley, Gerald K. Stranaly, Dennis Voisine, KennethKaczmarek, Arthur Archambo, Robert Calkins, Bobby

Hulon and Janet Wisniewiski.Please, everyone, do your patriotic duty and

vote in November.

Tammy Gottleber, P.S./R.S.

Getting Out the VoteL.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),WEST FRANKFORT, IL—Our local union election washeld June 8. We congratulate Bus. Mgr. SteveHughart and all officers elected by our members.

Bus. Rep. Tate Wright graduated from theNational Labor College on June 23. The dedication ittakes to successfully complete a bachelor’s degreewhile working reflects Tate’s commitment to betterrepresent our members.

At press time, negotiations continue withAmeren and Frontier Communications with very lit-tle movement.

The Labor Day celebration was Sept. 3, andthanks go out to all those who turned out to par-ticipate.

We will be busy with the upcoming electionsand the scheduling of door knocking, phone banks,and whatever it takes to make sure PresidentObama is re-elected to office.

Marsha Steele, P.S.

November ElectionL.U. 716 (em,i,lct,rts&spa), HOUSTON, TX—Greetings, brothers and sisters. Local 716 wishesyou and yours the best. By the time of this publica-

tion, the long hot summer here in Houston will beanother memory. We are hopeful the work picturewill have improved by print time. After very difficult

inside contract negotiations with NECA that resultedin a trip to the CIR in Washington, D.C., the work pic-ture should be improved. Many thanks go to all thelocals that have been able to put our members towork during these troubling times.

We have some bad news to report regardingour two GE facilities. In the past few months wehave had a transfer of work and a closure.

Please remember the importance of theupcoming November elections. Encourage your fam-ily, friends, neighbors and co-workers to vote to pro-tect the rights of working Americans, who deserve adecent way of life and a retirement with dignity.

On a lighter note, our Labor Day celebrationwas a success, as always, and special thanks go outto the Labor Day Committee for their hard work. Theholidays will be upon us all before we know it. Pleasecelebrate responsibly, be safe, and God bless youand our troops serving to protect our great nation.

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

2012 Apprentice GraduatesL.U. 760 (i,lctt,o,rts,spa&u), KNOXVILLE, TN—Congratulations to Local 760’s newest journeymanwiremen. [See photo, at bottom.]

The brothers topped out under the watchfuleye and guidance of Training Dir. A.J. Pearson. Ourunion’s future is truly secure and bright with mensuch as this leading the way.

George A. Bove, B.M./F.S.

Service Awards to RetireesL.U. 852 (i,o&u), CORINTH AND TUPELO, MS—At ourAugust monthly meeting, we recognized the follow-ing retired members for their longtime service to thelocal union and presented service pin awards:

Recognized for 50 years of service—Robert O.Dickerson, Benny E. Grimes, James M. Hardin; for55 years—Ernest E. Choate, Lowell G. Tucker; for

60 years—Leo C. Cremeen, Larry W. Landrum, JamesJ. Tapp; for 65 years—Charles F. Benson, James D.Harris [see photo below], Marvin R. Harwood; andfor 70 years of service—Guy E. Watts.

We thank these brothers for their many yearsof dedicated IBEW service.

Jim Hubbard, B.M.

Three-Year Contract RatifiedL.U. 910 (ees,i&t), WATERTOWN, NY—The IBEW Local910 negotiation committee and the Northern NewYork Chapter of NECA reached a tentative agreementproposal on March 22 this year. The tentative agree-ment was presented to the membership at theApril 3, 2012, regular meeting. After reviewing theproposed changes and wage increases, the mem-bership voted to ratify the new agreement, whichtook effect retroactively to April 1, 2012.

The three-year agreement includes increases of$1.05, $1.25 and $1.35, respectively. After a presenta-tion by fund manager John Love on the status of ourfunds, the membership also voted to allocate thisyear’s increase in both the Inside and ResidentialAgreements. The Inside increase was split with $0.83to Health and Welfare, $0.20 to Pension, and $0.02to LMCC (labor management cooperation committee).The Residential Agreement is in its second year andits scheduled increase was voted to be allocated toHealth and Welfare ($0.75—Group 1, and $1.00—Group 2). There were also a few language changesand additions to the Inside Agreement, which will besummarized for the membership’s reference andposted on our Web site www.ibew910.org.

The 2011-2012 apprentice school year is com-plete and congratulations go out to the recent gradu-ates: Ryan Blanchard, Nichole Bricker, MatthewDillabough, Kenneth Heater, Daniel Johnson, Loudon

Local 852 retired Bro. James D. Harris (right)receives 65-year service award presented byPres. Randy Sumler.

Local 760 apprentice graduating class of 2012, joined by Training Dir. A.J. Pearson (seated, center).

At Local 692’s celebration in May, Pres. BrianKlele (right) receives a U.S. flag, which wasflown over the U.S. Capitol, presented by DustyHouser, staff member for U.S. Sen. Carl Levin.

It’s the determination in a lineman’s face when he climbs to vertigo-inducing heights. It’s the glint of sunshine reflecting off an icytransmission tower. It’s in the images all aroundyou, that you see in your day both on and off the

job. And we want you to share them.

The popular competition is back after last year’s hiatuswhen leaders, members and staff were gearing up for the

38th International Convention in Vancouver, B.C. So grab your cameraand see what develops!

IBEWPHOTOCONTE

ST2012

IT’S BACK!

DEADLINE: OCT. 31, 2012

Full contest rules and prize information available atwww.ibew.org.

EndingSoon!

Newly elected Local 702 officers take oath of office.

June International Executive Council Meeting

Minutes and Report of The International Executive Council’s Regular Meeting

T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 2 17

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

Kent, Craig Lamoy, Andew Menke, Donald Peloquin,Miles Pencke, Tyler Tynon and Neil Willmart.

Roger LaPlatney, P.S.

Legrand Contract RatifiedL.U. 1040 (em), HARTFORD, CT—IBEW Local 1040successfully negotiated and the membership rati-fied a new three-year contract withLegrand/Wiremold Company of Hartford in April.

Negotiations were conducted with the skilledleadership of IBEW Int. Rep. John L. Faria and agreat Local 1040 team.

Congratulations and thanks to Int. Rep. Faria,Local 1040 Bus. Mgr. Lorraine Tinsley, and all offi-cers and members involved for achieving successfulnegotiations.

Don McNamara, P.S.

Organizing is KeyL.U. 1116 (em,lctt&u), TUCSON, AZ—Our SouthwestEnergy Solutions and Tucson Electric Power mem-bers at the Springerville Generating Station havebeen very successful in their internal organizingefforts. These members have been spreading theword of the union’s importance and why we shouldsupport the organization that watches over our ben-efits, pay and workplace safety.

Our IBEW officers applaud our Springervillemembers and thank you for your trust, support anddedication; we appreciate your tireless efforts tofurther the purpose of our local union by serving onthe safety committee, serving as a union steward orby being a union member, all of which … “Make Usa Stronger Union.”

Welcome to new members: Charles Lee,Joseph Hargett, Ethan Myers, Jeffery Glazer, JuanLopez, Joshua Slade, David Stanneart, StephanieKlontz and America Martinez.

R. Cavaletto, P.S.

Election of OfficersL.U. 1634 (em), CORALVILLE, IA—An election of offi-cers for Local 1634 was recently held.

Elected were: Bus. Mgr./Pres. Charles Holder,Vice Pres. Stephanie Bails, Rec. Sec. Sue Miles, Fin.Sec. Shelley Anderton, Treas. Sue Gerlits, andExecutive board members Jeremiah Sinnwell, DougMcColl, Jessica Trimpe, Freedom Sims and Dan Holub.

A special thank-you goes to the election commit-tee: Judge Bert Heitman and tellers Mary Kennedy, JeffMiller, Raejean Fairbanks and Jean Sheppard.

Stephanie Bails, V.P.

Local 1116 Bro. Rick Ryan, Springerville Unitchairman, is all smiles with recent organizingsuccess of new members.

The regular meeting of the International Executive Council wascalled to order at 8:30 a.m., by Chairman Pierson, on Tuesday,June 5, 2012, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Other membersof the council in attendance were Lavin, Calabro, Calvey,Clarke, Smith, Furer, and Riley. Walter was excused. Motion,made and seconded to approve the minutes of the January20, 2012 minutes, motion carried. Motion, made and secondto approve the conference call meeting Monday, May 14,2012, at 11:00 am, regarding Local Union 488, motion carried.

International President HillInternational President Edwin D. Hill met with the membersof the International Executive Council a number of times todiscuss a variety of matters affecting all branches of theBrotherhood. President Hill made a presentation to the IECfor marketing and advertising the IBEW through variousmedia and requested $5,000,000.00 for this purpose. Assuch, motion was made and seconded to authorize theexpenditure of $5,000,000.00 to market and advertise theIBEW Brand through various media outlets, motion carried.

International Secretary-Treasurer ChiliaInternational Secretary-Treasurer Salvatore (Sam) J. Chiliapresented financial reports covering the IBEW PensionFund and the Investment Portfolio of the Brotherhood -both in Canada and in the United States. In addition, areport was presented on the IBEW Unity Fund expendi-tures followed by a discussion on the future recommenda-tions of the fund. President Hill recommended that wesend another letter for additional funds to continue thefight. A motion was made and seconded to approve themailing of a letter regarding further contributions to theIBEW Unity Fund, motion carried.

Legal DefensePayments for legal defense, made from the General Fund,were examined and approved in accordance with therequirements of Article X, Section 1, of the IBEW Constitution.

Financial ReportsThe International Secretary-Treasurer’s Reports for the var-ious funds of the Brotherhood were presented to themembers of the International Executive Council, exam-ined, approved, and filed.

Local Union(s) Under International Office SupervisionInternational President Hill advised the council membersthat there are no local unions under the supervision of theInternational Office, at this time.

IBEW and Subsidiaries—Consolidated Financial Statementsfor March 31, 2012Reviewed, Approved and Filed

IBEW Headquarters Building LLC—Financial Statementsfor March 31, 2012Reviewed, Approved and Filed

Trust for the IBEW Pension Benefit Fund and Subsidiaries—Consolidated Financial StatementsMarch 31, 2012Reviewed, Approved and Filed

Pension Plan for International Officers,Representatives and Assistants of the IBEW—Financial StatementsMarch 31, 2012Reviewed, Approved and Filed

Pension Plan for Office Employees of theInternational Brotherhood of Electrical Workers—Financial StatementsMarch 31, 2012Reviewed, Approved and Filed

Article XX and XXI CasesDuring the first six months of 2012, the IBEW was involvedin one dispute under Article XX of the AFL-CIO Constitution

(UNITE/HERE and IBEW Local 1158) and one dispute involv-ing organizing responsibilities under Article XXI (IBEWLocal 1260 and AFT). Both disputes were resolved byagreement of the parties.

Appeal Filed with the International Executive CouncilBy Lawrence F. Richmond, Card Number D- 283875,A Member of Local Union 103, IBEWBy letter dated May 14, 2012, Brother Lawrence F.Richmond is appealing the I.S.T.’s denial of pension bene-fits and the requirement to reimburse the PBF $4,682.16for pension overpayments. In addition, Richmond wasordered to pay all local union dues for the period refer-enced. After a thorough review of the facts presented inthis case, the members of the executive council find hisappeal without merit and is hereby denied.

Appeal Filed with the International Executive CouncilBy Perry Speranza, Card Number D- 624320,A Member of Local Union 353, IBEWBrother Perry Speranza is appealing the Local 353 TrialBoard decision of June 10, 2010. Speranza was found guiltyof violating Article XXV, Section 1(i) by disturbing the peaceand harmony of a low rise meeting. Chairman Stevenswould not let Speranza speak at the low rise meetingbecause Speranza didn’t work under the agreement andwould not let him appeal his decision to the body due to IVPFlemming’s letter to Speranza prior to the meeting. IVPFlemming and IP Hill denied his appeal as well. After a thor-ough review of the facts presented in this case, the mem-bers of the executive council grant Brother Speranza’sappeal and hereby reverse the decision of the Local 353 trialboard decision finding him guilty of violating Article XXV,Section 1(i). Please note, however, that the IEC has not con-cluded that Brother Speranza had a right to speak, only thathe had a right to appeal the chairman’s decision limitingdebate to those who worked under the agreement. Nor didthe IEC agree with Brother Speranza’s contentions that thetrial board was biased or that he should have been permit-ted to introduce a tape recording made surreptitiously dur-ing the meeting. Brother Speranza produced no evidence ofbias, and the fact that he and some members of the trialboard ran for office on different electoral slates did not dis-qualify them from serving on the trial board. Moreover, thepractice of secretly recording local union meetings is unfairto the members who do not know that they are beingrecorded. The trial board therefore was not wrong in refus-ing to admit the tape recording into evidence.

Appeal Filed with the International Executive CouncilBy Michael A. Duker, Card Number D- 600867,A Member of Local Union 236, IBEWBrother Michael A. Duker’s claim for IBEW disability pensionwas submitted to IBEW’s reviewing doctor for consideration;however, his claim was not approved. On April 16, 2012,Brother Duker is appealing the decision to the InternationalExecutive Council. In addition, Brother Duker supplied a letterfrom his doctor dated February 27, 2012. After a thoroughreview of all the facts in this case, it is the decision of theInternational Executive Council, to grant the appeal andapprove the IBEW disability pension effective January 1, 2012.

Retirement of International RepresentativesJohn Amodeo, International RepresentativeThird DistrictEffective—April 1, 2012

Dan Hetzel, International RepresentativeSeventh DistrictEffective—April 1, 2012

Greg Gore, International RepresentativeFourth DistrictEffective—May 1, 2012

James Dahlberg, International RepresentativeSixth DistrictEffective—May 1, 2012

Ron Burke, International RepresentativeMembership Development, I.O.Effective—June 1, 2012

Mary Harrigan, International RepresentativeSixth DistrictEffective—July 1, 2012

Gerald Wilson, International RepresentativeFirst DistrictEffective—July 1, 2012

James Schlosser, International RepresentativeThird DistrictEffective—July 1, 2012

Gerald Larson, OrganizerFirst DistrictEffective—July 1, 2012

Terry Luckett, International RepresentativeFourth DistrictEffective—August 1, 2012

Tina Thoman, International RepresentativeDirector of 401(k)Effective—August 1, 2012

Retirement of International Office EmployeesJanice Boylan, Office Employee, I.O.Effective—March 2, 2012

Glenda Brahame, Office Employee, I.O.Effective—April 5, 2012

Karen Adriani, Office Employee, I.O.Effective—April 7, 2012

Joanne Lester, Office Employee, I.O.Effective—June 1, 2012

Vested Retirement PensionDeborah Anderson, Office Employee, I.O.Effective—July 1, 2012

Vested Pensions ApprovedMembership in L.U.

Richard A. Spitulski 0008Steven R. Beers 0046Hullander, Jeffery S. 0311Farrington, Robert S. 0429MacGregor, Sylvia A. 0527Bryant, Robert P. 0756

Birth Date Changes (31)Membership in L.U. Membership in L.U.

Bredensteiner, 0001 Lineback, Robert L. 0001Thomas A.

Ballato, Gary A. 0003 Del Juidice, Philip T. 0003Johnson, Phillip L. 0020 Grace,Larry E. 0032Slate, Robert R. 0058 McLaughlin, 0103

Maureen M.McConnell, Kevin M. 0124 Robinson Jr., Johnnie 0130Sexton, Freeman M. 0146 Brown, Ronald L. 0175Taylor, Clifford R. 0212 Schicchi, Marino 0230MacDonnell, Neil A. 0258 Hendryx, Michael D. 0275Rickwa, Ted L. 0291 Jelic, Stanko 0353Meade, Gerald L. 0365 Cooper, Harold F. 0369Foo, Thomas 0424 Ford, Glenn C. 0424Wolf, Kenneth C. 0461 Jarrell, Lynn 0479Chiasson, Laurent 0568 Dufour, Andre 0568Andrade, Jess A. 0595 Alcala, Peter 0611Rogers, Michael D. 0700 Tyler, Jerry E. 0702Bost, Walter L. 0728

The Next Regular International Council MeetingThis regularly scheduled meeting was adjourned, onWednesday, June 6, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. The next regularmeeting of the International Executive Council will com-mence at 8:30 a.m., on Wednesday, August 29, 2012, inNew Jersey.

For the International Executive CouncilPatrick Lavin, SecretaryJune 2012

The IEC acted on numerous applications under the IBEWPension Benefit Fund. For a complete listing, consultwww.ibew.org, clicking on the International ExecutiveCouncil link on the “About Us” page. �

18 T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 2

HOW TO REACH US

We welcome letters from our readers. The writer should include his orher name, address and, if applicable, IBEW local union number andcard number. Family members should include the local union numberof the IBEW member to whom The Electrical Worker is mailed. Pleasekeep letters as brief as possible. The Electrical Worker reserves theright to select letters for publication and edit all 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

©2012 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.

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It’s show time. By the time you will receive this issue of TheElectrical Worker, President Barack Obama and Republican candi-date Mitt Romney will be debating and making their final push forour votes.The IBEW didn’t wait until after the Democratic and Republican

conventions to talk about the issues facing union members and allAmericans on Nov. 6.

We brought together thousands of workers and our families inPhiladelphia on Aug. 11 to make clear to both political parties that wewant positive action that will move our nation forward—positive actionthat will secure the place of workers in our society and create a broadlyshared prosperity, not just more wealth for those on the top tier.

This election represents a clear choice between those two alternatives.A few years back, we might have categorized a promise to block or

reverse generations of progress made by unions—like Mitt Romney’s vowto the anti-union Associated Builders and Contractors (see page 3)—asbluster or false bravado.

But that was before the painful loss of collective bargaining rightsby public workers in Wisconsin. That was before last year’s implementa-tion of right-to-work laws in Indiana and the successful movement byunions to stop Ohio from following Wisconsin’s lead.

That was before tens of thousands of Americans, including some ofour own members—frustrated by unemployment and a slow economicrecovery—returned the U.S. Congress to corporate and Tea Party controlin 2010.

We would certainly like to return to a time when Republicans inCongress could join with Democrats to enact legislation without beingcalled traitors by their party’s leaders.

But, brothers and sisters, that is not the world we live in.We should no longer have any doubts about the real priorities of a right wing that has consistently

obstructed significant legislation to put Americans back to work just to make President Obama appear inef-fective. We shouldn’t second guess the motives of politicians who would threaten to sink our national econ-omy just to protect tax breaks for their wealthiest campaign donors. That is their record.

There was a time before widespread political polling and daily discussion of “enthusiasm gaps” and“candidate likeability” percentages when union voters took a hard look at both candidates and asked them-selves a simple question: “Which one has demonstrated in record and words that they are on my side?”

The world has grown far more complex, but that question can be easily answered in 2012. It can beanswered by hundreds of thousands of autoworkers, parts workers and even some IBEW members whosejobs were saved by the Obama-Biden administration’s rescue of General Motors and Chrysler. Can we affordto forget the absolute contempt of Mitt Romney, who said “Let Detroit go bankrupt?”

To those who say that President Obama has failed to turn around our economy fast enough, we refer youto the words of Bill Clinton at the Democratic National Convention: “No one, not me, not anybody else, no onecould have completely healed that [recession] and built a whole new economy and brought us back to fullemployment in just four years. It has never been done in the history of the world.”

“Which candidate is on my side?” That question can be answered by U.S. military veterans who nolonger have to travel three hours for medical care because they have VA medical clinics nearby thanks toObama-Biden administration initiatives, or by citizens who were denied medical insurance because of pre-existing conditions, but who now have coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

In 2008, the IBEW Journal detailed how President George W. Bush had packed government agencieswith leaders selected almost exclusively from corporate America. Conflicts of interest were rampant. Manyhad thin resumes in their areas of responsibility.

All that has changed. President Obama has appointed experts to lead agencies, men and women whosee their role as protecting people, not just corporate profits. Many come from the ranks of the labor move-ment, or as in the case of Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, from union families.

Under Secretary Solis’ watch, fatalities on the job have gone down by 18 percent. And wage theft, whichgives unfair advantages to nonunion contractors, has been successfully challenged by a beefed up force ofinvestigators. DOL has sent strong financial support for renewable energy training to many union apprentice-ship programs.

The surest way to undo the progress that leaders like Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Hilda Solis havemade in building a more balanced, progressive society is to vote for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan on Nov. 6. Wesimply cannot afford to return our agencies of government to the highest bidders.

This debate is not about “small” government or “big” government but the need for good, balanced gov-ernment. The Obama administration has demonstrated that commitment over the last four years and thepresident and his appointees deserve our votes. �

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

The Electrical Worker was the name of the first officialpublication of the National Brotherhood of ElectricalWorkers in 1893 (the NBEW became the IBEW in 1899 withthe expansion of the union into Canada). The name andformat of the publication have changed over the years. This newspaper is the official publication of the IBEW andseeks to capture the courage and spirit that motivated thefounders of the Brotherhood and continue to inspire theunion’s members today. The masthead of this newspaper is an adaptation of that of the first edition in 1893.

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

EXECUTIVEOFFICERS

Edwin D. HillInternational President

Salvatore J. ChiliaInternationalSecretary-Treasurer

INTERNATIONALEXECUTIVECOUNCIL

ChairmanRobert W. Pierson

First DistrictJoseph P. Calabro

Second DistrictMyles J. Calvey

Third DistrictJohn R. Clarke

Fourth DistrictWilliam W. Riley

Fifth DistrictMichael Walter

Sixth DistrictJoe P. Smith

Seventh DistrictPatrick Lavin

Eighth DistrictSolomon Furer

INTERNATIONALVICEPRESIDENTS

First DistrictPhillip J. Flemming

Second DistrictFrank J. Carroll

Third DistrictDonald C. Siegel

Fourth DistrictKenneth Cooper

Fifth DistrictJoe S. Davis

Sixth DistrictLonnie R. Stephenson

Seventh DistrictJonathan B. Gardner

Eighth DistrictTed C. Jensen

Ninth DistrictMichael S. Mowrey

Tenth DistrictRobert P. Klein

Eleventh DistrictCurtis E. Henke

THEELECTRICALWORKER

EditorEdwin D. Hill

C. James Spellane

MarkBrueggenjohann

Malinda Brent

Len Shindel

Carol Fisher

Alex Hogan

Lucas Oswalt

James H. Jones

Len Turner

Curtis D. Bateman

John Sellman

Erin Sutherland

Asifa Haniff

Salvatore J. ChiliaInternational Secretary-Treasurer

Edwin D. HillInternational President

Time for a Choice

T h e E l e c t r i c a l Wo r k e r | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 2 19

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

In May 2009, members of Toledo,Ohio, Local 245 were alarmedwhen Bruce Bartos, a senior line-man in his 37th year at Toledo

Edison, died from injuries sustainedduring an annual training procedurerequired by OSHA.

Bartos, who loved gardening, wood-working, University of Michigan footballand spending time with his two childrenand six grandchildren, had mounted abucket and was performing a self-rescueexercise when he fell about eight feet andbroke his leg. Two days later, he suc-cumbed to an injury-related blood clot.

The piercing irony of losing a fellowmember during a yearly training exerciseshook workers’ confidence in ToledoEdison’s safety program.

For both union members and man-agers, the question was: Could thistragedy be channeled into improvingsafety on the job? Three years later, theanswer is a reverberating yes.

Local 245 Assistant BusinessManager Ken Erdmann, a second-gener-ation Toledo Edison lineman, says confi-dence has been restored through apartnership approach to safety. “Themessage is that labor and managementmust always work together with regardto safety in the workplace,” says Erdmann,who was strongly supported by theInternational office, the Fourth District,Local 245 and managers at ToledoEdison, a subsidiary of First Energy.

Dennis James, a 20-year memberof Local 245 who serves as FirstEnergy’s advanced safety representa-tive, helped establish a 2010 “Speakup for Safety” program. In turn, the firstgroup of union members from eachdepartment at the utility was selectedby their co-workers as safety ambassa-dors to identify safety issues on the joband promptly address them with man-agement and their local union leaders.“If we don’t find out that something outin the field is broken,” says James, “wecan’t fix it.” The bottom-up approach,he says, represents a dramatic changein workplace culture.

“When I was an apprentice, wewere told to keep quiet. We were onlyneeded to work from the neck down,”says James. Today, he says, “Evenyounger workers have the gall to speakup for safety and most senior leadersrespect their concerns.” And rather thansimply focusing on the negative whensafety rules are broken, managers areencouraged to accompany their direc-

tives with positive feedback on otheraspects of their crew’s performance.

Underscoring the parties’ safetyfocus, a memorandum of agreement wassigned providing for the appointment ofa full-time union safety and training rep-resentative to visit crews, observe safetypractices and identify remedial trainingto improve the safety culture.

Robert Hawkins, a 28-year Local 245member, began serving as the union’sfull-time safety representative in February.He had planned on retiring July 1, butsays, “This position is something that wasneeded 30 years ago. I took the job—which was designed to be rotated everysix months—because I knew that I wouldbe trusted by our members and, with myexperience, I could jump hurdles andknock barriers down to make it work.”

Hawkins, who has served for 16years on a regional safety committeestarted by First Energy’s predecessor,says his passion for safety began in 1992when his partner was fatally electrocutedby 480 volts. In the wake of the finger-pointing after the accident, Hawkins says,“The most important thing was, ‘Here is abuddy who is never going home to see hiswife and children again.’” He says, “Igave my wife a hug and kiss and prom-ised her that I would take ownership ofmy own safety and return home everynight just as I left that morning.”

Today, Hawkins conducts safetyaudits, including reporting back to adirector on whether workers are properlyusing personal protective equipment. Tomaintain trust, he leaves off their namesand truck numbers. When a particularviolation—like failure to wear rubberboots—is widespread, he says, rather

than targeting individuals, group meet-ings are held to underscore the impor-tance of wearing safety equipment.Information on how to reduce safety vio-lations now more often comes from thedirector than from front-line managers,thus carrying more authority and isolat-ing the importance of improving safetyperformance from all other issuesbetween managers and crews.

One day a month, Local 245 lead-ers and Toledo Edison directors drivearound visiting work crews solicitingsafety concerns.

Chad Weasel, an eight-year substa-tion electrician who has worked as asafety ambassador for a year, says thenew program has led First Energy to over-haul vehicles for safety. He says, “Safetyambassadors are a channel our guys cango through where they can bring up issueswithout getting chewed out or ignored.”

During the first week of June, line-men, substation operators, meter work-ers and associated employees gatheredfor yearly OSHA refresher training atToledo Edison’s third annual safety fair.While managers coordinated the event,safety ambassadors directed a newgroup each day through all of the train-ing sessions, recording their progress.

Hawkins advises others who want toestablish joint programs to appoint mem-bers who are dedicated to safety and willwork hard to overcome initial hurdles. Hesays they need to practice the “threeP’s”—passion, perseverance and praise.

Weasel says the benefits of safetyawareness on the job spill over to thehome. “I now make sure that my family,too, is working with the safest equip-ment, from trampolines to soccer balls.” �

Lettersto the Editor

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

Who We Are

More Scott Walkers?After all the articles and editorial negative comments about conservatives, tea partyactivists and the Republican Party, now the IBEW officers want us to cometogether. You think this could be because of the wake-up call from Wisconsin? Maybethe IBEW faithful such as myself have shown that all members do not support publicsector unions? Maybe the taxpayers don’t support outside union hooligans enteringa state and trying to impose their union philosophies? What happened in Wisconsinshould send a clear signal that states should be able to make their own decisions(10th Amendment anyone), and that there are far too few Scott Walkers?

An editorial from the July edition of the Electrical Worker said thatRepublicans make up from 12 to 40 percent of IBEW and that those Republicansshould get more involved with union support. I can’t speak for all Republicans (I’ma conservative); however, I can tell you that my voice has always been silencedbecause I don’t believe in the direction that the IBEW officers have been steeringthe membership. I can also tell you that the political money from the dues of those12 to 40 percent has not been going to the candidate of their choice. If the officersof the IBEW want to have support of the entire membership maybe they couldincorporate some other more inclusive philosophies? Unions have lost supportand membership because they have isolated themselves behind socialist leaders!

Steve Nelson, Local 57 member Salt Lake City, Utah

Putting Politics AsideI have been disheartened lately by some of the rhetoric regarding this upcomingelection. Some brothers told me that, in the past, they had voted for “W” Bushbased on issues relevant to morality, religious beliefs, etc., and I can only say“Follow your heart, Brother.” (My personal allegiance and loyalties are to God, myfamily, my country and then the IBEW.)

Today, we are awaiting the outcome of a presidential election, the results ofwhich will have the greatest impact on union labor since the beginning of theIndustrial Revolution. President Obama and his political antics have disappointedme on several issues, and I make no apologies for him or the Democratic Party.However, Mitt Romney and his crew may very likely put us back in the Stone Age. In aspeech to the Associated Builders & Contractors at the Biltmore Hotel, (reported byCSPAN’s “Road to the White House”) he stated the following agenda. On “Day One”to “curb” the practice of giving “union bosses an unfair advantage” in contracting by:• Ending government favoritism toward unions contracting on government projects• Ending project labor agreements• Fighting to repeal Davis-Bacon• Fighting for right-to-work laws

Brothers, put politics aside and think about our right to work, not for theright to work for less!We have fought for years for the right to take a break, eatlunch with some dignity, earn a living wage, protect the rights of all working peopleon our projects, and be able, through training and intent, to produce an honestdays’ work for a days’ pay in a journeyman-like manner, and manage to get safelyhome before dark. Please, look toward what is at stake and what is important tous. (Don’t worry about who pays the most taxes—if you’re not working, you won’thave to pay any income tax at all.)

This is not about greed or advantage or politics. It is about protecting therights and conditions of all members of organized labor, things we have fought for100 years to acquire and keep for ourselves, our families and our nation.

W.L. “Sam” Smothers, Local 702 memberWest Frankfort, Ill.

It is time in this country for workers to acknowledge that something needs tobe done in the political arena. We need to elect politicians who will support ourright to a decent wage and benefits that will allow us to retire with some dignity. Itdoesn’t matter whether you work under a collective bargaining agreement or not.We need to come together as a country of working men and women who deservethese conditions. We need to stop listening to those politicians who want us to bea separated work force. We are and will continue to be the backbone of this coun-try; the rich will not and cannot do what we do. They want it done but at a wagethat we cannot raise a family under.

Wake up, American workers.

Ron Schock, Local 53 retireeKansas City, Mo.

Tragedy to Triumph at First Energy’s Toledo Edison

After the tragic death of a co-worker in 2009, members of Toledo, Ohio, Local245 and their managers at Toledo Edison established a bottom-up approachto safety that has resulted in fewer hazardous conditions and improvedequipment at the utility.

Many collective bargaining agreementsbetween employers and the IBEW or itslocal unions include “union security”provisions stating that employees mustbecome and remain members of theunion as a condition of employment. TheNational Labor Relations Act permitsemployers and unions to negotiatethese clauses where they are not other-wise prohibited by state law. These pro-visions are also permitted under theRailway Labor Act and under many statepublic employee bargaining laws. Underthese laws, employees may fulfill their“union security” obligations either byjoining the union and thereby enjoyingthe full rights and benefits of unionmembership, or by simply fulfilling theirfinancial obligations to the union.

Employees who elect to become agencyfee payers—that is, who choose not tobecome full-fledged IBEW members—forfeit the right to enjoy a number ofbenefits available only to union mem-bers. For example, only union membersare entitled to attend and participate inunion meetings; to run for union officeand to nominate and vote for candidatesfor union office; to participate in contractratification and strike votes; to partici-pate in the development and formula-tion of IBEW policies; to participate inthe formulation of IBEW collective bar-gaining demands; and to serve as dele-gates to the International Convention.

Agency fee payers are generally chargedthe same dues and initiation fees uni-formly required of IBEW members.However, agency fee payers who objectto supporting certain union activitiesmay pay a reduced fee to ensure thatnone of their money is used to supportthose activities. In particular, objectorsare charged only for activities or projectsthat are reasonably related to collectivebargaining. Examples of such “charge-able” activities are negotiating collectivebargaining agreements; meeting withemployer representatives; meeting withemployees on employment-relatedissues; participating in proceedings onbehalf of workers under the grievanceprocedure, including arbitration; andmanaging internal union affairs.

Among activities considered “non-chargeable,” which objectors are notrequired to support, are support of polit-ical candidates, general communityservice, legislative activities, certaincosts of affiliation with non-IBEW organi-zations, and members-only benefits.

The IBEW Agency Fee Payers ObjectionPlan establishes the procedure forobtaining a fee reduction and is set forthin full below. By way of summary, fee

payers must file their objections duringthe designated open period (usually themonth of November) or within 30 days ofbecoming agency fee payers. Current feepayers who wish to file objections forcalendar year 2013 must do so betweenNovember 1 and December 31, 2012.Objections must be addressed to theInternational Secretary-Treasurer, IBEW,900 Seventh Street, N.W., Washington,D.C. 20001, and must be postmarkedduring the November-December openperiod. Objections filed during thisopen period will become effective onJanuary 1, 2013, and will remain effectivefor as long as the objector remains in thebargaining unit.

No special form is required to register anobjection. However, please include yourfull name, your mailing address, thelocal union to which you pay fees, yournonmember identification number (ifknown), and your Social Security num-ber. In addition, if you move, pleaseadvise the International Secretary-Treasurer of your new address.

Dues and fees paid by employees cov-ered by IBEW bargaining agreementsconsist of a portion retained by the localunion and a portion that is transferred tothe International. During January of eachyear, or as soon as possible after receiv-ing a timely mid-year objection, theInternational will mail a check reflectingthe reduction in the International’s portionof the fees to each objector who has fileda timely objection with the InternationalSecretary-Treasurer, along with a detailedexplanation of the basis for the fee reduc-tion. During these same time frames, thelocal union that represents the objectorwill provide him or her with a reductionin its portion of the fees, either by send-ing a reduction check or by adjusting theamount of the objector’s periodic pay-ments, and will provide informationexplaining the basis for its reduction.

The reductions are based on the percent-age of the unions’ expenditures that weredevoted to “chargeable” and “noncharge-able” activities during the previous fiscalyear, as defined above. For example, theInternational determined that during its2010-11 fiscal year, 51.22% of its expendi-tures were for “chargeable” activities and48.78% of its expenditures were for “non-chargeable” activities. The locals’ portionsvary, with most local unions devotingbetween 90 and 95 percent of their annualexpenditures to “chargeable” activities.In no year has any IBEW local unionspent a smaller percentage of its expen-ditures on “chargeable” activities thanthe International, although some of thelocals use the International’s percentageto calculate their own annual reduction—

thereby giving objectors a larger reductionthan if the locals used their own figures.

Some public sector collective bargaininglaws require different procedures forhonoring the rights of non-members. Ifyou are a public employee covered bysuch a law, your local union will adviseyou of the proper procedure to follow toregister your objection.

The IBEW Agency Fee PayersObjection Plan1

1. Nonmembers’ Right to Object.Any employee who is not a member ofthe IBEW and who pays agency fees toan IBEW local union (LU) pursuant to acollectively bargained union securityprovision in the United States has theright to object to expenditures of his orher fees for activities that are not rea-sonably related to collective bargaining.For purposes of this plan, such activitieswill be referred to as “nonchargeableactivities.” The agency fees paid by a feepayer who perfects an objection underthe procedures set forth below will bereduced to reflect the expenditures ofthe LU and the IBEW that are used for“chargeable activities” (including, forexample, negotiating and enforcing col-lective bargaining agreements, dealingwith employers on employment-relatedconcerns, and union administration).

2. Procedure for Filing Objections.Each fee payer who wishes to file anobjection must do so in writing,addressed to the International Secretary-Treasurer (IST) at the International Officeof the IBEW, 900 Seventh Street, N.W.,Washington, D.C. 20001. In registeringtheir objections, objectors must includetheir name and address, the LU to whichthey pay fees, their nonmember identifi-cation number, if known, and theirSocial Security number. Objections mustbe post‑marked during the first 30 daysafter an employee becomes an agencyfee payer (either by being hired or trans-ferred into the bargaining unit, or byresigning from union membership) andbecomes obligated to pay agency fees toan IBEW LU under a collective bargainingagreement or, for current bargaining unitmembers, during the month ofNovember. (The open period may beextended in Convention years.)Objections will be effective for as long asthe objector is in the bargaining unit.

3. Reduction in Agency Fees.No later than January 31 of each year(or as soon as possible, in the case oftimely mid-year objections), both theInternational and the LU to which theobjector pays agency fees will mail toeach objector who has perfected his or

her objection under this plan a checkreflecting the reduction in payments towhich he or she is entitled for that calen-dar year, or will otherwise advise theobjectors how their payments will bereduced for the year. Unless advised oth-erwise by their respective LUs, objectorswill be expected to remit the full amountof fees charged by their respective LUs.

Agency fees are composed of a portionforwarded to the International as percapita payments and a portion retainedby the LU. When the IST receives timelyobjections, he will forward the names ofthe objectors to the LUs to which they paytheir agency fees. As set forth in greaterdetail below, the International will deter-mine the percentage reduction to beapplied to the per capita portion of theobjector’s fees and will issue checksreflecting the reduction in per capita pay-ments to which objectors are entitled. Inaddition, each IBEW LU will establish itsown procedure for determining thereduction in its portion of the agency feesand for reducing the objectors’ paymentsby the appropriate amounts.

4. Calculation of Reduction in Per Capita Payments.Before the beginning of the calendar year,the IST will calculate the International’sper capita reduction as follows: The ISTwill determine the International’s totaloperating expenditures for all purposesduring the preceding fiscal year, theexpenditures made for activities that arechargeable to objectors, and the non-chargeable expenditures. The IST willthen calculate the ratio of chargeable andnonchargeable expenditures to totalexpenditures. The International’s expen-ditures and calculations will be verifiedby an independent auditor.

5. Per Capita Reduction Check.No later than January 31 (or as soon aspossible after receiving a timely mid-year objection), the IST will mail eachindividual who has filed a timely objec-tion a check representing the reductionin per capita payments to which he orshe is entitled for the entire calendaryear. The reduction checks will beaccompanied by a description of themajor categories of expenditures, anexplanation of how the amount of thereduction was determined and an expla-nation of the appeal procedure.

6. Appeal to Impartial Arbitrator.An objector who has filed a timely objec-tion and who believes that the per capitareduction provided by the IST does notaccurately reflect the International’sexpenditures on chargeable activitiesmay appeal to an independent arbitrator.

a. The appeal must be made in writingand must be received in the office ofthe IST within 30 days of the date onwhich the IST mails the objector his orher per capita reduction check. Theappeal should explain the basis ofthe challenge.

b. The impartial arbitrator will beappointed by the AmericanArbitration Association (AAA) throughits Rules for Impartial Determinationof Union Fees, issued on June 1, 1986.

c. Such appeals will be consolidated tothe extent practicable and heard assoon as the AAA can schedule thearbitration. The presentation to thearbitrator will be either in writing or ata hearing, if requested by any objec-tor(s). If a hearing is held, any objec-tor who does not wish to attend maysubmit his or her views in writing bythe date of the hearing. If a hearing isnot requested, the arbitrator will set adate by which all written submissionsmust be received and will decide thecase based on the records submitted.The International will bear the burdenof justifying its calculations.

d. The costs of the arbitrator’s servicesand any proceedings before the arbitra-tor will be borne by the International.Individually incurred costs will beborne by the party incurring them.

e. While the appeal is pending, the ISTwill hold in escrow a portion of the feespaid by objectors in an amount suffi-cient to insure that the portion of thefee reasonably in dispute will not beexpended during the appeal proce-dure. In the event that the impartialarbitrator determines that the objectorsare entitled to a greater reduction intheir fee payments than that calculatedby the IST, additional checks will beissued for the balance of the reductiondue, as determined by the arbitrator.

7. Appeals from Local Union Fee Reductions.An objector who has filed a timely objec-tion and who believes that the reductionprovided by the LU to which he or she paysagency fees does not accurately reflect theLU’s expenditures on chargeable activitiesmay appeal through procedures estab-lished by the LU. An objector challengingboth the International’s and the LU’sreductions must appeal through the pro-cedure specified in paragraph 6.a., exceptthat the appeal must be received in theoffice of the IST within 30 days of (a) thedate on which the International mailedthe objector the per capita reduction or(b) the date on which the LU mailed itsreduction, whichever is later. �

Notice to Employees Covered by IBEW Union Security Agreements: Fee Payers Objection Plan for 2013

1 Where public employees are employed under a law requiring different procedures, the employees’ Local Union will provide information about the proper procedures to follow.

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