www.ibew.org November 2005®

November 2005 Volume 104 Number 9

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www.ibew.orgIBEWJOURNAL®

IBEW Takes on Florida12 Brotherhood Blitzes Sunshine State

with Revolutionary Organizing Strategy

ON THE COVER: The special logo developed for theIBEW’s Florida campaign.

IBEW JOURNALEdwin D. Hill, EDITOR

C. James Spellane, DIRECTOR

Carol A. Cipolari, MANAGING EDITOR

Carol M. Fisher, SR. EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Malinda R. Brent,COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

Len Shindel,COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

WEB SITECarl Cantrell,

INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

Tim Prendergast, WEB COORDINATOR/DESIGNER

Nancy Taylor, WEB SPECIALIST

ARCHIVESMike Nugent,

INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

HOW TO REACH USWe welcome letters from our readers.

The writer should include his or her name,address and, if applicable, IBEW local unionnumber and card number. Family membersshould include the local union number of theIBEW member to whom the Journal ismailed. Please keep letters as brief as possi-ble. The Journal reserves the right to selectletters for publication and edit all submis-sions for length.

Send letters to:Letters to the Editor, IBEW Journal,

900 Seventh Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001

or send by e-mail to:journal@ibew.org

©2005 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

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

IBEW Journal (ISSN: 0897-2826) Publishedmonthly, except January/February and July/August, which are combined issues, by theInternational Brotherhood of Electrical Work-ers, 900 Seventh Street, N.W., Washington,D.C. 20001. Subscriptions prices in theUnited States and Canada, $4 per year inadvance. Periodicals postage paid at Wash-ington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes toIBEW Journal, 900 Seventh Street, N.W.,Washington, D.C. 20001. This Journal willnot be held responsible for viewsexpressed by correspondents. Paid adver-tising is not accepted.

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40011756Return undeliverable Canadian addresses toB&M Mailing Services Limited, 35 VanKirkDrive, Unit 15, Brampton, Ontario L7A1A5. E-mail: bmmail@bellnet.ca

COVER

FEATURE

SDEP

ARTMENTS

THE JACKPOT10

MERCHANDISE ONLINE8

IBEW ON DUTY7

TAKING ON FLORIDA12

2 President’s Message

3 Secretary-Treasurer’s Message

4 IBEW Currents

8 IBEW’s Merchandise Store

16 Local Lines

26 In Memoriam

IBEW on Duty7 Dispatches from the Front Lines

IBEW in Public Office10 Indiana Town Hits Jackpot with

IBEW Mayor

IEC Minutes28 Meeting of September 13, 2005

Stick Together

The Romans conquered an enemy by cleaving them into pieces andoverpowering the smaller groups. The Nazis surrounded smaller Europeancountries, cut off their supply lines and starved them into surrender. WE AREAT WAR! They have more players on their team, more money and influence.Their weapons are political. They have bills written into law. They are misin-forming the public by their media. They are trying to divide and conquerAND THEY ARE WINNING. Stay together! Support one another! The time isnow, not during the next election cycle. Get involved in your local govern-ment, from the town board to the county executive. Think you don’t havethe time? Think about how much time you’d have if we lose. I’m a fifth-yearapprentice and I’ve got your back!

Jason Spagnola

Local 43 member, Syracuse, New York

More Habitat Volunteers

I was pleasantly surprised to see your article in the September issue regard-ing IBEW and Habitat for Humanity. For about a year and a half, IBEW Local520 has partnered with Austin’s Habitat for Humanity and we’ve installedunion quality built electrical systems in over 20 new Habitat homes. Local520’s name is proudly displayed as an “in-kind sponsor” on the Habitat signsin front of every new Habitat home under construction, listed in partnershipwith names such as City of Austin, Dow Chemicals, Whirlpool Corporationand Square D Electrical. Our volunteers have not gone unnoticed either.

This is what makes me so very proud to call IBEW Local 520 my homelocal and makes me proud to be a part of organized labor.

Delwin Goss

Local 520 member, Austin, Texas

The Real Story

In reply to Brother Roger Wray’s September letter, the American labormovement and its values have not changed in the last 150 years. So,although Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi believe in those values and haveadopted them by no means do they control them. Brother Wray, it is youand the moral majority that DON’T GET IT. You have been lied to, connedand brainwashed by the Republican Party and their paid propagandamachine. Republicans drag out abortion and same-sex marriage. As soon asthey get elected they forget it until the next election. They have had a lot ofyears in power and done nothing about it.

The Republicans have cut taxes for the rich, have helped ship thousandsof good paying jobs out of the country, are doing everything they can tobreak the unions and the standard of living for Americans. The Bush admin-istration has even helped corporations to drop employee pension plans.

NO, Brother Wray, we know what our UNION has done for our standardof living and continues to do for it. We get it—it is YOU and the rest of theso-called moral majority that don’t get it!

William R. Mundt

Local 2295 retiree, Oelwein, Iowa

LETTERS EDITORTOTHE

INTERNATIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS

First District

PHILIP J. FLEMMING1450 Meyerside Drive, Suite 300

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5T 2N5

Second District

FRANK J. CARROLL, JR.4 Armstrong Road, 2nd Floor

Shelton, Connecticut,

06484

Third District

DONALD C. SIEGEL500 Cherrington Pkwy.

Suite 325

Coraopolis, Pennsylvania 15108

Fourth District

PAUL J. WITTE8260 North Creek Drive, Suite 140

Cincinnati, Ohio 45236

Fifth District

JOHN F. SCHANTZEN100 Concourse Parkway

Suite 300

Birmingham, Alabama 35244

Sixth District

JOSEPH F. LOHMAN8174 Cass Avenue

Darien, Illinois 60561

Seventh District

JONATHAN B. GARDNER320 Westway Place, Suite 531

Arlington, Texas 76018

Eighth District

TED C. JENSEN2225 West Broadway, Suite H

Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402

Ninth District

MICHAEL S. MOWREY2500 Venture Oaks Way, Suite 250

Sacramento, California

95833-4221

Tenth District

ROBERT P. KLEIN5726 Marlin Road, Suite 500

Chattanooga, Tennessee

37411-4043

Eleventh District

LINDELL K. LEE300 South Jefferson, Suite 300

Springfield, Missouri 65806

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

EDWIN D. HILLInternational President900 Seventh St., N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20001

JON F. WALTERSInternational Secretary-Treasurer

900 Seventh St., N.W.Washington, D.C. 20001

INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Chairman

ROBERT W. PIERSONc/o IBEW Local 9

High Point Plaza Office Ctr.

4415 W. Harrison St. #330

Hillside, Illinois 60162

First District

JOSEPH P. CALABROc/o IBEW Local 1158

1149 Bloomfield Avenue

Clifton, New Jersey 07012

Second District

MYLES CALVEYc/o IBEW Local 2222

122 Quincy Shore Drive

Quincy, Massachusetts 02171

Third District

SALVATORE J. CHILIAc/o IBEW Local 38

1590 E. 23rd Street

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

Fourth District

LONNIE PLOTTP.O. Box 181

Dacula, Georgia 30019

Fifth District

STEPHEN SCHOEMEHLc/o IBEW Local 1

5850 Elizabeth Avenue

St. Louis, Missouri 63110

Sixth District

GREGORY LUCEROc/o IBEW Local 66

4345 Allen Genoa Road

Pasadena, Texas 77504

Seventh District

PATRICK LAVINc/o IBEW Local 47

600 N. Diamond Bar Blvd.

Diamond Bar, California 91765

Eighth District

JOSEPH FASHIONc/o IBEW Local 353

1377 Lawrence Avenue, East

North York, ON, Canada

M3A 3P8

2 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 3

wo major stories that have dominated ourattention this year have been the disaffili-ation of several unions from the AFL-CIOand the human tragedy of the hurricanesthat hit the Gulf Coast, along with thepolitical outrages that followed them.

We continue to work to hold thelabor movement in the United Statestogether. And we are certainly fighting themonumental injustice of denying jobs tothe residents of the affected areas and giv-ing them to low-bid, out-of-state contrac-tors because of the suspension ofprevailing wage laws.

Events demand our attention andaction, even in the face of other criticalneeds. I hope that in the approaching holi-day season, all of our members rememberthose who have lost so much due to thedevastation of this year’s hurricanes, espe-cially our brothers and sisters in the IBEW.The need is still great, and our relief fundwill remain active indefinitely (see page 5).Even though the IBEW has been forced todeal with both natural and man-made dis-asters, the task of organizing does not stop.

Over the course of the year, you haveread in these pages about some of theIBEW’s initiatives to promote organizing.These programs came about because wefaced up to some hard truths about theway we have been doing business. Theresult has included new initiatives in refer-ral procedures, drug testing and job classi-fications in construction and a new,coordinated push for selecting and pursu-ing organizing targets in all branches of the Brotherhood.

This issue’s cover story tells about how the IBEW’s initia-tives have all come together in Florida through a massivemobilization effort to strengthen our presence in every majorindustry we represent.

Why Florida? The Sunshine State has the fourth-largesteconomy in the United States. When the Florida campaignbegan, the IBEW had less than a 10 percent, and shrinking,share in a fast-growing construction market. In looking at

construction, we also found that we needed to bolster ourpresence in all our major industries in the state.

We assigned full-time International staff to Florida in addi-tion to the Fifth District staff already in the state. Local unionbusiness managers have had direct input, and the staff hasmet with—and listened to—employers throughout Florida todetermine why they were reluctant to work with the IBEW.

We have forged new construction agreements designed tohelp us get more of the work in the boom-ing residential and heavy and highwaymarkets. We are pursuing voice-data-videowork. We have made Florida the first stopon our utility organizing initiative to bringunorganized workers at our currentemployers into the Brotherhood. We havetargeted new units of state and local gov-ernment workers, some in conjunction withother unions. We have worked with ourtelecom locals to enhance our membershipand seek new units. We are mounting amajor drive to organize the Melbourneplant of Rockwell, a company that employsIBEW members at two plants in Iowa.

We are starting to see some positivesigns. More of our construction membersare working on projects where they for-merly would not have been considered.We have seen new energy among rankand file members in our utility, telecommu-nications and manufacturing campaigns.While success is still not assured, the hardwork and dedication of members, localunion leaders and International officersand staff show that at least the essentialingredients are in place. A similar full-scalecampaign is in the works for central Penn-sylvania, and other such efforts will takeplace in regions across the continentwhere we have slipped to the point where

our future is in doubt.The IBEW and the labor movement in general can

become a footnote in North American history, or we canmove our nations forward from this dark era. In Florida, thefight for the future is underway. 1

TKeeping Our Focus

would like to have seen the expressions onthe faces of lawyers for the Argosy Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, during their firstmeeting with Mayor Bill Cunningham, anIBEW member, and his city council, severalof whom have union backgrounds. Whobetter to negotiate agree-

ments holding corporationsaccountable to their neighbor-ing communities than men andwomen who have spent theirlives bargaining for workers?

As illustrated in our new series “IBEWin Public Office,” which begins on page10 of this issue, when union membersgrab the opportunity to run for publicoffice, we improve our communities, bol-ster our organizing and gain allies forfuture battles.

Lawrenceburg is far away from Wash-ington, D.C., where sharp-edged issuesdivide our nation. There, along the OhioRiver, citizens representing both sides ofthe national political divide often end upvoting for the same candidates. They areprimarily concerned with one question.Who can get things done? We can.

Michael Smart, a member of BostonLocal 103, is vice president of the Wey-mouth (Massachusetts) City Council. Soonafter being elected in 2002, he joined acouncil majority that passed Weymouth’s“Responsible Employer Ordinance,” requir-ing contractors to pay prevailing wagesand pension and health care benefits.

In Suffolk County, Long Island, former Local 25 BusinessManager Bill Lindsay has been serving in the legislature forfour years. Bob Dow, another former Local 25 business man-ager, is currently the county’s labor commissioner. On Septem-ber 27, the Suffolk County legislature, by a vote of 17-1,became the first county in the United States to pass a billrequiring large retail companies like Wal-Mart to provide healthcare to low wage retail workers.

Frank Weddig, a retired member of Denver Local 68 isanother one of our stars. In public office for 24 years, todayhe is a county commissioner for Arapahoe County serving apopulation of 515,000 people. Frank was instrumental inpassing legislation authorizing the building of Denver Inter-national Airport, creating thousands of building trades jobs.Labor owes a debt of gratitude to Frank and Local 68’s JohnSoper, who serves in the Colorado Legislature, for helping to

shut the door on right-to-work legislationin the state.

Tom George, president of St. Louis,Local 1, a four-term Missouri House repre-sentative has carried our banner in thatstate’s battle over right-to-work laws. TimGreen, another Local 1 member, has justbeen elected state senator.

These are just a few of our memberswho have taken the initiative to changetheir communities for the better by runningfor public office.

While some in the labor movement seepolitical campaigns as a distraction fromthe urgent necessity to organize new mem-bers, the IBEW considers these two activi-ties to be complementary.

Our members in public office who havehelped prevent right-to-work legislationhave blocked an important obstacle toorganizing. Political efforts like the SuffolkCounty health care initiative not only pro-ject a positive image for our organization,but seek to measurably improve the livesof working families. They help open doorsto our organizers and raise living standardsfor everyone.

Our members in public office stress theimportance of seizing opportunities toenter the political process where openingsexist, from zoning boards to school boards

to scaling the walls of the U.S. Congress, like our esteemedmember, Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.). Each level is a buildingblock to the next and a way to reach out to broad numbers ofcitizens on the important relationship between local andnational political developments. 1

IOpening Doors

“A MASSIVE MOBILIZATION

EFFORT TO STRENGTHEN

OUR PRESENCE IS

UNDERWAY.”

EDWIN D. HILLINTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT

“OUR MEMBERS

IN PUBLIC OFFICE

HAVE THE INITIATIVE TO

CHANGE THINGS.”

JON F. WALTERSINTERNATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER

Ontario

TorontoOttawa

4 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005

The mergers—whichhave so far consolidated307 utilities into 93—have resulted in repre-sentat ion elect ionspitting the IBEW againstother unions.

“We have been very suc-cessful over the past coupleyears in winning almostevery one of the votes,” saidLocal 636 Business ManagerRick Wacheski. After unionpresentations and elections, theIBEW has defeated such unions as thePower Workers Union and the Canadian AutoWorkers. “When given a choice, brothers andsisters choose the IBEW.”

The local picked up 120 memberslast summer with the reconstitutedPowerStream utility, an amalgamationof Markham Hydro, Richmond HillHydro and Vaughn Hydro. Power-Stream workers have just ratified

their first contract.Most recent ly, 80

members joined Local 636after a merger of Hamilton

Hydro and St. CatharinesHydro, forming Horizon Utili-ties Corporation.

Mergers will continue andmight be mandatory since

provincial officials have stated a final goal ofnine or 10 utilities serving everyone inOntario, Wacheski said. 1

IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 5

Nearly 60 IBEW utility members from acrossthe Canadian province of Manitoba participatedin a firefighter’s rodeo in June, raising nearly$2,000 for a children’s burn fund.

The 26th Annual Nelson River FirefightersRodeo is a friendly competition among morethan 10 teams of utility workers, virtually allvolunteer firefighters and members of Win-nipeg Local 2034. Events like hoselay/change and bucket brigade tested fire-fighting skills. Participants, many of whomtraveled up to 14 hours to attend, reveledin the once-a-year event that brings togetherworkers from remote generating outposts andconverter stations for Manitoba Hydro.

The vast majority of the 100 volunteers whoput on the four-day event were IBEW members,said Local 2034 Business Manager Wally Chudo.Members enjoyed the camaraderie and thefocus on their jobs. “These guys rarely get rec-ognized in their own communities,” he said. 1

Manitoba Utility Workers Compete, Raise MoneyIBEWCURRENTS

Winners of the annual Nelson River(Manitoba) Fire Fighters Rodeo are Winnipeg

Local 2034 members Roland Mousseau, left,Darren Walker, Ray Anderson and Sam

Cocquyt, all employed by Manitoba Hydro.

Nearly three years after

a majority of workers at

Helena, Montana’s, munici-

pal water treatment plant

signed IBEW authorization

cards, they finally have

their first ratified contract.

Now seven workers

have the protection of a

collective bargaining agree-

ment and a means to pur-

sue workp lace safety

improvements, said Helena

Local 233 Organizer Keith

Allen.

The bargaining process

with the city that voluntar-

ily recognized IBEW Local

233 was slowed by the fil-

ing of an unfair labor prac-

tice charge related to pay

for emergency call-outs,

which the IBEW eventually

won.

Although contract nego-

tiations had been slow for

years, in the meantime the

local was making progress

on the political front. Forg-

ing closer ties with the

mayor and the city commis-

sioners, Local 233 is hoping

for a change in city policy

that will require the munici-

pality to automatically rec-

ognize a union if it can

show that 50 percent plus

one worker has signed

authorization cards. 1

MONTANA CITY WORKERS BARGAIN

FIRST CONTRACT

Checks may be made payable to: “The IBEW Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund”

and sent to:The IBEW Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund

Chevy Chase Bank7501 Wisconsin Avenue

Bethesda, Maryland 20814or contribute via credit card

at www.ibew.org

The IBEW has established

a hotline for members affected

by Hurricane Katrina

who need help.

Call 866-389-4239

Canada Utility Mergers Net New IBEW MembersWhile Ontario’s government has set about streamlining the vastprovince’s utility distribution network in the past five years, TorontoLocal 636 has taken advantage of the consolidation to pick up hun-dreds of new members.

C HAN G ES I N I EC

Stephen Schoemehl, business manager of St. Louis Local 1 was appointed IEC

member from the Fifth District, effective November 1, 2005, to replace Robert Pierson

who has become IEC Chairman.

Myles Calvey, business manager of Boston Local 2222 and of Telephone System

Council T-6, has been appointed to the IEC representing the Second District, effective

November 1, 2005. Brother Calvey replaces Rui Carrinho who has been appointed to

the International staff and assigned to the IVP Second District.

Profiles of Brothers Foster, Schoemehl and Calvey will appear in the December

issue. A profile of Brother Pierson appears on page 6. 1

6 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 7

Asbury Park, New Jersey IBEW Local 400 Awarded

The New Jersey Army National Guardpresented certificates of appreciation onJuly 5 to the Military Committee ofAsbury Park, New Jersey, IBEW Local400, the Monmouth and Ocean CountiesCentral Labor Council and the Mon-mouth and Ocean Counties BuildingTrades.

The certificates recognize the unions’efforts in raising funds and donations fortroops serving in Iraq (See “New JerseyIBEW Mounts Massive ‘Support OurTroops’ Effort,” IBEW Journal, July-August 2005, p. 5). Joining the NationalGuard in honoring the unions, theTownship of Brick proclaimed July 13,2005, as “IBEW Local Union 400 MilitaryDay.” 1

National Guardmember JosephGenovese, EastWindsor, NewJersey, Local 827, a Verizon employee,requested his localto send an IBEWbanner to Iraq.

Members of Ohio and Pennsylvania IBEW locals who served in Iraq on air field pro-jects with Red Horse construction units (Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy OperationsRepair Squadron of Engineers). All have safely returned home.

Don Jones, a member of the U.S. ArmyReserve Headquarters Support Company463rd Engineering Group, based inWheeling, West Virginia, displays flagsigned by members of Steubenville,Ohio, Local 246, where he is a fifth-yearapprentice. Jones is due to return homein November.

IN COUNTRY

Anthony (A.J.) Radesovech,

and Paul Mahlik, members of

Green Bay, Wisconsin, Local 158,

were deployed to Iraq in June.

Long Island, New York, Local 1049

members Michael Hengerle,

Robert Kaine, Daryl Miller and

John Monaco are currently serving

in Iraq. 1

When Mike Burns, a member ofBoston Local 2222, heard about “LocalHeroes,” an effort to support troops serv-ing in Iraq, he knew that his fellowunion members would be willing to helpthe cause. He contacted Chief StewardSteve Smith and together they got busy.

Burns and Smith, splice-service tech-nicians at Verizon, sold 100 “LocalHeroes” T-shirts at their local unionmeeting to raise funds for mailing pack-

ages of supplies to troops serving inIraq. Then they set up boxes at severalVerizon work locations, requesting mem-bers to donate essentials.

“Local Heroes” has already sent 1,006packages to Massachusetts and NewHampshire soldiers, whose names aresubmitted by their families and friends.

Several Local 2222 retirees joinedBurns and Smith in the troop supporteffort. 1

Boston Local 2222 Supports “Local Heroes”

National Guardmember JosephGenovese, EastWindsor, NewJersey, Local 827, a Verizon employee,requested his localto send an IBEWbanner to Iraq.

Robert W. Pier-son was ap-

pointed Chairmanof the InternationalExecutive Councileffective Novem-ber 1 , 2005, toreplace Milton Fos-ter, who resignedand will assist inthe organizing effortin the Ninth Dis-trict.

Brother Piersonhad been appointedon October 1 torepresent the IEC Fifth Districtreplacing Lyle Keith Querry,who retired.

Brother Pierson, currentlybusiness manager of ChicagoLocal 9, was initiated into theIBEW in 1966. After serving asa local representative andassistant business manager,Pierson was elected businessmanager of Local 9 in 1997. Inhis new role, he took chargeof negotiations on behalf ofhundreds of Chicago employ-ees, including electrical work-ers in the city’s transit, park

and water rec la -mat ion depar t -ments, contractorsand line clearancetree trimmers. Healso served on theexecutive board ofthe Illinois Electri-cal Conference andas co-chairman ofthe Inside/OutsideJurisdictional Dis-pute Committeeand chairman ofthe Outside TaskForce created by

the International Office.A Chicago native, Pierson

and his wife, Shirley, havebeen married for 39 years.They have four children andfive granddaughters. Three oftheir sons are members ofChicago Local 9.

The officers and membersof the IBEW congratulateBrother Pierson on his newappointment. 1

EDITOR'S NOTE: For moreinformation on other changesin the IEC, see page 4.

A P P O I N T E D

RobertWalterPierson

Norman “Ray”Cobb, Direc-

tor of IBEW’s Rail-road Department,retired on October1, 2005, ending a43-year career.

Brother Cobbwas initiated intoHamlet, North Car-olina, Local 1923 in1962. Cobb com-pleted his insidewireman appren-ticeship while employed atSeaboard Airlines Railroad,the precursor of CSX Trans-portation.

First elected to the Local1923 executive board in 1969,Cobb became business man-ager of Local 1923 in 1973,serving for six years, andanother term from 1983 to1985. Cobb was selected toleading positions in railroadSystem Councils 32 and 9, ris-ing to general chairman andassistant general chairman,respectively, before beingappointed as an internationalrepresentative in 1994.

Assigned to what was theTenth District, covering allIBEW railroad locals, Cobbtraveled across the United

States organizingand representingrailroad workers.

In 2001, Cobbwa s appo i n t edDirector of the Rail-road Departmentby IBEW PresidentEdwin D. Hill.

Since his ap-pointment, BrotherCobb has partici-pated in ongoingnegotiations with

numerous Class I rail carriersand has worked hard todefeat the current administra-tion’s plan to deny Amtrakadequate funding.

“I wish the brothers andsisters of the Brotherhood thebest,” says Cobb, who willrelocate to Rockingham,North Carolina, where heplans to spend more timewith his wife, Lela, and hisfamily and attending church.He expects to enjoy golf andto make frequent visits to hisbeach home at North MyrtleBeach, South Carolina.

The officers and membersof the IBEW wish BrotherCobb and his family goodhealth, happiness and a fulfill-ing retirement. 1

R E T I R E D

Norman“Ray” Cobb

The IBEW is sad-dened to an-

nounce the Sep-tember 23, 2005,death of retiredFourth District VicePres iden t B .G .“Buck” Williamson.He was 79.

Brother Will-iamson served 16years as vice presi-dent, retiring in1988. An early lovefor electricity andelectronics led tohis 1947 initiation into Marietta,Ohio, Local 972, shortly after a

two-year stint as anelectronic techni-cian in the U.S.Navy during WorldWar II. He becameactive in the local,serving on variouscommittees and asa member of theexamining board.He was electedbusiness manager-financial secretaryin 1951. During histenure as Local 972leader, he served

on the bylaws and JATC com-mittee, and taught in the

apprenticeship school.Five years later, Brother

Williamson was appointedFourth District internationalrepresentative, serving Ohio,West Virginia, Kentucky, Vir-ginia, Maryland and the Dis-trict of Columbia. AppointedVice President in 1972, hewas re-elected at internationalconventions in 1974, 1978,1982 and 1986. He was activein the labor community serv-ing as Ohio AFL-CIO vicepresident, co-chairman of theCouncil on Industrial Rela-tions, Cincinnati chapter pres-ident of the Industr ia l

Relations Research Associa-tion, and on the steering com-mittee of the Ohio Citizens forSafe, Lower-Cost Electricity.

He attended Marietta Col-lege, and completed laborcourses at the University ofWisconsin, Universi ty ofCincinnati, Cornell University,Ohio State and University ofIllinois, among others. Hewas a member of the Veteransof Foreign Wars, the AmericanLegion and the MasonicLodge.

The IBEW extends sinceresympathies to wife, Irene,and family. 1

D E C E A S E D

Bernard G.“Buck”

Williamson

T R A N S I T I O N S

8 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 9

ings and social events on his behalf.Cunningham went door to door twice

during the campaign, promising to stayaccessible to constituents and to involvethem in the city’s plan for the future.

“I got support in areas where I didn’texpect it and lost in areas that I expectedto win,” he says. Cunningham’s victoryput him at the helm of a city that hadgone through an extreme transformation.

Once called “Whiskey City” because ofits six unionized distilleries (only one stilloperating), Lawrenceburg had become“Casino City” almost overnight. In 1995,Dearborn County voters approved thecasino by a vote of 52 to 48percent, with organized laborcampaigning hard for itsdevelopment.

L aw r e n c e bu rg ’ sArgosy casino hosts 5million visitors ayear and has amonthly take ofabout $120 million.The riverboat’spatrons fill up anadjacent hotel and afive-story parking

garage. The gambling complex, whichemploys 2,500 workers, is currentlyundergoing a $250 million expansion thatwill include a new Home Depot-sizedriverboat and a 1,600-car parking garage.

Prior to the casino’s opening, Cun-ningham worked with attorneys to nego-tiate the lucrative revenue-sharingprogram with casino owners to ensurethat the city and its citizens were not leftin the dust while the casino rolled up theprofits.

Last year, Cunningham and theLawrenceburg City Council renewed the

Last year, voters in thisRepublican-dominatedcounty helped electDemocratic Mayor BillCunningham, retired busi-ness manager of Cincin-nati, Ohio, IBEW Local212, and a city council ofDemocrats, stacked withunion members.

The Lawrenceburgnative and son of anIBEW member, he com-pleted his inside wire-man apprenticeship in1968, served in the U.S.Army and then becameactive in Local 212. Hewas appointed businessagent in 1988 and was elected businessmanager in 2001.

“My experience as business managerprepared me for the job of mayor,” saysCunningham. There is no better trainingground than a local union, he says, fordealing with the roller coaster of expecta-tions and frustrations of constituents.

Getting members involved in the politi-cal process is integral to both jobs; so isfund-raising. “We took Local 212’s COPEcontributions from $2,000 per year to over$100,000 and we saw the results,” he says.“Now every candidate running for officeshows up at Local 212’s yearly picnic.”

Republicans in Law-renceburg, 90 miles fromboth Indianapolis, Indi-ana, and Louisville, Ken-tucky, in “red” DearbornCounty, had some com-pelling reasons to strayfrom their party’s line.They handed Cunning-ham 60 percent of theirvotes on Election Day.

First, there was Cun-ningham’s record as ahands-on city councilmanwho helped negotiate arevenue-sharing agree-ment with the casino’sowners. That programgenerates enough cash to

give each Lawrenceburg graduating highschool senior up to $1,800 per year toattend college or a certified apprenticeshipprogram. Then there was a cornucopia ofpublic improvements, parks, buildings andopportunities for growth.

If those reasons weren’t enough, therewas Cunningham’s visibility and the sheerenergy that drove him to knock on everydoor in the city during the mayoral pri-mary and again during the general elec-tion campaign. He drew strength from hisIBEW roots, the very source of his origi-nal plunge into the political arena.

Cunningham got involved in city poli-

tics ten years ago, when he spoke to hiscity council representative about securinga prevailing wage agreement for localbuilding trades for the proposed casinoproject. She advised him to run for office.He ran a successful campaign for citycouncil, served a four-year term and thenleft public office. Later, when anothercouncilwoman resigned, Cunninghamwas appointed to serve out her term.

As he watched the counterproductivebickering between city leaders, Cunning-ham was convinced to run for mayor tounite the city’s leaders and put the inter-ests of its residents first.

Cunningham spent $20,000 on hiscampaign, all contributed by organizedlabor, including the United Food andCommercial Workers, which representsworkers and retirees from the city’s oncedominant distillery industry.

“I enlisted people that I could dependon and I campaigned hard,” he says, not-ing that labor’s help with get-out-the-voteefforts were critical to his success. Cun-ningham’s wife, Rita, a social worker, anddaughter, Tara, a special educationteacher and member of the AmericanFederation of Teachers, attended meet-

Whoever coined the phrase “all politics is local” must havetaken a trip to Lawrenceburg, Indiana, a city of 4,700 on theOhio River, home to the largest riverboat casino in the nation.

10 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005

IBEW IN PUBLIC OFFICE

“Those politicians are all the same!” It’s a refrain we’ve all probably said at onetime or another. Some union members, however, have done something about it.

A growing number of union members, with IBEW in the lead, have run success-fully for public office, learning valuable lessons about how to win and make a differ-ence in their communities.

In this new series, “IBEW in Public Office,” the Journal talks to some of ourmembers about their elected positions so that others may repeat their triumphs asthey seek to improve the lives of working families.

LEADERS PRAISE CUNNINGHAM’S

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

“Bill and his city council have

made endless infrastructure

improvements that will serve the

citizens of Lawrenceburg for the

next several generations.”

Republican State Senator JohnnyNugent, 27-year veteran legislator

“I worked with Bill when I was

city attorney for Lawrenceburg.

I was particularly impressed by

his financial knowledge which

he gained as a trustee for his

local’s pension fund. Bill isn’t

overwhelmed by big numbers.

His experience with the local also

makes him a gifted manager.”

“Bill Cunningham is a special

guy, the kind of good citizen who

is at every city event and shows

up early each Memorial Day to

set up the sound system.”

Republican Bob Ewbank, Attorneyfor Dearborn County, Indiana

IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 11

(Continued on page 28)

Mayor Bill Cunningham and Lawrenceburg,Indiana, City Council are pictured, from left,Dennis Carr, Mario Todd, Jackie Stutz (clerktreasurer), Cunningham, Mick McNimery, J.R.Holdcraft and Bill Bruner.

Argosy Casino, Lawrenceburg,Indiana, constructed by localbuilding trades.

Mayor Bill Cunningham

Photos

courtesyof2005

Krider

Photography

The face of America ischanging—and no state can provide a better windowinto the future than Florida.Florida is growing, due asmuch to Americans migrat-ing there as to immigrants.The state is the fourth-largestboth in the size of its econ-omy and its population.

Florida has a low unemployment rate—less than 5 percent. But it is dominatedby an anti-worker governor and legisla-ture and a weak state labor board. Wagesare low and benefits are few. It is nocoincidence that organized labor is notstrong in Florida. The IBEW is working tochange that.

With a historic new campaign ofunprecedented magnitude, the IBEW isout to rebuild its market share in con-struction and increase its presence inevery other branch of the Brotherhood.The IBEW has nothing to lose. And work-ers—who are suffering at the hands of anout-of-kilter labor market that over-whelmingly favors employers—haveeverything to gain.

“We’re reinventing a union movementin the state of Florida,” said IBEW Inter-national President Edwin D. Hill. “We’ve

never targeted a state like this before.We’re throwing everything we have intoit.”

A state organizing coordinator has beenplaced in Florida, and several organizershave been transferred to the state to aid incampaigns in every branch of the Brother-hood. Letters from President Hill havebeen mailed to all members and retireesliving in the state, notifying them of thecampaign and soliciting volunteers. IBEWand nonunion electrical contractors and

electricians have also been put on notice.A new Web site, www.ibewflorida.org,has been posted to provide news andinformation to prospective members.

New construction in Florida is pavingthe way for the IBEW’s re-emergence. Andkey to the Florida effort are new agree-ments that fundamentally change the waythe IBEW operates in the constructionindustry. In a state where residential con-struction comprises more than half of allconstruction—a 20 percent larger sharethan the national average—a small worksagreement targets projects like high-riseapartment buildings and condos as well asshopping centers and hotels.

Such an agreement will put signatorycontractors in a competitive position towin the vital residential and small com-mercial work that has recently eluded theIBEW. An intermediate wireman classifi-cation has been instituted to recruit thoseperforming electrical work for nonunioncompanies. The moves are an acknowl-edgement that things have changed, andthe IBEW had to adapt or cease to be aplayer in the construction industry.

“This is a sea change in the way we dobusiness and it will have a dramatic effectdown there,” said Buddy Satterfield, Spe-cial Assistant to the International Presidentfor Membership Development. “The terms

and conditions of our other contracts nolonger fit. They were structured when wedominated and had the luxury of dictatingthe rules.”

The intermediate classification, desig-nated “construction wireman,” bestowsan official title upon those members whohave not yet reached the highest level ofexpertise, and seeks to preserve theinside wireman designation for only thosewhose skills meet the rigorous journey-man qualifications. The new classificationdemonstrates that the IBEW is opening itsdoors to all workers in the Florida electri-cal industry with good attitudes, workethics and the desire to be part of theorganization.

As with other agreements, the smallworks agreement must be negotiated bythe local union and the National ElectricalContractors Association chapter. But it isan acknowledgement by both sides that amore competitive agreement is essentialfor the success of the Florida initiative.

A similar heavy highway agreement—also complete with staffing, portabilityand classification changes—has helpedease the IBEW back into highway con-struction in the Sunshine State. IBEWmembers are at work installing new elec-tronics and signs along the 400 miles of

12 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 13

(Continued on next page)

Preparing signs for an informationalpicket in front of Sprint call center inFort Myers are Tampa Local 824member Dan Wagner, left, Interna-tional Representative Troy Johnson,and Local 824 members Kathy Smithand Patty Wilkins.

Downers Grove, Illinois,Local 15 member CharWhite, left, Fort MyersLocal 199 member TomNolan and Las VegasLocal 396 memberCarol Gunther picketSprint last May.

IBEW Seeks toRegain Market

Share in BoomingSunshine State

IBEWTakes

OnFlorida

IBEWTakes

OnFlorida

IBEW Seeks toRegain Market

Share in BoomingSunshine State

President Hill conceded the taskwould not be easy when he announcedthe Florida plan at the Construction andMaintenance Conference last April. “Idon’t think that we are going to turnFlorida around overnight,” he said. “But Ido know that if we don’t start now, we’llbe out of the game totally. And if thathappens in places like Florida and otherrapidly growing states, then we are indanger of seeing the beginning of theend of the IBEW.”

More than 150 members and retireeshave volunteered to help the massiveorganizing effort, signing up for shiftsranging from three to 40 hours a month.Their services will be used in a variety ofways, from working phone banks, to talk-ing to prospective members about thebenefits of the IBEW to letter-writing cam-paigns in support of project labor agree-ments. The spirit and strong uniontradition of retirees and other transplantsfrom dominant union areas is highly val-ued in this right-to-work state.

Like many, retired member ClaytonMcKinney, Local 278, Corpus Christi,Texas, responded to the call for help intouching fashion. “I’m 80 and in poorhealth but willing to help in any way Ican,” said McKinney, now living in MooreHaven, Florida, just west of the Evergladesin the southern central part of the state.

A fleet of organizers is starting to takeshape. Topeka, Kansas, Local 304 memberCarmella Cruse is leading the ground effortwith a group of organizers that includeswomen and bilingual English/Spanishspeakers. Those qualities will be particu-larly helpful in the IBEW’s efforts to orga-nize a 660-worker unit of technicians andproduction workers at a Rockwell Collinsplant in Melbourne. The defense manufac-turer is one of many in Florida’s east coastregion known as “Space Coast” for thenumber of high-tech companies nearNASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Rockwell Collins workers reached outto the IBEW because of its establishedrelationship with two Rockwell plants inIowa, Local 1362 in Cedar Rapids andLocal 1634 in Coralville. But the differencebetween shops in Iowa and Florida isgreater than a few hundred miles. Rock-well Collins pays an average of $10,000less to Florida workers, offers scant pen-

sion benefits and requires its Melbournework force to pay three times more out-of-pocket for health insurance than IBEW-represented workers in Iowa.

The company pays no cost-of-livingincreases and due to sky-high housingcosts, many Rockwell workers are forcedto work overtime as well as second jobs tomake ends meet.

“These employees need a voice and achance to come above the poverty level,”Cruse said. “They have to spend a tremen-dous amount of time away from theirhomes and away from their families… andthey’re getting nowhere.”

At around five percent, Florida has oneof the lowest union density rates in thecountry, so people there have limited first-hand knowledge of the benefits of collec-tive bargaining. With newly-retained unionbusting consultants on the job, RockwellCollins is rushing in to fill a vacuum andhelp paint a skewed picture of unions.

Satterfield said the Rockwell campaignis being closely watched by other plants inthe area, most of whose workers lack avoice on the job.

Several public employee organizingcampaigns are under way. The biggest isin support of municipal workers in the cityof Tallahassee. And Gainesville Local 1205has recently been recognized as the bar-gaining agent for workers in Live Oak,despite stark opposition from town lead-ers. Although the city outsourced manage-ment of the 39 blue collar workers to aprivate firm, that company has recognizedthe union and is cooperating with itsworkers in crafting a first agreement.

Local 1205 Business Manager Jeff Hen-derson said he was approached early thisyear with heartbreaking stories from LiveOak workers: one man worked 30 yearsand only earned an $11 hourly wage.Another returned from an on-the-job acci-dent to be told he had to work twomonths without a salary to repay the cityfor its share of his workers’ compensationbenefits.

“You can’t meet these people and sayyou’re part of the labor movement andnot help them,” Henderson said. “If any-body I ever met needed a union, it isthese people.”

Arbitrary work rule changes and stag-nant wages and benefits led 300 munici-

pal utility workers in the city of Lake-land to Tampa Local 108. Plant operatorChris McPherson left his job and a mem-bership at IBEW Local 3 in New York tomove South, where he describes the dif-ference between the two work environ-ments as night and day. “Here, there’s alot of nepotism and favoritism that goeson,” McPherson said. “I told them theonly way to defeat this is to bring theunion in.”

An all-out blitz to sign up new mem-bers at an IBEW-represented Sprint callcenter in Fort Myers netted nearly 40 newLocal 199 members ahead of bargaininglast summer. Those intensified efforts drewIBEW members from across the country,and involved house calls to current andeligible members, informational picketingand membership meetings. “It’s no differ-ent today than it was 100 years ago,” Pres-ident Hill said. “People want to belongand want to be involved. Many times theyjust need to be asked.”

And in Jacksonville, a unit of 12 com-munications operators on contract with theNaval Computer and TelecommunicationsStation finally has a first contract a yearafter the employer recognized Local 2088as their bargaining representative. Thegroup—which had not had a raise in twoyears, or overtime pay, or affordablehealth insurance—unanimously ratified thecontract, said Business Manager N. HarryJudah.

The organizing effort recognizes that, ifunions are not making consistent strides inorganizing in a growing state like Florida,then the labor movement is constantly los-ing market share.

In 2000, President Bush won the WhiteHouse by a razor-thin share in Florida. “Bythe small numbers we lost the presidencyin 2000, we could have changed history,”Satterfield said. “By organizing, we canchange the political landscape.”

And by making membership gains, theIBEW and other unions can exert moreinfluence on wages and working condi-tions, a critical influence in the rising tidethat lifts workers in all boats.

For the latest news and updates on theIBEW’s Florida initiative, visit www.ibewflorida.org or www.floridaibew.org. Alink to the site is also available atwww.ibew.org. 1

14 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 15

state toll roads, a $35 million contract forthe Florida Transportation Departmentunder that pact. Such agreements,designed to give contractors flexibility onrules, have become necessary for theIBEW to work in the overwhelminglynonunion state construction market, saidFlorida Initiative Coordinator Jim Rudicil.

“Most nonunion employers operatinghere have no restrictions on moving man-power across jurisdictional lines,” Rudicilsaid. “These agreements are innovative,and way beyond what the IBEW has everdone before.”

The small works agreement is alreadynetting construction jobs for the IBEW.Fifty members of Orlando Local 606 areworking on a 35-story condominium pro-ject in Orlando. The $90 million, 900,000-square-foot project is among the firstlarge-scale residential jobs for Local 606.“We’re enthusiastic about this step intothe high-rise residential market,” saidBusiness Manager Harry Brown.

The Florida effort, originally conceivedby President Hill in response to the direreality of IBEW market share in the con-struction sector, concentrates existingresources on the strategic plan but pro-vides for organizers and financial supportfor targeted campaigns, Satterfield said.

IBEW TakesOn Florida(Continued from page 13)

Local 1205 memberDwight Nelson, a con-struction wireman, is atwork at Majestic Towers,a 22-story condominiumbuilding in Panama City.He is employed byConsolidated Electric.

Local 1205 first-yearapprentice MarioDumosch, feeds wire at Seychelles condo-minium in Panama City.

Local 1205 members on the job at Panama City’s Seychelles condos. Front row, from left are Bruce Carnley, general foreman; David Humphries,journeyman; Mike McDoungh, superintendent; Janero Johnson, third-yearapprentice; Brian Ross, construction wireman; and Tom Andrews, firealarm systems foreman. Second row, from left are Bob Smith, rough-inforeman; Alfred Fox, job steward; and Scott O’Dell, first-year apprentice.

Schipper of Local 659 and EugeneBowers of Local 532, both of whomworked in our jurisdiction. We are sad-dened by the loss of IBEW Pres. Emer-itus John J. Barry, who passed awayAug 28. Our condolences go to all oftheir families.

Special thanks to all members help-ing Hurricane Katrina victims.

STAN STOSEL, P.S.

Fight for Good JobsL.U. 51 (catv,lctt,o,rtb,t&u), SPRING-

FIELD, IL—With millions of jobs van-ishing in our country, many of uswonder if our job could be next. Onein four workers earns less than $8.70an hour. Our country is importing bil-lions more a year then we export. For-eign debt is skyrocketing. GeneralMotors, once our nation’s largestemployer heavily unionized with goodwages and benefits, has been replacedas largest employer by Wal-Mart, thelow-wage, no-benefit mass marketerof foreign goods. Where will our chil-dren find jobs that pay good wagesand benefits?

All union members must focus onthe fight for good jobs. We mustsearch for the union label when wespend our money. Union jobs arequality jobs that every communityneeds and no nation can afford tolose. For information on union-madeitems check Web site www.shop-unionmade.org.

On the work front many Local 51members are responding to the devas-tation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

DAN PRIDEMORE, B.R./P.S.

Support Your UnionL.U. 71 (lctt,o&rtb), COLUMBUS,

OH—Local 71 extends heartfelt sym-pathies to Kitty Barry and family onthe passing of our friend Int. Pres.Emeritus John J. Barry. Jack Barry willlong be remembered as one of the

finest labor leaders and trade unioniststhis Brotherhood has ever known.

We extend sympathies to all thefamilies that suffered the loss of aloved one or a home dealt by Hurri-canes Katrina and Rita. Our sisters andbrothers in our southern states needour support as they attempt to rebuildtheir lives and we must pledge ourunwavering support.

This was an election year for Local71 and all incumbent officers were re-elected. Officers thank the membersfor their continued support and confi-dence. Elected were: Pres. PatrickGrice, Vice Pres. Danny Harris, Rec.Sec. Nelson Duncan, Treas. John Crab-tree, Bus. Mgr. Wally Sickles; andExecutive Board members Danny Ben-ner, James Carmack, Kenny Lindsey,Larry Moore and Dave Sugerik.

WALLY SICKLES, B.M.

Retiree HonoredL.U. 77 (lctt,mt,o,t&u), SEATTLE,

WA—Retired Bro. Woodrow W. Wilsonreceived his IBEW 70-year serviceaward. Bro. Wilson, age 93, worked asa substation operator for both PugetSound Energy and Seattle City Light.Bus. Mgr. Don Guillot and Pres. RickJohnson presented “Woody” with theaward at his group home in Ballard,WA. Bro. Wilson’s family attended thecelebration, including his son, daughter,grandchildren and great grandchildren.

IBEW Local 77 has lost threeprominent members—Robert Gagnat,John Tomac and Edward Andersen.We will miss these brothers, their dedi-cation to Local 77 and their loyal com-mitment to unionism.

The work picture is good here inSeattle. Brothers and sisters wanting totravel should call our office at (206)323-4505 before heading to the Seattlearea.

DAVID WHEELER, P.S.

PSE&G ContractL.U. 97 (u), SYRACUSE, NY—Bus.

Rep. Chuck Borell graduated from theNational Labor College in June with abachelor’s degree in labor studies. His

final thesis was a research paper onhow unions can more successfully winarbitration cases.

On August 4, PSE&G employees atAlbany Steam Station ratified a six-yearcontract with yearly raises of 3.25 per-cent. The terms of the agreement arefrom Nov. 1, 2005 to Oct. 31, 2011.Negotiations with Entergy NuclearOperations Inc. commenced in Octo-ber 2005. The contract between Local97 and Entergy expires Dec. 31, 2005.

On the political front, we urge ourmembers to go to the Local 97 Web siteand look for the article about CAFTA.We need to tell the following congress-men that we are not happy with theirposition on CAFTA: Rep. James T.Walsh, R-25th (Central New York); Rep.Sherwood L. Boehlert, R-24th (MohawkValley); Thomas Reynolds, R-26th(Williamsville); and Rep. John E.Sweeney, R-20th (Albany). If at leasttwo of these congressmen had voted“no” the measure would not havepassed.

JOHN SATUNAS, P.S.

Summer Work ImprovedL.U. 99 (govt&i), PROVIDENCE,

RI—Work improved to near fullemployment through late summer.With several big projects coming up,the future months look a little brighter.

Congratulations to recently electedofficers: Bus. Mgr. Allen P. Durand,Pres. John Shalvey, Vice Pres. PeterFurlong, Treas. Jim Anderson, Rec.Sec. John T. Dibiase; and ExecutiveBoard members Steve Brown, JamesHarrington, William Smith and PaulStromberg.

The annual Local 99 Golf Tourna-ment raised money for the EverettTommy Woodmansee ScholarshipFund.

We celebrated Labor Day, reflectingon the contributions of our predeces-sors.

STEPHEN P. CALLAGHAN, P.S.

United Way VolunteersL.U. 109 (u), ROCK ISLAND, IL—

Local 109 volunteers participated inthe United Way of the Quad Cities’first “Extreme Day of Caring.”

The Local 109 volunteers painted alarge dining room and activity room ata United Way partner agency, theFriendly House in Davenport, IA.Thanks to the Local 109 volunteers:Les Kline, Jerry Bald, Rich McCoy, LucMartel, Don Jones and Ben Lorenzen.

LORI SMITH, R.S.

Line & Gas RodeosL.U. 111 (em,lctt,mt,o,rtb,spa&u),

DENVER, CO—Colorado has been inrodeo-mode! In July PSCO/XcelEnergy held its annual line rodeo inDenver. First-place team: Ed Lensen,Rick Kernan and Patrick Kennedy(Lipan Distribution Center). Second-place team: Paul Harris, Casey Goldenand Greg King (Alamosa/Salida). Topapprentice honors: Joel Stolte (firstplace) and Paul Leary (second place).

In August, the gas rodeo was heldin Denver. First-place team: SammyGarcia, Shane Kerstiens, Mike Peritoand Mike Hernandez (Nipple Twisters,Denver Metro). And second-placeteam: Mike Simpson, Greg Hood,Chad Everson and Larry Eberhart(Smokin’ Pigs, Silverthorne/MountainDivision).

At the gas rodeo, a plaque was pre-sented to Local 111 Bus. Mgr./Fin. Sec.Michael A. Byrd and Xcel Vice Pres.Tim Taylor in honor of the late SisterPeggy Ohlendorf. Peggy was a leadfitter when she left PSCO/Xcel Energyto establish a training company in thegas industry. She is greatly missed. Weknow Peggy was smiling down on thefirst “all female” rodeo team, “Dia-monds in the Rough,” consisting ofSisters Phyllis Berti, Mary Hansen, Jan-ice Sanders and Margaret Buck-Roybal.

DENNIS Z. LeTURGEZ, P.S.

Refugee CenterL.U. 1 (as,c,ees,ei,em,es,et,fm,i,mt,

rts,s,se,spa,st&ws), ST. LOUIS, MO—Inthe aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, St.Louis County officials decided topromptly reopen the former St. LouisCounty Justice Center in ChesterfieldBottoms to provide housing for dis-placed families. The complex hadbeen closed for over four years.

At extremely short notice, 18 Local1 wiremen and apprentices employedby Guarantee Electric and six commu-nication members from Guarantee’sTel-Vi division began a rigorous over-haul of the center’s electrical systems.The facility will be operated by theSalvation Army. Thanks to memberswho worked so hard to provide aplace for over 300 needy individuals.

We mourn the deaths of Bros.Oscar Pfefferkorn, Chester A. Virga,Paul Biedermann, Robert L. Baker,Robert L. Dalton, Hilary O. Cunning-ham III, Leroy H. Vaughn, Otis R.Campbell, George F. Conkey, BertramSchultz, Theodore R. Perry, Joseph A.Chrico, Robert L. Browner, EdwardGarcia, Gary Johnston, James C.Adams Jr. and Aloysius A. Nansel.

MATT GOBER, P.S.

Taking HeedL.U. 17 (catv,em,lctt,o&u), DETROIT,

MI—After the immense devastation ofHurricanes Katrina and Rita, Local 17members stepped up to support thecommunities impacted by these cata-strophic storms that left millions with-out power, water and homes.

With such catastrophes increasing,

it is apparent there is a shortage ofskilled, qualified craftsmen available tomeet all the demands of the market-place. Utility companies should takenote and change course in an effort toramp up apprenticeship programs. Ifwe don’t take heed, then the safety,reliability and dependability of thetransmission and distribution systemswill be at risk.

The union reached a tentativeagreement that covers the utility sideof the house. We also began negotia-tions on the 6-17-A Agreement and theThumb Co-op Agreement. The work

picture remains steady. All our utilitycontractors need lineman and workhas picked up at LeCom, our commu-nications contractor.

The MPSC ordered an investigationregarding the numerous outages andlow voltage complaints in several com-munities within the DTE Energy servicearea; this request is due Nov. 1.

We mourn the loss of Bro. ClarenceKreiner.

ROBERT ECKHOUT, PRES./P.S.

A Stronger UnionL.U. 21 (catv,govt&t), DOWNERS

GROVE, IL—Our union reached a ten-tative agreement with the City ofChicago on Sept. 8, 2005. Highlights ofthe four-year agreement include fairwage increases in each year of theagreement, and retroactive wages backto July 31, 2003. The agreementincludes grade increases for membersin the “Police Communications 1” and“Aviation Communication Operator”job classifications. New languagespecifies pay differentials for membersperforming on-the-job training.

SBC notified Local 21 regarding alayoff and four new surpluses it plansto implement by Dec.15, 2005.

Pres./Bus. Mgr. Ron Kastnerappointed an internal organizing com-mittee. IBEW Local 21’s commitment isto be informed, educated and mobi-lized—ready to take quick action toassist in resolving disputes from theworkplace to the bargaining table.Increased member involvement createsa stronger union.

THOMAS HOPPER, P.S.

35th Softball TournamentL.U. 25 (catv,i,o&rts), LONG ISLAND,

NY—The IBEW Long Island SoftballTournament hosted by Locals 3, 25,1049 and 1381 was held Aug. 26-28 atBaldwin Park under sunny skies.

Results were as follows: Upperbracket winner—Local 3, New York,NY. Lower bracket winner—Local 103,Boston. The Brotherhood Award recip-ient was Local 129, Lorain, OH, whoseteam members drove 10 hours to LongIsland. A total of 31 teams participated.A barbecue was hosted by the Tourna-ment Committee.

Anyone interested in participatingin next year’s tournament, Aug. 25-27,2006, please call the president’s officeat (631) 273-4567, Ext. 241.

ED O’DONNELL, P.S.

Charity Golf OutingL.U. 41 (em,es,i,se&spa), BUFFALO,

NY—Congratulations to our newestjourneyman wiremen, residential wire-men and Interconnect-Security-Soundclasses of 2005.

Local 41 held its election of officersin June. Congratulations to all.

Terry Mays and Herb Good orga-nized the Local 41 Charity Golf Outingheld at Chestnut Hill Golf Course inSeptember. This year’s charity wasMercy Flight. Thanks to all partici-pants. Also in September, we held ourElectrical Workers Annual Outing, agreat success.

Although work picked up for thesummer, the work picture is still slow.There are, however, some hopefulprospects for the future. Everyone isencouraged to continue their trainingby taking advantage of the journeymaneducation classes offered at our hall.

KENNETH C. ZACK, P.S.

Negotiations SuccessfulL.U. 47 (lctt,mo,u,o&uow), DIA-

MOND BAR, CA—Local 47 partici-pated in the annual Labor Day paradeand picnic in Wilmington, CA.

We negotiated a 42 percent pensionincrease and saved Retiree Medicalbenefits for our members at the City ofAnaheim. New accounting standardsforced the city to report future retireemedical expenses as a huge, unfundedliability. The local established a RetireeMedical Trust, funded initially by thecity, transferring money previously setaside for retiree medical costs. The cityand employees will make ongoingcontributions.

In July we hosted our fifth annualMemorial Golf Tournament to raisefunds for our Injured Workers Fund.

We mourn the passing of Bros.George “Lynn” Cummings, Dan Clay-ton, John Fry, Ken Hurley Sr. and JimHagge Sr.—as well as Bros. Mark

16 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 17

(as) Alarm and Signal(ars) Atomic Research

Service(bo) Bridge Operators(cs) Cable Splicers(catv) Cable Television(c) Communications(cr) Cranemen(ees) Electrical Equipment

Service(ei) Electrical Inspection(em) Electrical

Manufacturing(es) Electric Signs(et) Electronic Technicians(fm) Fixture Manufacturing(govt) Government(i) Inside(it) Instrument

Technicians(lctt) Line Clearance Tree

Trimming(mt) Maintenance(mo) Maintenance and

Operation(mow) Manufacturing Office

Workers(mar) Marine(mps) Motion Picture Studios(nst) Nuclear Service

Technician(o) Outside(p) Powerhouse(pet) Professional,

Engineers and Technicians

(ptc) Professional, Techni-cal and Clerical

(rr) Railroad(rtb) Radio-Television

Broadcasting(rtm) Radio-Television

Manufacturing(rts) Radio-Television

Service(so) Service Occupations(s) Shopmen(se) Sign Erector(spa) Sound and Public

Address(st) Sound Technicians(t) Telephone(u) Utility(uow) Utility Office Workers(ws) Warehouse and

Supply

LOCALLINES

ATTENTION PRESS SECRETARIES:

The Journal has an e-mailaddress dedicated exclusively toreceiving “Local Lines” articlesfrom press secretaries. If you wishto submit your articles via e-mail,please forward them directly tolocallines@ibew.org. This willhelp expedite the productionprocess. As always, inquiries of a general nature or letters to the editor should still be sentto journal@ibew.org.

Local 47 member Gary Updegraff(left), a level II certified infraredthermographer employed by theCity of Colton, CA, Electric Depart-ment, receives a “Certificate ofProfessional Contribution” pre-sented by John Snell of SnellInfrared. At Snell Infrared’s annualconference on “ThermalSolutions,” Bro. Updegraff present-ed a paper on the gas-fired gener-ation plant, built on time andunder budget with union labor.

IBEW Local 1 members from Guarantee Electric renovated the St. LouisCounty Justice Center. Photo courtesy Larry Bausola.

Local 71ElectionCommittee:RalphTeague,JasonLawhorn,Spud Wallsand BillyCrabtree.

Local 77 retired Bro. Woodrow W.Wilson (center) receives his 70-year IBEW service award pin.Extending congratulations areLocal 77 Bus. Mgr. Don Guillot(left) and Pres. Rick Johnson.

Local 97 Bus. Rep. Chuck Borrell(center) receives congratulationson his graduation from AFL-CIOPres. John J. Sweeney (right) andNational Labor College Pres.Susan J. Schurman.

Local 109 members volunteered for a Quad Cities area United Way “Day ofCaring” project. At the Friendly House site: Les Kline, Jerry Bald, RichMcCoy, Luc Martel and Don Jones. Local union volunteer Ben Lorenzensnapped the photo.

Local 111 Bus. Mgr./Fin. Sec.Michael A. Byrd (left) and XcelEnergy Field Operations Vice Pres.Tim Taylor receive plaque in honorof Sister Peggy Ohlendorf.

service. They include: Jerry Dehart,Gary Eichelberger, Clint Miller, DanMiller, Jack Roberts and Dan Uhlir.

MIKE RAIKES, P.S.

Labor DayL.U. 245 (govt,lctt,o,rtb&u), TOLEDO,

OH—Labor Day 2005 was an occasionto reflect on recent developments inthe labor movement, which, to this per-son, are “much ado about nothing.”Apparently some unions have differentthoughts on how to accomplish thesame goals. Unions were born for areason and those reasons still existtoday. As long as workers face struggle,we will have unions. Labor Day is a

chance to remember that we were allthere to support labor no matter whichroad we traveled to get there.

Outside work is going well. We’vehad crews doing storm work in theSouth. Negotiations are underway atBryan Municipal. On the TV side ofthe business, the local recently wasinformed that our Liberty CorporationCBS affiliated station Channel 11 wasbought out by Raycom Media. Raycomcurrently owns our NBC affiliated sta-tion Channel 24. More on this dramaas it unfolds.

The Fellowship Committee’s firstventure was a huge success thanks toall participants.

Congratulations to our newlyelected officers. And special thanks tothose who served the last three years.

RAY ZYCHOWICZ, P.S.

Political StrengthL.U. 269 (i&o), TRENTON, NJ—The

local union grabbed media attentionby flexing its political muscle againsttwo local establishments. The HyattRegency was the focus of one printarticle, based on the local union’srequest that their political friends boy-cott the hotel and conference centerduring the upcoming election season.The response was overwhelming,thanks to members who hand-billed.These same efforts contributed to theless than spectacular opening of a BobEvan’s Restaurant, where again areaofficials respected the union’s wishes.

Bro. George Grant motivated mem-bers to show support for our troopsby wearing red shirts on Friday. Mem-bers passed a motion for the local todesign and sell shirts with all proceedsgoing to the families of IBEW Local269 members serving in the military.

The Good of the Union Committeecontinues its service to the community.The bi-annual blood drive is sched-uled for this fall, as well as two Adopt-A-Highway programs in New Jersey/Pennsylvania.

Congratulations to Gino Pasqualoneon his promotion into the local officeas an organizer.

TREVOR MARCIANTE, P.S.

Contract NegotiationsL.U. 295 (em,i,o,rtb,rts,spa&u), LIT-

TLE ROCK, AR—In these hard eco-nomic times, we are fortunate to haveseveral out-of-state contractors doingsome small projects as well as thesteam generator change-out at ArkansasNuclear One. Many local contractors’work and bidding remain slow.

We are in negotiations at press timeand hope to have many or all issuesresolved by the time this is published.

We encourage members to stay intouch and come to union meetings.Your work and earnings future dependon these as well as other negotiations.

Our prayers go out for all of ourmembers and others affected by Hurri-cane Katrina. In solidarity, we supportyou in your efforts to regain andrebuild all that you have lost.

BOBBY THORNTON, A.B.M./ORG.

Hurricane Relief FundL.U. 317 (i,o,rts,t&u), HUNTING-

TON, WV—The high-line job is pro-gressing and providing many jobs foroutside members. Thanks to travelershelping staff the work. Many newmembers joined our local to work onthis project and we wish them a long,safe and prosperous career.

Our prayers go out to all thoseaffected by Hurricanes Katrina andRita. Although many have alreadymade donations to help, the need isstill great and we can assist IBEWmembers in need.

The IBEW established a relief fundto aid members devastated by this cat-astrophe. Checks may be madepayable to “The IBEW Hurricane Kat-rina Relief Fund” and sent to: TheIBEW Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund,Chevy Chase Bank, 7501 WisconsinAve., Bethesda, MD 20814.

TED KINDER, PRES.

Politics & JobsL.U. 343 (i,spa&st), LE SUEUR,

MN—Thankfully, we’ve had some

relief from our construction recession. A small part of the relief has come

in the form of a very large school pro-ject that assured union people jobs andthe school district a quality project.Thanks to a large turnout by construc-tion workers and building trades repre-sentatives at a school board meetingmonths ago, a Project Labor Agreement

was secured for the school project.Getting involved politically to make

your voice heard at the grass-rootslevel can change your employmentlevels. This effort takes time andmoney. Voluntary COPE check-offcards, automatically withholding dona-tions to fund a better future, are agood way to start.

BRAD NELSON, P.S.

Basic Contracting ClassL.U. 357 (c,i,mt,se), LAS VEGAS,

NV—Local 357 sponsored a “BasicElectrical Contracting” course inAugust. Approximately 50 potentialIBEW contractors attended. The mis-

sion was to provide members withbasic knowledge to start their owncontracting businesses and expandLocal 357’s place in the market. Train-ing was provided by Matt Kolbinskyand Jim Cole of Pro-Union ConsultingInc. of Cincinnati. Presentations alsowere made by Local 357 Bus. Mgr.David Jones, Business. DevelopmentDir. Al Davis, NECA Chapter Mgr. RossFarr and U.S. bank representatives.

The class was so well received thelocal plans to host another course.Creating more small union contractorsfrom within our membership can keepour market share growing. The localcontinues to develop business partners

in the community to help our smallunion contractors succeed and grow.

AL DAVIS, ORG. DIR.

Labor Day in LouisvilleL.U. 369 (em,es,i,lctt,o,rtb,rts,spa&u),

LOUISVILLE, KY—Labor Day at theZoo, sponsored by Greater LouisvilleUnited Labor Picnic Inc., was held

Sept. 5. Thousands of union membersattended, enjoying good food, livebands, a car show, blow-up rides forthe kids, door prizes and the spirit ofunion fellowship.

We had perfect weather for the pic-nic. Locals from across the metro-Louisville area participated. All craftsand manufacturing were representedwith informational booths. Thanks toall union members who made thisevent a great success.

JOHN E. MORRISON JR., P.S.

65-Year Service PinsL.U. 387 (em,lctt&u), PHOENIX,

AZ—Congratulations to Bros. Albert R.Gerbens and Blaine L. Learn on their65-year service awards.

Storms and heat have kept every-one busy as you can see in the accom-panying photo, which shows IBEWtroubleman Roger Vandemheen, ofGlobe, AZ, responding to a P.T. failureat San Manuel Substation in July.

Our linemen teams have broughthome lots of hardware competing inrodeos; at press time they are prepar-

IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 19

Bill Miller RetiresL.U. 125 (lctt,o&u), PORTLAND,

OR—Bro. Bill Miller, our businessmanager/financial secretary for over 21years, retired July 29, 2005. Bill servedhis local well and also served theentire IBEW membership on numer-ous national committees. We thankBro. Miller for his dedication to ourlocal and the IBEW.

Congratulations to recently electedofficers: Bus. Mgr./Fin. Sec. Travis Eri,Pres. Larry W. Browning, Vice Pres.Paul S. Dietrich, Rec. Sec. Raymond W.Cowell and Treas. Douglas J. Shaffer.Elected to the Executive Board: K.T.Anderson, Don L. McCleery, Jim Sweetand Patrick E. Winter. Elected to theExamining Board: Lee Cole, Ronald L.Derting, Anthony R. Jacobs, DonaldRose and William C. Young. Delegatesto the International Convention: TravisEri and Larry Browning.

STEVE ROSE, ORG.

Plant Retooling ProjectL.U. 129 (i,mt&spa), LORAIN, OH—

Congratulations to Bro. Carl Mackenon receiving his 65-year pin. We alsocongratulate all our new journeymenfrom our fifth-year graduating class.

Work in our area is fair, with someprojects finishing up. At the time ofthis writing, we hope to see Book 1clear when the Ford plant starts inmid-August for its retooling to accom-modate the van coming from theLorain plant. Also, as of press time, weexpect that Firelands Hospital may bestarting very soon, which will beanother good project for our area.

DENNIS PEDINGS, P.S.

Habitat VolunteersL.U. 139 (i&u), ELMIRA, NY—Local

139 is proud to have been involved inanother Habitat for Humanity projectin our area. Hats off to our memberswho volunteered for this worthwhilecommunity project. We also thankMike Sincock and the folks at BouilleElectric for their help with the mater-ial. Thanks to all who participated.

ERNIE HARTMAN, P.S.

Mitchell Power RenovationL.U. 141 (ees,i,o&u), WHEELING,

WV—Work is picking up here with amajor renovation to Mitchell PowerStation. We also welcome PrecisionElectric to our area on the Lowe’sstore project.

Local 141 members are picketing thenew Wal-Mart site in Moundsville, WV.While little hope remains of turning thisproject around, we had to respond toout-of-state, nonunion constructioncompanies in our area. Meanwhile, thenew Wal-Mart in Dallas Pike will bebuilt by local building tradesmen,thanks in large part to great coopera-tion by Ohio County officials.

Recently elected officers are: Bus.Mgr. John Clarke, Pres. Tom Conner,Vice Pres. Dave Cantrell, Rec. Sec.Mike Parker and Treas. Shawna Davis.New Examining Board members are:

Dale Ramsay, Paul Simmons, GregHeslop, Jake Hileman and Luke Pelley.Executive Board members are: DougGiffin, Hiram Pelley, Art Oakland,Bryan Porter, John Sharpe, MikeKwiatkowski and Mike Vargo.

Best wishes to new apprenticeshipinstructor Mark Dunfee, taking over asfirst-year teacher.

At a union meeting we held amoment of silence for Local 141 Bro.Larry Swallie and Int. Pres. EmeritusJohn J. Barry. They will be missed.

TOM CONNER, PRES./P.S.

Regaining Market ShareL.U. 143 (em,i&spa), HARRISBURG,

PA—Our newly elected officers are:

Bus. Mgr./Fin. Sec. Robert L. Rhoades,Pres. Glenn L. Carnahan, Rec. Sec.Thomas W. Porr, Vice Pres. BrianWeibley and Treas. Gary Yinger.Elected to the Executive Board: EricBashore, Henry Bonson, JamesNeiswender, Steven Wolfe, GeraldHawkins, Kirby Artz and MonteShearer. Examining Board: MichelDice, Michael Reber and Troy Wood-

ward. Delegate to the InternationalConvention: Glenn Carnahan.

Local 143 thanks Dennis Yinger,Barry Ebersol, Jerry Hawkins and BrianWeibley for their many years of service.

Local 143 hosted an IBEW confer-ence of mostly centrally located IBEWlocals in Pennsylvania. Invited werebusiness managers and ExecutiveBoard members. Int. Pres. Edwin D.Hill and his staff addressed the meet-ing on regaining lost market share ofresidential and light commercial work.Pres. Hill gave a 60-day directive to allbusiness managers.

ROBERT H. WOLFGANG, P.S.

‘Master Tradesmen’L.U. 159 (i), MADISON, WI—Bros.

Andrew Bangert and Jeff Palmerreceived a Master Tradesman Awardpresented by Red Wing Shoe Com-pany. The award is a tribute to ourbrothers’ level of expertise and dedica-tion to the skilled trade industry. Incelebration of Red Wing’s 100thanniversary and in recognition of theseunion members’ dedication to qualitycraftsmanship, Bros. Bangert andPalmer were awarded a pair of lim-ited-edition Red Wing boots and a$500 scholarship. Red Wing ShoeCompany, founded in 1905 as a tiny

shop in Red Wing, MN, is recognizedworldwide as a respected U.S. manu-facturer of quality boots and shoes.

Red Wing and America’s skilledcraftsman, including electricians andother tradesmen, have much in com-mon. They share an enduring workethic, a passion for quality andtremendous pride in their work.

BILLY C. HARRELSON, B.M.

Labor Day PicnicL.U. 177 (bo,ees,i,mo,o&pet), JACK-

SONVILLE, FL—We held our LaborDay picnic Sat., Sept. 3, so Mondaycould be spent relaxing and enjoyingtime off from work. Approximately300 brothers and sisters and their fami-lies attended the outing. There weregames for the kids, food, door prizesand music.

Bus. Mgr. Russell Harper and Pres.Alan Jones presented our brother- andsister of the year plaques. Joe Robertswas named “Brother of the Year” andMonica Alford, “Sister of the Year.”Thanks to Bus. Mgr. Harper and Pres.Jones and their Labor Day Picnic Com-mittee for another job well done.

LISA M. STUART, P.S.

Officials InvitedL.U. 191 (c,i,mo,rtb&st), EVERETT,

WA—Local 191 is experiencing a surgein energy, appropriately enough for anelectrician’s union.

The local has been lining up a star-studded cast of local and national pub-lic officials to appear before our unionto report on issues and field questionsfrom our members. Talks are ongoingto have Washington’s senators andmembers of the state’s delegation tothe U.S. Congress attend our meetings.

MARCUS ABARCUS, P.S.

Labor Day CelebrationL.U. 197 (em&i), BLOOMINGTON,

IL—Local 197 members and their fami-lies marched in our Labor Day parade.After the parade we had a great picnicat the hall with volleyball, golf andFrisbee for kids and adults. TomPeasley and Paul Spencer won the firstplace trophy in horseshoes. Our soft-ball team took first place in the annualLabor Day softball tournament hostedby the Laborers.

At our July meeting newly electedofficers were sworn in: Bus. Mgr. LanceReece, Pres. Rich Veitengruber; VicePres. Bernie Uszcienski, Treas. TerrySpencer, Rec. Sec. Frank Kuhns; andExecutive Board members Dave Ashen-bremer, Keith Ashenbremer, BrianGraves, Larry Mathis, Ken McLean, BillSwindle and Mark Schweitzer.

Congratulations to all. We also thankoutgoing officers for their dedicated

18 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005

Local 139 Habitat forHumanity volunteers:front row, from left,Steve Hoodak, DanSchmidt, Dave Patton,John Narde, Eric Feyand Darin Benjamin;back row, DaveBlauvelt, Jim Tierney,Mike McLaughlin,Dave Cecchini andGreg Cunningham.

Local 141members pick-et the newMoundsville,WV, Wal-Martsite: from left:Kurt Reed, ArtOakland andGeorge Knuth.

Local 143 Bus. Mgr. Robert L.Rhoades (left) with Int. Pres. EdwinD. Hill.

Local 159 members AndrewBangert (left) and Jeff Palmer.

Retired Local 125 Bus. Mgr. BillMiller.

Local 177 members KentWilliamson(left), DannyWynne, andMichael O’Brienbarbecuedthrough thenight for thelocal’s LaborDay picnic.

IBEW Local 245contingentmarches in2005 LaborDayparade.

Several towerson the six-bun-dle high line pro-ject in southernWest Virginia.The line is beingrun by IBEWLocal 317 mem-bers and travel-ers employed byPar Electric.

Local 369membersand theirfamiliesjoined in the annualLabor Day at the Zoocelebrationin Louisville,KY.

IBEW Local 387 troubleman Roger Vandemheen, of Globe, AZ,responds to a P.T. failure at SanManuel Substation in July.

Participants at Local 357’s “Basic Electrical Contracting” course.

Summer Work SlowL.U. 557 (i,mt,rts&spa), SAGINAW,

MI—July found lots of idle hands andmany took furloughs, only to have tosign the book after missing out onsome short work opportunities. Schoolprojects created some work and moreis coming. With over 40 hands on theout-of-work list, we need more work topay fair wages. Informational pickets,communications with potential projectowners, meetings with non-signatorycontractors, investigating potential jobsand Comet training are keeping paidemployees at the hall busy.

Volunteering in Habitat, lightinghistoric signs and Veteran’s plaza, andadvertising give us recognition, andmay open some doors.

JOHN E. CLEMENS, P.S.

Apprentice GraduatesL.U. 569 (i,mar,mt,o,rts&spa), SAN

DIEGO, CA—Congratulations to theJune 2005 apprentice graduating class.We welcome these new journeymen.Graduates are: Gary Adams, MaicoAlejo, Victor Almazan, Scott Barker,Brian Berryhill, Paul Blazak, RobertBrooks, Bradley Brownlee, WilliamCanada, Ken Cannizzaro, Terrence Col-bert Jr., Rafael Cortez, Justin Cortinas,Alvaro Cuevas, Richard Darley, VictorDe Jesus, Kurt Delamater, Donald Dow-ers, Oscar Figueroa, Robert Goeltzen-leuchter, Saul Gonzalez, LaVaun Harris,Thomas Henderson, David Henry,James Hill, Bernard Hogan, MeighkoKodomagne, Mark Lewis, FernandoLeyva, Juan Lozano, Fernando Martinez,Sal Mercado, Rhett Miller, Tim Pablo,Jeffrey Restine, Christopher Riemersma,Miguel San Martin, Roneel Sanocki,Richard Scherman, Charlton Shabazz.Jeffrey Stell, Shawn Swearingen, ZackTackett, Thad Tobin, Joshua Walulik,Michael Wittbrodt, Jeffrey Workmanand Joseph Zapata.

NICHOLAS J. SEGURA JR., P.S.

Advancement FundL.U. 577 (em&i), APPLETON, WI—

Our work picture remained strongthrough the summer as referrals to theFox Energies project began in June

and continued through August. Manyof the jobs the Industry AdvancementFund assisted in the spring bore fruit,as projects were awarded to unioncontractors.

In the July Journal, I missed the fol-lowing members who completed theirapprenticeships and were recom-mended for inside journeymen wiremenstatus: Darrick Fox, Rick Kriewaldt, ToriSchneider and Pat Van Vreede.

The Labor Day celebration spon-sored by the Fox Valley Labor Councilwas held Sept. 5. Local 577 membersvolunteered to do the temporarywiring for the event. Thanks to GregBreaker, Jesse Breaker, Carl Degroot,Nick Horn, Jonathan Horn, JeffSmoker and Corey Wiegel.

Political campaigning in Wisconsinand the nation will soon begin inearnest. Support candidates who willstrive to enact legislation beneficial toworkers.

GREG BREAKER, B.M.

JATC Transformer LabL.U. 595 (c,govt,i,o&st), DUBLIN,

CA—Our summer work is winding upas we move optimistically into fall.Project Labor Agreements in the pub-lic schools provided many hours ofsummer work. Thanks to local mem-bers and travelers who helped com-

plete this work on time!Local 595’s softball team won the

Ninth District softball championshipgame, our third district championship.Hats off! The tournament moves toFresno next year.

Apprenticeship Dir. Byron Bentonand Coordinator Mel Switzer thank thefolks at Square D for the generousdonation of transformer equipmentused in the new JATC transformer lab.Those who participated in the installa-tion did a beautiful job.

Once again union members arepreparing to battle Gov. Arnold inanother costly “special election.” Cor-porate mega bucks are pouring intohis propaganda machine efforts to

pass Prop 75, a misnamed “paycheckprotection” initiative aimed at silencingour union voice. Unions across thestate have joined together and we willbe heard.

Our hearts go out to our brothersand sisters affected by Hurricane Kat-rina. Local 595 is sending $10,000 tothe IBEW relief effort.

MARTA SCHULTZ, P.S.

Cable Splicer CrewL.U. 605 (u), JACKSON, MS—

Accompanying this article is a pictureof a Local 605 Entergy MS cable splicercrew. Providing training for the next

generation of our electrical workforce,senior cable splicer Billy Simmonsworked with apprentice cable splicerChris Berch and cable splicer HaroldDekay (who took the photo) installinghigh-speed electronically controlledfuses, capable of clearing fault in lessthan one-quarter cycle.

Jackson’s downtown network issupplied by 12 dedicated 13.8kv feed-ers; seven circuits have fault filtersinstalled. The fault filter will reduce

the risk of serious transformer andvault damage, which in turn wouldreduce personnel hazards, outage timeand costly cleanup.

PHILIP W. YOUNG, A.B.M.

Code of ExcellenceL.U. 611 (i,o,spa&u,es,lctt,catv)

ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Since April thelocal has been training members and

contractors in the “Code of Excellence.”To date the local has trained over 350members and five contractors and theirsupervisors. We hope to have ourentire membership trained by the firstof the year, as this Code of Excellencetraining will soon be required to take acall off the books. Brothers trained toteach the Code of Excellence are:Adolph Chavez, Carl Condit, AntonioGonzalez, Lloyd Beebe, Rex Ward,Richard Paschall, Charles Humiston andMike Stoltenberg.

Belated congratulations to Saul E.Botone on his apprentice of the yearaward. I forgot to report this in arecent article.

Work has been steady, especiallyfor G&M Electric, which has gonefrom a one-man shop to over 25 inless than a year. Great work, guys!

Condolences to families of the fol-lowing brothers who recently passedaway: Jesse Alderete, Chester R. Ham-ner and Gilbert Lopez.

DARRELL J. BLAIR, P.S.

Memorial Day BenefitL.U. 613 (em,i,o,rts&spa), ATLANTA,

GA—Congratulations to recentlyelected officers: Bus. Mgr. Gene R.O’Kelley, Pres. Michael L. Braden, VicePres. David Lawson, Fin. Sec. DavidCollier, Treas. Jeff Manning and Rec.Sec. Robby Evans. Also elected wereExecutive Board members StanleyRice, Tommy Adams, Brad Camp,Doug Shellnut, Jerome Jackson, LarryDavis and Max Mount Jr. Elected tothe Examining Board: Emmitt Parrish,Tod Olsen, Owen Bentley, Ken Jamesand Ralph Anderson.

Former Local 779 was merged intoLocal 613. We welcome all 779 broth-ers and sisters into Local 613.

Local 613 held its second annualMemorial Day picnic with the pro-ceeds going to the Welfare Fund.Nearly 300 members and their familiesattended, raising $2,500 for the needy.

Our annual barbecue was July 23.We served 4,400 plates of food. Atten-dees, active members and retirees, hada great time. The Brotherhood lives!

RALPH ANDERSON, P.S.

Habitat for HumanityL.U. 625 (ees,em,i,mar&mt), HALI-

FAX, NS, CANADA—Our 2005 LabourDay march and picnic were great suc-cesses.

Our work picture is good in Units 1and 5. It’s hit-and-miss in Unit 4 andslow in Units 2 and 3.

Our local’s first retirees banquetwas Oct. 15, 2005. Local 625 currentlyhas 175 retirees receiving a pensionfrom the local union pension plan.Congratulations to recent retirees:Bros. Omer Boudreau, Ron MacDon-ald, Dennis MacPhee, Lester Rector,Ken Shea, Doug Wilson, RichardTurner, Sam MacDonald, and past

IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 21

ing for the Kansas City Rodeo. Members completed lighting two

more Diamondback ball fields. Thanksto all who helped.

Our prayers go out for Bro. JonBeasley’s family. Jon had just beenawarded an electrician apprenticeshipwhen his life was taken in a car acci-dent.

SAM HOOVER, PRES.

100th AnniversaryL.U. 401 (c,i,o,rts&st), RENO, NV—

In April our local celebrated its 100thanniversary with a dinner-dance. Int.Pres. Edwin D. Hill attended as well asdignitaries representing Reno/Sparks,the state of Nevada, business andindustry. Pres. Hill presented servicepins to all, with a special tribute to theBurns/Seymour family, who representnearly 200 years of service in the IBEW.

Local 401 also held a dinner tohonor its 13 graduating apprentices. Int.Vice Pres. Michael S. Mowrey and Int.Rep. Francis J. “Frank” Maio Jr.attended. The Outstanding Apprenticeaward went to Earl Barber. Awards forperfect attendance went to Craig Carrolland Paul Salerno; for academicachievement, John Seymour; and for

mechanical achievement, David Coun-cilman and Duane Kramer. Also gradu-ating were: Brandon Kersey, FredrickKruse, Jason Martinez, Jeff Nakamoto,Daniel Prowinski, Carlos Rosario andDaniel Steelman. Congratulations to allthese new journeymen for sticking outfive tough years!

Work in our area remains good,with many travelers employed andmore work expected to break in com-ing months. For details call the hall at(775) 329-2566.

JOHN P. MILLER, P.S.

JATC ProgressL.U. 405 (em,i,rtb&spa), CEDAR

RAPIDS, IA—Our work picture in thelocal is still not doing well, and winteris coming on. The good news is thatsome of our members have foundwork in other locals. We thank localsthat put some of our members towork. We hope we can reciprocate.

The local LMCC was a big player inour Local 405 JATC’s ability to moveour apprenticeship program forward.They were instrumental in setting upfinancing that enabled us to move intoour own building and do the neces-sary renovation. We are starting ourfirst school year in our own facility.Many businesses donated time and

materials. Our new JATC is somethingLocal 405 and our contractors can beproud of.

Thanks to retirees helping with thelocal newsletter and political issues.

GARY BUTZ, P.S.

Awards CeremonyL.U. 429 (em,i,lctt,o,ptc,rtb&u),

NASHVILLE, TN—Service pins wereawarded to 113 active and retiredmembers. Family and guests witnesseda ceremony whose honorees includedtwo 65-year members and a host ofothers. The celebration culminated ina barbecue luncheon, merriment andbrotherhood.

Attendees receiving awards included:65-year recipient Woodrow West; 60-year recipients Lawrence Luttrell andMorris Slate; 55-year recipients WilliamConley and Stanley Morris; 50-yearrecipients Billy Anderson, Hugh Breen,James Gwaltney, Winford Shelby, Thur-man Whitehead and Billy Woodside; 45-year recipients Charles Appleton, JohnBrown, Thomas Cobble, HaroldGreene, Stanley Ham, Franklin Hazel-wood, William Long, Pearre Marlin,Ronald Puckett, William Putman andJames W. Smith. Additionally, 40-year

recipients Charles Booker, DavidCantrell, Michael Franklin, Earl Lehewand Phillip Petty; 35-year recipientsWilliam Akins, Jimmy Cartwright, Mar-shall Edwards, Michael Frankich, TroyHampton, John Holton and Bob Sisco.

MILTON L. FRAZIER, ASST. B.M.

Centennial CelebrationL.U. 449 (catv,em,i,o,rtb,rts,spa&u),

POCATELLO, ID—In the aftermath ofHurricanes Katrina and Rita, ourprayers go out for all those affected bythe storms. I am disappointed with theBush Administration’s response to the

devastation of Katrina, especially inNew Orleans. Issues related to naturaldisasters and human suffering are notparty issues or political opportunities.These issues need to be rememberedat the polls in the future.

We are excited about our Novem-ber centennial celebration and lookingforward to welcoming InternationalOfficers who plan to attend.

Our condolences to the family ofBro. Eric Salvador, who passed awayJuly 16, 2005.

Congratulations to Bro. Carl Haneyon his recent retirement.

RUSSELL HILL, R.S.

‘Act of Humanity’L.U. 479 (i&u), BEAUMONT, TX—

We settled our contract at home thisyear. Basically, it is a three-year con-tract with a $2.10 increase over theduration of the contract. The newreferral system was implementedAug.1 and seems to be working out.

The week of Labor Day, membersparticipated in a barbecue cook-offand other activities.

Hurricane Katrina devastatedLouisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.Many of our neighbors were forced toevacuate and over 1,200 found shelterat Ford Park Arena in Beaumont, TX.Local 479 reached out by providing ahot meal for the evacuees. Thanks toall who participated in this act ofhumanity.

TONY HOLLIER, PRES.

PLA ProjectsL.U. 481 (ees,em,i,mt,rts,s&spa),

INDIANAPOLIS, IN—The demo onbuildings for the new Colts stadiumhas taken off and the airport terminalstarted taking bids. The work willprobably start in late fall or earlyspring. Both jobs are PLA projects,thanks to Bus. Mgr. Tom O’Donnell’sefforts at the State House. Work in ourjurisdiction is still slow.

Congratulations to our 101 recentapprentice graduates. The December

class “Solidarity” winner was JosephSalter; apprentice-of-the-year, ThomasStevens; and runner-up, WilliamInman. The May class Solidarity win-ner was Jonathon Hooker; apprentice-of-the-year, Max Davis; and runner-up,John Burchyett.

Bob Cadwell put together anothersuccessful Labor Day parade. He man-aged to get the union crafts in Indiana,politicians, and high school bands toparticipate in the parade. This is agreat way for the union crafts toexpress their solidarity and to repre-sent their home locals.

Local 481’s Web site frequently hasnew items of interest. Visit the site atwww.ibew481.org to find out aboutupcoming local union events. If youhave suggestions for the site, pleasecontact the hall at (317) 923-2596.

STEVE MONTGOMERY, P.S.

Bro. Hledik HonoredL.U. 499 (u), DE MOINES, IA—Our

membership is preparing for toughcontract negotiations. These are ourfirst negotiations since 2000 when Local499 and Local 109 worked for morethan 18 months to come up with a con-solidated contract, which combined sixseparate contracts. MidAmerican Energyis a wealthy company owned by fourpeople, one of whom is Warren Buffett,reportedly the second richest man inthe world. We are starting negotiationsearly to allow five months to worktoward a settlement by March 1, 2006.

Local 499 honors retired Bro. EarlHledik for his constant support of theBlood Center of Central Iowa. Bro.Hledik has donated 20 gallons of bloodand volunteered at the center.

DON KRAUSE, B.R.

Food Basket DriveL.U. 503 (t&u), MONROE, NY—

There have been some changes on theExecutive Board recently. Because ofhealth issues, Artie Patterson will stepdown as unit chairperson, and Ed Sen-gstacken will fill that post. We thankArtie for all his dedicated service tothe local over the years. Best wishes toArtie, and good luck to Eddie in hisnew position.

Pres. Bob Citrolo was awarded longoverdue honorary medals for his U.S.Marine Corps service in Vietnam dur-ing the 1960s. U.S. Rep. Eliot Engelpresented the medals Aug. 9. We paytribute to Bob and all veterans.

Local 503’s annual golf outing wasa terrific success! Thanks to all volun-teers, especially retired Vice Pres. JohnSmith.

It’s time for Local 503’s HolidayFood Basket Drive. In past years wepresented 75 needy families with bas-kets. The annual holiday party will beFriday, Dec. 9, at J. F. Keane’s, PearlRiver, NY. Details on both events willbe posted in all areas.

MARY M. CASEY, P.S.

20 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005

Local 401 class of 2005 apprentice graduates, from left: David Councilman,Craig Carroll, Fredric Kruse, Jeff Nakamoto, Paul Salerno, Earl Barber,Duane Kramer, Jason Martinez, Daniel Prowinski, Carlos Rosario, DanielSteelman, John Seymour and Brandon Kersey.

Local 429 Bus. Mgr./Fin. Sec.Robert M. Emery Jr. (left) and 45-year member Stanley W. Ham.

Local 479 participated in a LaborDay barbecue cook-off and won athird-place trophy. Three of themembers on the local’s barbecueteam: from left, Damien Duhon,John Richardson and Jeff Morrison.

Local481’s 2005apprenticegradua-tion.

Local 557 Habitat for Humanityvolunteers at the Bridgeport, MI,site on a hot summer Saturday:from left, John Clemens, Mark Finiand Alan Seaver.

Local 569GraduatingApprenticeClass of2005.

Local 595 JATCCoordinator MelSwitzer and DickNordeen shownew transformerlab, with thanks toSquare D forassistance in theproject.

Local 605 Entergy MS cable-splicercrew members install high-speedelectronically controlled fuses.

Participating at aLocal 611 Code ofExcellence class,from left: AdolphChavez, PaulLarson, Carl Condit,Dan Harbst, KoryBennet and PeteSantistevan.

business manager/organizer for 23years under now-retired Bus. Mgr.Gary Hill. Bro. Dever’s vision for thefuture is inspiring.

Bro. Randall King was re-electedpresident. Also elected were Vice Pres.Robert Kramer, Rec. Sec. Larry Camp-bell and Treas. Steve Fairclough.Elected to the Executive Board were:Randall King (chairman), Bryce David-son, David Rainey, Robert Ray, ClydeTucker, Leon Ward, David Weill andMartin B. Wilson Jr. Elected to theExamining Board: Linda Campbell,Joseph Paquin and Douglas Smolt.

Also, congratulations to newlyappointed Asst. Mgrs. Bruce Barrowand Michael Nagle; and Asst. Mgr./Organizers Randall King and JosephD’Aguiar. Please support your local!

THERESA KING, P.S.

Softball TournamentL.U.1049 (lctt,o&u), LONG ISLAND,

NY—In August at the 35th annualIBEW Long Island Softball Tourna-ment, Local 1049’s team took third-place in the “A” Division.

Over 60 Local 1049 crews left LongIsland to take part in the massiverestoration effort in Louisiana and Mis-sissippi in the aftermath of HurricaneKatrina. We appreciate their hard workand assistance to the hurricane victims.

In October we started our annualUnited Way Fund Drive. The UnitedWay of Long Island allocates funds toworthwhile local community serviceagencies. When approached by aUnited Way captain, please be gener-ous.

Let us also remember Bros. MichaelHengerle, Robert Kane, Daryl Millerand John Monaco, who as of this writ-ing are stationed in Iraq.

Our condolences to the family ofthe late Int. Pres. Emeritus John J.Barry. He was an inspiration to all.

THOMAS DOWLING, R.S.

Fun FishingL.U. 1205 (em,govt,i&u), GAINES-

VILLE, FL—Local 1205 held its annualW.S. Brown Memorial Bream FishingTournament Sat., May 14, at RodmanDam. This event focuses on the chil-dren of our members and is a popularfamily event for young and old.

Breakfast and lunch were includedin this fun-filled day. A hearty 6 a.m.breakfast included eggs and baconand then it was fishing time! Ribbonswere presented to all our young par-ticipants and trophies were awarded.The fresh-caught fish made our lunchexceptional. The good attendancewould have impressed Bro. W.S.Brown and everyone had a great time.

WAYNE SPARKMAN, P.S.

PG&E NegotiationsL.U. 1245 (catv,em,govt,lctt,o,pet,t&

u), VACAVILLE, CA—In wage re-openernegotiations with Local 1245, PacificGas & Electric agreed to pass on theapproximately $4 million in subsidiesand premium enhancements it canreceive when Medicare Part D goesinto effect in 2006. PG&E agreed to useall of the government subsidies andpremium enhancements to reduce pre-miums for Medicare retirees. Themonthly value of the subsidies and pre-mium enhancements (doubled foremployee and spouse) for each mem-ber will range from $22.08 to $62.20.Wage negotiations for current employ-ees were continuing at press time.

Local 1245’s challenge to PG&E’sdecision to close all 84 of its localoffices is scheduled for arbitration.Local 1245 is also in discussion withPG&E regarding its proposal to auto-mate meter reading.

In Outside Construction news, theunion hiring hall recently reported 56calls for journeyman linemen; six forequipment specialists; 23 for ground-men; five for cable splicers; 38 forU.G. Tech; and five for apprentices,for a total of 133 calls. Total crewsworking on Outside Agreement were118; 40 on the Underground Agree-ment; 40 on the Pole Test Agreement;and 14 on the Teledata Agreement.

ERIC WOLFE, P.S.

Delmarva Power AgreementL.U. 1307 (u), SALISBURY, MD—

Local 1307 ratified a new five-yearagreement with Delmarva Power. Itincludes a 16 percent increase in basewages over the course of the contract;prescription plan modifications andemployee contributions toward majormedical insurance. We gained 21 newjobs, increased shift differentials andother improvements.

Local 1307’s annual picnic and golftournament June 11 were fun for all.Bros. Craig Kormanik, Billy Nichols,Steve Causey and Chuck Harris wongolf trophies.

Bro. Paul Andrews celebrated hisJune 2005 retirement at the picnic. Paulbegan employment with Delmarva

Power in Salisbury in 1970. He com-pleted his apprenticeship, advancedthrough numerous utility positions andserved with great dedication.

E.D. SPARKS, F.S.

Active MembershipL.U. 1381 (uow) HICKSVILLE, NY—

Local 1381 had an activity-filled sum-mer. The local recently celebrated theone-year anniversary of newly electedBus. Mgr. Donald J. Daley Jr. Alongwith training classes and shop stewardworkshops, Bus. Mgr. Daley hasfocused on uniting and strengtheningour membership. Local 1381 held asummer social gathering for membersto meet one another and share viewson the future of our local.

Our Voluntary Organizing Commit-tee is teaching leadership and democ-ratic principles, and encouragesmembers to be politically active.

Local 1381’s annual golf outingraised funds for our Committee onPolitical Education and for the DonaldJ. Daley Memorial Scholarship Fund.The 2005 scholarship award went toKate Caramico, daughter of Local 1381member Marylynn Caramico.

CATHERINE MALINOWSKI, P.S.

Milestone CelebrationL.U. 1439 (u), ST. LOUIS, MO—On

March 12, 2005, Bro. Patrick Cooney, aformer Union Electric (Ameren)employee, reached his 100th birthdaywith great fanfare, thanks to his familyand former co-workers. Pat started hisoccupational journey with Union Elec-tric on Jan. 1, 1930, and was initiatedinto Local 1439 in 1946. He worked asan electrical mechanic and retired fromthe Midland Reporting Center in 1970.Pat was appreciated as a hard workerand was friendly to all—a good legacyfor all of us to strive for which speaksvolumes about his character. God blessyou, Patrick, and thanks for your con-tribution to the IBEW!

We mourn the loss of Jettie Casey,John Savage and Floyd Taber.

KEN CARROLL, P.S.

Maryland Relay UnitL.U. 1501 (ees,em,mo,pet,t&rts),

BALTIMORE, MD—The newly char-tered unit of our local union, desig-nated 1501-3, represents MarylandRelay operators, who are employed byAT&T and provide a public serviceoffered through the state of Maryland,which enables deaf, hard-of-hearing,or speech-disabled people to commu-nicate with standard telephone users.

Our members are integral to thesuccess of Maryland Relay. They main-tain strict confidentiality regarding theconversation of users. The Relay oper-ates 24 hours a day, 365 days a yearand processes nearly 2.5 million callsannually. Maryland Relay works byenabling users of a TTY (text tele-phone) or a standard phone to initiatea call by giving a phone number of aperson or business being called to aRelay operator, who dials the numbertyping the standard phone user’s spo-ken words to the person using the TTY,and voices the TTY user’s written text.The state of Maryland provides infor-mative brochures explaining servicesoffered. Additional information is avail-able from Maryland Relay at 1-800-552-7724 or at Web site www.mdrelay.org.

THOMAS J. ROSTKOWSKI, P.S.

Alaska Hunter RescuedL.U. 1547 (c,em,i,o,t&u), ANCHOR-

AGE, AK—Congratulations to Bro.Larry Bell, a journeyman wireman,business representative and second-generation IBEW member, who waselected business manager of Local1547 on July 9, 2005.

Members thank retired Bus. Mgr.Gary Brooks for his dedication to 1547.Bro. Brooks helped 1547 become awell known and influential labor unionin Alaska, and he contributed to theexcellent financial condition of 1547’spension and trust funds.

Retired Bus. Rep. Tom Atkins, nowa commercial pilot, rescued an Illinoishunter missing for four days in aremote area of Alaska. Bro. Atkins,who frequently drops off and picks uphunters in the area, spotted the manstanding on top of a rock waving hisarms. Atkins got the man into hisplane and flew him many miles tosafety. Bro. Atkins set a fine examplefor all. He is a true hero.

Thanks to IBEW travelers whocame to Alaska this summer to workour short construction season.

JACK ENDSLEY, P.S.

Augusta Workers RallyL.U. 1579 (i&o), AUGUSTA, GA—

Our LAC and the Augusta Building &Trades took to the streets in Augustaon Labor Day. Rallying at the AugustaCommons, we received a good wel-come from Interim Mayor Willie Mays.

Marching from South Carolina acrossthe Savannah River with Georgia Lt.Gov. Mark Taylor, U.S. Rep. John Bar-row, Georgia Rep. Pete Warren andmany other friends of labor at our side,we in labor proved we have plenty offight left in us. We will not stop thisfight to protect American workers’rights. Thanks to our members whomarched to support the union.

IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 23

president Bro. Brian Stewart.Congratulations to newly certified

journeymen: Tom Amero, DonnieDominique and Ashley Sangster.

Locals 625 and 1928 are cooperatingin a Habitat for Humanity project inDartmouth, Nova Scotia. Volunteers arebuilding two houses. Local 625 is pro-viding labour for the electrical work;Local 1928 is providing funds for wiringpermits and connection charges.

TOM GRIFFITHS, P.S.

Graduation BanquetL.U. 649 (i,lctt,o,rts,spa&u), ALTON,

IL—Local 649 JATC hosted a gradua-tion dinner July 15 at the Argosy Ball-room for the 2005 class of graduatingwiremen apprentices.

Illinois Chapter NECA Executive VicePres. Bill Belforte and Local 649 Bus.Mgr. Jack Tueth addressed graduatesand guests. Training Dir. Terry Shew-make awarded graduates their certifi-cates. Scot Lucas received the J. MichaelKane Award and a $100 savings bondfor highest grade-point average.

Also, Josh Lenihan recently toppedout from the ALBAT apprenticeshipprogram and is the newest Local 649journeyman lineman.

ROBERT E. TRAVIS, P.S.

Utility Work OutsourcedL.U. 659 (c,catv,em,i,lctt,o,st&u),

MEDFORD, OR—Congratulations torecently elected board members: Bus.Mgr. Ron Jones, Pres. Mike Bureau,Vice Pres. Jim White, Treas. Jerry Brei,Rec. Sec. Kathy Joy, Tom Legg, TomEllis and Walt Conner.

Thanks to our members in theGrants Pass Unit, who hosted a greatsummer picnic July 31.

The City of Ashland Clerical Unitsettled their agreement. The City ofAshland Electric Unit declaredimpasse. Lane Electric Clerical ispreparing for negotiations. The Avistacontract was settled. Central LincolnPUD is still in mediation. At presstime, Henkels & McCoy negotiationswere at an impasse over health care.Osmose negotiations were settled.

Utility Tree employees voted to berepresented by Local 659.

Be careful for what you vote for.In Oregon we have a utility that isusing convict labor to do bargainingunit work, enabling the utility to out-source our work. A measure went outto vote in Oregon about 15 years agoand we are still paying the price,sometimes with the lives of the con-victs.

KATHY JOY, R.S.

New JATC CoursesL.U. 683 (em&i), COLUMBUS,

OH—Nearly 500 attended the annualfamily picnic. Everyone enjoyed fan-tastic food, activities for the kids, vin-tage photos and fellowship. Thanks toMike Mirones, Rod Sumner and thepicnic committee.

Our second annual benefit dinnerSept. 10 raised funds for our MembersAssistance Fund. These funds will beused for our working members whoneed financial assistance because ofinjury or illness. Thanks to everyonewho came out for food, fun and foot-ball.

On Sept. 22 and Oct 13, 128 mem-bers were awarded their 10-, 15- and20-year service pins.

The JATC continues to expand andimprove education courses. Membersare encouraged to attend new classesnow offered. To list just a few, coursesinclude: AutoCAD for Wiremen, CableSplicing, Electrical Safe Work Prac-tices—NFPA 70e, Industry Leadershipand Instrumentation.

BARRY HUGHES, V.P./P.S.

Contract RatifiedL.U. 695 (u), ST. JOSEPH, MO—

Local union members at United ElectricCooperative Inc. ratified a five-yearcontract with wage increases of 4 per-cent for each year of the contract. Med-ical insurance and prescription drugswere a major issue during negotiationswith a compromise reached by raisingthe deductibles and co-pays, along withhigher deductibles on the medical andprescription drugs. Another job was

added to the union that had been anon-bargaining position.

Local 695 and American Water Co.are negotiating modifying a position toLead Process Technician from ProcessTechnician.

Members at Aquila are waiting tohear who may purchase the former St.Joseph Light & Power utility, one ofmany Aquila properties for sale.

Bro. Denny Dakans, an Aquilaemployee, won the 2005 Montana 500Model “T” race.

DAVID A. HALL, B.M.

Labor Day ParadeL.U. 697 (i), GARY AND HAM-

MOND, IN—Local 697 membersmarched in the annual Lowell IndianaLabor Day parade to the lilting soundof bagpipes. On Sat., Aug. 20 theannual picnic at the Lake County Fair-grounds was another beautiful daywith friends and family, complete withhorseshoes, bingo and good food.Thanks to all volunteers.

The U.S. labor movement is at acritical point. Anti-union forces would

rewrite history and redefine the pur-pose of the National Labor RelationsAct as well as the NLRB. This legisla-tion and related government agencycame into being to protect the rightsof working men and women and toprotect our children from exploitation.All we ever wanted was fair treatmentand a fair day’s pay for a fair day’swork. A wise admonition: “Do untoothers as you would have them dounto you.” It seems that would workfor both management and labor.

DAVID A. SODERQUIST, P.S.

Officers ElectedL.U. 759 (u), FT. LAUDERDALE,

FL—Local 759 officers elected in Juneare: Pres./Bus. Mgr. George Skillas,Vice Pres. Tim Haynick, Rec. Sec.Steve Donovan, Fin. Sec. Keith Mur-phy and Treas. Tim Brucker; ExecutiveBoard members Remie Hammond,Larry Pitsinger, Lester Newell, RoyWest, Don Saker and Charlie Coxon.

The membership overwhelminglyvoted down a contract offer. Our con-tract expired October 2004 and themembership voted to extend for a

year. As of this writing, it is hopefulthat a suitable contract is presentedand accepted prior to taking a termi-nation vote.

Two new apprentice programs inDistribution have begun—“ApprenticeCable Splicer” and “Apprentice Meter-man.” We have an ongoing apprenticelineman program. FPL, the utility ourmembers work for, is continuing tohire linemen from the United Statesand Canada.

At press time our annual picnic wasscheduled for Oct. 15, 2005.

GLEN PLOCK, P.S.

Rolling SolidarityL.U. 777 (u), READING, PA—In the

accompanying photo several Local 777members and retirees gather for aweekend motorcycle ride. The grouprides most weekends except in winter.Original members of the group wereRick Thomas and Dale Archuleta,joined later by Tony DiFrancesco. Rickand Dale, along with Butch Graham,are IBEW retirees. The group hasgrown and now also includes IBEWmembers Norm Dunlap, LarryCobaugh, Hacky Henry, Rick Via andCarl Deiner. The group also partici-pates in biker events including“Rolling Thunder,” to the Vietnam Vet-erans Memorial in Washington, D.C.Several members recently returnedfrom the Sturgis, SD, bikers’ rally.

DEB KORNBAU, P.S.

Support Your LocalL.U. 915 (i&mt), TAMPA, FL—In

June Local 915’s election of officersbrought in a new administration.Congratulations to newly elected Bus.Mgr. William Dever and all electedofficers. Bro. Dever was assistant

22 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005

Local 777bikersgroupincludesactivemembersandretirees.

Local 625 Habitat for Humanity volunteers and a new homeowner. Fromleft, Jeff Gallagher, Francis Mannette, Rodney Thomas, Jim Beaton, home-owner Deanne Landry, Jim Clattenburg, Bus. Mgr./Fin. Sec. Cordell Cole,Steve MacAskill, Stan McCulloch and Dennis Sampson. Photo by projectcoordinator, Bro. Ian Gordon.

Local 649 wiremen graduation class of 2005, from left: Scott Lucas, MikeBuis, Dan Mancorca, Mark Klaas, Jo Ann Berg, Pat Bohn, Bob Moore, BillHammond, Loren Kulp, Tim Wieckhorst, Jay England, Jesse Landers, Daren Smith and Louis Thompson.

Local 759 Bro. Hank Shaw, a 50-year plus member, and hisgranddaughter enjoy the 2004union picnic.

Local 915 officers and board members, from left, back row, Marty Wilson,Linda Campbell, Douglas Smolt, Randall King, Steve Fairclough, LeonWard, Bill Dever, Clyde Tucker, Joe Paquin, David Weill, David Rainey,Bruce Barrow, Mike Nagle and Joe D’Aguair; front, kneeling, Robert Ray,Larry Campbell and Bryce Davidson.

Some of Local 1205’s most notablefishermen.

Local 1307 Pres. Mike Dennis (left)presents Bro. Paul Andrews aretirement gift from the local atthe annual picnic.

Local 1381 Bus. Mgr. Donald J.Daley Jr. (left) and Pres. RobertDelaney congratulate scholarshipwinner Kate Caramico.

Instructors Troy Brausell (left) and James Osterli (right) with Local 1245apprentices from the California-Nevada JATC Northern School, beginningsecond from left: Nola Brimhall, fifth step; David Jenkins, sixth step; BrianMcClure, fifth step; and Dean Bodenhamer, sixth step.

Edward Novakowski and Karl Stepp.We welcome new member Hugh

Meredith. The club meets the thirdTuesday of each month, 11 a.m., at theunion hall. Refreshments are served.

BETTY PFAFF, SEC./TREAS.

New Members WelcomeRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 71,

COLUMBUS, OH—We met May 20 forour spring luncheon meeting at GalaEvents, Grove City, OH. Over 50guests enjoyed a buffet lunch andshared stories of line work trivia.

On June 22 we enjoyed our secondannual “Night at the Races” at SciotoDowns. Forty plus guests enjoyed anevening of Brotherhood, racing and abuffet dinner.

We encourage more retirees andassociate members to join our club. Wecontinue to grow and we always wel-come new members.

Deepest sympathies to the familiesof Jack James, Bill Purtee, Dotson Mor-gan, Joe Denman, Claude Smith, BertAmbrose, James Tayse, Francis Arnett,William Brewer, Jesse Brooks andThomas Saunders.

DAVE FISSEL, PRES.

Summer OutingRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 90, NEW

HAVEN, CT—Local 90’s annual mem-bers outing at Holiday Hill inCheshire, CT, was an enjoyable occa-sion. The weather was great as wasthe food and drink—and most impor-tantly, the company of our brothersand sisters both active and retired. Wethank Local 90 for inviting us.

Our club resumed monthly meet-ings just after Labor Day. We meet thefirst Tuesday of each month, except inJuly and August, at 1:30 p.m. at IBEWLocal 90 offices—2 North Plains Indus-trial Rd., Wallingford, CT.

The cost of membership is only$15, which includes a Christmas lun-cheon. We hope to see many newmembers join our membership.

RICHARD LAUNDER, P.S.

Summer FestivityRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 99, PROV-

IDENCE, RI—Retirees and friendsenjoyed a beautiful summer outingAug. 14 at Kempenaar’s Clambake

Club in Newport, RI. Bus. Mgr. AllenDurand and Asst. Bus. Mgr. Ron Leddygreeted family and friends of Local 99.Everyone enjoyed good food, enter-tainment and fellowship. Healthscreenings also were available. Thanks

to Mike D’Amico, the committee andofficers for a tremendous job!

We are saddened by the passing ofBros. Paul Stoppello, Raymond A.Laplante, Steven R. Ide and John J.O’Rourke.

PAT COLUCCI, P.S.

Going StrongRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 102,

PATERSON, NJ—We call ourselves the“Old Timers.” Here are our top eleven:

Michael Saraco (born in 1907); RudyStys (1912), Russell Jayne (1912),Joseph Lubeck (1916), Francis Rourke(1916), Peter Malloy (1918), EdgarStarnes (1918), O.S. Van Duyne (1918),Sal Guilano (1919), and ShermanKisner (1919).

Rudy Stys, as a Local 262 memberin 1956, was the mover and shaker forthe local to start a pension. I startedmy apprenticeship in 1966 underRudy’s tutelage. Ever a gentleman, hesoon straightened out my “wise-alec”attitude and that kept me in the pro-gram (see photo).

Bill Vincent spoke to retirees aboutour medical plan at our June 2005meeting. Measures the trustees tooklast July, plus the increase in contribu-tions, stabilized the health and welfareplan. Two items were adjusted down-ward: the maximum co-pay for anyone prescription and the maximumco-pay for insulin. Vote Nov. 8, 2005.

JIM MORONEY, P.S.

A Successful YearRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 103,

BOSTON, MA—Five Retirees Club offi-cers attended the Alliance of Retired

Americans conference in Washington,D.C. We described our concernsregarding Social Security and Medicareprescription drug programs to electedpublic officials. We also visited andwere kindly received at the new IBEWheadquarters and archives.

On our return home we attendedthe Local 103 retirement dinner where

we greeted 150 new members to theRetirees Club. They were treated to amagnificent banquet and presentedwith handsome engraved IBEWwatches.

Pres. Tony Calvino is completing abusy year of Retirees events (whichincluded trips, luncheons and golfdates for the retirees) by planning ayear-end banquet in December. Con-gratulations to all the officers for avery successful year.

TONY CALVINO, PRES.LEO MONAHAN, P.S.

Outstanding ServiceRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 105,

HAMILTON, ON, CANADA—Our clubhad a great year, capped with a won-derful dinner dance at La Salla Ban-quet Centre in Hamilton. Our guestsfor the evening were seniors fromLocal 303, St. Catherines, ON, andLocal 353, Toronto. Congratulations toclub Pres. Gary Turner for an out-standing year.

Our long-term members were rec-ognized for their outstanding service.Local 105 Pres. Vic Prohaska presentedhonorees with IBEW pins and

watches. Our 50-year members pic-tured in the accompanying photo are:Dick Gable, Frank Shipton, Don Rum-mey, Wener Fritsch, Don Fralick andTom Beattie, former Local 105 presi-dent. Fifty-five year members attend-ing were Bud Beamsley and LenSmee. Congratulations to all honorees.

JOE CAMPANELLI, P.S.

50-year MembersRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 134,

CHICAGO, IL—Congratulations to our50-year members. Our club had a goodyear and September was a busy month.Club members have enjoyed lun-cheons, guest speakers, an architecturalriver tour of Chicago, John Cummin’sgolf outing, plays at Drury Lane Theaterand more. December brings our cornedbeef gathering. At year’s end we con-gratulate our officers for a job welldone. Congratulations also to all thecommittees. These gentlemen are look-ing for help with club functions. Weinvite recent retirees to join us.

R. E. BRONARS, P.S.

Jim Thompson MournedRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 257, JEF-

FERSON CITY, MO—We mourn Bro.Jim Thompson, who passed away ear-lier this year. A 50-year IBEW member,Bro. Thompson served as local unionbusiness manager, city councilmanand church deacon. He will be missed.

Over 35 club members traveled tothe Lyceum Theater in Arrow Rock tosee “The Importance of being Earnest.”

Several retirees traveled to Linn,MO, to judge the Missouri Skills USAcompetition for industrial students atLinn Technical College. Those memberswere: John Baxter, Herman Grothoff,Jerry Rehagan, Orville Linger and Local

IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 25

After the march we held our annualbarbecue at our lake property atClarks Hill. We fed over 550 membersand their families. It was a good dayfor labor.

Our shops are holding their own.We sent 35 journeyman wiremen toPlant Vogtle and two to SouthlandElectric. A salt project at SRS wasscheduled to start the last quarter ofthis year, but was delayed because ofdesign changes. At press time, a reportfrom Southern Co. concerning PlantVogtle and the new reactors wasscheduled for Sept. 9, 2005, in Atlanta.

JOHNNY HUTCHESON,A.B.M/ORG.

New Training FacilitiesL.U. 1739 (i&o), BARRIE, ON,

CANADA—Work has picked up in ourarea, but we still have members on theroad. Our local is in the middle of atourism playground. Boats and waterskis give way to downhill or Nordicskis, snowboards, ice fishing and

hockey. A black bear provided addedexcitement to this year’s golf tourney.Bro. Art O’Hara observed that henever knew bears could run so fast.No doubt the bear never knew con-struction workers could run so fasteither.

Members are making good use ofour hall’s new training facilities. Wehave completed courses for Fire Alarm,Network Cabling Specialist, WorkplaceSafety and Organizing, among others.Your local scribe is putting his FireAlarm training into practice on the job-site. I am living proof that one is nevertoo old to learn something new, so signup and update your skills, too.

BILL CARSON, P.S.

Be a Part of ProgressL.U. 1749 (u), NEW JOHN-

SONVILLE, TN—The Tenth DistrictProgress Meeting was held in LittleRock, AR, July 12-15 with Int. Vice Pres.Robert Kline chairing the meeting.Guest speakers included IBEW Int.Pres. Edwin D. Hill; Little Rock MayorPatrick Hayes; IBEW member JamesSalkeld, Arkansas Dept of Labor; IBEWInt. Sec.-Treas. Jon F. Walters; andArkansas Secretary of State CharlieDaniels, an IBEW member. DianeThomas-Holladay, University ofArkansas, presented a seminar on theNational Labor Relations Act. She notedthat union employment is lower thanbefore the NLRA was enacted in 1935.

This can be attributed to downsiz-ing, relocation of manufacturing jobsoverseas—and constant attacks fromthe current Republican Administrationin Washington. Some 37 million morepeople have entered poverty in the

past four years. We must support ourorganizing departments, market recov-ery efforts, COPE, salting programsand COMET. Be active in your union.Help elect worker-friendly candidates.

MARK J.DeJULIISP.S./POLITICAL COORDINATOR

Work Holding SteadyL.U. 2113 (i,it,mo&o), TULLA-

HOMA, TN—Our work is holdingsteady and we are thankful for ourunion contractors employing membersworking within the jurisdiction: JacobsConstructors Inc (JCI), Nabco, Harlan,Ralph White, Adman, Elec-Tech, Electri-cal Contracting Services, G*ub*mk, Fast,Lawson and Service Electric. Work atArnold Air Force Base continues to

hold, with projections for a heavierworkload. We are hopeful that by thetime this article is published, a newagreement will have been reached withAerospace Testing Alliance (ATA) andthe Metal Trades Council, of which ourlocal is the largest affiliate.

Heartiest congratulations to ournewly elected officers: Bus. Mgr./Fin.Sec. Gary M. Cunningham, Pres. LloydD. Ballard, Vice Pres. Brian Farless andRec. Sec. Robert D. Porter. Bros. Far-less and Cunningham are graduates ofLocal 2113’s apprenticeship program.

Speak or write an encouragingword every chance you get, living upto our reputation as “The Union ofHearts & Minds”!

BOB SMITH, P.S.

24 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005

Glad to be IBEWRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 1, ST.

LOUIS, MO—Our Retirees Club wentto a Cardinals baseball game in May.We had eight busloads of membersand their spouses or a friend.

Our retirees meetings have beenwell attended, but of course we wouldlike to have more members participate.

We thank officers and memberswho prepare the lunch at our meet-ings. Retirees have concerns regardingretirement benefit, social security andmedical care, but we are very fortu-nate to be IBEW members.

RICH KING, P.S.

Summer ActivitiesRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 3, NEW

YORK, NY, WESTCHESTER PUTNAMCHAPTER—Our May 11 golf outing atthe Beekman Country Club was ahuge success. Another well-planned

activity by Chmn. Jim O’Donnell. TheJune 8 fishing trip out of Glen Islandwas a beautiful day, with great cama-raderie. We thank Chmn. Richard Mills.

To show our support for the troopsin Iraq, a collection was taken at ourMay meeting for telephone cards tosend overseas.

Condolences to the family of TrusteeJim Tobias, who passed away in June.His dedication and kindness will bemissed. With the approval of the Boardof Directors, Jim’s position was filled byBill Robinson. The Board of Directorsalso voted for William Arnold to fill theposition of trustee, vacated by AnthonyRoucco, who retired to Florida.

Our bi-annual retirees luncheonwas Oct. 21 at Sheraton Hotel, NYC.Prizes were awarded at our first fallmeeting, Tues., Sept. 15. Fall activitiesare being planned.

VINCENT PANZARINO, P.S.

Anniversary DinnerRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 24, BALTI-

MORE, MD—On July 19 we celebratedour anniversary dinner at Club 1400.Installation of officers was adminis-tered by Bus. Mgr. James Jarvis. Ourofficers are: Pres. Joe Albers, VicePres. Carolyn Eder, Sec./Treas. BettyPfaff, Sgt.-at-Arms Bob Tombaugh; andExecutive Board members CharlesBennett, Ed Habicht, Bob Myers, StellaPumphrey and Lee Witts.

On Aug 7 retirees and spouses

attended the Local 24 picnic. Friend-ship Luncheons were enjoyed after theApril and October retirees meetings.On April 28 members enjoyed a lun-cheon cruise on the Potomac Riveraboard the Odyssey out of Washington,DC. Afterward, we visited the WorldWar II Memorial. In February we had aspeaker from Legg Mason Investments.The October speaker discussedMedicare changes.

We mourn the recent loss of: Clay-bourn Langlotz, William German Jr.,

RETIREES

Members and retirees enjoy Local99’s summer outing. From left,Bros. Charles Foggarty, FrankOster and Bus. Mgr. Allen Durand.

Local 24 Bus. Mgr. JamesJarvis (back row, left)installed Local 24 RetireesClub officers. From left,front row, Stella Pumphrey,Carolyn Eder and BettyPfaff; back row, Jarvis, JoeAlbers, Ed Habicht, BobMyers, Bob Tombaugh, LeeWitts and Charles Bennett.

Local 71RetireesClubmembersat theSciotoDownsraces.

Local 103 Retirees Club officers and spouses attend Local 103’s retirementparty for Local 103 members.

The late retired Bro. Jim Thompson,a former Local 257 business man-ager.

Local 102 retirees at a Dec. 2003 Retirees Club meeting: from left, JimMoroney, Rudy Stys, Joe Zagra, Pete Zubal and Ned Waldman.

Local 134 50-year mem-bers: from left, front row,Charles LoPresti, ErvinoElmi, Ron Marsden, RalphGault, William Serritella;middle row, GeraldThompson, RaymondSvejnoha, Jerry Koch, PeterCaruso, Wayne Schroeder;back row, James Kassner,Bob Mersch, JamesMcNamara, Frank McCabeand George Randle.

Local 105 Pres. VicProhaska (right) pre-sented awards to 50-year members, fromleft: Dick Gabel, FrankShipton, Don Rumney,Werner Fritsch, DonFralick and Tom Beattie.

Local 1579members par-ticipate in 2005Labor DayMarch inAugusta, GA.

Local 2113 Pres. Lloyd Ballard (second from left), Aerospace Testing AllianceGen. Mgr. David Elrod (left) and Arnold Engineering Development Center(AEDC) Commander Gen. David Springer (far right) congratulate Local 2113members who recently received IBEW service pins. Service award recipients,beginning third from left: Rick Sells, a 25-year member; Tom Wilden (40 yearmember), Stanley Evans (50 years), and Talmage Tilley (55 years).

Local 1739 Bro. Reggie Robitailleat the Soldiers Memorial Hospitalexpansion project site.

Attending the IBEWTenth District ProgressMeeting, from left: Int.Rep. John K. Craig, Local1749 Bus. Mr. JeffreyRosentreter, Int. VicePres. Robert P. Klein,Local 1749 Press Sec.Mark DeJuliis and UnitSteward Vincent Wilson.

257 Apprentice Dir. Rick Stokes.Club Pres. Jerry Rehagan had knee

replacement surgery and is now doingwell. Orville Linger suffered a strokeand at reporting time is recoveringwell. Some retiree members attendedthe Mokanes World Fair, riding ourfloat in the parade.

The Retirees Club will not meet inNovember. Our Christmas meeting isDec 13 at the union hall.

GARY FISHER, P.S.

Nick Bassick TributeRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 291, BOISE,

ID—We mourn Bro. Nick Bassick, whopassed away Sept. 2, 2005.

At the June 9, 2005, Retirees Clubmeeting Pres. Don Harness gave spe-cial recognition to Bro. Bassick, a for-mer lineman, on belatedly receivinghis Purple Heart for shrapnel wounds

received in 1944. The Purple Heartwas presented to Bro. Bassick onMemorial Day 2005. Major Gen. LarryLafrenz presented the award and Gov.Dirk Kempthorne and U.S. Sen. LarryCraig were present at the ceremony.

Bro. Dale Hancock won the doorprize at the June 9 meeting. Represent-ing the local at the meeting was DawnWalsh, office secretary. The first 2005fall meeting was scheduled for Sept 8.

LLOYD WILLIAMS, P.S.

Labor Day PicnicRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 639, SAN

LUIS OBISPO, CA—The Local 639Retiree’s Club staffed the IBEW booth atthe San Luis Obispo County DemocraticParty Labor Day picnic in September.

More than 500 people turned out fora day of barbecue, entertainment andspeakers, including local Democratic

Party officials, union representativesand U.S. Rep. Lois Capps. Local 639active members Richie Kugelman,James Reed and Brett Malone providedthe barbecue expertise and preparedlunch. It was a great time for everyone.

BILL PAPICH, P.S.

Summer LuncheonRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 654,

CHESTER, PA—Local 654 retirees andguests enjoyed an elegant summerluncheon in the Austin room of ournew union hall. Bus. Mgr. SteveMcNally welcomed everyone and afterlunch gave a tour of the building.

The retirees thank our membership

for the luncheons we have enjoyedthrough the years.

I encourage members nearing retire-ment to talk to a retiree and check withyour local union office early. They arehelpful with your questions and willprovide a Plan Summary.

Local 654 member Shawn Quinnreturned home safely from Iraq.

We welcome new retirees to ourbreakfast every other Wednesday.

T. FRANCIS HANLEY, P.S.

Annual LuncheonRETIREES CLUB OF FORMER L.U.

724, ALBANY, NY—Our club meets thefirst Tuesday of each month at 10:30a.m. at the Albany Labor Temple.

We thank Albany Local 236 forinviting us to the Steak Roast atKrauses Grove Sept. 10. Our club’sannual luncheon at Crossgate Restau-rant was Oct. 18.

We like to hear from our retireesacross the United States. Letters maybe sent to Local Union 724, IBEWRetirees Club, P.O. Box 9155, Albany,NY, 12209-0155.

JIM DON RILEY, P.S.

Come Join UsRETIREES CLUB OF L.U. 804,

KITCHENER, ON, CANADA—From acautious beginning our club has pro-gressed into more activity. Our lun-

cheon meetings are a plus formembers who must travel longer dis-tances. Club excursions were added,such as the Grand River Boat Cruiseand the Sept. 22 Wine Tour.

For the Wine Tour, arrangementswere made to pick up members fromthe Guelph area at the Willow WestMall; then the Kitchener area membersat the union hall. Such added conve-nience encourages more retirees tojoin the get-togethers and keep up thefriendships developed through ourworking years.

The Retirees Club is a good placeto reinforce those memories—comejoin us.

THOMAS GARDNER, P.S.

26 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005 27

1 Alagna, M. L. 12,500.001 Baker, R. L. 3,000.001 Pfefferkorn, O. J. 3,000.003 Eimer, E. 1,500.003 Goebel, L. 3,000.003 Lachapelle, C. 6,250.003 McDonald, R. R. 2,928.923 McDonough, C. J. 12,500.003 Moran, T. 2,500.003 Penner, A. 2,906.503 Torresson, R. L. 3,000.003 Wade, J. 3,000.003 Werboff, S. 3,039.405 Burzynski, J. J. 3,000.005 Dinardo, J. J. 2,967.99

5 Krieger, J. J. 3,000.005 Watson, D. L. 6,250.006 Haydock, P. 6,250.006 Ozanich, J. M. 3,000.008 Stoltz, R. L. 3,000.008 Strance, D. E. 6,250.0011 Berkoff, L. 2,955.1911 Davis, H. E. 2,663.9011 Kober, J. R. 3,000.0011 Martinez, A. L. 3,000.0011 Semeraro, S. 2,824.5012 Beckman, D. 3,000.0017 Kreiner, C. L. 3,000.0020 Carroll, W. R. 3,000.0020 Reeves, G. T. 12,500.00

22 Zyla, C. J. 6,250.0023 Hillman, W. A. 3,000.0025 Babin, A. P. 6,250.0026 Belt, D. J. 3,000.0026 Dubbs, H. E. 3,000.0026 Jones, L. D. 3,000.0026 Kurtz, R. L. 6,250.0026 Strickland, J. L. 3,000.0029 Dawson, T. R. 3,000.0031 Schmidt, J. M. 3,000.0034 Ford, S. J. 3,125.0041 Ferguson, W. 6,250.0041 Stojek, A. J. 3,000.0041 Swanick, R. 2,937.5843 Bailey, K. F. 2,939.18

43 Barry, J. J. 3,000.0043 Dreimiller, R. J. 3,000.0046 Hampton, J. D. 3,000.0046 Hipsley, L. L. 6,250.0046 Lance, J. N. 3,000.0046 Paulson, G. L. 3,000.0047 Aleshire, J. S. 3,000.0047 Simpson, J. S. 3,000.0056 Newcomb, S. M. 6,250.0057 Ericksen, M. D. 3,000.0058 Bourgeau, B. J. 3,000.0058 Locke, W. A. 3,000.0058 Ouellette, E. K. 3,000.0058 Zanger, W. F. 3,000.0066 Bleakney, C. L. 3,000.00

Local Surname Amount Local Surname Amount Local Surname Amount Local Surname Amount

INMEMORIAMPBF Death Claims Approved for Payment in August 2005

68 Housand, P. D. 3,000.0068 Stansberry, C. F. 3,000.0068 Stasey, J. L. 2,083.3470 Stockstill, J. D. 3,000.0071 Ambrose, B. C. 3,000.0071 Smith, C. W. 3,000.0073 Lynch, C. E. 6,250.0076 Wheeler, A. C. 3,000.0077 White, R. E. 3,000.0082 Carryer, E. L. 3,297.4682 Kennard, D. 4,196.8086 Volpe, M. R. 3,000.0097 Brown, B. A. 3,000.0097 Moore, L. H. 2,955.1997 Robson, V. 2,950.0098 Murphy, G. R. 3,000.0098 Savarese, H. 3,000.0099 Digiulio, E. A. 3,000.0099 Lindstrom, A. R. 6,250.00102 Brittain, M. G. 2,978.49102 Morabito, J. M. 6,250.00102 Moriarty, J. P. 3,000.00102 Syron, P. 2,948.00103 Albers, B. A. 3,000.00103 Reilly, J. J. 3,000.00104 Leonard, R. J. 3,000.00105 Owens, G. P. 3,000.00110 Johnson, R. C. 2,423.40111 Dacus, K. M. 3,000.00113 Nedrow, P. D. 6,250.00113 Orr, J. R. 6,250.00113 Smith, R. F. 6,250.00113 Walczak, S. S. 3,000.00121 Hinton, C. H. 3,000.00124 Armstrong, H. W. 3,000.00124 Davis, H. C. 3,000.00124 Day, D. C. 1,000.00124 Holliday, J. W. 1,500.00124 Wise, J. P. 3,000.00125 Bistline, E. L. 1,500.00125 Hartley, H. M. 3,000.00125 Head, E. 3,000.00125 Lorey, J. P. 5,711.00125 Ruzic, J. L. 3,000.00126 Wildasin, W. W. 3,000.00134 Durham, R. W. 3,000.00134 Fogtmann, E. B. 3,000.00134 Kahn, B. 1,000.00134 Keating, T. J. 3,000.00134 Keller, G. W. 3,000.00134 Kinloch, R. J. 3,000.00134 Long, L. A. 6,250.00134 Lutz, J. R. 3,000.00134 Messina, D. J. 6,250.00134 Mitchell, M. A. 6,250.00134 Poe, T. L. 3,000.00134 Rappold, W. J. 3,000.00134 Sadilek, V. C. 3,000.00134 Tomasetti, C. D. 3,000.00136 Harding, J. S. 3,000.00143 Johnson, D. A. 2,000.00145 Mitchell, L. J. 3,000.00150 Hertel, P. C. 4,166.66153 Johnson, L. L. 3,000.00153 Moon, K. D. 3,000.00159 Erstad, A. 3,000.00160 Sundholm, M. R. 6,250.00164 Monticello, N. J. 3,000.00164 Peer, C. H. 3,000.00164 Sutherland, T. E. 6,250.00175 Bell, W. R. 6,250.00175 Bell, W. L. 1,500.00175 Haynes, T. L. 3,000.00175 Lewis, W. R. 3,000.00191 Marshall, C. R. 2,955.50194 Cascio, J. P. 3,000.00210 Norman, T. W. 2,727.95212 Goetz, W. C. 3,000.00

212 Morris, W. F. 2,927.98213 Sealey, R. W. 3,000.00213 Wise, J. A. 3,000.00223 Bishop, D. 2,908.00229 Hartlaub, G. N. 3,000.00231 Shook, L. N. 3,000.00233 Jackson, H. M. 3,000.00236 Johnson, K. F. 3,000.00242 Hauer, C. G. 3,000.00245 Rauch, C. L. 3,000.00252 Slaybaugh, R. D. 3,000.00258 Chambers, M. 2,952.00258 Pederson, S. C. 3,125.00271 Munoz, G. T. 6,250.00280 Klitzke, E. D. 2,910.50292 Chap, D. J. 6,250.00292 Culligan, J. L. 3,000.00292 Dahlstrom, R. L. 6,250.00292 Lau, G. 3,000.00292 Lloyd, G. R. 3,000.00292 Rutz, R. 3,000.00300 Lane, G. E. 2,902.32302 Thomas, S. J. 3,000.00306 Ratchford, H. S. 3,000.00307 Kelly, D. P. 3,000.00308 Murphy, F. J. 3,000.00309 Cummins, J. L. 3,000.00309 Doil, W. E. 3,000.00309 Hennessy, T. F. 2,524.80309 Simcox, C. A. 2,856.00313 Kiloski, G. S. 3,000.00317 Davis, E. L. 3,000.00317 Jones, G. L. 3,000.00317 Shrader, B. V. 3,000.00340 Evans, J. L. 2,934.32340 Jones, H. H. 3,000.00340 Saffold, L. 8,333.34340 Yates, C. S. 6,250.00342 Lee, T. R. 6,250.00343 Tatro, D. M. 6,250.00349 Farr, H. J. 3,000.00349 Ohlsson, D. C. 3,000.00351 O’Brien, D. P. 12,500.00351 Tulini, E. M. 3,000.00353 Hopkin, T. W. 6,250.00353 Salter, H. A. 3,000.00357 Bearup, H. E. 3,000.00363 Bello, C. R. 12,500.00363 Henry, W. O. 2,820.00363 Kaweski, E. A. 3,000.00363 Krusher, J. D. 1,947.00363 Winterberger, J. L. 2,916.00364 Howard, E. S. 3,000.00365 Goforth, B. B. 2,945.59366 Nettleton, W. H. 3,000.00369 Patrick, J. C. 3,280.00369 Preston, C. L. 6,250.00369 Rose, W. P. 3,000.00369 Smith, W. L. 3,000.00380 Bell, J. J. 2,859.16380 Haley, T. J. 3,000.00387 Hoggatt, E. O. 2,948.79400 Baratta, P. R. 3,000.00400 Chasey, G. H. 3,000.00401 Gilley, B. 3,000.00401 Lunak, J. 3,000.00405 Boston, D. J. 6,250.00413 McFillen, M. J. 3,000.00415 Anderson, W. D. 3,000.00415 Keating, J. P. 3,000.00424 Carfantan, R. J. 6,250.00424 Kavanagh, L. R. 6,250.00424 Kiernan, H. 5,536.00429 Bishop, D. 3,000.00429 Brown, R. B. 6,250.00429 Dedmon, T. B. 3,000.00436 King, C. P. 3,000.00441 Harris, R. G. 3,000.00

441 Ridsdale, E. D. 2,928.38444 Hager, E. W. 3,000.00445 Zima, J. J. 6,250.00446 Hall, B. R. 3,000.00446 Kirby, D. P. 3,000.00449 Jester, H. E. 1,000.00456 Chinchar, T. J. 3,000.00474 Edwards, D. A. 3,000.00479 Smith, P. P. 3,000.00481 Newforth, C. J. 12,500.00483 Pozorski, H. J. 3,000.00486 Phelps, F. H. 2,625.54488 Nitsche, W. G. 3,000.00494 Dropp, R. H. 3,000.00494 Goldmann, D. J. 2,954.02495 Lewis, E. 3,000.00495 Price, H. 3,000.00520 Carlstrand, D. B. 12,500.00520 Lange, F. C. 6,250.00530 Bell, J. F. 3,000.00530 Kensley, C. 3,000.00531 Finton, H. E. 2,888.00540 Nidy, A. E. 1,620.28547 Holle, D. D. 2,971.78553 Nobles, K. T. 6,250.00558 Fuller, R. R. 1,500.00558 Powell, C. R. 3,000.00558 Webster, J. R. 3,000.00568 Gal, J. 2,704.74569 Bartlett, R. J. 3,000.00569 Crain, H. D. 12,500.00584 Molloy, G. L. 3,000.00595 Lightburn, A. 3,000.00602 Rodgers, C. A. 3,000.00602 Shaw, B. C. 3,000.00613 Brown, M. E. 3,000.00613 Nalley, R. 3,000.00613 Waddle, J. W. 3,000.00617 Fabos, J. G. 3,000.00639 Molinari, L. O. 3,000.00648 France, D. G. 3,000.00654 McBride, J. M. 3,006.51659 Josh, D. L. 12,500.00659 Rogers, F. R. 3,000.00659 Rohl, F. L. 3,000.00665 Criddle, J. A. 3,000.00666 Burks, R. W. 6,250.00666 Guyton, H. C. 3,000.00666 Latham, H. C. 3,000.00668 Mize, D. M. 3,000.00682 Moore, H. F. 1,500.00683 Honnold, R. I. 3,000.00684 Boggs, J. E. 1,468.27684 Clayton, J. H. 3,000.00688 Freeman, T. P. 3,000.00692 Peil, J. G. 3,000.00697 Martin, J. E. 3,000.00697 Parent, D. K. 2,123.93700 Hardin, L. C. 3,000.00701 Pozek, J. 3,855.56702 Drury, G. L. 6,250.00702 Purnell, J. A. 6,250.00714 Yineman, L. A. 3,000.00716 Gaddis, R. D. 3,000.00716 Williams, S. F. 3,000.00725 Fiscus, T. S. 2,083.33728 Gabrenas, J. R. 6,250.00728 Lindsey, C. B. 3,000.00728 Simmons, M. L. 6,250.00731 Koch, J. A. 2,922.00743 Balatgek, R. 2,935.00756 Malone, P. F. 3,000.00756 Morgan, D. E. 3,000.00756 Turner, A. F. 3,000.00760 Childs, E. S. 3,000.00760 Gray, D. T. 12,500.00760 Johnson, D. J. 2,934.00763 Marshall, R. K. 3,000.00

769 Thibodeaux, D. K. 3,000.00812 Kilgus, F. P. 3,000.00852 Donahoe, C. W. 3,000.00861 Chiasson, H. 3,000.00876 Gaines, N. 3,000.00876 Rasmussen, C. W. 2,802.00889 Vore, R. F. 2,934.00894 Perks, T. A. 6,250.00898 Brister, J. A. 3,000.00932 Smith, W. E. 3,000.00934 Gibson, H. A. 3,000.00948 Seeley, M. E. 3,000.00949 Anderson, R. L. 3,000.00985 Culpepper, R. B. 2,922.00995 Martinez, E. A. 3,000.001049 Martone, R. P. 3,000.001049 Ritner, T. 2,000.001077 Lang, S. G. 2,938.001077 Rawls, M. 2,963.041186 Ahchin, W. 3,000.001205 Thompson, W. E. 3,000.001228 Leavitt, T. A. 3,000.001249 Sullivan, J. P. 3,000.001249 Sweeney, P. L. 3,000.001377 Cunningham, A. J. 2,939.991379 Millick, H. 3,000.001466 Petty, H. R. 2,946.001547 Jennings, O. T. 3,000.001547 Pyatt, W. H. 2,881.001852 Murphy, L. 2,942.001937 Godwin, D. D. 6,250.002150 Cullen, J. J. 3,000.002166 Landry, C. 6,250.00

Pens. (3) Keene, E. 1,154.00Pens. (38) Leyerle, A. E. 3,000.00Pens. (82) Braaksma, W. H. 3,000.00Pens. (245) Napierala, R. 3,000.00Pens. (323) Harvey, L. C. 3,000.00Pens. (479) Porter, T. W. 3,000.00Pens. (507) Koehler, J. W. 2,984.03Pens. (617) Cuming, D. E. 2,916.00Pens. (948) Cornell, B. D. 1,777.76Pens. (1095) Curran, C. 3,000.00Pens. (1470) Kalter, I. 3,000.00Pens. (1749) Henshaw, H. W. 1,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Andersen, H. 2,958.39Pens. (I.O.) Backer, G. T. 2,908.00Pens. (I.O.) Bartlett, J. E. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Bromley, H. C. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Bryant, W. H. 2,848.00Pens. (I.O.) Bryant, R. L. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Cann, M. J. 2,943.99Pens. (I.O.) Cembalski, A. B. 2,924.00Pens. (I.O.) Darby, F. K. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Darcangelo, P. P. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Dunne, C. T. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Dunphy, W. N. 3,680.44Pens. (I.O.) Harvey, J. H. 2,950.39Pens. (I.O.) Hayes, J. B. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Houston, W. R. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Huniak, W. W. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Johnson, R. E. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Lacrosse, J. E. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Olsen, I. W. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Pacheco, J. R. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Pratzner, F. M. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Quirk, R. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Rek, J. P. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Shaw, D. F. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Spencer, J. F. 2,887.98Pens. (I.O.) Street, J. M. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Swaney, W. J. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Taylor, H. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Thomas, J. R. 3,000.00Pens. (I.O.) Virga, C. A. 3,000.00Total Amount . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,328,281.10

Local Surname Amount Local Surname Amount Local Surname Amount Local Surname Amount

______________________________________________________________________________________NAME______________________________________________________________________________________

NEW ADDRESS______________________________________________________________________________________

CITY STATE ZIP/POSTAL CODE

PRESENT LOCAL UNION NUMBER ____________________________________________________

CARD NUMBER _______________________________________________________________________(If unknown, check with Local Union)

CURRENTLY ON PENSION ❏ Soc. Sec. No.__________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________OLD ADDRESS (Please affix mailing label from magazine)

______________________________________________________________________________________CITY STATE ZIP/POSTAL CODE

FORMER LOCAL UNION NUMBER _____________________________________________________

Don’t forget to register to vote at your new address!AD

DR

ES

SC

HA

NG

E? Brothers and Sisters, we want you to have your JOURNAL! When you have a change of address, please let us know. Be sure

to include your old address and please don’t forget to fill in L.U. and Card No. This information will be helpful in checking andkeeping our records straight. If you have changed local unions, we must have numbers of both. U.S. members—mail this form to IBEW, Address Change Department, 900 Seventh Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. Canadian members—mail this form to IBEW First District, 1450 Meyerside Drive, Suite 300, Mississauga, Ontario L5T 2N5.All members—you can change your address on line at www.ibew.org

The late Bro. NickBassick (center), a Local291 Retirees Club mem-ber, received his PurpleHeart, presented by U.S.Sen. Larry Craig (left) andMajor Gen. Larry Lafrenz.Bro. Bassick passedaway Sept. 2, 2005.

Local 654RetireesClub membersand guests at the summer luncheon.

Local 639 Retirees Clubmembers staffed abooth at the Labor Daypicnic. From left, backrow: Rich Harris,Gordon Reed, Jim Filonand Don Ice; front row,Bruce Knievsky, BillPapich, James Reed(active member) andRon Snyder.

IBEW APRON & COOKBOOKORDER FORM

Name ________________________________________________

Local Union ____________________ District _______________

Address ______________________________________________

City __________________________________________________

State _____________________________ Zip ________________

Phone _______________________________________________

E-mail _____________________________________

IBEW Aprons Qty: ________ Total: ___________(Price: $30.00 Each)

IBEW Cookbooks Qty:________ Total: ___________(Price: $25.00 Each)

Grand Total:_______________________

All Orders include: Taxes, Shipping & Handling

Mail To:IBEW Fourth District • 8260 Northcreek Drive,

Suite 140 • Cincinnati, OH 45236

Make Checks Payable To: IBEW 37th International Convention Fund

ALL PROCEEDS Go to the 37th International Convention Fund

The “Taste of IBEW” cookbook and apronare great gift ideas. The book has more than

900 recipes from appetizers to entrees to desserts.And sporting an IBEW apron, you’ll truly

be cooking in style. Holidays, familiesand IBEW recipes—they go together. Do

your shopping early. You can also order onlineby visiting the Fourth District Web site

http://www.4ibew.com

28 IBEW JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 2005

MINUTES AND REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING

Chairman Foster called this regular meeting of theInternational Executive Council to order at 8:00 a.m.,Tuesday, September 13, 2005. Other members of theCouncil in attendance were Lavin, Chilia, Plott,Carrinho and Fashion. Also in attendance were thetwo newly appointed IEC members—Gregory Luceroand Joseph Calabro.

INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT HILLInternational President Edwin D. Hill met with the

International Executive Council a number of times todiscuss a variety of matters affecting all branches ofthe Brotherhood.

INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER WALTERS

International Secretary-Treasurer Jon F. Walters presented financial reports covering the IBEW Pension Fund and the Investment Portfolio of theBrotherhood both in Canada and in the UnitedStates.

LEGAL DEFENSEPayments for legal defense made from the General

Fund were examined and approved in accordancewith the requirements of Article X, Section 1, of theIBEW Constitution.

FINANCIAL REPORTSThe International Secretary-Treasurer’s reports for

the various funds of the Brotherhood were presentedto the International Executive Council, examined andfiled.

PBF TRUSTEESThe International Executive Council, sitting as the

Trustees, along with the International President andthe International Secretary-Treasurer of the IBEWPension Benefit Fund, reviewed Fund investments and related matters.

INVESTMENTSThe report of the fund investment action by the

International President and by the InternationalSecretary-Treasurer since the last Council meeting was presented to the International Executive Council,examined and approved.

LOCAL UNIONS UNDER TRUSTEESHIPInternational President Edwin D. Hill reported to

the International Executive Council that Local Union1852, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, which had beenplaced under I.O. Trusteeship on July 13, 2004, wasreleased from trusteeship effective June 30, 2005.

RETIREMENT OF EMPLOYEESLinda L. Vermillion—effective July 11, 2005

(Accountant—IBEW Accounting Department)

Nancy D. Davis—effective October 1, 2005(Secretary—IBEW Fifth District)

Kathleen J. Yost—effective November 7, 2005(Senior Agreement Approval Analyst—IBEWConstruction and Maintenance Department)

Claire C. Swain—effective December 5, 2005(Secretary—IBEW Construction and MaintenanceDepartment)

RETIREMENT OF INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

David A. Johnson—effective August 1, 2005(International Representative—IBEW Sixth District)

Thomas E. Cook—effective September 1, 2005(International Representative—IBEW Fourth District)

Richard Doak, Jr.— effective October 1, 2005(International Representative—IBEW Fifth District)

RETIREMENT OF EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TOTHE INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASUER

Patrick M. Reilly—effective October 1, 2005(Senior Executive Assistant to the InternationalSecretary-Treasurer)

NEWLY APPOINTED IEC MEMBERSInternational President Edwin D. Hill appointed,

and the International Executive Council approved,the following members to the International ExecutiveCouncil:

Joseph Calabro—effective September 1, 2005IEC First District

Gregory Lucero—effective August 1, 2005IEC Sixth District

Robert Pierson—effective October 1, 2005IEC Fifth District

THE NEXT REGULAR MEETINGThis regular meeting of the International Executive

Council was held in Washington, D.C. The meetingadjourned on Thursday, September 15, 2005.

The next regular meeting of the InternationalExecutive Council will commence at 8:00 a.m.,Tuesday, December 6, 2005, in Washington, D.C.

FOR THE INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Patrick Lavin, SecretaryInternational Executive Council

Note: The IEC acted on numerous applications dealingwith pensions under the IBEW Pension Benefit Fund.For a complete listing, please contact the InternationalSecretary-Treasurer’s Office, 900 Seventh Street, N.W.,Washington, D. C. 20001.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING

agreement, which returns $70 million ayear to the city, for another five years.

Lawrenceburg has hit a jackpot ofpublic projects that would be the envy ofa larger city. A new campus for IndianaCommunity College is under construction.The city has built an Olympic-sized swim-ming pool, a $600,000 football field, askateboard park and a $4.7 million fire-house. Revenue-sharing supports an adultcenter and a bond bank that loans moneyto local businesses and start-up enter-prises at a low interest rate. The collegescholarship program, administered by afoundation, issues $500,000 in grants peryear.

Out of the $200 million spent on con-struction in Lawrenceburg, Cunninghamsaid 99 percent has gone to union con-tractors.”

“Whiskey City” is gone. As its distil-leries shut down one by one, a manufac-turing-based economy has beensupplanted by gaming tables and servicebusinesses. Such transitions are always

painful but Lawrenceburg is still a unioncity. Union traditions are so strong that alocal nonunion grocery store shut downbecause locals wouldn’t patronize it. Thecasino’s workers are represented by theSeafarer’s International Union. Lawrence-burg’s 97 municipal workers are repre-sented by the International Association ofMachinists (IAM).

As mayor, Cunningham bargainsacross the table from the IAM. “We havehad some disagreements, but mostly wework things out,” he says. Health insur-ance costs employees only $1 per year.Their pay ranges from $15 per hour to$22. Workers with the most senority areentitled to annual six-week vacations. “Ibelieve that if people are treated well,they work well,” he says.

While he describes the mayor’s job asrewarding, Cunningham always feels thesubtle pressures of a place where every-one knows your name. “In a big city,people don’t expect that their leaders willalways look out for them personally, butin a small one like Lawrenceburg, resi-dents ask why you didn’t hire their son ordaughter, reminding you that they onceknew your father.”

He can’t please everyone, but Cun-

ningham is always open to suggestionsand criticisms. Each month, on a Satur-day, he opens city council chambers tothe public to meet with citizens on issuesranging from “dogs running loose to taxrates.” He says, “I’m out on the streets alot and my phone number is listed.” Cun-ningham, who makes $40,000 as mayor,has supported a raise for city councilmembers, but not for himself.

The success of Mayor Cunninghamand Democrats in Lawrenceburg has runcounter to the trend in surrounding Dear-born County. Once a Democratic strong-hold of 17,000, the county has grown to50,000 with an influx of former residentsof ultra-conservative Hamilton County,drawn by new housing developments.Cunningham said he urges fellow IBEWmembers to throw their hat into local pol-itics, “at any level, from school board tozoning board, to mayor.”

He says “grassroots politics can beapplied anywhere. Stay involved. Youwill be surprised at the changes that youcan make, but it takes a lot of work,”Cunningham adds, “Make certain thatyou have supporters who will help.Then get out on the streets and talk tothe people.” 1

IBEW Mayor(Continued from page 11)

Printed in the U.S.A.

Noise is nota new hazard.

Every year, over 50 million people in North Americaare occupationally exposed to hazardous noise. Fortu-nately, the incidence of noise-induced hearing loss canbe reduced.

Follow These Simple Steps4 Workers are to be trained in a hearing loss program.4 A critical noise study should be performed at the

jobsite.4 Engineering and/or administrative noise controls

should be implemented.4 Use proper hearing protection when other measures

are not enough. 1

AN IBEW® SAFETY REMINDER