IBEW Local 1 (St. Louis) Helps Holy Name Society Help Mother in Need

Last modified: Saturday, October 10, 2009 3:12 AM CDT

Catholic Holy Family Society gets to work

About 70 Catholic Holy Family Society members, staff and trustees are spending this weekend building a home for a military mother and her three children with Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County in St. Peters.

This marks Catholic Holy Family Society's 16th build and Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County's first blitz build.

Plans for the three-bedroom home include a walkout basement and attached garage. The project site is located in The Enclaves at Eisenhower at 118 Eisenhower Drive.

All volunteers are members of Catholic Holy Family Society, a member-owned life insurance organization.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, volunteers were working on exterior walls, roof trusses, shingling, siding, and window and door installation.

In addition, Catholic Holy Family Society was to present Habitat for Humanity with a $5,000 donation to help with building costs.

Other home sponsors include Immaculate Conception of Dardenne, Laclede Gas and the IBEW L.U. 1.

Families are selected to partner with Habitat for Humanity on the basis of income and need for affordable housing.

After an extensive qualification process, the families must complete 350 hours of "sweat equity," purchase the home at construction cost through a 30-year, interest-free mortgage, and make monthly mortgage, insurance and tax payments of $475 to $550.

For more information or to make a donation, contact Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles County by visiting www.habitatstcharles.org or calling 636-978-5712.

IBEW Local 363 (New City, NY) Endorses County Executive Ed Diana

IBEW endorses Diana

Published: October 15, 2009

From Strauss News/ Photo News

Goshen- County Executive Ed Diana has been endorsed by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 363, which represents over 2,500 union members.

Diana is seeking a third term as Orange County Executive.

IBEW 2009 Membership Conference Roundup

A few moments from the 2009 Membership Conference

Thanks, IBEW Local 2376!

Thanks, IBEW!

Published By Times Herald

Posted: 10/02/2009 01:01:28 AM PDT

I would like to take the time to thank IBEW Local 2376 graciously for choosing me for its scholarship. I very much appreciate it -- this really helps my parents out, and will help me in my path to become a dental assistant.I know that the city is going through tough times, but it's great to know that IBEW 2376 still cares about the students in need in our community, and shows passion toward them.
Anna Raygoza
Vallejo

Line Clearance Workers Choose IBEW Local 47

Line Clearance Workers Choose IBEW

Posted By James Parks On October 6, 2009 @ 3:11 pm In Organizing & Bargaining

The workers at Guzman Garden Line Clearance voted to join [1] Electrical Workers (IBEW) [2] Local 47 last month after their bosses reneged on promises to make changes and give workers a voice. 
Guzman Gardens is a line clearance contractor that works on Los Angeles Department of Water and Power property. This summer, Guzman workers contacted Local 47 and inquired about joining the union and 22 of the 24 workers signed cards seeking representation by the union.

But the company demanded a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)-supervised election and hired a union-busting firm to try and persuade the workers to reject the union. Had the [3] Employee Free Choice Act been in effect, the workers would have had a union immediately because a union would be recognized through the cards they signed (majority verification or “card-check”). The Employee Free Choice Act would give workers the option of choosing whether to join a union through the labor board process or via majority verification.
The day before the first election, the company’s owner held a captive audience meeting with all his employees. Workers said he apologized to the workforce and promised to listen to their concerns and asked them for one more chance.
The workers, out of a sense of loyalty to the owner, and trusting he would keep his promises, decided to give him one more chance and voted against union representation.
But within days, the owner reneged on his promised changes. Local 47 filed unfair labor practice charges against the company with the NLRB, which ordered a new election. This time the workers voted overwhelmingly for IBEW.
Guzman is an example of a small employer hiring a union-buster and pulling out all stops, including engaging in deliberate deceit, in order to foil its workers’ desire to form a union.  Large employers routinely deploy even greater resources and more insidious strategies against workers and unions in order to maintain unimpeded control over their workers’ livelihoods. The Employee Free Choice Act is absolutely necessary to level the playing field and deter these abuses.

---

Article printed from AFL-CIO NOW BLOG: http://blog.aflcio.org

9,000 IBEW Workers, IBEW Local 21, Ratify New Contracts at AT&T

From the AFL-CIO Blog
9,000 IBEW Workers, Represented by IBEW Local 21, Ratify New Contracts at AT&T
by Belinda Boyce, Oct 5, 2009 http://blog.aflcio.org

IBEW, AT&T: Nearly 9,000 core wireline workers in Illinois and Indiana, members of the Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 21, ratified a new three-year agreement with AT&T on Tuesday. Nearly half of AT&T’s 120,000 wireline workers have ratified contracts, while negotiations continue with CWA in the East, Southeast and Southwest regions.

Onorato pledges 'real reform' in race for governor

Onorato pledges 'real reform' in race for governor

By Brad Bumsted, Salena Zito and Mike Wereschagin
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato kicked off his campaign for governor Tuesday with a three-stop tour across the state, beginning in Philadelphia and ending in front of about 500 supporters in the South Side.

"I'm serious about real reform in Harrisburg. And don't let them tell you that it can't be changed," Onorato said at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers hall. "Sure, there's good people up there, but the system is broken. We need to fix it."

With the long expected announcement, Onorato joins a crowded field for the Democratic nomination in 2010. State Auditor General Jack Wagner, a fellow Western Pennsylvanian; Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty; Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel; and retired Philadelphia businessman Tom Knox have said they're in the race.

Onorato said his nearly six years of running Allegheny County government sets him apart, highlighting the row office consolidation that took place during his first term, environmental remediation that made polluted industrial sites ready for redevelopment and the lack of a property tax increase.

"We created a business climate that can compete with any region in the United States, and that allows the private sector to flourish," Onorato said in Philadelphia. "We've seen more than $10.8 billion in investments and development in Allegheny County since I took office."

A Quinnipiac University poll last week revealed that none of the Democratic rivals is broadly known. The survey showed Onorato, with 14 percent of the vote, led Democrats, followed by Hoeffel at 12 percent and Wagner at 11 percent. Doherty and Knox were in single digits.

"The polls have shown that none of the candidates really has a leg up," said G. Terry Madonna, a pollster at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.

Onorato's biggest advantage might be his campaign account. His latest filing shows he has more than $4.1 million in the bank.

"He is someone that is well-positioned to run a good campaign," said Chris Borick, director of Muhlenberg College's Institute for Public Opinion. "Now it remains to be seen if he will."

Onorato started off yesterday with about 100 supporters at Philadelphia's majestic City Hall, and followed with about 75 supporters at Riverfront Park in Harrisburg. For Onorato's homecoming, the campaign paid for hoagies, Miller Light and Yeungling beers and wine.

He addressed two controversial issues that have been raised by opponents: his support for the drink tax and his position on abortion.

Onorato said he relishes the chance to debate his support of the drink tax, saying the only alternative was a property tax hike.

"If it's between the drink tax and property taxes, it's a no-brainer," he said.

On abortion, Onorato said he, as a Roman Catholic, is personally anti-abortion rights but would not overturn state law to tighten abortion restrictions.

Onorato plans to continue his campaign swing today with stops in Johnstown, State College and Wilkes-Barre. He plans to visit Erie and Allentown on Thursday.

Six protesters arrested at kickoff

Pittsburgh police handcuffed and removed six protesters from the IBEW Hall Tuesday evening after they disrupted Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato's campaign event.

Naomi Archer, 43, of Asheville, N.C., managed to get on stage with Onorato and briefly grab the microphone, before he shouldered her aside and an aide pulled her off stage. Hers was the first of four separate disruptions.

Others stood in the crowd, some wearing duct tape over their mouths, to protest the arrests of 110 people in Oakland the night the G-20 leaders left town.

While most of the protesters demanded the charges against those people be dropped, Archer said her group, Climate Camp, had items stolen from Schenley Park, where the group had permission to leave them overnight. She blames city workers and wants the items returned.

Protesters chanted as they were escorted and dragged out, and the crowd shouted Onorato's name to drown them out.

"You wonder why I love this town. Thank you," Onorato said.

Afterward, he shrugged off the protest.

"God bless 'em. It's America," Onorato said. "They got their point across but they probably picked the wrong forum to do it."

From staff reports


Images and text copyright © 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.
Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

IBEW Local 2222 Fights to Maintain Decent Jobs

Boston union workers rally over layoffs

By Jay Fitzgerald | Friday, October 2, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets

Hundreds of angry union workers marched through downtown Boston yesterday to protest recent layoffs at the Hyatt Hotel and planned cutbacks at other firms including Verizon.

Saying they won’t tolerate a “jobless recovery,” union members rallied first on Boston Common near the State House, then marched to the Verizon building in Post Office Square - and then they ducked backed into the Downtown Crossing area to the Hyatt, which recently fired dozens of non-union housekeepers in favor of lower-paid subcontracted employees.

“People are loud and people are angry,” said Rand Wilson, of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2222.

About 80 unions were involved in the rally and march, which were planned weeks ago. The union event picked up steam and passion due to recent labor disputes at Hyatt and Verizon.

“It’s symbolic of the concerns of all workers,” said Wilson.

Hyatt has come under heavy fire for axing 98 housekeepers and replacing them with lower-wage workers. The hotel chain later offered the ousted cleaners jobs with a staffing agency, but the housekeepers say they want their old jobs back.

Meanwhile at the State House yesterday, Republicans blocked a move by three Senate Democrats - Anthony Galluccio (D-Cambridge), Jack Hart (D-South Boston) and Anthony Petruccelli (D-East Boston) - to pass a resolution urging a boycott of Hyatt.

Around 7:30 p.m., after a caller reported a stolen truck loaded with gasoline was enroute to the Hyatt, a police bomb squad investigated a truck in the hotel’s parking garage. The bomb squad later left the scene. It was unclear whether they found anything suspicious.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1201633

Vallejo Declares Bankruptcy -- Time for a CHANGE!

Time for a change

Published By Vallejo Times Herald Online

Posted: 10/02/2009 01:01:34 AM PDT

This election is a time for change to Vallejo's elected officials. A recent letter writer stated, "The present candidates for re-election have had to make some unpopular decisions." At this time we need stability.

What unpopular decisions? These:

* Voted to write-off (loss) the $13.5 million loaned from the General Fund to redevelopment, transportation and the Empress Theater. Then blamed the firefighters for the city's deficit, because we all know that's were it started.

* Voted to file for bankruptcy instead of working out (fair) deals among all city unions. Remember, the council voted for the VPD contract. And it is now imposing salary and benefits cuts only to IBEW and Local 1186 (fire).

* Started the charter review committee to get rid of section (809) -- binding arbitration only. Now the committee doesn't know what to do.

* Received the $900,000 from Lennar and now are not going to re-open the fire station. Are the residents of Mare Island aware of this? Where are the savings of $2 million per a closed fire station going ? I would be at every council meeting complaining about that.

Are these some of the "unpopular decisions"? No these are popular (attacks) decisions by your elected officials (activists).

You want unpopular decisions? Here are a few. Remember the city is in bankruptcy -- they can do what they want, or is that just to the fire department?

* Every city employee (department head, city manager, etc...) making more than $150,000 a year take a 10 percent cut across the board for one year (not just IBEW and fire). That's at least 230 employees; it's about $15,000 per person. That would save the city about $3,375,000 million per a year.

* Charge $3 a day for ferry parking. There are about 710 spots; that's about $777,450 a year in revenue. If the riders don't like that, then drive to the city and try and find a spot for $3 in San Francisco.

* Not pay full medical coverage to elected officials that have served two terms. Not sure how much that is.

* Now with the 9-1-1 hang up fee, 4,000 calls X $200 per a call -- that's $800,000 a year.

That's a savings/revenue of $4,952,450 in one year. Those would be unpopular decisions.

We all know none of the current council will do this, because they haven't done it. That's why it's time for a change, Vallejo.

Todd Swanson, Napa

AT&T reaches tentative agreement with union covering 8,900 core wireline employees

AT&T reaches deal with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

August 17 /blog.taragana.com

DALLAS — AT&T Inc. said Sunday it reached tentative agreement with a union covering about 8,900 of its electrical workers on new contract terms.

The deal with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers on core wireline contracts will be submitted for a ratification vote in coming days. The agreement marks the third reached with a bargaining unit representing AT&T’s core wireline workers.

AT&T and the Communications Workers of America earlier ratified a new contract in the Midwest and West regions. A total of about 50,000 employees in core wireline contracts now have ratified or reached tentative agreements.

The IBEW contracts expired June 27 and employees have worked under terms of the expired contracts while negotiations continued. Most of the IBEW employees covered under the contracts are in Illinois and northwestern Indiana.

The tentative deal calls for wage and pension increases in all three years for most employees. Wages would increase 3 percent in the first and second years and 2.75 percent in the third year. The agreement also provides for continued health insurance coverage with some cost sharing.

The company said that most of the financial impact of the contract will be reflected in its results beginning in 2010.

Negotiations are continuing in other CWA regions where contracts expired on April 4, including the East, Southwest and Southeast.

A total of about 120,000 employees are covered under the various contracts.

Dallas-based AT&T is the largest private employer of union labor in the U.S.

NOTE: Correction: AT&T labor story DALLAS — In an Aug. 16 story about AT&T agreeing on a new contract with 8,900 employees, The Associated Press erroneously reported that members of the Communications Workers of America had earlier ratified a new contract with AT&T in the West region.

Manitoba Hydro pushes IBEW Local 2034 into first strike in 50 years.

Hydro workers strike tonight

By: Staff Writer

Winnepeg Free Press Online Edition

2/10/2009 4:13 PM | Comments: 23

WINNIPEG - A picket line will be up around Manitoba Hydro's utility services headquarters at 35 Sutherland Avenue tonight.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents 3,000 Manitoba Hydro employees, has called for a strike at 6 p.m. after conciliation talks broke off earlier today.

Local 2034 IBEW represents members in more than 120 job classifications, including metering technicians, building operators, store keepers, truck drivers, mechanics, welders and lab technicians.

According to the union’s website, picket lines will be set up at most Manitoba Hydro facilities across the province, including nine locations in Winnipeg.

Manitoba Hydro was attempting to recertify managers to cover some union jobs, but a utility spokesman said there is no way the managers could provide the same level of service as the union members.

This would be the first strike at Manitoba Hydro in Local 2034’s 50-year history.

Manitoba Hydro president Bob Brennan circulated an e-mail to utility employees this afternoon, stating the IBEW will be going out on strike at 6 p.m. and thanking non-striking employees for their co-operation.

"I respect the rights of IBEW and its members to take this action," Brennan states in his e-mail to employees. "I remain hopeful that the strike will be short."

It’s possible that the strike could extend to a second union involved in contract negotiations. A spokesman for Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Local 681, which represents the utilities natural gas operations, said its 235 members will not cross an IBEW picket line.

Jim Dixon, a CEP national representative, said his union expects to resume negotiations with Manitoba Hydro on Monday but added that if the utility instructs CEP members to cross the IBEW picket line the CEP members will also go out on strike.

Dixon said CEP members share a common works yard with the IBEW members, where their trucks, equipment and tools are located. However, he said that CEP is making arrangements with the utility so that CEP members can be dispatched from their homes without having to cross the IBEW picket line.

"We are in a legal strike position," Dixon said. "If Hydro doesn’t want to bargain with us on Monday, we told them to tell us now and we’ll go out on strike too."

A spokesman for CUPE Local 998, which is also in bargaining with Hydro, could not be reached for comment.

city.desk@freepress.mb.ca

IBEW Local 551 (Santa Rosa CA) and Assembleywoman Noreen Evans Sponsor "Green Jobs Zone"

Solar Sonoma County - Everything Under the Sun

Community solar fair serves up everything
under the sun on solar and efficiency

From the West County Gazette On-Line

Sunday, June 7, 2009

JOIN US ON SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2009 -- THE SOLSTICE!
SOLAR SONOMA COUNTY SOLAR FAIR: Solar and Efficiency for Clean Energy
11 am-6 pm
Finley Community Center, Santa Rosa
FREE ADMISSION!
*** www.solarsonomacounty.org ***

Solar Sonoma County, in partnership with Pacific Gas & Electric, presents a free community Solar Fair on the Solstice – Saturday, June 20, 2009 – 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Finley Center and Park. With the theme “Solar & Efficiency for Clean Energy,” this event will bring together in one convenient venue everything Sonoma County homeowners and businesses need to know to reduce their energy costs and go solar. How do people know whether solar is right for their home or business? … How much does a solar system cost? … What kinds of financing options are available? … Where can property owners get reliable information and resources? … What else can be done to reduce energy use and save money?

The June 20 Solar Fair has something for everyone – regardless of whether they are candidates for solar – including an array of opportunities to learn about energy efficiency, green jobs, and local renewable energy initiatives and programs. The day will include keynote speakers, panel discussions, workshops, solar energy displays, energy efficiency information, solar vendor booths, nonprofit/public agency educational booths, and resources for green jobs.

“One of Solar Sonoma County’s main objectives is to give the public the tools they need to be informed and take action – whether it’s to go solar, reduce their energy use, or find other ways to participate in the shift to renewable energy. We are launching the solar fair as our first major public event to do this in a practical yet fun way,” says Marty Roberts, Solar Sonoma County Program Director and solar fair event producer. “We are very excited to let people know everything Solar Sonoma County is working on to ensure solar energy becomes an easy logical choice.”

Panelists will cover such topics as …
· Sonoma County’s new public financing program for solar – the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program – offering local property owners no-money-down financing for efficiency and solar projects.
· What are federal, state, county, and local representatives doing to make solar easier and more affordable.
· What kinds of green jobs training resources and opportunities are available right now in Sonoma County to build the green workforce that is already starting to drive Sonoma County’s next wave of economic growth.

Workshops will enable fair goers to learn more and dig down into the details about …
· Making homes more energy efficient
· How to go solar – for both PV & Hot Water
· Financing options for solar and energy efficiency
· Solar and energy efficiency for business

Speakers throughout the day will include …

· Kevin Danaher, Global Exchange
· Panama Bartholomy, California Energy Commission
· Randy DeCaminada, PG&E
· Rod Dole, Sonoma County Auditor
· Cordel Stillman, Sonoma County Water Agency
· Debora Fudge, Windsor Town Council
· Susan Gorin, Santa Rosa Mayor
· Shirlee Zane, Sonoma County Supervisor
· Assemblywoman Noreen Evans
· State Senator Mark Leno
· State Senator Pat Wiggins
· U.S. Representative Lynn Woolsey
· Oscar Chavez, CAP Solar Training Program
· Dave Shufro, Agilent Technologies

Plus other speakers to be announced soon!

Because the solar fair will offer so many different elements, the Finley Center and Finley Park will be arranged into zones, or special areas designated by category, such as:

The Solar Vendor Zone, sponsored by Sunpower, featuring more than 20 local, regional, and national solar companies staffed by solar professionals ready to speak directly with fair goers and answer their specific questions about solar.

The Energy Efficiency Zone with local energy efficiency businesses and service providers, retrofit contractors, and The Pathway to Clean Energy, a step-by-step interactive learning experience covering specific measures to maximize energy efficiency and cut costs before going solar – also known as the principle of “First Reduce, then Produce.” Pathway visitors will receive “passports” that get marked at each successive step/display along the way to clean energy. Holders of completed passports will be entered to win a free whole house performance analysis (valued at $600).

The Green Jobs Zone, sponsored by Assemblywoman Noreen Evans and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 551, with booths and displays of local businesses, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and schools focused on green jobs training programs and opportunities.

The Family Fun Zone with solar and energy efficiency fun and activities for all ages including solar-powered toys, solar oven cookie baking, hands-on demonstrations showing how solar works, face painting, storytelling, and more.

And of course the solar fair will feature solar-powered live local music, local food vendors, and local wines and organic beers.

This free community event is made possible through the support of the U.S. Department of Energy and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District as well as the following sponsors and partners: Sonoma County Water Agency, City of Santa Rosa, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 551, SunPower Corporation/SolarWorks/SolarCraft, Solar Depot, groSolar, Assemblymember Noreen Evans, KRCB, North Bay Bohemian, Sprint Copy Center of Sebastopol, and many, many more solar companies and local businesses.

About Solar Sonoma County
The solar fair on Saturday, June 20, 2009 marks the launch of Solar Sonoma County’s public outreach and education campaign to raise awareness and educate the public about our countywide solar goal of 25 new Megawatts of solar energy by 2011 while providing resources and inspiring people to reduce their energy usage and go solar.

Solar Sonoma County is a consortium of local governments, businesses, agencies, nonprofit groups, and individuals working together to bring solar energy and energy efficiency into the mainstream in Sonoma County. The shift to clean energy will reduce long-term energy costs and carbon emissions while stimulating the local and regional economy by creating new jobs. Local partners include all 10 local governments, the Sonoma County Water Agency, Pacific Gas & Electric, Agilent Technologies, the IBEW Local 551, 30+ solar companies, and many local businesses and individuals. Solar Sonoma County is one of 25 premier U.S. Department of Energy Solar America Cities programs – with the distinction of being the only countywide one. Learn more about Solar Sonoma County and our Solar Fair on June 20, 2009 – the Solstice! – at www.solarsonomacounty.org/events.html.

--
Lori Houston, Associate Director
SOLAR SONOMA COUNTY
Promoting solar countywide
707.284.9799 | 707.569.6029 cell

Florida Power & Light Workers Post Informational Picket

Fort Myers
FPL workers picket their plant

Posted: June 6, 2009 05:01 PM

Updated: June 8, 2009 10:33 AM

From http://www.fox4now.com Florida

Cars honk in support as dozens of Florida Power and Light employees fight for their jobs and benefits. Their messages are clearly displayed on handmade signs, "Negotiate, don't dictate," "CEOs millions, workers zero," "Save our medical."

These picketers, all electrical union (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, or IBEW) members, tell me they won't accept the power company's current contract offers.

Union President Rocky Bennett can't legally show me the offers, but tells me he won't approve them, because they have lower wages, less medical coverage, and fewer day shifts than the last contracts.

"When you have a hurricane, it's our guys who are out there in the weather trying to get your lights back on," he told me. "It's a dangerous job and it's hard work and we feel like we deserve to have a good contract and be treated fairly."

Brian Packard has worked at FPL for 30 years, but says he'll consider leaving if forced to give up his current wages and shift.

"I have three girls. I brought them up through Little League and band," he explained. "And I was there for all of that because I was a day shift worker."

But FPL spokesperson Mayco Villafana says negotiations are still ongoing.

"We believe that IBW employees are worth it and, as with any negotiations that are multi-faceted, they take time to complete to everyone's satisfactions," he told me on the phone.

Villafana wouldn't give me any contract details, but did say FPL is facing a tough economic climate and already pays workers higher than average wages.

Pooja Lodhia
Reporter

Almost Half of Union Pension Plans Now Under-funded

Almost half of top unions have underfunded pension plans

By: Kevin Mooney
Examiner Investigative Reporter
06/07/09 6:45 PM EDT.

From the Washington Examiner

Almost half of the nation’s 20 largest unions have pension funds that federal law classifies as “endangered” or in “critical” condition due to being underfunded, an Examiner review of federal actuarial reports shows.

Pensions with less than 80 percent of the assets needed to cover present and projected liabilities are considered “endangered,” while those that fall below a 65 percent threshold are classified as “critical” under the Pension Protection Act of 2006.

Unions are required to file 5500 forms that record the financial health of their retirement plans, show that union pension funds have lost their financial footing over the past several years.

Eight of the largest unions have underfunded plans, according to the most recent 5500 reports, including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Laborers International Union of Northern America, the International Association of Machinists, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, the International Union of Operating Engineers, and the National Plumbers Union.

The average union pension has resources to cover only 62 percent of what is owed to participants, according to the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC). Less than one in every 160 workers is covered by a union pension with required assets.

These figures demonstrate that the liability challenge to the long term of health of union funds is systemic and across the board, said Brett McMahon, vice-president of Miller and Long, a Maryland-based concrete construction company.

Demographics figure prominently in the erosion of pension assets now that a smaller percentage of union workers are available to support an expanded group of retirees, McMahon said. Only 7.6 percent of private sector employees are members of a labor union, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The growing number of local and national union pensions that lack sufficient resources to cover their obligations could threaten the retirement security not just of union members, but also non-union employees if the proposed Employee Free Choice Act (Card Check) becomes law as currently written, McMahon said.

The Card Check legislation includes provisions both to abolish secret ballots in union representation elections in the workplace and to require a binding arbitration process that greatly favors unions, McMahon said.

“It’s like the Social Security problem on steroids,” McMahon said. “We are talking about a systemic, demographic problem where there are too few people paying in and the plans can’t earn enough returns to make up for the difference.”

McMahon believes “union members are not being told the truth about the condition of their retirement plans. The danger to non-union workers comes in with Card Check because there is nothing in it that prohibits an arbitrator from shoving companies and workers into these underfunded plans.”

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute, is encouraging EFCA critics to focus more attention on the arbitration side of the bill in addition to “card check” for this same reason.

Multi-employer pension plans that are typically negotiated by unions should be of particular concern because they have less federal insurance than single-employer pension funds, McMahon pointed out. The PBGC only guarantees $12,870 in annual payments to a member of the multi-employer plan in contrast to $54,000 for members of a single-employer plan.

If anything, the current 5500 records vastly understate the deteriorating condition of union pensions because they do not include the stock market drop from last year, James Sherk a labor expert with the Heritage Foundation points out. Reports are typically not filed for more than 12 months after the end of a plan year.

“There are a lot of red zone notices going out now for funds that fell under the critical percentage for liabilities with the market meltdown,” he said. “This would not be evident under the most recent 5500s because they only cover through 2007.”

IBEW Local 103 (Boston) help Struggling Newspaper

Through the AFL-CIO NOW Blog
IBEW, Boston Globe: Technical services workers at the Boston Globe, represented by the Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 103, ratified an agreement to help the financially struggling newspaper company. Members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) are set to vote on similar proposals.

Car Dealers Third in Donations to Politicians, behind the Realtors and the IBEW

GM Bankruptcy May Turn on $13 Million in Donations (Update2)

From Bloomberg News

By Jonathan D. Salant

June 8 (Bloomberg) -- Automobile dealers have been among the biggest contributors to U.S. political campaigns over the past decade, surpassing all but two groups in donations. That $13 million investment may be paying off as the dealers get a lot of attention on Capitol Hill.

Congress has held hearings on the planned shutdown of thousands of dealerships and is debating ways to provide relief to the businesses. Almost a quarter of the members of the House of Representatives signed letters to President Barack Obama and his auto task force questioning plans to close the dealerships.

The lawmakers’ involvement may disrupt plans by General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC to emerge from bankruptcy with a leaner dealer network.

“The intention of bankruptcy is for companies to streamline their operations,” said Maryann Keller, an auto analyst and president of Maryann Keller & Associates, based in Stamford, Connecticut. “If Congress does something that says, ‘No, you can’t terminate contracts that you believe are to your detriment,’ of course it threatens them.”

Executives of Detroit-based GM, which is to shrink its dealerships to as few as 3,500 from 6,000, and Auburn Hills, Michigan-based Chrysler, which plans to shut 789, said the reductions are crucial to their viability.

Fritz Henderson, chief executive officer of GM, told the Senate Commerce Committee on June 3 that the cuts were about “creating a healthy, stronger and profitable dealer network.”

Too Many Dealers

Chrysler President and Vice Chairman Jim Press told the panel his network “is not viable and not profitable.”

Obama has pledged to allow the automakers to make their own decisions on restructuring.

As a result, the National Automobile Dealers Association -- whose members are in all 435 U.S. congressional districts --is asking its more than 17,000 dealers to help it delay, if not scale back, the closings.

Almost 200 dealers visited their lawmakers in Washington last month, and the association has asked its members to recruit their workers to contact local representatives. The McLean, Virginia-based group estimates that on average each dealership has 52 sales people and support staff, and the dealers are often the largest employers in many small towns.

Behind Realtors, Electricians

The association’s political action committee has donated more money to federal candidates in the last 10 years than all but two PACs, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington research group. It gave more than $13 million from 1999 through 2008, behind only the National Association of Realtors and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

“When an organized industry with a history of generous giving to members of Congress appeals for help, those members aren’t likely to turn them down cold,” said Rogan Kersh, associate dean at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Lawmakers responded by sending letters to Obama and his task force urging a review of the planned closures. Signing the letters were 104 House members -- 83 of whom received PAC donations from the dealers’ association for their 2008 or 2010 races. These included Republicans Chris Lee, who drafted one letter with Democrat Dan Maffei, both of New York, and Steven LaTourette, who wrote the other letter with Democrat Dennis Kucinich, both of Ohio.

Maffei and Kucinich got no money from the trade group, according to the center’s data.

Fabric of Community

LaTourette, who received the maximum $10,000 donation for his 2008 re-election, said donations had nothing to do with lawmakers’ support for the dealers.

“Auto dealers happen to be part of the fabric of every small community I represent,” he said.

Lawmakers say GM and Chrysler should at least give dealers more time to wind down their businesses, especially when the automakers have gotten billions of dollars in federal aid.

“I don’t believe that companies should be allowed to take taxpayer funds for a bailout and then leave local dealers and their customers to fend for themselves,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat.

Dealers say they aren’t a financial drain on automakers.

“We purchase the parts, we purchase the vehicles,” said Roger Burdick, who with his brothers owns 20 dealerships near Syracuse, New York. “We carry all the costs ourselves.”

Recruiting Customers, Too

Jack Fitzgerald, who owns dealerships in Florida, Maryland and Pennsylvania and is scheduled to lose Chrysler and Jeep franchises, asked his customers to join the fight. Visitors to his Web site are met with a plea for help.

“If you’re going to rise again in Detroit, you have got to serve the people who are riding around in your cars,” Fitzgerald said.

Senator Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, has introduced legislation to require GM and Chrysler to use federal aid to buy unsold cars and parts from shuttered dealers and give them 180 days to close.

Maffei and fellow Democrat Frank Kratovil of Maryland today introduced a measure that would prevent Chrysler and GM from closing the dealers.

“Forced, arbitrary closure of dealers by manufactures will not necessarily be financially beneficial to automakers, and it certainly will not help the local economies where dealers are integral to the business community,” Maffei said.

‘High Profile’ Issue

Hearings and letters may be enough to slow the process, said Representative Ron Klein, a Florida Democrat.

“Sometimes, Congress’s power is not passing legislation,” said Klein, who signed one of the letters and got money from the dealers’ group. “It is creating a very high profile of an issue.”

GM and Chrysler have said that they need fewer dealers so that the remaining retail locations will get more business and be able to invest in their operations. U.S. stores for Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. each averaged more than 1,100 sales in 2008, almost three times as many as at GM’s and Chrysler’s, according to consulting firm Grant Thornton.

Average new-auto revenue was $14.3 million for GM dealers and $12.8 million for Chrysler last year, compared with $40.9 million for Toyota, based on data from auto-research company Edmunds.com. Dealers also make money on used vehicles, parts and service.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan D. Salant in Washington at jsalant@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: June 8, 2009 14:48 EDT

Careers Without College can be Profitable Option

June 8
Careers without college can be profitable option

On-the-job experience is often necessary.

From the Northeast Pennsylvania, Times Leader Homepage

By Rory Sweeneyrsweeney@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

Alli Owens’ formal education stopped at high school graduation, but she’s been gaining experience at her job ever since she started at age 12.

Racecar driver Alli Owens talks to electrician apprentices at the IBEW Local 163 hall in Hanover Township.

Fred Adams/For The Times Leader

It’s fitting, then, that the racecar driver’s sponsor is a coalition of the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which entice high school grads into electrical trades with an “earning while you’re learning” appeal.

In fact, trainees will earn perhaps $150,000 over their 5-year apprenticeship, according to John Nadolny, the training director for IBEW Local Union 163 in Hanover Township. After that, work through the union is guaranteed to be at least $30 per hour. “All in all, it’s a great career,” Nadolny said. “You can actually support a family on this.”

With high school graduation season in full swing, a new crop of former students is looking at a weak economy and considering its options. Most say they plan to continue their formal education, although there are no reliable statistics on how many actually earn a degree. But for others – including Owens, who stopped by Local 163 on Thursday to talk to apprentices before her ARCA race on Saturday at Pocono Raceway – a career without college is the way to go.

That’s what worked for Steve Bekanich, Luzerne County’s emergency management coordinator. “I basically started out as a volunteer firefighter when I was 16 years old,” he said. From there, he volunteered as an emergency medical technician before beginning work at the county after graduating from high school in 1988. By 1993, he had switched to the county’s Emergency Management Agency and became director in 2006.

“I’ve attended thousands of hours of training, but I don’t have a formal degree. A lot of the training we do is on the job, or work provided,” he said. “There is room for advancement if you do your job well and you continue the training. We train constantly, so it all hinges on how hard you’re willing to work.”

Becoming a police officer requires a bit more formal training, but the Act 120 training can be accomplished within 22 weeks, according to Gene Baidas, the director of the police academy at Lackawanna College. Going part-time, students complete the training in 11 months. Either way, he said, grads earn about 30 credits toward a criminal justice degree if they choose to pursue it, but that isn’t a requirement to landing a respected job that pays anywhere from $8 per hour to $15 per hour part time, or perhaps $35,000 full-time at larger departments.

“In our area, the majority of the chiefs of police basically just have their (Act) 120 (training),” Baidas said. “Even in law enforcement, some of the better jobs, you still do need an associate’s degree. … It’s up to the individual. If they want to work and really do a good job, it’s up to them.”

Careers without college are often predicated on experience. Electrical apprentices must accumulate 8,000 hours on the job; police need 785� hours of training. Other non-degree jobs that pay the bills, such as truck driving and health care, have their own certification or licensing requirements.

Even agriculture can require some in-class bookwork. “Families are much more encouraging of their children … to go through college because there are so many new things out there … that can only help the future of the farm,” said Mark O’Neill, media relations director for the state Farm Bureau. Still, farming is a calling, he said. “If it’s just for a paycheck, I don’t recommend it,” he said. “You really have to have a connection to the farming life to make it a career.”

Making something you enjoy pay off is the entrepreneurial spirit that’s helped Tony Hudak and Chip Sorber find financial rewards as hunting guides. “I actually make more money guiding than I do contracting, pound for pound,” said Hudak, whose full-time job is contracting. He makes about 1� times more in six days leading hunters around private lands looking for gobblers “than banging nails.”

Sorber, a retired school teacher, has parlayed a lifetime of hunting into a part-time business guiding hunters to bobcats. He had hunted the cats before it was banned for about 20 years, and would note their locations while running coyotes with his dogs. When the ban was lifted, “nobody knew how to hunt bobcats,” he said, so he put his name on a list of guides. People who were awarded hunting tags called him.

“Word of mouth is basically how I do it today. Matter of fact, I get a lot of calls. I turn down more than I take,” he said, noting that he charges $1,000 for a cat, or $100 per day. “It’s not really the money factor,” he said. “It’s part of it,” but it’s more about finding a way to enjoy the thrill of the hunt and the experience even though “I can’t really shoot the bobcat anyway because I don’t have a tag.”

Hudak charges $250 per day “win, lose or draw” for his service, transportation and access to the land, but guiding is more about “somebody who’s spent the time,” he said. “In my opinion, being a good guide is somebody who knows their area, knows how the animal is going to react.”

He got that experience by forsaking his chance at college. “The reason I didn’t go is I just had a hard time with my schooling in high school,” because he missed a lot while he was out hunting and fishing, he said.

“There’s times when I stop and think I wonder where I would have been” had he gone to college, Hudak said.

But not often: “I’m happy with the way it’s worked out.”

Rory Sweeney, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 970-7418.

IBEW Local 2330 (Newfoundland & Labrador) Answers Questions at "Job Fair"

Union questions answered at trade fair
ELIZABETH MACDONALD
The Charter

From the Charter News, serving the town of Placentia and the Cape Shore

Over 100 people including students from Crescent Collegiate attended a Union Trade Fair at Long Harbour May 22 where they could find answers to questions they may have had about job availability, education and unions.

The event was organized by the Town of Long Harbour and had representatives from five unions at the fair providing information and education for anyone interested.

Mayor Keating said they felt it was a timely exercise in providing information to people who could benefit from work at the Vale Inco hydromet plant currently going ahead in Long Harbour.

"(They were) showing them the opportunities that are available in getting in and getting the courses and in terms of employment at Long Harbour and other jobs that are coming up in the future," said Mayor Keating. "(Unions) had booths set up where students and the general public were just going around picking up pamphlets and asking questions about each course and that type of thing."

Mayor Keating said it was important that young people got the opportunity to participate.

"There are certainly significant opportunities for the youth of today to take advantage of here," he said.

"I think a lot of young people were interested. I think they realize there is a significant opportunity in this skilled trade movement. It's not like years ago and people were mostly focusing on university as a prime source of education but today with construction and the rates of pay, which are pretty significant, they can take advantage of it and hopefully that will increase as time goes on."

Cal Jones, president of the Resource Development Council and business manager of the pipefitters union, U. A. Local 740 Plumbers and Pipefitters was on hand during the fair to help get information out.

There were booths and information available from IBEW Local 2330 - Electrical, Newfoundland and Labrador Regional Council of Carpenters, Millwrights and Allied Works, Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, and representatives from Women in Trades also at the trade fair.

Mr. Jones said he thought the day was a success.

"There were about 100 people total. That was a reasonable turnout. I thought it was very good. A lot of interest. People wanted to hear what you had to say and what you had to offer," he said.

Mr. Jones said there is talk of offering another union trade fair in Placentia since Laval students were unable to participate at this time.

Mr. Jones said he was involved with this project because he wants to promote more people from the area getting involved in the Long Harbour project.

"There are employment opportunities that do exist here within certain craft levels and even though we have a very sizeable number of people in the province that are members with some of the different union affiliates, we would like for job opportunities to be made available to locals in the area and we would work with them to help them where possible," he explained.

Mr. Jones said the union he's with has just completed a state of the art building that can house 118 students at a time in Donovan's Industiral Park and they are committed to providing seats to students from the Long Harbour area and surrounding communities.

"If there is 25 students from Long Harbour and surrounding communities interested in getting involved in the piping industry, we have committed that there will be 25 seats for them and we will work hard with the mayors of the surrounding communities, with Vale Inco and with the employers to ensure that these people get jobs on that project. It don't get no better than that," he stated.

"That's about the extent of it. We look forward to doing a trade fair in Placentia to provide information that people would be interested in hearing."

editor@thecharter.ca

IBEW Local 725 Business Manager Speaks out for "Single Payer"

Monday, June 8, 2009

IBEW Business Manager, CNA Indiana Organizer Speak at Rally for HR 676

Through the "Buffalo 14228" Blog at Blogger.com

Indianapolis, Indiana. Over 100 people rallied for HR 676 outside the annual stockholders meeting of Wellpoint/Anthem on May 20, then marched to the offices of Indiana U.S. Senator Evan Bayh. The rally was sponsored by Hoosiers for a Commonsense Health Plan.

Speakers at the rally included Tom Szymanski, Organizer and Business Representative for IBEW Local 725 in Terre Haute, and Gary Fritz, Indiana Organizer for the California Nurses Association/NNOC. The Rally was chaired by Julia Vaughn from Indiana AFSCME.

The rally called for passage of HR 676, national single payer health care, ending for-profit insurance companies’ participation in healthcare, and for the resignation of Susan Bayh from the Board of Directors of Wellpoint. Susan Bayh, wife of Senator Bayh, was paid almost $300,000 as
a Wellpoint director last year.

Tom Szymanski can be heard at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylES7MKQNPU

Gary Fritz can be heard at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16K9i5uMsRE

We are grateful to Robert Pedersen for these videos.

For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample endorsement resolution, contact:

Kay Tillow
All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676
c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO)
1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218
Louisville, KY 40217
(502) 636 1551
Email: nursenpo@aol.com
http://unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org

IBEW Green-Job Training Facilities Open Doors to the Public Nationwide

IBEW Green-Job Training Facilities Around the Country Open Doors to Public

by The Electrical Worker,

Share this on Twitter - IBEW Green-Job Training Facilities Around the Country Open Doors to Public

Through the Daily Kos, June 9, 2009

Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 08:22:08 AM PDT

With renewable energy looking to be the wave of the future, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is letting everyone know that its members are the best-trained green-work force around.

• The Electrical Worker's diary :: ::
• 
  

During the Memorial Day break, local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers training centers opened its doors to policy makers and members of the public to learn more about the union's extensive green job-training programs.

"I hope I saw the future and I believe that I did," Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman said after touring New Haven Local 90's training center.

Legislators were in their home districts for Congress's Memorial Day recess and many eagerly accepted the IBEW's and the National Electrical Contractors Association's invitation to tour their local joint apprenticeship training facilities. More than 90 members of Congress attended open house events.

In Warren, Ohio, state and local leaders got a first look at plans for a new solar photovoltaic system and wind turbines to be installed at Local 573's Electrical Trades Institute, while in Tennessee, Rep. Jim Cooper (D) called Nashville Local 429's apprenticeship training center and its green-skills program, a "ticket to the future," after touring its facility.

In San Diego, more than 120 community, local and state leaders visited Local 569's Electrical Training Center, including representatives from Sen. Barbara Boxer's and Rep. Susan Davis's offices. The center focuses on solar power, which allows apprentices to earn professional certification in photovoltaic installation.

Local 569 is also planning to open a new green-training facility in neighboring Imperial County to help staff its rapid-growing solar and wind market. The local's program was featured in the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper as part of its hot-jobs list for new college grads.

Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) dedicated a new photovoltaic display at Denver Local 68's training center. Perlmutter told guests that renewable energy will "rebuild the country and the middle class."

The 18-kilowatt panel was originally displayed at last year's Democratic National Convention in Denver. The local plans to add wind turbines to the facility soon.

More than 200 apprentices from Richmond, Va., Local 666 are learning specialized skills in solar and wind that could become one of the fastest growing job-sectors in central Virginia. "We're the best kept secret in the industry," Business Manager Jim Underwood told WWBT-TV during the local's open house.

New opportunities are opening up in the renewable energy sector as millions of federal stimulus dollars are made available for training and investment in the new energy economy. But the expected rapid growth of green jobs - covering everything from retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency to installing and wiring solar panels and wind turbines - means the our economy will require thousands of trained electricians who can safely and professionally carry out the work.

It's a demand that is already being met by the IBEW.

According to Honolulu Local 1186 Business Manager Damien Kim:

Renewable energy is not the wave of the future, it's already here. Our members and apprentices will be going into the workplace with skills that are expected of them as we move toward a new energy economy.

Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) toured Local 1186's facility which features training in photovoltaics, wind turbines and automated building operations.

According to IBEW International President Edwin D. Hill:

The IBEW has the curriculum, facilities and instructors needed to lead the new energy revolution and we've been doing it for nearly a decade. And we make sure that green-collar workers and their families get a decent wage and benefits so they can take their place in the middle class.

More than 70 IBEW training centers offer training in renewable energy, with more and more facilities incorporating green power into their curriculum.

Aboundu Designates IBEW Local 490 Apprenticeship as Certified Training Facility

Aboundi Inc. Recognizes the IBEW Local 490 New Hampshire JATC as Its Certified Electric Connect Training Facility

Innovative Electric Connect solution prepares New Hampshire JATC apprentices to meet the challenges of upcoming ubiquitous high speed networking connectivity frontiers.

Nashua, NH, May 09, 2009 ---- Aboundi Inc. has recognized IBEW Local Union 490 JATC as its first off-site third party certified training facility for its innovative Electric Connect technologies.

Electric Connect is commercially advanced, cost-effective deployment solution that enables high speed Ethernet packets to traverse over existing legacy copper wiring as its networking infrastructure. It encompasses many different transmission mediums, such as in-premise electrical wirings, coaxial cables and voice grade twisted pairs. Electric Connect complements the existing structured networking infrastructure with CAT5/6, fiber and WiFi as its Ethernet based IP applications.

“Aboundi’s Electric Connect technology is very impressive and this new technology synergistically complements our mandate to provide our apprentices with the ‘Green Technology’ knowledge in addition to our Wind and Solar renewable energy technologies program,” said Jonathan Mitchell, training director for the IBEW Local Union 490 JACTC based in Concord, New Hampshire. “The ability to network high speed data over the existing electrical wirings opens up a whole new frontier for many future ubiquitous applications. Its greatest merit is minimizing the need for installing additional expensive CAT5/6 copper for much of the in-premise wiring in order to provide networking applications.”

“I appreciate the opportunities Electric Connect brings forth to our apprentice students," commented Lyle Doughty, Chairman of the IBEW Local Union 490. “This new technology prepares our students to meet more complex challenges in their future endeavors."

“We are most delighted to have the opportunity to introduce our Electric Connect to broader industry professionals at the grass roots level through an organized and well-equipped facility,” said Hong Yu, President and CEO of Aboundi Inc. “We are very honored to become the IBEW Local 490 technology training partner, where our Electric Connect technology and knowledge will benefit the apprentices and provide the opportunity to flourish through knowledge-sharing opportunities. We believe the ability to network utilizing the existing in-premise copper wiring will be the wave of the future. It will not only reduce the Total Cost of Deployment (TCD) but also provide the ability to accelerate many IP based ubiquitous applications, such as smart facility energy management, security / video surveillance, and audio video (AV) appliances networking. We will work diligently with the JATC team to continually upgrade our program as both organizations learn more from the expansion possibilities of our applications.”

About IBEW Local Union 490 JATC NH Electrical Training Facility
IBEW Local 490 JATC is New Hampshire’s new Joint Apprenticeship Training Council electrical training center co-sponsored by the National Electrical Contractor’s Association (NECA), which officially opened on September, 2008 in Concord, New Hampshire. The training center is a state-of-the-art 8,080 square-foot facility with seven classrooms and a large lab to train all skills required to become a licensed journeyman electrician, from pipe-bending, programmable logic control to emerging technologies, including solar / photovoltaic and wind energies. Industry leaders have referred to the facility and its programs as “the future of the electrical industry” in the state.

About Aboundi, Inc.
Aboundi, Inc. is the leading company providing POS/Retail/Hospitality, Small to Medium-sized Businesses (SMB), Municipalities and Enterprises with commercially advanced and cost-effective deployment solutions utilizing the existing/legacy copper wiring as their networking infrastructure. Our combined solutions of ‘Electric Connect’ and ‘WebEyeAlert’, an open system IP based camera brand agonistic remote video surveillance monitoring and management software platform, provide corporate, commercial and institutional clients with unparalleled cost-effective and powerful networking solutions.

PR Contact:
+1-603-889-8188

###

IBEW Local 7 Helps Family of Iraq Marine

Lending a Helping Hand

Posted: May 8, 2009 09:27 PM

Updated: May 9, 2009 08:53 AM

By: Elizabeth Corridan

GOSHEN, Mass (abc40) -- A Goshen Marine learned firsthand what true friendship means when his family needed a helping hand. Greg Denys' family was without power for a week last December following the devastating ice storm that crippled much of the region. Greg was not there to put his electrical skills to work because he was on leave from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 7 Apprentice Program serving in Iraq. Denys' says, "It sucks knowing that I'd rather be in that position than have them in that position."

Once the ice had thawed and the lights were back on, Denys' family decided to install a back-up generator. Greg's mom mentioned their plans to one of her son's mentors at the I.B.E.W. who had called to check in. Training Director Mark Kuenzel said, "They had bought a generator and were about to start calling contractors for the install and I said 'Don't do anything. I will call Greg's teacher and class to see what they can do.'"

Greg's class stepped up in a big way. Not only did they provide all the labor for free, they even found a local contractor to donate additional parts for the installation. Classmate Mark Rodrigo says, "We are required to do six hours of community service as part of our program but when it was to help Greg out it was easier to do."

Longtime friend and classmate Jacob McGrath agrees, saying, "Growing up with him, when I learned what happened I was happy to help."

Greg was thrilled when he heard. "It's always good to get news from home but great news like that is even better," he says.

Greg is back home in Goshen with his family. He knows he has more than just classmates looking out for him. He has friends for life and they are all happy to have Greg home.

Students get education in construction from IBEW Local 48

Teens gain hands-on industry experience at Northwest Youth Careers Expo
Posted: 04:00 AM PDT Monday, May 11, 2009
BY JUSTIN CARINCI
With schools across the state cutting shop classes, students might leave high school without having been exposed to technical education. On Thursday, masses of high schoolers got a crash course at the Oregon Convention Center.

Approximately 6,200 students thronged the convention center for the Northwest Youth Careers Expo, spilling out into the lobby and sidewalks. As inspiring as the turnout was, it’s not a substitute for vocational training, expo organizer Drew Park said.

But events like the expo can get students interested and excited about careers in construction and related industries.

“It’s just to spark their interest,” said Park, president and CEO of Columbia Wire and Iron.

“We’re trying to give kids an opportunity to see companies in the local economy, what kinds of jobs they offer, what kind of pay they offer.

“This will at least give them a little glimpse of something, something to put their hands on.”

Tyler Winslow, an Oregon City High School senior, got his hands on a drill at the Hoffman Construction booth. Students were able to practice drilling screws into two-by-fours at the display.

Winslow, who also takes welding instruction at Clackamas Community College, said he’s interested in all types of construction. “I’m in it for whatever,” he said. “I just like building stuff.”

Dick Burnham, operations manager with Hoffman, said he saw plenty of enthusiasm at the booth. “Some of the kids are really energized and asking good questions,” he said.

Various colleges and job programs set up booths for interested students. Other companies set up video games and other displays without any apparent educational purpose.

Not so fast, Park said. Watching students manipulate a backhoe at the Nutter booth, it’s clear some are putting their video game skills to good use.

“Some of the kids, they come in here, with all their gaming abilities, and it’s just ‘boom, boom, boom.’ They get it right away.” Park said. “It transfers directly.”

Ian Bruggeman, a Job Corps student from Estacada, bragged about his prowess after using a backhoe to dunk a softball into a traffic cone. “I got it in three seconds,” Bruggeman said.

“It’s, like, a new world record.”

Jacob Cutts, an Estacada freshman, has plenty of video game experience but took longer to adjust to the machine’s dual joysticks. “It’s kind of confusing with the controls,” he said.

Keeping up with high-school students requires extra effort to stay up to date, said Sarah Hammer, working at the National Electrical Contractors Association and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’ booth. “You have to be when you’re working with these kids,” she said.

The union Local 48 booth offered free digital music cards and videos of workers in action. Students entered their names into a drawing for a backpack.

Stressing the electrical connection, the backpack has a solar panel to charge personal electronic devices. “One kid actually called it ‘gangsta,’ ” Hammer said.

Each person who entered the drawing will get a friend request from the union local’s MySpace and Facebook pages. And, yes, Local 48 also tweets.

It looks like the kids are going for it, Hammer said. “People are saying ‘You have a MySpace page? That’s awesome!’
© 2009 DJC News
The Daily Journal of Commerce Inc.
921 S.W. Washington St.
Suite 210
P.O. Box 10127
Portland, Oregon 97296

Phone 503-226-1311 | Web: www.djcoregon.com

Philadelphia Auditor's Race Draws Support from IBEW Local 98

Posted on Tue, May. 12, 2009
from the Philadelphia Inquirer web site


Butkovitz rivals say he's part of the problem

By Jeff Shields

Inquirer Staff Writer
This year's race to become the city's fiscal watchdog for the next four years will be a referendum on the man who now holds the job, as Controller Alan Butkovitz's challengers pose this question: Can you be part of the system and still reform it?

The practical advantages belong to Butkovitz, the first-term controller, over his two Democratic rivals in the May 19 primary. His challengers are former Common Pleas Court Judge John Braxton and Brett Mandel, the former head of Philadelphia Forward, which has campaigned for five years to reduce wage and business taxes in the city.

The winner will face Republican Al Schmidt, a former federal auditor, in November.

A Democratic ward leader in the Northeast and a former 15-year member of the House of Representatives, the 57-year-old Butkovitz has gathered support not just from establishment Democrats and unions but from the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity and Mayor Nutter, who was elected in 2007 on a promise to clean up the city.

How do you beat that? By attacking Butkovitz's strengths as his weakness, his opponents have concluded.

"If you're part of the old guard, you're not going to speak up, you're not going to stand up, and you're not going to say anything," said Braxton, 64, a Common Pleas Court judge for nearly 15 years who was thrown off the primary ballot on a technical issue when he sought the same office in 2005.

Mandel and Braxton have both accused Butkovitz of "gotcha" auditing and shameless self-promotion - tailoring audit findings to gain media attention for himself, not to effect lasting changes.

"The professional people who can do great work are being forced to do the 'gotcha' audits and political auditing, and that's causing long-term damage to the Controller's Office," said Mandel, 40, a financial analyst in the Controller's Office under Controller Jonathan Saidel. Mandel has written books on city economic policy and baseball.

Schmidt, 37, formerly worked as auditor in the federal Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, and as a consultant before moving to Philadelphia in 2005 and becoming executive director of the Republican City Committee. He left in January to run for controller.

Schmidt said he offers voters a simple choice in November - choose a minority party candidate to do a job that a Democrat will never do.

Schmidt told voters last week at a Philadelphia Magazine-sponsored debate at the National Constitution Center that he would "do something about the one-party rule that's ruining Philadelphia."

Butkovitz has embraced - his opponents say abused - the bully pulpit of his office, the main responsibility of which is auditing city expenditures by all departments.

By doing so, he has collected some considerable headlines with audits on EMS response times, the poor condition of police facilities, and a hidden $200 million deficit in the school district.

Butkovitz has won national awards, and combined with Nutter and municipal unions on a budgetsaving pension proposal to save $332 million by spreading out payments and adjusting accounting rules. But he has also been criticized for far-afield audits such as of juvenile crime in the subway system.

He has stretched the mandate of his office, speaking out on genocide in Darfur and educating low-income residents on financial services and banking.

"I want to continue fighting for the people of Philadelphia and saving taxpayers' money by eliminating waste, fraud, and mismanagement in city government - while offering new and innovative solutions to some of our most pressing problems," Butkovitz declares on his campaign Web site.

Butkovitz has emphasized performance audits, which test the effectiveness of a department, over traditional department audits, which simply make sure all the numbers line up.

Mandel says Butkovitz's failure to perform complete audits of departments yearly, as mandated by the City Charter, shirks his responsibility and compromises accountability. Butkovitz notes that Mandel's former boss, Saidel, also saw that yearly audits were not the best use of resources, and says his performance audits have revealed $413 million in savings and new revenues.

"I have been a strong and independent voice in the Controller's Office," Butkovitz said at a forum in Mayfair last week, noting that he had taken on such establishment figures as former schools chief executive Paul Vallas and convicted former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo.

Butkovitz is supported by elements of the traditional establishment, including Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and other members of the building trades, and fellow ward leaders. Local 98 gave him $20,000 this year - nearly 30 percent of all his contributions since Jan. 1.

Butkovitz's two appointees on the Philadelphia Housing Authority are Debra Brady, wife of U.S. Rep. and Democratic City Committee Chairman Bob Brady, and Pat Eiding of the Philadelphia Central Labor Council of the AFL-CIO; his campaign spokesman, Marty O'Rourke, has the same role for the Parking Authority, which Butkovitz is supposed to be auditing, and until recently, had it for the Controller's Office itself.

Mandel has made the Parking Authority audit a theme of his campaign, and recently held a news conference in front of the Parking Authority's Market Street office before being kicked off the property.

Following a series of articles in The Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News about the Parking Authority's spending in the fall of 2007, Gov. Rendell asked Butkovitz for an audit. Butkovitz said Rendell held up the audit for six months by withholding the $80,000 promised for the audit. Butkovitz said he eventually proceeded on his own with the audit, and he asked for it to be rewritten because the findings were not as "sharp or hard hitting" as the underlying information indicated.

Braxton said the alleged foot-dragging is emblematic of the way Butkovitz does business. He said Butkovitz has largely avoided "sacred cows" such as the Police Department and the Department of Human Services, although Butkovitz said he has exposed police overtime abuses.

All the candidates have piled on Butkovitz for creating an office of community affairs, which is headed by his former legislative chief of staff, Lisa Deeley. Butkovitz said the agency is needed to reach out to the community to gather information on potential waste and abuse in city government.

Deeley serves as Butkovitz's campaign treasurer. She can hold the treasurer position because she is an employee only of the school district, one of six controller employees funded by the school district in a decades-old arrangement to pay for district audits. (Most city employees are prohibited from participating in political campaigns.)

In addition to Deeley, three of those employees are Democratic committee people, elected political positions they could not hold if they were on the city payroll. Those employees were there when Butkovitz arrived in office in 2006.

"He can't be expected to root out patronage when his own office benefits from patronage and practices patronage," said Schmidt.

"My concern is, Butkovitz is so entrenched in his political dealings that he cannot function," Braxton said.

Butkovitz has parried these attacks in public with the skill of a veteran politician. He has painted Mandel as a champion of property tax hikes; Mandel acknowledges that he would choose to raise property taxes before "job-killing" wage and business taxes, though says he is in favor of lower taxes all around.

Butkovitz has repeatedly criticized Braxton for his role as chair of the Berean Institute when the charter school in North Philly was skewered in 2008 in a state audit of the school. Braxton said the problems involved the school's management, not the board that oversaw it.