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| 10th District Progress Meeting Emphasizes Organizing, Negotiating August 6, 2001 Organizing and negotiating challenges headlined the annual 10th District Progress meeting in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Delegates at the June 26-29 conference vowed solidarity with the nearly 400 workers who have been unable to negotiate a contract with Columbia, South Carolina-based utility SCANA Corporation. In bargaining with locals 398 (Charleston, South Carolina) and 772 (Columbia, South Carolina) SCANA has consistently insisted on the right to terminate employees at will at several of its plants. SCANA also refuses to include any form of arbitration and that, said Tenth District International Vice President Carl Lansden, makes an agreement impossible.
That a corporation in a democratic society would take a position that employees would have no redress for grievances is deplorable, said Lansden, who convened strategic sessions at the progress meeting to support the SCANA workers. Since then, the affected locals have used informational pickets to get their point across to the public. The need to get involved with organizing was emphasized by AFL-CIO state presidents Jim Neeley of Tennessee, Donna DeWitt of South Carolina and Alan Hughes of Arkansas.
Delegates attended workshops on organizing, COPE, time management, deregulation and the need for members to educate others on the benefits of organized labor as the IBEW continues to expand in the fields of telecommunications, construction utility, railroad and manufacturing.
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10th District Progress MeetingMyrtle Beach
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Local
772 was recognized for its outstanding organizing successes in non-construction
sectors. Certificates were also presented to locals 429 (Nashville,
Tennessee) and 474 (Memphis, Tennessee) for organizing new units
in the industrial sector.
I.V.P.
Lansden presented a plaque to Local 1591 (Conway, South Carolina)
for organizing 192 manufacturing workers. He also recognized
locals 175 (Chattannooga, Tennessee), 270 (Oak Ridge, Tennessee),
295 (Little Rock, Arkansas), 553 (Raleigh, North Carolina), and
1516 (Jonesboro, Arkansas) for increasing membership as well as
the percentage of hours worked. Locals 270, 553 and 1516 also
received plaques for membership increases.
