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IEC Chairman
Milton L. Foster

October/November 2001 IBEW Journal

President Hill, Secretary-Treasurer O'Connor, sisters and brothers, thank you. If someone had told me a year ago that I would be standing here today, Chairman of your International Executive Council, I wouldn't have believed it. I can tell you for sure that when I was initiated into Local 191, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be one of the top three officers in this great union of ours. But by the grace of God and your support, here I am. And I thank you for that.

I have been fortunate enough to earn honors in my life, but there has never been one to top this one. The sense of honor I feel today, having been elected to this office, is immeasurable. The locals in the Seventh IEC District, whom I represented the last four-and-a-half years, know that I listen carefully to their views and work hard to represent them fairly and fully. I pledge to do exactly the same for the entire Brotherhood.

The IEC is a vital part of our democratic structure of our great union. As your chairman, I want to be responsive to all voices in the Brotherhood as we go about our business. And I want to see the IEC committee continue to speak out for and act in the best interests of all members. We know what we have to do.

President Hill, Secretary-Treasurer O'Connor have spelled out a vision for the future of the 21st century. This convention is our opportunity to shape our collective future. Let's discuss and debate the issues with passion. And let's leave here united and ready to face the world and the many challenges it holds for working people in this day and age.

We've got to organize, brothers and sisters. We've got to protect our current members. We've got to win the high tech work of the future. And we've got to motivate our political strength. We've got to fight for the rights in changing economic times. We've got to reach out to young workers and bring them into our ranks. Is it a tall order? Yes. Will we shrink from our duty? Never. Those who went before us in the IBEW didn't let us down, and we will not let down future generations. We will carry on the proud traditions of our Brotherhood and find new ways to succeed. Everything we do in our daily lives, no matter how small or how routine it may seem, must be part of our effort to achieve our goals.

We can't let the crush of normal business weigh us down. We have all got to stay focused on the future.

If I may, brothers and sisters, a point of privilege. I'd like to say thank you to a few people. First, I'd like to thank my wife Bonnie for standing beside me and supporting me for so many years. Bonnie, thank you.

My children and grandchildren unfortunately can't be here with me today, and I thank them, especially the little ones who wonder why Grandpa can't come around more often because he's out of town.

And there's a gentleman sitting in here today that I want to give a special, special thanks to, someone that was there for me when I was a green business manager, and I mean green. And through the years that I served as business manager when he was vice president, he was always there for me whenever I needed the assistance, and I'd really like to say a special thanks for him today. Vice President Jack McCann, thank you, thanks for all you did for me.

The IEC will do its part to carry our union forward. Let's face the future together and build a new day for the IBEW. Thank you for your confidence in me, and I promise you that you will never get anything less than my very best effort. Thank you very much. God bless you, God bless our Brotherhood, and God bless our country. Thank you.