When times are tough, it's easy to start thinking that bad news is all there is. Sadly, for working people in America, bad news has so outweighed the good that sometimes it starts to feel like there isn't any good news.

It isn't true. As hard as things have been, every day the IBEW is making an enormous difference for hundreds of thousands of members and their families. Not in some far off golden age, but right now.

If you have any doubt about the difference this union is still making in the lives of our members, I want you to read the three letters on the opposite page. One letter is from a third-generation member. A second is from a recently retired member and a third was sent in by a member just starting out.

Each letter tells the story of lives and families transformed by the IBEW. Yes, for too many people the old ideal of working hard and getting ahead is a fiction, but for many others, the IBEW is still delivering on that promise for its members. There are real and important victories to celebrate too.

Three generations of the Hering family, and so many who came before us, laid the groundwork for Brother Leo Meade's career and the life Apprentice Matthew Chastain and his family are just beginning. It's all possible because of this great union.

Highlighting these stories doesn't make the challenges go away. But when we remember the difference this Brotherhood actually makes, the challenges shrink. Our opponents may have won a few rounds, but what do they have to offer that competes with the Hering family's dedication to getting workers home safe? What words can proponents of right-to-work say that are more convincing than the reality of Leo's long career and stable retirement? People like Matt have seen too many promises broken by the economic fairy-dust salesmen to believe them anymore.

Fortify yourself with some good news; a world where working families thrive will feel a lot closer.

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