Al Davis, a former Las Vegas Local 357 business manager who moved to the International Office in 2019, was appointed Director of Inside Construction Organizing on Jan. 1.

In his new role, Brother Davis works closely with IBEW leadership and organizers across North America to grow membership in the Construction Branch. He reports to Assistant to the International President for Membership Development Ricky Oakland.

Davis thanked Oakland and International President Lonnie R. Stephenson for the appointment.

"Any effort I've ever put in to grow the brotherhood has given me great satisfaction," he said. "I wouldn't be here without it. I wouldn't have food on the table. My dad [also a journeyman wireman named Al] would not have lived to be 90 and enjoyed a long retirement if he had not been part of the IBEW.

"[Organizing is] always a challenge, but you are building bonds and brotherhood with people who have not been part of the IBEW in the past and have not been given the opportunities we've had."

A Las Vegas native, Davis moved around the country as a young child while his father worked as a traveling wireman. His parents returned and settled in Las Vegas when he was 4, but he still spent time on the road with his father during summer vacation and holiday breaks from school.

He loved every minute of it, but the elder Davis wanted his son to attend college. With the help of a Local 357 scholarship, the younger Davis enrolled at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in 1981, but left after three years. "My grades were not conducive to graduating," he said with a laugh.

After that, Davis worked as a laborer at the Tonopah Test Range, about 140 miles from Las Vegas. He later worked as an inspector there after earning his inspection license. In 1987, the Culinary Union called a strike for workers it represented at the facility and Davis refused to cross the picket line.

Then-Local 357 Business Manager Cecil Wynn came up with an idea. He had known the younger Davis almost from the time he was born; as an apprentice, Wynn had worked under the guidance Davis' journeyman father.

He asked Al to return to work as a "pepper" — a nonunion member who relays management plans back to a union.

The project didn't get too far. Davis' position was eliminated not long after that. But in January 1988, Wynn told him he would get a spot in Local 357's apprenticeship program if he agreed to work as a salt for Desert Valley Electric at the Riviera Hotel, which was being built with primarily nonunion construction.

Davis took him up on the offer and became a Local 357 member. Over time, the IBEW and other trade unions began landing more of the work there, Wynn said.

"You could not find a better person for this job," said Wynn, who went on to a long tenure as a Ninth District international representative and lead organizer. "Al has always been up front in everything we've asked him to do."

Davis, in turn, found a lifetime passion. He became a member of Local 357's organizing committee during his apprenticeship — and ended up co-chairing it. He made a point of seeking out nonunion electricians and contractors, no matter where he was working in the field, and tried to convince them to work with the IBEW.

"I was a young apprentice and had already been out and seen conditions on nonunion sites and knew what the brotherhood could bring to working men and women," he said. "I wanted to make sure we did organizing correctly and were able to reach out to as many people as possible."

He went on to work as an instructor at Local 357's apprenticeship training center before being hired on staff as an organizer in 2003. He was named organizing director one year later, appointed business manager in 2011 and was re-elected to the position three times.

In 2019, he accepted an offer to join the International Office in Washington, D.C., first as an international representative in the Construction & Maintenance Department and later in the CIR/Bylaws and Appeals Department.

Wynn said Davis will be a good fit for his new role because he has long understood the importance of recruiting nonunion workers to the IBEW and its training programs. Davis did an especially good job making sure solar installation was done by union workers when it came to Las Vegas, he said. That work has proven difficult to unionize in other parts of the country.

"Whenever I talked to his dad, Al was always right there with him," Wynn said. "He's always known what is going on since he was a kid. That's made all the difference in his career."

Davis said he assumes his position at a particularly good time. Polls show public support for unions is at its highest point since the 1960s and workers are demanding more rights and protections on the job. The infrastructure bill signed by President Biden gives IBEW organizers a major tool in growing membership, he said.

"We have not seen a dynamic like this in my lifetime, where workers are demanding to be recognized for what they contribute to society," he said.

Davis and his wife, Vicki, have been married for 22 years. They have one daughter, Lauren, a junior at the University of Nevada-Reno who is majoring in computer science. His father died in 2017.

He replaces Virgil Hamilton, who had a strong desire to return to the field as a full-time organizer. Hamilton has been assigned to the Fourth District staff.

"The brotherhood made huge leaps and bounds in organizing during his seven years [in the position]," Davis said. "The fact that he wants to go back in the field tells you he is a true organizer. That is a huge commitment to the IBEW and the brotherhood."

The officers and staff congratulate Brother Davis and wish him much success in his new position.

Richard Panagrossi, a retired Second District international representative from a family steeped in the IBEW, died Nov. 19. He was 82.

Just six years after being initiated into New Haven, Conn., Local 90, Panagrossi followed in his father's footsteps and became business manager.

"The IBEW has been a family tradition," he said upon retiring decades later, naming not only his father, Dominic, but his brother, Don, and uncles and cousins as Local 90 members.

Despite that legacy, Panagrossi didn't jump into electrical work. He earned a political science degree from Providence College in Rhode Island in 1961 and attended law school for two years at Boston University.

Educated and with a desire to serve, his family said, he felt the pull of Local 90 and began his apprenticeship in 1968.

He was an active member from the start, serving on various committees, the Executive Board and as a business agent before rising to business manager in 1974. He was appointed to the international staff seven years later.

For 28 years, Panagrossi serviced inside and outside construction and manufacturing locals in New England, as well as a major shipyard in Groton, Conn.

"He loved his work," said Frank Carroll, retired Second District international vice president. "Dick's mission was to make people's lives better, and that's what he did."

Friends and colleagues said Panagrossi's smile and positive attitude put people at ease, and his knowledge and common sense impressed inside the union and beyond.

He served 34 years on the Connecticut Board of Occupational Licensing, appointed by governors of both parties. After retiring, he was asked to serve on the Connecticut State Arbitration and Mediation Board.

"He was fair, organized, and clear in his decisions — always viewing matters through the lenses of all parties involved," his family wrote in his obituary.

Panagrossi was a devoted father who became a single parent to three teenagers when his wife, Barbara, died unexpectedly in 1982. "The best dad one could ever imagine … and an even more remarkable grandfather," his children said.

"As 'Poppy' he assumed the greatest role in life," they wrote. "Whether as the loudest cheerleader at sporting events, a respectful observer at school functions and academic milestones, or a coach on the basketball court, he was always there, bringing his unique flavor of enthusiasm and support."

His survivors include a son and two daughters, 11 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and his companion, Elaine Simons.

The IBEW sends its sincere condolences to Brother Panagrossi's family, with deep gratitude for his decades of service.