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WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- NECA-IBEW team members must "collectively elevate our game" -- and create happy customers -- according to a groundbreaking DVD now making the rounds of the electrical construction industry.

Designed to strengthen the unionized electrical construction industry's commitment to excellence, the State Of Our Union 2005 focuses on provocative messages delivered by IBEW President Edwin D. Hill.

Hill calls for a renewed focus on customer service, the centerpiece of an innovative labor-management strategy to regain market share. "We must prove ourselves today and every day," Hill says. "The more professional and productive we are, the more likely we are to get work."

Distributed to 17,000+ contractors and 350+ IBEW construction local unions, the video acknowledges that IBEW members are construction's most highly skilled electrical workers. But this, Hill says, is negated by some customer perceptions.

Can those perceptions be changed? Hill challenges any IBEW members who are "just coasting along" to shape up -- or move on. Even small increases in productivity and customer satisfaction, he asserts, will strengthen the ability of IBEW-employing contractors in bidding on and winning a larger share of the market.

In addition to generating new momentum for change throughout the IBEW, the 23-minute DVD has attracted interest from construction unions and management groups, as well as representatives of other industries.

About IBEW and NECA

Acting through their joint marketing organization -- the National Labor- Management Cooperation Committee (NLMCC) of the organized electrical construction industry -- NECA and IBEW together work to:

• Reach customers with accurate information about the industry; and
• Achieve better internal communication between labor and management.

With 750,000 members who work in a wide variety of fields -- including construction, telecommunications, manufacturing -- the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers began in 1891. The IBEW is among the largest member unions in the AFL-CIO. http://www.ibew.org/ .

Voice of the $100 billion industry responsible for bringing lighting, power, and communications to buildings and communities across the United States, the National Electrical Contractors Association was founded in 1901. NECA's national office and 120 local chapters advance the industry through advocacy, education, research, and standards development. http://www.necanet.org/ .

Web sites:
http://www.necanet.org/
http://www.ibew.org/


NOTES: NOTE TO EDITORS: To obtain a review copy of the DVD, please contact Jane Choe at the NLMCC: jc@necanet.org; 301-215-4510. NECA press contact: Beth Margulies, 301-215-4526. beth.margulies@necanet.org. IBEW press contact: Jim Spellane, 202-728-6014. cjspellane@ibew.org.

Joe Salimando - EFJ Enterprises
PMB#683, 11350 Random Hills Rd Ste800
Fairfax VA 22030 - 703-255-1428voice - fax888-309-4796
See my "EleBlog" at www.electricalcontractor.com

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