International President Emeritus Lonnie R. Stephenson headlined a series of speakers at the 41st IBEW International Convention on Sept. 24, talking proudly about his half-century as an IBEW brother.
A 50-year member of Local 145 in Rock Island, Ill., he told delegates: “I still have my full-dues-paid ticket in my pocket. And I’ll have a full-dues-paid ticket in my pocket the day I die. I will never retire from my local.”
Other speakers included International Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus Salvatore “Sam” Chilia and Walt Ingram, who leads the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance.
Chilia is a second-generation member whose mother, a generator and alternator factory worker, was represented by Cleveland Local 1377. She collected an IBEW pension until her death in 2020 at age 99.
Saluting international officers “Coop, Paul and Joe” and members and leaders across the union, Chilia said that when he retired in 2017, “I believed the IBEW was in a strong position.”
“But I have to tell you, the progress you’ve made since Chicago [at the 40th International Convention in 2022] has been remarkable,” he said. “The gains of these last few years speak for themselves.
“This union is stronger than ever, in position for an even brighter future. It has been inspiring to watch our brotherhood and sisterhood grow,” Chilia added.
Stephenson also applauded the IBEW’s substantial growth, saying he set a goal to surpass 700,000 active members during his tenure, from 2016 to January 2023.
“I think it’s some 790,000 active members now,” he said, looking toward International President Kenneth W. Cooper. “That’s awesome.”
While he’s enjoying retirement, Stephenson told his IBEW family, “I miss each and every one of you. I miss being around you and I think about you all the time.”
Union Sportsmen’s Alliance CEO and Executive Director Walt Ingram thanked the IBEW for its support of the organization, noting that it has more members of the alliance than any other trade union.
Better yet, many of those 85,000 members answer the call on projects that further the alliance’s mission of improving the public’s access to the outdoors, especially for groups that have limited opportunities to do so.
“IBEW members aren’t just supporting the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance,” Ingram said while addressing the 41st IBEW International Convention. “You are helping drive it.”
“Whether it’s an IBEW member … helping at a conservation dinner, competing at a sporting clays shoot, building a pier, improving a public park or taking the kids fishing, you are putting the values of the Brotherhood and Sisterhood at work into action,” he added.
Founded in 2007 and recognized by the AFL-CIO, the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to the outdoors that is entirely made up of union members.
It mobilizes those members for conservation projects, such as making wildlife areas more accessible and building outdoor boat ramps.
It also regularly hosts fishing events for children who have little or no experience with the outdoors. IBEW local unions also have hosted fundraisers for the alliance, which is often referred to as USA.
“That’s really what the USA is all about,” Ingram said. “Connecting union members with union leaders and connecting union locals with communities through conservation.
“You are also creating memories and leaving our outdoor heritage better than you found it,” he added.
Ingram, a member of the machinists’ union, has led the alliance since 2022.
“To everyone in this room who has volunteered, attended an event, supported a project or simply helped spread the word, if you hear nothing else I say today, thank you for what you do,” he said.
