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Signs of Industry Growth At Utility Conference June 18, 2004 Delegates to the 2004 Utility Conference April 28-30 in Palm Springs, California gathered amid tentative signs of positive change following more than 10 years of tumult, layoffs and retrenching. In an industry where job reductions, mergers and acquisitions have been hallmarks of the aggressive pursuit of profit under electricity deregulation, some companies are starting to hire and train the badly-needed new generation of utility workers. This development has coincided with an apparent post-deregulation hangover by many industry leaders. "Several CEOs in the utility industry have made no secret that they wished we could turn back the clock to the days of regulation," said IBEW International President Edwin D. Hill at the meeting. "They have seen with their own eyes how the companies and the states that resisted deregulation and stuck to the basics of the industry are the companies that are in the best shape right now." Also making opening remarks to the delegates were Secretary-Treasurer Jerry OConnor and Ninth District Vice President Michael Mowrey. President Hill acknowledged the contributions of the restructuring committee, whose members have for the past 10 years advised the International President on policies as deregulation found favor in states and provinces across the United States and Canada. "We did not have the resources to match Enron and their kind," he said. "But the logic and simple truth of our position has somehow managed to survive after all that has taken place." Yet difficulties loom. Delegates remain concerned about the possible repeal of the Public Utilities Holding Company Act, which has been present in numerous versions of the energy bill over the past three years. If a bill finally passes that includes PUHCA repeal, it could launch a new wave of consolidations and turmoil in the industry. Health care also played a large role in the meeting, with First District International Representative Peter Routliff discussing changes to the Canadian health care system and a speaker from Blue Cross/Blue Shield instructing the delegates on negotiating in an environment in which out-of-control health care costs are the primary bargaining issue. An increasing number of employers are cutting benefits and shifting costs onto workers, said International Representative Linda Mathews. "Wage increases are staying above inflation but pick up 30 percent of your health care costs as opposed to 10 percent and youre not doing too well," she said, adding that the delegates also discussed the need to lobby for national solutions to the worsening health care crisis. Political Director Rick Diegel discussed the IBEWs action plan for the upcoming November elections, including unprecedented membership mobilization for political action and voter turnout. Utility Department Director Jim Dushaws retirement was announced at the conference. President Hill honored Dushaws unwavering dedication to helping members weather the storms of the past decade. "He has been steadfast in his resolve and calm in the face of repeated crises," President Hill said. "But most of all, he was driven by the same urge that brought him into union activism in the first place -- the urge to help his brothers and sisters." Dushaw, whose retirement is effective July 1, will be replaced by International Representative Jim Hunter. Many others joined President Hill to recognize Dushaws leadership, including International Executive Council member Pat Lavin, who presented Dushaw with a plaque. Lavin is business manager of Local 47 in Diamond Bar, California, which represents workers at Southern California Edison. The gathering was also notable for its successful attempt to use modern technology to reduce the amount of paper distributed to participants. Conference planners produced a compact disk with all of the material on it for the 500 delegates, including reference material, handouts, arbitration summaries, legal updates, health care surveys and bargaining information. Hunter said the disk, which also replaced a bound book, conserved more than 3,000 pieces of paper. "By using the disk, we were able to disseminate substantially more information than we would on paper, and in searchable formats," Hunter said. "There were very few handouts this year." The CD was also useful in the workshops for clerical, electrical, gas and generation members.
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