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January/February 2004 IBEW Journal

NJATC Banquet

L.U. 1 (as,c,ees,ei,em,es,et,fm,i, mt,rts,s,se,spa,st&ws), ST. LOUIS, MO-On Oct. 23, 2003, the St. Louis Chapter National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee hosted a banquet to recognize 154 Local 1 members who finished their apprenticeships.

Guest speakers included: IBEW Local 1 Bus. Mgr. Stephen Schoemehl, IBEW Eleventh District Int. Vice Pres. William C. Eads, and St. Louis Chapter NECA Branch Mgr. Doug Martin. Graduates were presented with gifts and group pictures were taken to round out a memorable evening.

Please be advised of the following member deaths: Billy Creason, Robert Roesch, James Wilkson, James Militzer, John Laubersheimer, Samuel Nixon, Joseph Baccala, Kenneth Schwent, Angelo Fahrenkrog, Marion Sauer, Clyde Buff, Janet Nash, Louis Tacchi, John Hilsman, John Hirschbuehler and David Wright.

Matthew F. Gober, P.S.

'Terrible Work Situation'

L.U. 8 (i&mt), TOLEDO, OH-Local 8 will host the 2004 Wireman's Golf Association Tournament in August 2004, and we hope to welcome many traveling brothers and sisters to Toledo. Come early, bring the family, and visit the Toledo Zoo, COSI, or Cedar Point Amusement Park or enjoy some walleye fishing in Lake Erie. Just call our hall and we'll try to give you some helpful information.

The work situation continues to be terrible, and very few of our members are finding work elsewhere. Some sizable projects are being discussed, but nothing confirmed.

Ohio is spending big money on new schools but much of that work is going to non-signatory contractors, since the Republican State Legislature took prevailing wage rates off school construction. The Republican Party has controlled all state offices in Ohio for more than 10 years-and the state has never been in worse fiscal shape. Remember that next November and support labor friendly candidates. The present administration, both state and federal, wants to see unions disappear.

Dennis C. Duffey, B.M.
Chuck Wistinghausen, P.S.

Contracts Signed

L.U. 15 (u), DOWNERS GROVE, IL-Our members at Kincaid Fossil Generating Station overwhelmingly ratified their contract proposal on Sept. 26. The four-year contract includes wage increases each year and improvements in the pension plan and contractual language.

The union continues efforts to improve labor-management relations at Midwest Generation. It is in both parties' interest.

Local 15 and Exelon's subsidiaries (Business Services Group, ComEd Energy Delivery and Exelon Nuclear) signed a Memorandum of Agreement on a two-year contract extension. If ratified by the membership in December, the Voluntary Separation Plan and medical benefits will be extended until Sept. 30, 2007, for Exelon Nuclear; and to Sept. 30, 2008, for BSC and CED. The pension plan is extended for all three groups to Sept. 30, 2008.

Our Organizing Dept. is working on several campaigns. We are confident of success in more than one.

Ronald V. Welte, P.S.

Energy Legislation

In a memorial tribute to two young Local 17 journeyman linemen, Donny Sheridan and Duane Sheridan, who died in separate, non-work related accidents, their fellow lineman created an arch with their bucket trucks for the funeral processions to pass through. Both Duane and Donny were the nephews of Pat Sheridan, a longtime Local 17 member.

L.U. 17 (catv,em,lctt,o&u), DETROIT, MI-DTE Energy Company, parent of utility Detroit Edison, wants to amend PA141 (DE-REG) legislation to fix the Electric Choice Program and prevent severe financial damage. We beliveve we're moving slowly toward a similar situation that transpired in California. We must keep a watchful eye on these proposals as they unfold because, let's fact it, DTE Energy Company is our largest employer and if DTE is not healthy it affects the union.

With the layoffs we experienced in October, many of our journeyman linemen are out of state staffing work in other parts of the country. Also, we are proud that we have approximately 15 apprentices staffing union contractors out of town as well.

With sadness, we report the loss of Bros. Ira Peterson, Donny Sheridan and Duane Sheridan.

Bob Eckhout, Pres./P.S.

'Ready for Anything'

L.U. 21 (catvgovt&t), DOWNERS GROVE, IL-As unbelievable as it seems, Lucent is close to getting away with ignoring a contract and putting 250 IBEW members into the CWA, against all parties' will. The Bush federal court and an arbitrator refuse to enforce the law. There are still other related arbitration rulings pending, but this represents a "mopping up." Hello, is this America?

In public employee bargaining, Vermillion County agreements should be settled as you read this, after difficult and lengthy negotiations. City of Chicago 911 bargaining continues with no end in sight. These negotiations are hard because of Bush's massive cuts in revenue sharing to states and cities.

We are training hundreds of stewards and activists for the fight this spring with the union-busting SBC. We currently have nearly 1,000 advanced grievances and over 200 arbitrations hung up at SBC. This is right from the playbook of the union buster. We will be ready for anything when bargaining begins.

Speaking of union-busters, Comcast bargaining continues. Our members are hanging tough. All members are encouraged to call the Local 21 hotline at (630) 415-2711 and check the Web site at www.ibew21.org  regularly.

Michael Sacco, P.S.