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Address of International President Edwin D. Hill
NOVA Awards Dinner
Dearborn, Michigan
April 24, 2003

Thank you -- thank you -- I was not sure how I should react with the music introduction I was beginning to think that I should go into a break dance -- Roger Lane, chairman of the Innovation forum, -- at least until tomorrow -- longtime Detroit Edison official and longer time acquaintance of mine. Roger who would ever thought that our time along the Ohio River would lead here.

It is a personal honor to have all of the IBEW Local Unions in Michigan in attendance and particularly Local Union 58 and 252, -- Jeff Radjewski and Greg Stephens thanks for all the assistance in preparing for this evening.

Good evening everyone, it is great to be here this evening.

I want to begin this evening by saying that I was surprised to be asked to be the keynote speaker -- for such a great event and how proud I am to be here. This is a night when the very best that our nations construction industry has to offer is recognized, and I am delighted to come to Dearborn to celebrate the construction industrys best accomplishments nationwide.

Im also flattered that you would want to hear my views on a subject as vital as innovation in our industry. While I certainly have something to say on the subject, -- particularly the people side of the equation -- believe me when I say that I also came here to learn from you.

I have been an International Officer in the structure of the IBEW since 1994 and located in the IBEWs Washington, DC, headquarters since 1997, serving as International President since 2001. Before that I spent my entire career in Western Pennsylvania -- in Beaver County,-- northwest of Pittsburgh, as you heard in the introduction.

Pennsylvania and Michigan have a lot in common. Theyre both states where people came from all over the world to work in the heavy industries that powered so much of the American economy in the 20^th century -- primarily steel in my home area and automobiles here. Theyre both places where loyalties and traditions run deep. And, I am sad to say, -- both have felt the extreme pain caused by economic upheaval and dislocation.

Like those in many other industries, -- our nations electrical construction industry has viewed innovation as a way of life. First, in the heady years of our countrys industrial prime,-- electrical innovations flowed from many sectors of the economy in a seemingly endless tide. And in the more recent past, -- change, -- adaptability and a rethinking of traditional ways of doing business have become absolutely crucial for our very survival.

Those of us who serve in national leadership positions are charged with taking a step back from the hustle and bustle of daily life and trying to gain perspective. "Getting the big picture" is what that type of action is normally called. If we dont do this, we are failing our members. We can identify the need to change, -- develop strategies to change, -- and emphasize the process of change over and over again. But the real innovation comes from those on the ground who are making change happen. Its the folks out there in the real world who take the risks, -- make the strategies work, and refine new methods to build success on the front lines. Thats what were here to celebrate tonight. And thats what makes me proud to be part of the construction industry and confident of our future.

Theres something else Ive learned in my years in construction. Sometimes the most innovative thing you can do is to take a fresh look at your core principles. Sometimes the biggest and most important change comes not from new concepts, -- but in rededication to old ideas.

What we are trying to do in the IBEW can be summed up in one word that I think includes all of our principles -- responsibility.

Its a tremendously powerful word -- responsibility. Just to mention the term has a way of cutting through the jargon -- the clutter and the small stuff. Responsibility demands that we take an honest look at where we stand and what we could be doing better. And it is a stark reminder that success is not guaranteed, and failure does have consequences.

I made a decision early on in my presidency that my responsibilities to the IBEW membership and to others who count on us demanded complete honesty about where we stood and where we needed to go. I also became aware that reliance on the comfortable attitudes of the past -- does not solve problems. Neither does beating around the bush or saying only what we think the other party wants to hear.

There was no need to throw away the tactics and principles that have served our union well for more than a century. But -- in some circumstances -- there is a need to apply them differently, -- acting in ways that people might not expect a trade union to act.

Let me give you an example.

Labor-management cooperation was touted back in the early 1990s as a new mantra for many in the labor movement. It sounded great. But for those of us in the trades, -- it wasnt a new concept. Many of us have been working with our counterpart employer associations for decades. Admittedly -- there have been ups and downs in the relationship, -- but it has survived and grown.

Last year when the IBEW was planning its annual construction conference, we had this radical new idea. Contractors have always been welcome to attend the meeting. They knew who we were and what we did. But what about the missing piece in the puzzle? What about the users of our services, -- the ones who hire the contractors who in turn employ IBEW members?

WHAT ABOUT OUR CUSTOMERS?   Those who use our services -- General Motors, -- Ford, -- Chrysler, -- Detroit Edison only to name a few are THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN OUR INDUSTRY, and -- OUR REASON FOR BEING! We must NEVER loose sight of that

And yet -- we somehow seemed to take for granted that they knew about our training, -- our commitment to quality, -- or our ability to provide the skilled work force when and where needed. But when talking to them and we learned that many of them knew no such thing.

So we invited some of the big users of construction to our conference. We gave them good seats so they could listen to the speeches, -- see the presentations, -- mingle with the crowd that consisted mainly of local union leaders. And they liked what they saw. And they indicated a willingness to know more and talk more. And at this years conference -- held earlier this month -- Bill Tibbitt Executive Director, Worldwide Engineering Services for Johnson & Johnson, presently serving a term as the head of the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT), addressed the delegates. I might add that he and his message were well received and we are determined to keep these lines of communication open in the future.

And all this happened because we rediscovered the principle that even the hot dog vendor knows by heart -- youve got to take care of your customers and show them that you can give them what they want and need -- without caving in to their every whim or demand. I guess we can ask ourselves -- what took us so long to figure that out?

Taking that one step further, -- we took a hard look at ourselves, -- from the international office to the local job site. Were we living up to our commitments to quality? Were we being the best in the market?

In too many places, -- the answer was "No." We were getting too many reports of long term working relationships that were being damaged by disputes and even some unauthorized actions. We were finding that a lack of professionalism -- while not widespread -- was becoming enough of a problem to get our attention.

So it was time to get back to the basics with our own members. IBEW Secretary-Treasurer Jerry OConnor and I started spreading the word in our speeches and our columns in our publication and on our web site that responsibility -- is also a core union value. We -- like any other group -- desire respect. We want -- and fight for -- good wages and benefits. We believe we have the best-trained work force in our sector of the industry. But with all of that -- comes the obligation to maintain that earned respect each and every day on the job. With our expectations comes the responsibility to deliver the highest quality work and earn our pay.

This is a message that people dont always expect to come out of the mouth of a union president. And believe me I did get some flack for it. But last year, -- I delivered the same message of responsibility to labor and management audiences alike. They can call me what they want -- but they cant say Im not consistent.

The best news is that our words seem to have had an effect. Our reports from the field are much more encouraging. And I think it is a tribute to our members and our contractor partners that they have listened to a tough message and responded with professionalism.

Together,-- we have also confronted the issue of drug testing. Just two days ago, I spoke to a group of large NECA contractors in Washington, D.C., and emphasized that the current economic climate brings new immediacy to this matter.

In our discussion,-- contractors made it clear that this was a priority, as did our customers. We have developed procedures to deal with drug testing as well as substance abuse on the job. The issue is complex and deeply emotional because it touches on matters of privacy and individual rights which can never be taken lightly. But we knew that taking a head in the sand attitude about the issue would get us nothing -- but less work opportunities for our membership.

Our union accepted this because it was the right thing to do. We are living in a time when any decline in market share has severe repercussions throughout our sector of the industry. As I have indicated many times, I am trying to get our members to see the big picture and understand that meeting the needs of our customers is the best path to a prosperous future.

Telling our members to live up to their responsibility is not always easy. Yet it is part of my own responsibility as International president of the IBEW to deliver that message. I have done so and will continue to do so whenever necessary.

While we are taking aggressive steps to change the circumstances of the present,-- we are also taking responsibility for our future.

Just yesterday we met with our contractor representatives along with our district Vice Presidents in a daylong session to discuss the path forward and some of the obstacles that stand in the way of success for our respective constituency. It was a powerful meeting with some frank discussion on both sides that led to a better understanding of some of the issues that affect both sides of our industry. I am pleased that these meetings take place and hopefully will be satisfied with the long-term effort by our partnership.

Those of you who read construction trade publications may have noticed that the IBEW and NECA are doing more than ever to communicate our message. Let me say something that might come as a shock to many of you. Construction can be a hidebound industry. And it wasnt very long ago that the idea of advertising or actually reaching out to potential customers would have been laughed at.

As I said, failing to change the attitudes of the past can leave you with nothing but past glory to talk about. The fact is that we live in the age of media and communications. We can no longer expect that our potential customers know or care who we are; their sole concern is the delivery of quality work. While our organizations are proud of our performance record and our proven commitment to training, they will be like the proverbial tree falling in the forest if no one hears about it. That is why we have embarked on a more aggressive communications program to market ourselves in the highly competitive world in which we now live.

Our marketing is not just aimed at users of our services. Though our economy has changed rapidly, -- it was just a few short years ago that story after story told of the coming shortage of skilled trades workers. The combination of demographics and the career preferences of young workers -- we were told -- was going to leave our industry struggling to fill jobs. In fact, -- the boom growth days of the 1990s saw many jobs go begging for workers and projects deferred as a result.

If there is one thing all of us here know -- the cycle will turn again. Eventually,-- the times of growth will return and bring new demands for our skills. If we do not reach out to bright, capable young workers now, -- we will not have them when work increases and the retirement of the Baby Boom generation thins our ranks.

The original impetus of our communications effort came from a national labor-management program between the IBEW and NECA. But the effort has really borne far more fruit at the local level. By creating the framework for labor-management cooperation committees outside the traditional collective bargaining structure, -- we were able to give locals the basis to initiate and fund their own marketing and outreach programs. Many IBEW local unions and NECA chapters have been on the leading edge of innovative marketing techniques, -- taking them to a higher level than originally envisioned.

NECA and IBEW organizations in Michigan are doing more that ever to market themselves and form new relationships with key groups, like legislators, local officials, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, our customers.

Michigan has a very strong and proud tradition of labor-management cooperation, career recruitment, legislative advocacy and other efforts that strengthen the industry, and I applaud their efforts. Michigan is living proof that effective marketing, relationship building and cooperation -- do work!

So I expect that sophisticated marketing campaigns are here to stay and will only grow in the years to come. The stakes are too high and the need to take responsibility for our future demands no less.

Our drive to innovate -- has also encompassed technology. There is no trade in the construction industry that has not been dramatically altered by technology. In a relatively short time, even the most basic job has changed thanks to new tools, new products and new demands from consumers.

I want to especially congratulate the Echelon Corporation as the first Electrical technology company to receive a NOVA Award for its Lon Works control network technology. Innovations like these will ensure our industry is ready to meet tomorrows construction demands with confidence. I am particularly proud to be able to congratulate Echelon this evening because our National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee has a training partnership with Echelon to provide Lon Works-Building Automation Training for our Apprentices and Journeymen. I think that I can speak for both the IBEW and NECA when I say that we appreciated that partnership.

No trade has been more deeply affected that the electrical industry. In fact, -- most of the technology that has transformed the world is electrical in its very nature. Whether you call it, telecommunications, --information technology, or -- voice/data/video services -- the digital revolution is powered by electrons, and thats what we do.

The demand for information technology has blurred traditional lines and created entirely new sectors of our industry. Gone are the days when technicians employed by the Bell companies were the only ones doing phone work, while electricians had a totally separate job. The structure and services provided by the telephone companies have changed dramatically, as have the demands for information and electric infrastructures to coexist in the same structure. This has created the need for a contracting work force to meet the needs of residential and commercial consumers alike.

This change has brought with it a new set of challenges for the electrical industry. We have had to move rapidly to develop the skills and training models needed to compete. We have had to work with contractors and workers who had entirely different expectations from the traditional electrical work force. We have confronted resistance from those in the industry who were comfortable doing what they know best and what they grew up with.

But we also realized early on -- that none of these obstacles could be allowed to keep from making inroads into this new segment of the industry. Though it has cooled somewhat along with the rest of the economy,-- voice/data/video remains a fast-growing part of the industry and one that promises to take another quantum leap in demand in the foreseeable future.

At the national level, the IBEW and NECA have responded by working with our training programs to develop comprehensive curricula for voice/data/video training. We have also negotiated a national agreement to cover this type of work. It is an agreement that sets many of our most traditional practices on their head, which may not go down easy in some quarters. Yet there is no denying the absolute necessity of thinking and acting differently when pursuing a different market.

Here again,-- I have been extremely proud of those IBEW locals that have seized new opportunities with both hands. In some places,-- our locals and contractors have worked with the manufacturers of sophisticated computers and network hardware to turn parts of their local training facilities into places where our members can become certified users of such equipment. Others have pursued an aggressive marketing strategy to win this work. These local programs are providing the models for others to use to compete for this rapidly expanding market.

I think I can safely say that the electrical construction industry that I -- and many others -- grew up in is no longer the secure comfortable place it once was. But at no time have I ever been prouder to be part of this industry than I am today. Like so many other sectors of the economy, -- the electrical trade and the entire construction industry have confronted tremendous changes that have shaken our very foundation.

It is because of, -- not despite, -- these challenges that we see men and women in our industry,-- worker,-- contractor, and customer, taking a greater degree of responsibility for the future. The uncertain times in which we live have driven home the need for all to do their part in transforming our industry. Construction remains a major driving force in our economy, and it is up to us to make it into something new,-- different and more productive than ever.

The recipients of this years NOVA awards understand that. The work they are doing is only part of a bigger story. In response to challenges,-- innovation is blooming in countless areas of North America. I am honored to be here to help celebrate Michigans best and most innovative practices. I can say that this event has given me renewed confidence in our future. I know that we will take the spirit that exists here tonight and do what we do best -- build upon it to create growth,-- opportunity and shared prosperity for all of the construction industrys assets.

Thank you for letting me be a part of this celebration and God bless you all.