Ninth District leaders and members of Medford, Ore., Local 659 are crediting teamwork for helping them quickly implement the IBEW’s Code of Excellence on a major outside construction project for Pacific Power.

To get ready for the project, “the company had ramped up really fast, with a lot of IBEW travelers from all over the country,” explained Local 659 Assistant Business Manager Logan Fry.

“These members came in already knowing that they need to be at their best all the time,” he said, but as the project got rolling, workers and managers still encountered some hurdles. “That kind of thing can happen when you quickly put together a workforce that has never worked together,” Fry said.

This rapid implementation of the Code of Excellence was in response to a request from signatory contractor 1884 Line Co., which wanted to improve on-the-job communications and reinforce the IBEW’s best practices.

“We’ve worked together really well” with 1884 Line, said Local 659 Business Manager Nick Carpenter, who noted that some of the company’s leaders are former IBEW members. “We have a good and understanding working relationship.”

Company leaders also were familiar with the IBEW’s Code of Excellence, a program created in 2008 by International President Edwin D. Hill to help instill the union’s SPARQ values — safety, professionalism, accountability, relationships and quality — among members and managers alike.

“They invited us to come put on Code classes for them,” said Carpenter, who contacted State Organizing Coordinator Kail Zuschlag.

“I’ve taught a lot of Code of Excellence classes,” Zuschlag said, including for some of Local 659’s inside construction members. “That’s not something I think an organizer normally does, but I’ve always tied the Code of Excellence into organizing.”

Zuschlag turned to Education Department International Representative Tracy Prezeau and Ninth District International Representative Marcie Obremski for help in putting together a unique Code class.

“At the time, we didn’t have current materials to do that for outside construction,” Prezeau said.

Carpenter said 1884 Line wanted to get Code training done as quickly as possible. “We had only about six weeks to prepare,” he said.

Carpenter tasked Fry to work with Prezeau, Zuschlag and Obremski to craft the program, which pulled in the relevant components of existing Code training for members who work in inside construction and utility.

“Tracy had an older presentation that she had done at a different outside construction local,” Zuschlag said. “I volunteered to rebuild it using a lot of the content and text of what she had already done, and we also updated some photos.”

Zuschlag and Fry then prepped for instructing three days’ worth of classes at 1884 Line’s facilities.

“We really just went in and talked with people,” Fry said — apprentices, journeyman linemen, groundmen, operators and managers in groups of 30 to 35. “We did six classes, two classes a day.”

Prezeau said open discussion is a key part of Code of Excellence training. “It really gives an opportunity for both sides to be heard,” she said, “which is really the magic of the program.”

Zuschlag prefers conversation over presentation, too. “I purposely try to blow up these classes a little, getting people riled up and talking,” he said. “We process what they’re trying to say and then turn it into action.”

After the training, Carpenter noticed an almost immediate improvement in the workplace culture. “One of the biggest benefits was opening up that dialogue,” he said.

“We got everybody realizing that they were all trying to do the right thing,” Zuschlag said. “Now they wanted to team up to figure out how to do better together.”

Fry added that Code training helped members better understand the role of shop stewards, noting that members’ interactions with the IBEW have since improved.

“The Code of Excellence is our commitment that no matter where our members come from, they bring safety, skill, and solidarity to the project,” said Ninth District International Vice President David E. Reaves Jr. “What Local 659 accomplished shows how the Ninth District leads — by working together, solving problems and setting industry standards.”

Carpenter noted with pride that Fry only began working for the local office in January.

“Logan did awesome, right into the fire,” said the business manager, adding that Fry had help from Johnny Walker, a fellow assistant business manager and organizer.

Zuschlag praised his teammates for quickly putting together a class that met managers’ timeline and everyone’s needs. “Logan came in with a lot of great energy,” he said. “Marcie is top-notch, and Tracy is an amazing instructor.”

Prezeau thanked Logan and Zuschlag for going “a long way to personally make the training happen.”

Meanwhile, the local has been talking with 1884 Line about conducting Code classes annually, as a refresher and for new hires, Carpenter said.

“Code training not only benefits our members, but it also reinforces our commitment to excellence in every project we undertake,” he said.