“I started working for Atlanta Gas Light in January 2016, making $16.75 an hour. My wife and I had been married for 15 months, and we were purchasing our first home with a baby on the way. About a month later, tragedy struck when we lost our first child. It was such a devastating blow, but five months later my wife became pregnant again. She was immediately put on bed rest and required multiple procedures to ensure a successful pregnancy. With my wife unable to work, we became a single-income home.
God smiled on us and gave us a healthy baby boy in March 2017. With childcare unaffordable, my wife stayed home to raise our son. For the first time in my life, we had to seek some government assistance to keep food on the table. Providing seemed nearly impossible, and I was scared of losing our home and letting my new family down. Somehow the bills were paid each month, and we endured. In 2018, my amazing wife became pregnant again, and our second son was born in April 2019.
When the employees of Atlanta Gas Light voted to unionize in April 2017, I was excited for my family’s future. And when members of Local 1997 voted ‘yes’ to a contract in February 2020, I went from $21.25 to $24.08 an hour. I could see my future for the next four years before me on paper. I couldn’t fathom in that moment how life-changing being a member of the IBEW would be. By the end of the contract in May 2022, my wage was $31.38. Now, I earn $45.43. This would not have been possible without the IBEW.
I never thought I’d be in the position that I am in today. I’ve been given wonderful opportunities to be involved in my local, and I’ve served for the last six years as an executive board member and as a steward. I’ve met people from our district and around the U.S. I went to a gas conference in Canada, and everyone at the conference was wearing their IBEW logo on their shirts. You’d be walking in another part of town, and somebody would see you and say, ‘Hey there, brother!’ When you look across the IBEW, there’s a lot of people who firmly believe in that brotherhood, that sisterhood, how meaningful it is to stand together.
If anyone asks what the IBEW has done for me, I tell them that it has given me fair wages and a clear path to success. It has guaranteed a safe workplace, progression, healthcare, raises, and fair and equal treatment. And it’s given me a Brotherhood of 900,000-plus with an unshakable bond. It has allowed me to purchase a better home for my family. I don’t have to worry about whether I can pay the bills, and I can put good, healthy food on the table for my children.
As a father, my core responsibility is to take care of my family. Before our first contract, struggling to make ends meet weighed heavily on me. It was my duty to provide, but it felt like no matter how hard I tried, I could not succeed. The IBEW put a straight, clear path to success in front of me. I would not be where I am today without it. I am grateful and honored to be a member.”
