Sparks - Mar-Apr 2009
Transcription
Sparks - Mar-Apr 2009
Newsletter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 46 Bit by 277 Volume 23, Issue 4 Jul-Aug 2009 Business Manager & Financial Secretary Virgil R. Hamilton [email protected] President Archie Van Valkenburg [email protected] Vice President Guy C. Hawkins [email protected] Recording Secretary Tony Doll [email protected] Treasurer Sean D. Winchester [email protected] IBEW Local 46 19802 62nd Ave S Kent, WA 98032 Tel: 253 395 6500 Fax: 253 872 7059 www.ibew46.org Comments? Email us at: [email protected] opeiu#8/afl-cio Hello sisters and brothers. I'm writing this article to let you know about what happened to me on Wednesday, June 17, 2009. I was working at the new business building at the UW. The building connects to an existing library and it was my job to demo out that area that day. I locked and tagged out the two circuits that I was going to be working on, got on top of the ladder to pull out a fixture whip from a j-box up in the ceiling. Ten minutes earlier I had used my tick tracer in a receptacle to see if I could plug in my task lighting. I stabbed my tick tracer in three of the four spots of the j-box and didn't get anything. I then pulled out the wires that were attached to the whip that I was demoing and tick traced it. Nothing. I untwisted the wire nut for the hot, took out the wire from the whip and twisted back on the wire nut. Then I untwisted the bunch of neutrals and pulled the neutral from the whip away. I was wearing gloves and my left hand had the bunch of (I think) four neutrals. My right hand had the wire nut. When I put them together I felt the jolt of current flowing from my left hand, through my arm, across my heart, down my other arm, and through my right fingers. I didn't get hung up. I was only exposed for a second. Although I was able to climb down the eight foot ladder, I couldn't collect a thought. I walked around in circles for a little bit. My arms were tingling and shaking, my heart felt crazy and my legs were starting to get numb. I thought, "Oh sh*t! I just got bit! It just happened to me! Well, no one saw it." Then I thought about my buddy Ryan, whose funeral was just a little while ago. The autopsy report hasn't come back yet, but it had been said by Member Boo Torres that he got bit at work and didn't tell anyone. The next day he was found dead in his car. I thought about Ryan and I called for my foreman over the radio. I was really slow in talking, moving, thinking. My foreman came and so did the Aid car shortly thereafter. I was really dazed and had a hard time focusing and my body got really numb. They were able to call my partner, Joanne, so she could meet us at the UW hospital. They got me into the ER where it took five people to strip me down in one minute. They took blood, hooked me up to an IV, attached an automatic blood pressure cuff on me, and hooked up all these clamps onto these stickers all over my body to monitor my heart. What they found was that my heart had an irregular beat. My foreman stayed in the ER with Joanne and I for a while until the doctor came in again to say that it's fluctuating and that I'm staying overnight. My heart worked it out, all on its own. My beat is still irregular, but it's not harmful. The fluctuating stopped, which means my heart beat has stabilized, and they released me late Thursday afternoon. continued on page 2 continued from page 1 I was released to go back to work on the following Monday. After I got out of the hospital, I was under 24hour surveillance, care of Joanne. Now, because I'm still unsure of EXACTLY what happened, here are a few things that I MAY have done wrong and a few things I KNOW I did wrong: 1. I DIDN'T LOCK OUT THE 3RD CIRCUIT. This was a 3-phase system. I locked out only the two circuits I was demoing. 2. I RELIED SOLELY ON MY TICK TRACER My foreman took my tick tracer and found that it had a delay on it. I could have been moving too fast in the box before I detected anything. (I was using the style that has an on/off button.) I am very open to exploring the possibility that it may have been operator error. There were also a lot of wires in that box. If I had taken the time to look at all the wires and I might have noticed that there was a full boat running through that box, it would've been a red flag. he'd be there in 10 minutes. I just walked in circles and hoped that someone would come soon. The reason for this article is to let everyone know what happened and how it could have been avoided. We all know that we need to watch for shared neutrals, work everything like it’s hot and never solely rely on your tick tracer. This isn’t new to any of us. But I know I’m not the only one who’s ever been bit. Too many of us have these stories. My hope is that after knowing of our recent fallen sister and brother (Kat and Ryan) and reading of my close call and hearing of other close calls, we will all make the choice to be a little safer at work. 3. I DIDN'T WORK IT LIKE IT WAS HOT It was all solid wire in that box. When I opened up the neutrals, they kind of frayed apart from one another. They didn't stay bound like stranded wires do. I don't believe that I touched the bare copper with my hands in order to guide them into the wire nut, but there was no other way for me to get bit. I must have touched it. 4. I ALMOST DIDN'T TELL ANYONE If Ryan's funeral hadn't been just a couple of weeks ago, it might have taken me a lot longer to realize that I needed to get checked out right away. A lot of times we hear the worst stories about someone getting bit. I didn't pass out. I didn't fall off the ladder. I didn't foam at the mouth. I didn't have strange noises coming from me. Besides being really slow, dazed, numb, and shaky, I felt all right. But my heart was doing weird things. Some people get weird about not wanting to be 'that guy that got hurt on the job'. They don't want to lose their job over it. But, what good is the job if you don't have your life? 5. I DIDN'T TELL THE PEOPLE AROUND ME There were two Auburn Mechanical guys right there. I wasn't thinking clear enough to tell them. 6. I DIDN'T ANNOUNCE THE EMERGENCY OVER MY RADIO I called for my foreman. The general foreman said she didn't have a radio on her right then. So I asked if he could come by where I was working and he said Page 2 • SPARKS • vol 23, iss 4 • JUL-AUG 2009 HERE AT THE HALL! WASHINGTON STATE D E PA R T M E N T O F VETER ANS A FFA IR S “Serving Those Who Served” 2009 Women Veterans Summit “Celebrating Women Veterans Legacy of Service” The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, Women Veterans Advisory Committee is hosting a Women Veterans Summit. Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center Tacoma, Washington Saturday, September 12, 2009 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Join us to celebrate a legacy of proud military service, renew old acquaintances and form new ones. This Summit will provide comprehensive information regarding federal and state benefits and managing the challenges women veterans of all ages and services face today. Registration is free for all veterans, but donations and sponsorships will be glady accepted. SAVE THE DATE!!! Information is available at: http://www.dva.wa.gov/women_vets.html LOCAL 46 WILL HAVE TRANSPORTATION AVAILABLE TO AND FROM CONFERENCE. CONTACT SHANNON HAGEN @ 206-661-5703 TO SIGN UP. mlf/opeiu8/afl-cio JUL-AUG 2009 • vol 23, iss 4 • SPARKS • Page 3 Health & Welfare Trust Update By Health and Welfare Trustee Nicole Grant Turn on the news and you won’t make it five minutes without hearing about healthcare. The topic of America’s inadequate medical insurance system has been a political hot-button for generations. It is a great tragedy that working families like yours and mine pay dearly for what is considered a human right in the rest of the industrialized world. IBEW Local 46 takes this issue very seriously. The members of our Health and Welfare Trust, and many other politically active members, work hard to ensure that we get the best quality care and support the fight to bring affordable healthcare to all working class Americans. At the last Health and Welfare Trust meeting we voted to join the Health Care Cost Management Corporation of Alaska (HCCACA). This organization allows us to band together with other health trusts, such as UA Local 32, to negotiate lower prices by combining our purchasing power. The HCCACA negotiates prices with hospitals, physician groups, vision care providers, prescription drug companies and others. Most members of the organizations are Union health trusts like ours; others include union-friendly public and private companies and organizations. It is our hope that as more organizations from our region join, we will be able to lower costs to members, improve the financial stability of the Trust and increase benefits. It is a classic example of using our strength in numbers to improve our quality of life. As more Unions band together over our interest in quality healthcare, there is no limit to where our power could lead us. Take this historical example: over one hundred years ago railroad workers in the midwest created the Wabash Hospital Association to care for themselves and their families. They had their own hospitals and clinics which solely existed to serve them, and not to generate profits for shareholders like much of our healthcare system today. What if all of the building trades across the nation organized to build our own healthcare system? If getting involved in the movement for better healthcare sounds good to you, maybe it’s time for you to become an activist on this issue and start fighting for something big! Our Local’s Political Action Committee (PAC) meets the third Monday of every month at 5:00 p.m. and is open to all members who Page 4 • SPARKS • vol 23, iss 4 • JUL-AUG 2009 want to participate in the political process and support working people’s issues. This would be a great place to start. Or look for an opportunity to do what a contingent of IBEW Local 46 members did on May 30 -- Take it to the street! Our Local was proud to join the dozens of Unions from Washington State who endorsed the rally and march for meaningful healthcare reform. Over five thousand people gathered that day in Seattle. Local 46 members carried our banners and marched from Pratt Park to Westlake Center. The event was part of a chain of rallies all over the country, where real people spoke out for what we need included in state and federal healthcare reform. Now is the time for all of us to hold President Obama to the task of bringing this essential human right to fruition. So write the President and your Congressional member an email and be on the lookout for other ways to lead this struggle, because if meaningful healthcare reform doesn’t come from the best Union in the most progressive region of the country, where will it come from? Business Manager's Organizing Comments By Organizers Bob Gorman and Greg Galusha By Business Manager Virgil Hamilton Jobsite Problems: We have received many complaints from members that Lunch Breaks are being renegotiated on the job. This situation can easily become precedent setting and must not happen. If the majority of members working under any of our Labor Agreements want to change the language of the Agreement, then we will do our best during negotiations to make those changes. I don’t believe this to be the case regarding lunch breaks. Therefore, any member who takes it upon themselves to renegotiate the Agreement on the job is working against the will of the majority, and the Hall is obligated to address the situation and possibly even file charges against the member(s) for breaking down conditions. Something for Management to consider is that renegotiating the Agreement on the job is a grievable offense, and regardless of what the workers agree to, the Hall will file a grievance and ask for those lunches not taken to be paid at the overtime rate. We have had many members tell us that Foreman are telling people that they must get a little more flexible because there is a long list of people at the Hall waiting to take their job. The Labor Agreement has not changed, and neither has the grievance procedure. Video-ConferenCing meetings We are currently looking for satellite locations where we can video-conference the General Meeting. These locations must have access the internet with reasonable bandwidth, which means no WiFi or dial up. We will investigate the use of Union Halls, but in some instances this may not be a private enough setting for our meetings. We are looking for locations in North and South King County, and Issaquah. We already have satellite offices in Bremerton and Port Angeles. If you have a lead on a possible meeting place, please let us know. In our efforts to secure more work for our members, we are ramping up our efforts in the public works sector. We are either offering Market Recovery funds or freezing existing wage rates in order to compete with the many other electrical contractors now bidding this work. Through the IBEW/NECA Labor Management Cooperation Fund (LMCC) we have jointly hired a development director to make the case for higher electrical standards and why they should be adopted by agencies and private developers. For instance, apprenticeship graduation rates and enhanced electrical safety should all be included in all publicly funded projects. The Local began this effort when we started contacting school districts in King County about the apprenticeship and how we view our apprenticeship as an extension of the education system and as such, districts should be promoting apprenticeship programs. With a development person on board we can really make the case and begin to build those important relationships with the districts and agencies. Our 8(f) to 9(a) election at Netversant was successful with 90% of our members voting for the Union so we have that contractor under a 9(a) Agreement. In August Local 46 and 191 will be hosting a Residential Electrical Services (RES) meeting for the contractors in the program and for any curious contractors who may want to join RES. We will have an open discussion about the improvements in the RES program and further ways to improve an already improved system. We currently have some Salts deployed and they are keeping in touch with the Local. Salting classes are the first Monday of the month at 5:00 p.m. here at the Hall. If you have a chance to Salt please let us know where you are salting; we prefer that members take the salting class, but if an opportunity arises, then call us and let us know what is going on and where you are working. JUL-AUG 2009 • vol 23, iss 4 • SPARKS • Page 5 Marine Unit By Business Representative Harry Thompson Time has been moving on; work has come and gone, and the marine industry keeps going. The work picture has been up and down; the new ferry work has started but it will take some time before the electrical part of the job begins, with the exception of planning. M.D. Marine has the bulk of the electrical work, with Todd doing some parts as well. This is the first of the 64 Car Ferries to be built, with two or three more being put out for bid to follow. The 144 Car Ferry is still being developed with no set start date at present. We look forward to this being the start of a continued building of new ferries. We have had two of the Shipyard contracts negotiated starting in June. Pacific Ship and Fabrication negotiations were completed in one day bringing their Wage and Fringe package equal to Todd’s with the Company adding another $0.20 to the apprenticeship contribution from the Employer. Lake Union Dry Dock is the other negotiations and for now we have an agreed on proposal to have the shipyard workers vote. The proposal was voted and passed on August 3, 2009, which includes double time after 12 hours, Monday through Friday, $5.00 over the three year contract, $0.10 Apprenticeship contribution from the Employer, and grandfathered Holiday and Vacation pay rates. This was the best financial package for Lake Union Dry Dock Company or any shipyards since I have been in the industry to date. This contract will be a good starting point for the other Small Boat Yards since we will go into Contract Negotiations next year. The IBEW Pacific Coast Pension Plan has had a set-back with the fall in the Market. We had a dollar set aside to improve the plan without any accrual. This was starting to work until the Market drop. Now we find the plan in critical status and the Pension Protection Act requires the Fund Managers to come up with corrective measures to get the Fund back in good standing. The Fund Managers have come up with three possible plans to help fit the Pension plan. I am in the process of have the Pension Trust Fund Representative come to the Local to talk about the condition of the plan and how the plan will be put back in good standing. We will put notice out to Members so they can attend meeting to get answers to questions they have. Page 6 • SPARKS • vol 23, iss 4 • JUL-AUG 2009 FOOD BANK With over 700 on the out of work list, there is certainly a need for the food bank again. Fortunately, the membership has continued their generosity. We haven’t thanked the many members or job sites that have been donating for the past several months so here goes . . . and sorry if we’ve missed your name or job site. . . sometimes the notes are not totally clear! Thanks to John Boadle, Robert Larsen, Gerald Anderson, Martin Wade, Carl Boe & his job site, Deborah White, Matthew Kirby & his job site, Christian Page, Bill Baker, Dick Nelson, Jim Tosh, Greg Galusha, Bill Hayden, Archie Van Valkenburg, Gerry Boawn, Sequoyah NJB Building, Retirees' Club, and the Annual IBEW 46 Golf Tournament. Donations also come to the food bank via the door prizes from the various meetings here so that means that members write down the food bank as the beneficiary instead of themselves . . . so thank you to those nameless members! Broadcast News By Broadcast Representative Angela Ryberg These are busy times here for the Broadcast Unit. Seahawks season is fast approaching. To prepare for this, I am holding a pre-season meeting on August 10th at noon and 6:00 p.m. here at the Hall. It’s open to all tech and utility crew. We will be talking about crewing, schedules, and providing paperwork for those who need to come back from honorary withdrawal. We are currently in negotiations with KING. The largest request on the company’s end is that of PTO benefits. We are looking at where we can meet the company’s needs in regards to the PTO changeover, while maintaining our current benefits and standards when it pertains to vacation, holidays and sick leave. Our KOMO Engineer’s contract has just recently been opened up for negotiations. A better update on the progress is sure to come in your next Sparks issue. A grievance arbitration with KIRO is scheduled for August 7th. We are currently in the process of preparing the case and interviewing witnesses. More information is sure to follow, as well, in your next Sparks article. Some of our KIRO members as well as some freelance members are doing a great job on that SeaFair coverage. Keep it up and I hope you are all having a great summer. Stay cool out there and enjoy the sun! S a lt i n g C l a s s e s are given on the first Monday at 5 : 0 0 p. m . in the Kent Hall mlf/opeiu8/afl-cio Want to Get More Involved? By Political & Special Projects Coordinator Shannon Hagen, 206-661-5703 For any 5th Year apprentice interested in becoming more involved and attend a Union conference, please submit a letter of interest to Shannon Hagen at the Local. Your letter of interest should include your experience thus far, the reason you wish to become involved and the changes you would like to see in our Local. There are a lot of very talented Organizers and Representatives waiting to be discovered and developed; they just need an opportunity. This offer is not limited by time and anyone within their 5th year who is eager and enthusiastic, will be chosen for a variety of conferences and training over the next year. Good Luck, and I look forward to your letters. Puget Sound Labor Agency Making a Difference . . . In King & Snohomish Counties. Formerly King County Labor Agency. The Puget Sound Labor Agency's mission is to improve the quality of life for people needing assistance and to provide an avenue for Unions and their families to assist. FOOD BANK HOUSEHOLD GOODS WHEEL CHAIR RAMPS EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE (Operation Shortfall) PSLA Food Bank Seattle Office - Open Every Monday & Friday 2800 First Avenue, #126, Seattle, WA 98121 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. www.pslaonline.org Puget Sound Labor Agency is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. JUL-AUG 2009 • vol 23, iss 4 • SPARKS • Page 7 Teledata Negotiations Update By Representative Jim Tosh Most of you are aware that NECA’s last offer was ratified by the members on July 14, 2009. This contract will run through to July 31, 2013, within two months of the Wire contract expiration. The package includes a wage and benefit increase of $7.00/hour during the life of the contract. The first wage increase went into effect on Monday, July 27, 2009. Of the $1.75/hr, the members decided to allocate $1.70 went to a wage increase and $0.05 went to NEBF. The NEBF contribution was increased because it is set up as an employer contribution of 3% of your gross wage. The same night the membership voted to accept the proposal, they also voted to increase the vacation deduction to 6% from the previous amount of 3%. For those who have their dues deducted by their employers, or pay their dues monthly, this will mean having a fund large enough to cover Holidays and a week’s vacation time. If you pay your dues out of the vacation fund you should have enough in there to cover a week’s worth of vacation. The difference between our plan and the non-Union’s vacation pay is we get to keep the interest earned instead of the employer. Some other changes of note are: the removal of a mill file and flush cuts from the tool list and changing a 6” crescent wrench to an 8” crescent wrench; notifying your supervisor by 10:00 a.m. on Monday if you haven’t received your paycheck - this should allow sufficient time for your employer to deliver a replacement check to the job before the end of the shift on Monday; for Apprentices, the number of months in the program has been removed as a requirement for your next wage progression; language to enable the use of “Short Calls” has been added; increase the stub up to 20 feet for high bay jobs, and the inclusion of the Ninth District’s Occupied Premise language. The Ninth District language allows the employer to assign a shift for one night to accommodate a customer’s need for off shift work. This shift will pay a 10% premium and guarantee the worker eight (8) hours of pay. This means you’ll receive eight (8) hours of pay with the 10% premium as a guarantee even if you’re finished in six or seven hours. We’ve also included a new section for the Labor Management Cooperative Committee (LMCC) and Page 8 • SPARKS • vol 23, iss 4 • JUL-AUG 2009 language for the National LMCC. These are funded by the employers at $0.01 per hour worked. The local LMCC will be used in our jurisdiction to promote the use of Union Electricians and Technicians; the Electricians already have their LMCC. The Benefit Bond, which each contractor is required to carry, is being increased from $5,000.00 to $10,000.00 for employers with less than ten employees. For companies employing ten or more, their bond amount is increasing to $20.000.00 from $10,000.00. A huge “Thank you” goes out to each of you for your unrelenting support during negotiations. And a special “Thank you” to the members of the negotiating committee: Bill Baker, Damon Barnett, Jim Hunter, Henry Mayrhofer and Josh Thorson. Continue to work safe! Inside Negotiations By Staff Writer The Negotiation Team for the 2010 Inside Construction Agreement negotiations was voted on by the membership at the July 2009 Unit meetings. The membership voted for the following members to represent them on the Negotiation Committee: Jim Flynn, Nicole Grant, Bill Hayden, Robin Pope and Scott Sty. We thank them for their willingness to serve. Staff members on the Committee will include Virgil Hamilton, Janet Lewis and Greg Galusha. Training is being scheduled for all Committee members to attend, after which we will work on the opening letter and initial proposals. Membership input is extremely valuable when it comes to negotiations so an email address has been set up here at Local 46 for you to help us in the process. Please email your ideas, concerns, proposals, comments to [email protected]. Emails will be distributed to all Committee members. JATC Report By Trustee Jim Tosh IBEW Local 46 would like to welcome back to the JATC, Bill McCartan. Bill started as the Training Director on July 6, 2009. We look forward to working with Mr. McCartan and our NECA Board members in continuing to making improvements to our Joint Apprenticeship program for the betterment of the Apprentice and Journey level training. IBEW Local 46 extends a huge “THANK YOU” to Michiko Starks for her service as the Interim Training Director. Michiko has resumed the position of Assistant Training Director. A “THANK YOU” also goes to Bob Book for his assistance during the same period of time. Bob filled the position of Interim Assistant when not performing his duties on Craft Certification. For the past nineteen years our JATC instructors have taken training on teaching techniques in Knoxville, Tennessee at the University of Tennessee. This training program is called the National Training Institute or NTI for short. Started as a vision by then NJATC Executive Director, A. J. Pearson, NTI is moving forward under the current NJATC Executive Director, Michael Callanan. This year marks the twentieth year NTI has been held, but this year also marks a change in the program. NTI was held in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the University of Michigan. What a great location and city for the next twenty years. Ann Arbor's businesses and residents were very friendly and genuinely happy to have the participants in their town. Michigan has long been regarded as the birthplace of “Middle Class America” with the founding of the Ford Motor Company and Henry Ford’s belief in paying his assembly line workers a wage that would allow them to buy one of the vehicles they were building. It seems fitting to be in such an area for the education of our Union’s best instructors. When you see one of our instructors ask him/her about the experi- ence and education they received there. Congratulations to the graduates of our different programs. This year we graduated eighty-six (86) apprentices from the Commercial program, ten (10) from the Sound and Communication program and four (4) from the Residential program. When you see these new Journey level members (listed below) on the job or around the hall please extend your congratulations and best wishes for a long, prosperous and enjoyable career to them. 2009 COMMERCIAL GRADUATES Ryan Baker Alex Bashinskiy David Bath Jeremy Beaty Douglas Best Bryan Bigler Timothy Blanchette Adam Boen Chris Boling Mark Bowers Stephen Bowser Kimberly Briar Jared Brown Damont Cain Mike Christensen Christopher Contreras Albert Cox Michael Creegan Hans Diffner Yimin Du Brent Ellerton Michelle Esguerra Eric Foldvik Christopher Garner Rafal Gasior Matthew Goodnow P. Kailean Gorman Zachariah Graishe Corey Green Keith Grosso Patrick Gunter Jarrett Hager Justin Hagood Joseph Hands Andrew Harris Timothy Haslett Benjamin Ivanek Brian Janku Winston Jolly Jesse Kimmerling Matthew Kinne Todd Kleinbrook Aman Krishna Jason Kyle Jeremy Langley Joni Lee Siobhan Lennox-Purcell Micah Macgurn Mathew Martin Shane McDonald Christopher McFarland Randy Mitzner Nic Myhrberg Pasquale Nardone Michelle North Phillip Nugent Eric Nyland Victor Oliver Taylor Otto Jake Pahlman Douglas Parker Tam Phan Michael Poor Steven Price Jason Regis Van Reilley Patrick Ritter Lance Roberts Aleksandr Rubakha David Santiago Benjamin Scott Zlatko Selimovic Michael Shimek Cameron Sloboden David Slonecker Julie Southwick Cory St. John Thad Swanson Neal Swinton Napoleion Thaha Eric Tilkens William Trubac David Waterman Nicholas White Aaron Wilson Timothy Wise 2009 SOUND AND COMMUNICATION GRADUATES Kurt Bonholzer Sean Hughes Milinganyo Byakumbu Steven Kibbie Michael Caffee Richard Mack Stanley Dawson Landing Manneh Jennifer Ogg Amy Woods-Smith 2009 RESIDENTIAL GRADUATES Beneyam Ashenafi Garrett Cayson Bryan Hansen Zhen Huang JUL-AUG 2009 • vol 23, iss 4 • SPARKS • Page 9 Labor History to Motivate and Inspire ment takes our Unions FORWARD. It’s not a fight for ‘this’ contract, it’s a fight for our future. Please join me! By Member Stephanie Curry McPherson I had the opportunity to go to the Labor History Conference on June 12 - 13, 2009 at the Labor Temple here in Seattle. It was an eye opening event. The passion of our labor forefathers was quite obvious, a passion I fear we have lost. Stories were told about the battles our Unions have had to wage, to get the benefits that we enjoy today. Stories like the General Strike here in Seattle, when 60,000 Union workers went on strike. The strike started with 35,000 shipyard workers closing down the yards, in protest of wage lowering. In support, Seattle’s other 110 local Unions, 25,000 men and women, joined in a sympathy walkout. 60,000 workers of ALL Unions standing together, shut down the city. These were hard battles, clashes between families, cops, bosses, co-workers; people who thought that we should just accept what we are given. Thankfully, our forefathers had other ideals. Ideals of more family time, good wages, and benefits. Ideals that WE need to continue to have and pursue. Ideals to fight for, to better our lives and the lives of our Brothers’ and their families. Our way of life is constantly under attack, and being threatened by those who think we should work more for less. We need to continue to fight. And not to take for granted the benefits that we have, but work for the ones we do not have. Benefits such as paid healthcare, paid vacation time, paid parking, and wages that can support a higher quality of life for our families. Some eye opening StatiSticS from around the globe: ~In Finland, all overtime is DOUBLE TIME. ~Europeans work 8-9 weeks less than Americans. ~USA has a higher infant mortality rate that China. ~Only four countries don’t provide, by law, maternity leave: USA, Liberia, Papa New Guinea, and Swaziland. ~Only two countries don’t require some vacation time by law: USA and Burma. It is truly amazing that, as the richest country in the world, we don’t have benefits which are required by law in Third World countries around the Earth. We need to motivate and inspire each other to fight, to attend Union meetings, to participate in our future. To Motivate and Inspire creates a Movement. MovePage 10 • SPARKS • vol 23, iss 4 • JUL-AUG 2009 41st IBEW Family Reunion June 21-28th, 2009 By Member Stephanie Curry McPherson I had the honor of being one of the delegates to be chosen to attend the 41st IBEW Reunion in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee; an experience not soon to be forgotten. The event started out with us arriving on Saturday, checking in to the picnic on Sunday. The site was the typical camping location, RV hookups, tent sites, cabins to be rented, real plumbing, and even laundry facilities. On arrival, we heard the count of campers was around 550 people, not bad for the first day. The entire picnic functions off of volunteers. People who cook, people who do dishes, people who take out garbage, watch the kids, fill soda tubs, and refill the ice. On my first day, I jumped in to wash tables and offered to help serve lunch. Of course, any chore there is quite a chore, the heat is unbelievable! In days to follow, I expanded my volunteer duties into other areas. I rose at 4:30 a.m. to help serve breakfast for 600 people, to refilling the ice in the beverage tubs. I also became a shuttle to help people go from one side of the site to the other, which was quite big. More volunteers were needed every day, and the day I left, the attendance was up to 1,200 people. The people I met where very hospitable and welcoming. Although the group is known to be a ‘Boy’s Club’, they did appear to be very happy to see me there. They all wanted to help answer any questions I had and to get me anything I may have needed. I admit, I went to the picnic with a certain perception of the group already in mind, but throughout my time there, my perception started to evolve. The ‘Boy’s Club’ obviously has views not quite in line with the demographic that our Local Union has. To be told I am welcome, but cannot join, was a bit of a shock. To think society has come so far, only to be met face to face with a group where I am not allowed in, was an eye opener. This is a realization that I came across some nine years ago, so not a new one. Although my appreciation for the movement of the group is new. I have always known it to be about ‘Brotherhood’ and strength of the Union, but the networking is amazing. If one Brother knows of work, they all do. Plus, making connections for when a Brother needs to travel, he/she has a place to stay in a new city. The Reunions are a place of relaxation, as long as you like camping. Yes, there is beer available 24 hours a day, but left to one’s discretion. In my 6 days there, I did not witness one fight or tension of any kind. There was a lot of Brother helping Brother, whether someone needed a place to sleep (I did one night, the last shuttle left without me knowing) or their truck jumped. Personal belongings were left out and untouched. I saw a purse and camera sit in the same place on a table for 2 days, never once disturbed. People are there to have fun and connect with old friends. All ages are present. I saw babies only a few months old to people in their late 60s and 70s. There was quite a range of ages and experiences, all there for simple reasons, relaxation and solidarity. I am still upset about the separation amongst the group, but the best way to change something is to get involved and change it from the inside. The more involved and active we are in the movement, the more likely we are to be accepted for being like-minded. I am greatly in favor of the donation part of the money, the Sick and Needy fund is a wonderful thing to have available to those in need, although not quite sure about sending delegates to the event. In conclusion, I feel that the reunions are a valuable thing, and anyone who can, should go. CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR HAWAII TRIP WINNER ISAAC HANKS a LOCAL 191 APPRENTICE WITH ELCON CORPORATION mlf/opeiu8/afl-cio IBEW 46's Social Network Wondering who's doing what, when and where? Try out our spaces on the web to keep in touch with Local members - both far and near! Remember: you must be a member of the following networks in order to attend! Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ IBEW-46/84649194580?ref=ts MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/ibew46 Twitter: https://twitter.com/IBEWLocal46 Ning: http://ibew46.ning.com/ Bulletin Board: http://www.ibew46.org/ phpBB3/index.php?sid=92014186ad978dac5e0c 7df89800bc95 IBEW Local 46’s social networking sites share news, events, labor issues, and many other pertinent information for our members and fans. Follow us on these sites and get links from ALF-CIO, WSLC, MLKCLC, and many other labor organizations. Quick Links are also available online at www.ibew46.org. JUL-AUG 2009 • vol 23, iss 4 • SPARKS • Page 11 PATRONIZE OUR UNION SHOPS By Member Stephanie Curry McPherson My recent attendance at the Summer School for Union Women in Olympia has revamped my passion for supporting ALL unions. Spending 5 days with union sisters from a wide range of unions, opened my eyes to the strength we posses together. I visited Unite Here Local 8’s and UFCW’s websites to compile the following list of union shops and hotels. Please use the list for as many of your needs as possible. Please use the ‘Union Dollar’ to show that you are supporting that shop BECAUSE it is union, by giving one to an employee every time you shop. The more we support each other the stronger we become. “Change can come from the power of many; But only when the power of many can come together and create the invincible….the Power of One.” UNION BUSINESSES A & H Drug Albertsons Allenmore Hospital American Linen Aramark Uniform Ashley House Auburn Regional Medical Center Ballard Plaza Pharmacy Bartell Drugs Byrnie Utz Hats Capital Medical Center Central Washington Hospital Childhaven Cornell Pharmacy Cornerstone Pharmacy Cost Cutters Covington Pharmacy Del-Teet Furniture Des Moines Drug EB Management Ekman, Bohrer & Thulin Evergreen Hospital Medical Center Forks Community Hospital Fred Meyer Gai's/Franz Family Bakeries Good Samaritan Hospital Grays Harbor Community Hospital Group Health Haggen - Top Food & Drug Harbors Home Health & Hospice Harrison Medical Center Highline Medical Center HMS Host Houghton Market Hudson News Jefferson County Jefferson Healthcare Page 12 • SPARKS • vol 23, iss 4 • JUL-AUG 2009 Jefferson Mental Health Services Jim's Pharmacy KC Foods Thriftway Keiro Nursing Home Kent Valley Optical Kitsap County Rural Library District LabCorp Lafferty's Pharmacy Lakemont Thriftway Macy's Macy's Furniture Gallery Madison Market Manhattan Pharmacy Mardix Pharmacy Mary Bridge Children's Health Center Mason General Hospital Medical Center Pharmacy Metropolitan Markets Mid-Valley Hospital Morton's Unified Drug MultiCare Clinics North Mason School District North Valley Hospital Northwest Administrators Olympic Medical Center Olympic Medical Home Health Oroweat/Entemann's (Bimbo Bakeries USA) Ostrom's Drugs PCC (Puget Consumers Co-op) Natural Markets Planned Parenthood of Western Washington Providence Everett Medical Center Puget Sound Labor Agency QFC Red Apple Regional Hospital for Respiratory and Complex Care Rite Aid Roger's Market Place Rose & Associates Saar's Market Place Sacred Heart Medical Center Safeway Sand Point Pharmacy Seattle Children’s Hospital Sequim School District Service Linen St. Joseph Medical Center Summit Trading Company Sunrise Dental Sunset Markets Superior Linen Swain's General Store Tacoma Family Medicine Tacoma General Hospital The Doctor's Clinic Tomlinson Linen Town & Country / Central Market U & I Pharmacy United Way of King County Valley General Hospital Valley Medical Center Vanguard/National Car Rental Vashon Thriftway Washington State Liquor Control Board West Seattle Thriftway (Cap Foods) Whidbey General Hospital White Center Pharmacy Wonder Thrift Store/Interstate Brands Woodside Braseth Gallery Zenith Administrators WASHINGTON STATE UNION RESTAURANT SEATTLE: Brellas @ Best Western Executive Inn 200 Taylor Ave N. Athenian Inn @ Pike Place Market 1517 Pike Place Chelan Café On Harbor Island 3527 Chelan Ave SW Six Seven @ Edgewater Hotel, Pier 67 2411 Alaskan Way Skycity Restaurant @ The Space Needle 203 6th Ave N. Top Of The Hilton And Lobby Lounge @ Seattle Hilton, Downtown 1301 6th Ave Hagerty's And Torchy's @ Washington Athletic Club (Private Club) 1325 6 Th Ave Cold Water Grill And 5th Ave Corner Cafe@ Westin Hotel 1900 5th Ave The Tacoma Club Restaurant 1201 Pacific Avenue # 1601 NEAR SEATAC AIRPORT: Gregory’s @ Red Lion Hotel 18220 International Blvd S. Hilton SeaTac - Spencers Steaks & Chops 17620 International Blvd S. Coffee Garden @ The Doubletree Hotel 18740 International Blvd S. NORTHERN PUGET SOUND: Bellingham Golf & Country Club (Private Club) 3729 Meridian O’Brien’s Manor 2310 State Route 530 Ne TACOMA: Altezzo’s And Broadway Grill @ Sheraton Hotel 1320 Broadway Plaza Public Utilities Cafeteria 3628 S. 35th Seafarers Sports Bar 3878 S. Center Street OLYMPIA: Red Lion Olympia Restaurant 2300 Evergreen Park Dr. WENATCHEE: Roaster Ale House @ Coast Wenatchee Center 201 N. Wenatchee Igloo Tavern WASHINGTON STATE UNION HOTELS Longview / Kelso Monticello Hotel Longview, Wa 98632 Olympia Governor Hotel Olympia, Wa 98501 Red Lion Hotel Olympia Olympia, Wa 98502 Downtown Seattle Best Western Executive Inn 200 Taylor Ave. N. Best Western Loyal Inn 2301 8th Ave. Eighth Avenue Inn 2213 8th Ave. The Edgewater 2411 Alaskan Way – Pier 57 Hilton Seattle 1301 6th Ave. The Westin Seattle 1900 5th Ave SeaTac Airport Doubletree Hotel Seattle Airport 18740 International Blvd .S. Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center 17620 International Blvd Red Lion Hotel Seattle Airport 18220 International Blvd Tacoma The Hotel Murano (Formerly Sheraton Tacoma) 1320 Broadway Plaza Wenatchee Coast Wenatchee Center Hotel And Convention Center 201 N. Wenatchee UNITE HERE! LOCAL 8 MAINTAINS ITS OWN DO NOT PATRONIZE LIST. WE REQUEST THAT YOU DO NOT PATRONIZE THE FOLLOWING HOTELS: SeaTac Airport: Seattle Airport Marriott Hotel* Tacoma: Courtyard By Marriott - Tacoma Downtown* Olympia: Phoenix Inn Suites* *Employer does not have a contract with UNITE HERE Local 8. If you know of any Unions, politicians or other groups patronizing these hotels, please call UniteHere at 206-728-2326 ext 24 to let them know. JUL-AUG 2009 • vol 23, iss 4 • SPARKS • Page 13 Page 14 • SPARKS • vol 23, iss 4 • JUL-AUG 2009 PRE-CONVENTION WORKSHOPS FRIDAY - SEPT 11 • SignificantChangestoNFPA70E2009(PW1) • SneakPeekatthe2011ProposedNECCodeChanges(PW2) • LeanConstructioninElectricalContracting(PW3) • EnergyAuditing,ThePortaltoGreenEnergyProjects(PW12) • Grounding&BondingUpdate(PW4) • See What No One Else Can See & Do What No 0ne Else Does - Thermal Imaging(PW6) • HowLEDTechnologyCanChangeYourBusiness(PW5) SATURDAY - SEPT 12 • EnteringtheGreenIntelligentBuildingMarket(PW7) • FundamentalsLEED®(PW8) • NFPA70E:TheElectricalPPEComplianceSolution(PW9) • KeystoBusinessSuccessintheSolarPVIndustry(PW10) • SignificantChangestoNFPA71-2010-ProfitingfromChange(PW11) MANAGEMENT SEMINARS SUNDAY - SEPT 13 • Business Development for the Design Build Market • Data Center Business Opportunities • SilverBulletsImproveProjectProfitability • How the Stimulus Can Electrify Your Business • Energy Audits - A Portal to Green Energy Projects MONDAY-SEPT14 • Building Green: Buildings and Lives • Green Contracting: Federal and State Methods for Green Building • Surviving the Market • VendorPartneringforBetterProfitandPerformance • Energy Roadmap Guiding Electrical Contractors: Energy Independence Opportunities TUESDAY - SEPT 15 • Counterfeit Electrical Products Can Destroy Lives, Property and Your Business • The State of Multi-Employer Pension Plans - What are the Legislative or Regulatory Solutions? • Great Tools for Your Business: NAED's Green Guides and TED's Green Room • Emerging PV Market Guide • What are Social Media and How Can They Help Your Business? TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS SUNDAY - SEPT 13 • Selective Coordination in Low Voltage Applications • A New Paradigm in Paperless Estimating Emerges • Gain the Competitive Edge in Seven Simple Steps • Finding Green Projects • TheBenefitsoftheHelmetstoHardhatsProgram • Increase Productivity and Reduce Risk • Quit Feeding the Monsters: New Techniques to Create a Positive Safety Culture MONDAY-SEPT14 • On Screen Estimating • Cordless Tool Productivity and Innovation • The Arc Flash Hazard and Changes to NFPA 70E • Launch and Grow Your Solar Business • Innovative Ideas Save Time and Money • Lightning Protection Systems TUESDAY-SEPT14 • Tools and Techniques for Getting the Best Material Prices • GoGreenbyAchievingEnergyEfficiencyintheDataCenter • Surviving or Thriving . . . Market Outlook and Opportunities The 2009 NECA Show Brochure is available at www. ibew46.org for more information and to register. Local 46 members can contact IBEW Local 46 for free tickets to the Technical Seminars and NECA Show. Limited Supply. Get yours now! JUL-AUG 2009 • vol 23, iss 4 • SPARKS • Page 15 IBEW Local 46 Annual Golf Tournament Lake Wilderness Golf Course September 19, 2009 Lake Wilderness Golf Center 25400 Witte Road SE Maple Valley, WA 98038 Phone: 425.432.9405 Lake Wilderness Golf Course is a public golf course, maintained by the City of Maple Valley and managed by Premier Golf Center, LLC. The 18 Hole Course offers short, narrow fairways that test all skill levels as well as reward the accurate shot maker. The large fir trees surrounding the course create a beautiful setting. For More Information, Please Contact: Dwayne Hawkes 425-228-6232 Rich Riotto 425-277-0152 Jack Coble 253-854-0306 George Duncalf 425-392-7496 Lake Wilderness Golf Center, Maple Valley, WA September 19, 2009 4 Person Scramble Format ~ Best Ball 8:00 a.m. Shotgun Start This year’s event will be held Saturday, September 19th at the beautiful and well-manicured Lake Wilderness Golf Center in scenic Maple Valley, Washington. DROP DEAD DATE TO REGISTER: September 9, 2009 Cost: $260 per Team (4 players) / $65 per Person - Limited to the first 100 people Includes: Lunch (BBQ Chicken & Ribs), Golf & Golf Cart, and various Awards/Prizes for All Attendees. Golf attire is required. Collared shirts and slacks or shorts. No steel spikes are allowed on the course. All participants must be at least 10 years of age. Name: ________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________ City/St/Zip: ____________________________________________ Phone Number: _________________________________________ TEAM MEMBERS 1) _____________________________________________ Handicap _____ 2) _____________________________________________ Handicap _____ 3) _____________________________________________ Handicap _____ 4) _____________________________________________ Handicap _____ We will put you with a Team if needed. Handicap will be assigned if needed. Page 16 • SPARKS • vol 23, iss 4 • JUL-AUG 2009 mlf/opeiu#8/afl-cio Please return filled out form with check payable to one of the following: Rich Riotto, Dwayne Hawkes or Jack Coble and mail to: IBEW 46 Golf POB 102, Renton, WA 98057 SIGN UP FOR OUR NEXT SMALL BUSINESS CLASS TODAY! SEPTEMBER 15 - 17 & 21, 2009 5:30 P.M. 9:00 P.M. COST: $50.00 INSTRUCTOR: John E. Schaufelberger, Ph.D., P.E. Dr. Schaufelberger is the Chairman of the Department of Construction Management, College of Architecture & Urban Planning at the University of Washington. All Classes will be conducted at the Hall. Please complete this form and return with a check payable to: IBEW Local 46. Mail or Hand Deliver to: IBEW Local 46, 19802 62nd Ave S, Kent WA 98032 NAME: ADDRESS: CITY: STATE: ZIP: PHONE: mlf/opeiu8/afl-cio You may sign up at the Hall or contact Greg Galusha. If you cannot afford the class fee ask about a scholarship. CONTACT: Greg Galusha 206-354-6626 [email protected] JUL-AUG 2009 • vol 23, iss 4 • SPARKS • Page 17 IBEW Local 46 19802 62nd Ave S Kent WA 98032 253-395-6500 Key Facts working people the freedom to form unions and bargain collectively is key to 1 Giving turning around the economy and rebuilding America’s middle class. Union members are 52 percent more likely to have job-provided health care, nearly three times more likely to have guaranteed pensions and earn 28 percent more than nonunion workers. No matter what else we do to turn around America’s economy and rebuild the middle class, we will not have broadly shared prosperity until we restore workers’ free choice to bargain with their companies for a better life—without corporate intimidation. The Employee Free Choice Act will do that. workers want to form unions. Research shows nearly 60 million would form 2 aAmerica’s union tomorrow if given the chance. workers are able to form unions and bargain because companies routinely block 3 Tootheirfewefforts—and our current legal system is too broken and dominated by corporations to help them. A worker in an organizing campaign has a one in five chance of being fired for union activity. wouldn’t work a day without contracts to protect their outrageous pay and perks. But 4 CEOs they routinely deny workers the same opportunity. Although U.S. and international laws are supposed to protect workers’ freedom to belong to unions and bargain, employees are on an uneven playing field from the first moment they begin exploring whether they want to form a union, and the will of the majority often is crushed by brutal management tactics. Free Choice Act would allow workers, not corporations, to choose whether 5 Theand Employee how they want to form a union. It would give workers a fair chance to form unions to improve their lives by: • Guaranteeing that if a majority of workers wants a union, they can have one, allowing them to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation; • Providing mediation and arbitration for first contract disputes; and • Establishing stronger penalties for violation of employee rights when workers seek to form a union and during first contract negotiations. The Employee Free Choice Act has widespread support, including bipartisan backing in Congress and President Obama’s pledge to sign it into law. Nearly three-quarters of the public—73 percent—support the Employee Free Choice Act. Hundreds of respected religious, academic and business people and organizations have signed on in support. 6 Corporate front groups have mounted a massive campaign to block the Employee Free 7 Choice Act. As former Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott has said, “We like driving the car and we’re not going to give the steering wheel to anybody but us.” The core of their campaign is lies and distortions about the Employee Free Choice Act—especially the lie that it takes away “secret ballot” elections. In fact, the act would let workers choose whether to decide on a union through majority sign-up or an election. sign-up is a long-established way to form a union, dating back to the passage of 8 Majority the National Labor Relations Act. It is used today by major employers, such as AT&T and Harley-Davidson, as an important part of their successful high-road business plans. AFL-CIO • January 2009 Page 18 • SPARKS • vol 23, iss 4 • JUL-AUG 2009 M L KING JR COUNTY LABOR COUNCIL, AFL-CIO 2009 PRIMARY ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS ADDITIONAL LOCAL 46 ENDORSEMENTS (not necessarily a Labor Council Endorsement) CITY OF SEATTLE Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels (NP) Seattle City Council, Pos. 2 Richard Conlin (NP) Seattle City Council, Pos. 4 Sally Bagshaw (NP) & David Bloom (NP) (DUAL) Dorsal Plants Seattle City Council, Pos. 6 Nick Licata (NP) Seattle City Council, Pos. 8 (Dual) Bobby Forch & David Miller PORT OF SEATTLE Port Commissioner, Pos. 1 John Creighton (NP) Port Commissioner, Pos. 3 Rob Holland (NP) Port Commissioner, Pos. 4 Max Vekich (NP) KING COUNTY King County Executive Dow Constantine (NP) & Larry Phillips (NP) (Dual) RENTON CITY COUNCIL Jim Flynn KIRKLAND CITY COUNCIL Brad Larson BURIEN CITY COUNCIL Jack Block Rain or shine... We’re celebrating Labor Day! M. L. King County Labor Council Labor Day Celebration Monday, September 7th 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Lower Woodland Park - Shelters 1, 2 & 3 Face painting Clowns Games Raffle prizes Live music Ice cream Hot dogs Soda It’s all free! Join us! Please bring a can of food for the Puget Sound Labor Agency Food Bank. For more information or to be part of our volunteer crew, call 206-441-8510. For raffle information, call 206-448-9277. For electronic transmission only. Do not reproduce. JUL-AUG 2009 • vol 23, iss 4 • SPARKS • Page 19 assisting organized electrical labor and ALL building trades to expand our current workforce, which is the ‘green work force’ the media has been speaking of. They are talking about you! A few weeks ago, the Mayor of Seattle unveiled his progressive agenda for Seattle’s next four years. This plan includes the installation of over 1,000 electric vehicle charging stations in neighborhoods and workplaces across the city. The City of Seattle and the Mayor's office have been working with Nissan Corporation on this plan for some time. Other organizations, like Zip car and Tesla, have plans to build and expand their electric vehicle presence in our region. IBEW Local 46 Alternative Energy Director Sean Bagsby, with Jennifer & Jason Williams of Artisan Electric with their children, IBEW Local 46 RES Director Greg Galusha and Phil Lou of Alternative energy is far more Artisan Electric at the new solar/green building, Land Trust located on Vashon Island. than just solar photovoltaic and wind. Energy efficient commercial and residential lighting retrofits are currently underway. Some of our larger contractors Alternative Energy Director Sean Bagsby are aggressively pursuing these projects, which are assisted by the federal rebates Sisters and Brothers, to the extent that the cost to consumers is It has been a long time coming for the majority of negligible. our society to accept the necessity of alternative and We have seen an increase in solar phorenewable energy. Various forces from our national adtovoltaic installations in the residential and ministration, local governmental agencies, to grass-root social justice and environmental groups, have played ma- commercial sectors. With the rebate and incentive language almost exclusively stating jor roles in assisting this change in America’s focus. I’ve said for some time that the primary positive aspect of the current recession is that EVERYONE is affected. There is NO sector of global society that is immune. The only way out of this crisis is by working together for the common good. Alternative energy is a vital cog in this process. We are fortunate in this area to have forward-thinking leadership working hard to push this agenda ahead. This cooperation New 9.4 kw solar photovoltaic installation on Vashon Island. is necessary and critical to The Future is Now Page 20 • SPARKS • vol 23, iss 4 • JUL-AUG 2009 solar, this area has seen the most growth. Areas such as Vashon Island, Shoreline, and West Seattle have shown an increase of solar photovoltaic installations. A large part of our responsibility is to dispel the myths and rumors associated with alternative energy and to explain the many benefits. This will aid our contractors to secure this work and for us to perform the installations. Those of you who attended the General and Wire Unit meetings in the past few months have heard me mention the importance of our members to be trained on the specifics which pertain to our scope of work. If you have taken the solar photovoltaic classes offered at our J.A.T.C., I suggest dusting off the materials and review them. If you haven’t taken the class, please move it up your ‘to do list’. As more training opportunities become available through other organizations, I’ll pass the information on to you. If you are interested in additional training in alternative and renewable energy and have not signed one of my sign up sheets at the Hall in the past, please send me an e-mail ([email protected] ) so I can add you to the list. Also, if you are working on a project incorporating these technologies, please share your experiences so we all can benefit. This is an exciting time to be alive. Our industry has embraced drastic changes and we’ve only scratched the surface. We will lay the groundwork to a road not yet traveled. By taking a pro-active, not reactive, approach, we shall secure a cleaner electrical generation model for the future. Thank you for your time! Above: Solar hot water (far left) and photovoltaic array on Vashon Island. Left & Below: Examples of photovoltaic DC disconnects and system metering from various installations. JUL-AUG 2009 • vol 23, iss 4 • SPARKS • Page 21 Retirees' Corner By Member Karl Krull SHAME! I bought two made in China TV digital converter boxes from Target store (French company). GE sold their name to somebody to put on the box it came in. Both are defective. Neither the manufacturer's reference phone number nor Target would do anything because it was over 90 days since we bought them. Last GE branded thing I'll ever buy! Thanks to Margi, who makes sense of my ramblings before they are printed. Many dogs will eat cat litter. Think about it. Nuff said. Good News! According to the Building Trades office in Olympia, the Wright-Runstad 362,000 sq. ft. building project in Olympia for Washington State Government offices will be paying prevailing wage and using at least 15% apprentices. Why? Because our state law requires it! Don't let them tax your health insurance! It will COST you! We are trying to get a sort of carpool of people who are willing to volunteer to drive members, or their family members, in cases of emergency (car won't start, broke down, short notice, and other transportation available, etc.) Or, scheduled important appointments and no other transportation available. If you might be available to help with this, please leave your name and phone number with dispatch. Love Karl 206-937-4757 We had a very successful pot luck lunch, included dogs, burgers, pop, water and chips furnished by the Local. George Samson (?), Debra Boawn, a younger member whose name I don't know, Shannon Hagen, Kathi Scott and several more people whose names I wasn't smart enough to write down, worked to make it happen successfully. Virgil did most, maybe all, of the barbequing and Margi took pictures. I didn't count, but there must have been 50 people all together. Thanks to everyone who brought food, helped out and paid for it. I think we'll try to close the season next June with another party like this. Virgil said the $2.00 the members voted to put in the pension fund brought the fund back over 80% funding. Thank you! MSC, the Local 46 Retirees' Club retain the existing slate of officers. Thanks to Gerry Boawn, who does more than any of us to operate our club. One of our members said the US Olympic Committee is soliciting for money. Someone called him and said for a $20.00 donation they would send him a souvenir jacket, which is made in China. What a real good way to get US workers to give away their money, huh? Talk about a slap in the face! HEALTH TIP: Drugs, such as Actonel, Boniva, and Fosamax, can KILL your jawbone. New England Journal of Medicine for more information. Seattle Times, 18 Jan 09, P I5. Karl's Pearls of Wisdom: To solve our economic mess, go to the bottom of the economic pay scale, find the people who do the WORK and cut their pay. Actually, that idea is not new or mine. In Seattle, if a storm drain appears to be Name blocked below the surface, call 206-386-1800. Bruce Bachman Quaint old proverb: "Them as has, gits." Paul A Dorstad National Poison Hotline: 800-222-1222. George F Maier Page 22 • SPARKS • vol 23, iss 4 • JUL-AUG 2009 Initiated Date of Passing 3/11/92 8/9/00 4/1/53 6/16/09 6/30/09 7/4/09 UNION MEETING SCHEDULE OFFICERS Effective: May 1, 2006 Building Managers Executive Board General Meeting 1st & 3rd Tue 1st & 3rd Tue 2nd Wed 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m. Executive Board Room Executive Board Room Auditorium Business Manager & Financial Secretary Virgil R. Hamilton [email protected] President Archie Van Valkenburg [email protected] Vice President Guy C. Hawkins COMMITTEE MEETINGS Exam Board 2 Tue/4 Thu EWMC PAC Retired Members - Seattle Retired Members - Peninsula Retired Members - Sequim Salting Safety Committee Sick & Visitation Unity Committee 1st Thu 3rd Mon 2nd Wed 2nd Thu 3rd Thu 1st Mon 2nd Wed 3rd Thu 1st Wed nd th [email protected] *5:30 p.m. Classroom 2 *Exams start at 6:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Classroom 4 4:30 p.m. Executive Board Room 10:00 a.m. Classroom 3 9:30 a.m. Silverdale 10:30 a.m. Sequim 5:00 p.m. Classroom 2 4:30 p.m. Conference Room 1 5:00 p.m. Classroom 2 After Unit Meeting Executive Board Room Recording Secretary Tony Doll [email protected] Treasurer Sean D Winchester [email protected] EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS Bill Baker [email protected] Margaret (Maggie) Ely Ebby Ghojiei [email protected] William (Bill) Hayden UNIT MEETINGS EJB 2nd Mon 4:00 p.m. Marine 1st Wed 5:00 p.m. Marine Apprenticeship Classes Every Mon1, Tue, Wed & Thu (Summers Off) 5 - 8:30 p.m. Motor Shop (No Meetings June - August) 1st Thu 5:00 p.m. HVAC (No Meetings June - August) 1st Thu 6:00 p.m. Residential 1st Wed 5:00 p.m. Stockman 1st Wed 5:00 p.m. Teledata 1st Wed 5:30 p.m. Wiremen Bremerton 3rd Wed 7:00 p.m. Port Angeles 4th Wed 6:00 p.m. Seattle 1st Wed 5:30 p.m. Effective January 5, 2009 Office Hours Kent Dispatch Office Hours Bremerton Dispatch Office Hours Wiremen Dispatch - Book 1 Tradeshow All other Books & Units Dispatch No Lunch Closure [email protected] Rich Lehman Silverdale Classroom 4 Classroom 2 & 31 Classroom 2 Classroom 2 Classroom 2* Classroom 4* Classroom 1 & 2 Bremerton Hall Port Angeles Hall Auditorium 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 6:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 6:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. 7:00 a.m. 7:30 a.m. 8:00 a.m. You Must Re-Sign Your Number within Thirty (30) Days - DO IT TODAY! Check out the WEB CALENDAR for Events, Meetings, Classes, Room Schedules at www.ibew46.org - click on Calendar. *Depending on amount of members showing up, Unit meeting may be moved to Conference Room. [email protected] Steve Murphy [email protected] BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVES Bud Allbery Sean Bagsby Elwood Evans Shannon Hagen Ebby Ghojiei Guy Hawkins Janet Lewis Kyle Katzmann Nancy Mason Brett Olson Angela Ryberg Mark Samuelsen Harry Thompson, Jr. Jim Tosh ORGANIZERS Greg Galusha Bob Gorman EXAMINING BOARD MEMBERS Carl Boe Debra Kidd Frank C Forman Mark Samuelsen Steven Schmele JOB LINE 253-395-6516 Call the Job Line directly, any time of day. It is updated by 5:00 p.m. weekdays. Online at www.ibew46.net JUL-AUG 2009 • vol 23, iss 4 • SPARKS • Page 23 LOCAL CONTACT INFORMATION JOBLINE 253-395-6516 MAINNUMBER 253-395-6500 FAX 253-872-7059 DISPATCHFAX 253-395-6539 TOLLFREE 866-651-4600 JATC 425-228-1777 WPAS-PSEW 206-441-4667 ORGANIZERS GregGalusha BobGorman 253-395-6515 253-395-6513 REPRESENTATIVES Wire/Dispatch Bremerton Broadcast Maintenance PLA Teledata Schools/Training AlternativeEnergy SpecialProjects Marine,Motor,HVAC BudAllbery MarkSamuelsen GuyHawkins KyleKatzmann AngelaRyberg JanetLewis ElwoodEvans JimTosh NancyMason EbbyGhojiei SeanBagsby ShannonHagen BrettOlson HarryThompson 253-395-6517 253-395-6511 360-373-0808 360-373-0808 253-395-6520 253-395-6519 253-395-6527 253-395-6528 253-395-6526 253-395-6512 253-395-6500 253-395-6514 253-395-6521 253-395-6522 OFFICEMANAGER KathiScott 253-395-6524 DUES TaniHealey SueSmithson ReneeArrisola 253-395-6501 253-395-6502 253-395-6503 DISPATCHSECRETARY CharlotteGitchel 253-395-6530 IBEW Local Union No. 46 19802 62nd Ave S Kent, WA 98032 Virgil R. Hamilton, Business Manager 253-395-6500 www.ibew46.org IN THIS ISSUE Bit by 277......................................................................................... 1 Upcoming Steelhead & Salmon University ...................................... 2 2009Women'sVeteransSummitFlyer ........................................... 3 Health & Welfare Trust Update ........................................................ 4 Travel Card Applicants .................................................................... 4 Organizing Report ........................................................................... 5 Business Manager's Comments ...................................................... 6 Marine Unit ...................................................................................... 6 Food Bank ....................................................................................... 6 Broadcast News .............................................................................. 7 Teledata Negotiations Update ......................................................... 8 Inside Negotiations .......................................................................... 8 Want to get more involved ............................................................... 9 Puget Sound Labor Agency Ad........................................................ 9 Labor History to Motivate and Inspire ............................................ 10 41stIBEWFamilyReunion............................................................ 10 IBEW46'sSocialNetwork ............................................................. 11 Patronize our Union Shops....................................................... 12-13 NECAShow2009 ..................................................................... 14-15 Annual Golf Tournament ................................................................ 16 Small Business Class .................................................................... 17 EFCA Fact Sheet ........................................................................... 18 MLKjrCounty Endorsements ......................................................... 18 MLKjrCLC Labor Day Celebration ................................................. 19 The Future Is Now .................................................................... 20-21 Retirees' Corner ................................................................... 22 Union Meeting Schedule ...................................................... 23 NoN-Profit org. U.S. PoStage PaiD Seattle, WaShiNgtoN PerMit No. 1162