Health and Welfare As of January 1, 2003 our Health & Welfare Trust will only offer Kaiser coverage.  If you had Health Net in the past and have not filled out the papers sent to you by the Trust Office (or did not get them) you must notify the office and submit them so that you will have coverage.
This does not affect the Sound & Communications unit.  Your coverage is under a different plan and Trust.

Pension At the last Trust Meeting the actuarial numbers were presented and due to several factors, plan improvements will not be available this year.  One of the factors was higher than normal administration costs.  These costs were unusual and are not re-occurring.  The major cost to the plan that affected our ability to offer improvements is due to a re-calculation of what is termed the “morbidity rate”.  This is good news bad news.  On the bad side we can not afford to spend money on improvements this year.  The GOOD NEWS is that this relates directly to the fact that our group of participants has a longer average life expectancy.

State Certification See the article on page 3 “JATC”. The Business Manager  and Training Director will be attending a meeting at the end of January that will give us much more information concerning the Certification process.

Service Awards At the Regular Meeting on December 12,  we honored those members with 50 or more years of service to the Brotherhood.

         Years of Service

Brother: John Krueger   60
              Norm Long      55
              George Guhl    55
              Don Douma     50
              Dan Chandler  50
              Chuck Cowles 50

Brother Herrmann received a 65 year pin presented at the Annual Retirees’ Luncheon held December 4, 2002.  He was unable to attend the regular meeting due to the fact that he was going to be on a cruise.   Congratulations to all of those honored with an award and thanks for the many years of service that gives us much of what we have today.
 
 

Upcoming Events Holidays NEW YEARS DAY  JANUARY 1, 2003 BLOOD MOBILE FROM 4:00 TO 7:00 PRIOR TO THE  REGULAR MEETING  JANUARY 9, 2003 FREE BAR-B-QUE WITH DONATION BAR-B-QUE @5:30 P. M.   MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY JANUARY 20, 2003 CARPENTER’S OFF DAY FEBRUARY 14, 2003   (HAPPY VALENTINES DAY) PRESIDENT’S DAY  FEBRUARY 17, 2003 All meetings will be held at:  720 Technology Way Napa CA, 94558

Inside this issue. Business Manager's Report Condolences Retiree's Corner From the President Organizing JATC

The monthly meetings for the Retirees Club are held the first Wednesday of each month.  They are held at the Training Center.  All retirees and spouses are welcome. Widows of retired members are encouraged to get involved.

For additional information;
Ken can be reached at (707) 643-4139.

From the President, From the Organizer:
Work Picture  Work in our area is holding steady.  The Lambie Peaker Plant Project is near completion and the books will start to fill again.  We still are getting work calls regularly.  We currently have about 45 on Book 1,  130 on Book 2, and 10 on Book 3.  We regularly are dispatching from Book 2.  Several projects are scheduled for start in the spring.

Blood Mobile  The Blood Mobile will be at the Hall on January 9, 2003, prior to our Regular Meeting .  Those who donate will receive a free Bar-B-Que.  Please come down and participate in this worthwhile community service.  Donations will be taken from 4 to 7 P. M.

Salting          Dan and Rich will be attending a “Salting” orientation class given by the Northern California I/O representatives and former IBEW salts later this month.  The Executive Board also approved sending two rank and file members to attend this class.  If you are interested contact Dan , Rich, or Bruce.  This will enhance our Organizing efforts.  We continue to not have enough contractors.  Without contractors we have no place to put new members.  With this in mind, our organizing focus will be on new contractors as well as new members.   Our goal is as the Constitution says, “to organize all workers in the entire electrical industry”.  As we increase membership and signatory contractors, our Market Share expands and the fruit or our labor will be rewarded at the Bargaining Table.  This will benefit both Labor and Management and the Organized Electrical Industry in general.

Dan has been  on a well deserved Vacation and Rich has been doing double duty,  so this report is submitted on their behalf.

JATC
JOURNEYMAN CLASSES

The JATC is still accepting sign-ups for Journeyman Classes.  Motor control  and Conduit Bending classes will start in January.  If you have not signed up yet contact Larry Poyser at the JATC office.  (251-0315).  If interest is high enough we will have more than one class.

As new information becomes available, State Certification classes dealing with the test will be offered.  Those classes will be geared toward refreshing our knowledge in code, theory and other areas covered by the test.  A “pilot” test was given in December.  One in Northern,  and one in Southern California. This was done to meet the requirements of the legislation.  In the first quarter of 2003 more test sites will be selected and as the information becomes available it will be given to our members.

Information from an IBEW member who was in the first test group, indicates that from the test he took 95% of the questions were code related.  His recommendation was that the book to study is, “Electrical Systems” based on the 1999 NEC.  The JATC  will be ordering these for use in the classes and for purchase.

UNION BUILT MEANS BETTER BUILT
You want a “ no-worry” electrical system installed in your home Safe, reliable and guaranteed.  Then you need an electrical system installed by a union electrical contractor.  That’s right– UNION!  A competent union electrical contractor who employs qualified IBEW union electricians.

Each IBEW journeyman learns the trade through a 3 to 5 year Apprenticeship program.  This extensive training combines on–the-job practical experience with classroom theory and testing.  And the training doesn’t stop there.  Continuing education constantly up-dates the union electrician’s skills through programs sponsored by the IBEW and NECA the IBEW & NECA were instrument in establishing mandatory state Licensing in California.  Why? Because we believe that our work is superior & we stand behind it! PROTECT YOURSELVES

 Bruce Gourley, Business Manager
 
 

Updated 1/13/03 Copyright© 2003 IBEW L.U. 180 Information on this site has been approved by the Business Manager and L.U. President