IBEW L.U. 180

Volume 2003, Issue 3 March 1st, 2003

SERVING NAPA AND SOLANO COUNTIES SINCE 1901

Business Managers Report

Heath & Welfare With a lot of hard work from the office staff and with the patience and understanding of the membership, the transition to Kaiser only has been completed for the Inside and Residential

VEBA STATEMENTS Annual statements for the individual VEBA accounts have recently been sent out from the Trust Administrator. These are individual accounts that under an IRS statute are specifically designed to subsidize health care costs at retirement. These funds are neither taxed going or coming out. They can only be used for health care coverage at retirement. We are currently funding these accounts with a $.50 per hour contribution by the members. I would hope that when the Special Called meeting for allocation of our June wage increase is held, an additional sum be added to that.

Pension The H&W/Pension Trust will be meeting on March 26, 2003. Any items that are of concern should be communicated to one of the trustees.

2002 Man-Hours In last months newsletter I reported that our man-hours for 2002 were close to 654,000. The figures were actually much better. We had 673,650 hours reported. My guesstimation was off by almost 50,000! When looked at more closely I “backed out” the 4th quarter hours reported at the “Peaker Projects” and we still had over 600,000 man-hours for the year.

Wage Allocation for the Inside We need to have a special called meeting as soon as possible so that the membership can decide on how best to spend our June 1, 2003 wage increase of $3.25. By looking at what other areas are dealing with; Rising H&W costs, declining works hours, increased non-union competition many other locals are faced with negotiations starting with a request to freeze or lower wages. We at this time are not faced with problems
of this magnitude. Another reason to make the allocation sooner rather that later is the “posting” of our rate for purposed of establishing the “Prevailing Rate”. Both for State and Federal jobs.
Suggestions for this allocation.
Those working under the Residential Agreement likewise have an increase due June 1, 2003. Allocation of this increase will be done at a special called meeting as soon as possible.

Fraternally,

Bruce P. Gouley

Upcoming Events Holidays REGULAR MEETING MARCH 13, 2003 FREE BAR-B-QUE WITH DONATION BAR-B-QUE @5:30 P.M. STEWARDS CLASS MARCH 22, 2003 @ 9:00 A.M. CARPENTER’S OFF DAY MAY 23, 2003 MEMORIAL DAY MAY 26, 2003 All meetings will be held at: 720 Technology Way Napa CA, 94558	Inside this issue. Business Manager's Report Congratulations Condolences Wage Allocations Retiree's Corner From the President From the Organizer JATC Sound & Communications From the Agent

Condolences
“Corky” Gilmore

To the family and friends of Ira A. Gilmore; Born on August 26, 1928 and known as “Corky” he was initiated in March of 1958 into Local 340 and changed his membership to Local 180 in October of 1971. Corky retired in June of 1986. He passed away on March 4, 2003. Our thoughts and prayers go out to family and friends.

Another area of discussion will be the conversion of the 401(k) plan to a 401(a) plan. This will reduce the costs associated with the administration of this type of plan. It will not otherwise affect the members. It will put us in a similar type of plan that other Locals have. The investment options will be the same and tax advantages will not be changed.
Other suggestions are encouraged. If relayed to me, I can do what research might be necessary prior to the special called meeting. The next regular meeting would be a good time for input and discussion of these issues. (March 13, 2003)

I hope to be able to announce the date of the special called meeting by then.

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Retiree's Corner
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.

At the February meeting of the Retirees’ Club had a representative from the Labor Archives and Research Center out of San Francisco University. The local union will be donating some historical pictures and documents that represent our Century of Service to the community. As this project comes to life more information will be presented.

At the April meeting lunch will be served. Beginning at this meeting we will give out tickets for a drawing for an overnight trip to Reno or equivalent. The drawings will be held every six months.

We will be sending two delegates to the California Congress of Seniors to be held in Sacramento April 22 thru the 25, 2003.

Upcoming “Electrical Retirees Club” trips
Reno Overnight Tour May 20 & 21, 2003

From the President:
Politics We have all seen the importance of political involvement. I believe that we need to make a commitment to enter this arena not only with our personal involvement, but also in a monetary sense. I have asked Lou Franchimon of the Napa-Solano Building Trades to join us at our March meeting. Lou has been a driving force in the political arena and has been involved with setting up PAC funds. When the meeting arrives that we split up our raise, I am going to request from the membership .05 an hour for a Political Action Committee fund. With the man-hours reported for 2002 that would put over $30,000 into the fund. In our last elections, we were able to endorse and elect Labor friendly candidates. It is getting more expensive to run these campaigns and they can use our help. This is the time to make the move. We have to take a proactive approach to politics, or the ABC and the non-union sector will pass us by. They are starting to steal pages from our playbooks and are approaching elected officials. It takes time and money to produce the literature to educate these individuals. Please consider this when it comes time to allocate money from the raise.

Safety If you are working on voltage in excess of 250 volts to ground, you must wear protective gloves. This is a fairly new law put in effect by CAL OSHA. Unfortunately, it took an injury to learn about this new law.

Welcome Mike Smith has been a welcomed addition to our staff. He has already added skills to our Organizing campaigns. He has a management background and was very helpful in aiding one of our own members getting started into business.

From the Organizer:
We have proven that we can organize electricians. Our growth in membership has been dominating the ninth district for the last three years. Our focus must now shift in a different direction.
Top down organizing will be our primary objective. We must increase our contractor base. This can be accomplished by utilizing methods that have been used for over one hundred years.

Salting will be the foundation of our efforts. We will offer unemployed members the opportunity to earn a living while providing a valuable service to the Brotherhood. Salts prove our skill level and gather information on how these open shops operate. Salts also allow us access to unrepresented workers we normally would not have. We currently have eight members salting four companies working on jobs in both Napa and Solano counties. Please contact the President or myself if you are interested.

We have also been contacting contractors to seek those who are looking for growth and training opportunities. Mike Smith will be a valuable asset in this area with his extensive management experience.

We will also develop a program to assist members who wish to start their own business. Many members have expressed the desire to go into business and the office can be a valuable resource. I will report further as the program is refined.

JATC
JOURNEYMAN CLASSES
Classes have started but you may still be able to get in. If interest is high enough we will have more than one class.

Basic Conduit Bending began on March 4, 2003. Classes are on Tuesdays from 5:00 to 8:00 P. M.
Basic Motor Control will start on March 6, 2003. Classes will be on Thursdays from 5:00 to 8:00 P. M. It will cover theory, hands on and lab work with computer software applications.
Both classes are eight weeks in duration. If you have not signed up yet contact Larry Poyser at the JATC office. (251-0315).
Preparatory classes for State Certification will start soon as well. We are looking at the possibility of using some interactive Internet Based classes. The Local LMCC has authorized an expenditure to put together a pilot program that will be evaluated by the JATC and implemented. It is extremely important that our members get signed up and tested as soon as possible. If you are having problems with the forms contact the office and we can help.

The LMCC has authorized funding for some “On-Line” interactive courses that are directly designed for the State Certification test. They will be available at the Training Center or you may have access at home. It is not fully operational yet but will be soon. As it becomes available our members will be informed.

Sound & Communications Members watch the mail for a letter about the Negotiations for your Agreement that expires November 30, 2003
Bruce has asked me to join the office and make market recovery my main focus with office support running a tight second. Our market recovery plan has not changed in over ten years and is due for adjustments.

While our membership has grown we have seen a decline in the number of local signatory contractors. This comes after the boom to bust cycle in private work and major bond measures having been passed. Napa and
Solano counties will be flush with public works and many outside contractors will pursue the “large public works” market.

To me “increasing market share” is not just winning a few more schools. It is expanding our base. Who will pursue the small commercial work? NEW signatory contractors organized in, or from our membership.
It will be my job to help, in anyway possible, members who desire to open a shop and support the organized shops.

This will team me up with Rich Mattson to assist in top down organizing. We have had conversations with prospective signatory contractors on the challenges of being a contractor. Our filter for the “fact from the fiction” is my ten years of experience as a Project Manager. In the public works market these contractors and I have dealt with the same generals, construction managers, architects… and even bid the same jobs.

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


Updated 3/06/03 Copyright© 2003 *IBEW L.U. 180* *Information on this site has been approved by the Business Manager and L.U. President*

Allocation	$3.25 due June 1, 2003
Number one priority !	Put an amount on the check that is significant and more representative of the talent that the members of this local has to offer. Suggested $3.00

Two	Set something aside for the future of our retirement Health & Welfare Suggested $.20

Three	Set up a Local 180 Soft-PAC or Political Action Committee Suggested $.05 (will generate $30,000.00 per year with 600,000 man-hours)