IBEW L.U. 180

Business Manager's Report

I have attended several conferences in the last few weeks dealing with a variety of issues. The lateness of this newsletter is a result of those meetings as well as the Special Called Allocation meeting held on April 7th. We also had a proposed By-Laws changed that required a vote at the regular meeting of April 13th. Excuses aside I wanted to be able to report the results of these important meetings to the members who were unable to attend.

The allocation of the Wage/Benefit increase of $1.75 due June 1, 2006 is as follows;

$1.00 on the Check, $.75 into Health & Welfare with $.10 of that going into the individuals VEBA account. The basic VEBA contribution will then be at $1.00.

The By-Laws change was basically putting in place a policy that when allocations are made with the negotiated increase, a minimum of 25% will be “earmarked” for H & W. If the H & W trust reaches 12 months or 6 months of reserves a special called meeting will be held so the membership can decide what to do with the excess or shortfall of funding.

Beginning with June hours, members will have the opportunity to add money to their VEBA account off their check. This can be done in $1, $3, or $5 increments. The first dollar over and above the basic $1.00 that is listed as part of the H & W contribution ($9.61 in June) can be used to self pay when your man hours available are less than 125 due to disability or slow work. This will give our membership more control over their ability to adequately plan for their retirement needs. A letter will be sent to all plan participants explaining the Variable VEBA with the forms to fill out to be given to the employer. The assignment of the Variable VEBA contribution amount must be done in May effective June just like the 401(a) classification.

These changes will take our plan from getting by, to a plan that will grow and be protected from market variables that we can not control. Much of my time for the last several years has been spent on this problem. Virtually every newsletter has had an article concerning the shape our plan was in. We have turned the corner and are on the road to recovery. With the changes that were approved by the Membership over the last several meetings and for that matter years, we have weathered the storm and I can devote my time to other issues of importance to the Brotherhood.

Bruce Gourley,
Business Manager

Upcoming Events Holidays	Inside this issue
MEETINGS: REGULAR MEETING 7 P.M. April 13, 2006 Bar-B-Que - 5 P.M. Second Thursday April 5 2006 Retirees Club Meeting First Wednesday @ 12:30 p.m. April 7, 2006 Allocation Meeting for Inside Wiremen Agreement 7:00 p.m. HOLIDAYS: May 26 - Carpenter’s Off Day* May 29 - Memorial Day July 3 - Carpenter’s Off Day* July 4 - Independence Day *-Inside & Residential Agreements Only	Business Manager's Report Congratulations & Condolences Old* Timer's Night Retirement Other News: A's Game Easter Egg Hunt Exam Board Report Retiree's Corner From the Office From the Organizers JATC "Traffic" Report.
All meetings will be held at: 720 Technology Way Napa CA, 94558

Upcoming Events Holidays

Inside this issue

MEETINGS:

REGULAR MEETING 7 P.M.
April 13, 2006
Bar-B-Que - 5 P.M.
Second Thursday

April 5 2006
Retirees Club Meeting
First Wednesday @ 12:30 p.m.

April 7, 2006 Allocation Meeting for
Inside Wiremen Agreement
7:00 p.m.

HOLIDAYS:
May 26 - Carpenter’s Off Day*
May 29 - Memorial Day
July 3 - Carpenter’s Off Day*
July 4 - Independence Day

*-Inside & Residential Agreements Only

Business Manager's Report

Congratulations & Condolences

Old* Timer's Night

Retirement

Other News:

A's Game
Easter Egg Hunt

Exam Board Report

Retiree's Corner

From the Office

From the Organizers

JATC

"Traffic" Report.

All meetings will be held at:
720 Technology Way Napa CA, 94558

Ladies and gentlemen of ALL ages, OLD TIMER’S NIGHT / 105 Year Celebration is upon us. The date is set: MAY 6, 2006. The Place is booked: Napa Valley Elks Lodge, 2840 Soscol Ave. The time is 6 p.m. to whenever. We have mailed notices…

Dinner will be the choice of Filet Mignon, Baked Salmon, Penna Pasta or Chicken Cordon Bleu. Tickets are $20.00 each. Please list each person’s full name and dinner order.

Other News
Cody A’Hearn, a graduating 5 Year Apprentice, is requesting a donation for research on the disease Histiocytosis. This a rare disease affecting children with an over production of white blood cells, often resulting in paralysis. There is no known cause or effective treatment other than chemotherapy, which has only limited effectiveness. Because of its rarity, no public funds are available for researchers, who must rely on public donations. A nine year old girl in Solano County is paralyzed with this disease. She is a friend of George Ngo, a middle school teacher, who has initiated a number of fund raising events for research. If any of our Union Brothers or Sisters can contribute any amount towards the $250,000 goal, it would be greatly appreciated. If you have a donation of any size, please contact Glen Loftis at the JATC, (707) 251-0315. He will be responsible for collecting money at the Local for Cody A’Hearn. Thank you for your kind support.

Giants Game
2nd Annual “Road Trip”
Take the bus and see the Giants play the A’s on Sunday June 25th. The bus will pick up at the Union Hall and the Ferry Terminal Building on the way to the 1:05 P.M. game. Deli sandwich and chips for lunch, plenty of drinks available (beer and sodas). Games and raffle on the bus. Come have a great time. The cost is $40.00 per person and tickets will go fast. For more information or to reserve your seat - call Dean Lloyd at (707) 252-3996.

With a choice of Two ways to get there, 1. Round trip Air November 1-8, 2006 2. Air on Outbound November 1-8, 2006 Amtrak on return.
A Deposit $300. Due at time of sign up. Final Payment Due - July3, 2006.
Mail To: Ken Breckenridge, 220 Scenic Drive, Vallejo, Ca 94591
Make Checks Payable To: Talbot Tours Trust Account
Call Ken Breckenridge for more info or attend a meeting. (707) 643-4139

From the President:
In the last month, Bruce and I have attended several conferences. Both had workshops that addressed Health Care. Although we curse the fact that Health and Welfare costs are like a runaway train, measures to curb this are being attempted. On the home front, our members have taken an active role in reducing our per member cost by utilizing Kaiser’s facilities more efficiently. This is directly tied to our experience rating which Kaiser uses to justify rate increases. Visits to the Emergency room for non-emergencies drastically affect our experience rating and trigger rate increases.

As most of you have read in the recent Journal, the International has taken an active role in developing a National Health and Welfare program. This is a Blue Cross PPO plan which is based out of Georgia. The Local will follow up on this plan and request information to be studied by the Trustees and our Actuaries. We were informed that they have not established the plan on the west coast. We were also told that they could tailor the plan to come close to what we currently have. I am optimistic that something could develop.