Dear Brothers & Sisters,

I want to thank all of you that showed up for the ratification meeting last month. Your input was greatly appreciated. Your commitment to assist our signatory contractors in remaining as competitive as possible by stabilizing our current wage and fringe package will not go unnoticed.

History is repeating itself. In 1929, the devastating impact of the financial collapse triggered bank and business failures, mortgage foreclosures and widespread unemployment slowed the economy to a halt. At the same time, wage earners lost 40% of their income and net worth. President-Elect Franklin D. Roosevelt promised the New Deal for relief. Unless this New Deal included a commitment to industrial democracy and recognized organized labor as a positive force in industry, it offered wage earners no new solutions to chronic social and economic distress. It sounds all too familiar. It wasn’t until the starting of World War II that the economy started to rebound.

Our economy resembles a roller coaster ride every 7 to 10 years. This is the 4th “bust” or downturn in my career and certainly the most devastating. We are seeing positive signs of change in Northern California, namely San Francisco and Alameda Counties. This will eventually spread across the Bay Area.

If history truly repeats itself, an economic recovery will occur with a boom to follow. I and the staff of Local 180 IBEW are and shall continue to open doors to our signatory contractors both local and traveling.

Fraternally,

Dan Broadwater
Business Manager

Know Your Agreement.

Four 10-Hour Days

New Section

Inside Agreement, Section 3.01(b)

The Employer, with 24-hour prior notice to the Union, may institute a workweek consisting of four consecutive 10-hour days between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday, with one-half hour allowed for a lunch period.  Friday may be used as a make-up day, and if utilized, a minimum of eight hours must be scheduled. After 10 hours in a workday, or 40 hours in a workweek, overtime shall be paid at a rate of 1 ½ times the regular rate of pay.

Existing Section

S&C Agreement, Section 3:01(c)

When mutually agreed by the employee and the employer, four (4) - ten (10) hour days at the regular rate of pay shall be allowed Monday through Friday. If the addendum to this Agreement provides for paid holidays, when the holiday falls within the employee's work week, the employee shall receive ten (10) hours pay for such holiday.

 

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NEWS & EVENTS

From the Union Meeting

The February drawings: the $25 BevMo card went to Mike Ambrose.  The membership drawing for $50 went to Matt Macrina, who was not present, so it rolls over to $75 for March Union meeting.

Retirees’ Club

The Retiree’s Club Meetings have returned to the first Wednesday of the month and start at 12:30 P.M. here at the Training Center in classroom two.

Easter Egg Hunt

Time for the fantastic Easter Egg Hunt at the Union Hall.  Doors open at 10 A.M., then the hunt starts at 11 A.M., by noon it is time for the Hot Dog lunch.  Bring your camera and have a great time with all the family and friends.

MARCH 31st!

Don’t Forget the Date

ADVANCED LIGHTING CONTROLS

Starting to Roll Out

SMUD incentives promote money-saving lighting control systems

Published, SacBee, Wednesday, Feb. 01, 2012

“The Sacramento Municipal Utility District is offering incentives of up to $100,000 to help owners of small and medium-sized buildings install advanced lighting control systems.

Under a pilot program that starts today, the local utility is teaming up with six leading providers of advanced lighting control technologies, which aim to cut lighting costs for commercial buildings by more than half.

"These are like the Rolls Royces and Mercedes Benzes" of the industry, said Dave Bisbee, program manager for SMUD's Customer Advanced Technologies group.

SMUD is budgeting $1 million in federal stimulus funds to encourage local businesses to invest in wireless lighting controls and state-of-the-art energy management systems.

The pilot rebate program kicks off today and runs through February 2013, or until the $1 million runs out.”

PUBLIC WORKS - NCECI ACTIVITIES

For January, one project, the emergency generator replacement in Vacaville, was bid and awarded to the GC that will self perform.  For February, two projects, a library conversion in American Canyon and the ROP building in Fairfield did not go our way.  The three projects have an estimated electrical value of $400K.  The Solano County Jail and Old Court House Renovation will be out to bid soon.

As for enforcement, Cal Electric was ordered by the State to pay about $18K for failure to pay prevailing wage, misclassification of laborers as JIWs and failure to pay the required training funds on a school project in the Travis USD.

In 2011, the NCECI-LMCT reached another major milestone, one that is unprecedented and very forward thinking on the part of the State Labor Enforcement Agencies. The discussion of a public-private partnership to combat unscrupulous contractors within the construction industry is now a reality. This has been a long time coming and it is the first of its kind in the State of California. As part of CSLB's 2011 Enforcement Strategic plan, and in an effort to further enhance partnerships with local agencies, the CSLB has established a dedicated Public Works Investigation Unit. The establishment of a Public Works Investigative Unit will enable CSLB to increase enforcement efforts by creating a partnership with public agencies and private industry associations to address egregious violations in the public works arena.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

  I would like to take a few moments and talk with you about checking the status of your Ca State Certification. I know a handful of our Brothers that have let their Certification lapse and are now tasked to take the test over again. I have talked to a few guys that have said that the newly updated test is a lot harder than the previous versions. As a matter of fact, a couple of our members did not pass their attempt at taking it again. For those of you that are not aware of it, you have to wait sixty days if you don’t pass the test, before you can take it again.

  I am saying this to hopefully make you aware of the fact that you are the one in charge of knowing when your certification expires and making sure that you have the thirty-two hours of continuing education classes needed to get re-certified without taking the test again.

  If you are not sure when yours expires then give me a call here at the office and I can look it up on the State’s Website. If I am not in the office, just leave a message and I can get back to you.

Thank You,

Stan Nelson

WORK PICTURE

SHILOH 4 is up for planning commission approval and the rumor on the street (hills?) has Blatner/Rosendin doing the job. As with construction the ink must dry on the approval and contract and we want to clear-in the foreman before calling it “WORK”. With hope it should start in spring 2012.

Queen of the Valley Hospital, Rosendin has transferred people from Montezuma Hill 2 to the project.  We should not see any job calls and the completion is 2013.

The Kaiser Project in Napa, Cupertino has the packages and is slowly hiring. The peak manpower (50-60 people) will be in July and then start tapering down to the late part of 2012. The project is about 75% manned.

VacaValley Hospital, we just received the bad news… the project has been cancelled. No word as to why or if it will ever return.

Solano County Jail, the latest news is the County hopes to bid soon and break ground in the spring of 2012. The project is under a PLA so local hire will be in place. Prequalification of bidders in underway.

Solano County Old Court House Renovation, the latest news is the State plans to bid this out Summer 2012 and start in the late Summer of 2012.  We have to keep our fingers crossed for our contractors.

Kaiser Vallejo, The old hospital tower is coming down in 2013 so some work is taking place for the demo and calls came in for fire alarm work. No additional hiring is expected.

From the JATC

Night-Time Scheduled Classes
(Require for Night Classes 12 min. or class canceled)
You Want To Be A Contractor?
Winery Electrical Knowledge
Basic Motor Control

Visit the JATC's Calendar at:
http://www.jatclu180.org/?zone=/unionactive/private_view_page.cfm&page=ContEd20Info
Link opens in a new window

Classes are subject to cancellation without prior notice

12 Student MINIMUM / Per Class

Must attend all classes to receive Cont. Ed Credits

PAYMENT for Journeyman Cont. Ed Classes:

CASH ~ MONEY ORDER ~ Credit/Debit Card: VISA or MasterCard

CALCTP - We need people to sign up and take this course.  Currently we are only offering day classes. If you haven’t taken this course and would like to, contact the JATC office and get the prerequisite information to get you started. Remember, this course will give you a certification, is free, and will give you more than enough hours to recertify with the state.

Also, for the 52 who have completed the course, the JATC has tee shirts, patches and hard hat emblems. Go to the JATC office to pick yours up soon.

Continuing Education -

We have a new schedule posted at our website and in the lobby showing classes from now till June 2nd.  We have a variety of classes from 4, 8, 12, and 32 hours available. Sign up early to reserve your place in the desired class.

State Certification renewal procedure -

To renew with the state, please do the following: For all hours attended at our training facility contact the JATC office @ 707 251 0315 for the renewal application and a copy of your transcript to send to the State of California.

For all courses and classes taken somewhere else- make a photocopy of the course information/certification, state how many hours the course was, include the dates attended, sign the photocopy and send it in with the renewal application and the 100 bucks.

 In most cases, you will have a combination of the JATC transcript and your hours accrued somewhere else. Make sure you have at least 32 hours completed for recertification.

Check your renewal DATE ON YOUR State Certification.  Most electricians will need to renew in 2012.

 

BLUEPRINT WORTH LOOKING AT:

Ever been on a job that appears headed for failure?  A project, perhaps, where a contractor, engineer or vendor is trying hard to ruin the project?  No, I know what you are thinking – I am not talking about the inspector (but the inspector does come to mind) or the quality control people.  I am talking about people that should be helping build the project.

It does not matter what your role is in a construction project. Engineer, General Contractor, Supplier or Subcontractor – the goal is to get done on time, on budget and right the first time.  When that happens everyone wins including the most important person - the owner of the project.

We are the “supposed” owners of this country and the government.  However, it appears political parties have a separate “blueprint”.  Regardless of what political party you might be “signatory” to, you must realize the blueprint is to defeat the other, not build the country.

Read the “Blueprint for an America Built to Last” with an open mind, a mind without a party.  Then, take the model we have with our contractors and let’s discuss how we start rebuilding our country by working together.

 

Condolences

Ken Breckenridge was born on Feb. 25, 1918 and joined IBEW Local Union on June 5, 1953.  Ken retired on Jan. 1, 1981, served the Local as President and was our Retirees’ club President. 

Ken suffered a massive heart attack at Yellowstone Park on March 1st.  Services are scheduled for March 23 at 11 A.M. with a luncheon to follow.  Location for both is the Community Presbyterian Church, 2800 Georgia Street in Vallejo.  Please refer to our website for current information.

 

Click on image for PDF.

 

 

Click on image for PDF.

T-SHIRTS

T-Shirts are offered for sale in various sizes; all shirts will have one front pocket with the bug. Prices are as follows:

Safety Orange Short Sleeve - $20.00

Grey Long Sleeve—$25.00

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT

The IBEW Founders’ Scholarship honors the dedicated wiremen and lineman who organized the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Each year the officers of the IBEW are pleased to offer its working members scholarships on a competitive basis. It is hoped that the awards will not only contribute to the personal development of our members but also steward the electrical industry that our founders envisioned. This form can be copied and is also available on the IBEW website (www.ibew.org). In an effort to make the IBEW Founders’ Scholarship as inclusive as possible, we no longer require applicants to take the SAT or ACT to be eligible.

All IBEW members who have been in continuous good standing for four years preceding May 1 of the scholarship year in which they plan to apply are eligible for the IBEW Founders’ Scholarship. Please note, if a member has been on honorary withdrawal at any time during the aforementioned period, he/she will not be eligible to participate. Spouses or children of IBEW members are not eligible for the IBEW Founders’ Scholarship. Union Plus has a scholarship that is available for IBEW members, as well as their spouses and dependent children. Please visit the Union Plus website (www.unionplus.org) for more information about other scholarship opportunities.

Edwin D. Hill, International President

YOUR UNION WANTS YOU . . .

TO REGISTER TO VOTE!!!   WHY?  BECAUSE YOUR VOTE IS CRITICAL TO OUR SUCCESS IN ELECTING THOSE WHO CARE ABOUT THE MEMBERS OF LOCAL 180.

YOU MAY REGISTER TO VOTE IN CALIFORNIA IF:

• You are a United States citizen,
• You are a resident of California,
• You are at least 18 years of age, or will be, by Election Day,
• You are not in prison or in county jail (serving a state prison sentence or serving a term of more than one year in jail for a defined “low-level” felony), or on parole, post release community supervision, or post-sentencing probation for a felony conviction, AND
• You have not been judged by a court to be mentally incompetent.

YOU MUST RE-REGISTER TO VOTE IF:

• You have moved to a new permanent residence,
• You have changed your name, or
• You have changed your political party choice.

THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR THE NEXT ELECTION IS MAY 21, 2012.

CONSIDER REGISTERING TO VOTE BY MAIL (ABSENTEE)

(It’s easy, and ensures that your vote will count even if you can’t make it to the polls.)

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FOLLOWING:

NAPA COUNTY	SOLANO COUNTY	ALL COUNTIES
Napa County Registrar of Voters	Solano County Registrar of Voters	CA Secretary of State
900 Coombs St. Rm. 256	675 Texas St. Ste 2600	1500 11th St
Napa, CA 94559	Fairfield, CA 94533	Sacramento, CA 95841
www.co.napa.ca.us/gov	www.solanocounty.com	www.sos.ca.gov
(707) 253-4321	(707) 784-6675	(800) 345-VOTE (8683)

Holiday Calendars

Inside

Bay to Borders

S&C

Upcoming Meetings Events & Holidays: REGULAR MEETING 7 P.M. SECOND THURSDAY B-B-Q - 5 P.M. ONLY ON BLOOD DRIVES RETIREES MEETING FIRST WEDNESDAY @ 12:30 P.M. Benevolence Committee 5 P.M. FOURTH WEDNESDAY E-BOARD MEETING 6 P.M. FOURTH WEDNESDAY EXAM BOARD MEETING 6 P.M. By appointment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Dan Broadwater, Business Manager

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.