McCormack Hall at the Solano County Fairgrounds has been reserved and preparations have started.

Our last Old Timers Dinner was held there and the facilities are large enough to accommodate the large group of attendees expected. It also seemed more accessible for many of our members.

A Centennial Committee is being formed and those interested should contact our President, Dan Broadwater.

On May 6, 1901, Local Union I 80 was granted a charter by the  International  Brotherhood of Electrical workers This charter has been on display in our office for almost continuously for 99 years.

For the past several months a firm that specializes in document restoration has been painstakingly working on our original charter to return it to its original condition. This is a long and arduous procedure and we are assured it will be complete in a few months. We currently are displaying a copy of the original in our office and at our meetings.

We continue to grow and serve the communities of Napa & Solano Counties.
 

Upcoming Events
Regular Meeting May 11, 2000 7:00 P. M.
Special Call Meeting May 15, 2000 7:00 P. M.
Sound & Comm. Unit Meeting May 17, 2000 7:00 P. M,
Holiday -Memorial Day May 29, 2000
Apprentice Graduation June 2, 2000 River City
Annual Picnic July 15, 2000 Lake Solano

All meetings will be held at the Training Center, 720 Technology Way, Napa, CA 94558

Annual Picnic July 15, 2000
Preparations are underway for the locals Annual Picnic. We have reserved Lake Solano as the location.  Campsites are available and can be reserved. They can be made at the park office or by calling 1(530) 795-2990

Games for the kids are being set up and menu ideas are welcome.  Suggestions are welcomed by the Picnic Committee.  Gary McCoy & Al Guhl have graciously  volunteered to head the picnic committee for this years event.

Congratulations
Best wishes to the NEWLYWEDS
Justin & Con Keesler Married 2/15/2000 John and Kristin Pinkard

Moving on!
Notice of Pension approval for three of our members has been received from our Inter national Office. Congratulations to:

Tom Christian
John Sparks
Woodie Ross

We wish each of you happiness in your retirement.

Condolences
CONDOLENCES go to the family of our retiree, Remo Farnocchi, who passed away on April 2S, after a short illness. Remo joined Local Union #180 in March , 1956, and retired in 1976 as Electrician from Mare Island Shipyard. He will be missed by his family and friends.

Sorry to hear the news that Violet Patton, wife of our retiree Dale Patton, and mother of Mike and Sam Patton, died recently. Our condolences to the Patton Family.

WELCOME TO THE NEW ADDITION:
PETER ALSBURY'S DAUGHTER BORN 12/23/99.

From the President
On March 1st I was hired to assist the Business Manager and Organizer. Some of you may have noticed an increased presence in the field, with residential being a major focus. With housing booming and some of our larger projects slow to hire, it allowed Rich Mattson and myself more time to concentrate on that market.

The Residential Negotiating Committee has reached a tentative agreement, which calls for increases to wages and benefits for the first time in ten years. This package provides for a respectable wage and fringe package and it makes it easier for the Organizers to approach the non-union in the field.

I have received calls from members calling in on jobs starting and contractors in our area. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. It cuts down on a lot of travel with more time spent on work at hand.

Please help us out by writing letters to our legislator, Wesley Chesbro. He 's labor friendly, but we need his support on three major bills:
AB-1646: Adds teeth to our prevailing wage compliance.
AB-2513: Deals with debarment reform and closes loop-holes that bad contractors try to take advantage of.
AB-2783: Will establish a fairer system to deal with dispute resolution for contractors and solve a due process problem. 
Letters need to be sent to Wes Chesbro, State Representative, Capitol Building #3020, Sacramento, Ca. 95814.

Financial issues...... Monthly Dues
Article IX Section 7 (e) of our By-laws states “Basic dues and lnternational payments are payable quarterly in advance.”

Our "basic dues" are $5.70. and the International payment is $19.30.

The Constitution in Article XVIII Section 1. states that "LU’s shall collect dues from members either monthly or quarterly in advance".

The Constitution further states in Article XXI, (MEMBERS IN ARREARS) that "No member is entitled to notice of the monthly or quarterly dues of his LU. nor of arrearages, but must take notice when payments are due.”

Section 2 of the same Article further states that “When a member’s working card has expired he at once, without notice stands suspended from all L U benefits.”

The Constitution continues to discuss reinstatement requirements and the associated fees.

It has been a long standing policy of this local to notify our members when they are close to being three months in arrears.

As our membership has increased over the Fast several years, notifying our brothers and sisters of past due fees now takes time and focus away from the day to day operation of the office.

At the Regular meeting held on April 13, 2000, it was moved, seconded. and passed to levy a "notification fee" of $5.00. This by no means offsets the cost to the office of this service but it may reduce the number of delinquencies. This policy will take effect July 1,2000.

Special Call Meeting on May 15, 2000... 7:00 P. M.
Under our current Collective Bargaining Agreement on June 1, 2000 we are due an increase of $2.05. $.50 of which is dedicated for a Defined Contribution.

That would leave $1.55 to be applied as the members wish. Some items for consideration are increased funding for our Local Labor/Management committee. This fund is currently unfunded under the Inside agreement. (The entire 5.10 member contribution is assigned to Mission 2000. Our Residential Members currently fund this program totally.

Recent negotiations have resulted in our Residential agreement to fund Mission 2000 as well as the Local LMCC.

These funds are used for a variety of things. For example the chairs used for our meetings were purchased with LMCC funds.

The Business Manager would like to see an increase of 5 or 6 cents for Local LMCC This with matching funds by the Contractors would generate in the neighborhood of $42.000 annually. (Based on a 10 year average of hours worked locally)

Another area of MAJOR interest to our members would be increased contributions to the local pension. These will be up for a vote at the Special Called Meeting and can be discussed at the regular meeting. (May 11,2000)

From the Organizer
The shortage of skilled manpower locally as well as nationally is beginning to net some results. We recently signed with R&K Electric out of Benicia. They are a small shop. but will certainly grow with the skilled craftsmen this Local has to offer.

Our President, Business Manager and myself recently met with another local shop (13 wireman and the owner). We gave a presentation that showed the positive things of being an lBEW signatory contractor and what membership had to offer the electricians. The meeting was quite productive and we expect to sign them in the near future. Local economic trends and a new residential rate gives us more and more opportunities to organize our jurisdiction. State licensing will also give us an advantage over he non-union.

Political action is also an area that has been very productive for working people.

Volunteers are needed for a phone bank for the Napa Solano Building Trades. The phone bank will operate in Fairfield from 5:45 to 8:00 P. M. from now until election time. To participate contact me at the office for information.

Rich Mattson, Organizer
 

Bruce Gourley, Business Manager
 

Updated 05/14/00 Copyright© 2000 IBEW L.U. 180 Information on this site has been approved by the Business Manager and L.U. President