Information on this site has been approved by the Business Manager and L.U. President
| Upcoming Events Holidays
REGULAR MEETING with BAR-B-QUE @5:30 P.M. CARPENTER’S OFF DAY
All meetings will be held at: |
Inside this issue. Business Manager's Report Congratulations Condolences Retiree's Corner Easter Egg Hunt From the President From the Organizer JATC From the Agent |
Easter Egg Hunt A Success!
Thanks to all the members and their families that attended the Easter Egg
Hunt on April 19th, It turned out to be a beautiful day allowing the
kids to find the eggs on green grass, There were lots of goodies and
a special appearance by the Easter Bunny, A big thank you to the bunny.
Thanks to the LMCC for funding this event.
This was our second annual hunt and with the turn out, I’m sure this will
continue to be an annual event.
The next big family event for the local will be our picnic that is scheduled
for August 16th. This year it will be held at the Veteran’s Home in
Yountville. It promises to be a great day. If you wish to help
in the planning or at the picnic—please contact the Union Hall or Gary McCoy.
Look for announcements in the newsletter.
Fraternally,
Brother Gary McCoy.
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. The next meeting will be held May 7, 2003 at the Training
Center. 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 have a report from the two delegates sent to the
California Congress of Seniors held in Sacramento on April 22 thru the 25,
2003
Fraternally,
Ken Breckenridge
Upcoming “Electrical Retirees Club” trips
Reno overnight tour June 9 & 10, 2003—note the new
dates!
Spaghetti Feed June 20. The Retirees Club is going to Oakland
for a Spaghetti feed, and then to Paramount Theater for a movie with
Douglas Fairbanks called "Black Pirate". The cost will be $36.00 per
person, and will include a pickup at Napa, and Vallejo as well. Please RSVP
with Ken Breckenridge.
“Lake Michigan Getaway” SOLD OUT
July 14-25, 2003
Looking for ideas for our next “Adventure”
For additional information;
Ken can be reached at (707) 643-4139.
From the President:
Since my trip to Washington D.C., my political focus has definitely changed
directions. The political climate is as stormy as it has been in over 20
years. When you have veteran legislators worried about the direction the
current administration is going, you know we are in deep #$%*.
There is no doubt that Organized Labor is patriotic. When the towers went
down in New York, the first one’s on the scene were Union Member’s. They
worked for 16 months straight in conditions that no one should be exposed
to. The President of the Firefighters Association addressed the Conference
and thanked the IBEW for their involvement in the recovery process at Ground
Zero.
Unions were illegal until the 1930’s. Rights to organize were given to workers
that wanted to be covered by collective bargaining. With a stroke of the
pen, the President has made it illegal for workers involved with Homeland
Security to organize and belong to a union.
Now you have the Majority Speaker, Tom Delay, making a full out attack on
Unions. He stated that Unions are a threat to National Security and that
we are all unpatriotic. By making these statements, the present administration
is using negative comments about the President as unpatriotic. They are using
the war in Iraq as a smoke screen to divert the public’s eye off of domestic
issues. With the war being over, now there is infrastructure work to be done
in Iraq. The range of estimates is from $2 billion to $100 billion dollars.
What do you think we could accomplish with that kind of money in our own
country? Vice President Cheney’s company, Halliburton, was there to rebuild
the country prior to the first bomb being dropped. Sound like a conflict
of interest? Absolutely!
This is nothing compared to what the administration has done to Organized
Labor. Within a week of being in office, an Executive Order was signed to
ban PLA’s that have any Federal funding. One of the greatest tools
we’ve had as Organized Labor, and with one stroke of the pen, he took it
away from us. Fortunately, we still have the ability to utilize PLA’S on
private and state funded projects.
We must ask ourselves, are we better off now than we were 2 years ago? We
went from a $200 billion dollar surplus to a $3 trillion dollar deficit.
It costs $1billion dollars a day in interest on the national debt! Want to
jump start the economy? Spend $1 billion dollars a day on infrastructure
construction. Organized Labor has been very resilient over the years, but
another term from the present administration would be devastating
Dan Broadwater
President Local 180
From the Organizer:
Procrastination and fear - this combination will lead to unemployment when
certified electricians are required in 2005 and you are not ready.
Certification is a great thing for the customer, the contractor and us.
It is reality.
Unless you are going to retire or make a career change in 2005 – you need
to get on it! Classes start this May so call Larry @ 251-0315 or sign
up at the training center. Applications are at the hall or on-line
at http://www.ibewnecaforcertification.org/application.htm.
The company providing the test is Experior’s site, http://www.experioronline.com/caconstruction.htm,
and the handbook sent to all applicants is located at http://www.experioronline.com/pdf/caelectric.pdf.
Check it out for more information.
Do not concern yourself with the who, what and how of enforcement.
Take the class and polish up. Take the test. You have a 12-month
window to schedule and take your test after applying and 20 months to 2005.
Rich Mattson, Organizer
JATC
JOURNEYMAN CLASSES
Certification Classes will begin on May 8, 2003, hours are
5:00 ~ 8:00 pm. Classes run six weeks.
If you have not signed up then contact, Larry Poyser at the JATC office.
(251-0315).
State Certification is upon us. Within just 20 months
all electricians in the state of California will be required to be certified
or will not be able to be employed. The longer you wait the harder
it will be to take the exam. Those who send their applications in will
have priority for enrollment in the classes. At the May 8th Union
Meeting a guest speaker will make a presentation and welcome questions concerning
the Electrician Certification.
There will be a $50.00 deposit for each class at the time the class begins.
If you complete the class all monies will be returned minus any expenses
for class materials and books. There is a sign up sheet at the training
center. These classes will be offered as long as there is a need.
Information is available on-line at www.ibewnecaforcertification.org
The clock is ticking.
Agents Report
The Small Business Incubator is open for business. Feel free to take
a tour before the May 8th union meeting. Now it is time to start an
Electrical Code Interpretation Committee.
While the prevailing wage law attempts to provide an equal playing field
on the wage front, building the project is another story. Code enforcement
is subject to “The local authority having jurisdiction” or TLAHJ… We
all have seen work that does not meet code. Three fresh ones in my
mind: performing additions to a just completed “Flex More” project and finding
conduits stuffed to capacity with #12 and no de-rating, one city inspector
not enforcing using a copper bond for a spa and another not requiring a GFI
breaker for a shallow underground outside branch circuit.
If TLAHJ does not enforce conduit fill, bonding methods and others, places
our electrical contractors at a disadvantage in bidding work. Furthermore,
we look awful telling the owner it is required, only for the TLAHJ to say
it is not.
An Electrical Code Interpretation Committee unites inspectors, electrical
engineers and contractors to discuss “interpretation and enforcement” of
the code. It will also help the cities and counties in uniformly apply
the code.
Other locals with this committee have enjoyed positive results. After
all, everyone desires a safe installation.
If you are interested in helping out by keeping an eye out for building activity,
notices in the local newspaper, searching the internet and the like – contact
me at mikes@ibewlu180.org
Mike Smith
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
|
Information on this site has been approved by the Business Manager and L.U. President |
|