Information on this site has been approved by the Business Manager and L.U. President
Health & Welfare As you know, the
health care industry continues to experience double-digit increases.
At a meeting with the trust actuary and administrator in early June, we were
given the grim news that our Kaiser renewal rates for those participating
in the Solano/Napa Counties Electrical Workers H&W Plan, Inside and Residential
were going to be increased by 33.7%. Considering all of the cost savings
efforts that our members and their families have endured, it came as quite
a shock that we were to be subjected to this enormous increase. After
the initial shock of what this could mean to our plan, we started to
figure how we can solve the problem. It will not go away. There is
no relief in sight. The legislature is not addressing the problem.
It will be up to the members and signatory contractors of Local 180 to solve
their own problem. This will take a concerted effort by both parties.
Labor and Management Tustees have met to discuss the problem and are looking
at solutions. Having recently graduated from the “Rocket Scientist
Academy” it is obvious that the solution is not just a further reduction
in benefits or an automatic increase in contributions. We must do a
little of both. At a second meeting with our trust fund consultants,
it was determined that the problem is not quite as bad as it originally thought.
However, it will require some serious consideration of proposals that can
stop the deficit spending that we are experiencing. The current reserves
allow us to carefully select the best solutions for now and for the future.
The goals of our Trustees are to have the least amount of benefit reduction
possible, increase the contribution by the smallest amount necessary, adequately
fund the plan; build reserves, and continue to supplement our Retirees. These
are lofty but necessary ideals.
Virtually all Locals in California have had to allocate a
large portion, if not all of their recent negotiated wage increases to Health
& Welfare. The average contribution level for IBEW Locals in California
is over 16% of the Inside Journeyman rate. In the Bay Area this amounts
to over $6.00 per hour worked, with some locals like Local’s #302 and #595
at over $8.00 per hour worked.
| Upcoming Events Holidays
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Inside this issue. |
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REGULAR MEETING |
Business Manager's Report Congratulations Condolences Retiree's Corner Picnic From the President From the Organizer JATC From the Agent - State Test Report |
| All meetings will be held at: |
720
Technology Way Napa CA, 94558 |
Congratulations
Terry & Yvonne Shafer on the birth of their son, Ryan Anthony, on June
6.
Brandon and Brandy O'Neill on their marriage on June 12.
Picnic
The Annual Picnic will be held on August 16, from 11 am until 5 pm at the
Veteran's Home in Yountville.
There will be games for the kids as well as the family, horseshoe competition
with prizes; we will be playing BINGO for anyone interested. The swimming
pool is available for those who want to get wet and of course, there will
be plenty of food and liquid refreshments.
Your help is needed, so if you are interested in giving us a hand, we have
a short meeting just prior to the July Regular Union Meeting, or PLEASE call
me! Gary McCoy at 707 449-8063.
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. So carve out a spot of your busy retirement schedule and
join us...
The next meeting will be held July 2, 2003 at the Training Center
Look for the BBQ at the July 2nd meeting RSVP so we will know how many to
expect.. Please join us at the next meeting to discuss a possible Alaska
2004 trip to Anchorage, Fairbanks and Denali.
Fraternally,
Ken Breckenridge
Upcoming “Electrical Retirees Club” Trips
“Lake Michigan Getaway” July 14-25, 2003 SOLD OUT!
Looking for ideas for our next “Adventure” and new retirees to join us for
the fun
Ken can be reached at (707) 643-4139.
From the President:
Employment in our jurisdiction is holding steady. A tremendous amount of
man-hours that have been recorded are due to Project Labor Agreements. The
five Peaker Plants, the High Winds Project, Vallejo School District
Projects and the Downtown Solano County Building are all PLA projects. Bruce
Gourley along with the Napa-Solano Building Trades have been in negotiations
with the DeSilva Group and Triad Developers to institute a PLA on the Downtown
Vallejo Project ($1 Billion worth of work over a 10 year period), and the
Lower Lagoon Lake Project in Vacaville with Triad. An agreement was reached
to institute a PLA on the Valero VIP project, which is a $140 million scrubber.
There were many issues and concessions made on Valero’s part to make this
project happen. It is hoped to start late in the year. Remember, PLA’s don’t
stop non-union from bidding the work, but it does make us the exclusive source
of manpower for the companies that are successfully awarded the project.
Within days of being sworn in as President of the United States, George
W. Bush signed an Executive Order eliminating the use of PLA’s on projects
that are federally funded. A direct hit on a tool that is very useful not
only to us, but to the end user. There is a long history of on time and on
budget projects.
The Bush Administration plans to implement new rules that will cause
workers to loose their rights to overtime pay. The Department of Labor intends
to impose the new rules without Congressional approval and with limited public
comment. The Department of Labor cancelled a Union hearing set for June 30,
2003. There will be a link on our Web Site to write letters
to your Legislators. Let them know that this assault on the working class
has got to end!
This is the time to get your BATT certification, while the refinery
work is slow. There will be a sizeable Turnaround at Valero after the first
of the year. There is usually prep work involved prior to the turnaround,
so don’t wait until the last minute to get your BATT card. There is a potential
of a 100+ men at Valero between these projects.
Summer is definitely upon us with temperatures well above 100 degrees.
Please force yourself to drink plenty of water. Be in tune with what your
body is trying to tell you. and watch for signs of heat exhaustion.
Dan Broadwater
President Local 180
From the Organizer:
While the majority of Locals in the Ninth District experienced a loss of
membership we were fortunate to have a small increase of nearly 4 percent
in the last quarter.
The Residential Market has started to heat up again. With the Residential
books nearly empty, organizing has helped to fill job calls. We also were
able to slot 12 new apprentices into the inside program. All these apprentices
had several years of previous experience and will be an asset to the Brotherhood.
Please welcome them and show them what is like to work Union. Just imagine
the impact to the non-union on losing these apprentices.
Rich Mattson, Organizer
JATC
JOURNEYMAN CLASSES
Certification Classes: Three classes will begin on the week of July
14, 5:00 ~ 8:00 pm and will run for eight weeks. Students will be notified
as to which class they are in. We have aproximately 25 students signed up
now with room for 15 to 20 more. The sign-up sheet is at the Training
Center, or you can call Larry Poyser at the JATC office, 251-0315.
Note that there will be a $50.00 deposit required for each person when the
class begins. If you complete the class all monies will be returned
minus any expenses for class materials and books. These classes will
be offered as long as there is a need.
State Certification is upon us. Within just 19 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.
Information is available on-line at www.ibewnecaforcertification.org
The clock is ticking.
Agents Report
In regards to the State Certification Test, the booklet from Experior covers
the content of the test accurately. The math is mostly OHM’s Law and
the general knowledge is not found in the code book.
The computer based test is very easy to use. You can use the
mouse or the keyboard. The keyboard has color coded keys to match the
screen’s buttons. There is a timer on the lower right bottom of the
screen that displays hours and minutes remaining, the number of questions
remaining, answered, skipped and marked for review.
You will have an introduction on how the computer operates before your
test starts. Test duration is four hours, and has one hundred questions.
There is a five minute break at question fifty which is not counted in the
four hours. Additional breaks can be taken at anytime, but the clock
keeps running!
You can stop and ask the Staff for assistance at any time. The Staff
can answer any computer related questions but nothing on the questions on
the test. If you have issues with any question(s), make note of them
on your scratch paper. After completing the test, you can address the
issues on the review or ask the staff for a comment form and mail it in.
The questions appear one at a time with a choice of four answers.
Sometimes these answers are so close you can not use deductive reasoning
to get to the two best choices. Select the best then you can click mark for
review, if needed, and click enter to go forward to the next question OR
back to see the previous questions. You must make a selection to go
back! So when I took the test, I selected #1 then marked the
questions for review. I never skipped a question.
After answering the last question, you are given options to review
the questions per the following: (1) all of them, (2) marked for review,
(3) a specific number, (4) skipped or you can (5) end the test. I selected
to review only the marked questions. The computer started me at the
first marked question and then proceeded through all of them to the end and
presented the same options. You spend only the amount of time remaining
on the timer for any reviewing.
The key to the test is identifying the key word and looking it up in
the code book quickly. Then reading a bit past where you think the
answer is. Re-read the question and select the best possible answer.
Get an advantage by taking the classes offered by the JATC.
If someone with a poor memory, short attention span and no field experience
in this century (like myself) can pass – all of you should!
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
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Information on this site has been approved by the Business Manager and L.U. President |
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