Information on this site has been approved by the Business Manager and L.U. President
Health and Welfare costs continue to be an
issue that plagues us. With all of the cost containment and savings
that we have endured over the last year, we are still faced with serious
problems. To insure that we can maintain a basic medical benefit for
our members, their families, and our retirees, the Trustees have made some
benefit changes.
Effective August 1,2003, for members working under the Inside
and Residential Agreements the following changes apply:
These costs are high, but very much in line with what are occurring almost
everywhere else. With an increase of over 33% in the recent Kaiser costs
this is no great surprise.
Official notice from the Trust Fund office has gone out.
My apologies for this short notice. We have been in negotiations with
Kaiser and only received the last updated costs on July 25th. In addition,
Local 180 is scheduled for CIR the week of August 11th. This in response
to a grievance filed for failure of the Signatory Contractors to comply
with the terms of the agreement that deal with the maintenance of operating
expenses.
Those of you with questions concerning the above do not hesitate to call me for an explanation.
| Upcoming Events Holidays
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Inside this issue. |
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REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 14, 2003 BAR-B-QUE @5:30 P. M. GUEST SPEAKER ON AUTISM @ REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 14, 2003 BLOOD DRIVE BEFORE THE REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 14, 2003 4~7 PM ANNUAL PICNIC AUGUST 16, 2003 CARPENTERS’ OFF DAY AUGUST 29, 2003 LABOR DAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2003 |
Business Manager's Report Congratulations Condolences Retiree's Corner Picnic From the President From the Organizer JATC From the Agent |
| All meetings will be held at: |
720
Technology Way Napa CA, 94558 |
Congratulations
Brent & Margaret Watson on the birth of their daughter, Jaiden LeeAnn,
born on July 9th.
Mark & Renee Oliveira on TWINS, daughter & son, Kaden & Payton,
born on July 18th
Tim and LaRhonda Martin on the birth of their daughter, Cheyenne, born
on July 9th.
Scott & Dawn Rogers married on June 21st
Condolences
We all feel deeply the loss of Brother Steven Baker, born May 16,
1951
Steven served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam from 1969 to 1973
He entered the apprenticeship and made membership on November 2002
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, 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...
However, we are adjusting the next meeting:
The next meeting will be held Aug 13, 2003 at the Training Center
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
“Reno” August 26~27, 2003
“Death Valley, Las Vegas, Lake Meade and Alaska in ‘04”
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:
We are experiencing one of the best years in this Local Union’s history.
We have had record months in man-hours in virtually every month. Make it
and save it while the work is here. Just like in our national economy, our
local economy could go south and it is a good practice to be prepared by
saving for a rainy day.
To all of those that use our referral system, man the work and respect
the dispatch. If the call is a short call, work the 14-day maximum if possible
and come back to the hall. If the dispatch is a long call, don’t ask to
have a short call made out of it to get back on the books. Utilize your
expertise to its fullest extent, complete the project and resign the books.
Summer work, especially on the schools, is balls to the wall. Many
hot long hours are worked, and at times tempers can run short. If this situation
arises, step back, take a deep breath and think about what the next couple
of minutes can mean. Jobsite violence will not be tolerated!
Our office received a letter from Rosendin Electric, in which I am
proud to relay to you:
Dear Mr. Gourley:
As the High Winds Wind Energy Project at Birds Landing nears completion,
we at Rosendin Electric would like to thank you, your staff and the Local
180 membership for a job well done.
The membership of Local Union 180 showed their expertise in renewable
projects by working many long days through difficult conditions to deliver
the project on schedule and on budget.
We are proud of our association with Local 180 and hope to continue
our relationship on future projects.
Steve Foxworthy
General Superintendent
Rosendin Electric
Please remember our Blood Drive prior to our August regular meeting.
The drive starts at 4:00 on August 14.
We are fortunate to be able to put a few travelers to work. Please
treat them like guests and for the younger members, learn from their years
of experience.
Dan Broadwater
President Local 180
From the Organizer:
The story I am about to share with you is true, the names have been changed
to protect the ignorant.
We were fortunate to have recently signed an established non union
contractor. The newly signatory contractor requested manpower for
a TI in our jurisdiction. We put the call out that members advising
them that they would be going out to a newly signatory contractor with no
union history.
Two members reported to the job the next morning. The new contractor
did not have a new hire packet for them to fill out. There was also
some questions regarding tools, hand benders, drill motor, etc. Instead
of calling the hall, these two members felt it would be best to drag up
and return to the hall that very morning. This greatly impacted the contractor’s
schedule.
Shortly thereafter, the owner of the company was on the phone very
disturbed with what had transpired. Imagine what he was thinking,
what kind of mess did he get into becoming union? The wonderful impression
of the brotherhood these members provided, without even turning a screw.
We were able to assure him this was not the norm and sent him a few
members to man the job. These members stepped up and everything has
been working out just fine. Hopefully the owner will put aside the
first impression and we will have a long and prosperous relationship.
The moral of the story:
We must always attempt to use some common sense and try to educate new
contractors and customers
Always call the hall if there is a problem or concern on a jobsite
If at all possible, never abandon a jobsite
New contractors are hard to come by and often hard to keep.
Our future depends on making these relationships work.
Rich Mattson
Organizer
JATC
JOURNEYMAN CLASSES
Certification Classes: Three classes of twenty each began on July
14th and will run for eight weeks. The next classes will start September
15th, we already have at least sixty journeyman signed up at this time for
these classes so it is very important that you sign up as soon as possible
to reserve your spot.
As we have taught these classes we have refined the curriculum and there
will now be a cost of $62.00 for materials and books that are required to
take these classes. This money is due and payable on the first night
of class. Sign up at the Training Center or call 707-251-0315
State Certification is upon us. Within just 18 months all electricians
in the State of California will be required to be certified or will not
be able to be employed. From the Department of Industrial Relations:
There has not been an extension of the time to take the test; it remains
December 31, 2004.
Information is available on-line at www.ibewnecaforcertification.org
The clock is ticking.
Agents Report
My past articles have been an introduction of my duties and reports on
the state test. Starting with this article, I would like to present
the membership with methods in which every member can play an important
part in increasing our market share.
I have been in sales, in one fashion or another, since 1980.
A recent positive experience reminded me of the basics. This is presented
as information, or as a reminder.
Earlier this month I was shopping for a new mountain bike.
There were two choices of where to buy; my hometown of Dixon or here in
Napa. Both stores are the same size and small independent businesses.
The Napa shop made their points that the brand at the Dixon shop
was cheap, cut corners and their brand was a better deal even at 25% more.
I told the sales person I preferred to buy local and American made.
He though I was a bit off…
The Dixon shop made their points by detailing how the two brands
differed and questioned about my need the added features. His pitch
was positive, never saying anything bad about the other brand. Again,
I told the sales person I preferred to buy local and American made.
This is when the key words came out that I have not heard in many years.
“I understand how you feel - I feel the same way, however neither
are made here. I also like to keep my money local and I would like to
earn your business.” After the sale of the bike, he thanked me.
Not the fast “thanks”, but an honest “I thank you very much for your business,
please come back if you need anything”. We have received heartfelt
thanks after my wife bought her bike a week later, after the little adjustments
and small purchases.
How often do you give you customer a “thank you very much for your
business”, “thank you for selecting our company” or “It is great to work
with you, we hope to continue to work together”.
These are two key rules in sales: Ask for the sale and thank them
for the sale. The re-enforcing item was not pointing out the defects
in the competition; using negatives to sell is not productive! Every
single electrician is the key to market share. You are the connection
to the customer; keep the customer happy.
P.S. I made sure to wear my IBEW LU 180 shirt every time I visited
the store!
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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