I am in receipt of an urgent bulletin from the State Building Trades:
“New polling among union members has revealed that an overwhelming majority of union workers in California have not heard anything from their unions about the upcoming gubernatorial election. That must change immediately, for several reasons.
The polling shows that Jerry Brown leads Meg Whitman among union voters, but not by a sizeable enough margin to enable him to prevail among all voters. However, the poll also showed that information from unions wields great influence in determining how union members vote, and that communication from unions, presidents, representatives and business managers explaining why Brown is the right choice for working people causes undecided or pro-Whitman union voters to support Brown. We must communicate that message NOW.
Absentee ballots begin to reach voters October 3. That means that 50 percent of union voters will begin voting by mail in just three weeks from now. Unions must reach out to their members before then.”
With the information we have mailed to our membership I would hope you do not fall into the membership that has not heard from us.
Additionally, we have provided our endorsement information and information on Jerry Brown in three recent mailings. In the last newsletter we noticed the starting of a Political Action Committee to listen to members concerns and help answer questions. We even had Lea Grundy of GroundWorks Campaigns speak at our union meeting.
With that said, you will receive more. I want to make sure you do not miss any tidbit of info.
Let me tell you what I know about Jerry Brown. He will return California to a state that values workers, good wages and, above all else, jobs.
Jerry Brown has met with our Statewide Association many times and we have supported him because he supports our values.
I walked precincts last weekend and spoke with union members who live in Vacaville. The amount of spin and misinformation in this election is disturbing. But people are desperate for change, or perhaps hope.
If you are questioning voting for Jerry Brown, or think Meg Whitman is the lesser of the two evils… please call me, Mike or Kevin.
As to the job front. We do have some glimmers of hope. I have been in contact with some contractors about projects they are bidding. Private contracts are under the radar so I need to respect the confidentiality and only tell you that the last few months of this year and the first few months of next year will be very slow, but 2011 does have the potential of being the same or better than 2010 if these projects are awarded AND start.
Additionally, many large residential projects are under PLAs and there is talk of some starting.
I will keep you posted.
Fraternally,
Dan Broadwater, Business Manager
Joel & Erica Pickett, Ella Jane, a daughter, born 08/14/2010
Ezra & Jamie Bair, Ezra, a son, born 08/12/2010
From the Union meeting, the $25 BevMo card went to Herb Watts and the membership drawing for $100 was #249, Justin Haley, who was not present. The drawing will remain at $100 for the October 12th meeting.
Events
Local 180 did make a presence at the labor day event with the Central Labor Council (CLC). Stan Nelson, Todd Tohm, Herb Watts, Kevin & Shawlee Coleman, Dean Lloyd and Dan Broadwater were in attendance.
The first ever Give-A-Watt project was completed at Loma Vista Farms, a Vallejo School District Farm. Clint Harbison lead a motivate pair of teens on the installation of the PV panel. Mike Smith lead the other pair of teens on the installation of the 12V ceiling fan and lighting.
The teens are part of the Camp Fire USA Green Flame Team and wanted to demonstrate renewable energy and also learn from the experience. The host of the project was the rabbit habitat building. The building had no power. Now it is “off the grid” providing a ceiling fan for cooling on hot days and lighting for winter’s dark early mornings and late afternoons.
The Local does extend it’s deep thanks to Bill Woltz with Woltz Electric for the donation of the tools and miscellaneous materials to make this happen.
Our Heroes from the April Blood Drive: Michael Ambrose, John Bogart, Craig Cathcart, Edward Dayton, David Doss, William Finkel, Glen Flores, Steve Garcia, Samuel Haines, Gerald Johnson, Michael Jones, Stanley Nelson, Rick Row, Konan Timberlake, Herbert Watts, Jonathan Wilson & Patrick Wirsing
Dear Retiree’s and working brothers & sisters,
October 6th is just a few weeks away; that the date when twenty-two retiree’s will board the Island Princess in San Francisco on a wonderful vacation through the Panama Canal. Ken Breckenridge our young at heart tour guide will be running interference for anyone that has a problem in any way. I have been on several tours with Ken at the helm and I can assure you that there is no better man to have on your side if you have a problem.
After spending 15 nights aboard the Island Princess and 5 stops at different countries in the Canal Zone, we arrive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 13 of the group will fly home from Fort Lauderdale, but 9 of us will be furnished rental cars and drive north to Orlando, Florida for a four-day visit to Disney World. Then the last 9 of us will catch our plane home to California in time to vote in the upcoming election that is vital for middleclass Americans and Working people in particular.
American families have been in a steady and quickening economic decline for years. It did not begin with this recession and will not soon end without massive and sustained intervention. Last week the U.S. Census Bureau released data showing record-breaking poverty in 2009. Nearly 44 million Americans lived below the poverty line; that’s more than the Census Bureau has logged in the fifty-one years it has kept track. Such numbers grow from our political choices just as surely as night follows day.
The massive job loss between 2008 and 2009---a 3.5 percent increase in unemployment—is surely the largest factor in the immediate poverty increase. But those terrible months were neither the beginning nor the end of the problem.
We now know banks wrote bad loans deliberately, and that regulators ignored many signs that too many of those loans were both fraudulent and likely to fail. This went on with impunity because it was just business as usual. Wall Street’s demand for large, short-term profits and informed banks’ irresponsible lending choices long before they gorged themselves on sub-prime securities. The housing crisis was propelled into these dangerous loans by efforts to climb out of huge credit card debt; overwhelming student loans and the many other economic trap doors banks had already built into the economy.
As Congress has worked to close some of these traps, banks and corporations will merely open new ones. They’re searching for new, inventive ways to trick customer into agreeing to huge over draft fees and they’re exploring ways to broaden the payday lending market. Insurance companies are jacking up rates in advance of reforms and credit card companies are devising ways around new consumer protections. And that’s just the stuff we know about. All of which is why the most important job in Washington may be the new consumer financial protection watchdog created by this year’s Wall Street reform bill.
The White House has also responded to this week’s bleak poverty report by pointing out how much bleaker it would have been without last year’s stimulus act. Unemployment benefits kept another 3.3 million people from falling into poverty last year. When the bureau’s statisticians figure in tax credits and food stamps later this year, they’ll likely cut this week’s poverty number by a few million more.
Notably, the only people who have staved off poverty are seniors. While just about every other demographic group’s poverty rate went up last year, seniors continued a decades-long decline, dropping to the lowest level on record. Why? Social Security. Or, to put it more bluntly, government spending to make sure the most vulnerable among us doesn’t hit the bottom. Need I say more? Honor your right to vote, it has never been more important in our lifetime.
Bud Huss VP Retiree’s
The JATC has a number of classes listed at their website, www.jatclu180.org. They also have the Solar Trainer up and running - or should we say spinning!
The Valero Refinery now stands at 156 after the first round of reductions. The project completion remains December 2010 and Newtron will continue with reduction in workforce during the month of October. No details yet on the turnaround that follows.
Collins Electric put in a number of short-calls for O-I in Fairfield. The equipment was built in Italy and tested. They broke it down and shipped it across the pond for reassembly. The parts went together quickly with all the wiring being plug connected and numbered. Thanks to Ken Meyer for the information.
Mike Brown has the Vallejo Parking Garage and they started moving dirt this summer. No manpower projections at this time. The hole is getting deeper and it is a sight to see. Check it out if you are in Vallejo.
The Verizon call center is more like a switch center; and after numerous redesigns, the project is finally moving. Redwood City has moved its crew around and has most of the project manned. Last month Redwood City foresaw no additional hiring and completion by the end of the year. However, some 3-4 week calls have come in the last two weeks.
Rosendin is starting the Montezuma Hills Wind Farm and picked up after slowing last month. They started to hire as per their expectations for September – October and completion remains the end of this year. Calls are for climbing 300’ inside the tower. Rosendin is strict on a person’s ability to safely perform. Since any accident increases insurance costs, the possibility of an accident must be avoided in order to keep the workers comp modifier under the required number to be invited to bid these projects.
On the VacaValley Hospital site, Schetter has mobilized and the job site is being graded. They have taken an apprentice and it remains to be seen if they will be able to increase manpower this year.
Queen of the Valley has made it past the site work phase. Rosendin has a few people out there and placed a few short calls to fill in. They will be focusing on the tie-ins between the existing and new building.
Another hospital project that might go out to bid in Vallejo is a Sutter Hospital.
Sprig Electric has no plans for additional hiring at the Franklin Distillery in Fairfield and completion remains October 2010.
Michels Construction has the SMUD wind farm in Rio Vista. Since we do not have the exact start date (perhaps 2011), exact duration and exact number of turbines, we cannot exactly report on the estimated need for manpower. All we can report is Michels has the job.
Some contractors are hoping to have signed contracts on private work and start putting in calls very late in the year and spring of next year. The projects will be posted once the contracts are signed and the hiring starts.
Book one will be filling up due to Newtron’s Valero project, Sprig’s Franklin project and Redwood City’s Version project all completing in the next few months. Please don’t miss resign. Fax your resign or drop it off every 2-3 weeks—don’t wait until the last minute! Visit ibewlu180.org’s work picture page.
The November 10 Union Meeting is also a Special Blood Drive Night.
Don’t forget the BBQ for those that donate blood!.
5-8pm Phone Banks:
OE #3-Fairfield Tuesdays & Wednesdays
Ironworkers #378-Benicia Tuesdays & Thursdays
Plumbers & Steamfitters #343-Vallejo Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
8:30-Noon Walks:
Oct 2, Suisun-Out of OE #3, Fairfield
Oct 9, City of Napa-Out of IBEW Local #180, Napa
Oct 16, Vacaville/Suisun-Out of Location TBD
Oct 23, American Canyon/Napa City-Out of Location TBD
Please contact Shirley at 707-552-6602 or sherbert1186@sbcglobal.net if you are interested.
Locations:
Plumbers & Steamfitters, Local 343,
401 Nebraska Street, Vallejo
Teamsters’ Local #315l,
445 Nebraska Street, Vallejo
Iron Workers Local #378, 3120 Bayshore Road, Benicia
IBEW Local #180,
720-B Technology Way, Napa
Operating Engineers Local #3,
2540 N. Watney Way, Fairfield
IBEW Local #1245,
30 Orange Tree Circle, Vacaville
SEIU Local #1021,
2300 Boynton Ave, Fairfield
Napa Firefighters Local #3124,
3377 Solano Ave PMB 1600, Napa
Iron Workers Local #378,
3120 Bayshore Road, Benicia
Find this and more on-line at:
http://ca.aflcio.org/nsclc/index.cfm?action=calendar
Kevin Coleman is scheduling our phone bank to call our members and will have room for six people to help—please do not wait to be contacted—step up and call Kevin, or email him at kevinc@ibewlu180.org.
Most people now vote by mail, so remember to get your ballot in early. For those of you that have moved—you must re-register to vote when you change your address.
YOU MAY REGISTER TO VOTE IN CALIFORNIA IF –
You are a United States Citizen, you are a resident of California,
You will be at least 18 years of age by the date of the next election,
You are not in prison or on parole for a felony conviction, and
You have not been judged by a court to be mentally incompetent
CA Secretary of State:
www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_d.htm
Napa County:
www.co.napa.ca.us/Gov/Departments/DeptDefault.asp?DID=13600
Solano County:
www.solanocouonty.com/depts/rov/default.asp
Please let us know if you can help out with any of the campaigns.
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. E-BOARD MEETING 6 P.M. FOURTH TUESDAY EXAM BOARD MEETING 6 P.M. SECOND TUESDAY |
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.
| 10/19/2010 |
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