Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday. Looking back on 2004, I’d like to highlight some special achievements and events for our Local:
WORK PICTURE
We were very fortunate to have great work opportunities for our members in 2004. Local 26’s contractors were successful in being awarded the majority of the large projects in our jurisdiction which kept our brothers and sisters working throughout the year. Hopefully, the work picture continues to be good for the year 2005. With several large jobs on the horizon, we should be able to provide excellent employment opportunities.
HEALTH CARE IMPROVEMENTS
The Health and Welfare Trustees made several improvements to our Health & Welfare Plan. The deductibles were changed to $400 per family and $200 per individual per year which were previously $600 and $300, respectively. Major medical coverage was increased to cover 90% up to $7,000 and then at 80%.
TYSONS CORNER
Local 26 is currently working at the Tysons Corner Mall, which was a large $150 million, union-funded project.
VOTER REGISTRATION
We improved our voter registration in Local 26 with a grass roots effort by encouraging members who weren’t registered to do so and to vote. Hopefully, this movement will continue until we get 100% of our members registered.
GOLF OUTING
Local 26 had another successful Golf Outing raising money for diabetes. We were very pleased to be able to make a contribution of $35,000 to Dollars Against Diabetes.
SOFTBALL TEAM VICTORY
Local 26’s softball team came in first place in the IBEW National Softball Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio. This was a great accomplishment since this was the first time we have ever won a national tournament.
NEW JURISDICTION
Local 26 expanded its jurisdiction to take over Local 637 in Roanoke and also six counties which previously belonged to Local 666 in Richmond. With the expansion of the jurisdiction, we have had to open up an additional office in the Charlottesville, Virginia, area, as well as assume the operations of the Roanoke office. In order to man this jurisdiction, we also brought several new business agents on board. We hope to regain the market share that was lost over the years in those areas. With the expansion of our jurisdiction, it has also made for more work opportunities for the members of Local 26 as well as more work for our contractors to bid. This new jurisdiction has made us one of the largest Locals in the IBEW.
pictured below is a map of Local 26’s New Jurisdiction, in yellow(DC), dark blue (VA), dark green (WV), and red (MD)
WINCHESTER OFFICE
Our Front Royal office was relocated to Winchester. After many years in Front Royal, the office was moved to a very nice location in Winchester. This should provide our members with better service in that part of Virginia.
LOCAL 26 GROWTH
During 2004, Local 26 signed 14 new contractors, and our membership increased by over 800! This growth in our membership is due to the increase in our jurisdiction as well as through our organizing efforts.
Our Local Union is very fortunate to be able to report such positive news and growth. We must continue to work hard, exemplifying our motto of “Craftsmanship with Pride,” and spread the Union message to all those who may be working non-union. Everyone deserves the right to enjoy the decent pay, great benefits, and retirement security a Union can provide
I’m looking forward to another successful year for Local 26. Best wishes to you and your family for a healthy, happy and prosperous 2005!
by Chuck Graham
NLRB Restores the Greenhoot RuleThe National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) quickly went to work against labor after the presidential elections. Members should be aware that the NLRB is dominated with Republican presidential appointees. There are five members which make up the board. One Democrat’s term expires at the end of the year while one Republican member’s recess appointment expires at the end of the current congressional session. The board currently consists of three Republicans and two Democrats.
Shortly after the elections, the NLRB continued its string of anti-worker decisions, one of which involves temporary workers rights. On November 19, 2004, in a 3-2 decision, the Bush board restored the Greenhoot Rule. This rule was overturned by the Clinton Board in 2000. In the past four years without the rule, temporary workers, supplied by staffing firms, have had the right to form a combined union with employees of the company. This gave temporary workers the same rights as full-time union workers. Under the new ruling, temporary workers now must have the permission of both the staffing firm and the customer employer, before there can be a vote on whether to form a union.
Another key decision is expected from the NLRB some time next spring. This will be a landmark decision which will determine the future path of labor organizing in the United States. This decision is in regards to neutrality/card check agreement recognition. This is a method used in organizing whereby an employer agrees to recognize a union if a majority of workers sign authorization cards indicating their desire to join. This method has long been recognized by the National Labor Relations Act and the Supreme Court as an alternative to the NLRB election process. Robert Battista, Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, has said that the conclusions in the landmark case will probably be out after the filling of vacancies for the two NLRB members, one Democrat and one Republican, whose terms expire at the end of the year.
It is clear that labor will not receive any help at the national level so our efforts need to shift to local elections. The members of local 26 consistently promote union values and have earned an excellent reputation for organizing. Collectively we will need to focus on local and state elections to exponentially increase our strength.
by Joe Dabbs
As a percentage of the work force, the number of union members in the private sector is declining. But an Economic Policy Institute analysis shows that more than ever, membership has its privileges.
According to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unions have been able to preserve health, retirement and time-off benefits for their members. In contrast, nonunion workers have been unable to resist the shifting burden of health care cost hikes increasingly placed on them by employers. Union members are far more likely to be covered by health care and retirement benefits than nonunion workers and far less likely to be forced to contribute to the cost of those plans. The results include:
HEALTH BENEFITS
The vast majority of union workers – 89 percent – have access to employer-provided medical benefits, compared with 67 percent of nonunion workers. 73 percent of union workers have dental care coverage, compared with 43 percent of nonunion workers. 56 percent of union workers have vision care benefits; only 26 percent of nonunion workers have such a benefit.
Union workers are less likely to pay at all for medical insurance. For single employee coverage, the employer pays all costs for 43 percent of union workers, but only 21 percent of nonunion workers receive employer-paid coverage.
33 percent of union workers receive family medical coverage from their employer, but only 7 percent of nonunion workers receive fully paid family coverage from their employer.
LIFE INSURANCE
Union workers are more likely to receive employer-provided life insurance and twice as likely to have short-term disability coverage.
RETIREMENT
Only 21 percent of all workers are covered by defined benefit retirement plans, traditional pension plans with a predetermined benefit paid out for life after retirement. Only 10 percent of all private sector employers offer this benefit. 70 percent of all union workers are covered by a defined benefit plan.
cited from http:\\www.ibew.org/stories/04daily/0411/041122_advantages.htm
by Franny Olshefski
The IBEW Local Union 26 is working for you, and you are the reason. Your work dues are what keep our local running. It has come to my attention that there may be some confusion as to the deduction of Work Dues. I hope the following information will help clear up some of this confusion.
All members and travelers who are working in the jurisdiction of Local 26 shall pay Work Dues to Local 26. Work Dues are a percentage of the total gross pay as reported by the contractor on the monthly Local 26 Trust Fund Report. The following chart lists the classifications and the proper percentage of gross pay that should be paid as Work Dues. The contractor will deduct Work Dues from your pay check weekly if requested by the member.
Apprentice-1%
Telecommunications Apprentice (Communications Worker)-1%
Motor Repairman-1%
Maintenance Worker-1%
Sign Worker -1%
Service Contract Employee-1%
Tele Data Technician-1.5%
Journeyman Wireman-2%
Instrument Technician -2%
Test Technician -2%
Residential Wireman -2%
Residential Trainee-2%
Please check to be sure the proper amount is being deducted or call the Finance Office to request the proper work dues deduction authorization card.
First quarter dues were due January 1st
Retirements due for the last quarter are $18.00
by Mike Shoemaker
photos by Joe Dabbs & Bill Giusti
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Year end statements will be mailed to all members of the Credit Union. If you do not receive your statement please call the Credit Union office to confirm your address. This is also a good time of year to verify who you have listed as joint owner or beneficiary on your account. Many changes can occur in a family such as birth, marriage, and the loss of a loved one. Call the Credit Union office and we will be glad to check who you have listed on your account.
During the winter months if there is inclement weather call the Credit Union office to be sure we are open regular hours. That is when it is helpful to have an ATM/POS card to access your account!
Upcoming special Holiday Hours:
Closed Monday January 17th
for Martin Luther King’s Birthday.
Closed Thursday January 20th
for Inauguration Day.
Regular Office Hours:
Monday, Thursday, and Friday 10-12 & 1-3,
Tuesday 10-12 & 1-4:30, Wednesday 10-12, 1-3 & 5-7.
Telephone: 202-829-5404 (we start answering phones at 9:00 A.M.)
Audio response: 1-800-724-7573
Fax: 202-723-3190
October 2004
Joseph S. Alexander
#1381
John M. Williams
#1382
Jackie O. Pennington
#1383
November 2004
William P. Beard
#1384
James H. Lucas
#1385
December 2004
Robert L. Coleman
#1386
David E. Liston
#1387
Ernest E. Wertz
#1388
Rodney B. Williams
#1389
Best Wishes for a Happy Retirement!
Journeyman electives, offered by the NECA/ IBEW Local 26 Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, for the spring 2005semester, will be starting soon. They are scheduled to begin the last week in January. You will receive a JATC Newsletter in the mail soon, giving you all the details. Please contact the Finance Office, (202) 829-2900, to be sure your address, phone number, and dues are current.
Make room in your schedule so you can further your education and receive a National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee certificate, provided no more than one class is missed. Be sure to register early!
Members
Brother Herman D. Edmonds, Jr. (Danny)
Retired Brother Paul Shazer
Retired Brother Hall O. Sherfey
Retired Brother Haldon Stanfield
(correction from December’s issue/not wife)
Family Members
Brother Eugene Burgan’s father, Eugene Burgan Sr.
(also grandfather of Brother Eugene Burgan III)
Brother Scott Shifflett’s grandmother, Vella Smith
(also mother-in-law of Brother Bobby Crawford)
Brother John and Brother Joe Caruso’s father, John Caruso
