NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
We opened up negotiations last month with NECA, exchanging proposals and setting the ground rules. Several meetings have been scheduled this month.
NEW VIDEO
We did a video in early March for the purpose of using it in the Roanoke and Charlottesville area to send to general contractors and non-union electrical contractors. I want to thank everyone who was involved, and especially Melvin Cherry who set up the schedule. Shooting the video involved several 14-15 hour days, but we got a lot accomplished in a short period of time. This should help in our efforts to get more work for our members.
MORE REPUBLICAN FALLOUT
As everyone knows, I am always talking about politics and the importance of electing our friends to office. In the state of Virginia, we were successful in electing Democrat Tim Kaine as the Governor. He then appointed Dan LeBlanc, President of the VA State AFL-CIO, to be his Secretary of Commonwealth. After a long battle with the Senate and House of Delegates in Richmond, Danny was not confirmed to that position. The reason he wasn’t is simply because there are more Republicans than Democrats. So, once again, this is another example that Republicans don’t care for unions. In upcoming elections, we must remember this and always make sure that we vote for people who support us.
BGE RATE HIKE
Residents of Maryland are about to be hit hard by Governor Ehrlich’s public service commission. There are talks of a 72% hike in electrical power rates for BGE consumers, and that could devastate the household budgets of many hard working Marylanders. The Governor has said he is not real sure what to do about it, but he knows it’s an election year. He seems to be stymied by these outrageous increases, but unsure if he can stop them since he hasn’t been involved in trying to keep them from being raised so high. Fortunately for us, we have a lot of Democrats in office in Annapolis, and they are working hard to sort through all the possible options to lessen the financial impact of electricity rate hikes on Maryland families.
This is an election year for Governor in Maryland, and it’s extremely important we make it clear to the Republicans that we don’t like the way they run government by making a change in Annapolis. By supporting Doug Duncan for Governor, we will get a leader who is strong and would never let something like this happen.
BEST WISHES, FRANNY!
I would like to extend best wishes to Brother Franny Olshefski who retired the end of March. Franny has worked for this Local Union for the past 17 years, serving as president for the last 14 years and doing a great job. Franny is a brother who always looked after our funds and kept the members’ best interest at heart. He started into union politics in the early 70’s, and he has worked very hard over the past 30 years for the members. Franny is well-respected in the labor community and will be missed by everyone who knew him. Since I came into office in 1992, I’ve learned a lot from Franny. When I became Business Manager in 2003, Franny helped me tremendously and made the transition easy to handle. So, I thank you Franny for all you’ve done to help me and for your years of dedication and service to Local 26. May you enjoy many happy and healthy years of retirement!
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NEW OFFICERS
Congratulations to the new officers of Local 26 who were appointed by the Executive Board to complete the remainder of the term. The new officers are as follows: Butch Ramos as President, Larry Greenhill, Sr. as Vice President, Joe Dabbs as member of the Executive Board, and Melvin Cherry as member of the Examining Board. Please support these officers, as they are working in your best interest every day.
All residential wiremen who have a current jurisdictional license and three or more years of good standing membership in the IBEW may be eligible for the 2006-2007 Residential Upgrade Program. Please contact Wendy Escolero at (202) 829-2900 ext. 19, for an application. The deadline for returning applications to the Examining Board is June 30, 2006. No applications will be accepted for review after that date.
Applicants who are approved by the Examining Board will be notified of the date, time and location for Upgrade Program placement testing.
We are in the process of mailing out the work dues statements for the year 2005 to all members. These statements have your social security number and your card number on them. Please check your social security number to make sure it is correct. If it is not correct as shown on the statement, please contact the Finance Office and your employer.
This statement is broken down by month and shows, as reported by your employer, the hours reported worked, gross pay (total compensation paid except bonuses), work dues owed, and work dues paid. The last column is a balance column that may show a balance due (or over payment) if the proper amounts have not been paid. These columns are totaled at the bottom of the statement.
The hours, gross pay, and dues paid are all as reported by your employer on the monthly benefit reports. The work dues owed is the amount of work dues owed to Local 26 based on your percentage of gross pay for your classification. The balance column should be the difference between the amount of work dues owed and the amount of work dues paid. This column may show a balance due (or an over payment).
Please look this statement over carefully and call the Finance Office if there are any discrepancies or if you have any questions.
SECOND QUARTER DUES WERE DUE APRIL 1ST
RETIREMENTS DUE FOR
JANUARY, FEBRUARY, & MARCH ARE $40.00
by Mike Shoemaker, Financial Secretary
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Arthur I. Citty #1439 James E. Dean #1440 Thomas H. Patterson #1441 James D. Phibbs #1442 Marvin L. Faust #1443 |
Larry E. Justice #1444 Joseph S. Furlow #1445 Wayne H. Hug #1446 Patrick L. Mullady #1447 Earl Jones #1448 |
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David H. Montgomery #1449 David W. Yates #1450 Ronald H. Bostic #1451 |
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Clayton T. Butler, Jr. #1452 Robert E. Dunn #1453 Donald C. Hart #1454 |
Stanley A. Moore #1455 William L. Moore #1456 Richard L. Sparrough, Jr. #1457 |
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Gerald E. Marks #1458 |
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Pictured above, from left to right--
Mike Shoemaker, Financial Secretary; William Jones, 25 Yrs; William Hurley, III, 20 Yrs; Raymond Jones, Jr. (back), 35 Yrs; Jean Delort, 30 Yrs; Charles Richter (back), 35 Yrs; Kenny Hunt, 35 Yrs; Gregory Haaser (back), 35 Yrs; John Hull, Jr. (far back), 35 Yrs; Richard Hull (front), 35 Yrs; Randall Vance (back), 30 Yrs; Franny Olshefski, President (far back); Michael Lilley (front), 20 Yrs; William Yeatts (back), 35 Yrs; Glenn Murray (far back), 35 Yrs; George Buckler, Jr. (front), 30 Yrs; Joseph Caetto, 40 Yrs; James Chroniger, 40 Yrs; Chuck Graham, Business Manager
Notice to all ATM/POS cardholders
that are linked to the regular share account--
If you have your ATM/POS card set up on your regular share account, you can only use the card for a total of 6 times per month. If you need to make more than 6 transactions per month, contact the Credit Union office immediately so we can convert your ATM/POS card to a transaction account in order to comply with Regulation D requirements. After 6 debits to the share account, it will lock out any further transactions for the month. This policy goes into effect 4-1-2006.
We will be moving in June 2006 along with IBEW Local Union 26 to the new facility in Lanham, Maryland. We are excited for the staff and our members as we will be gaining some much needed space. Watch the newsletter for updated information regarding our move.
Office Hours:
Monday thru Friday 9-12 & 1-3:30
Telephone: 202-829-5404
Audio Response: 800-724-7573
Fax: 202-723-3190
Email: information@ibew26fcu.com
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Pictured left- Robert M. Kluckhuhn, 65 Years |
Pictured right- Joseph F. Orlando, Jr. (right), 55 Years, pictured with Jerry Lewis (left), Business Agent |
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Pictured left- Jerome M. Kasulaitis (center), 40 Years, pictured with Eugene Long (left), Retired Members Club Recording Secretary & Dick Bissell (right), Retired Members Club President |
Rebuilding Together Alexandria (formerly Christmas in April) is looking for any IBEW Local 26 members who would like to volunteer their time and skills in April. Rebuilding Together Alexandria is a non-profit organization that partners with volunteers and communities to rehabilitate the homes of low-income homeowners so that they may continue to live independently with warmth and safety. They are committed to donating home repairs to the in-need families of our Alexandria, Virginia community. There are many homeowners and non-profit organizations in Alexandria who have simple electrical issues, but are physically or financially unable to perform these repairs and don’t always have the skilled tradesmen to help.
National Rebuilding Day is Saturday, April 29th. Most of the work is done throughout April, leading up to National Rebuilding Day. But, whenever you might be able to volunteer, there are always clients needing help year round! Please contact Kim Tyrrell in the business office at 202-829-2900 if there is ANY amount of time you can volunteer in April. We are aiming for a huge turn out on April 29th, especially. If you are interested in volunteering ANY amount of time in months other than April, please contact Katharine Medina at 703-836-1021 or e-mail: km@rebuildingtogetheralex.org.
Local 26 utilizes many classifications allowing us to be competitive in the market place. Many unions used the Journeyman and Apprentice classifications only until the Intermediate Journeyman program was developed. Recently, the IBEW has made some classification modifications.
The IBEW has instituted changes so that more local unions may be competitive seeking work. In an effort to help employers realistically compete in today’s market, the Construction Wireman classification will replace the Intermediate Journeyman classification. Along with the new classifications, the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee will provide training to individuals who seek to improve their skills in the electrical industry.
These changes will help local unions and the IBEW increase market share. These new tools will assist local unions in their organizing efforts. As they increase their market share, they will strengthen their bargaining power in the market as well as ours at Local 26.
by Joe Dabbs, Organizer
Brothers and Sisters, the Local 26 Minority Coalition held its Second Annual Black History Month Gala on Saturday, February 18, 2006 at 6220 Kansas Avenue, N.E. The event was well attended and we (the active members of the Coalition) appreciate the support of everyone who contributed their time, resources and attendance. This year we honored those minorities who officially retired, and we also honored our signatory minority contractors. We honored Singleton Electric Company for its monetary contribution that helped the coalition achieve the financial goal we set for our “Educational Fund”. This fund was set up for the daughter of Sister Pauline Best who passed away. Sister Pauline’s mom, Mrs. Davis, attended the gala with Pauline’s daughter, Jasmine, and spoke words of gratitude to the Gala. Business Manager Chuck Graham addressed the Gala with welcoming remarks. We thank the Business Manager and the Local Union Officers for their continued support.
We look forward to the next gala, so mark your calendars for February 17, 2007 (the 3rd Saturday in February 2007)! We continue to meet on the 2nd Friday of every month at 6:00 p.m. Your Local Union needs your help. Attend meetings, get involved, and make a difference!
by Larry Greenhill, Sr., Minority Coalition President
