Power House Work

I have been working with Steve Zimmerman on the power house work that is suppose to start in early fall at Chalk Point, Morgantown, and Dickerson. It is a scrubber project that the Maryland State Assembly approved last year. These jobs are estimated to be over $900 million worth of work, and the project was awarded to The Shaw Group, a notorious non-union contractor from North Carolina.

Because of the importance of this work to Local 26 members, I held a strategy meeting on February 15 with area County Executives to discuss the situation at the power houses. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and come up with a plan to encourage The Shaw Group to hire Maryland residents for this power house work. In attendance were Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson; Charles County Commission President Wayne Cooper; Calvert County Commission President Wilson Parran; Charles County Commission Member Sam Graves; and, St. Mary’s County Commission President Jack Russell. Also present were Hasan Solomon from Governor O’Malley’s Office; John Shields from the Washington Building Trades Office; Ernie Dorsey, Business Manager of the Boilermakers; and, several Local 26 Business Agents. The meeting was very productive, and Local 26 has the support of these influential people to help Maryland residents secure the jobs for this upcoming work at the power houses. I feel positive that these representatives are willing to help, so we will hold additional meetings as the power house projects progress.

 

The Local Union Scholarship Committee is now accepting applications for the annual Local 26 Scholarship Award. Two winners will be selected as recipients of the 4-year, $1,000 per year award. Applicants must be in their senior year of high school or be a high school graduate between the ages of 17 and 21, with less than two years of college completed. This scholarship is open to the children of Local 26 members who have been in good standing for at least five years.

You may stop by the Lanham, MD Union Hall and pick up an application form, or call the business office at 301-459-2900 to request that one be mailed to your home. The deadline for returning completed applications is March 31st.

 

 

Christmas Stocking

 

 

 

Brothers and Sisters, in case you did not know, in addition to being President of the Local 26 Minority Coalition I also work as a Business Agent. As a Business Agent, one of the things that I’m assigned to do is assist the Business Manager in the area of politics. After assessing our political position, relative to our counterparts in the Labor movement, we have come to realize that being “actively” involved in politics (whether we want to admit it or not) is tantamount to the very existence of Local 26. In the past, a few interested and dedicated members “carried our water” for us. I, for one, appreciate those members who continue to get involved year after year by volunteering their time to help out. It is now time for us to step up our level of participation. Our size alone says that we must do better - simply participating is not enough. We need to become a viable “player” again. We (the Business Office) plan to take advantage of this new political climate that we (along with our active members) helped to create by holding those candidates we help get elected accountable. We cannot do this without your help. With that being said, I want to personally thank those of you who voted in the crucial mid-term elections that took place back in November 2006 in Maryland and Virginia. I hope that, at the very least, you voted for candidates who support our agenda. What’s the agenda you ask? Decent wages, adequate health care, retirement, and jobsite safety, just to name a few. I ask that each of you consider volunteering a couple of hours a month (in your respective communities) to help us reach out to other members. Call 301-918-8804 and leave a name and number and we’ll get back with you as soon as possible.

By the time you get read this article, we will have held our 3rd Annual Black History Month Celebration. This celebration is sponsored by the Local 26 Minority Coalition with support from the Business Office and sanctioned by the International President’s Office. All members were welcome to come out and enjoy this annual celebration. To those members who did not attend this year, we look forward to seeing you next year. The Local 26 Minority Coalition meets at 6:00 p.m. on the 2nd Friday of the month. This is the same date as your regular General Membership Meeting. See you there!

 

 

Brothers and Sisters from Winchester to Roanoke, the Local 26 Retired Members’ Club has been holding fund-raisers for many years in order to purchase and repair medical equipment. If you have bought raffle tickets from a retiree, joined us for the annual Crab Feast at Mayo Beach, or purchased our Cookbook “Watts Cooking”, you are supporting this program. Many are unaware that this equipment is available to any member of Local 26 and any member of their family living anywhere within our jurisdiction. It is for your use for as long as you need it at NO CHARGE!

Equipment has always been available at the main Union Hall. Now, however, we have some items at the Charlottesville, VA office. So, no matter where you live in Local 26’s jurisdiction, you have access to these items within about an hour’s drive.

If you have used some of the equipment and it is no longer in use, give us a call and we will pick it up. All of our equipment is identified by a small silver and red sticker with the Local 26 logo and an equipment number. You may call Financial Secretary, Mike Shoemaker (301) 459-2900, our Medical Equipment Manager, Rick Warner (301) 422-1106, or Charlottesville Agent, Lorne Seay (434) 975-IBEW. Any of these Brothers will be able to tell you if we have what you need. If we don’t have it, we will buy it.

The following items are available in Charlottesville: hospital bed, wheel chair, transport chair, crutches, canes, walkers, shower chair, potty chair, reacher/grabbers. There are many more items at the Lanham office, and we will be pleased to supply you with any of these no matter where you live in our jurisdiction.

We have purchased and repaired many items over the last two years. Nearly $4,000.00 was spent to accomplish this, and our Medical Equipment Fund is still quite healthy. Please make use of this benefit provided to you by the Retired Members’ Club.

 

 

 

 

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 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 28th, when we are especially aiming for a huge turn out. 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! If you are interested in volunteering ANY amount of time, please contact Katharine Medina at 703-836-1021 or e-mail: km@rebuildingtogetheralex.org.

 

Work has been very good for the members of Local 26, and it appears that the good work will continue for some time. As always when work is good, we have many new members joining the ranks of Local 26. These new members come from a variety of sources, such as our non-union competitors, vo-tech or high schools, organizing drives, etc.

All new members go through a membership orientation class at the Union Hall when they are sworn into membership. During the class, they are told of things such as the history of the IBEW and Local 26 and what we are trying to accomplish as a union. They are also told about their union membership, benefits, and their responsibilities both with regard to work ethics and union dues. We give a lot of information in a short period of time, and I am sure there may be some information that our new members do not understand.

We have many veteran members of the Local out there working every day with the new members, and I ask these veterans to help guide the new members in the union way. They may have questions about pensions, health and welfare, or our annuity plan, and they should be directed to the Health and Welfare office. Questions regarding dues can be referred to the Finance Office, or many of you who have been members for several years can educate the new member and remind them when a new quarter approaches. Many of us with years of membership pay dues out of habit, and it becomes automatic; however for the new members it is not yet automatic. When a new quarter approaches, it might be helpful if our veterans give those new members a gentle reminder that it’s time to pay dues.

 

We would like to make you aware of the following in accordance with the Article III, Sections 8(a) through 8(e) of your Bylaws. Those of you who are planning to seek office in the upcoming election, please be advised that nominations will be held at the General Membership meeting on Friday, May 11, 2007, 8:00 p.m., at 4371 Parliament Place, Lanham, MD 20706. Nominations will be submitted orally from the floor.

The following offices will be open for nominations: President (1), Vice President (1), Recording Secretary (1), Financial Secretary (1), Treasurer (1), Business Manager (1), Executive Board (6), and Examining Board (3). Please be sure to read over Article III in your Bylaws and Article XVI of your Constitution.

In accordance with Article XVI, Section 10 of the IBEW Constitution, no members shall be nominated for office unless they are present or signify their willingness in writing, nor shall they be eligible for any office unless they have been members in continuous good standing at least two (2) years in the Local Union immediately prior to nomination. No apprentice shall be eligible to hold office in the Local Union.

The election shall be conducted by mail ballot, and they shall be counted beginning at 10:00 a.m. on June 8, 2007. All members in good standing shall be mailed a ballot not less then 15 days prior to the above specified date. Ballots received after 10:00 a.m. on June 8, 2007, will not be counted. If a run-off election is required, same shall be held on June 29, 2007. The same rules shall apply to the run-off election as were applicable to the regular election. Instructions on the use of the mail ballot will be enclosed with the ballot.

If a ballot is not received or ruined, replacement ballots may be obtained by making a written request to the Election Judge.