Several delegates attended the VA State Building Trades meeting and the Virginia State AFL-CIO meeting in Richmond last month. Governor Tim Kaine addressed the Virginia State Building Trades delegates and extended his appreciation for the tremendous support he received in the election. Governor Kaine also spoke during the Virginia AFL-CIO Delegates meeting. Once again, he thanked us for our hard work in helping him get elected as Governor in Virginia. We would like to thank Governor Kaine for his continued support of organized labor and for his leadership in the State of Virginia.

In February, the Local 26 organizers and I attended the IBEW 4th District Organizing meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. We discussed the problems that organized labor has when it comes to securing work on large jobs. The non-union contractors still have the upper hand since the Republicans are in office, so we have to battle for those jobs every day. An important message that everyone took from that meeting was to continue to pursue organizing in all aspects and, hopefully, in 2008 we can turn this country around by electing a Democratic president. This would help us tremendously in our organizing efforts to get more work. Local 26 maintains their status as being the leader in organizing in the 4th District, and that is attributed to our members. Our brothers and sisters are involved and know that if we don’t continue to organize, we will die!

I am continuing to pursue every avenue available to get union labor on the upcoming work at the Chalk Point, Morgantown, and Dickerson power houses. I have had several conversations with The Shaw Group, and will continue to communicate with them. Our goal is to work out a solution agreeable to both the Union and Shaw for the upcoming jobs which should be starting in late summer or early fall. I also have scheduled a meeting with upper management at Mirant to see what Local 26 can do to secure this work at the three power houses in our jurisdiction. I will keep you updated as events happen.

I brought Brother Michael Hoyt on board as a new business representative in February. Mike has been around since 1971, and he was working for Chesapeake Electric before coming to the union hall to work as a business agent. He will be handling all the prevailing wage surveys as well as many other duties at the Local.

Two special elections are coming up in the District of Columbia on Tuesday, May 1 in both Ward 7 and Ward 4. In Ward 7, our labor-endorsed candidate is Yvette Alexander. In Ward 4, our labor-endorsed candidate is Muriel Bowser. Please get out and vote, and support these labor-friendly candidates.

Brother Billy Cleland retired March 30. He has worked out of Local 26 for forty years, and served as the Assistant Apprenticeship Director for over ten years. We wish him many happy and healthy years of retirement.

 

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.

Organizing to make our Union grow is a job for all of our members. Fortunately, the amount of work in our jurisdiction offers us a great opportunity to increase our size and strength. The person-to-person approach is the traditional way that organized labor increases their membership; it is the base of all grass roots movements.

The non-union employers, along with the Associated Building Contractors and other organizations, are working everyday to promote their agenda. Unfortunately, many young workers enter the construction field through these different programs and are misinformed about the real benefits of organized labor.

Our members have always done a great job teaching non-union workers about the benefits a union offers. This is not an easy task since the people you are trying to help already have a negative opinion about us thanks to the non-union employer. Another aspect of being a good union member is taking pride in helping our brothers and sisters in the industry. Talk to the non-union worker about union membership and, if you need information about Local 26 to help in the teaching process, contact your Organizing Department.

 

 

We are in the process of mailing out the work dues statements for the year 2006 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 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 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. If this statement shows a balance due, please mail this payment promptly or call the Finance Office with any questions. Work dues as stipulated in our bylaws should be paid to Local 26 while working in the jurisdiction of Local 26. This is figured as a percentage of total gross wages.

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, and March are $28.00.

 

Local 10, the Elevator Constructors Union, has extended an invitation to all Local 26 members for a day of sporting clays on Sunday, April 22nd at 10:00 a.m. This event will be at Prince George’s County Trap and Skeet Center, 10400 Good Luck Road, Glenn Dale, MD 20706, rain or shine. The price will be $45 per shooter for one round of sporting clays (50 shots). The nonrefundable fee includes the shells and lunch. Please contact Butch Ramos at 301-918-8818 by April 18th if you are interested. This is a great opportunity to share and enjoy brotherhood with a fellow local, and have a great time doing it. Please make your reservations early so that we can make the necessary arrangements.

There is a lot going on in the next couple of months. Please make it a point to attend local union meetings so you can make informed decisions about matters that will affect your future.

We look forward to seeing you at the hall and on the shooting range. A Local that works and plays together is a stronger union. Don’t forget our Dollars for Diabetes golf outing in May.

Come out to the new IBEW Local 26 headquarters in Lanham, MD this April for the first annual Springfest! It will be held Monday, April 23rd through Thursday the 26th, from 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Safford Lincoln Mercury will have new and used cars on site to preview. IBEW 26 Federal Credit Union staff members will be on site as well to answer questions about financing and accept loan applications.

 

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.