IBEW 1245
  • Main Menu
    ▼
    • Our Union
      ▼
      • New Members
      • Structure
      • Bylaws
      • History
      • Obituaries
      • Our Employers
      • Merchandise
      • Find a Job
      • Update Your Contact Information
    • Unit Meetings & Events
      ▼
      • Events
      • Unit Meetings
    • Agreements
    • Education
      ▼
      • JATC Classes
      • Scholarships
      • Tuition Reimbursement
      • First Aid & CPR Training
    • Update Your Info & Pay Dues Online
    • Contact Us
    • Employer Login
  • News by Topic
    ▼
    • General Union News
    • PG&E News
    • Outside Construction News
    • Nevada News
    • Manufacturing News
    • Public Sector News
    • Vegetation Management News
    • Safety News & Info
  • Quick Links
    ▼
    • Benefits
    • PG&E Contract Section Index
    • Latest News
    • Find Your Rep
    • Unit Meetings
    • Organize
    • Calendar
    • Library
    • Stewards
    • Retirees
    • Community

IBEW1245

The power is in our hands

PAY YOUR DUES ONLINE
NEWS-LOCAL1245

Unit Officers rekindle the fire

March 21, 2012

Rekindling the Fire

Unit officers study new ways to build the union

Local 1245 members are under attack. The only question is, what are we going to do about it?

Local 1245 unit leaders, meeting in Vacaville on March 14-15, made it clear they don’t intend to back down in the face of anti-union hostility.

IBEW Local 1245 Unit Officers

A fire rekindled…

Some people try to portray union members as “a bunch of communists” because we stand up for our rights, said Bill Trathen, a 10-year IBEW member at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

“But you look around you can see guys walking around with American eagles on their shirts. I got a flag on my truck. I’m a veteran. I’m damn proud to be an American, but I’m going to stand up for my rights, too. And everybody else’s,” said Trathen.

IBEW Local 1245 Group Meeting

BREAKOUT! Meeting in small groups created an opportunity to generate more ideas, and for everyone to be heard.

Business Manager Tom Dalzell summoned the unit leaders to Weakley Hall to help the union respond to what he called “the toughest challenges that this local has ever face.”

Those challenges include withering assaults on our members at the bargaining table, and a political climate that has become increasingly “anti-worker, anti-middle class, anti-pension, anti-benefit, and anti-wage.”

Local 1245 is not simply fighting back on particular issues, Dalzell said, but preparing to build a union strong enough to carry that fight into the future. Local 1245 has mobilized retirees to defend their medical benefits, deployed young members to other states to gain campaign skills, helped linemen, gas workers and tree trimmers organize peer-to-peer campaigns to improve worksite safety.

The union has also worked to strengthen ties between members by organizing soccer tournaments, golf tournaments, bowling competitions, and clay shoots, among other events.

“We’ve tried many things that we’ve not tried before—trying to rekindle some of the early fire that started this union in the 1940s and 1950s,” said Dalzell.

Dalzell puts unit leaders at the heart of this new effort. At the conference, he set out three broad goals for them in 2012:

  • Create bigger and better unit meetings. How do we make them better attended and more relevant?
  • Find new ways to connect with members who will never attend a unit meeting. The union hall used to be the place where members connected. Can we find additional options in the era of social media?
  • Make our union relevant in the community. Can we counter negative propaganda about unions by being a more prominent and positive presence in the places where we work and live?

Something in the Air

Conferences can be boring affairs, where someone pontificates up front and people nod off in the back row after the coffee wears off.

This conference felt different. There was something in the air besides the smell of lunch. People bought into the idea that these issues really matter.

The agenda, crafted by union activist Lorenso Arciniega, barreled forward from one topic to the next. Unit leaders were seated around a dozen small tables where everyone’s ideas could find an audience. The best of those ideas were then shared with the whole group in plenary sessions deftly guided by Turlock Irrigation District Unit Chair Aaron Baker.

Forged in Struggle

Read about the hard-fought campaign to organize a union at Turlock Irrigation District at:

www.ibew1245.com/Group_Profiles/
Turlock_Irrigation_District.pdf

Baker’s unit is a story in itself. Attendance at Turlock unit meetings is routinely over half of the membership. At one recent meeting, attendance was two-thirds. This stand-out performance may be due in part to the unit’s newness. Organized just a decade ago, many members in Turlock still have fresh memories of the effort it took to gain union representation.

But the unit also made a conscious decision to tap younger members for positions of authority. Baker, who just turned 33, was recruited for the unit leadership post by previous unit chair Rich Lane, 55, who continues to play a mentoring role.

Huge turnout

The following unit officers and special guests attended the unit officer conference, along with much of the Local 1245 staff.

DeBaca, Jerry Antioch
Nelli, Bruce Antioch
Cuevas, Ricardo Asplundh-Mtn. View
Gomez, Marcelino Asplundh-Mtn. View
Davis, Kevin Auburn
Pimentel, Margaret Bakersfield
Hall, Brian Buellton
Swanson, Brennen Buellton
Washburn, Dan Burney – Frontier
Casey, Kelley Cal Peco
Sala, Charles Cal Peco
Moeckli, Gary City of Redding
Snyder, Paul City of Redding
Alberts, Rita City of Santa Clara
Williams, John City of Santa Clara
Lassus, Randall Concord
Pirie, John Concord
Casey, Justin Davey Auburn
Middleton, Zach Davey Auburn
Gallegos, Ricardo Davey Napa
Hurtado, Estanislao Davey Napa
Cook, Kenneth Davey Tree – Concord
Simms, John Davey Tree – Concord
Languren, Salvador Davey Tree – Fremont
Ortega, Juan Davey Tree – Fremont
Lewis, Jim Davey Tree – Placerville
Ely, Peter Davey Tree – Red Bluff
Greenlee, Ronald Diablo Canyon
Petersen, Gary Diablo Canyon
McNutt, Caleb Dynegy
Scherer, Mark Dynegy
Ambeau, Donna East Bay Clerical
Franks, Adrianne East Bay Clerical
Jones, Earl Fallon
Curtis, Raymond Fresh Pond (SMUD)
Prince, Tana Fresno
Sandoval, Pedro Fresno
Earl, Patrick Hinkley
Miranda, Roman Hollister
Garcia, Robert Lompoc – Guest
Tinoco, Jaimie Lompoc – Guest
Frasu, Mike Loomis
Danieli, Richard Madera
Noonkester, James Manteca
Snyder, Ione Marin County
Hopp, Keith Marysville
Mayo, Daniel Merced
Flores, Rodrigo Merced ID
Ricard, Julius Mirant
Crow, Tracy Modesto
Sakaguchi, Maria Modesto
Daves, Karri Modesto ID
Sawyer, Christina MT. Wheeler – Ely
Thomas, Robert Napa-Vallejo
Wallace, Robert Oroville
Jessen, Michael Paradise – Chico
Garcia, Henry PGE – Burney
Campodonico, Jeff Placerville
Lancaster, Kevin Placerville
Johnstone, Jim Red Bluff
Neblett, Stuart Red Bluff
Bennuzi, Michelle Reno
Moler, Dana Reno
Bird, Tom Reno Retirees
Borst, Ron Reno Retirees
Weisshaar, Rita Reno Retirees
Estes, Alfonso Richmond
Moore, Dane Richmond
Fowler, Cheril Roseville
Holt, Jeffrey Roseville
Lay, Christine Sacramento
Gray, Jennifer Sacramento Clerical
Krummes, Kevin Sacramento Clerical
Bartlett, Lauren Sacramento RTD
Bibbs, Constance Sacramento RTD
Jones, Vincent San Francisco
Blanton, Judith San Jose Physical/Clerical
Johnson, Douglas R. San Jose Physical/Clerical
Felicich, David Santa Maria
Sandy, Angelo Santa Maria
Stubblefield, Lem Santa Rosa
Del Grande, Dennis Santa Rosa Retirees
Rawles, Ken Santa Rosa Retirees
Skillern, Tim South Lake Tahoe
Stahl, Percy South Lake Tahoe
Hasten, Joseph SSJID
McDonald, Andrew SSJID
De La Torre, Cecelia Stockton
Marquardsen, Susan Stockton
Camacho, Jerry Templeton
Osborne, Todd Templeton
Langelier, David Tiger Creek Powerhouse
Pence, Lewis Tiger Creek Powerhouse
Cervantes, Juan Trees Inc. – Stockton
Garcia, Rosario A. Trees Inc. – Stockton
Arroyo, Jose Manuel Trees Inc. – Fresno
Beede, Craig Truckee Donner PUD
Atkins, Edward Truckee-Donner PUD
Baker, Aaron Turlock ID
Zumstein, Chad Turlock ID
Trathen, William USBR – CVO/Folsom
Janisse, Murray USBR – Keswick
Sharp, Dean USBR – Keswick
Eaves, Mike Vacaville
Stockel, Joseph Vacaville
Laird, Joel Winnemucca
Brown, Ashley Wright Tree – SMUD
Day, Josh Wright Tree – SMUD
Kilgore, Wayne Yerington
Roberts, Paul Yerington

Baker’s experience showed at the conference. He didn’t work from a script, just paced around the room, nudging the conversation forward with questions, keeping the focus on the challenges ahead, at times referring to his unit’s bitter battle with management at TID.

“They’re trying to take everything away—our pay scale, retirement, medical. They’re hitting everything they can think of,” Baker said. “They don’t understand what we do, they don’t understand the sacrifice we make when we go out on Christmas Day to put the power back on or the clerks answer the phones after hours. This is a major fight.”

Baker was speaking from his own experience, but to make a larger point.

“It’s important to get your members not only to the meetings but getting them involved in other areas, too. Politics, community—it’s all going to make a difference,” he said.

Organization in Transition

At times the unit leader conference seemed like an advertisement for an organization in transition. Young unit leaders, including a contingent of youthful-looking line clearance tree trimmers, were mixed together with old-guard union stalwarts like Novato Unit Chair Ione Snyder, East Bay Clerical Chair Donna Ambeau, Reno Chair Dana Moler and Tahoe Chair Smiley Stahl.

The conference’s invited speakers put many different faces on the transition now underway at the union.

  • Political media guru Eric Jaye described how unions will increasingly rely on social media to communicate with our members and recruit public support for our campaigns.
  • Retiree activists Ron Borst, Rita Weisshaar and Tom Bird gave first person accounts of their protracted battle to defend retiree medical benefits at NV Energy.
  • Kim Oaxaca talked about the highly personal journey that led her to create the Facebook support network called PG&E Wives. (See an excerpt of her presentation at www.ibew1245.com/video-files/videos.html.)
  • IBEW lobbyist Scott Wetch described a hostile ballot measure that will strangle unions in red tape if members do not mobilize now to defeat it in November.

In the closing plenary session, the unit leaders were clearly jazzed by the things they had heard. But there was also a clear-eyed recognition that hard work will be required to build the union of the future.

“This has been great, but the proof’s in the pudding,” said Placerville Unit Chair Jeff Campodonico. “We’ve got to implement these ideas and get our name out there as a union, let the public know who we are and what we do.”

“If we don’t do it nobody’s going to do it for us,” said Gary Moeckli, Redding Unit Recorder. Others fought in the past to create a union that delivers the good wages and benefits we enjoy today, he said. “We’ve got to get out and fight and keep it going.”

Educating Our Own

Educating our own members about the union’s role in their lives is a major part of the challenge that unit leaders face.

If members don’t start paying attention and getting involved, said Diablo Canyon Unit Chair Ron Greenlee, then five years from now IBEW members will be wondering what happened to their wages and benefits, and will ask why the union didn’t do anything about it.

“Well, we’re the union, they’re the union,” said Greenlee.

Don’t be intimidated, start with something small, suggested Michelle Benuzzi, the Local 1245 Advisory Council representative for NV Energy and other Nevada employers. Benuzzi recounted how she had used her own money to print up some union t-shirts, and discovered she had created a hot item. The Executive Board then loaned her money for a second production run.

Members in your area have skills, Benuzzi said. Find out what they are and think of ways those skills could be used to advance the union.

After posing for a group photo outside the union hall, the unit leaders began to pack up. There would be a lot to think about on the trip home.

“There is always something new and fresh out there that never even crosses our minds,” said Sacramento Regional Transit Chair Connie Bibbs, who took careful note of Benuzzi’s suggestion. Members can start by doing something small. Sometimes those small things catch fire and become big things.

“It’s about us taking it forward now and getting people involved,” said Lorenso Arciniega. The union isn’t just about going to meetings, it’s about “organizing our communities and building a future for our kids.”

“I think a lot of people got engaged,” he said. “The fire’s been relit.”

 

Check the next issue of the Utility Reporter for more photos of this event.

  • 1245 News
  • PG&E News
  • Public Sector News
  • Nevada News
  • Vegetation Management News
  • Outside Construction News
  • Manufacturing News
  • Safety News
  • Organizing News
  • Retirees News
  • Community News
  • Industry News
  • Competitive Challenges
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

© 2023 IBEW Local 1245 - Responsive WordPress Website by HyperArts