Change Starts With Me: Lessons from IBEW’s 2015 EWMC Conference

By Michael Musgrove, IBEW 1245 Organizing Steward

“At the banquet of life, there are no reserved seats. You get what you can take and keep what you can hold. If you can’t take anything, you won’t get anything. And if you can’t hold anything, you won’t keep anything. And you can’t take anything without… Organization.” – Philip Randolph

I had the honor and privilege to represent Local 1245 as delegate at my first Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC) conference, which took place in Atlanta, Georgia, the birth place of one our nation’s most influential civil rights and labor leaders — Dr. Martin Luther King — during the weekend we celebrate his life.

Learning from the Past ~ Leading in the Future

The four-day EWMC event began with the RENEW Young Workers Conference on Wednesday, January 16. This year’s slogan was “Learning from the Past ~ Leading in the Future.” RENEW chose that theme because in order to grow and become a stronger union we have to learn from the people that have come before us, and understand we as young workers are not just the future, we are the NOW.  With the majority of current union members eligible for retirement in the next 10 years, we must continue to educate our peers and get as many people involved as we can so that we can finally stop the bleeding and make unions strong again in this great country.

RENEW held three workshops and had some great discussions on what we can do going forward and the importance of being a union member. As an IBEW 1245 Organizing Steward, I enjoyed all three of the workshops and feel that each one helped me become a better organizer. The Power Analysis session taught us strategies on targeting the groups that we should be focused on when organizing a work group or fighting for a community cause. We also had sessions on ways to keep groups engaged and connected, along with enhancing public speaking skills and leadership techniques.

Giving Back

Some people think unions are only looking out for their own self-interest, but in fact, giving back is a common theme in the Labor Movement. We aren’t just fighting for ourselves, we fight for the working class and our communities. That’s why, during every conference, EWMC makes it a point to participate in a day of community service. I had the opportunity to work at the local Food Bank with a few other 1245 members, where we helped box over 9,000 pounds of food, amounting to about 7,000 meals ready to go out to the community. EWMC attendees also helped at nearby shelters, volunteered at local schools and helped rebuild parks.

Soaking It All In

On Friday we had an organizing workshop led by our very own staff organizers from IBEW 1245, Jennifer Grey and Jammi Juarez. They both have a proven track record as experienced and successful organizers, and it was great to walk through a campaign from beginning to the end with them and see the steps that are required when organizing a work group.

In the afternoon, we were given a tour of the Center for Civil and Human Rights and later we visited The King Center. Seeing so much history and just trying to soak it all in was overwhelming. It saddens me to think that some of the fights that Dr King fought are some of the same fights we in the Labor Movement are still fighting today. I know we have made progress, but the fact is, it’s been almost 50 years since Dr King was assassinated, and we’re still struggling with many of the same issues he stood for: equality, civil rights and workers’ rights.

After a couple more workshops on Saturday we closed the conference with a nice banquet honoring a few of the local charities that the EWMC was able to give donations to. Overall I feel blessed to be a part of IBEW, and my EWMC family is definitely one I plan to keep close to my heart.

Change Starts With Me

During this past week I’ve heard from leaders that stood with Dr. King, rising leaders in RENEW, and our union’s current leader, IBEW International President Hill. I also got to walk the same streets that the great Dr Martin Luther King did and see all of the accomplishments and strides he made during his lifetime.  It’s hard to express the emotions and feelings you have after attending such an amazing and influential conference, but I definitely walked away understanding why people say “It’s like no other conference you’ll ever attend.” I know now that the change starts with me, and I hope at some point of my life I can look back and be proud of the work we have done to make this country strong again.