IBEW 1245’s Tom Dalzell, Bob Dean and Hunter Stern joined with representatives from Local 396 and NV Energy to accept the Ed Hill Award. photo courtesy of EEI
Last fall, IBEW 1245 teamed up with IBEW 396 and our shared employer, NV Energy, to oppose Question 3, a deceptive energy deregulation ballot measure that could have had widespread impacts on utility jobs and customers in Nevada. Together, we soundly defeated the measure by a 2-to-1 margin – no small feat, considering the same exact measure had passed by a similar margin just two years earlier.
The labor-management coalition we built played an enormous role in the success of the No on 3 campaign, and garnered the attention of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), which this week presented the coalition with its inaugural Edwin D. Hill award during the National Labor Management Public Affairs Committee (LAMPAC) meeting in Washington DC on March 11.
Named for IBEW International President Emeritus Edwin D. Hill, who passed away in December, the award is given to leaders who advance issues at the state and local levels. Hill, who EEI describes as “a transformative trade unionist who modernized and shepherded the IBEW through one of the deepest recessions in history,” built a legacy by establishing the IBEW as one of North America’s most powerful voices for working people. Hill also worked to create National LAMPAC in 2007 to help the union and electric companies jointly address the nation’s energy challenges.
“You have set the standard for how to work together to achieve positive results for our industry, along with the people and communities of Nevada,” IBEW International President Lonnie Stephenson wrote in a letter to Local 1245. “On behalf of the National LAMPAC, the leadership of the Edison Electric Institute, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the men and women that support our industry day in and day out, thank you for your leadership.”
“IBEW Local Union 396, IBEW Local Union 1245, and NV Energy worked together to build a broad coalition to achieve an outcome that ultimately benefits electricity customers in Nevada,” said EEI President Tom Kuhn in a statement. “They were very successful, and they are all very deserving of this distinguished award.”
IBEW 1245 Business Manager Tom Dalzell, Senior Assistant Business Manager Bob Dean and Assistant Business Manager Hunter Stern represented Local 1245 at the awards ceremony.
“We don’t do the work we do for the purpose of winning prizes, but instead to further the interest of our members. That said, it is always a source of pride when Local 1245’s extraordinary efforts are recognized,” said Dalzell. “This award belongs to the hundreds of 1245 members who worked to defeat Question 3.”