BUILDING THE BROTHERHOOD & BUILDING POWER ONE STORY, ONE CAMPAIGN AT A TIME
Vacaville, CA – In a first, the annual IBEW 9th District Organizing Training was hosted by IBEW 1245 at the Union Hall in Vacaville!
The two-day event showcased IBEW 1245’s extraordinary organizing program that has been the envy of the labor movement. Forty organizers from twenty-two IBEW Locals attended the event.
IBEW International Vice President for the 9th District, Dave Reaves, recognized the IBEW 1245 work that has propelled growth and member engagement, and thanked IBEW 1245 Business Manager Bob Dean and the Organizing Team for hosting this year’s event and sharing their organizing approach.
Brother Dean and the IBEW 1245 Executive Board welcomed the group. After acknowledging the Executive Board’s commitment to investing in organizing and leadership development, Dean declared, “This is a huge, member driven exercise. It helps us by getting our members engaged. We are in the middle of a contract battle with our largest employers, and I already have an army mobilized for that fight.”
Senior Assistant Business Manager Al Fortier joined Assistant Business Manager Rene Cruz Martinez and his dynamic team of organizers to lead the training, introducing the attendees to the nuts and bolts of the Organizing Steward program, which has won accolades from sister locals, other affiliates, central labor councils, state labor federations and the International.
The program, a multi-generational, hands-on leadership development initiative, is entering its twelfth year.
Formalized in 2013, the first class was comprised of twenty-eight stewards. Today, more than 125 stewards are active.
SHARING OUR STORIES
Organizing Stewards Danielle Bonds, Brenda Balcazar, Kayela Jones sharing their stories
Cruz Martinez kicked off the training saying, “Stories are a crucial way to engage members and invite them to get involved.” Cruz Martinez, a twelve-year IBEW 1245 member who came out of the rank and file and was part of the first class of Organizing Stewards, shared his own story.
“My mother was a garment maker, working 7 -to-7 and making less than minimum wage…my dad was a farm worker. I didn’t know much about politics or organizing. But I wanted to help people. I started working for PG&E when a co-worker invited me to help knock doors for the “No on Prop 32,” an effort to limit unions’ ability to participate in politics. My first organizing campaign was Sunoptics, a manufacturing plant. I witnessed how nonunion workers were treated. We won. And I never turned back.” Cruz Martinez has been on staff for 7 years and leads the organizing team.
“Stories are crucial as we try to engage members and invite them to get involved,” he said.
INVITING MEMBERS OVER & OVER – NEVER GIVING UP
Organizer Charlotte Stevens reviewed the structure and roots of the program, emphasizing the importance of building relationships and creating opportunities for members to participate.
“I knew nothing about the union, and I definitely didn’t want to go to a meeting. But a co-worker kept asking. I said, ‘No.’ said Stevens. “But she kept asking… I was out of excuses when she invited me to an action instead of a meeting, saying ‘Charlotte, Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) is being shut down…members are going to lose their jobs.’ I didn’t know what DCPP was , but being laid off resonated with me, so I agreed to attend the action at the state capitol fighting the closure of DCPP in San Luis Obispo. There were so many people standing in solidarity. 1245 and other unions were standing with brothers and sisters losing their jobs. That hit me. I’d been laid off so many times. After eight years of being in the US Airforce, this was a solidarity I’d not seen since my military service. It brought back that sense of purpose – we are our brothers’ keeper. … I wouldn’t be here had someone not asked me and didn’t give up asking me! “said Stevens.
BUILDING AN ORGANIZING CULTURE
IBEW 1245 Organizing Team shares their stories
Conventional wisdom used to maintain that a union could excel either at representing the contract or excel as an organizing power. IBEW 1245’s organizing program sought to do both. The genesis of the IBEW 1245 Organizing steward program is rooted in two contract fights, NV Energy and PG&E Clerical, during the aftermath of the 2009 recession. Those two successful organizing drives, and a long-term commitment by IBEW 1245’s leadership to invest in the next generation of younger members, planted the seeds of the Organizing Steward program.
Self-interest met solidarity, and a passion for making a difference and sharing the union difference was born, one campaign, one contract, one 1:1 conversation, one opportunity at a time.
Local successes provided convincing evidence of the dividends that an engaged and enthusiastic membership provides. IBEW 1245 member organizers developed the reputation of the “first to arrive and the last to leave” across labor councils, state labor federations, and other campaign stops.
After five years of tilling the soil through hands on fights and formal training, the IBEW 1245 Executive Board institutionalized the program and named it the Organizing Steward program.
“Passion fuels this program and the relationships we have with one another. Tomorrow ninety Organizing Stewards will be coming to the Hall on their day off,” said Cruz Martinez.
ORGANIZING, POLITICS & SOLIDARITY
Organizer Rick Thompson shared, “Just as Shop Stewards defend the contract, Organizing Stewards defend the principles of the Union.” The three areas are: organizing, politics, and solidarity.
Politics – While sometimes controversial, politics are a critical part of the work. “What we can’t get at the bargaining table, we get at a different arena,” said Thompson. In the public sector, elected officials sign off on the CBA/MOU. When we go to the capitol, legislators see us and recognize us,” said Thompson.
As a case in point, when PG&E entered bankruptcy, political support was crucial to strengthening and extending our CBA, providing for General Wage Increases (GWIs), preserving medical/benefits, and adding a “no voluntary lay off” clause. In another example of IBEW 1245 using legislative strength to gain collective bargaining improvements for our members, IBEW 1245 successfully lobbied to amend SB 247, a wildland fire prevention and vegetation management bill, inserting language in the bill that nearly doubled line clearance tree trimmer’s wages. Organizing Stewards, in a dramatic show of strength, were instrumental in lobbying for the adoption of this legislation.
Local 659 Assistant Business Managers Terra Clevenger and Cody Stafford
Organizing – Organizing Stewards support organizing drives, both internal and external. Thompson stressed that Organizing Stewards are among the best evangelists for non-union members. Recently, at the City of Vallejo, where union density had dipped to nearly 50% due to dissatisfaction with contract gains in the aftermath of bankruptcy, the Organizing Team worked with the IBEW 1245’s Business Rep, Kim Camatti, and built a strategy to increase union density a year before going to the negotiating table.
“We formed and trained a VOC to hold one-on-one conversations. Union density increased from 50% to nearly 90%. When we got to negotiations, we mobilized the strength of the Union: mobilizing members at the City of Vallejo and Organizing Stewards from other properties. With support from labor, political and religious allies, and the community, we packed City Hall meetings, and won a landmark MOU,” said Senior Assistant Business Manager Al Fortier.
“It sounds like the internal organizing moved the needle at the negotiating table,” said Michael Schreck, an Organizer from Local 191 in Everett, Washington. “Absolutely,” said Fortier.
Fortier offered another example of the impact of Organizing Stewards. “Two years ago, a California Senate Bill (SB 284) sought to take away work from a vast swath of IBEW’s membership in California. Under Business Manager Bob Dean’s leadership, Organizing Stewards spearheaded a union-wide phone bank to mobilize targeted calls to legislators supporting the bill and successfully crushed it,” said Fortier. Members who had never participated before got involved.
And a spark was lit.
IBEW 1245 Business Manager Bob Dean & the Executive Board greet 9th District organizers
Solidarity – Solidarity is the heart of the labor movement. Dispatching Organizing Stewards to support other locals and affiliates during their fights, not only provides an opportunity to exercise leadership, but also provides opportunities to learn and upgrade skills that stewards can then reinvest in their home local. Solidarity builds relationships that strengthen the entire labor movement.
Local 47 Organizer Andrew McKercher shared the experience of IBEW 1245 Organizing Stewards helping his local organize a contact center on the second round.
Cruz Martinez noted that multiple IBEW Locals from the 9th District and State Federation affiliates stood with Siemens workers seeking to join our union. “The solidarity we received at the Siemens Campaign – over 155 volunteers – was something I’d never seen before,” he added.
Solidarity campaigns created a repository of goodwill that translated into support for IBEW 1245’s own fights.
Training
IBEW 1245 holds three trainings per year for Organizing Stewards, typically on their own time, to reinforce the hands-on training. Stewards learn about the history of IBEW, our local, the labor movement and current events. They meet elected officials, national leaders, their local union leadership, and subject matter experts, then report back to their co-workers.
Organizing Stewards participate in Central Labor Councils as delegates, and attend conferences where they see the bigger picture. They establish regional Organizing Steward gatherings to convene and meet co-workers as part of a “relational organizing” approach.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT
The Organizing Steward program generates multiple opportunities to engage members at the worksite, at home, at Unit meetings, and in special mobilizations. Each conversation, campaign or fight becomes a training ground to hone leadership skills. Staff organizer Melissa Echevarria invited three Organizing Steward Leads – Danielle Bonds, Brenda Balcazar, and Kaeyla Jones – to share their leadership trajectories as Organizing Stewards.
TRACKING SUCCESS
From left to right: IBEW 617 Membership Development Representative Francisco Castano, IBEW 46 Member/Intern Michael Lebeis, Membership Development Representative Ryan Smith, and IBEW 952 Organizer Evan Marrufo.
Finally, Cruz Martinez shared the tracking mechanisms, the lists, and the ways we measure success. To date, more than four hundred members have participated in the program. Nineteen Organizing Stewards have been appointed to the Staff. Countless others have been involved in Union committees, Central Labor Councils, and more. At the end of every year, Staff meets with Organizing Stewards to evaluate the program and their role. Some eagerly ask to renew the appointment. A few opt out due to a host of reasons.
Fortier ended the day, thanking the brothers and sisters for their participation.
“We really appreciate your time today and look forward to seeing you tomorrow when you will see our Organizing Stewards in action. This organizing program is continuing to grow. We have changed from a union that only serviced contracts to one that engages our membership so that they understand everything we are doing and why!” he said.
The day was capped by a reception at the Hall, celebrating the Brotherhood and Sisterhood and the work. The next day, the forty guests joined ninety IBEW 1245 Organizing Stewards for a full day celebrating victories, identifying challenges, and renewing the commitment to the struggle for working families.
District Organizing Coordinator for the 9th District Greg Boyd
Local 617 Membership Development Representative Francisco Castano, Local 46 Member/Intern Michael Lebeis
IBEW 659 Assistant Business Managers Mike Meek and Johnny Walker
Local 659 Assistant Business Managers Terra Clevenger and Cody Stafford
Local 1186 Organizer Kurtney Silva, Sr. and Assistant Business Manager Leyton Torda
IBEW 1245 Business Manager Bob Dean & the Executive Board greet 9th District organizers
IBEW 1245 Organizing Team shares their stories
IBEW 1245 Organizer Charlotte Stevens shares IBEW 1245's leadership structure & the genesis of the Organizing Steward Program
From left to right: IBEW Local 47 Organizer Andrew McKercher and Assistant Business Manager Rick Garcia; Local 1186 Assistant Business Manager Leyton Torda.
From left to right: IBEW Local 1186 Assistant Business Manager Leyton Torda, Local 47 Assistant Business Manager Rick Garcia, Local 1260 Business Manager/International Executive Committee Member Leroy Chincio, and Local 1245 Sr. Assistant Business Manager Ralph Armstrong.
9th District State Organizing Coordinator Rustin Johnston and District Organizing Coordinator Greg Boyd.
From left to right: IBEW 617 Membership Development Representative Francisco Castano, IBEW 46 Member/Intern Michael Lebeis, Membership Development Representative Ryan Smith, and IBEW 952 Organizer Evan Marrufo.
IBEW organizers in discussion with 9th District State Organizing Coordinator Kail Zuschlag, right.
Organizing Stewards Danielle Bonds, Brenda Balcazar, Kayela Jones sharing their stories