Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Yesterday, what should have been a routine workday quickly turned into a terrifying situation for one of our union brothers working with a crew in the Camino area above Placerville. A resident fired a gun upon the jobsite, and our Brother was shot. Thankfully, he is expected to be okay and the suspect was taken into custody.
Two El Dorado County Sheriff’s deputies were also injured while responding to the situation and we are also keeping them and their families in our thoughts.
Incidents like this are a stark reminder of the challenges our IBEW members face while simply doing their jobs. Every day, our IBEW members respond to outages and emergencies at a moment’s notice, working around high-voltage electricity, in severe weather, and in difficult terrain to restore power and keep our communities running.
As I shared with news outlets yesterday, this work already comes with great risks and can be life-threatening. No worker should ever have to worry about violence from the very people they are there to help.
We know that incidents targeting utility workers have been increasing in recent years, and that is why we are joining forces with our sister locals in sponsoring legislation in Sacramento, SB 1330 by Senator Jesse Arreguín, to strengthen legal protections for utility workers who are attacked while performing their duties.
IBEW 1245 staff are in contact with the crew and will continue supporting our Brother and everyone affected by this incident. Our union will always stand behind our members and their families, especially in moments like these.
We also want to remind you that your safety always comes first. If a situation with a customer becomes hostile or unsafe, step away and notify supervision and law enforcement if necessary. No job is more important than making sure you return home safely at the end of the day.
Please keep our Brother, the crew, and the responding deputies in your thoughts.
In solidarity,
Bob Dean
Business Manager
IBEW Local 1245