Author Archives: Maggie Young

“The IBEW SPARQ” Reignites Commitment To Code Of Excellence

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The IBEW’s International President, Lonnie Stephenson, recently sent the following letter to all IBEW Local Union Business Managers in the United States And Canada:

 

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

At the 39th IBEW International Convention, the delegates of the IBEW passed the Resolution – “Renewed Commitment to the Code of Excellence”. The resolution affirms a renewed commitment to the IBEW Code of Excellence (COE) and its core values: Safety, Professionalism, Accountability, Relationships, and Quality (SPARQ). In addition, it resolves, “that each local union shall implement the COE by utilizing updated COE tools and training materials.” That is why I am pleased to announce that all IBEW local unions and members will now have access to a quarterly Code of Excellence newsletter called The IBEW SPARQ.

The IBEW SPARQ will be published online quarterly. Each edition will focus on one of the SPARQ core values of the Code of Excellence. The first newsletter, the July 2017 edition, focuses on Safety. Each edition will have the same format: a cover story that highlights the importance of the values of the COE, a section specific to each branch of the IBEW, and a section that will allow for local unions to share their Code of Excellence success stories.

Local union leaders and members will be able to find the newsletters on the IBEW website at www.ibew.org. Look for the COE-SPARQ tab at the top of the page, and you can download any or all branch newsletters. These resources can be used to inform and educate our members, our customers, and even our communities. Demonstrating the core values of the Code of Excellence at all times is part of who we are as IBEW members and leaders, and it’s important to tell our story. By keeping SPARQ at the forefront of everything we do, we will continue to grow and thrive as a union for generations to come.

I hope that you will join me in sharing our story of IBEW excellence across all of our industries with everyone you know. Enjoy The IBEW SPARQ.

With best wishes, I am

Fraternally yours,
Lonnie R. Stephenson
International President

 

 

Labor Night O’s Game Postponed

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Local 24 is sorry to announce that the annual Labor Night at Camden Yard, expected to take place on Friday, June 30, 2017, has been postponed by the management of the Baltimore Orioles.

When and if a new date is determined, we will announce the details as soon as possible.

Take Action! Tell The U.S. Senate To Oppose Neil Gorsuch For The Supreme Court

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Hearings began in the Senate last week on President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch.

Gorsuch would be terrible for working people. He’s routinely voted against the interests of working people when it comes to safety on the job and discrimination in the workplace, and has denied workers’ efforts to secure earned wages and benefits.

In the coming years, the Supreme Court is going to be taking up really important cases that will have a huge effect on working people’s right to stand together in a union to improve their workplaces, to fight discrimination in the workplace and be safe on the job. After listening to Gorsuch’s answers during his hearing and reviewing his record, it’s clear he will put the interests of corporations before those of working people.

Working people are among those with the most to lose if he’s appointed. That’s why it’s up to us to stop him.

Sign the petition to tell the Senate to oppose his nomination

The petition to the U.S. Senate says the following:

President Trump’s nominee for Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, will put the interests of corporations before those of working people. I urge you to oppose Judge Gorsuch’s nomination and insist on a nominee with a record of respect for the rights of working families.

Organizing Leads To Success At BGE

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We would like to take this time to congratulate the men and women of Baltimore Gas & Electric in their great victory, forming IBEW Local #410. It was a long road to travel. The workers of BGE started working to organize their union over 20 years ago. Local 24 is grateful for every opportunity to help in this tremendous journey.

This latest campaign was an effort that received support from volunteers and organizers from all over the country. Members flooded in from the West Coast, Mid West and of course the East. I can say that everyone that took part was dedicated to the labor movement and to the new members of Local #410. It was amazing to see what can happen when a group works together to achieve a common goal.

We look forward to working with our new brothers and sisters as they form the foundation for many prosperous years to come.

 

In Solidarity

Gary R. Griffin

Local 24

Have You Thought About Running For Public Office? The AFL-CIO Wants To Help

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Path to Power is a project of the AFL-CIO Political Department to identify, recruit, and elect candidates to run for local government offices. The purpose is to shift the power in local government to favor stronger pro-worker policies and develop a bench of candidates to move into higher office.

Path to Power will work with affiliates, state federations, local labor bodies and close partners to identify union members and progressive, pro-working families candidates who can run winning campaigns in identified races.

Path to Power is a comprehensive program that follows the candidate through all stages from recruitment to governing including:

Identify & Recruit Candidates – Using data analytics, local knowledge and the political landscape to identify races that can be won by progressive pro-working families’ candidates. Local labor leaders and partners will then identify potential candidates to run in those races.

Candidate Training – Path to Power, in partnership with state federations and affiliates on the ground, will train candidates on how to run a campaign, including: campaign messaging, labor issues, campaign planning, fundraising, and voter contact.

Electoral Support – Path to Power will offer continued support to endorsed Path to Power Candidates to assist in their election efforts, as allowed by each state’s election law.

Issues & Accountability – Path to Power Alumni in elected office will have access to continued issue education and policy conferences, giving alumni the resources they need to introduce and pass progressive, pro-working families legislation.

Many Labor Milestones Are Found In African American History

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Negro History Week was celebrated for the first time in 1926 during the second week in February. This month was chosen because Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln celebrate their birthdays during this month. In 1976, Negro History Week became Black History Month and the rich history of African Americans began to receive special attention during the entire month of February.

As historians take a closer look at the many facets of black history in this country, they often find themselves documenting not only the struggle of oppressed people in this country, but how that struggle was part of a larger social and economic movement to improve the lives of the working class and their role within the American labor movement.

The UC Berkeley Labor Center Black Workers Resources page includes sections on African American Labor History Guides, Recommended Articles and Books, Films and Videos, Online Data Bases and links to websites.

The A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum is located in the Historic Pullman District in Chicago. Its mission is to promote, honor and celebrate the legacy of A. Philip Randolph and contributions made by African-Americans to America’s labor history. Their web site provides a number of excellent teaching resources including The Evolution & History of the Union.

Civil Rights and Labor: Joint Struggles for Justice by Corinne Geballe illuminates the similarities and differences between the two movements.

Ruth Needleman’s Black Freedom Fighters in Steel: The Struggle for Democratic Unionism is the story of five black organizers, long-distance runners who were indispensable to building the steel workers union as well as the civil rights movement in northwest Indiana.

Robert H. Ziegler analyzes the position of African American workers in the U.S. economy and social order over the past century and a half in his book For Jobs and Freedom: Race and Labor in America since 1865. This comprehensive study focuses on black workers’ efforts to gain equal rights in the workplace and deals extensively with organized labor’s complex and tumultuous relationship with African Americans. Highlighting the problems and opportunities that have characterized efforts to build biracial unions and forge a strong labor−civil rights political coalition, it is an authoritative treatment on the subject of race and labor in modern America.

The story of the 1939 interracial sharecroppers strike in Missouri is the subject of Oh Freedom After While, a 1999 California Newsreel DVD. One reviewer called it, “An epic tale of courage and perseverance, race and class, imagination and endurance.”

Another California Newsreel DVD (1996), A. Philip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom takes viewers on a tour of 20th-century civil rights and labor history as it chronicles Randolph’s legendary efforts to build a more equitable society.

Miles of Smiles, a 1989 California Newsreel DVD, tells the story of the first black trade union – the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. It describes the 12 year struggle led by A. Philip Randolph to win the first contract ever negotiated with black workers.

A fourth California Newsreel DVD (1993), At The River I Stand is a 58-minute documentary that chronicles the connection between economic and civil rights, debates strategies for change, the demand for full inclusion of African Americans in American life and the fight for dignity for public employees and all working people. It highlights the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers strike and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In his 1961 speech to the AFL-CIO convention, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The two most dynamic and cohesive liberal forces in the country are the labor movement and the Negro freedom movement.” The speech provides an excellent example of teaching with documents and for Document Based Questions (DBQs).

I am a Man: Dr. King and the Memphis Sanitation Strike, a 10 minute video produced by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) a reminder that the civil rights leader died while supporting a union.

The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists is an organization representing more than 50 different international and national unions with 50 chapters whose goal is to “build a national movement …to achieve economic, political and social justice for every American.” Its “Taking a Stand” section includes statements and videos by CBTU President Terry Melvin on a number of contemporary topics such as immigration, voting rights and others.

For more information about the American labor movement, visit The American Labor Studies Center.

Just Say NO To The Anti-Labor Secretary

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Donald Trump’s nominee for Labor Secretary—fast-food CEO Andrew Puzder—is anything but the ally working people need. The millionaire opposes meaningful increases to the minimum wage and overtime pay. He’s lined his own pockets while cheating his employees at Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr, violating the same laws he would oversee as Labor Secretary. Puzder demeans women with his sexist ads and comments, and 66 percent of women working at his restaurants report unwanted sexual harassment. Without a doubt, Puzder will make workplaces worse. For more information about Puzder’s record, check out http://antilaborsecretary.org/

Make sure your Senators know you oppose fast-food boss Andrew Puzder for Labor Secretary. Call 1-844-612-6113 today!

There’s no time to spare. The Senate is likely to hold its first hearing on Puzder this month and a confirmation vote is likely to follow soon after. We’re joining with an unprecedented coalition of workers around the country to make our voices heard and stop the Anti-Labor Secretary from coming into office and doing any more damage to working people.

Join us today by clicking here or calling 1-844-612-6113 to reach both of your senators. After you’re connected to one of your senator’s offices, tell whomever answers that you want the senator to vote NO on Andrew Puzder’s confirmation as Secretary of Labor.

Here’s a sample script to use when making the call:

“Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and as a resident of {CITY, STATE}, I am calling to urge the Senator to vote against confirming Andrew Puzder as Secretary of Labor, as he will make workplaces worse.

He has a history of violating labor laws and cheating the people who work for his restaurants out of their pay. He opposes minimum wage and overtime pay increases and continually puts profits ahead of people. He has a history of running sexist ads and demeaning women. He’s not the advocate we need in the Department of Labor. Thanks for your hard work answering the phones!”

We expect phone lines may be busy at times. Don’t be discouraged – it’s a great sign that phones are ringing off the hook. Just please try calling back a little later to get through.

It’s imperative that our senators hear from us IMMEDIATELY and understand why they must vote NO on Puzder’s nomination. Click here or call 1-844-612-6113 now!

PS: If your Senator’s mailbox is full or you can’t get through, please call one of their state offices. You can look up those local office numbers here.

Revised Hiring Hall Rules Go Into Effect On January 1

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Local 24 Business Manager Gary Griffin has mailed notification to our active members, announcing an update in the hiring hall rules. The letter reads as follows:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

With the significant increase of work opportunities over the last several months, it is time, once again, to review and revise the Hiring Hall Rules.

We currently have approximately 225 applicants on the out of work list. Over 150 of those applicants have received three turn downs and rolled to the back of the list MULTIPLE TIMES. They have communicated no interest in seeking work outside of remotely resigning the out of work list, (by email, fax or post card). They have not appeared in person for the day book, which is required to gain employment.

It is currently taking approximately 8 weeks to reach the top of the out of work list upon registering. Effective January 1, 2017 we are reinstituting the three turn downs rule that removes an applicant from the list instead of rolling them to the back. The applicant must then sign in person to register on the out of work list.

Hopefully, eliminating the applicants not actually seeking work or unavailable for work, will continue to improve the turnaround time. This should also give everyone an accurate number of applicants available and seeking work.

We will continue to monitor the work situation and Hiring Hall Rules and make the appropriate changes as necessary. Thank you for your cooperation and support. If you have any questions regarding the Hiring Hall Rules, please contact me.

Fraternally,

Gary R. Griffin
Business Manager

The revised versions of Local 24’s Hiring Hall Rules appear below:

 

LOCAL UNION NO. 24 – BALTIMORE DIVISION

HIRING HALL RULES

Effective January 1, 2017

1. No applicant for employment shall be registered unless he appears at the Baltimore Hiring Hall in person and requests to sign the respective out-of-work book. Groups I, II, III, IV. This may be done Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. – close of business (except holidays).

2. Upon requesting to register on the out-of-work list, all applicants shall complete an application for referral.

3. All persons registered on the out-of-work list shall re-sign from the 10th through close of business on the 16th day of each month. Re-signs are to take place by one of the following means:

a.  In person at either Hiring Hall (Baltimore or Eastern Shore) by signing the out-of-work list (Monday – Friday, 8:00 – close of business)

b.  by mail with the approved LU#24 Baltimore Division resign cards (post marked from the 10th through the 16th of each month)

c.  by e-mail addressed to: resign@ibewlocal24.org (including a date and time stamp from the 10th through the close of business on the 16th of each month)

d.  by fax attn: Referral Office @ 410-644-1434 (including a date and time stamp from the 10th through the close of business on the 16th of each month)

* (All of which shall include name, card#, LU#, and phone #).

4. Manpower calls for the following day will be posted on a job hotline and available for review after 6:00 P.M. @ 410-247-5737 / 1-800-240-6022. Applicants seeking any available job must register in person on a daily sheet (“Day Book”). At either the Baltimore or Eastern Shore Hiring Hall.

5. Sign in on the “Day Book” is Monday – Friday, from 8:00 A.M. – 8:45 A.M SHARP!

6. Referrals will then be processed in the manner of lowest number on the out-of-work list to the highest number on the out-of-work list. All of whom will have signed the Day Book.

7. Job call out starts immediately after the “Day Book” sign in is complete

8. Upon receiving a referral, the registrant shall be handed a referral slip from the Referral Office and informed of the contractor, time and place to report for employment.

9. Upon accepting the referral the applicant must report for work on the day he receives the referral or the next business day, unless otherwise specified in the manpower request.

10. The names of the registrants shall be removed from the out-of-work list as they are referred to an employer. Should a registrant be rejected by an employer, the registrant should have the employer so note on the referral slip. The registrant shall immediately contact The Referral Office, return the slip and re-sign the out of work list in order to retain his/her position.

11. A Registrant who is hired and who receives, through no fault of his/her own, work of 14 calendar days or less shall, upon re-registration (in person),be restored to his appropriate place on the out-of-work list.

12. Applicants referred to any employer for a short call (2 weeks or less,14 calendar days) shall not be allowed to be referred out on another advertised short call until short term opportunities have rotated through the out of work list.

13. Registrants shall receive a maximum of 1 turndown per day. Turndowns shall be issued only to numbers 1-25 on the Out-Of-Work List. Any job deemed having special circumstances by the Business Manager shall not constitute a turndown. (Example: an advertised 14 day short call, 2nd or 3rd shift, welder, CDL, service truck, etc. *All calls requiring any form of substance abuse testing are subject to turndowns.) Registrants will be allowed two turndowns without penalty and removed from the out-of-work list upon a third turndown. Being unavailable for referral for any reason when work would have been offered to a registrant shall be considered a turndown. Rejection of the registrant by an employer is not a turndown. All applicants removed from the out of work list for any reason must re-register in person after being removed.

14. The Business Manager is responsible to fill all calls in a timely manner as needed by the employers.

    • Any and all unfilled calls that were posted will be filled at the Business Manager’s discretion.
    • Also, in an emergency, referrals may have to be made outside normal hours using whatever means are available to fill calls and place registrants. Fair and equitable means will be used but ALL CALLS will be filled.

LOCAL UNION NO. 24 – EASTERN SHORE DIVISION

HIRING HALL RULES

Effective January 1, 2017

 

  1. No applicant for employment shall be registered unless he appears at the Eastern Shore Hiring Hall in person and requests to sign the respective out-of-work book. Groups I, II, III, IV. This may be done Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. – close of business (except holidays).
  2. Upon requesting to register on the out-of-work list, all applicants shall complete an application for referral.
  3. All persons registered on the out-of-work list shall re-sign from the 10th through the close of business on the 16th day of each month. Re-signs are to take place by one of the following means:

a. In person at either Hiring Hall (Eastern Shore or Baltimore) by signing the out-of-work list (Monday – Friday, 8:00 – close of business)

b. by mail with the approved LU#24 Eastern Shore Division resign cards (post marked from the 10th through the 16th of each month)

c. by e-mail addressed to: EasternShoreResign@ibewlocal24.org (including a date and time stamp from the 10th through the close of business on the 16th of each month)

d. by fax attn: Referral Office @410-543-2383 (including a date and time stamp from the 10th through the close of business on the 16th of each month)

* (All of which shall include name, card#, LU#, and phone #).

4. Manpower calls for the following day will be posted on a job hotline and available for review after 6:00 P.M. @ 410-742-2011 / 866-602-4036. Applicants seeking any available job must register in person on a daily sheet (“Day Book”). At either the Eastern Shore or Baltimore Hiring Hall.

5. Sign in on the “Day Book” is Monday – Friday, from 8:00 A.M. – 8:45 A.M SHARP!

6. Referrals will then be processed in the manner of lowest number on the out-of-work list to the highest number on the out-of-work list. All of whom will have signed the Day Book.

7. Job call out starts immediately after the “Day Book” sign in is complete.

8. Upon receiving a referral, the registrant shall be handed a referral slip from the Referral Office and informed of the contractor, time and place to report for employment.

9. Upon accepting the referral the applicant must report for work on the day he receives the referral or the next business day, unless otherwise specified in the manpower request.

  1. The names of the registrants shall be removed from the out-of-work list as they are referred to an employer. Should a registrant be rejected by an employer, the registrant should have the employer so note on the referral slip. The registrant shall immediately contact The Referral Office, return the slip and re-sign the out of work list in order to retain his/her position.
  2. A Registrant who is hired and who receives, through no fault of his/her own, work of 14 calendar days or less shall, upon re-registration (in person), be restored to his appropriate place on the out-of-work list.
  3. Applicants referred to any employer for a short call (2 weeks or less, 14 calendar days) shall not be allowed to be referred out on another advertised short call until short term opportunities have rotated through the out of work list.
  4. Registrants shall receive a maximum of 1 turndown per day. Turndowns shall be issued only to numbers 1-25 on the Out-Of-Work List. Any job deemed having special circumstances by the Business Manager shall not constitute a turndown. (Example: an advertised 14 day short call, 2nd or 3rd shift, welder, CDL, service truck, etc. *All calls requiring any form of substance abuse testing are subject to turndowns.) Registrants will be allowed two turndowns without penalty and removed from the out-of-work list upon a third turndown. Being unavailable for referral for any reason when work would have been offered to a registrant shall be considered a turndown. Rejection of the registrant by an employer is not a turndown. All applicants removed from the out of work list for any reason must re-register in person after being removed.
  5. The Business Manager is responsible to fill all calls in a timely manner as needed by the employers.
  • Any and all unfilled calls that were posted will be filled at the Business Manager’s discretion.
  • Also, in an emergency, referrals may have to be made outside normal hours using whatever means are available to fill calls and place registrants. Fair and equitable means will be used but ALL CALLS will be filled.

 

“We can never back down from our values” – AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka

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Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on the 2016 Presidential Election

Donald Trump has been elected president. America is a democratic nation, and the voters have spoken. The AFL-CIO accepts the outcome of this election, and offers our congratulations to President-elect Trump.

More than anything, this election is an indictment of politics as usual.

For too long, the political elites have embraced economic policies that hold down wages, increase inequality, diminish opportunity and ship American jobs overseas. Voters in both the primary and general election have delivered a clear message: enough.

The President-elect made promises in this campaign—on trade, on restoring manufacturing, on reviving our communities. We will work to make many of those promises a reality. If he is willing to work with us, consistent with our values, we are ready to work with him.

But make no mistake, we can never back down from our values. The presence of racism, misogyny, and anti-immigrant appeals caused damage in this campaign and we must all try to repair it with inclusion, decency and honesty.

As we move forward, the labor movement is committed to defending our American democracy. Ultimately, the fundamental duty of America’s President, symbolized by swearing to uphold our Constitution, is to protect and preserve our democracy and the institutions that make it real.  We hope to work with President Elect Trump to help him carry out this solemn responsibility. Regardless, America’s labor movement will protect our democracy and safeguard the most vulnerable among us.

This election is a statement about our broken economic and political rules. Therefore, the work of the labor movement continues with fresh urgency. The change voters cried out for in this campaign can be found by standing together in unions. The election is over. But we are more committed than ever to helping working people win a voice on the job and in our democracy.

We will never stop striving to represent everyone, fighting for basic human dignity, expanding our diversity and growing our ranks to give working people a strong, united voice.